Get back on track

Why the long silence? Hmmm, let's try to list (my favorite part of the analysis process) them :

1. Had been busy with work
2. Had been doing more Friendster uploads
3. Had more time with Enzo

I guess that's all. I had so many stuff on my mind during those "silent" days but didn't get the time to type in....

Maybe there's more tomorrow...

the aching feeling of longing

What’s so fascinating (at least for me) with the aching feeling of longing for something or someone? Is it called passion? Does that make me passionate, then? Why do I feel so happy and slightly hurt at the same time? Happy, because thinking of the thing sends chivers down my spine, makes me want to fly and feel the air, the sun, the rain, the nature... Slightly hurt, though, can’t quite explain that part. Maybe that’s the spice in the recipe. The small cinnamon dot in the bread. I don’t know, maybe I’m really becoming one of them masochistic virgos.

All these crazy feeling started when I played the song “Di mo lang alam” by Indio I on my media player. Ahhhhhh...........

New fitness site to maintain...

So I found to today a wellness site that is easier to maintain - www.myfitnesspal.com. I’m trying this for three days. If it doesn’t work for me just like the first one, I will have to look for other options. I am really desperate to regain my core strength, and lose some weight! Be back later, work’s been a little challenging today…

Banana Leaf

It was my second time at a Banana Leaf restaurant, and I was in some magical experience once again. I guess I could confirm now that the Banana Leaf has become my favorite restaurant. Steve, Gerald (my colleagues) and I had our lunch at the Podium branch, which has friendlier hosts than in Greenbelt, Makati branch. But, then again, food is king at Banana Leaf. We had Garlic Calamares, Chicken Curry barbeque and Penang Char Kway Teow, which captured our taste buds. The Penang Char Kway Teow, is a similar dish to that of our pancit canton, wowed us especially my American boss. And when I’m about to try memorizing the dish name so that I could later google for the recipe, the guys quickly lent me each of their ballpoint pens so that I could copy it down from the menu. Really, really good, it as that I was planning to cook it on my son’s upcoming birthday party. As I browsed for recipes when we got back to the office, I found this nice blog which features the ever-famous Penang Char Kway Teow. I’m gonna try it this weekend!

Swing Out Sister Fever

I never thought i would someday post something not-so-original as this - lyrics - but do give me the floor as this is from one of my fave Swing Out Sister's own. Can't wait to watch Swing Out Sister perform in Manila on April 7!

Something out of this world - Swing Out Sister

Drifting, Open to persuasion, Lonely as a cloud on a summers day

Waiting, Searching for a reason, Walking till the breeze blows the mist away

Wherever thoughts are fading fast
And losing track of time
Theres always something even better
If you change your mind

Something out of this world
Something wonderful
Something out of this world
Something wonderful

Breathing, Seconds turn to hours, Innocence surrenders to yesterday

Growing, Like a city flower, Pure amongst the dirt where the children play

Whenever melancholy falls like shadows in your mind
There’s always something left behind the scenes for you to find

Something out of this world
Something wonderful
Something out of this world
Something wonderful

La (x16)
La (x21)

Whenever dreams are fading fast and losing track of time
Theres always something even better if you lose your mind

Something out of this world
Something wonderful
Something out of this world
Something wonderful
Something out of this world
Something wonderful
Something out of this world
Something wonderful

La (x21)

Work woes

I’m finally paying for the many wasted hours I spent on anything other than work – yes, blogging and them some, during office hours. So I got a novel of comments from my US counterpart. The task I completed for training purposes was a mess. Although I initially thought I’d need more information on the technical aspects of the job itself, I went on doing my own thing and trusted myself to complete the exercise project. He sent me three PDFs, two of which include his comments on my job; the other one was his own completed version of the job. One comment file was actually my version of the document with his comments on them. The other comment PDF was an eight-pager reminder of most things I already know. And so I started getting on with the first comment PDF (my version of the job with his comments on it). Then I saw justice. I did really screw up on a lot of important things. I messed up on the titles, headers, watermarks, title formatting – the very visible, loud parts of the document that needed to be absolutely flawless in the first place. And for the love of moses, I called myself an editor! Maybe that was the reason I got an F for this. I guess seeing those in-your-face problematic areas angered him and inspired him to write another comment file that would explain everything (the eight-pager). I can’t blame him. He may have not known that I have also done my own research on the stuffs he was blabbing about. And all the technical questions in my head were banging like crazy it aches that I sometimes wish I was working in sync with US time (night time; at home) so I could easily talk to someone who does the same thing. But I would have not done an eight-pager comment. The first comment PDF would have been enough.

Public nuisance or a treat for cheap?

Public nuisance in the form of begging money from people in buses and jeepneys has always been a pet peeve of mine. People doing this makes me want to wish I had the power to transport myself through radio signals into a place other than the stinky bus we are in. I hate the idea of getting what you want out of nothing, doing nothing, without equal effort. I truly believe in cause and effect. And these people who just sneak inside buses to give you an empty white envelope with notes that say “I am Jenny, an out-of-school youth…”, to “Please help fund our charitable institution…”, just are plain irritating to the bone. Some envelopes don’t even have notes on them that you won’t have the slightest idea what the money they’re asking for is for. It pains me to see that many Filipinos try so hard to appear helpless to be pitied by, and thus be exempt from working hard to pay the bills, and the tax.

There have been many kinds around – preachers, sellers, and recently adding up spice in the industry – Badjaos. The first group is plain nuisance. They would preach about gospel and appear holy in front of you, then collect their envelopes and say “may god be with you always” – plain shit as that. So you get to have god be with you once you give them money? Ha. The sellers, on the other hand, initially hand you a note saying “I’m a widow with three children, blah blah blah”, then offers you their products. These kinds don’t piss me much, as the products weren’t very expensive, and these people carried heavy baskets of products just to sell them around, hence they worked for the money. The sad thing about their “force selling” is that they are doing some kind of blackmail. Those “help us” notes are the reason why I included this group in the public nuisance camp. And the third group is the artists – the Badjaos. They also hand a few envelopes, with little notes saying they wanted some help, or to that effect. And after distributing the envelopes, they would thump their bongos, sing their haunting Badjao melodies and do ethnic dances. Despite their filthy shirts, these kids - yes, kids – delighted me. It’s like I’m immersed in some other dimension, where pure art is all over around me. My husband would grin looking at me while I sway my body to the Badjao rhythm. So, despite the nuisance they bring, I felt like I was in for some treat. So I handed them my “help”, in exchange for a priceless experience the Badjao kids don’t know was very significant to me.