Crossy, greeny-eyed meanie

It's Monday, and I'm not having a really great day :(

First, my cellphone had to go all haywire on me and deleted ALL my pictures, music and applications. Before it can do another virtual purge of what remains of itself, I'm having it fixed and for that, I have to dig, really deep, into my limited allowance. In fact, I am so broke, I had to sell my other phone to my cousin for a measly Php 800 just to get by for the week T__T;

Second, my cousin has a bloody PSP and she won't sell it to me on the grounds that: 1. It's an overrated gadget; 2. It's boring and 3. I am not capable of paying her back within a year. Blargh, it's not fair!!! I mean, my cousin is not even out of high school and she has more money than me! IT. IS. SERIOUSLY. NOT. FAIR.

I'd sneak this PSP home, but unfortunately, she's holding my phone hostage 0_o

Third, my OTHER cousin had to go egotistic on me and show me his new Ipod video. When I told him to beat it because I'm still swooning over his sister's PSP, he said:

"That's the purpose. To make you JEALOUS.....*crazy. witchery laughter*"

Meanie, ickle beasties. And to think I bought them gifts last Christmas :O Boo!!

Drats, it's not fun, this penniless status at the age of 22. As my cousins constatntly remind me, I am no good with money. And they might have a point. I wasn't able to save nothing last year, when I still had a paying job. What I earn through the few "rakets" that I have go to food and.....Well, I don't rightly know where it goes, but it just disappears :B And I hardly even splurge on food anymores.

Anyhow, I'm all woe and begone right now. For what its worth, I'll play the batteries out of this PSP until it's DAID!! ~~

To top it all, I've still got to go to duty tonight.

Not a good week... Dumdumdumdooooooooooooooooooom T________T

Sublimating and marinating

For every screw up I make in the hospital, I mentally bash my brains out with an imaginary magical hammer. It's an unhealthy, really, but this unusual habit seems to be the only way wherein I can expel all negative and horrifyingly embarrassing moments out of my system. On those particularly bad days, my imaginary catharsis turns my brain into mush. *sigh* The powers of sublimation.

Anyhow, my bad days can range from the fickle, shrug-shrug, bad day to the catastrophic, kill-me-now days. For example, one time, I gave the ROD (resident on duty) skin-tape instead of plaster. If you must know, skin-tape is really not sticky enough. I knew that; however, I figured, skin-tape is better than nothing. Actually, it was probably better if I gave nothing at all :D Now, I'm obsessed with plaster! I've got a great roll of plaster around one pen (green), skin tape on the other (black) and transparent tape on the red one :B

One time, my vital sign-taking skills was questioned. I take great pride in my vs skills; it's my most basic skill, requiring finesse and a sense of timing (like, "quick, the baby's sleeping!! RR and HR now!!!" quick). Anyways. I got some really low HRs and really high RRs, so off I go to the doctor on duty. The good doctor pronounced that my vitals were wrong, after taking a good, long 15-second look. Right, doc, sorry doc, I hastened to say. I took those vital signs for one full minute, but sure, you're the boss, I added to myself.

While Ivan thinks it's fairly disgusting, I think that true guts involves suctioning without gloves! A true man (or woman) needs no gloves for pulling out secretions out of bloody ET tubes! Since I never got the fundamentals of suctioning during my college days, I don't find it weird/disgusting/unhygienic to suction with bare hands. More than once, I've gotten a dollop of phlegm on my arms without flinching. I just hold the urge to barf in, run out and handwash like crazy! Suctioning is a procedure that demans more bravado than skill :D You plunge it in, open and close the machine, and voila! tubes are as good as new! Anyhow, my careless disregard for aseptic techniques designed to keep me safe and healthy has made me come to the conclusion that I might be secretly harboring a death wish. *cue Twilight Zone BG music*

Example #1: Suctioning without gloves

Example #2: Ignoring punctured wounds from injections

Example #3: Caring for a patient with PTB. Without a mask :p

It's not that I don't particularly value my health: using gloves, making a big deal out of a tiny puncture wound and using a mask gets in my way all the time. So, I make do without it :D Reckless, but hey, it goes a long way in saving children's lives :D

So far, the biggest and greatest lesson that I have learned in the hospital, particularly in the ward, is to BE KIND, to everyone. Kind goes hand in hand with being humble, and the 2, working together reaps marvelous dividends. When you're kind, people appreciate the things that you do to the point that they don't get mad when you accidently burst their child's soluset :D Another nice thing to learn: swallowing pride. I've swallowed mine whole from the moment I got to the ward, allowing one zealous senior volunteer to teach me the concept of quantity ("Etong quantity kung ilan ung ipapabili niya. I-times mo sa prize, yun na yun") without daring to say that 14 years of education has taught me such arcana already :p

Disconnected by 38 degrees

It's been a month in volunteer limbo and I'll be free in 2 months time, and hopefully, everything about it will be honorable :D Anyway, I've been toying with the idea of extending my stay for another 3 months, on the condition that my "scholarship" holds out, since, despite my initial horrors, everything has been pleasantly, uhm, pleasant, so far.

Contrary to its reputation, the staff over at ward 8 are actually really nice people to work with, real protective of the volunteers from overly hysterical watchers and terror doctors. A few of them, Madams Grace and Gigi, have taken to ogling my ass every time I take vital signs without using proper body mechanics :B

In my initial month, I have:
a. Avoided killing a patient, intentionally.
b. Learned how to scold a watcher older than me.
c. Grown immune to the sound of the cardiac monitor going haywire.
d. Suctioned the guts outs of a preemie while high on caffeine.

Rawr, I am out of practice, having been disconnected from the internet for the past 2 months >:s

Will edit later, for addendums, grammar and overall sense.

Quoted

I am eager to start my volunteer duty to prove that I am not the dunderhead that I thought I was.

How wrong I was. How very wrong.

I am a dunderhead.

EDIT:
Celebrated my 22nd today. Yipee.

EDIT EDIT:
Thanks to those who remembered :D

EDIT EDIT EDIT:
Brought palabok in the ward. Ivan *pheonix1986*, you missed one really delicious meal.

Anything but Eight

I now know that this is true: that the things you dread are the things that definitely come to pass and that the chances of it happening is directly proportional to your stress levels. My prayers of "Anything but eight, anything but eight," went unanswered, and like some great cosmic joke, I drew the paper with the words "Ward 8, 7-3", just like that. I just got assigned to Ward 8, the Pediatrics Ward, the One Ward in the hospital that I absolutely had my sights against.

Before applying to the hospital as a volunteer nurse, I sought the expert opinions of those who had the privilege of working at the same hospital. I found out that, on a general level, everyone thinks their ward is the BEST ward and all other departments simply fail. A few examples of the consultations that I had with those enlightened members of the no-pay volunteers:

ME: I'll be volunteering this month. Which ward is best?
Expert 1: Ward 2 is the best. The staff are nice, you get to watch TV, less work, and oh, we have parties every month or so.

(Hmmm, TV. Ward 2=Most Ideal. Besides, my dad worked in Ward 2, so I may get by with my family name alone. On the other hand, it's a chronic ward. Everyone's either in plaster or twitching.)

ME: I'll be volunteering this month. Which ward is best?
Expert 2: OR. We came, we open, we saw your guts!

(Operating Room staff are, like, the elite. Or at least, that's what they like to think. It's really nice, though, to be in the OR, except on elective days, where the OR complex is filled to overflowing. Also, paperwork. Lots of them.)

ME: I'll be volunteering this month. Which ward is best?
Expert 3: Any ward, is fine. Don't go for OR. When you apply for an entry-level position, you'll be a staff nurse. So it's better to learn all you need to know about basic floor duties.

(I'll admit, this is the most sound advice I got. Objective and practical. Two people gave me this advice, and I worship you both.)

ME: I'll be volunteering this month. Which ward is best?
Expert 4: The action is in the ER. You learn LOADS there, CPR, emergency care....In wards all you do is chart and sleep. Where's the learning?

(Where indeed? However, I never liked the ER. I'm too, er, fragile. Besides, ER people are the most likely people to die in case of a terrorist attack. Kidding.)

ME: I'll be volunteering this month. Which ward is best?
Expert 5: Eye Center. Nice easy hours , free internet.

(Internet, hmmmmm?)

ME: I'll be volunteering this month. Which ward is best?
Expert 6: Anywhere, as long as it's not ER.

(Uh-huh.)

So, that got me nowhere fast. Ergo, I'll take whatever comes my way. Except Ward 8.

But, as fate would have it, I did get in to Ward 8. I see a number of disadvantages:

1. I've never had a rotation there. Ever.
2. Kids are scared of nurse. One look at the white uniform and they'll cry/wail/throw a tantrum/pull your hair(!)...
3. Too. Many. Kids. In. The. World.
4. The Pedia Ward is really HOT.
5. Contagious. Lots of contagious things to catch.

As my role in life is to find silver linings in every dark cloud, I rationalized these advantages:

1. I have nephews and nieces and cousins who are potential Pedia patients. Maybe the good Lord directed me to Ward 8 so that I can enjoy treating my family.
2. In looking for a ward, I want variety. The Pedia ward is like the Medical ward in miniature: lots of conditions and procedures to do. I may just enjoy Ward 8 (I mean, I enjoyed pricking babies with vaccine when I was a student. Hihihihi).
3. It's relatively near the hospital canteen.
4. My classmates always said I was good with children. It's the maternal instinct buried in me. And for that matter, I think it'll be buried forever. A stint in Ward 8 is the closest I'll get to having children. I can always adopt.
5. I honestly can't think of anything more.

By this time, I've resigned myself to my lot. Pray, I hope to enjoy my 3-month stint in Ward 8. In the spirit of making lists, I shall end with these resolutions that I need to do before duty begins:

1. Return my body clock to its normal rhythm by sleeping and waking up early.
2. Abstain from all pleasurable things from now on, i.e., TV, computers, movies, rainy days, etc.
3. Solicit for brand new uniforms.
4. Read up on Pediatrics procedures and stuff.
5. Buy the following: 4 colored pen, thermometers, surgical masks, notebook and a new bag.
6. Get a retailer SIM to sell load during duty hours (for the extra money).
7. Learn Tausug as soon as possible.
8. Order a new nameplate that will appendage RN to my last name.
9. Say goodbye to August.

My feeble show of support...

...against the BJE MOA.
Hey, at least it's there :D

On having a chauvinist for a brother

It started with the show "American Gladiators", which, if you really think about it, hardly inspires chauvinistic and anti-feministic sentiments especially if you consider the buffed bodies of the gladiators, male or female. There I was, enjoying the local rerun of season 1's final episode when my brother screeched:

"The loser's being interviewed by a GIRL!!"

I am not a radical feminist, but I do have pride as a woman. The biggest pet peeve I have with my brother is the fact that he thinks he's so superior to women, when in fact Leila Ali can beat him black and blue with both hands behind her back. Comments like "Ah, poreso gale. Mujer el driver.", also pisses me off, but correcting him is like asking a fish to walk on land. He just feels so bloody superior. I have no idea who gave him that idea.

So when my brother said that, in his infuriatingly condescending and superior way, I told him he wasn't exactly being PC.

"Ooh, you're talking crap."

I told him I wasn't.

"What's PC?"

Politically correct, I said. You should use the word person, instead of saying man or woman. Like George Clooney, on Batman and Robin.

"So that's how you talk now? PC?"

Shut up, PC idiot.

"You talk shit."

You act like shit.

"You initiated shit."

You invented shit.

"You look like shit."

You are shit.

He snickered and guffawed.

I went inside my room, fuming.

1-0, in favor for dear chauvinistic bro.

Painting Zamboanga RED

A habit of perennial lateness made me miss the mass gathering of support in City Hall against the inclusion of Zamboanga City in the BJE (Bangsamoro Judicial Entity).

Inside information revealed, however, that a great number of people in red attended, and that it moved a certain classmate of mine to tears. In attendance that morning were representatives from Basilan and the Governor Hoffer of Zamboanga Sibugay.

I arrived in town, wearing red, of course. In the heart of the city, half of the population were in red. Whether or not the said populace willingly or unwillingly knew the significance of red today remains to be seen. Those who could not wear red wrapped red ribbons around their elbows.

By 11 AM, stores and establishments around the city temporarily halted business operations to show their support. No one forced them to close their establishments; that would have undermined the principles of democracy that we so value, the same principles the government claims to uphold yet so blatantly disregards with the advent of the MOA for the BJE.

The people of Zamboanga can disagree on a lot of things. Heck, they can be really apathetic people sometimes. Many still were ignorant of the issue, others chose to ignore. Still, others chose to watch Wowowee instead of the local news showing the protest of the city. I wonder why Mayor chose the color RED for today's protest (party color?).

I hope and pray for peace in Zamboanga. May PGMA realize that selling Zamboanga and the other territories to these militant and separatist groups will not achieve peace. Madam President was given the power over the country and its 1,707 islands for her to uplift and improve lives and NOT to use them as bargaining chips for to buff up her political image. There will be hell to pay. Why don't you try including the cities of Luzon in the BJE and see what happens.

Viva Zamboanga!

RN from the cubbyhole

It has finally happened. I can no longer claim employment superiority over the unemployed. I have reached the end of my contract and since I am not renewing anything, I must regress to a state that I should have completed upon adding RN to my last name: volunteer duty.

I fret on that phrase. I can't imagine giving out free service for 3 (or 6) whole months, not after watching The Dark Knight. Wasn't it the Joker who said that if you can do something, never do it for free? Too bad hospitals don't share that sentiment.

It's not only the "free of service" part that bothers me. It's the effort required to be a volunteer. Back in college, we only had to do two and half days of duty each week and I'd go home ready to die. And I gained weight (I mean, how can that happen anyway??). How would 3 (or 6) whole months affect me, then?? No more sleeping until noon and doing nothing but laze all day routines for me. Aside from that, it's been a year since my board exams. Gotta bring the old noggin' up to scratch, which is not really an easy thing to do.

Still, without the volunteer time in my resume, I can't get a paying job in any nursing school. I mean, teaching is something that I'd like to eventually do. Does not really leave me much of choice, does it?

So, I'm applying as a volunteer nurse at ZCMC this August, and if accepted, I'll start my trips to the hospital this September. To make sure I don't chicken out (again), I've completed all lab works and requirements using my meager savings. That way, I'll really, really, really, push through with this prospect, although I still have to decide if I'll sign up for 3 months or 6 months of duty. That can wait until Monday.

On that note, hospitals are supposed to be a place full of care and compassion, but as I discovered within 3 hours of completing laboratory tests, it's a place so devoid of emotion, it's depressing.

Lab tests went fine, although the stool exam was ickier than usual (I had to transfer the sample from my film container on to the glass vial, since accordingly, film cases went out of fashion months ago :s).

A new thing to do this time was the police clearance. This required a picture, taken at the station itself. The need to smile when in front of the camera is so ingrained in my system that I had to decide whether, wait for it, to smile or not to smile. Whatever my mom said to reassure me, this was going to be a mug shot! I tried to practice a half smile while waiting my turn, but it made me look constipated, so I chose not to smile. I posit thus: you do not smile when you're having your mug shot taken.

Anyway, despite the not-so-good photo of me (which I plan never to show anyone for as long as I live) I discovered that if I didn't smile, I ended up looking uncannily like my dad. If I smiled (which I usually do, thank God), I resemble my mom's side of the family (finally).

All that's left now is for my application letter and my photocopied documents, and I'm all set. On Monday, I'll be sealing this deal. I'll be missing paid work and employment, but I'm sure that after 3 (or 6) months of sacrifice, I'll be handling 3 blue ones every 15 and 30 once again. Bully for that day.

ParaKISS

Wallie featuring Miwako from Paradise Kiss :D

Unemployment=Productivity

I am out of work! And here are the results! Pick-charrs!




Yes, I noticed the repetitive images. Unfortunately, I don't have that big a gallery, so I've learned to recycle the whole lot, over and over again.

Done in Photoshop 7.0. Brushes credit to celestial-star.

Enjoy.

Or not.

Pixies for Friendster

My cousin is my biggest fan :D




























:B

In the spirit of Arbor

Yes, it is that time of the year again :D Just going to plug some events here.

June 25 - Arbor Day Launch
7:00 AM
Parade (WMSU to Petit Barracks)
8:00 AM
Program (We are goin' to hug them century-old trees. Yowza!)

June 28 - Coastal Clean-up
8:30 AM
Cawa Cawa

June 29 - To-ree Puh-lanting
8:00 AM
Murok, Pasonanca

Yessireee ;p

Finding Sidney

Found Sidney Sheldon's first book, the Naked Face, in the trash bin yesterday, in between two baby kittens.

It was covered with kitty amniotic fluid and by-products, but a little alcohol did the trick :D

Now, please God, if only I could find Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel...

It's personal

It's a fact. I've got zero self-confidence, and when I hit the negative, I can whine the pants off anyone.

And this comment does not help:

"Walang kinabukasan ang mga kabataan sa iyo."

'Tis a joke, they say, that I took personally.

Like hell. Yes, I take it personally. This is the pits. Oh, this is personal. This is war. It's not a joke. It's an insult. No future?! Wtf?!

Whatever. I don't care.

06.11.08

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I just realized that I have a big problem with my wardrobe. Today, I was supposed to attend a seminar at a fancy hotel in the city. I didn't get much sleep the night before, but because it was my first seminar in a year, I woke up at the ungodly hour of 7:00 AM. And luckily, I did. I had nothing to wear.

Well, I had clothes and shirts and pants, of course. What I did not have was an appropriate thing to wear. I could not rely on past experiences with seminars to get a measure of what was deemed as appropriate apparel, as I went in jeans and shirts in every single thing that I attended since high school.

The simple task of dressing up became an inner dialogue with the self; decorum, fashion, self-expression, human rights and finally, the mastery of jeans over skirts, of shirts over blouse. By the time I was inside the jeepney, I had in my head a manifesto, that jeans and shirts are equals to blouses and fancy dresses, and that people who wear them must not be viewed as inferior to those who wear signature clothings.

I dreamed of the day, where I could waltz in on a job interview, dressed in my favorite FLCL shirt and sneakers and not in some high-heeled, open-toed sandal that was patterned after a medieval torture device.

I remain.

Whatever would have happened in that seminar, I will not know.

I got canceled, on the very last minute.

And I thank my common sense. I chose my shirt and sneakers over my mother's blouse and sandals.

The gods be praised.

One rather really long post

I should have written down my thoughts last week. I had so much dopamine running through my system, my head wanted to explode. Now that the internet is loading, and I have a free moment, I go blank. My head is failing me :s

Firstly, our office have just finished moving, which will explain my week-long absence from the internet (serious withdrawal symptoms :D). Prior to moving, we had to hunt down for boxes, which are now being sold rather than being given away. Yes, the indecency! Anyhow, I wanted to spend my last few days at the office downloading every single anime episode I wanted to watch, but I think it would not have looked too good to the bosses, me sitting on my behind while everybody was working. But then, after I began helping out, it gave out the idea that I was able to do manual labor (cheap at that, since all I asked for was fare money), thus, my final days were committed to lifting and packing boxes. My first week at our new place was also devoted to, surprise, surprise, lifting and UN-packing boxes :p

Still, not everyone can say that they cataloged all office books in just one day without an inventory list. I knew I should have taken library sciences.

Our new office is really homey. In fact, it's so homey, that at exactly 3:00 PM, I get really sleepy. And I get hungry on time. Luckily, my superiors also feed me on time. Oh yeah!

Now, we're quite settled in. The place looks habitable, we've got our PCs and internet connected, we have cubicles and offices, even a TV set :o And, the air conditioner was installed yesterday. I even have two tables, one on the ground floor, the other on the 2nd floor :D Accordingly, running up and down the stairs every so often is a sure-fire way to lose weight.

Post transfer, I did not get to do anything. As I've said, I was busy helping out with search and rescue operations for lost paperworks and hardwares. Another thing that I've been busy with is typing. Typing on the typewriter! We've got loads of legal stuff that we have to finish, so I'm helping out by doing lots of OT and fancy typewriting. Anyhow, I've got hand spasms right now, and one big, blister on my middle finger as proof of my hard work. Still, typewriting is addicting.

Now, if only typewriters can connect to the internet. Imagine the possibilities >:D

I haven't tinkered with Photoshop in a while, but I've got two pictures I want to share. I can't upload anything right now (damn this internet connection) so, here's a link and another link :/

Did and done.

To Lance...

Happy 4th, Clark Kent \(^o^)/

When household help collides

What a week. I got sick on purpose, spent a total of 3 nights away from home, took a week off from work for no apparent reason and stretched P200, my last money, for 2 weeks. And oh, our household help just mutinied on us, so now, I'm back doing dishes and feeding the doggies. Blah.

I've been doing a lot of soul searching after our household help decided to call it quits on us. Hmmm, were we on the wrong? After all, I never helped her in cleaning the house and the dishes, feeding the dogs, washing our clothes....oh wait. Right. That's what I paid her for. Okay, conscience clear. On the social level, I mingled very little with her. But then again, I'm a stingy mingler. I rarely mingle. With anyone.

Basically, she just didn't do her job well anymore, and when we pointed that out, she mutinied. As if. It pissed me off, that did. Imperiously declaring that she won't work anymore. Be gone then!

So now, I'm readjusting. Again. I have to prove to my mom that I can actually do my part in the household work. Or else, she'll tell everyone that she's all alone in this world, and that she's really tired and no one helps her, and I'll be guilty and depressed all over again.

On the other hand, there is still good in this unfortunate twist of events. It is now possible for me to start volunteering at the hospital and practice the craft that is nursing. My mom and I talked about it, and she thinks we can go for three months on her salary alone. And that this is a SIGN. Who am I to refuse such a sign? Seriously, though, I think it's an opportunity.

Only thing is, I'm scared of not being able to help with the expenses at home. For the last year, my earnings have covered all our needs (and a couple of wants), and I'm not too keen on the idea of not having my own money. I'm not too keen on depending entirely on my mom's salary, either. A part of me thinks that this arrangement won't work, and that I'll starve. And yet, I'm excited to start working at a hospital, to prove that I am not the dunderhead that I thought I was. I'm so full of contradictions, it's tragic.

Anyway, I have to thank Jilly for giving me the Ouran High School Host Club DVD. It's been keeping my mind off tedious thoughts :s

Forbidden brotherly love! Woot!

Photoshop...again

3 more Photoshop manipulations, featuring Rokujo of Nabari no Ou, Johann of Monster and 1 random/abstract picture, I guess.















^Vectored the image from the manga scan. Added a lot of splatter because I did not know what else to do with it :D
















^I initially made this as a background, so it looks unfinished. I like it the way it is, but if I can find a good enough picture of Johann, I'll add it up. For now...this :3

















^Abstract. Experimented with Ripples and Glows :/

Credits (for brushes and custom shapes):
Feathers
Sparklies
Splats
Japanese characters
Film
Stalks

Monochrome Factor and FLCL wallpapers

I'm really not good with graphics and wallpapers. I don't use wallpapers for my desktop, come to think of it :D

As it is, the wallpapers that I made are really simple; I use lots of brushes and gradients to make my backgrounds, really nothing fancy. Images are usually vectored, but when I'm lazy, I just slap on a screenshot :s

Here's a wallie of Shirogane, from Monochrome Factor. I'm not a fan of the series (SHOUNEN-AI!!), but I just love Shirogane and his lip gloss. Shirogane=cosplay material.














FLCL wallpapers, featuring Mamimi and Haruko. I still have to clean up the Mamimi wallpaper, I'm just too lazy right now :s















Haruko, I finished just now. I really like this picture and I seriously wish I could create a background that could do Haruko justice ;p But for now, rainbows! Looks kind of groovy and funky, to match her bass guitar. I'm really happy how this one turned out.

Third degree

Agonizing:
Having a really full bladder.

More agonizing:
Having a really full bladder while riding a jeepney on a bumpy road.

Most agonizing:
Having a really full bladder while riding a jeepney on a bumpy road while having hiccups.


Funny:
Being caught between the elevator doors.

Funnier:
Getting off on the wrong floor.

Funniest:
Forgetting to press the up/down button and waiting for the elevator door to open in front of dozens of people.

Doh :B

Commuting rights

I firmly believe that drunks and smokers should be banned from riding public transportations. BANNED!

I came in for work this morning smelling like cheap cigarettes, courtesy of a kindly gentleman who could not help smoking aboard the jeepney. In fact, he was retarded enough to smoke against the incoming wind, which pretty much blew all his carcinogenic cloud over my way. Thank you, sir, for cutting the lifespan of your fellow passengers by 20 years.

Too bad this man did not take RS with me. My teacher specifically said that passengers have a right to ask fellow passengers to not smoke. Those who intend to smoke inside a jeepney should ask for permission first before lighting a stick. It's called etiquette.

Smoking commuters, I can tolerate. Dead drunk commuters, now that is a different story. I mean, a big man on alcohol in the deep of the night is pretty scary, if you ask me.

On the occasions that I have shared a jeepney ride with a drunk passenger, none have been comfortable for it seemed they always chose the spot next to me to sit/sleep/shake off their alcoholic stupor. Ugh.

One man, who happened to sit beside me, was so drunk he kept sliding off his seat. I could even smell the beer (San Mig? Beer na Beer? Tuba?) circulating inside the cramped jeep. He was all elbows and backbone; they kept jutting my arm and my back. Take note: Elbows and backbones ARE VERY ANNOYING THINGS TO DEAL WITH INSIDE A JEEPNEY.

Anyway, alcohol had turned this man into a virtual human jellyfish. He flew this way and that at every acceleration and at the occasional push I gave him every time the jeepney screeched to a halt. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Of course, imbibing all the alcohol you can is not inherently bad. The bad thing about it is if you can't hold it down. It's a pitiful sight.

No passenger can own or hog a jeepney basically because it is a public vehicle. Commuters like me have the right to experience a safe and comfortable trip home. It means I have the right to fully sit down, enjoy minimal space to move and not talk to anyone. On that note, I think talking really loud inside a jeepney is very impolite. It's not even practical. You have to either repeat yourself or shout yourself hoarse to be heard and understood. Your spittle is not holy water, so please keep it to yourself.

Even if it is a public transport, commuters are entitled to have a wee bit of personal space to occupy and unfortunately, smokers, drunks and sometimes, the general populace, have no sense of boundary whatsoever, violating privacy and peace of mind.

If ever you want to smoke or get drunk in the future, make sure you have your own private transportation to drag you home. Because in all honesty, sharing a seat with a smoker and a drunk inside a jeepney is one appalling experience.

WTF-ness

According to my friend, Ronnie:

"So erotic..."

So what have we learned today? Vowels. Learn to use them or they will seriously make you shit bricks :B

Spring 2008: Itazura na Kiss, Bus Gamer, Chi's Sweet Home, Macross Frontier and Golgo 13

Itazura na Kiss

Booya! Finally, a romantic comedy that I can enjoy ;p Itazura na Kiss is basically your tried-and-tested romance comedy about two very different people - a dumdum sort of girl paired with a brooding, genius-y type of guy. They meet, they fight and poof!, they fall in love. Hum, my kind of show, one that doesn't go all philosophical on me :D

It's like Nodame Cantabille, though, not as good yet. Animation is, at times, bland and undefined, but for now, I'm enjoying the first 2 episodes. The strongest point of Itazura, so far, is its comedy, and I hope they won't go all melodramatic later on. For now, rollickin' fun!

Bus Gamer
One of the first series to come out for the Spring season, and frankly, I'm just disappointed. There's nothing in this show that's watch-worthy. I dunno, it just, sucks :/ The good thing, accordingly, is that it's only 3 episodes long (really, why even bother at all?). I'm 2 episodes in, and I officially won't venture with episode 3.

Hum, the guy reminds me of Sanjo of Gensoumaden Saiyuki fame ;/

Dropped :s

Chi's Sweet Home
This is too cute for it's own good. The show is actually, to correct my previous post, only 3 minutes long, and it works really well: a full-length episode of a cat trying to find its way home will be puh-retty boring. As hell. Seriously.

Anyway, this one's a winner. I can't see how Chi can go wrong ;3

*Cue: AAAAWWWWWW*

Macross Frontier
I have not, in all honesty, watched a single Macross episode in my entire life. Macross Frontier is a first for me, and thankfully, its a show that's basically geared for Macross noobs: you don't need a solid background on Macross to understand and enjoy this show.

I loved the CG battles in space set in time with great music. Reminds me of Vandread, another favorite of mine (if only it wasn't so harem-y ;p). I'd like to watch episode 2 right now, but I keep getting bad fansubs - it won't play nicely!

Golgo 13

It's supposed to be an adaptation of a classic, but I haven't got the faintest clue about it. Still, a dark, nitty-gritty story of assassins, guns and crimes. It got compared to James Bond a lot, so I expect its got some dark stories, spy themes and women.

I got the first episode, but I haven't finished it yet. The animation is not what I'm used to seeing in a Japanese anime: it's more of, I dunno, Western in style rather than anime.

So, Golgo. I dunno. Maybe.

Chi's Sweet Home

Aaaaw, so cute :3 Each episode is only 2 minutes long.

Sweetness.

AAAAAAWWWWWWWW.

(Screenshot. Suru :3)

Anyway, inspiration struck and I finished 2 forum sigs :3 Rahahaha, I really think I'm getting the hang of Photoshop now...Noob po-po-po-powah!

Bursts of dopamine

Done on notepad. Gotta love the f5 key on that one.

10:40 PM 3/31/2008

Seriously, I need a Sai plushie. Somebody give me a Sai plushie!!

I am a fangirl.

There, I said it. Yes, the only reason why I watch anime is because it has men of various degrees of hotness and smexiness *big, big grin*

You'd think that this fangirl phase would disappear with age. You grow older, more mature and you leave the rabidness behind, along with the remnants of your once angsty, adolescent self.

But I digress. I believe that the rabid fangirl-ism (or fanboy-ism, if it exists :D) simply hibernates along with the body's hormones until it can find the opportunity to rage again.

What this hibernation needs, is a precursor, a stimuli of pure dynamism and energy to effectively wake the fangirl out of stupor.

*ZOMG, SAAAAAAAAIIII!*

EDIT:

On another note, I noticed that the NarutoSasuke pairing is really popular, along with the slightly disturbing, incestuous pairing of SasukeItachi, and now, SaiSasuke is gaining popularity as well.

Ohmmmmmm O_o;

10:53 PM 3/31/2008

How to keep the cupboard full.

I do groceries now. Every 15th and 30th of the month, I drop by Yubenco to stock on house necessities. The first time I went grocery, I cried. Really cried. I find it really hard to part with hard-earned cash. What hurts more is when you see your week's supply of food disappear in a matter of days.

Anyhow, my grocery list is usually this:
2 packs of biscuits, one with filling, one plain
1 pack of Iced Tea (I went for 1L of C2 once. I finished the entire bottle in one sitting)
2 bars of detergent
1 pack of dishwashing liquid thingies
1 tube of toothpaste
8 sachets of shampoo
1 bottle of soy sauce
1 bottle of vinegar
I box of milk for mama
2 cans of tuna (for emergencies)

Other personal stuff

PERSONAL necessities
1 Piattos
1 Nova
2 Maggi Curry or 2 Pancit Canton

HOW WE SPEND 'EM

Except for the Iced Tea, chips, maggi curry and pancit canton (touch any of these, and there will be hell), everything else is fair game. And everything else is gone by the end of the week.

I dunno, but I'm always hungry at home. Must be the Divisoria air :D

11:06 PM 3/31/2008

MT Classes

Just lazy. I'm really behind my schedule for the Medical Transcription training. At least, that's what my instructor told me last night. I must be, if she managed to recognize me. I mean, I've never talked to her, as far as I can remember.

HER: (cephalocaudal stare) You're really behind. What voice file are you working on?
ME: Yeah. I'm doing Southiere.
HER: Nah, everyone else is with Sawnhey.
ME: Yeah, I know.

So, in order to finish in time and to avoid further embarrassment with the establishment, I shall now work like a maniac. I'll go in at both 8 am and 5 pm sessions to do 6 voice files a day.

Hopefully, I'll catch up with the rest of the pack by then. That is, if my brains won't fry from the radiation first.

11:16 PM 3/31/2008

Relaxation techniques

Mom told me off again for watching fansubs. She says reading subtitles while watching anime shows strains my eyes.

Mom tells me off for reading books. She says reading books strains my eyes.

She says I need to do something to relax my eyes and my mind.

I tell her that watching anime and reading does relax me.

She tells me that it doesn't.

Everybody is a critic.

OSY:1st Year Anniversary

It has been officially a year since I graduated from college. Oro! To think that I have been out of school for a year! A lot of things can happen in one year. It is also possible that absolutely nothing happens in a year, suru ;p

Nurse by profession, teacher by calling, tambay in preference, here's some stuff I learned during my 1st year as an out-of-school youth :D

I have learned that:

1. My goal in life was to graduate from college. Now that I've done that, I have no idea what to do next.

2. Everybody is an idiot during their first day at work.

3. Talking is still the most effective way of communication.

4. It's all about the effort of doing things satisfactorily. Expectations from people are not a burden: it's a positive driving force.

5. BitTorrent is a gift from heaven.

6. You learn a lot of shit from the Internet.

7. It's good to be young, better to be old.

8. I can learn new things. Math is not my limitation.

9. Security guards are a delivery girl's bestfriends.

10. Maggi curry: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.


Yar, charge it all to experience. Hah!

Just because I'm vain

New haircut :B

*guffaws*

When in doubt, follow the...

..rectal route :s This post is about my dog's first day at the vet clinic. Please remove that look from your face :D

I brought Shirou to the vet last week, a necessary move because of a combination of Shirou's lack of appetite and tendency to eat chicken poo.

We made it just before the clinic closed. Incidentally, veterinary clinics are way more strict than their human counterparts. They close at noon, no questions. They don't do PM sessions unless you have an appointment. Scary.

So, I had to fill up Shirou's medical record, which was a really weird experience, because I had no idea when Shirou's birthday was, or how old she was, or what breed she was :p I made up some stuff (even adding a "U" to the original Shiro, for the twang effect when pronounced), hoping that they were close enough to the truth, because if they were not, I might as well expect my dog to keel over and die.

We waited for our turn, seated beside this huge dog of God-knows-what-breed. Shirou was having a massive pre-coronary while waiting. Poor dog.

Anyway, our turn came and Shirou was placed on the table. Gums, check. Eyes, check. Tummy, ok. Weight, 2.48 kg. All done through observation and palpation.

Worm infestation and temperature? Shove a stick up my doggie's ass.

Poor Shirou did not know what hit her. She yelped, quite loudly, as a longish, wicked-looking probe went up her backside. The good doc pulled it out, complete with dog poo all over it, waved it around, waved it under my nose to show me those tiny critters living inside my dog's tummy. Right. Was it necessary to wave that thing under my nose? I've gone through a large quantity of shit myself during college days but that doesn't mean I adore it. Sheesh.

The thermometer was next, and Shirou seemed to expect it. She sat down, with her legs splayed (how uncomfortable is that) while we waited for the results. Done! She can get her vaccine! Pop one pill in her mouth, inject something through her skin and done! She's good to go. And, oh. She can't take a bath for a week and she can't eat any seafoods.

Even fish? I asked.

Yes. Your dog needs meat. No fish.

Human owner can eat fish. Tiny doggie who loves chicken poo can only eat meat.

..wtf..?

Did a MeMe

Took it from Marc, who took it from Tracie, who took it from her friend here in Multiply :D

Friends, do one for your blog and pass it around. hehe (took this from a friend of a friend here on Multiply)

-Prologue-

1. Who took your profile picture?
Yours truly.

2. Exactly what are you wearing right now?
Dakak shirt, pants, slippers.

3. What is your current problem?
Collecting remittances from those who took tickets from us. And getting back in to normal, office routine after two hectic weeks.

4. What makes you most happy?
Being alone in a room, watching my favorite shows.

5. What's the name of the song that you're listening to?
Won't go home without you by Maroon 5
_______________________________________________________

Chapter 1:

1. Nickname?
Jas, Jaja (for college buddies), Alex (for creative people who like my second name)

2. Eye color?
Somewhere between Brown and Black

3. Hair color?
Black

4.Height?
5 feet and nothing more.
___________________________________________________

Chapter 2:

1. Do you live with your parent(s)?
Yes

2. Do you get along with your parent(s)?
Yes. Or else Mom will kick me out :D j/k

3. Are your parents chill?
Yes, my mom is cool.

4. Do you have any Siblings?
Yep. One older brother whom I adore and hate at regular intervals.

__________________________________________________________
Chapter 3:

FAVORITE:

1. Ice Cream?
Anything as long as it's Mocha.

2. Season?
Rainy??

3. Book?
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I love it to the point of being redundant.

4. Band?
Not a music lover but will go for The Pillows, Parokya ni Edgar and Maroon 5.

5. Food?
Pancit Canton, sweet and spicy.

6. Drink(s) (non alcoholic)?
Iced Tea, especially C2!!

9. Pen color?
Really DARK blue and black.

10. Store?
Any will do, as long as they sell anime and books.

11. Person?
Me :D
___________________________________________________________

Chapter 4:
DO YOU

1.Write on your hand?
All the time. I'm saving the environment with it.

2. Call people back?
Only when it's office related.

3. Believe in love?
No. I guess not. I'm bitter. :D

4. Sleep on a certain side of the bed?
I face the wall when I sleep. Don't like to see ghosts and stuff.

________________________________________________

Chapter 5: HAVE YOU?

1. Kissed Someone in the past 24 hours?
I haven't kissed anyone, aside from myself, my mom and my cousin, in 21 years.

2. If so...where?
:D

3. Had PHYSICAL therapy?
Nope.

4. Gotten surgery?
Nope.

5. Taken painkillers.
Once. Dysmenorrhea, see. It's a killer.

6. Overdosed on pain killers?
Nope.

7. Been stung by a bee?
Nope.

8. Threw up in a doctors office:
Nope. I'm used to doctors. My dad is a doctor.
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 6:

Who/what was the last:

1.Person you hugged?
My pet Shirou.

2. Person to text you?
Globe Unlitext Advisory, reminding me that the prize for this month was a laptop thingy.

3. Thing you touched?
Piano.

5. Thing you said?
Lord, I don't wanna go to the office.

7. Thing you cried over?
Kid Nation. I am so lame, I know.

8. Person you talked to on the phone?
The manager at Mang Inasal.

9. Place you went?
My lovely home.

11. Last book you read?
Cider House Rules by James or John Irving, I forgot.

12. Last time you cleaned your room?
Never.

Hip Hoperoo!

Plugging: 2nd HipHop Dance Competition on Feb29, 1PM at the City Coliseum. Tickets are now available at the office of Hon. Kim Elago. General Admission: P20. Colored seats: P100 (I think) with Sun SIM Pack included.

Please do come, suru.

*Off for the week*

Pissed :s

I just got reprimanded/scolded/insulted in the office. I'm kind of seething inside as I type this. Part of me wants to go home, the other part wants to put my foot through the computer monitor.

*breaks off for a while, as the object of my wrath passes by*

It all started with the projector. They wanted to use; I hunted it down, since nobody seems to remember where it was. A few minutes later, Ma'am called me to the conference room, because the projector wasn't connecting to the computer. Cue in the ominous and dreadful feeling.

True enough, the projector was indeed not connecting. I started thinking of the possible things that we could do to rectify the problem WHEN she started yakking. Wasn't it me who last used the projector? Didn't we keep it for the last two months? How come the projector always conks out after we use it? Do you do that on purpose? Does Task Force Siembrada still exist?

Let posterity note that I made an effort, albeit a tiny one, to defend myself. I just couldn't get it in since Ma'am won't take breaths in between sentences. I took the liberty, actually, of spacing her comments into individual sentences.

The thing that hurt me most was her last 2 comments. I mean, why on earth would I purposely destroy an expensive equipment? What an utterly demeaning and fucked up question. What an effing retard.

And does Task Force Siembrada still exist? Why the hell am I still employed here? True, I spend the whole day on the internet. But not because I have nothing to do, but because I'm done with all the shit they assign me to do.

I'm tired of people commenting on how I do nothing at work. Did they see me work during October, November and December? Do they know how many letters I wrote, delivered, followed-up over the last 5 months? How many phone calls I made? How many people I negotiated with? How many hours I spent under the sun delivering stuff and looking like a complete arse at the same time? How many memos I transcribed, printed and re-drafted?

And how she yaks! Meh, before I complain, I try to do everything possible before I give up and start cursing. Turns out all they needed to do was switch the plugs.

Yes, I'm just a lowly secretary. My job would not compare to the burdens of her job :s But I do my job. Period.

Gotta go. Will continue ranting next Monday.

I support this...

:B

Licensed!

I can't believe it! Just when things get really interesting, True Tears and Shigofumi gets licensed by Bandai :'( And they were my top two animu for my 2008 watch list. Boo! Boo!

The blurb (for those who care) from ANN.

It's going to be hard to follow it now, with its licensed status, basically because all fansub groups are going to drop these two from their projects. I mean, it's a good thing - more income for the anime industry - but it won't be good for some fans, like myself. Bandai won't be distributing it in the Philippines!!!

Oh, hellfire.

Top 5

Finally, my very own top 5! Anyway, this list is a compilation of 5 of my most favorite scenes in an anime series. Why scenes, and not characters? As the old adage goes, a picture paints a thousand words; likewise, a particular scene can catapult a series to iconic fame. A character presents only one side of the story; a scene encompasses everything: the mood, the interaction and dynamics, and, at some point, the story itself.

I only have 5 scenes, mainly because I have only seen a modest number of anime series. At present, I would peg the number of anime series I have watched at around 15. And not all of them are good.

A lot of hardwork went in to this post, from the initial tally to the screenshots themselves. Before I go to my list, a few credits (and links) to where credit is due:

Jev, for the idea of the top 5
Janice, Cyril, Jilly and Jo, the first two for introducing me to anime, and latter two for kindly lending me their own anime goodies
AND
Autumn Rain Screenshots Archive, basically the source of all my pictures here.

RIGHT-O!

My TOP 5 BEST ANIME SCENES!

#5 Ayumi's Confession

Anime: Honey and Clover
Episode: ??

I'm a sucker for romantic animus. Honey and Clover has large quantities of sweet, pastel-colored romance, especially the tension between Mayama and Ayumi. While the pontifications of both Ayumi and Mayama are a bit exhausting, their interactions and growth, however, are excellent. Definitely one of the better anime under the slice of life genre.

The scene above is my favorite Honey and Clover scene: Ayumi gets drunk, and Mayama carries her home (Piggyback!! The most romantic ride of all!!). On the way, Mayama talks about how he cares for Ayumi, in that special friendly way. Ayumi then starts crying and mumbles, "Mayama, I love you" over and over again, to which Mayama simply replies with a monosyllabic "Yeah."

I love this scene to pieces. It's poignant, bittersweet and romantic at the same time. The music, sparse conversation and the animation captures all of the aforementioned three perfectly.

#4 "I was born to smother you with flowers.."

Anime: Monster
Episode: 6

Okay, that's a screenshot of an email inbox. Pretty plain at first sight, but when Nina reads the email from the unknown sender, swoon! Yes, you guessed it..."I was born to smother you with flowers.." How poetic is that??

Anyway, the email turns out to be from Nina's twin brother, Johann, bad-ass psycho killer, who returned to take his little sister away.

Monster is a great show, even if it's highly underrated. Great story, well-developed characters...a psychological series any mystery and horror buff will enjoy.

If someone said those lines to me, I'd really lose it. Seriously.

#3 Departure

Anime: Full Metal Alchemist
Episode: 25

I love Maes Hughes. He's the ultimate Kodak guy: loves his little girl, loves his wife, carries lots of pictures of his family, blackmails people into buying giant teddies for his daughter..the quintessential father and husband.

So when Hughes dies, I was naturally devastated. This scene, together with beautiful music, has him waving at Edward at the train station. Unknown to Ed, Hughes was already dead at that time, after discovering vital information about the Philosopher's stone. This picture became my wallpaper for weeks. It speaks of so many emotions: sorrow, pain, joy. Oh, Hughes-sama, I do miss you!

I'm partial to Hughes, but even if I weren't, this scene would still be the best scene in FMA!

#2 Spike and Julia

Anime: Cowboy Bebop
Episode: 26

Ah, the scene/picture that made me take a second look at Cowboy Bebop. That's Julia and Spike in bed, and it made me realize, "Whoa! Spike is a man!". And that's all that matters!

Spike's manliness aside, Cowboy Bebop is perhaps one of the most famous anime series ever. And for good reason. This series has got everything, with hardly a flaw in it. The music, the animation..just perfect. I highly recommend this one, if not for the picture above then for this:

The runner up for my favorite Cowboy Bebop scenes. This is Spike, after his duel with Vicious. Before falling down, he simply ends it all with one word: "Bang."

And finally, the number 1 scene...

#1 Hybrid Rainbow

Anime: FLCL/Fooly Cooly
Episode: 6

My most favorite scene in the whole, effing world! Naota with his guitar, gazing up to the skies, atop a rubble. I can't even begin to describe what I see in this picture: pride, youth, potential, ambitions...ah, I can go on forever.

Another thing: this scene is played out with the background music of 'Hybrid Rainbow', courtesy of the Pillows, making this one of the most iconic scenes I have ever seen. I mean, you don't need words to end this 6-part OVA; the picture tells it all.

"Can you feel, can you feel that hybrid rainbow..."

Scribble. Save. Junk. Recycle!

Yar. I suddenly got this zen to arrange my blog. Switch on, log on and whoa! 4 pending drafts!! I've been lazy. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Anyway, since I've got nothing to update, Ima cheat and condense all 4 drafts into one, shiny, fluffy and spanking-new entry. Woot!

First entry: A rant against neighbors coming over at my place to get their BPs taken...at 8 in the morning! That's literally dawn!! Everytime this happens, I have to wake up, groggily take blood pressures, listen to the litany of excuses my clients (?!) make up for NOT taking their medicine, dispensing health lessons (yikes!), yada, yada.

I try my hardest to explain that: 1. Anemia is not related to BP, 2. Sometimes, all you need to do is lie down and rest to get rid of the woozy, dizzy feeling, 3. Yes, your BP will shoot up if you miss your maintenance meds, 4. No, you shouldn't alter your medical regime to fit your needs/whims; your doctor does that for you and 5. Can you please drop by at a later time next time, say, 9:30 am, to have your BP taken, where, by that time, I will be wide awake and more than happy to serve humanity.

Second and third entries: Half-hearted attempt to document my anime viewing watchlist and habits, starting with Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, True Tears and Shigofumi.

I. am. watching. ^^^. And I am loving them to death.

Yeah, and here I am, supposedly literate.

Fourth entry: My most recent, ehm, office rant, was about the lovely office printer and the people who exploit it.

I bought a new ink toner, installed it and became everyone's output slave. Literally, everyone in the office wanted me to print this, print that, 2 copies please, when, in reality, they all had their own office printers waiting for some action. I just think it's unfair to leech off my department's resources; I mean, they don't offer me the use of their printers when I run out of ink, that's for sure.

To make sure that the printer ink lasts long, I toggled the printer settings to EconoMode. Fwe, bland printouts all the time, unless I'm in the office to personally handle the matter. Fooooo!

Anyhow, yesterday, I invited JC to check out my blog over at blogspot. I felt weird when he said he didn't get it, which then made me think about the merits of blogging. Should I really do it? What for, anyway, when no one reads it? Now I'm being overly emo. So what if no one reads my, uhm, crap?? Doing my blog makes me look like I'm working at the office, and I actually like it, even if I don't make sense half the time :o

Who knows, I may just post something useful. Eventually.

Right-o. Meh thinks I'd stop cross-posting from now on. Or not.

Later, later, later.

Animated Gifs by ME!

Random SZS images thrown in together to make my first gif animated image. Whee!

It's a pretty simple image, not that creative. You have to click on the photo to see it move.

*Off to practice some more on the animator program*

EDIT:

And, immediately after the first comes my second try, this time, featuring Toph the Earthbender. Again, clicky on the image to see the animation.

:o

Updates!

Another office update (it's all going to be office updates from here on, seeing as nothing exciting ever happens to me anyways), so here, here!

First of all, added a notch on my achievement list, after I scored a coup with the closing of another sponsorship deal! Nothing major, nothing REALLY big, but I did secure some sponsorship money to cover a few expenses here and there. I feel, like, really good about it. No, good is underrated; I'm euphoric! Seriously, after months of calls and follow-ups, getting that approval is a fantastic feeling XD High five for the NOOBIE, jiggedy jig!!

This month, I've got LOTS to do. It can't be helped, since I'm reporting to three bosses these days. One, I've got to compile a portfolio of sorts for the Task Force Siembrada, then I've got to arrange a PowerPoint presentation to go along with it (People at the office seem to think I'm a computer whiz or something :3).

Then there's the Hip Hop Dance Competition coming in. It seems to be going well; last meeting, we had a substantial amount of people who attended. Still, I have to chase a few more people, get things done and moving, and of course, the staple exercise of drafting and sending letters.

Another thing: I'm installing anti-virus thingies on the laptop. After a few installation go's, nothing still happens. So, yeah, that's another cargo which refuses to leave my head. Serious OCD issues are arising, me thinks.

Anyhow, my nerves have been really frayed ever since I started functioning as an executive secretary. I've been asked to go on Saturdays (my friggin' rest day!!) to type a seven-page document in an hour (I should have had a secretarial elective). Most important still, I can't absent myself from work; I never know when the boss' is going to saunter in and pop me some files to save and print. So, there goes my lovely schedule.

This is an update, to be subtitled later as a work rant.

Hunh, I've been having frequent headaches lately. Must be from all the hours spent in front of the monitor. Also, I haven't been able to sleep comfortably lately; my itty-bitty head is full of deadlines and dates.

As if I wasn't busy or anything, I enrolled myself for the IELTS review, with my sights poised for the blessed horizon of New Zealand. So, aside from my work schedule, I've got 5pm-8pm review sessions, which I attend all alone. Then, this coming week, lectures on a transcriptionist course (Whoo, how to spell transcriptionist?? Thank God for the spell checker!) will also begin, also at a 5pm-8pm schedule. I'm crazy. But these things will break the monotony of office work nicely.

Finally, (unless I remember something rant-worthy) I visited Brent Hospital this afternoon, my first exposure to the medical culture since I graduated. Anyways, I was ordered there by my boss to deliver something for a confined relative of his. I'm not suppose to be admitting this or anything, but I felt really happy to be in the hospital.

I dunno, everything was so familiar and cozy; I was confident enough to use the exit door as an entrance door. Anyhow, it made me realize how much I want to start working as a nurse, to actually practice what I've been taught and trained to do for four bloody years. At least I'd know what I'm doing (Marathon read later: Medical Surgical textbook! Woot!)

Oy vey. Just now, my boss told me to arrange the org website. It went like this (Thoughts and curses are in italics):

Boss (B): "You know a website?"
Me (M): "Which one?" (I know dozens; even yaoi and yuri sites, which have manga scan--er, where was I?)
B: "The org's site."
M: "Ive seen it" (It's rotting in domain hell)
B: "Know how to fix it?"
M: "Er, no." (Shit! I'm a nurse for crying out loud!)
B: "Okay, so you're gonna manage it from now on."
M: "But.." (*Sweatdrop*)
B: "We're gonna add some stuff, update it."
M: "I suppose I could ask Kuya Chris to teach me." (Oh effing, bloody, shit!)
B: "Can we add the [insert department name] newsletter in the website?"
M: "I suppose so. I'm gonna ask Kuya--" (Kuya Chrriiiiis!!)
B: "Good. Do it."
M: "Yeah. Sure" (Slam dunk, Jas.)

I am so going to demand a major pay raise for this.

Venting it all on Veoh

For the nth time, I am trying my hardest to finish Episodes 11 and 12 of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Judging from the buffering state of the episode window, this day is NOT the day.

Now, this is why I hate using Veoh.

It's too damned slow.

Fridays and Promotions

I do look forward to Fridays.

Heck, it's my favorite day of the week. Not an entirely original choice, though, as I know at least 10 people of the same opinion. Not only do I get closer to ending my 6-month contract, Fridays are also my splurge-days; senseless shopping and eating sprees, designed to make my pocket lighter.

My latest Friday splurge involved treating Ate Teresa to KFC, buying some DVDs for weekend viewing and finally, purchasing the Neil Gaiman book that I had been crushing on since the Christmas season.

Update-roo! I have been promoted! From an unknown position, I have been elevated to the status of executive secretary, on the merits that I type an average of 42 words per minute (according to the latest Typer Shark Deluxe trial) and that I am always hanging around the office anyway. I took this as my boss' way of saying, "I'm giving you something to do since you're always on your ass for the whole friggin' day."

The whole promotion thing began when my boss looked for a computer where he could type his many memos. The main PC in my jurisdiction was fried, because of my many, erm, miscellaneous activities and the computer in the President's office was down as well (Accordingly, it's down due to some technical glitch; I think it's down because it's connected to my main PC and some of the "things" I've dloaded found its way there, and the rest, is history. But I didn't tell them that :3).

That left my laptop as the only available option. Problem is, laptop's are rly hard to use; small keyboard spaces, no mouse attached, etc. and etc... And so, I ended up typing the whole thing, with the boss behind me dictating his thoughts and corrections.

Right-o. So far, I have typed memos and minutes, erased whiteboards, refilled some whiteboard pens, took more minutes, printed articles and even MORE minutes, that really, it should be called HOURS already. Lame joke, I know.

Anyways, despite the constant danger of suffering a major coronary, being a secretary with a lurker boss has its own rewards. One major and important point: I don't dare open a yuri site with my boss around ;/ The laptop has this uncanny tendency to conk out everytime it loads a page.

My conscience is pretty much spotless. :o

2008

Happy 2008! Happy New Year!

From Kayeh:
Optimists stay up until midnight to see the new year in. Pessimists stay up to make sure the old year leaves.

I will miss 2007.

New Year's Eve was a blast. Literally. We went to church for New Year mass. Heavenly, and indeed God is great.

We had a family get together after church in my childhood home of Canelar. Major pigging out session occured. Anyway, I think I lost it all when I played nanny to the kiddies. Man, was it hot! Blame it all on global warming and cheap fireworks.

New Year's Eve = Kill Bill and slugging it out in dodgeball.

Another additional plus! I got myself a doggie! My auntie gave me one of her dog's many pups as a late Christmas present.

Now, the best thing about having a pet, is naming it. My doggie was no exception. After my catastrophic blunder of naming my 2 dogs, Poldo and Bigik, I was determined not to shame this one with a name not worthy of an epiteth upon death. My mom was all for naming her "Chada". Dear God. My cousins gave their choices, from "Shekinah" to "J-Lo". Over my dead body.

Anyhow, as the certified owner of the pup, I declared that this dog shall have a Japanese name. I narrowed the field to three, them being: Yuri (after my short-lived preoccupation with yuri manga); Yuki, a variation of yuri and Shiro, which means white.

We settled on Shiro. So, my doggie is Shiro! One problem solved. Now, if only I can get her to stop pooping inside the house.

Moving on, moving on. I knew the TV stations were going to dole out crappy shows during New Year's Eve, so I prepared myself by scouring for DVDs to occupy my time. I went over to Yubenco, where anime DVDs, pirated at that, were sold for only 45 pesos. Ah, what a veritable feast. Except for the weird translations (Note to self: Next time, look for DVDs that have fansubbed translations!!), purchase of said pirated products were worth it.

Genshiken - Php 45
GTO - Php 45
Total - Php 90

Great. I'm all set.

If being an adult sucks during Christmas, it sucks even more when New Year comes. When everyone lined up for the annual New Year giveaways, my right to receive free monetary stuff was denied. All that 20 peso bills! Accordingly, working adults cannot avail of free money anymore. Not fair.

I am relieved however, that despite this, I am still entitled to receive a huge bar of chocolate in compensation.

Happy 2008.

After discovering the GTO refuses to play on the laptop:

I will not buy pirated DVDs anymore. I will not buy pirated DVDs anymore. I will not buy pirated DVDs anymore...*sob*