Saturday, January 31, 2004
Today was a cool gimmick. It's not the usual dinner-movie-coffee ritual that we do.
After picking up Charo from her first meeting in Learning Links at the Sanvil (Tama ba ang spelling?) complex near Aurora, we headed to the Ateneo clubhouse, for some of manang's legendary inihaw. Well, Charo had some. Me, on the other hand, had to be contended with just inihaw na isda. 
It was torture seeing her eat the inihaw na baboy, and the aroma of the fresh-off-the-grill liempo isn't helping. I vowed to myself that someday I am going to feast on Manang's inihaw. Mark my word - bullet one day I will eat that. (translation: balang araw, kakain din ako niyan.)
We were already finished eating lunch when Fiesta, Nicole and Karen arrived, but we tambayed nonetheless and waited for them.
It was a different clubhouse from my college days. Back then it seems dark and dirty, but now it's brighter and more presko.
Here's something I saw that seems odd - female ROTC cadets! OK, fine. I applaud the system. Finally they're letting females into the military. What I can't figure out is why do these girls have to join in the first place? Back in college, I would do anything to skip the stupid ROTC program so I can have the Saturday for myself, and here we are with these females begging to go in! Crazy!
Anyway, after lunch we met with Dan in the parking area near the admin building. Charo had to go to Berchmans for her Ateneo Alumni Card meeting. We were hoping Nicole would join us but she had to look for a fan for her PC. So it's just me, Dan, Fiesta and Karen.
So what do four officemates do on a Saturday afternoon with nothing to do? Drive to the Fort and line-up for Go Nuts Donuts! Isn't that obvious?! 
When we got there, the line was soooooooooooooooo fucking long that it literally took hours before we got to the counter. We arrived there at about 1:30 in the afternoon and left a few minutes after 3:00! It was an easy 60 people in that line - that insane! People are ready to line-up for hours for donuts! What a sight!
That sucks, yes, but what we really liked was that the people from the donut shop prepared something for those people waiting in line. For the kids, they had free face painting and caricature drawing, plus they gave away go nuts masks. As for the adults, they had Aubrey Miles and Piolo Pascual do a toro session. Just kidding. We were treated with delicious iced tea and donut samplers delivered to us by what the boys in the office would call "subterraneans" (Refer to previous post). Not bad!
It was Dan, Fiesta and Karen's first time that taking that first step into the store was a momentous occassion in itself. Look! We even took pictures of Fiesta's first step!
We drove back to Ateneo and arrived there at around four. By this time, Charo was already finished with her meeting. So we bought soda at the vendo and sat and chatted in the Bellarmine field.
I ended the day with an hour-long bike ride and dinner at Cha's place.
Sarap.
10:06 PM
Friday, January 30, 2004
Ano ka mo?
ROOM FOR RENT
-Along Timog (trycycle going to ABS-CBN, Infront of LAFFLINE Near Burger King)
-for only P5000 (all inclusive) electricity, water, gasul,guard
-2 ladies
-with parking area
-with telephone line
-safe neighborhood (with security guard)
-avail on march
bedspace:
-for a lady
-P1500
Got this ad from the company bulletin board, and I must say that this is a steal. Imagine - aside from having a place that is near your office, you also get 2 ladies and a security guard! That's a P700 per night value, and it's yours for free when you rent this room! And get this: if you need an additional lady, you only have to pay P1,500!
10:31 AM
Subterranean!
I got this hilarious joke forwarded by the great Mr. Aragones himself.
In the 1996 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, host Bob Goen introduces the candidates.
Bob: Please welcome, Miss Canada!
From the crowd, a voice screams "Subterranean!"
Bob: Please welcome, Miss France!
Voice: Subterranean!
Bob: Please welcome, Miss Italy!
Voice: Subterranean!
Bob: Please welcome, Miss India
(this time the voice was silent)
Bob: Please welcome, Miss USA
Voice: Suuuub-teeerranean! Yah-hoo!
Bob: Please welcome, Miss Zaire
(again the voice was silent)
At the intermission, Bob was really curious why the voice was shouting "subterranean", so he dispatched a guard to fetch the fellow and bring him backstage. They picked up the guy and he turns out to be a Filipino who didn't speak English. So they got an interpreter to ask the Pinoy why he was shouting "subterranean".
Sabi ng Pinoy, "Wala akong sinasabing 'subterranean.' Ang sabi ko, "Sarap tirahin niyan!"
10:15 AM
Now this one is worth blogging. Ladies and Gentlemen, mula sa pangalawa o pangatlo mula sa dulo, nandoon na ako ngayon sa pang-apat na butas ng aking sinturon. Putang ina. Walang himala! Namamayat na ako. Bwahahahahaha!
10:02 AM
I left the office early yesterday, but that's because I was there before eight in the morning. I took Chai to Honda in Libis for her preventive maintenance thing at around seven, left her there and took the cab to the office.
For a change, it's a great feeling to go home when the sun is still up. And driving down La Vista, it gives a nice glow to the dried leaves on the road.
It's Friday today. The last oomph of the week. It's the 30th of the month and it's sweldo time (I think hope). Whatever I'm getting from the ATM today, it'll be minus P60+ because the finance person made a miscalculation in my tax deductions. I'm still thankful it's just a small amount. I remember this time when they had this wrong computation for Gina's taxes and she ended up getting something like a little more than P2,000 for that month. That was shitty. Imagine not being able to feast in our own cafeteria.
7:46 AM
Thursday, January 29, 2004
This should be the next fad after badminton.
I am addicted to playing foosbal that I wouldn't mind getting it as one of our wedding presents. Oks lang ba, Cha?
4:33 PM
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Dream. Believe. Survive.
Now we're down to four people. I wish this was as simple Starstruck. At least those who were voted out still has a chance with their careers.
We shut down provincial. We got beaten by agimat. We did everything we could. We went there to build traffic. We localized the reply messages to their dialects. Inspite of what we did, it wasn't enough to salvage the channels. Perhaps we should've done more celebrity chats or more chat shows. Maybe they got disappointed when they saw the TXTjocks. Maybe TJ Son or TJ Amanda wasn't as glamorous as they all hoped for. We will never know.
To the boys and girls who worked their butts off day and night to make people chat, thank you very much. It was one helluvah trip! Looking forward to working with you on our other projects.
4:22 PM
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
I was supposed to go biking tonight, but it's dinnertime already when I arrived in Charo's house. Tomorrow I'm planning to be a little early in the office so I could leave early and bike. I'm crossing my fingers now and hope that all my pending projects go smoothly, at least just for tomorrow.
After more than three years of abuse, my black Nike ACG rubber shoes finally gave in. Well, not really. Maybe with a wave of the mighty bond wand, I can extend its life some more. It was sulit na sulit. It was the only witness to my roller coaster fitness regimen, which includes three adventure races, months of night running/jogging, a few months in the gym, and of course the latest fad in sports - badminton.
I called Honda this morning and booked Chai for her 70,000-kilometer preventive maintenance. I can't imagine we've been together for that long - almost five years. To some people that would be high-time to sell their car, but with no money to replace her, I have no choice but to make sure she's in perfect running condition.
I'll be ending this entry now. I have to log out and finish watching Amelie.
9:12 PM
Just got the news from Cha. We're already booked at Nuestra Señora de Gracia church in Guadalupe on May 7, 2005! Yup, it's the same church where my friend Jules and my Boss Carlo tied knot. Hmmm. It seems it is turning into an office venue for weddings.
We watched the Last Samurai last night at Greenbelt 3, and it's an OK movie. It's the type that I enjoy watching these days -- no thinking required. Just writing that makes me sad.
6:00 PM
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
WTF?!
I got this from the email, and my initial reaction - why the hell did you make the proclamation in the first place?
_____
TO : ALL EMPLOYERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
SUBJECT : PROCLAMATION NO. 532 DECLARING JANUARY 22, 2004
A SPECIAL WORKING HOLIDAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
FOR THE OBSERVANCE OF THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR
ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR
Under Proclamation No. 532 dated 12 January 2004, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared January 22, 2004 a special working day throughout the country for the observance of the beginning of a new year according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
Accordingly, the following guidelines shall be observed:
For work performed on special working holidays, the employees are entitled only to their basic rate. No premium pay is required since work performed on said day is considered work on ordinary working days.
Done in the City of Manila, Philippines, this 20th day of January 2004.
(SGD.)
PATRICIA A. STO. TOMAS
Secretary
5:46 PM
David Gates is the father of Phoebe.
5:27 PM
Monday, January 19, 2004
Enlightening at 3:30 in the afternoon: After drinking liters upon liters of this product I finally came up with a realization, and that is Sola bottled peach iced tea tastes like rambutan.
3:29 PM
Going Nuts over Gonuts
Hey! Mister! That's a Gonut!
Hey! Mister! That's a Gonut Donut!
I'm a big fan of strawberry donuts, and after trying out Gonut's Strawberry Glaze, I'm hooked! Unlike the others that are sweet all the way, Gonut's strawberry glaze insanely delicious donuts have this teenie tiny touch of sour that you'll love! Craving already? Well bring in your foldable chairs for the line is long. Maybe it's shorter on weekdays. Also, make sure you have enough gas to travel to the middle of nowhere that is The Fort. All these put into consideration, going for Gonuts is definitely worth the trip!
10:53 AM
Friday, January 16, 2004
Victim: Lord of the Rings
I was laughing so hard my tummy hurt when I read this post from ClickMoMukhaMo.com:
At National Bookstore while paying for my stuff:
Cashier: "Bakit ba kailangan dalhin ni Sam si Frodo dun sa bulkan?"
Bagger-lady: "Kasi sinabihan na sila ni Gandalf na hinahanap na nung demonyo yung singsing. Kailangan na kasi niya."
Talking about Return of the King, we were pantry talking about it when we were having lunch. Below is the list of topics of our conversation:
1. Wouldn't it be a blast if you have twins and name them Sauron and Saruman? Imagine the horror of their first grade teacher when she reads their names!
2. What if instead of an all-seeing eye, Sauron would have a non-stop mouth perched on that tower of his?
3:54 PM
BREAKING NEWS
This is what too much LOMO can do to you.
In case you don't know, this is the great Dan Rivera sporting a mohawk. Way to go! I can't wait to see the reaction of the Globe people when he goes there for his presentation. Hehehehehehe!
Cha, do you think this is bagay sa akin?
8:49 AM
Today is the fiesta of Batangas City, with the Sto. Niño as her patron. I normally would've been there to attend the festivities if it were a weekend.
When I was the president of the Batangas Mountain Bikers, we were always a part of the parade. We wore our latest team jersey and rode with our freshly cleaned and heavily waxed bikes with tires so shiny because of the tire black.
I remember it was also quite a bird watching festival for the gay community of the city, with most of the boys wearing their tight cycling shorts.
I just bought Chai then. We placed the two best bikes of the team on her roof rack and put balloons and streamers on this makeshift float. We also dressed up Romel's pick-up truck and placed all the trophies and medals we won from the previous year.
It was fun.
I don't know if they still do it now.
6:47 AM
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Full Circle
Pagkahaba-haba ng prusisyon, sa simbahan rin ang tuloy. Muli kaming magbabalik mamayang gabi sa online para sa isang ispesyal na chat nina Piolo at Claudine. Kaya't kung wala kang gagawin mamayang bandang alas otso y medya ng gabi, buksan ang iyong IRC at pumunta sa #Celebrity chatroom ng abschat.abs-cbn.com network, port 6667.
Ngayon, nagpapraktis ulit kami kung paano magmoderate. CTRL C, CTRL V. CTRL C, CTRL V. Bow.
4:27 PM
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
I'm still in the office and it's already 9:16 in the evening. I'm waiting for Joko to finish the keyword so I can try and out and point out the bugs before tomorrow's usability testing at the telco. It was originally scheduled for launching late last year, but we got caught by the telco freeze.
9:21 PM
Monday, January 05, 2004
Mukhang may pangakong taglay ang 2004 para kay Morny. With the looks of things it seems my friend has been bitten by the lovebug. He's now going out very often with his long-time friend and TD-mate, Jane. We went out with the couple last Saturday along with Olive and Alexis in Congo Grill in El Pueblo, and it seems they can't get enough of each other. Now last night, after rehearsal, the two went out to have dinner in Tapika.
And talking about love, Olive is also getting into the act, texting his La Sallian boylet every five minutes or so. She doesn't know how the guy feels about her, but she hopes it's more than just the kilig factor.
Hmmm. Mukhang tama si Prince. Tunay ngang may kislap ng salamangka sa kanilang mata (There's a spark of magic in your eyes).
Today's our first day in the office for this year, and I can sense that everyone still has the two-week vacation hangover. I played two rounds of foosball with Moby, and I lost twice. Darn. I should've placed it in my MBO for this year - practice foosball skills.
I'll be leaving the office in a few minutes. I'd be going to Cha's place for dinner. I wish I brought clothes for walking/jogging.
Jojo will be leaving for the States again tomorrow at 3:00 AM. I don't know what happened. We were supposed to have a despedida cum birthday celebration with him and Morny. I guess we'll just have to hold the celebration next year - probably a wedding cum despedida party.
Talking about parties, I have a feeling Morny will have a girlfriend on his birthday, January 8. If ever, it'll be cool to have her as Morny's significant other. I can just imagine his line: "Me Morny. You Jane."
6:35 PM
Friday, January 02, 2004
Beginnings
As I start my first blog entry for this year, I'm thinking of changing my blog's name. I am not an OJT Killer anymore. I don't have OJT's anymore and, heck, I'm not planning on getting some for the summer break, which is their peak season. But if I were to retire my current blog's name, what should I change it to? If you have suggestions, let me know.
Goodbye 2003! Hello 2004! Hope everyone here still has a complete set of fingers.
For the first time I was invited to attend Charo's family reunion at New Manila. It was really very flattering. After spending the lazy afternoon in their sala napping, I left for my house because she had to prepare for it. When I was at the stoplight near my house I got a call from her. She said her mom went up to her room. All the while her mom thought that I was going with them. I turned around and went back to La Vista to pick her up. Awwww.
Last night's gimmick was a continuation of our videoke marathon, which lasted till three in the morning. This time the venue was in Music 21 in Makati. The same old people were there minus Gen, who's celebrating her boyfriend's birthday today. It was mush from the start with Kookie and Alexis taking turns at the mushiest songs imaginable. I wish Rumel and Morny were with us.
Slowly, I'm feeling the dread of Mondays again. It's Friday today but it feels so much like a Saturday.
1:32 PM
|
Can't
get enough servings of longanisa for one day? Get longanisa
alerts straight to your phone! Text JOVAN YES to 2366 now
for MMS updates. 
You
know how it is when you get bitten by the Pilosopo bug?
Well, I get those sometimes. And the random thought is...
