Txt M8

The T-Mobile SIM card that I bought on eBay came in the mail today. Hence, I am now a proud member of the texting world! I'm so sprung! I'm starting to think that maybe I was in denial all these years by saying that I didn't like cellphones. Hmm...another new revelation. LoL. For my memories only...

First person texted
Pen

First person to text me
Belle

First conversation on the phone
Pen: Akala ko kung sino itong may 206 number!
MiNA: Tange! Bakit ka tumawag, mauubos load ko!

ROFL.

It's About Time

I am young. I am single. I have no boyfriend. I have no children. I do not own any properties. I have no pets. Simply put, I have freedom to do the things that I want to do.

Co-worker L has repeatedly pointed these out to me in the past few weeks. Last night, I took some time to finally accept the truth. With that, I have decided to do something about the things that I have only thought about since graduating from college.

Advertising. Working in another country. Helping people. Traveling.

I am very fortunate to have many options, but with that comes great confusion on my part. I don't know which one to take, I don't know what I want the most, I don't know how to get from point A to B. A couple of people have already told me that the best thing to do is to just dive right in. Fine.

In my current work situation, I now understand that life is too short to be doing something that doesn't excite me. Sanity is priceless so it's best not to lose it while trying to earn lots of money. If there's something that I choose to applaud Boy Abunda for, it's his "Are you relevant?" question. I love that question. However, I choose to rephrase that and ask "Are you making a difference?" instead.

I want to be able to answer that question well at every stage of my life and I'm starting now. I am going to apply for the JET Program this year. I am also going to be taking the foreign service exam next year for the chance to re-join the State Department (...Reunited and it feels so good...LoL). How about advertising? I'm currently trying to join them, if only they would answer my e-mail (*ahem!).

That's my current to-do list. I'm feeling good for the simple fact that I'm finally taking some action (who knew that a crappy workplace can do wonders to your sense of clarity!). I think the superwoman-me is back after two whole years of hibernation. Hooray!

Big Silver Thing

Oh my gawd. Oh my gawd.

I had my first "for-women-only" exam today. Twelve hours later, I'm still a little traumatized. HeHe. I saw the instrument and I can assure you that I definitely felt it. LoL. I can't believe women go through this every so often. I also can't believe that there are people out there who conduct these tests. Oh my gawd! Now I know why I chose not to become a doctor! LoL.

Illiteracy is Rampant

I ended up taking my winter coat out of the closet yesterday. *SNIFF. The cold days are here. And with that, pagbigyan na ninyo ako sa itatanong ko...

Wala bang pogi na male blogger dito sa mundong ito? LoL. Masyadong deep ba yung question? HeHe. Papa Patrick used to hold this title, but he has moved on to be with the man of his dreams. LoL. Kaya eto, wala na naman akong ka-loveteam. HaHa!

It's actually a deeper issue than you may think. You know how I always whine about guys these days not knowing how to read and write? Well, maybe that's the problem. The pogi boys of this world can't read and write. Hence, no pogi bloggers! O di ba, how scientific can I get?

*SIGH. Ang dami talagang problema dito sa mundo! LoL.

Five More Months

I know I said one year at Job #1. I know it's the right thing to do, but I swear, I think it's going to be easier said than done.

I want a positive working environment. I want a boss who values me as an employee as well as a person. I want to feel good about spending the day in the office every single time I turn that doorknob in the morning. I want to be with people who get "it." I want to be mentored. I want to not have to put up with someone's personal problems. I want an uninterrupted lunchtime and two 15-minute breaks per day as defined by the laws of this country. I want to be proud of who I work with.

Am I asking for too much again? I was excited about working in an all-women department again, but seven months later, I'm now starting to realize that maybe there was nothing to be excited about afterall (However, I do not wish to be the only woman in an all-men department either. Been there, done that, and wishes to not find herself in the same situation again).

It's a shame that all I'm thinking about is my one year anniversary in which I can finally say goodbye. These days, I'm pre-occupied with thoughts like, "There are three paid holidays in November; December will fly by; then it's only three more months to go." Pathetic!

Please tell me you have a crappier workplace than I do. Please, pretty please? HeHe.

I Will Be There

It's official: I will be in the Philippines sometime next year. Whether it's March 2005, or July 2005, I will be there because I am a woman of my words, and because *ahem ...that's what friends are foOoOor... =D

Butcher's Cut

I got a haircut yesterday. I was hoping for just a trim, but the woman straight butchered my hair. Well, she butchered it with my permission. I'm too stressed out about life right now and seeing my flat hair day in and day out doesn't help me feel better about the world. I swear, kapag nainis na talaga ako sa buhok ko, pakakalbo ko sarili ko. Promise yan. Target date ko sana paguwi next year. I don't know anybody whom I care to impress in Manila (ows?!), it's going to be hotter than Hades since it's summer, and I can go around the country on my backpacking adventures without anyone wanting to mess with me kung kalbo ako. Right? Right! I might have the ultimate freedom of not having to worry about my hair in the mornings kaso naman wala din akong dates nito. Umasa pa! LoL.

Speaking of which, I almost choked on the pretzel that I was eating last night while watching ASAP (Parang all of my entries lately are about TV shows. Obvious ba na tag-ulan season na and I'm in my pseudo-hibernation state? HeHe.). Christian Bautista's brother came on and said (and I quote!), "Sana magka-girlfriend ka na." Parang narinig ko na yan somewhere ha. LoL. Brother Jordan, all I can tell you is, I'm here for your brother; I'm only a call away. LoL.

I Have Joined The World

Hold on to your seats because you might not be able to handle the news that I'm about to tell all of you:

I bought a cellphone yesterday.

Is anyone still with me? LoL. So, I got home feeling like I now belong to society. I feel accomplished for having a cute, tiny Sony Ericsson phone and without signing a 1- or 2-year contract (No new commitments until March 2005, remember?). I started leafing through the manual and what did it say? "Roaming outside of your local network is not available at this time." Dammit. The only reason I finally decided to buy one is because I need it for my trip to another state next month. Goodness!

Now, I got to do more research and figure out which company provides a pre-paid plan with roaming capabilities. *SIGH. The last time I checked, none of the other companies had a cute Sony Ericsson phone for the pre-paid plans. I've checked eBay already for unlocked phones, but it's a pain in the butt to search and bid on phones (I should know, I woke up at 6:45 a.m. to bid last minute on a phone this morning; I lost). If only AT&T had something else besides the Nokia 2260 to offer. Doorstopper na lang ata yan sa Manila! LoL.

Say It Like This

A couple of people have told me to work for a call center once I get to Manila just because it's an easy job to get and the pay is good. Have people forgotten that I'm too idealistic for such a thing?! That is not my goal in my "Balikbayan Trail" adventures, people! Tarush! HeHe. Seriously though, if my "shallow" goal is to just have enough money to be able to eat out every weekend with my cousins, then maybe getting a job at a call center would do the trick. However, I seriously would pack my bags and go back to Seattle if I have to go through those "Hooked on Phonics" training sessions that I saw on Special Assignment tonight. Hindi ko kinaya ang mga nakita ko! LoL.

I even raised an eyebrow on a couple of occasions, mainly on the topic of speaking without accents. I'm sorry, but mas mataray pang mag-ingles yung isang na-interview kesa sa akin na lumaki dito. LoL. I understand that there are Filipinos with strong accents out there. However, I'd like to think that most Americans have interacted with other Americans who have strong accents and they have understood each other. I'd also like to think that people of other races, who have their own accents, have succeeded well in this country despite having those accents. At the same time, as years pass, most Americans will know that call centers are based in India and the Philippines. Just the other week, I called AOL and knew very well that the woman I was talking to was based in India. My point is trying hard na yung emphasis sa "slang." Yes, it is important to make the employees more understandable over the phone. For someone who struggled with understanding her Chinese Quantitative Methods professor for two straight quarters at Seattle University, I completely understand. However, to twist and bend one's tongue for the simple goal of covering up one's ethnicity/nationality is just too absurd for me.

Achieving

I watched Pipol tonight which featured Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee. Grabe, I'm feening for Palabok Fiesta and Mango Peach Pies right now. Ahhhh, ibalik na ninyo ako sa Pilipinas! HeHe. Seeing him on TV also made me think that maybe I should've met him in 2002. Baka pinakain pa ako sana ng Chicken Joy sa Ortigas. Although, I sure didn't get any free pabaons from San Miguel nor did I get a free plane ticket from Cebu Pacific Air (but really, seeing Lance Gokongwei in the flesh was enough, LoL). *SIGH. I miss good job perks...and meeting cool people...and having an all-expense-paid housing with 24/7 airconditioning. I guess it's true, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. But don't we always think how great the past is compared to the present? Kaya ako kinakabahan sa mga plano ko next year because I'm sure there will be a point in time when I'll say, "Man, I had it good before." But Mr. Caktiong tonight did emphasize that it's not really the money that makes one happy; it's the sense of achievement. Surviving pollution, traffic, and snatchers will be a sense of achievement, right? ;P

Gotta Get It

This girl loves the Philippines so much, for all you know eh may maleta na yan at umuwi na ng tuluyan! And that's one thing I like about her - she hasn't forgotten her roots. She's proud of who and what she is. Pwedeng patayuan na ng monumento katabi nung kay Ninoy sa Makati sa pagiging super-Pinay nya. -- Ate Sienna's Friendster testimonial

I'm fully aware that I surprise many people with my "Iuwi na ninyo ako sa Pilipinas!" sentiments. However, there are times when I wonder if I'm truly Filipino. Let me explain.

I get The Misadventures of Maverick and Ariel. I laugh whenever I hear the hirits of Ariel's mom. I laughed during tonight's "HipHop at Club V" episode (Is Club V the one in Libis?). I laugh just hearing Ariel say "I'm Ariel with a capital A." Simply put, I get "it."

On the other hand, I still don't get Wazzup, Wazzup, which I find disturbing. Why can't I find that show funny? Where are my Pinoy funny bones? I find it sad that I only turn to that show for eyecandy and not for laughs (Drew Arellano, whoop whoop! And who's that JC guy on tonight's episode?).

Ako lang ba ang hindi natatawa?

Pay Up

I just got my first ever credit card bill yesterday. I almost passed out. That's what I get for going to Vancouver, getting a facial, treating Manila relatives, and driving back-and-forth Seattle everyday all in one month's time. The sad thing is my next bill (or the one thereafter) will be larger. I hate lump sum payments! LoL.

The Cost of Friendship

I am here to declare that there *is* an amount of money that can equal one's friendship. It is $302.40. If you want proof that this is true, please check back in one month's time. =)

PNW Connection

I'm stressed. Hence, the slight layout change. Hence, my clean bedroom, too. I won't dwell in my misery, nor should you (for now, hahaha), so moving along...HeHe.

Pinay Pie was shown last week on TFC. Someone said that she found it funnier than Tanging Ina, so I taped it out of curiousity. Let's forget the fact that I was able to sit through the whole thing when I watched it last night. I wouldn't have if I didn't get a glimpse of Dale Villar towards the latter half of the movie. I had no idea he was in it. I even rewound to make sure it was indeed him and it was!

First of all, I wasn't in Manila anymore when Dale started his career so I never saw him in "Ober Da Bakod" or in his Pepsi commercials. I only knew of him because back in the 90s, there was a Saturday kids show on our local NBC station called "Watch This!" and it featured Dale once because of the Pacific Northwest connection. The storyline was how "Dalebert Ace Villar was a high school nerd" and how "popular he was in the Philippines." Ever since then, I've entertained the thought of my going to Portland and running into him (Portland is only 3 hours away from Seattle). Anyway, I had no idea he's back in Manila. See? I'm not the only crazy one around here who wants to make a career out of being a balikbayan! =)