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.