Here's news : You can turn down the volume of your earphones

The dude who sat beside me at the back of the van going to work had blaring earphones which was annoying but nevertheless could have been tolerated by moi had they not been playing irritating 90's disco music. That ipod video is such a waste.

And the guy in front had equally loud earphones too.

The future generation would be deaf.

Heath Ledger is dead

You wake up one morning, check your mail and Heath Ledger is dead?

This is such a twisted world.

This week in Suburbia

Oh the things we could be oblivious to!

Yesterday morning the spell of uneventfulness in our suburban neighborhood was broken. At around 8:30AM, the SWAT arrived and raided a neighbor from our street, a few houses from ours actually, for supposed involvement in a number of robbery and theft cases in the vicinity. Two dogs have been shot in the struggle. :c

According to the officers, the house has been their hideout for quite some time. Apparently, our "friendly neighbors" have long been on the most wanted list of the police. So that explains why they were not really going out to meet neighbors like people usually do when they're not robbers or thieves or sh*t. How could we not have known this? How could the neighborhood gossip fail us? Nothing in this world is really what it seems.

The following morning as the police finished clearing the area, neighbors circled the crime scene much like vultures and grabbed whatever was left inside the hideout house--TV, fridge, bed, hangers. Nothing was spared. Each one wanted a share of the loot which is ironic, because in a sense, wouldn't that make them thieves too? Sort of?

And where was I when these happened?

*details provided by my mother who isn't the neighborhood gossip

hell hath no fury

Maybe taking this job was not so good, idea-wise.

Italian Film Festival 2008: Opening night

The Italian films are back and were launched officially at an opening night party at the CCP last Thursday, January 17, 2008. We semi-crashed the event where Divorzio All'Italiana (Divorce-Italian Style) was screened as launching film. The pretentious night was capped off by a cocktail party where we stood amidst foreign dignitaries and the glamorous aging population of art aficionados. There was free-flowing everything-- champagne, wine, the uber pretentious hors d oeuvres (I had to spell-check that twice), Italian food and gelato. We could have perfectly blended well with the crowd and this could have been the pinnacle of our pretense, but alas, our humongous undesigner bags gave us away.

BTW, regular screening would be every second tuesday of all months of the year 4:00PM and 7:00PM at the CCP Dream Theater.

Don't say I didn't remind you.

britney

"sometimes i pretend, i am being chased by paparazzi..."

*don't steal my pics, I BITE!

so long

I am officially out of the office for a new one over at the DLSU Yuchengco Center. Its for a different research firm and I'll be working as RA there too. Compensation is better but the workload I guess pretty much speaks for the whole thing and if I had to describe it in one word it would be-major. Well at least, I'm closer to CCP which is good :)

But don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my stint at the UPOU office, every bit of it and yes, even our weird trio and the rare social interaction we do have if it happens. And I'll miss my swivel too, it's got my butt dent in it :c

Selling Kojic Acid Soap

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feline meow$$

Bengal cats are so much better than any other pet in the world. Rawr!

nightout

Turns out, after much deliberation and a borrowed outfit, I decided to go with my friends out clubbing last night despite the sub-optimal state I was in. My calves ached 7 out of 10 on the pain scale from all the walking and I was feeling kind of feverish, I might be having some ear infection again. :c

For a dance club on a Friday night, Piedra was quite anaemic. It felt like crashing into the wrong party. Music was good but people weren't dancing so you kind of get the impression that patrons went there to hook up which was crap! Come to think, I never really liked these kinds of places in the first place. I was too old.

Not an hour has passed since we got there that we left for coffee or food or anything. Piedra was getting pointless anyway and I'd totally collapse if I stood another moment. So we transfered to nearby Pier One where we were seated and had an eat, gab and bash fest until past 5 in the morning.

credits: http://soundwave07.multiply.com

super lazy day

Got up mighty late today (I know this is not new) as I kept snoozing the alarm. Really useless. Why do I even bother to set it when I keep turning it off and getting up late anyway? I blame it partly on the weather. It's super cold and my bed just won't let me get off that easy. The day's bound to be lazy and I'm super motivated to slack and take the day off. Too bad though I have scheduled a lot of work for the day and the boss is actually banking on my productivity today. On a Friday. Loser.

Oh and my friends want to go clubbing tonight. I'm sort of not in the mood to go with them because a) I forgot to pack bar clothes in the rush to get my ass to the office this morning and b) I'm just not in the mood. But yeah whatever, we'll see. I'll decide later. xp (my friends are so gonna kill me if I cancel. haha)

back to work

After 16 days of unpaid vacation, we are officially back at the office, all three of us. I have to admit, I kind of missed the office a bit, including the Butch and our weird little office dynamics :o

When I got to my desk, two Christmas gifts were waiting, which is kind of guilty-fying because I haven't prepared any for people here at the office. All my holiday money's gone. But whatever. Maybe they have gotten over the Christmas gifts already. Anyway, since there were only 3 of us in the office plus the Boss, I kind of know who those came from. From Ms. L and the Boss. Ms. L got me a shirt and the Boss, a cute charm bracelet. I love both.

New year was also greeted by a new look. The office had a major face lift over the holidays. All the piled clutter on top of the filing cabinets mysteriously disappeared. Butch is a prime suspect. Nevertheless, I'm enjoying the clutter-free look. I sort of feel the new environment is good for my Ch'i. Now I'm feeling good. I should probably go to the mall.

my version of a yearender/yearstarter

Janus, god of beginnings and ends

January. Month of Janus, god of beginnings and ends. Aptly so, because as we usher in the first month of another new year, we look back on the past, review the year that was, look into the future and anticipate what is to come. Something about ending the year makes us all go sentimental and write posts such as this.

Judging by the way things have been, I guess 2007 has been a good year filled with major life changes. I turned twenty, graduated from college, started working and met a lot of new people along the way, loved some and hated some more. Yet as far as people skills are concerned, I think I've grown much this year and for that, I am thankful.

Some milestones of my life mark the ending year. I earned my BS, passed the Nursing boards and rode an airplane for the first time. :o I also started earning and spending my own money, which gives me a sense of fulfillment. Well, that is at least until my wallet runs empty. :p

It was also a year of rekindling friendships and strengthening bonds with people from the past and present. It is comforting to know that I have made true friends and lasting relationships in the long run. I could honestly say, it has been a blast with you guys (you know who you are!). Those were the good times and I'll be looking forward to crazier and even more happy times together.

Well, this is it.

Happy 2008! Here's to better things, better careers and better lives! Kampay!

for the love of sushi

these are now officially on my wishlist:

sushi pillow

sushi charm bracelet

sushi soap

* items herein can be bought here and here and here.

a little holiday indulgence

Everyone loves the holidays. For who could ever find a more perfect time to indulge and give in to our little materialistic hopes and worldly wishes? Only in Christmas folks. Only in Christmas...

So, here's my little list for Santa and judging by the way I've been all year, I think well, pretty much I deserve most of them. Hey, I tried to be nice. I really did.

Anyway, here goes:

1. an ipod classic- a 30GB baby would do. everybody, has this on their Christmas wish/shopping list, so i might as well have it too. and besides, i could very much use the distraction.

2. havaianas or ipanemas- i've been wanting to own a pair for quite sometime but always thought it was too expensive for a pair of rubber flips. but a little Christmas indulgence won't hurt.

3. graphic tees- from David and Goliath (P995) or Wetseal (P750), a bit too indulgent. that's why they're on the wish list.

4. scarves galore- what?! it's cold and it's Christmas. nothing spells the holidays better than scarves.

5. body splash from Victoria's Secret or Bath and Body Works- they are about P500 each and practical more than indulgent

6. ODM knockoffs- for only P950 and an exact replica of the original, i think they're a good, indulgent buy.

7. plane tickets to either Boracay, Davao or Singapore- right now, i would want nothing more than a chance to travel. to go to the beach or visit a new place, now that's indulgence.

8. a digital camera or better yet a DSLR Canon D40- i would want to start a photoblog with it.

9. a tumbler from the cheshire cat- its about P350 bucks. and i love the designs. even better than the usual Starbucks coffee tummie.

10. Chuck Taylors- i've always wanted chuck taylors for Christmas and i have a recent inclination to shirt and jeans (see number 3 on my list). as a friend pointed out, it is probably a manifestation of my subconscious longing to go back to college.

* not necessarily in order but that's all i can think of for now! this should give you the idea [wink]

here are some examples xD

And since we are on the topic of photo editing, here are some of my finished products using Picnik, Picasa and Online Phototool:

Vive Cuervo!

our new old pic

caught on cam

it's time to go out on a picnik

I recently discovered online photo editing (what a loser!) and am seriously hooked. OPEs make Adobe Photoshop seem passe and uber difficult. Although in Adobe the possibilities are limitless, it might still take a while to figure out before you could even create winner designs and even that still will depend on your tech IQ and artistic knowhow.

But before you even discard the idea of prettifying your photos, consider OPEs to make your photo-editing life a breeze. They're fun, hip and most importantly, easy! Most of them have very user-friendly interfaces and won't take any figuring out.

Here are my personal favorites:

1. Picnik

Picnik has the easiest user interface among the OPEs in town and the catchiest name at that! The site layout is very friendly and easy on the eyes. For slower PCs though, it might take a while to load. Use Picnik to quickly edit all your photos online. It's an easy remedy for your underexposed and red-eye laden pics. Plus, you can be an instant artist with the many special effects. I like the vignette and matte effects particularly. Picnik was once completely free to use. Sadly however, some of the special effects come with their premium package which you can get for a price.

2. Picasa
A 5MB favorite. The software is free and downloadable and it automatically gathers all your pictures into a very convenient and user friendly program. It's a lot like Adobe Bridge only easier. And yeah, you can do some editing with it too!

3. OnlinePhotoTool
Sign-up for free and you can use this OPE any which way you want to edit your pics. It's MS Paint combined with Adobe Filters. Making it a 2-in-1 delight. It's easy to use and they have lots of gorgeous frames to choose from. And did I say it's absolutely free?

on the radio

[so] this is how it works,
you're young until you're not
you love until you don't
you try until you can't
you laugh until you cry
you cry until you laugh
and everyone must breathe until their dying breath...

how I wish it was that easy~~ sigh!

chipped korean nail art

is love.

love at first flight

Almost got late for checking-in at the Manila Domestic. Arrived minutes before Counter 22 closed. Aboard the first flight of my life bound for Iloilo. Love every single moment of it. Always knew travelling was part of my system. Landed at the Iloilo International. New and shiny airport at the outskirts of the city. Not very third world. Love new things. Love it. (Will try to post pics from Mam D's cam).

Checked in at the Westown Hotel. It's new and shiny also hence, love it too. Have inclination for shiny and glittery objects. Hotel has free internet and location is perfect for night life. Visit the place if you happen to be in Iloilo. It's near everything.

Taxi rides are delightful as compared to the Metro. Cabbies don nice uniforms and don't choose passengers. Perfect tourist guides. Taxi meters work. Recorded message plays when the meter stops to remind passengers of belongings. And for the first time, it felt right to tip the cabbie. Again, not very third world.

Had lunch at Tatoy's. Delicious oysters. Delicious everything.

Off to SM City to burn calories. Ultimate markers of civilization. Bought pain killers. Just in case. Searched for the elusive Globe loading outlet. Had nail art done, hot pink zebra stripes. Chipped them off on our taxi ride on the way back to the hotel. Dammit.

Passed up time watching ANTM and reading Lord of the Flies. Should've slept instead.