Dexter's Lab

Happy New Year 2009!!

2009-01-01T14:54:00.001+08:00

Thursday, January 1, 2009
A year from now
Where will you be a year from now? Where would you most like to be?
There is so much you've learned and experienced on your journey to this day. Imagine what you can now do with it all.

This new year is a grand opportunity, filled with promise and possibilities. Choose now the very best of those possibilities, and know that you have the power to bring them to life.

You will spend this coming year moving in one direction or another. Commit now to making that direction the one that will take you toward what you sincerely desire.

Life in each moment is influenced by your presence and participation. As this new year unfolds, continue to make that influence a positive and fulfilling one.

Consider today where you would like to be a year from now. For now is the beginning of the year in which you can truly make it happen.

-- Ralph Marston
www.greatday.com

Another year!...

2008-10-09T00:40:00.001+08:00

Happy Birthday to me!! Hehehehe!

Amazing!

2008-01-12T13:16:00.000+08:00

Here's a five-minute presentation from TED which is simply amazing!

Unenthused and uninspired

2007-12-18T22:31:00.000+08:00

There are days when I am utterly uninspired... and the past two days were just that. I couldn't scrape together even an ounce of enthusiasm for my work. I just stared mindlessly at my P&IDs, marking up and away without really making any deeper effort at analyzing the system. I spent nights just watching various shows on my laptop, ignoring the fact that, even though I had just thoroughly cleaned my house the past week, clutter was again accummulating in haywire amounts everywhere. I bought a Christmas tree, but up to now I've yet to put it up. Gifts still remain unwrapped, with me preferring to sleep over taking care of fixing them up. I'm not even interested in starting up conversations with my project teammates at work, reverting back to my usual aloof and withdrawn self.

But I'm hoping that this cycle of "unentusiasm" is finally over, and tomorrow I can become the driven, interested, and happy person I'm envisioning right now.

Anyway, a little update on today. Had a birthday lunch (disguised as a farewell get-together) for Tin2 today at the Hard Rock Cafe. We got together for lunch, under the pretense that it was a send-off party for Joms, who's leaving tomorrow for a short vacation back home. But we surprised Tin2 by springing the "Hard Rock Happy-Birthday-clap-your-hands-sing-while-the-staff-serve-that-delicious-dessert-with-a-sparkler-on-top" number reserved by Hard Rock for birthday celebrant customers. It was nice =)

Cleaned up my cluttered desk, since I had the most disheveled desk in our project area hehe. Did some quick Christmas shopping with yukiaime. And what else? I think that's all..

Maybe tomorrow will be more interesting... hopefully.

October the 1st!

2007-10-01T22:22:00.000+08:00

Yep, I like to mark the months like that... Today is October the 1st! (Don't worry if you don't get me. I'm weird like that.)

Anyway, I like how this day turned out. It's all gray and drizzly here in Yokohama today, but strangely I felt perky and cheery all day. I guess it helped that almost everyone in our project is a little crazy. Hahaha.

Although being chatty all the time in the office doesn't help my productivity at all. Hehe. But pareho lang din naman, kung wala naman akong kadaldalan malamang malaki pa rin yung lost efficiency sa pagiging antukin ko hehe. But okay, okay, I'll do my best to be more focused tomorrow. But I'm planning on wearing a skirt tomorrow, and it's not my usual attire to the office (shaving legs takes too much trouble!), so probably that won't be helping my focus much hahaha. I'll just do my best to pretend that I wear skirts all the time, no biggie hahaha.

This will be my last month in my current project, though. I'm being transferred to another project by November. I'll definitely miss my current project team mates. I've never had a crazier group to work with hahaha.

Most of us will be demobilized by end of December (One already left. I consider him already gone from the PJ, even though he supposedly just went on a short site assignment. He himself isn't sure he'll be able to come back lol!). It's been a blast working with all of them (naks! parang nagpapaalam na), and definitely, I learned a lot. I'll be looking forward to my farewell party... hahahah! Joke! Joke! Pero hindi rin masama kung meron nga hehe ;)

Current Fave Song...

2007-09-01T22:53:00.000+08:00

World
by Five for Fighting

Got a package full of Wishes
A Time machine,
a Magic Wand
A Globe made out of Gold
No Instructions or Commandments
Laws of Gravity or Indecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I see
A.C.M.E.'s Build-a-World-to-be
Take a chance - Grab a piece
Help me to believe it

What kind of world do you want? Think Anything
Let's start at the start Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now...

Should there be people or peoples
Money, Funny pedestals for Fools who never pay
Raise your Army - Choose your Steeple
Don't be shy, the satellites can look the other way

Lose the Earthquakes - Keep the Faults
Fill the oceans without the salt
Let every Man own his own Hand

What kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now...

Sunlight's on the Bridge
Sunlight's on the Way
Tomorrow's Calling There's more to this than Love

What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
History Starts Now

Be careful what you wish for
Start Now

2007-08-24T23:40:00.001+08:00

This is how you kill passion...
You bastards.

Staying Informed

2007-08-19T00:33:00.000+08:00

I just got back from a dinner-chat session with a fellow Pinay who lives in the same apartment building as me. And during the course of the evening, we got to talking about Japan and World War II, which eventually led to the United States and Bush, and Blair and China and all that.

And all the discussion got me to thinking that maybe I've been avoiding reading news and current events too much. I think I stopped reading the newspapers maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Only the occasional Internet news links would make it to my reading list.

But that somewhat lively discussion with my friend this evening made me realize how much I've been shielding myself from all that's happening in the world. There's so much transpiring all around me right now that I'm not even aware of. And the degree to which I've successfully implemented a "news blackout" on myself... it somewhat alarmed me today haha.

So I'm thinking.. okay... I should really make an effort to read at least some current events from now on. It wouldn't hurt to keep pace with world events, esp. when everything seems already well down the path toward going global. It wouldn't hurt to keep myself informed. It would be less alarming for me, at the least hehe.

Geeking before Work

2007-08-17T07:36:00.000+08:00

Yes, I'm supposed to be getting ready for work right now. And yes, I'm doing just exactly the opposite of that. I'm sitting here in front of my laptop, blogging. The issues I have to deal with today are turning themselves around in my head. I guess I'm just trying to gather up the momentum to surge ahead through my today and deal with all of them.

Anyway, some inane blabbering before I sign off. Has anyone heard of the Standard theory? I've heard it described as the most accurate/precise scientific theory around. Being described thus, I wonder why I never learned of it in any of my science classes. The theory seeks to understand the concept of mass... why photons are virtually massless but neutrons and protons are so heavy. It presents the concept of the Higgs field, which is made up of Higgs bosons, to explain the why's and how's of mass. I won't explain it here anymore cause I don't feel I know enough to be able to tell you about it clearly.

But really, it puzzles me why I just heard about this theory yesterday. It's one of the more fundamental theories, isn't it?

Haha... okay.. no, I'm not drunk. I'm just writing down one of the things wandering around in my head. Anyway, okay, time to get ready for work..

Wanting Miyazaki

2007-08-14T20:53:00.000+08:00

It being one of those rare days I got to leave the office early, I took the time to do some quick window-shopping. And I came upon this shop in Landmark, which I hadn't seen before. Upfront it looked like it sold toys and stuff for little children. But to my delight I found that it carried various and numerous Ghibli paraphernalia... from Totoro furoshikis, puzzles, key chains, bento bags, pendulum wall clocks, towels, bedroom slippers,... to delicate Totoro tea cups, that famous Laputa necklace, glow-in-the-dark Kodamas, Kiki wind chimes, Ghibli art books, everything!

The art books especially reminded me of the wonderful times I had watching Miyazaki's creations. Crying while watching Nausicaa of the Valley of the Lost, caught in the whirlwind adventures in The Return of the Cat, spellbound by the Oscar award-winning movie, Sprited Away, enchanted by the simple happiness felt while watching My Neighbor Totoro, and caught in the magic of Howl's Moving Castle.

I also realized, however, that I'd forgotten some of the parts from Miyazaki's movies; can't remember anymore how some of the storylines went.

So now I'm feeling the want to experience all the Miyazaki goodness again. Gimme Totoro, Laputa, Mimi wo Sumaseba... Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Return of the Cat! I wanna watch them all again! (^_^)

Quote of the Day

2007-07-31T22:13:00.000+08:00

"All that the salvation of the world requires is the intelligent pursuit of our own self-interests..."

That one's from Robert Wright. I like the way it nudges me to lean back and look at things from a different perspective.

Be selfish and save the world. That's a new one. Or maybe not. With a little bit of thinking, I suppose some of us could arrive at the same conclusion.

If you want to know what I'm talking about, check out this talk he gave at TED.

Inspiring Story

2007-07-14T13:05:00.000+08:00

I came across an article today in WorldChanging.com about a boy from Malawi whose ingenuity and resourcefulness made a big impact on his family's life and is now inspiring many people from around the world.

His name is William Kamkwamba, a 19-year-old who has had to drop out of school in 2002 because his family couldn't afford to pay the school fees. Despite this, however, he was still determined to educate himself as much as possible, reading books at a nearby public school library on his own. Here, he came across two books which caught his interest -- one talked about the principles of energy, and in the other was a how-to on building a simple windmill.

Living in a home with no electrical supply, he decided to experiment and tried out building a windmill of his own. Scrounging around for materials he could use in his village, and buying the other parts from money he was able to scrape together, he was able to build a windmill which, now, is able to supply the basic electrical supply needs of his home. They can now use light bulbs instead of relying on candles, and his family can now listen to the radio... and he can even charge the mobile phones of some of his neighbors!

Wow. Considering that he's a dropout from school, attaining only the equivalent of a primary school education, this is quite a remarkable accomplishment. He only had his intelligence, his ingenuity, his determination. And he was able to make a difference.

His accomplishments caught the attention of many people, including the organizers of TED Global Conference, who invited him for a short interview on-stage at the conference in Tanzania. Here, he had his first encounter with the Internet, and was immediately amazed at the wealth of information that it could offer.

Now, William is a regular blogger, telling readers about the further developments he's making in his windmill project. You can read and find out more about him at his blog, williamkamkwamba(at)typepad(dot)com.

This story is really a wow story for me. William set out to do something with the simplest of motivations -- to get electricity for his home. But in the process he has managed to do something great.

Creative Engineering?

2007-07-12T21:45:00.000+08:00

Is there such a thing as a creative process engineer? Is there any venue in our occupation to express original ideas? To do something that can be most identifiably "us" or "me" or "you"?

Sometimes, it feels like we're just following procedures, SOPs... we're doing things the way it's been done for 10..15...20 years now. How many different ways can you size a vessel? How can you put more personality into optimizing that column? Or think about adding some flair or some weird twist to your hydraulic calculations?

I'm very much aware that I'm an engineer, and this is what engineers do... solve problems. This is the job I chose. I'm no painter nor singer. What am I doing thinking about creativity?

But still sometimes I crave for it. A little touch of myself in my job... a little spin to my P&IDs... a brilliant idea that I can just put out there on the table... an aha! moment. But then sometimes I get to thinking maybe I'm just not smart enough to be innovative in the type of job I'm in. But that's a bad way of thinking.

Maybe I _can_ be creative. Maybe I _can_ be unique. Maybe I _am_ full of good ideas. I don't know. Starting tomorrow maybe I can start finding out.

2007-07-08T21:07:00.000+08:00

I need a new card reader!! I can't download our pics from our Hiroshima trip. And that also means I can't free up space in my digicam. Phooey! When we had dinner with some of our old projectmates last Friday night, I had to resort to deleting some pics from our soccer match trip the other weekend. Inisip ko na lang that I can rely on the pictures from the other people I was with at that time hahaha.

This weekend was relatively low-key, except for the much-fun dinner last Friday night. That one was spent laughing and throwing wisecracks at each other. I barely noticed the food, and that's rare hahaha! We even had coffee afterwards, and I was much regretful when we had to call it a night already and go home. I have three shots on my cam from the dinner, and I can't download any of them to send waaaah!! Definitely I should get a new cardreader soon, or at least fix the one I have now.

Yesterday I spent half the day in bed hehehe! I dunno, I guess I just felt like lazing around. I'd been planning to do it for a while now, what with the very hectic weeks I've had to deal with. Then in the early evening we went window-shopping and cellphone-purchasing at Keikyu department store in Gumyoji. There was a sale going on but the prices were still a bit too steep for us. I was able to get another pair of earrings though, dangling ones with jade-colored stones which matched perfectly with the shirt I was wearing that day hahaha! So yeah after paying for the earrings I wore them already. I notice I've become an earring addict. It's the accessory that I'm currently paying the most attention to, esp. since it can really liven up an otherwise boring outfit (most of my wardrobe is like that haha), with the most minimal of fuss.

After getting tired of window-shopping, we trooped to Yodobashi to get Erns a cellphone. She opted for the same one Elaine had, an Au-KDDI prepaid unit which she got for less than 8,000 yen, prepaid card and charger all in. She was so happy with the cellphone she was practically shining with glee hahaha!

After getting the phone, we went home to cook some sinigang and have dinner together. We dropped by a nearby grocery store which stays open till late, and got the ingredients we needed. The sinigang and rice were done in no time, and pretty soon we were eating away while watching a Bollywood movie entitled, "Bride and Prejudice." A fun movie, although it really isn't one for the Oscar's. It was all color and songs and dances and beautiful Indian women. Nice movie for a lazy evening. Elaine even brought over some delicious Franzia red wine, which I had two wineglasses of. It was fun. Next weekend we might be doing it in Elaine's room.

Today was just a trip to the library and more sleep. I wasn't able to catch up on anything on my to-do list! Haha! But I really love my library trips, where I get to pick out all the magazines I want to read and get engrossed in the most interesting stories. Today I read on brain-rewiring, how to manage gen-Yers in the workplace (that's us!), Paris Hilton's month-long stint in prison, dealing with stress, and some other odd little bits of articles. I also borrowed "The English Patien" and "I am a Cat", which is a collection of essays and stories from a Japanese author that caught my interest. Anyway, hopefully I won't be a delinquent borrower this time and return the books overdue, like I did last time. I really should force myself to set aside some reading time everyday. It's something that I think is really important for everyone. Anyway, I'll make myself do that starting this week.

Now I think I should go and do some Nihongo lessons. I'm annoyingly not making any progress in that area haha! But I really wish I had a Japanese person to practice with and correct my grammar and my pronunciation.

Birthday and Coincidences

2007-05-03T22:50:00.000+08:00

It's my mom's birthday today. And we celebrated it with pancit, fried chicken, ice cream and cake. Yum!

I brought home the choco mocha cake from Red Ribbon. I was actually contemplating on getting my all-time favorite coffee crunch again (which we had last Christmas and New Year's), but I decided to fight the urge and try something else instead. Not too bad. Not as good as a coffee crunch, but the chocolatiness was just right... not too sweet, just the way I like it.

And funny thing happened while my officemate and I were on our way home. First we bumped into Joan, one of my close barkada from college. And then a few moments later my officemate bumped into his sister lol! We got separated when we got on the MRT though. We hopped into different cars, me and Joan together, and him and his sister and his sister's friend in another. Joan and I got off at the Q. Ave. station, without getting the chance to say goodbye to them.

Joan and I had so much fun catching up with each other on the rest of the trip home. She had funny stories to tell about her boss, and I was soon also caught up in irreverently poking fun at him lol!

Tomorrow we'll all be going to watch Spiderman 3. It'll be great fun! Hanging out with the old group again. Will blog about that tomorrow, if I'm not too sleepy yet when I get home.

For now, I'll see if I can catch up on some office work... go me! ~_~

Unload...

2007-02-25T21:06:00.000+08:00

...That's what I was able to do today. A pause and a deep breath, before life starts rushing forward again. Thank God for good friends =)

My eyes feel coarse and stingy, from staying up till 4am to watch Princess Hours hahaha! Yes of all things... losing sleep for a Koreanovela lol!

So I tried to catch up with my sleep this afternoon. And I still couldn't sleep. And now I feel a dash of groginess and lightheadedness. And tomorrow's Monday, a fact I'm trying hard to forget right now lol!

And it's so hot and stuffy... yes, so summer... weather is wilting me... ~_~

I need to breathe and sleep.. breathe and sleep... in any order whichever comes first blah blah blah..

Nostalgia in a Photo Album

2007-02-21T21:51:00.000+08:00

When will I ever learn, that trying to avoid confronting something never got me anywhere.. Must smack that lesson into my head hard and deep.

I wanna go shopping.. I wanna buy shoes! shoes! shoes! Nice shoes. I'm only using two pairs right now. Haha.. ghastly for a woman I know. And I have GCs to spend! Yay! Thanks to that project bonus we got. My only problem now is that I don't have the time to spend the GCs hahaha.

I was leafing through a photo album Ate K put together for our department today. Sort of a gift, commemorating (how many m's does this word actually have? hehehe) the great and fun times she had with the Process people since way back. I felt nostalgic looking at the pictures. A little bit sad... when I recall all the old people and the way our department was back then. It's definitely not the same anymore. Gave my li'l ol' heart a twinge.. I really miss everyone.

Hah.. anyway,, sabi nga nila ganyan talaga. All good things come to an end... nothing lasts forever... yeah.. stuff like that. Hay.. sige na nga di ko na lang iisipin hehehe.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2007-02-18T22:51:00.000+08:00

Happy Year of the Pig to everyone!!

It's another chance to celebrate the New Year lol! A second chance to feel like you're getting a new start... and I'm taking it! Lol! (for various reasons I won't bore you with anymore)

Damn I'm tired. It's been so busy, busy, busy since January. And it looks like it'll be like this until March. I feel aches and pains along my shoulders and my back everyday now. Comes from slouching in front of my laptop all the time. But they're good aches and pains. They remind me that I'm working hard on something that's important to me.

I've also been working on improving my focus the past weeks. I hate it that my brain has this tendency to flitter away every chance it gets. And I want to get rid of that. I want to be able to focus like Coyote zooms in arrow-straight on the Roadrunner. Lock in. Fire!

But it's difficult for me hahaha! I always have so many things running around in my head. It's not that I'm not able to concentrate on my tasks. It's just that I want to be able to focus more... like a laser beam, to borrow Lisa Hanberg's words. And I'm slowly inching towards that goal. Slowly. But the improvement's there. Just a little bit everyday lol!

Anyway, since I've been busy I haven't been able to do most of the other things I like doing. Like visiting the websites I used to frequent. I don't even remember when was the last time I watched a video on YouTube. And you know how long I've been absent from this blog. This balancing act with my time is proving harder to pull off than I'd imagined. Ah well, if I survive this then I can have something more to be proud of to myself.

Go, go me! lol!

Babbling

2006-12-29T13:04:00.000+08:00

I'm such a lazy butt. I should be doing a million other things right now. But here I am doing some serious vacationing. I really should make this a part of my New Year's resolution list (not that I actually make one)--get more willpower to do the stuff that need doing, kill that manana habit.

Anyway, at least not all my time was wasted on sleeping. I was able to finish watching Gundam Seed Destiny.. Athrun rocks!! Lol! And also a Japanese movie entitled, "Love Letter." Nice movie. Perfect for an afternoon of sluggish idling.

I've also started reading George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels again, esp. The Game of Thrones volume which is taking me forever to finish. And then there's still that huge dust-covered stack of books waiting in my room... Malazan Book of the Fallen, the later volumes of The Wheel of Time, etc.

I've also yet to unpack my stuff from the suitcase and bags and boxes I brought home. I've always been like that. Preferring to live off my suitcase for weeks over taking the time to patiently move all my clothes and stuff to my closet. La-zeee! Hahaha.

And my Nikon D40 hasn't gotten much airtime yet. I've snapped a few practice shots here and there. But I've yet to plan a photoshoot outing somewhere. That's another thing on my list of want-to-do's.

Right now, though, priority goes to preparations for our media noche. Thankfully my tita and cousin will be spending the New Year's here with us. So maybe we can actually have some home-cooked dishes for New Year's dinner. Ah yes.. definitely I need to seriously learn and develop culinary skills this year. So I won't have to rely on other people for cooking so much.

Hah! So much to plan for, do and learn. Busy is good.

Back Home Again

2006-12-25T16:54:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

So I'm here, back in the Philippines. My assignment in Japan has finally ended, and it's time to continue with work and life in the homeland.

The first few days after getting back was spent meeting with friends, getting a haircut and attending a wedding. It was only yesterday that I could turn my attention to making preparations for our Christmas dinner, which turned out to be a blast and a great opportunity to bond with my brothers. We took some pictures... very, very funny and crazy pictures which I wish I could post here but are too out-of-this-world to show anyone hahaha!

Truth be told, though, I'm still a little bit disoriented. It's not that I've gotten too used to living in Japan that I need to familiarize myself with life in the Philippines again. On the contrary, it feels like I haven't been gone for a year at all. What's gotten my bearings skewed is the fact that my routine's gotten shot, leaving me confused as to what to do next most of the time.

Hopefully by the time I have to return to the office this Wednesday I'll be feeling much less disoriented than I am now. Yeah, I'll definitely work on that within the next few days.

Sayonara Day

2006-12-20T00:41:00.000+08:00

Today is gonna be my last day in our Japan office... my current assignment is coming to an end. I'm both sad and happy to be going... but right now I'm more tired from all the packing and preparations I've been doing.

I'm writing this entry now coz I don't think I'll have the time later on. The last days (esp. the last day!) before a flight at the end of a work assignment are always hectic. And I'm planning not to sleep tomorrow night.. so wish me luck! And the next time I write a blog entry may be from the Philippines already.

I'll miss Japan!!

Test

2006-11-22T23:13:00.000+08:00

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Motivating Myself

2006-11-21T05:50:00.000+08:00

Wow. Yes! I did it! I woke up at 6:30am today. Hahaha!

Don't scoff. If you know how difficult it is for me to fight the urge to keep myself buried in my comfortable sheets every morning, you'll also appreciate the gravity of this feat lol!

So now what do I do with a suddenly leisurely amount of morning in my hands? Well, blog for one. And here I am doing that now. In a while I'll be cooking some breakfast. Because of this habit of waking up late, I haven't been able to eat nice, filling breakfasts regularly. I always settle with hot tea and bread from the kiosk in our office building. Suking suki na nga ako dun e.. hehehe. But today I have time to defrost and fry up some bacon and hotdogs. Wheee! Hooray for early morning starts! Yun nga lang baka bukas late na naman ako gigising ~_~

Yesterday wasn't the best of days for me. Got plumped down into a meeting first thing in the workday, as in kakarating ko lang ininform agad ako that I have to attend this meeting. My gash! Ni hindi pa ako nakakasuklay hahaha. So I kept smoothing down my hair, trying to tame the chaos down while my Japanese coworker was informing me of the meeting. Hahahaha! Yan ang tinatawag na poise!

Anyway, like I said, it wasn't the best of days for me yesterday. And it really showed. Damn, I really had difficulty holding discussions with my project teammate. Walang kabuhay-buhay! He probably noticed I wasn't in my full element. Good thing toward the end of our meeting, I was already caught up in the momentum and could crack jokes again hahaha! Yes, cracking jokes is important in work meetings. I don't like it when everything is so serious. My face gets all fidgety trying to keep a serious face to match the atmosphere. Yun nga lang, pinipili ko rin yung meetings na nagpapatawa ako. Shempre, depende rin yan sa kameeting mo hehehe.

I was really struggling for motivation yesterday. I had to find the things that kept me going again; it seems there are days that I lose them. I found it's important to allow yourself to congratulate yourself on your accomplishments. It's one of the things that can fuel our drive to keep moving forward. If we downplay the importance of the things that we've done, no matter how small they are, then time comes when we start questioning what everything we're doing is for. Misplaced modesty can be very harmful to our goals.

Anyway, I think I've recovered today. I really hope I've got my perk back. There's so much to do and I need all the energy and motivation I can get.

Widget Testing

2006-11-11T18:56:00.000+08:00

I just wanted to try this out. It's something from 30 Boxes that organizes your photos into a calendar format. Thomas Hawke describes more concretely how useful this widget can be. Personally, I guess I'd use this to create a sort of photo diary, although I think I'd have to be more active in taking pictures than I am now to make it interesting enough.

To WoT Fans

2006-11-04T23:41:00.000+08:00

I haven't been reading fantasy books for around a year now, what with being assigned in Japan and having minimal access to affordable English books. And I haven't been keeping up with the Wheel of Time releases for longer than that. I'm so out of the loop with regards to WoT right now that it's only recently that I heard about Robert Jordan's condition. According to his letter to Locus Online, he has been diagnosed with amyloidosis, and by now is already undergoing treatment.

I DO hope that he recovers and, just as he spiritedly says in his letter, go on to live for thirty more years and more.

Jeff Han Speaks

2006-10-25T07:00:00.000+08:00

I went "OMG!" while watching this. Washu from Tenchi Muyo suddenly came to mind lol! This is way cool!! I want one!

Sir Ken Robinson Speaks

2006-10-22T22:20:00.000+08:00

Another awesome speech and presentation, this time by Sir Ken Robinson, who argues for giving higher value to creativity and innovativeness in our educational systems.

Watch it, and be inspired by his ideas.

And here comes another one...

2006-10-21T13:20:00.000+08:00

I've been going through my RSS feeds for over an hour now, and I'm still not finished! Lol! That's what I get from being a lazy net surfer the past weeks.

Anyway, yesterday hit me with another lesson in negotiating work assignments. Actually, I could bonk myself on the head since this is something that anyone with common sense already knows. I know it, too. But I guess I was just too slow on the uptake yesterday lol!

To make a long story short I sorta got myself involved in another project yesterday. Yes, that's on top of the main project I'm doing now, and some stuff I'm doing for the development of some process engineering tools our company wants to use in the future, and another minor part-time role in another project. Hahahaha! T_T

How did I get myself into this? One of the managers approached me yesterday, asking if I would be willing to help in communicating the scope of a new upcoming project to my colleagues at home. I thought, "I guess there should be no problem. Just one or two meetings with the lead project key person, a few items for clarification, and then one or two e-mails and phone calls to the people back in the Phils., and we're done! No sweat!". And so I told the manager I'd do it.

Big mistake. Lol! Turns out I didn't understand the scope all that well at all. After getting my affirmative answer, the manager stood up and told me to come with him. He asked the new project's KP to come with us as well. And off to the meeting room we all trooped. Then we called up one of the team managers in our Philippine HQ, and started a mini-teleconference to inform them of the new project. What made me do a mental double take was when the manager described the role I would be playing in the new project. Turns out I wouldn't just be relaying to the engineers at home the scope of the project, I'll be coordinating for them for almost the whole project's duration!! Whaaaattt!!! Hahahaha!

Haaayyy.. I've always been a big advocate of the word, CLARIFY, CLARIFY, CLARIFY! And it seems this time I wasn't able to put that concept into practice. I should have reclarified with the manager what my scope would be, repeated what he said back to him before giving him my yes. Hahahaha!

Oh well, okay lang. I'll just think of this as another challenge and learning opportunity. And maybe my role won't be too busy. I hope. ~crosses fingers~.

Pero ha, ayus yung style nung manager. Clever way to delegate jobs to your people hahaha! Magamit nga minsan.... ~evil laugh~

Wala Lang Uli..

2006-10-16T19:45:00.000+08:00

The Sonnet
Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLDf)

Romantic, hopeful, and composed. You are the Sonnet. Get it? Composed?

Sonnets want Love and have high ideals about it. They're conscientious people, caring & careful. You yourself have deep convictions, and you devote a lot of thought to romance and what it should be. This will frighten away most potential mates, but that's okay, because you're very choosy with your affections anyway. You'd absolutely refuse to date someone dumber than you, for instance.

Your exact opposite:
Genghis Khunt

Random Brutal Sex Master

Lovers who share your idealized perspective, or who are at least willing to totally throw themselves into a relationship, will be very, very happy with you. And you with them. You're already selfless and compassionate, and with the right partner, there's no doubt you can be sensual, even adventurously so.

You probably have lots of female friends, and they have a special soft spot for you. Babies do, too, at the tippy-top of their baby skulls.

ALWAYS AVOID: The 5-Night Stand, The False Messiah, The Hornivore, The Last Man on Earth

CONSIDER: The Loverboy

Ze Speaks

2006-10-03T22:27:00.000+08:00

I'm such a sucker for great speeches and wonderful presentations. Especially funny ones! Here's a talk by the ultimate in vloggers, ZeFrank. Really, really, really funny guy. Wish I had even half of his sense of humor!

Anniversary

2006-10-01T19:47:00.000+08:00

Wow. It's October 1. By tomorrow I'll have been in Japan for a year already. Well, technically, since I DID go home for a few weeks last Christmas. But still, time flies by so fast! Feels like I've only been here for a few months.

And what other fitting way to mark my first anniversary of being in Japan than by starting on a new project? Yep. Tomorrow, new project. New teammates. New challenges, the first one of which is gonna be to move all the clutter I've accumulated in my work area the past year to my new desk..hahaha! So that'll take up most of my time tomorrow.

What saddens me actually is to think that in a few months I'll be leaving Japan. I'll miss it like crazy. But what can I do? Lol!

Anyway, Happy Japanniversary to me!! (cheesy! hehehe!) It's been a great experience so far =)

Reprise

2006-09-30T23:22:00.000+08:00

Remember this?..Hehehe!

UC Berkeley Online Lectures

2006-09-29T20:08:00.000+08:00

This is cool. UC Berkeley has made available online some of their lectures and courses, with topics ranging from poetry to information systems to public policy. Great way to spend free time! Although I suspect most of these videos will probably make me fall asleep. Hahaha!

Wala lang..

2006-09-28T19:37:00.000+08:00

You know you're too busy when you end up buying your groceries piecemeal from the nearest convenience store. Bleah!!

(Or should I have started that sentence with "You know you have lousy time management skills when..."?)

Awa Odori

2006-09-24T13:38:00.000+08:00

This is a very much overdue post. Below is a short clip from the Awa Odori held in Koenji, Tokyo last August. The Awa Odori, or the Dance of Fools, is a very festive event with lots of drum-beating and shouting and of course, dancing. It was an interesting sight to see, and I was glad I took the time to go out and witness it.

The Awa Odori is said to have its roots in ancient times when, after the successful completion of their feudal lord's castle, the people decided to celebrate the event with much merry-making and drinking. And after getting themselves drunk, they danced and danced, with arms raised and toes tapping the ground to the beat of drums. And thus was born the tradition of the Awa Odori.

Messages and Smiles

2006-09-22T20:54:00.000+08:00

It's amazing how a smile from a mere acquaintance.. almost a stranger actually.. can turn my day around. It pulled me back from the general lousiness hovering over me, and made me feel that some semblance of fulfillment could still be salvaged from my day. I guess sometimes I forget that smiles DO exist, so I'm really thankful to that person who threw one my way today. He probably thought nothing of it. Heck, giving away smiles is probably just a habit of his. If it is, he's probably helping a lot of people every day he exists =)

And e-mails from friends really help improve my mood, too. I really love it when I receive messages from people, esp. those I don't get to see too often anymore. It's really nice to hear about their stories. And about what they're doing. And if anyone's getting hitched soon... lol! Chismis pala! Hahaha! But really, to all of you who've taken the time to write or to e-mail or to call or to leave a message on y!m, or even to comment on this blog, I want you to know that you've all helped make my day. Keep 'em coming! =)

(But please excuse the fact that sometimes I'm an irregular e-mail checker and oftentimes harrassed so I don't get to reply promptly. I promise I'll try to improve this bad habit of mine so I can help spread the good feelings around, too! ^_^)

Lyrics time again!

2006-09-10T19:30:00.000+08:00

MY FAVORITE REGRET
by The Gigolo Aunts

Will you be my favorite regret,
Could I be your sweetest mistake?
Trade one step back for two ahead
Just a little time that's all
Don't be afraid to fall
This catch I won't forget,
My favorite regret.

Won't you let me chip away the stone
Are you really better off alone?
Won't you let your guard down one more time
Just like I've done mine
We'll look until we find something neither will forget
My favorite regret

My favorite regret

Will you be my favorite regret?
Cut the strings attached but save the thread
And I know your feelings are probably right
But just this once tonight
As you lay in your bed
Place a little on this bet
My favorite regret

My Life Rating

2006-09-07T20:14:00.000+08:00

A friend asked me to take this test. And here go the results:

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	5.7
Mind:	5.6
Body:	7.5
Spirit:	4.2
Friends/Family:	2.6
Love:	2.1
Finance:	6.5
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Hahaha huli na naman ako sa uso!

2006-09-05T19:27:00.000+08:00

Ngayon ko lang to nakita.. at sobrang natuwa ako! Hahahaha! Kanta ng bandang OK Go. Na dahil sa pagpapalaganap nila ng video na ito sa YouTube, ay sumikat ang kanta nilang "Here It Goes Again" at nakarating na sa VH1 Top 20. Mahusay!

How many Microsoft people does it take to screw in a light bulb?...

2006-09-04T23:00:00.000+08:00

...None. Because Bill Gates has declared darkness as the new standard.

Hahaha! Guy Kawasaki cracked me up in this speech he gave at TiEcon 2006. Interesting watch. Nice presentation =)

Boo me!

2006-09-04T00:39:00.000+08:00

It's another "one-step-forward-two-steps back" day for me. I hate it! I wish I could just going on forward and forward and forward...

To Business Books

2006-09-03T10:24:00.000+08:00

I'm thinking of changing my reading menu from novels and manga and magazines, and trying out a business book or two. Not that I'm planning to become a business person any time soon. But I think business books have some pretty useful and cool ideas that are worth exposing myself too.

The only problem now is that books here in Japan are pretty damn expensive. And there aren't very many choices when it comes to English books.

Anyway, whether I start buying business books here or when I get back to the Philippines, reading the blogs of authors who have written successful and popular business books would be a good way to get a feel of what these books are really about. 800-CEO-READ gives a blog roll of some authors' sites that are probably worth checking out. I'll start from there.

No More Flowers?

2006-09-02T19:58:00.000+08:00

As I was walking home today, I suddenly realized that I haven't been taking pictures of beautiful flowers lately. When I first bought my digital camera, it was all I could do not to take photos of ALL the flowers here in Japan. It's as if my eyes couldn't get enough of them.

But now I've been so often staying all couped up in the office or at home that I haven't been able to take nice shots with my camera anymore. Maybe it was the heat of the summer. Or maybe I'm just getting too used to Japan?

Hmmm... now that it's almost autumn, I think it's time that my camera and I return to becoming the dynamic duo again. I want to be able to see Japan again the way I did when I first fell in love with it as a newbie gaijin in Japanese shores. Maybe it won't be possible to go back completely, but it would be nice if I could go beyond seeing merely sidewalks and subways and bicycles and square buildings, and be able to sense again the wonder and promise that Japan held for me years ago.

Hahaha. I'm getting sentimental. But really. I miss Japan.

Almost Autumn

2006-09-01T20:09:00.000+08:00

Yay! It's September 1! It's almost autumn!!! My favorite season! Though I'm wondering whether it IS autumn already. For me, September 1 spells autumn. Don't ask me why. Gusto ko lang. Hahahaha!

And as if listening to my autumn-happiness, it was raining today. Turning-of-the-season rain?? Maybe! I think it is! Yay!

And it's as if the Japanese are also eager for it to be autumn already. Even the shops are already displaying their autumn collections. Since the last half of August pa actually. Beach season still but they were already pulling out the thick coats and scarves and mufflers for the coming fall.

The only thing I'm sorry about seeing summer leaving us is that there won't be any more grand fireworks displays. Nakatatlong fireworks display ata ako this summer. Yep the Japanese love their light shows. And I luv em too! Lol!

Yay! Autumn! Autumn! Autumn! I'm so excited!

Getting Rid of the Clutter

2006-08-25T22:17:00.000+08:00

Today I was complaining to myself how messy and cluttered my desk in the office had become. Gah! I'm not so OC that I need a very, very organized and neat desk so that I can work. But this week my desk mess has gotten to a level that can no longer be ignored hahaha.

And so it was really serendipitous for me to come upon this article from LifeClever today. I really wish I could implement that Inbox-Incubate system mentioned in the article. But I'm not exactly in my home turf right now so it would be a pain to go asking in the office for a real stacked tray type thing I could use. But maybe I can improvise somehow.

Anyway, hopefully by next week I'd have cleaned out most of the chaos on my desk. It's really embarrassing sometimes, esp. when my desk is right beside my KP's, who seems to be able to keep a clean desk without any real effort involved. I guess there are just some people who are born with the supernatural ability to not accummulate useless papers, souvenirs, free pens, snow globes, paper weights, conference giveaways, paper clips, post-it notes, flyers, etc. in their work areas. I really wish I could learn the skill.

Becoming a Comic Artist in 22 Panels

2006-08-25T21:24:00.000+08:00

Today I discovered “Wally Wood’s 22 Panels that Always Work”, apparently something that all comic artists are very familiar with. In one page, it summarizes in 22 panels different techniques that comic artists (esp. those starting out) can use in their own work.

I don’t claim to be a comic artist myself, but there was a time when me and my barkada dreamt about being cool creators of an all-famous manga series. Hehehe. Of course, we all got busy with our own lives as time passed and got preoccupied with other things. But the love of drawing is still there. And we all still love comics =)

Maybe one of these days we’ll get the urge to continue that dream of ours. And when that happens, the techniques shown in Wally Wood’s 22 panels will definitely be very useful.

And for today's dose of silliness...

2006-08-22T07:26:00.000+08:00

...click on the link below

Let's Dance! on Transbuddha

Icebox Reveals Diet

2006-08-02T22:35:00.000+08:00

Here's what the inside of my refrigerator looks like right now:

Makes me look like a weird being that survives only on liquid sustenance. Hahaha.

Don't worry folks. I eat solid food too. I'm not THAT strange.

Geek Love

2006-08-02T20:51:00.000+08:00

This is such a cute geek love story =) Not something that will make you go aaaaawwwwwww immediately. It'll make you go hahahaha! before that.

August 1, 2006

2006-08-02T01:52:00.000+08:00

Just a quick rundown of my day before I go to sleep. Okay here goes:

New boss, new project.
But still with some leftover work from previous project.
AND another minor project that I'll be taking on the role as coordinator.
Tense almost the whole day.
Cold coffee this time.. Cafe Mocha.
Learning about compressors.
Hopeful that I'll be learning more about control whatchamacallits.
Preettyyy, preeetty Fireworks Display at Ringko Park with Teof and Erns. It was one of the bestest ever!
I wasn't able to bring my camera today =(
Hanging out at the "Lover's Lane," that grassy area near the office which is the ehem.. fave rendezvous spot of lovers.
And no! I wasn't hanging out with my lover. I was hanging out with Erns, Teof, Russel, Tin and Dan.
Dan had this stupid smile on his face which he couldn't get rid of.
And yes, it was because of a girl.
Silly picture poses.
Online picture-sharing.
Looong chat about the basics of hydraulic calculations.
Laundry.

So that's it. I thought I should write them down. Because I know I won't have time to blog about them in detail or even without detail in the future.

Star Trek and the 47 Conspiracy

2006-07-30T18:55:00.000+08:00

A little bit of Star Trek trivia which has been in existence for quite some time now, but I've come to know about only recently.

Apparently, the number 47 has been very ubiquitious in almost all Star Trek episodes. For the more attentive viewers (which unfortunately does not include me hehehe), the number 47 can be heard inserted in various, random dialogues in the series, and even in the Star Trek movies. This "47 Conspiracy" was eventually discovered (by I don't know who exactly) and was imitated in other shows and movies of the sci-fi genre.

Joe Menosky, writer and co-producer of the Star Trek series sequels, is credited for having started this unusual and quirky 47-tradition.

Follow the links below to read more on the Star Trek "47 Conspiracy." And get a bit more on the history on why it all began.

http://www.audiograffiti.com.au/47/
http://www.pomona.edu/Pomoniana/startrek.shtml

Big Presentation Done.. Whee!

2006-07-27T22:24:00.000+08:00

So it's done and over with. Finally! I'm free of stressing out about my presentation regarding the work that we've done for my project.

Two late nights in a row doing simulations (That I couldn't run properly). And worrying and worrying and fretting and fretting that I'll make a complete fool of myself. And now it's all done.. Happeeee!!

The whole discussion went okay I guess. It wasn't as great as I wanted it to be, and I guess it couldn't be even called great. But it was okay. It was passable. And I don't think my KP and managers will be banning me from presiding over other similar discussions in the future.

I think I babbled and mumbled too much in some place though. Lol! I was bored with my own presentation. Bad sign I know. But I realized I was too pooped to be too peppy. I couldn't keep up the energy level for very long. Note to self: When going to preside over important discussions and meetings, get a good night's sleep the day before! I realize now it really helps, and it's not just something people say.

I got the feeling nobody was listening to me at several points of the discussion, but yeah, I guess I need to work on that. It was an exhilirating experience to play a key role in meetings like that, but I wish I could have made more solid and thoughtful contributions to the group.

Oh well, it's over and I didn't make any big, embarrassing blunder (only small, inconsequential ones lol!), so yeah, I can live with myself =)

Dammit! Stick to your schedule!

2006-07-23T22:30:00.000+08:00

I was supposed to be asleep by 1am last night. Definitely I intended to. My eyes were already positively forcing themselves shut. But nooo... I just HAD to check a few more sites, oh.. and just one more... oh! and yeah! THAT site too.. and that one and this one! And then I just HAD to remember that I'd been planning to check out Veronica Mars for quite some time now, so to youtube i went. And I found it. And so yeah, I told myself, "Just one episode...". And then it became two. And then I blinked. And it was 3am.

Pffft! Okay time to sleep. But I just knew. I just KNEW all my plans for Sunday were already ruined. Haaayy. Why can't I ever learn to keep my sleeping schedules? I can't will myself to sleep when I know it's already time to sleep. And I can't will myself to wake up when I want to wake up. And it's absolutely ruining any effort I make to organize my task and to-do lists.

So as I expected, I woke up at 11:30am today. Thus goes my plan to do a whole-day catching-up-with-my-report-slash-presentation-preparation session in the office. I was only able to clock in a measly 4 hours of overtime, because I also had to buy a wedding gift for a friend in between.

Argh! I need to discipline myself! This is not good. NOT good at all ~_~

Memoirs of a Geisha

2006-07-22T13:07:00.000+08:00

I did NOT like this movie. And to think I waited so long to watch it, wanting to finish reading the novel first before viewing the movie.

What should I expect really? The novel itself wasn't that spectacular. Yes it was interesting. But it was more because of the cultural references to the geisha and their way of life, and to how the people in the Japan of old lived. I liked imagining the geisha putting on their complicated makeup, how they had to sleep with their necks supported so that their hair wouldn't touch the floor and get ruined (boy, their hair must really stink), how they had to wear their elaborate and beautiful kimonos, with the long trailing obi signifying a geisha's status as a young maiko... I liked reading about stuff like that.

But as for the story of the novel itself, I guess it couldn't be called original and thought-provoking. So really, I shouldn't have expected to get a wonderful experience from watching the movie.

But definitely, better acting would have made the movie much, much better. Okay maybe they were having trouble pronouncing all those complicated English dialogues. But still, they should have worked more on giving more feeling to their performances. I swear, after the scenes showing the artistry and traditions of geisha were over, I got so bored with the movie I couldn't wait for it to end. Even the final scene between Sayuri and the Chairman came off flat and ineffective. Ho-hum!

Hay.. I'm so disappointed. I love Zhang Ziyi pa naman.

Zoom, zoom, focus, focus...

2006-07-22T12:55:00.000+08:00

Why do I often seem to have this hazy stump stuck in there somewhere in my brain? Makes it hard to focus and do any hard-core brain processing functions. Sometimes coffee works to make it go away. Sometimes it makes it worse. Sometimes I try tea (like I'm doing now). And again, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

My latest technique is to shake my head like a dog shaking off water from fur hahaha! And I think throwing in some jumping jacks for good measure would help too. The logic of this being that whatever it is up there, it just might get dislodged and move where it can't bother me... or better yet, it just might escape into the atmosphere completely. Hahaha! Seriously, though, this is not something I'm exactly willing to do in public places. You can just imagine the looks I'd get lol!

So maybe you could spare some tips on how to focus during mental function blocks? I could use some better ideas than what I have right now.

Wrong Bus

2006-07-17T20:39:00.000+08:00

So I'm the stupid one. There IS a Yamashita-Kouen station. It's just that I took the wrong bus hahahah. I should've taken Bus no. 26 or the Akai Kutsu bus.

Well, lessons learnt right? Lol!

To Yamashita-Kouen Eki...

2006-07-16T01:38:00.000+08:00

Went on an accidental joy ride today. Hahaha! Hopped on Bus no. 11 at Sakuragicho, with the intention of getting off at Yamashita-Kouen eki... if there was such a thing. I learned today.. no such station. Ended up riding all the way to the end of the bus line -- Hodogaya station! Hahaha.

No biggie. It was fun cruising along thinking of nothing in particular in the bus. And it was 210yen anyway regardless of which station I got off at. So maybe I wasted around an hour of my life going to some place I never had any plans of going to. But it was interesting.

Anyway, the reason I was going to Yamashita Kouen (Yamashita Park) was that I could reserve a spot for us for tomorrow night's grand fireworks display (Ironic how this announcement about it kept scrolling along the bus's onboard LCD display, when I knew full well I was kinda freakin lost and didn't know which station to get off at to get to Yamashita Park hahaha).

I found prime real estate in one of the grassy areas, and proceeded to lay down my 1.8m x 1.8m orange mat, taped it down, and wrote down PRASES in big bold masking tape letters. I just hope it'll still be there tomorrow morning. There were already many rectangles of park area staked out with mats or straw ropes or tape, and I think I may have infringed a bit on a neighboring group's plot hehehe. Not my fault. By the time they thought to spread out their big blue mat (and it was REALLY big... I think it's gonna be a party there tomorrow), I had already laid down MY mat. And of course I didn't want to move and look for another place anymore. So, making full use of the gaijin all-time favorite all-around useful word..."wakarimasen"... I stood my plot of ground and ignored the fact that they got there first hehehe.

But I'm going back to check again tomorrow morning. Just in case. I've heard there are some evil people who mercilessly remove other people's mats and claim the space for themselves. And I'm gonna bring tape. Just in case I have to look for another place.

Oh yeah, I didn't get to mention, but I rode the bus going back from Hodogaya-station. And I got off at Yamashita-cho (I can't remember accurately) station. I just walked the rest of the way to the park. Tsk tsk. Now I know, I shouldn't just assume a station exists. Hehehe. Hindi dahil tingin ko meron.. meron nga. Feeling station-name assigner ako hahaha.

Missed Nihongo lessons and more from there

2006-07-12T23:52:00.000+08:00

I quite forgot about my Nihongo lessons today hehe. I attend classes Wednesday of each week.. well supposed to. Every once in a while I tend to forget hahaha. Did it again today. Oh well. It's not like attendance is being checked. It's a voluntary thing anyway.

I've tried to lessen my coffee intake in the hopes of becoming less "bird-brained" hehehe. But I still can't resist that one small cup of cappuccino or whatever-caffeinated-and-hot-have-you during mornings. There have been some occasional days that I've been able to live through the day without coffee.. and I consider those mini-momentous days! Hahaha! ~Sigh~ I think I may not have what it takes to kick this caffeine habit. I just hope that it's really not what's inducing my stupidity and sloooowwwnessss..hehehe. I might just really need more exercise ~_~

On other news, I watched my first episode of Grey's Anatomy today. Welcome Meredith Grey, new intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, hot chick and loaded with attitude. Watching it sorta made me realize that hey, my job's not the most hectic out there, although sometimes I tend to think that hehe. Some people have tougher days than I do. So I should keep that in mind when I feel like complaining that I'm loaded with too much to do lol!

Haayy. Thursday na naman. A three-day weekend is looming upon us just around the corner. I haven't figured out how to spend the weekend though. I don't want to go to any faroff place. I guess I've sort of had my fill of long trips the past months. Sunday evening is already slated for the fireworks display here in Yokohama. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with the rest of the weekend. Read? Geek out? Movie marathon? Date? (hehe.. joke on that last one.. as if...)Sleep? (yeah definitely lots of that one will be sprinkled all throughout my weekend heheh) All of the above? Haayy.. I have my pick of several boring activities hahaha. But oh well.. it's a weekend.. and it's three days.. so power word for that whole time will be RELAX!

Keep Tryin' Vid!

2006-07-10T01:30:00.000+08:00

Yay! I now have a copy of Ultra Blue, Utada Hikaru's latest album!! Happy girl! =D

Here's the video of one of my fave songs from the album, "Keep Tryin"

Promoted!

2006-07-04T21:23:00.000+08:00

Our promotion finally came through!! Yay!! Hahahaha.. but actually, when I found out, I wasn't so "yayful" about it. Just.. yeah.. nice.. promoted.. I get a raise..

But of course, this still calls for a celebration. Maybe when it all becomes official though. I only got the heads up from our manager, but nothing on paper yet. It wouldn't do to celebrate prematurely.

And I am dying to go shopping right now. I am getting sick of all my clothes hahaha. I only brought enough office wear for 3 months and now I find myself having to stay here for much, much longer. So I've been rotating what I brought ever since January... and now I think it's safe to say everyone in the office has memorized the contents of my suitcase.. hahaha. And some of them were intended for winter, but because of my already limited number of clothes, I'm forced to wear them even in the heat of summer.

I'm too much of a cheapskate to go shopping here.. (by golly! 10,000yen for a blouse!!!), not to mention I have small endurance for running around in malls and shopping arcades. So I guess I'll have to live with my outfits for several more months. Ah well, anyway, it's just another one of those things I have to think about.

Seasons of Love

2006-06-30T21:56:00.000+08:00

I heard this song's rendition by Paolo Santos, and I loved the lyrics! Apparently it's a famous song from the musical, Rent.

SEASONS OF LOVE

ALL
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?

How about love?
How about love?
How about love? Measure in love

Seasons of love. Seasons of love

JOANNE
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes!
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life
Of a woman or a man?

COLLINS
In truths that she learned,
Or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned,
Or the way that she died.

ALL
It's time now to sing out,
Tho' the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
Remember the love!
Remember the love!
Seasons of love!

JOANNE
Oh you got to got to Remember the love! remember the love,
You Measure in love know that love is a gift from up above Seasons of love.
Share love, give love spread love Measure measure you life in love.

2006-06-30T00:18:00.000+08:00

Ohmaygaaaad!! It's stuffy in here!
Huhuhu.. here comes the Japanese summer..

Female Pains

2006-06-25T22:32:00.000+08:00

Experienced the most painful dysmenhorrhea today. And it hit me full force while I was in a convenience store buying some stuff to eat. Was starting to feel groggy as I was reaching for a magazine to browse through, so I decided to skip that and go straight to buying what I came for. It was getting worse every second, making me wanna curse the customer at the cashier filling out some forms, causing me to take longer to pay for my purchases.

Outside the store, I walked briskly back to my apartment, which was only 5 to 8 minutes' walk from there. Had to sit down twice or thrice on my way though, since I was really, really feeling dizzy by that time, and was already starting to have cold sweats. I probably looked stupid sitting on the ledges in front of random shops I passed by. Thankfully most shops on my street are closed on Sundays, so I didn't have to deal with suspicious store-owners hehehe. I just did my best to act natural, like I was really supposed to be where I was sitting and that there wasn't anything strange at all about me being there lol! After several of these stops, I was thankfully able to reach my apartment and collapse on my bed in intense pain hahaha! Fell asleep curled up with a hot water bottle and woke up feeling much, much better.

Curious.. I've never had it this painful before. Must be something with my hormones... Anyway, have to keep in mind to keep some pain relievers handy.

..Sometimes, it's really difficult being a girl ~_~

In the Friendster Circle

2006-06-22T00:20:00.000+08:00

I got crazy today. I joined Friendster!!! Bwahahaha!!

Vienna Teng's songs

2006-06-20T23:44:00.000+08:00

Fatigue can cause me to become a useless, icky, gelatinous pile of sorrowful mush! I guess it does crazy things to the chemical balance of my brain. I'm just thankful that I'm learning to bounce back faster these days, although I think still not fast enough.

Anyway, I'm rediscovering the beauty and elegance of Vienna Teng's songs. Years ago I bought one of her CDs on a whim, primarily because I loved how it could follow the veins of my mood at the time. After some time of constantly playing it (and also because I lost my discman), it got stacked in with all our other CDs gathering dust in our living room cabinet.

Now that I encountered her songs again on Pandora, I'm suddenly reminded of that CD and how I'd like to listen to it again. But I guess that'll have to wait until I can get back home.

In the meantime, I'll have to settle with accidentally hearing her songs on internet radio. Here's one I heard just now. It's entitled "Daughter."

DAUGHTER by Vienna Teng

well it's you and it's me
me with a drink in my hand
the ice is tinkling like a wind chime
and late afternoon settles over the land
and you're talking about things
interesting just slightly
and things that matter too much
to say any way but lightly

did you know you're so beautiful
on the edge of summer
that years from now
I'll cry to remember
how very close you were
knowing this will I reach for you
knowing this will I reach for you
the way you want me to

well it's time to be wise
wise in the ways of the heart
to come out from under the covers
this voluntary state of apart
from the faces, oasis
in this Sahara of sorrow
these graces that hold me
it's from you that I borrow

Tremors

2006-06-20T06:52:00.000+08:00

Was jolted out of bed by a small earthquake. Well.. definitely some cosmic power out there was telling me to get my ass moving!

Regression

2006-06-10T15:16:00.000+08:00

Two steps forward. One step back. Most people do it. I do it, too. And I disappoint myself so many times because of it.

I imagine my mind to be bound and tied, limited and punctuated to a tenuous stop. Sometimes I visualize an unraveling. Of everything that's pinning me down. It is at those times that I ridiculously equate the sudden sensation of inner spaciousness to that symbolic image of caged doves flying out to freedom.

The feeling is serene. It creates calmness in my demeanor. It is as if everything I perceive is in its proper place. And that whatever else I encounter as I move forward will only also fall into their intended niches, without so much fuss.

But then the step back. The creation of chaos. The destruction of arrangement. Sometimes I know why it happens. But sometimes I feel that it is something that simply happens. And I shouldn't force myself to find a reason to put my finger on.

Two steps forward. One step back. Oh how I yearn to erase that last sentence. But how can I? I've surrendered to its inevitability. And soon I know I will be able to cloak it in the trappings of fact.

Amateurism

2006-06-07T22:57:00.000+08:00

Forgive that stupid attempt of a short story in my last entry. I started it out with no clear outline of what I wanted to write. I just let the words spill to the keyboard, with no real coherence. And so really, everything came out inconsistent and unrealistic.

Just think of it was me letting some steam out. Writing just helps me to destress most of the time.

Hate

2006-06-07T20:42:00.000+08:00

I have a four-leaf clover in my pocket. Her little secret makes her smile. She found it this morning, as she stopped to sit under her favorite tree. She was on her way to meet her father, and she had thought she was the unluckiest person in the world.

She realizes that this is a strange thought for a little girl to have. But she shrugs against how other people might view this little block of immovable opinion sitting in her head. Anybody else would be glad to wake up in the morning with the prospect of spending the whole day having their hands enlcosed in their father's, being led around town and being bought balloons and ice cream, tickets to the ferris wheel and the roller coaster, and a favorite yellow dress that she thought would go well with her new, shiny red shoes topped with silky ribbons.

She supposes that this should be generally true. In everyone else's lives. Everyone else's, that is, except hers.

Abandoned. This word has always loomed larger than life for her and her mother. Ever-present at the back of their tongues, ready to be spit out whenever anyone would commit the grave mistake of mentioning the name of her father.

For them "father" and "husband" were concepts that were unnecessary in their lives. Sure, these words were defined very clearly in the heavy, fat Webster's dictionary sitting on the lowest shelf of their case of books, their mini-library. But for them this was a mistake, superfluous entries in that otherwise reliable reference book of words.

The pain was more real. And it burned most substantially on that day long ago when she arrived home to a scene of utter brokenness. Broken pottery, broken tapestries, broken china, broken lamp, broken heart.... broken mother....

...Broken Family. She spelled that in capital letters in her head. It was the name she gave for her sorrow. Hers and her mother's. And she knew you always wrote proper names with big first letters.

This sorrow replaced her father in their lives. And ever since they've always been scampering to kick it out of their door, with whatever baggage it had come with that had only served to weigh down on their hearts. But they had never been successful.

He had called suddenly. Out of nowhere. Out of thin air. It almost choked her to hear it. His voice. Torn so suddenly from their lives. And now plaintive with the professed desire to somehow supplant "father" and "husband" back into their consciousness again.

She had felt her eyes burn. And she imagined them red-rimmed and boiling. She was angry. Fuming. Hateful. Churning. She had wanted to shout at him. To lash out. To pound on him with her words. To rail against him with her fists.

That's right. Why not? She would agree to meet him. Pretend to be her daughter. Ready to forgive. Because they were family.

And when they were there, face-to-face, father and daughter... she would hurt him. Scald him. Pin him under layers of guilt and years of hatred. She would use his hopes, his illusions that their blood bound them tightly together, to twist the pain more tightly around his heart.

Oh yes.. she was excited to see her father. But not for the same reasons other little girls cherished in their hearts.

She stroked the four-leaf clover she had hidden in her pocket. And she walked toward the first lucky day she'd had in a long, long while.

Facade

2006-06-07T20:07:00.000+08:00

She is the devil. And she struts like she could possess you. But she can't even possess herself.

Her dreams are of roiling forevers, of darkness and of disorientation. Although flailing against bars of fear that threaten to cage her very kernel of self-identity, she still smirks with her ruby-red lips, knowing and mysterious. With that arch of her eyebrow and that twitch of her skirt, she can make you believe that all reality is her, and that everything else are futile illusions.

But in her solitary moments, within the ruins of her inescapable insanity, she is always screaming. With dilated pupils. With iron tension. With hands clawing against the dark background of her vision.

She's there... tiptoeing against the edge of whatever it is that's keeping her on this side of death. Not the death of the body. But the death of faith. The death of living. The death of connection. A death that is forever.

Sometimes she thinks of it. Salvation. But only for a moment. She hopes for it for but a sliver of a second, squeezed in between sharp gasps of terror and loss.

Nobody knows. It's wrapped and disguised in layers of perfume and her gossamer smiles. That's all people remember. And that's all she'll ever show.

Boom!

2006-06-02T23:48:00.000+08:00

..Welcoming Summer with a colorful bang...

Dont't Read. Nothing important over here.

2006-06-01T22:05:00.000+08:00

This is another just-because-I-can't-think-of-anything-better-to-do post. Oh wait. I CAN think of a million other better things to do. But being my usual muddled self, I can't figure out where to start.

Tomorrow I think we have a party. I'm not sure if it WILL be pushing through, though. Nobody mentioned anything about it today on LN. I was about to, but got preoccupied with other things. Anyway, as I usually say, "We'll see..."

Work is okay. Oh! I was able to get to the office relatively early today. And it was so funny. When I put down my bag on my chair and said "Good morning," my teammates were so surprised they got all wide-eyed and replied "Oh! Good morning!" in slightly shocked tones. Hahahah! My goodness! I really MUST kick the habit of clocking in to the office so late. My colleagues are getting too used to it.

Ah! TGIF! TGIF! Just 45mins to go! And can't you just really sense I've got nothing worthwhile to say? Lol! Okay, okay, it's time to end this post now!

Buh-bye! *waves hands and scoots off*

Blab out

2006-05-31T22:14:00.000+08:00

Nothing bloggable I can think of right now. But still, I insist on making this entry. Hehehe.. maybe I just want to hear (or in this case, see) myself talk. Need to bleed some of my thoughts out somewhere. And I choose the blogosphere.

Nothing really happening. The cats were away so the mouse played today at work. The mouse being me (cats=bosses of course). Although I didn't really play. More like this thing I was trying to make sense out of played oodles around my head. But I went home satisfied that I've made some major headway in the major principles. Hopefully the further reading I'm planning to do tomorrow will help me get everything down pat.

And early whiffs of summer are starting to make their presence felt in the day's temperature. Goodness, walking to the office in the mornings has been squeezing rapidly increasing amounts of sweat from my pores. I'm starting to eye the little electric fans my officemates currently have in hiding under their desks or buried in heaps of paper on their tables. I have a feeling I'll be looking at them the same way a lost desert traveller would look at a glass of water sometime soon. I am DEFINITELY NOT looking forward to the Japanese summer.

Gawds, I feel like something inside of me just wants to pop out. I'm trying to drown down the feeling with lotsa coffee but I think it's not working. Sleep definitely isn't doing the trick. And now this blabbing on my blog. Sorry guys. Just bear with me. I'm just trying to drain out some of the weird stuff...

Monologue for Monday

2006-05-28T19:54:00.000+08:00

Gawds, Monday again tomorrow. I think staying in at home for more than 24 hours on a weekend can do things to your head... like make you afraid of Mondays. I'm dreading it like hell right now.

I know, EVERYONE hates Monday, unless you're one of the lucky shits who get to work at home, whenever you feel like it. Although maybe not having a Monday to dread about has its downsides. For one you don't get to focus all that work-hatred energy on anything. I mean, if Monday is just like any other day to you, then you just might end up hating every day of your week. You end up feeling that you're not getting any breaks. No time-off. No TGIFs!

Whereas for us who suffer from the Monday blues, we just have to deal with the gnawing impulse to make a run for it and cross to another timezone where Monday and all its attending disasters can't catch up with us, for a little more than 24 hours. After that, it's relatively smooth sailing for the rest of the week. And we can actually look forward to the weekend, and sometimes that's just enough motivation to help us jog along and get our jobs done as fast as we can.

And for the more optimistic kind, Monday is that day that can be considered the "blank slate day." You know, it's the start of another gruelling week, when we have to step in to the arena of our own personal day-to-day struggles. We roll up our sleeves, flex our muscles, and prepare to do battle. Monday is when we can really, really feel that the day is just beginning.. the day "with no mistakes in it yet." Sure we may have fucked up that big presentation last week and majorly pissed off the boss. But it's Monday. It's a fresh start to a new week. And it's the day of all days when we can feel that this time... we'll definitely do better.

Hehe.. what am I doing pointing out the good side of Monday? Psyching myself up for tomorrow? Hahaha! Maybe. But still. Despite everything I've said, Garfield still has it right. I hate Mondays.

What Matters Most

2006-05-28T00:00:00.000+08:00

I guess all of us lose sight of what's really important in life. I feel I have. I'm almost certain I have. I'm trying to do so many things. I'm dreaming about so many things. I get excited about so many things. But now I think, maybe I've lost sight of what I should really be aiming for. Of what I should be filling my days with. Of what I should be always thinking about.

I should stop being sidetracked. Now that I realize. Now that I know.

But there's also one thing I'm certain about. That tomorrow when I wake up... I'd have forgotten again. This moment. This feeling. I'll have to find it again. Again and again. Again and again and again. Because I'm human. Because that's all I really am.

10 hours in Snooze City

2006-05-27T16:31:00.000+08:00

I really should start controlling my big appetite for sleeping. I know sleeping is good, but I'm one of those people who tend to overdo it. Like today. Hit the sack at around 7:30am, regained consciousness at around 1:30pm, but decided to hug my bed to myself for several more minutes. And of course, as usually happens in these situations, I fell asleep again, and the next time I opened my eyes, it was already 5-friggin-30! Hahahaha! That's 10 hrs of my life spent snoozing. Not the most productive way to waste my time (watching CSI and Bleach episodes would have been better!), but maybe my body decided on its own it needed it. I still think I should stop oversleeping, though... then maybe I could actually get to the office on time hehehe!

Oh and for those of you curious why in the hell I retreated to my blankets at 7:30 in the morning... It was because I spent the previous night with friends dancing at a club in Roponggi. We expended almost all our energy enjoying ourselves, waited out the subway station opening at a nearby McDonald's resto (the only one I know of which has a resident bouncer in the premises hahahaha!), and then dragged our sleepy butts home.

Then 10 dreamless hours later, here I am.. refreshed but hungry. So now I think I'll go and cook myself some dinner.

Rationalizing Drawing a Blank

2006-05-24T23:14:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you have so much to do that the only way your brain can deal with it is to stare blankly into space... and do nothing.

Yeah, I find myself doing that a lot lately. Hehe.. I've even been talking to myself in my head while staring, like a person who has forgotten what comes after one second ago and before the next minute.

"Hey, what do you find so interesting in that piece of air in front of you? Why are you lookin' at it like that? Is something wonderful going to happen? Right there in that little bit of space that you're so fixated on?"

Hey, please don't start sending for the mental assylum retrieval team just yet. I happen to know I'm still within the borders of the clinically "not crazy". You gotta admit, these thoughts are the sanest thoughts you could possibly have when your body is being pulled in numerous different directions at once. Instead of thinking, "OMG!!! I have a deadline tomorrow!! And the day after that!! And I have to do my laundry!! And I have to blah! blah! blah!...," and then suffering from high blood pressure and a nervous breakdown without even being able to finish enumerating the list of things you have to do in your head, indulging in a few seconds of blanking out and saying totally nonsense things to yourself would be much better and safer, and can even be considered as therapeutic as yoga!

So, the next time you let yourself float into those dazed few seconds of blankness and incoherence, don't feel so guilty. Those few seconds might just have saved you your sanity ;)

Out of Focus

2006-05-21T23:36:00.000+08:00

One of my biggest problems is that I can never seem to concentrate on anything that I don't like doing.. hehehehe. Like right now, I should be finishing this training report I have to submit to DOST to get an extension on my overseas clearance... but nooooo.... as you can see I am, at the moment, preoccupied with other things.. here instead of there hehehe...

Sige na nga. Babalikan ko na yung ginagawa ko.

*Sulks out*

Into

2006-05-20T00:08:00.000+08:00

It feels like parts of me
are sloughing off in places
like an ancient outer shell,
crumbling to dust and nothingness...

being carried off by the winds of my movements
as I walk toward that
which I want to become...

Exclamation Coins

2006-05-18T21:54:00.000+08:00

Ohmyfreakingoodnessgraciouswtf??!!! I'm a friggin' walking piggybank!!! Where did all these gazillion coins come from???

Contrast: Non-Small Talk Dinner

2006-05-18T19:52:00.000+08:00

Dinner last night with my project team went well... I can even say it was pretty fun! And here I was all worried that I'd be smothered in small talk again. As I said to a friend today, this time I think I actually enjoyed the conversation more than the food. And that rarely ever happens!

We ate at Sakaeya, a Japanese resto in Queen's. The menu comprised mostly of Japanese dishes, but infused with slightly Japanized Western food. We occupied four tables in all, and each table was free to decide on what they wanted to order (all within the budget, of course).

I guess the great icebreaker of the night was the shochu and beer that our table ordered, and they insisted I have some, too! Interesting thing: the way they prepared to drink the shochu--first they drop in a piece of umeboshi or pickled plum into the tumbler, and then pour in the shochu (which has been mixed in with some hot water, making it a smoking concoction), and then they grind and mash the umeboshi into the shochu, diffusing some its flavor into the drink. After that, it's bottom's up, and I must say, the taste was fairly interesting.

Conversation was made up of Nagoya, Toyota City, secret marriages, mountains in Lahore, diving in Boracay, cooking adobo (with some mention of sinigang), how old is so-and-so and how so-and-so looks younger than us, the English word for that mysterious fish we were eating, original and "actual" sizes of roasted octopi, the working habits of Westerners vs Japanese, shoguns preferring to build capital cities elsewhere other than their hometowns, tuition fees in Todai, San Miguel Beer, living in high places, and some more random stuff I can't remember anymore but which I know I had much fun talking about.

I wish most business dinners could be at least as fun as this... even without the shochu and beer.

Rilkean Heart

2006-05-13T01:45:00.000+08:00

(by: Cocteau Twins)

Rilkean heart, I looked for you to give me transcendent experiences
To transport me out of self and aloneness and alienation
Into a sense of oneness and connection ecstatic and magical
I became a junkie for it
I came looking for the next high

And Im sorry Ive been putting the search on the wrong place
I understand that youre confused, feeling overwhelmed
Well thats a feeling state from then, the reality

With cleaning up my emotional life and getting in touch with myself
Im beginning to ground myself in my own sense of being as an entity
One entity on the planet,

Becoming truly self reliant
And become connected with something beyond me
That is where I have to go

Im so sorry Ive been putting the search on the wrong place
Youre lost and dont know what to do
But thats not all of you
Thats your reality today
And that is all okay

I understand that youre confused, feeling overwhelmed
Well thats a feeling state from then, the reality

Rilkean heart

Youre lost and dont know what to do
But its not all of you
Thats your reality today
And now its all okay

I understand that youre confused, feeling overwhelmed
Well thats a feeling state from then, the reality

Rilkean heart

I looked for you to give me transcendent experiences
To transport me out of self and aloneness sent alienation
Into a sense of oneness and connection, ecstatic and magical
I became a junkie for it

I come looking for the next high and Im sorry Ive been putting the search
On the wrong place
I understand that youre confused, feeling overwhelmed
Well loves a feeling straight from then, the reality

Growing up, my emotion of loving and
Getting in touch with myself and Im getting (different from twinlights)
To be proud of myself and my own sense of healing
As connected to an entity of the planet

Look Im truly self-reliant
Ive become connected with something beyond me
And that is where I have to go
Im so sorry Ive been putting the search on the wrong place
Im lost I dont know what to do
Its not all on you
Thats the reality today
Right now its gone
I understand that youre confused
Feeling overwhelmed
Well thats a feeling straight from then
The reality

Rilkean
Heart x7

Im lost I dont know what to do
Its not all on you
Thats the reality today
Right now its all okay
I understand that youre confused
Feeling overwhelmed
Loves a feeling straight from then
The reality

Caffeine for Happiness

2006-05-12T22:53:00.000+08:00

Why are there just some days that I seem to sink into a pitiful pit of worldly sadness? The type where you just have to pull out a cigarette from your pack and just puff and poof out all the bad feelings inside you. I don't smoke myself, but if I did, yeah, that's probably what I'd do. But since I don't smoke, I took it out on coffee. Yes! Coffee!

"A tall Maple Soy Latte please..."

That's me ordering coffee at Tully's this morning. I was friggin' late for work, but I didn't care. I just knew I wouldn't be able to do any sort of work without the comfort of coffee, just the mention of which conjures in me images of the warmth of mellow light and comfortable furniture, and the crinkly crisp pages of a good book.

After lunch, there i went again and sought refuge in that hot liquid inside a paper cup. This time it was Caffe Veloce and a medium Cafe Latte.

The coffee was great, the coffee was nice, made me feel sossy, made me feel alive...(hoookaaayy.. stop with the cheesy rhymes *rolls eyes at self*)

But all too soon all the coffee was gone. So I had to live with my gloom unarmed and unbuffered by caffeine for a few hours. Maygolay! It was hell at the office, trying to work in that state of mind.

But of course, nothing lasts forever. That goes for both the good and the bad thingss in life... (Thank goodness it also goes for the bad!!... and thanks,too.. for best friends ;) )

After the hell that was work, I went for dinner at Saizeriya, with the wonderful Process peepol. And yes.. once again... I had to have some coffee..

Heheheh... Pinapakiramdaman ko na nga sarili ko. Might already be exhibiting symptoms of caffeine overload without being aware of it hehehe.. But I'm fine,.. just some shortness of breath when climbing stairs.. teeheeeheee...

But okay yeah.. I should probably tone down on the caffeine for a while. Yeah I will.

Golden Week's Over..

2006-05-07T20:24:00.000+08:00

...Back to work tomorrow!

Lazy Saturday afternoon

2006-05-06T17:38:00.000+08:00

March of the Penguins

2006-05-06T07:19:00.000+08:00

I just finished watching "March of the Penguins" and aaawwwww... it was beautiful. Now I just love penguins more!

It was unbelievable how the parent penguins could go through all the hardships of a harsh winter, near starvation, threats from predators and travelling 140 miles back and forth their breeding grounds, all for the survival of their young.

I couldn't help exclaiming at some parts, like a crazy person hahahah! I'd even say imaginary dialogues for some scenes; the penguins just seemed so human at times.

And the baby penguins were so adorable!! If I had been there with them, I probably couldn't have helped myself and have gone on a hugging frenzy of all those grey, cute, feathery creatures!!! Squiiiiisssshhh!!! Hehehehe... Of course, I don't think the mama penguins would have stood for it. I would have probably been attacked by a mob of angry penguins hahahaha!!

I can't imagine what the people who put this documentary together must have gone through. I mean, 50 degrees below zero? OMG! Makes me feel I was such a wuss complaining about the cold of the Japanese winter... Jeez! Definitely nowhere near what those people experienced in the Antarctic!

You people, watch this documentary! It's gonna be one of those rare times when you learn much while not trying to not fall asleep while you're at it.

Golden Week - Day 1

2006-05-03T21:03:00.000+08:00

Today I spent almost 3 hours under the sun, along with hundreds of other people, to watch the 2006 Yokohama Parade. Wasn't anything big really. More an opportunity for some "camera-and-me" bonding.

Click here to see what the parade was all about.. =)

Bleach Everyone!!!

2006-05-01T23:16:00.000+08:00

Bleach rocks! Now I know why everyone likes this anime. It has just the right amount of fun, monster-bashing and kick-ass sword-swinging to keep me watching and watching...

Yun nga lang, I have here 70+ episodes... andami! And to think this isn't the complete series yet. Wowzah! Mukhang ilang buwan na marathon ang mangyayari sa kin hehehe! But no matter, from what I've seen so far, it's gonna be one of those things that'll help keep my sanity while I'm here in Japan =)

P.S. Thanks nga pala to YOU for lending me your anime connection. You know who you are... ;)

Surrealistic by Beth Waters

2006-04-30T13:06:00.000+08:00

it’s hard to see
since it started raining and it
melts the streets and softens everything
haloed lights
a quiet sprinkling
in my mind
a distant beckoning

everything’s surrealistic
everything’s surrealistic
everything’s surrealistic in the rain
in the rain

moments caught
single frames of time and
restaurants where lovers sit against the
fogged up glass
they sip their coffee and watch the
streetcars pass
they must be happy

everything’s surrealistic
everything’s surrealistic
everything’s surrealistic in the rain
in the rain

through the leaves
it murmurs down the possibilities
that nothing is the way it
seems to be
even the dullest thing is
glistening
and beautiful to me

everything’s surrealistic
everything’s surrealistic
everything’s surrealistic in the rain
in the rain

======================================

Sorry for all the lyrics postings... I'm stuck in a music funk today.

Breathe No More by Evanescence

2006-04-30T13:02:00.000+08:00

I've been looking in the mirror for so long.
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.
All the little pieces falling, shatter.
Shards of me,
Too sharp to put back together.
Too small to matter,
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.
If I try to touch her,
And I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no more.

Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well.
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.
Lie to me,
Convince me that I've been sick forever.
And all of this,
Will make sense when I get better.
But I know the difference,
Between myself and my reflection.
I just can't help but to wonder,
Which of us do you love.
So I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no...
Bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe,
I breathe-
I breathe no more.

[Piano Solo Ending]

Mary Jo by Belle and Sebastian

2006-04-30T11:32:00.000+08:00

Mary Jo, living alone
Drinking tea, on her own
She wants, I don't know what you want

Mary Jo, living alone
Drinking gin the telly's on
She wants

The night to follow day and back again
She doesn't want to sleep
Well who could blame her if she wants?
The night to follow day and back again
She doesn't want to sleep
Well who could blame her, if she sleeps?
Well who could blame her, if she sleeps?
Well who could blame her, if she's sleeping?

Mary Jo, back with yourself
For company, keep telling yourself you're young
And It'll happen soon

Mary Jo, no one can guess
What you've been through
Now you've got love to burn

It's someone else's turn to go through Hell
Now you can see them come from fifty yards
Yeah you can tell
It's someone else's turn to take a fall
And now you are the one who's strong enough to help them
The one who's strong enough to help them
The one who's strong enough to help them all

Mary Jo, you're looking thin
You're reading a book, "The State I Am In"
But oh, it doesn't help at all
What you want is a cigarette
And a thespian with a caravanette in Hull

Yeah, life is never dull in your dreams
A pity that it never seems to work the way you see it
Life is never dull in your hand
A sorry tale of action and the men you left for
Women, and the men you left for
Intrigue, and the men you left for dead

Periphery

2006-04-29T02:49:00.000+08:00

Changing..
every second
every minute
Can't keep up
Bam! bam! bam!
Just like that
a different person
Dont't even blink
You might not know who I am
when you open your eyes again

Tonight I hate small talk.

2006-04-27T21:45:00.000+08:00

I don't know what got into me today. I attended a dinner for our project team, and I was surly and silent most of the time.

I dunno... Somehow, everything seemed extra fake tonight. We all know that conversations at these types of things are more to fill the silence than anything else, but during our dinner, all the small talk and loud laughter seemed more feigned and contrived than usual.

I could have rolled my eyes at all those "So... does your country have hot springs, too?" and those oft-repeated questions of "How long have you been in Japan?" and "Are you enjoying your stay?" that always seem to pop up at every dinner I've ever attended here.

I know, I know... these questions are only natural... and I shouldn't really take issue. But I just wasn't in the mood tonight. I know that person asking me what project I'm working on isn't really interested to know what I'm keeping myself busy with. He just happened to be sitting beside me, and so he feels obliged to talk to me to avoid that awkward silence that's a big no-no in any social gathering. Aaah... the twists and turns of human social interaction. It just makes you wonder who created the rules, and why the heck everyone is following them. Actually, I was thinking those exact same thoughts as I sat there at the dinner table keeping stubbornly silent. In fact, I was so out of it I didn't even attempt to start any sort of conversation with anyone. Of course, I responded when somebody asked me something, but other than that I could have pretended I wasn't there, and everyone else would have agreed hehehe.

There are just some days I'm not fit company, and it's just too bad that tonight was one of them. Oh well, it happens. I just hope the people from my project team don't start thinking I'm suplada or anything like that (but I know it's too late to worry about that now hahaha!)

Ribbons Undone

2006-04-23T00:44:00.000+08:00

I like this song.. about growing up... coz I'd like to think.. I've grown up too.

"Ribbons Undone"
by Tori Amos

She's a girl
Rising from a shell
Running to spring
It is her time it is her time
Watch her run with ribbons undone

She's a rose in a lily's cloak
She can hide her charms
It is her right there will be time
To chase the sun with ribbons undone

She runs like a fire does
Just picking up daises
Comes in for a landing
A pure flash of lightening
Past alice blue blossoms
You follow her laughter
And then she'll surprise you
Arms filled with lavender

Yes my little pony is growing up fast
She corrects me and says
"You mean a thoroughbred"
A look in her eyes says the battle's beginning
From school she comes home and cries
I don't want to grow up Mom at last not tonight

You're a girl
Rising from a shell
Running through spring
With summer's hand in reach now
It is your time
It is your time
So just run with ribbons undone
It is your time yes my angel
It is your time
So just run with ribbons undone

Run run darlin'
Ribbons undone

Eeeeeeeee!!!......

2006-04-22T11:30:00.000+08:00

This picture is so driving me crazeeeeeee!!!!!.... I wanna pinch! pinch! pinch!!

Memories of Summer

2006-04-17T17:54:00.000+08:00

I can remember the stifling heat that leaves me lying like a landed fish on the floor, gasping for any relief that I could possibly suck out of the thick summer air. The electric fan that I carefully hoard for myself stands like a sentinel nearby, futilely trying to stir some semblance of coolness to snap me out of the heady daze that my mind seems to have sunk into.

On days like that, everything seems to move in slow motion, making me think that the air has congealed into a thick liquid, rendering any sort of movement difficult and deliberate. My eyes even seem to be looking through this substance, the outline of the ceiling as I stare into it becoming deformed and twisted, like seeing a mirage in the desert.

My brothers pass the time watching television, and the noise of the afternoon shows lull me further into half-sleep and dreams. Why does everything seem to be awash in a muted white, all edges seemingly fuzzy and insubstantial? I can’t breathe, and the sweat is like an itch that I can’t wait to be rid of.

My strength slowly ebbs away, melting from my immobile body into the floor. And my eyes close and my consciousness fades away… until summer is only a hazy memory half-remembered in my dreams.

===================

This is something that I wrote today while being desperately bored in the office ~_~

At 3:10 pm...

2006-04-16T14:04:00.000+08:00

Right now she's sitting backstage, nervously twisting the hem of her sequined dress, preparing herself to step out onto the stage. She's a singer, only been famous for a year, still careful and wary that one less-than-stellar performance could ruin the reputation that she had so painstakingly built. Tonight she would go drink her favorite brand of red, while kicking back in her huge upholstered sofa, in the condominium that her recent fame had bought her. But for now... it was the stage and her... and the audience that she had to do her best to please.

A purchase of a carton of milk, a slab of butter and a loaf of bread. He pushed his groceries in front of the cashier, and took out his wallet to count out some bills. This was one good thing about living alone -- he didn't have to think too much about what to prepare for his meals. Cornflakes for breakfast, microwaved packaged chicken cutlets at all times of the day, sometimes bread and eggs for supper, like what he would be having for tonight. Of course he knew this was a different way of thinking about things, esp. for a man who had recently left his wife. Others would be griping about the nice home-cooked meals that they missed by now, the ready plates of mashed potatoes with gravy, the vegetable salads and haunches of roast beef steeped in sauce. But he didn't miss her, and he didn't want to miss anything about her. He was happier without her, even with only bread and eggs for supper.

The lake was shimmering when it came up to meet him, a flash of diamonds and then the sound of a huge splash around his ears as he entered the water. It was an amazing day for a swim. Saturday and sunny, there was no school and for a few hours his mother would be busy with her sewing or her afternoon tea, or the daily book-reading she allowed herself as her form of relaxation. She wouldn't be looking for him anytime soon. He frolicked a few minutes more in the water, sometimes submerging himself and swimming down as deep as he could. After a while he swam to shore, gathering up the shirt and pants that he left sitting on the ground beside his bicycle. He sat down on a rock and allowed the air to dry himself, while chewing on a piece of gum that he had brought with him. He stared at the blue sky and relished the smell of woodpine that surrounded him. Tomorrow would be Sunday, and he would have to go to church with his mother and father again. He hated going to mass. But then again, he would be able to see Jenny all pretty with her hair tied up in a ribbon, and slim in her white Sunday blouse and plaid skirt. It was all worth it for that.

She sucked in her breath as the roller coaster twisted up the rails. She knew there was another stomach-churning plunge coming, and she steeled herself for it. And when it came she screamed, she screamed so loud but yet she couldn't hear herself above the whoosh of air around her ears, and the shouts and squeals of the other passengers with her. When those frightening seconds were over, and the coaster twisted yet again to follow the convoluted shape of the tracks, she wondered for the hundredth time what she was doing here, how she had let her cousin talk her into going on this maddening ride. She never liked roller coasters, or any ride that could induce screaming in a person for that matter. She could never figure out why people would want to make their lives miserable by riding one of these things. She had always prided herself on being a sensible person, and thrill rides, she thought, had no sense in them whatsoever. But here she was, screaming fit to spill her guts out, doing the most insensible thing she had ever done in her life, and she found she was enjoying it.

Sakura Pics!

2006-04-03T21:26:00.000+08:00

Click here and I hope you enjoy... =)

Happy...

2006-04-01T18:29:00.000+08:00

Happy April Fool's!

Happy 4th Batch Anniversary!!!

...Dead tired... Just got back from sakura touring...

TGIF

2006-03-31T22:58:00.000+08:00