Monday, November 8, 2010

Undefined

Have you ever been in a relationship wherein you don't have any idea what's going on and where you stand?  That seems to be the norm for me...haaayyyz!

Like I met this guy many years ago (2002).  Let's hide him under the name of Cheese. When we were talking, we seemed to hit it off.  We dated once but a second date didn't seem to be an option.  I got turned off by something (no need to tell you guys).  He tried to get in touch every now and then but I wasn't really interested.  Another reason why is because he lives overseas.  How can you build a relationship if you are not in the same town, much less the same country???

Anyway, few months ago he sent me an IM and asked for my number.  What the hell, I gave it.  That was in June and for some reason we couldn't seem to connect. He tried again in July and we had better, but not much, communication then.  Of course he wanted to see me.  Tell you the truth, I don't remember how he looked like.  But I know he's not bad looking.  It turned out he doesn't remember how I looked like either.  Go figure!  But he couldn't totally forget me.

So finally, we met again...and again...and again.  But despite seeing Cheese again, I still barely know him.  Getting personal information from him is like looking for needles in a haystack.  He is so close-mouthed about himself.  Makes one wonder if he is hiding something, which he probably is.  Then came September and he really had to go back home  He has been gone too long from work already.  He left without saying goodbye...of course!

Then last month he got in touch saying he might be coming home but only for a few days, just long enough to take care of some papers.  He asked if he could see me.  Of course he can! And he did!  We met the day he arrived.

I asked him once if we are dating, he laughed.  We act like a couple when we're together. We miss each other when we are apart.  But are we a couple? I have no freakin' idea....

Sunday, November 7, 2010

If the Shoe Fits

What's the first thing you notice about a guy?  Well, of course it's the face! But let's just say you met this not so bad looking guy and you're interested to know more about him.  And do not tell me you're into personality more than looks because that's bullshit (pardon my french!)   Whether you like it or not, looks matter!  And you're just getting to know him, how can you say anything about his personality???  So again, let me ask you...what are the first things you notice about a guy you just met?

For me, it's the shoes.  Not the size of the feet, silly!  You have a dirty mind and this blog is oozing with wholesomeness! Behave!  Anyway, it's the type of shoes the guy is wearing!  I love shoes and I try not to be caught dead wearing "baduy" shoes.  So, it goes without saying that I want my date (yeah yeah, I've fast forwarded to dating) to have presentable shoes.  They don't have to be expensive or branded ones, but they ought to look clean and in good shape.  Don't you just hate seeing guys wearing leather shoes that are so out of shape because the wearer's feet are just not right for those shoes?

I buy shoes because of the style and comfort, not just because they are in fashion.  Why would I deliberately make myself suffer just so I can look like everybody else?  So here are some my personal tips for you guys.  When choosing what shoes to wear, try to match it with the clothes you're wearing and consider where you will be going as well.   Sneakers and trainers are good for casual outings.  Rubber soled shoes can go very well with the smart casual look.  All three go well with jeans.  Leather shoes are mostly for formal or business attire.  And puhleez, don't wear brown shoes with black pants!  Never wear white shoes unless you're abut to come out of the closet!  Sandals are so-so because most of them are chunky.  Flip flops are only good for those with nice and clean feet, so make sure your toes are clean before going out wearing them.  Nobody will hang you if you get a pedi once in a while.

And last but not least, wear the appropriate socks!  As a general rule, always match your socks to your shoes.  The operative word is...coordinate!  NEVER wear white socks with black or brown shoes and NEVER the anklet style when wearing leather shoes...capiche? 

Don't mean to sound like I have a foot fetish...just don't want to get caught with someone wanted by the fashion police. Hahaha!!!

Pack Away

Can you count the times your mom said to clean your room? I can't count the many times my family, relatives and friends ever said that to me!  I hate cleaning my room!  I'm comfortable with my mess and I know where everything is anyway.  I wouldn't let anyone touch my stuff, even if you paid me for the honor of cleaning my room.

But now I have no choice.  We're moving from the house we have lived in for more than 33 years.  Let me not bore you with the sad details, but let's just say my dad sold the house.  Actually, we don't have a place to move into yet.  But it's inevitable.

Let me tell you, I'm a pack rat.  I keep almost everything and it pains me to throw away things.  I don't even give away stuff people has given me, however much I don't like them (the stuff and/or the ones who gave them to me) or need them. 

I have kept old clothes that don't fit anymore; bags that are out of fashion; shoes that I so love but can't wear anymore; accessories that I like to look at but don't really wear coz i rarely change my jewelry; cutie-cutie stuff that are more appropriate for graders; toys (who said toys are only for kids?); old photos that are still in those magnetic albums; souvenirs from weddings, christenings and  vacations; cassette tapes and long playing albums of my favorite 80s bands (they are unopened and might be worth something on ebay); pig stuff, which I religiously collected at one point; stuffed toys (hell yeah!); fast food chain promo items; mugs and candles I got as gifts; i have four piggy banks (one is a humongous one but the body design is that of a cow); a million unfinished cross stitch projects; paper from school and work; stuff better know as anik-anik; and of course a ton of books.




Now, I have to be practical....ugghh!  I just have to be strong, close my eyes and throw away what I don't need or can live without.  No, the piggy cow has to stay!  Ive already given away the bags I don't use.  But there are still enough that I can use to put most of my stuff in...like 30 of them (yes, I can do a month using one different bag a day).  And my bags aren't the small types either.  My clothes will probably all fit in a few of them.  I just need the boxes for my books, which are about 500-800.

My bedroom is the only room left in the house that is untouched by the evil packaholic...my dad.  Just as my mom was a pack rat (guess I got that trait from her huh?), my dad likes to throw away things, and without saying anything beforehand may I add!  Several times in the past, my mom and I would be turning the house upside down looking for something just to find out my dad has thrown it away.  So, in the case of my room, I warned him not to touch it.  Though he tried his very best to make me clean it up. Did I say I hate to clean my room????

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Dirty Little Secret

Several months ago I dated this guy whose identity we will hide under the name of Kulas. Met him on one of the social sites...where else can you meet a complete stranger these days.  Anyway, I thought him to be a good and nice enough guy that I decided to meet up with him. First time I ever went on a date at 7 o'clock in the morning!

Kulas and I got along well and we always had fun when we were together.  But we were not inclined to go public.  The relationship may have potential but it was not wise to proceed further. Why? Because being together will only add more complications to an already complicated situation.  What to do, what to do?

Well, I actually didn't have to do anything because Kulas left.  He is now in another Asian country, working at a job he used to have back home.  Oh well.... Though we don't communicate much, we do stay in touch...as friends.

When I heard the song Dirty Little Secret again, it made me think of Kulas and how apt that song is for us. 

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
by: The All American Rejects

Let me know that I've done wrong
When I've known this all along
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

Who has to know
When we live such fragile lives
It's the best way we survive
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you
Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

Who has to know
The way she feels inside (inside)
Those thoughts I can't deny (deny)
These sleeping thoughts won't lie (won't lie)
And all I've tried to hide
It's eating me apart
Trace this life out

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret)
I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret
Dirty little secret
Dirty little secret

Who has to know
Who has to know

Chill!

The Graveyard...Shift that is!


I've never been a morning person.  When I was still in school, I needed someone to wake me up or have my alarm clock ring really loud for me to get up.  And the problem with alarm clocks...you can just turn them off and go back to sleep! Don't tell me you haven't done that! Someone asked me once, are there wall clocks with alarms? That made me think...if the alarm of a wall clock rings, you would have to get up, take the clock off the wall, turn off the alarm then put the wall clock back on the wall.  What a hassle! Solution: just don't hang the wall clock!

Aside from having a hard time waking up early, I can't sleep early too.  However late I get home or tired I am or even however early I need to get up, I still find myself sleeping no earlier than 2am.

Anyways, the job I currently hold now is quite perfect for me schedulewise. When I got hired, I was asked which shift I preferred and I chose the graveyard shift.  My shift starts at 10pm and ends at 6am.  In other words, I live the life of a nocturnal person...sort of like an owl or a vampire (ahem...Edward, your fangs are making mg neck itch!!!).  I'm asleep during the day and awake at night.  Since I have had my job for almost 5 years now, I'm not used to being under the hot sun anymore.  On a side note: do I still need to use sunblock even if I work nights?

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to working the graveyard shift:

The pros:
1.  If you are a night person you will be up already.
2.  Less traffic going to and from work (well, usually).
3.  You can still do some things during the day. Some of my office mates even have part time day jobs.
4.  More time with family. Less time with family. Depends on your situation.
5.  Night differential.
6.  Quieter office environment.

The cons:
1.  There are not much places you can order food from. I can only take so much Mcdonald's and Jollibee.
2.  Not seeing your family and friends much. Why? Coz either you're at work or asleep.
3.  Not knowing (or caring) what time of day or even what day it actually is!
4.  It can be quite unsafe walking the streets at night.
5.  Social life will be limited.  My friends have saved Friday nights as the night to meet because of my schedule.
6.  You tend to fall asleep during work.  Meaning you get to make an IR (incident report) if you get caught.

I'm sure there are other reasons why the graveyard shift is good or bad for you. But if you are used to normal  hours, working nights will take a lot of getting used to.  Better stick to having sunlight while you're having your first cup of coffee at work.

I remember one incident wherein I found myself chatting with this British guy.  Here's how part of the conversation went:
R:  you have cam?
Z:  sorry no, i'm at work
R:  you're at work at this time?
Z:  yeah i'm on the graveyard shift
R:  why would you do that?
Z:  do what?
R:  work at the graveyard
Z:  wahahahaha

Monday, October 25, 2010

Let's drink to that!

The first time I tasted alcohol was when I was about 10 (more or less).  I recall having vacation with my family in La Union and drinking coke with Fundador.  I had chest pains after that.  It was years later when I discovered those chest pains were due to not having drank enough.  I vowed never to drink that concoction ever again.  Well, THAT concoction!

I never liked beer so turning into an alcoholic due to beer was not an issue.  In high school, the popular drink was rum coke.  Tanduay was the rum of choice then.  There was also gin sprite but rum coke tasted better.  In college, I discovered zombie, the one at Tia Maria's.  I drank and get drunk over the zombie for quite a few years.  If you haven't tasted it here's the recipe:
1/2 oz Bacardi® 151 rum
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz apricot brandy
1 tsp sugar
2 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
1 oz lime juice

After that I discovered my true poison, vodka.  I don't drink it straight but I can take it with lime or sprite. I remember going to Jazz Rhythms along Jupiter street in Makati and odrering 7 small bottles (just like the ones on the plane) of Smirnoff.  The thing about vodka is that it can be deceiving.  You start drinking and after a few glasses you think you're all fine, not even a teeny weeny bit drunk. Try standing up to go to the bathroom and see what happens. Ooopps...is the floor wet???

Other drinks I  liked were Smirnoff Mule, San Miguel Super Dry (wasn't as bitter as Pale Pilsen), Absolute Currant Vodka, Bailey's, Strawberry Mudslide and Asti Spumante.

I can't remember when I last had a drink but it's been years. Shall we drink to that?!?

Sunday, October 24, 2010

1985

1985 was one of the best years of my life.  It was so good, I've forgotten a lot about it (senior moment remember?)

It was the year I met the guys who I consider my very good guy friends: Ronti, Raffy, John, Boli, Emman, Allen and Chito (please correct me if I'm wrong).  Tikboy introduced them to us Zobel girls because we needed dates for the prom.  I ended up with Boli, Enid with Allen, Cindy with Raffy. (again, correct me if I'm wrong).  That fateful day at the TBAP Bowling Center was the start of a very beautiful friendship!

!985 was also my graduating year in high school.  These are what I remember: Classes being suspended all the time; Endless power outages and we couldn't hold classes because the windows are boarded up due to the A/C and it's too dark;  Barber's cut for girls (thanks to Archie), which Mrs. Sienna loved and long hair for guys, which Mrs. Sienna hated; One day being the only girl in class for some reason and I had to call my mom to come get me with the pretense of me getting a relapse; Going to bivouac despite my doctor's orders not to and I ended up as the official photographer; Being nominated for party girl at the grad ball, didn't know what party girl really meant that time; The prom where we arrived late; After the prom where we went to Jalisco; After after the prom where Enid was brought home late by Allen and who made it worse by calling her dad, "DAD"; Going to the bowling center every Saturday; Being in a car accident at AAV wherein Raffy was driving but we had to keep that as a secret (no license you know); "We've Only Just Begun" as our graduation song. There's more but the senior moment thingie is pressing kinda hard...



I greeted summer of '85 by being sick I was hospitalized for a week due to typhoid fever.

Then came college.  I was a freshman at DLSU taking up engineering. I didn't know how to commute at that time and my mom had to drop and pick me up on the first day.  On the second day, my dad commuted with me to teach me what rides to take.  Little did my parents know that it was the last step i needed to gain freedom!

Justice League

And so we call ourselves the Justice League.  Let me introduce to you the members:

Batman - Cindy
In the original version of the story and the vast majority of retellings, Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, an American millionaire (later billionaire) playboy, industrialist, and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on crime, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime. Batman operates in the fictional American Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl. He fights an assortment of villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Catwoman, influenced by the characters' roots in film and pulp magazines. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, an indomitable will and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.



Wonder Woman - Ish
Wonder Woman is an Amazon (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) and was created by Marston, an American, as a "distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men." Her powers include superhuman strength, flight, super-speed, super-stamina, and super-agility. She is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat and in the art of tactical warfare. She also possesses an animal-like cunning and a natural rapport with animals, which has in the past been presented as an actual ability to communicate with the animal kingdom. She uses her Lasso of Truth, which forces those bound by it to tell the truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and an invisible airplane.



Hawk Girl - Marlette
Shiera Sanders first appeared as a civilian supporting character in the Hawkman feature. Archaeologist Carter Hall has a dream that he is an ancient Egyptian prince, Khufu, who has a lover, Princess Chay-Ara. The next day, Carter meets a woman named Shiera who looks exactly like the woman in his dream. Carter dons the identity of Hawkman and Shiera becomes Carter's girlfriend. Shiera first appears in costume in All Star Comics #5 during Hawkman's solo segment of the Justice Society of America story. Shiera dons a spare set of Nth metal wings developed by Hawkman, and masquerades as Hawkman in order to trick some criminals. Shiera continues to wear the costume and wings in later stories, eventually adopting the identity of Hawkgirl.




Big Barda - Enid

Barda was born of the race of New Gods about 250 years ago, on Apokolips. Her mother was named Big Breeda, but Barda was taken away from her at an early age to be trained as a warrior. She was a product of Granny Goodness' Home for Orphaned Youth. Granny's motto is "Die for Darkseid" (the planet's evil ruler). Granny groomed Barda to one day lead the Female Fury Battalion, a ferocious pack of warrior women. However, during a raid Barda meets Scott Free, Darkseid's adopted son, and, sensing a peace about him, fell in love.

Barda risked her own safety to work with the rebel cell lead by the New God Himon. Both of them helped Scott escape from Apokolips. Eventually, Barda turned her back on Granny, and came to Earth herself.  Scott had become an escape artist called Mister Miracle, and is teamed with Oberon, his diminutive manager. Scott and Barda were married by Scott's father, the Highfather of New Genesis. 

For a number of years, Barda followed Scott and Oberon on tour. Eventually they retired as superheroes and move to Bailey, New Hampshire. However, despite their best attempts, a normal life eluded them. Disasters plagued them; Barda, Scott, and Oberon left Bailey and moved to a loft in Greenwich Village, New York City. Barda formed a defense-training program for women called the New Female Furies.




The Huntress - Zashi
In the 1989 Huntress series, Helena Rosa Bertinelli, who was born into one of Gotham City's most prominent Mafia families, is a withdrawn girl. At the age of six, she was kidnapped and raped by an agent of another Gotham crime family. Her parents, Guido and Carmela, send her to a boarding school and assign a bodyguard for her protection. After she witnesses the mob-ordered murder of her entire family at the age of 19, she crusades to put an end to the Mafia. She travels, accompanied and trained by her bodyguard Sal, before returning to Gotham to make her debut as the Huntress.

Huntress' origin was revised in 2000 in the six-issue Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood limited series written by Greg Rucka, art by Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty. Helena Rosa Bertinelli witnesses the murder of her entire family in their home when she is aged 8; a young Helena Rosa Bertinelli believes Franco Bertinelli to be her father, but her father is actually Santo Cassamento, the don of a rival mafia family, who was carrying on an affair with Helena's mother, Maria. The story revolves around Helena's exile from Gotham, ordered by Batman, who finds her to be too violent and out of control. In an extended retreat with Richard Dragon and Vic Sage (The Question), she tries to achieve better emotional balance, returning to Gotham to confront her true father and learn more about her family's murder. She faces a choice between the more ethical woman she is becoming and the earlier Helena, who still hears the vengeance call as "blood cries for blood."




Flash - Ronti
The Flash saga has taken place primarily in the fictional municipalities of Central City and Keystone City. The citizens live under constant threat of supervillains and a number of "blue collar" costumed criminals, known as the Rogues. After being caught in an accident at the Central City Police Department's Crime Lab, forensic scientist (previously "police scientist") Barry Allen is gifted with incredible speed. Inspired by his childhood hero Jay Garrick, Allen creates a new persona under Garrick's moniker "The Flash." Using his incredible speed, and stepping up where normal men and women cannot, Allen fights for the citizens and protects them from supernatural harm.



Green Lantern - Ronnie
Alan Scott's Green Lantern history traditionally began thousands of years ago when a mystical "green flame" meteor fell to Earth in ancient China. The voice of the flame prophesied that it would act three times: once to bring death (a lamp-maker crafted the green metal of the meteor into a lamp; in fear and as punishment for what they thought sacrilege, the local villagers killed him, only to be destroyed by a sudden burst of the green flame), once to bring life (in modern times, the lamp came into the hands of a patient in a mental institution who fashioned the lamp into a modern lantern; the green flame restored him to sanity and gave him a new life), and once to bring power. By 1940, the lantern passed into the possession of Alan Scott, a young engineer. Following a railroad bridge collapse in which he was the only survivor, the flame instructed Scott how to fashion a ring from its metal, to give him fantastic powers as the superhero Green Lantern. He adopted a colorful costume and became a crime-fighter. Alan was a founding member of the Justice Society of America.

 


Aquaman - BJ
Aquaman could breathe underwater with gills, had superhuman strength enabling him to swim at high speeds, and could communicate with sea life and have them do his bidding. Initially, he was depicted as speaking to sea creatures "in their own language" rather than telepathically, and only when they were close enough to hear him. While he was often described as the "sovereign of the sea," with the waters of the entire globe his "domain," and almost every sea creature his "loyal subject," the title was never an official one. Aquaman's adventures took place all across the world, and his base was "an ancient temple of lost Atlantis, kept underwater," in which he kept a solitary throne.




Inked for Life

I never thought I'd get a tattoo in my life! And now I have two and thinking of getting a third...and a fourth!

I guess environment played a VERY big influence in my getting inked.  From my work shift alone, there are 5 people who have tatts.  But if one were to point a finger...point it at Jaren, the human canvas!.  

I love art and it's the thought of using my skin as a canvas that made me decide to go ahead.  The next big question was what design should I put on me?  The hearts, butterflies and tribal designs didn't interest me at all.  I wanted a design that is unique, uniquely me.  It took weeks, but finally I decided on a paisley design.  


According to Wikipedia:
Resembling a twisted teardrop, the kidney-shaped paisley is Persian and Indian in origin, but its western name derives from the town of Paisley, in central Scotland. In Sanskrit the design is known as mankolam and has long been used in India. It resembles a mango and has sometimes been associated with Hinduism. In Tamil, ma means "mango" and kolam means rangoli pattern, suggesting a possible Tamil origin for the Sanskrit word.  Some design scholars call the distinctive shape boteh and believe it is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity.

It's the "symbol of life and eternity that got me".

Now my second tattoo was unexpected.  I only had a few days to look for a design and I really cant remember what made me choose turtles.  The final design was the result of four separate designs.


Getting a tattoo is not for the faint at heart.  I was given an idea of how painful it could be when I just thinking of getting inked. On my first session, it started out to be tolerable. But that was just when the lining was being done. The shading was the killer. But I'm very proud of myself for not crying.  On my second session, the pain started almost immediately. And the session lasted for three hours!  So, a warning for those planning to get tattooed...some body parts will hurt like a bitch more than the others.

Now, one important thing to consider is going to the right tattoo artist.  I'm very lucky to have found Ace, thanks to Jaren.  A very nice and talented guy.  Anyone needs a tattoo artist, I'd recommend him 100%...for nobody touches my skin except Ace!

Look out for my next tatt...something I can show my dad :>

About me

So wanna know about me?

Birthday: January 2 (Capricorn / Goat-Fire)
Birthplace: Manila (Lourdes Hospital)

FAMILY
Parents: Alejandro and Lydia
Sister: Leilani
Brother: Alexander
Sis-in-law: Myly

EDUCATION
Nursery to Intermediate: St. Theresa's College Manila
Elementary: De La Salle Santiago Zobel School
High School: De La Salle Santiago Zobel School
College: De La Salle University (undergrad, BS Industrial Mgmt Engg)
College: AMA Computer College (graduate, BS Computer Science)
Short Courses: Ateneo Center for Continuing Education

WORK
Procter & Gamble Philippines
Philippine Business for Social Progress
Multicenter
Billboard Text

the rest you can read on my profile....

Watch your...

I found this poem as I was searching The Holy Google:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

 

So true....

 

And so....

And so, one day I decided that I wanted to write my thoughts down so I will not forget them...senior moments are coming at a faster pace these days! And viola, this blog is born!

Sometimes I catch myself talking to who else...myself...and I find the conversations stimulating. Whoever dares to read my posts will sooner or later realize that I have a tendency to ramble on, segueing from one topic to another.  But that's the beauty of random thoughts, right? 

I used to keep a journal wherein I wrote down the happenings during my day. What I did, who I saw or talked to.  It goes without saying that I also jotted down what I wore that day like: orange pants, peach top (am I too fruity for you?). In fairness, I coordinate my clothes very well. My mom has taught me at a very young age not to mix different patterns.  No checked shirts with striped pants!!!  As much as possible I will not wear more than 2-3 colors. More than that and I feel like a Rainbow Brite relative.  Anyway, I don't know what happened to those diaries, but I sure hope nobody has read them but moi!  Maybe I really need to clean my room to make sure I find them and burn them.  Hmmm....

So what can you expect from this blog: well, nothing serious, technical, political, religious or the like. But basically, I will write about life and how colorful it is and can be. Ready?