Some Morning news

It's Monday and so very early in the morning. I did not intend to wake up at this hour, but I would just have to force myself to sleep later and make the most out of it.

In the news, our very own President was on a recent trip to the United States. He was in New York. And unlike the former president who had a controversial million-pesos dinner in one of the poshest restaurants in town, President Aquino decided to flip the coin and eat hotdogs that are popularly sold in the streets of New York. I know it wasn't a show to exhibit his modesty. The President is humble and simple to begin with. I know he really wanted to eat hotdogs. But Senator Zubiri also has a simple and shallow point, but nevertheless a point. Though the President's intention is good, he also has to watch eating processed and fatty foods almost everyday as report says. It doesn't take a doctor to realize that hotdogs and hamburgers eaten everyday could damage his health and nobody wants that to happen to the president.

Too much of everything is bad. Being too humble at the expense of your health is pointless. Go ahead Mr. President. You could eat at any respectable restaurants and I won't scrutinize you. You deserve it. You are my president and even I certainly won't catch myself eating hotdogs and burgers every single day. Respectable is quite different from extravagant. We'd rather have you in good shape to fight corruption than be too modest and sick. Go ahead, make that restaurant reservation. I would.


****

I learned a new thing in the world of diplomacy today.

In important meetings like this where the attendees are countries' highest officials and everything is televised, you would imagine certain protocols are strictly observed. I imagine when I was a fresh graduate working for a bank, I was helping my boss prepare the conference room for an important budget meeting with the corporate's officials. Everything was thought of. From food, to materials, to the types of chairs and to the presentation. We made sure that our bank officers were properly recognized and represented.


It seems someone did not do his job right. Diplomacy experts noted that something is wrong in the picture. While the picture seemed to depict like an ordinary peaceful meeting, the message of the Philippine flag seemed to suggest something else. According to experts, the flag which is behind Pres. Aquino was displayed upside down. The blue should have been at the top instead of the red. It should have been attached to the pole in such a way that the blue is on the left side of the representative. Any normal person would've passed by this image, but experts say that the flag's display could have been easily interpreted as our country in a state of war.

US apologizes for the display as it was just an honest mistake. I'm sure it was, from the picture, everything looked peaceful. And at the end of the day what we're really after is the purpose and the substance of the meeting and nothing more.


Pic: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-philippine-flag,0,5867750.story

***

Not that it really matters to me, but Mariel Rodriguez and Robin Padilla finally admitted that they're married.

Thank god they have admitted it because they're all over the place and I am already getting irritated. I thought a simple admission would do. I may not be a direct fan of their match, but it's not like I am the one living with the person and leaving my career behind. My mother who likes Mariel felt a pinch of betrayal when news started to come up. I looked at her briefly and she realized she was just feeling silly. She thought that with Robin Padilla, she would've said yes too.

I honestly think that it's not a crime to fall in love and get married at your own pace. It just so happens that it was a quick and big personal decision made by public personalities that made it a bit explosive. Everyone deserves to be happy and I'd give them that.

So for that I say congratulations.

As people outside of the relationship, we have no right to judge how things will turn out based on the number of days, months they have known each other. We have no capacity to judge their feelings because we weren't there. We weren't there crazy in love. Of course we provide caution based on statistics, but love has encompassed boundaries of science. It's unexplainable. And the length of courtship or intensity of bonding are things best left to those who are really involved. So I say congratulations that as adults they have professed their love and decided to take the leap that most of us are scared or not yet ready to do.



After this if people still keep on chatting about it, it's not out of concern anymore. It's already a product of jealousy of their happiness and that is somehow pathetic.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloSkSR98dtuyc813Rv_FJc0YPS6Gih7k92MiKrppQJHG0YqkkPQDjs0uvwgloHQs49ISu_Ib2bL-JzXMNntRkDGFcbB6ybG7ev4WLcBMpnRZSW0fmxKRx3PnvPcQkewoe1OeMq0i2rx0W/s1600/Robin-Mariel.jpg
***

Facebook has totally outlived all other social networking sites available. It has toppled the life expectancy records of Multiply and Friendster. Whoever planned and developed Facebook should be given an award equivalent to a Nobel Prize. Through Facebook people stay connected and updated with what's happening in life. When I was in the States and I couldn't call my boyfriend, I reach out to him through Facebook. It depends on the mode. I could chat with him, send him a message and read updates with what's going on with his life. And I could comment. For the purpose of friends and community, we organize lunches there, send greetings and most importantly we know we don't have to gossip in person anymore. On a serious note, important social and political messages get spread out fast like fire and of course it's FREE. People have voices and tailored identities in Facebook.

I think the proportion of people getting laptops and updated phones is to be connected to Facebook all the time. I also believe there is a connection of telecommunication companies lowering their fees and creatively looking of ways to go unlimited surfing because people want to stay connected to their emails, to valuable sights and of course to Facebook. Fathers, grandmothers or household helps have Facebook accounts. It's a Facebook world and aliens from outer space must be studying its relation to human lives right now.

God forbid something goes wrong with the site. According to news on Sept. 23, there was an outage and the site was made unavailable to some users. According to company officials, it has been restored and they apologized for the inconvenience. I smelled panic there.

There is also a Facebook movie coming up which is a lose version on how Facebook came about. The movie centers on the 26 year old socially awkward Harvard student who thought of a way to get his peers more connected. Apparently the real life Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook who happens to be a billionaire and ranked with the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and entrepreneurial giants, didn't approve of the movie's depiction. His younger film version apparently created Facebook to meet girls and not to improve the world's connectivity, which is essentially the reason why he built the site.

There is no denying that Facebook became a household name and it hatched a movie about its beginnings and the lives of people who were behind its creation. It's unstoppable. It's part of the daily grind and people get more hooked. I believe if the site crashed for some reason, people would get devastated and communication will get impaired. Just to note that I have a Facebook account, my dog has one too. I think nowadays, that's normal.

Explosion at the Bar Exams

My Facebook wall yesterday had full of posts from friends who were actually present in the bomb incident in the last Bar Exams in De La Salle University. Thankfully, none of my friends who were there were injured. But most of them witnessed the gore and heard the explosion. According to the the news, it happened at around 5:05 pm just as they were cheering the examinees as they left the DLSU campus. The crowd initially thought the blast was part of the program.

Police are looking at every angle. It could be a frat driven incident or a loose-minded person who just wanted to stir things around. Whatever the case is, I hope the police close this case fast. Have the attorneys of San Beda, who were the most heavily injured, prosecute the alleged criminal. That would be very interesting and a quick match-off.

Sunday;: Another Owl Movie Day

I had a pleasant Sunday spending time with my siblings. That means two thousand pesos for a 3d movie and lunch. My wallet cringed and no matter how it held back, I knew my siblings deserve a break as much I do, But I admit they could be very demanding and expensive. But I know that I don't hold back with traveling and food and most certainly I don't hold back with these two.

We watched The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. A kick-ass animated movie loosely based on a novel and directed by Zack Snyder, the same director who created the envelop breaking movie 300. Again, I will stress that I'm not really a fan of movies with humanized animals in it, but since watching How to Train your Dragon, I've given these types of movies much thought. I've seen the The Legend of the Guardians in trailers even before I left for the States three months ago. I knew I wanted to watch it. It came across as an epic, not necessary childish. And knowing that Zack Snyder will direct it saves a lot of intrigue. I watched it with Mitch for the first time on Saturday and we both liked it. I wanted to share the experience to my siblings hence making it a second time for me on Sunday.




The movie is not sappy and childish at all. I wouldn't coin it as a light, but it wasn't depressing either. It's an animated movie with sense, kick-ass special effects both an adult and a kid would enjoy. It has impressive fight scenes, simple good vs. evil plot, a fresh perspective on the owl creatures and most especially the graphics were amazing. I wasn't bored one bit. It's a sort of animation that has sense. I honestly felt like watching something close to National Geographic. But of course the owls could talk, could wear arms and read. When I went home, I became a nerd and googled information about owls. I can't believe I don't know anything about them. I never thought they could be really interesting creatures.

A colleague of mine asked me yesterday if it's something worth watching with her 6 year old kid. It's 3D and paying for a 300 pesos ticket for a crappy 3D movie would be like a thief in the night. But I urged her to watch it. Fortunately, she got back to me and said they loved it.

This is a perfect date-family-sibling-friend movie. If you are a critic, go ahead, I think you'll like it too. And while you've decided, don't waste the opportunity of watching it in 3D.



pic ref:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Legend-Of-The-Guardians-The-Owls-Of-GaHoole-UK-movie-poster-quad-2-600x448.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.collider.com/2010/09/10/legend-of-the-guardians-the-owls-of-ga-hoole-clip/&usg=__iakpCKKmR8LsqzLhxca9sSxSwqk=&h=448&w=600&sz=68&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=9m1U4jq_K6SylM:&tbnh=134&tbnw=171&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlegend%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bguardians%2Bthe%2Bowls%2Bof%2Bga%27hoole%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D681%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=792&vpy=85&dur=254&hovh=134&hovw=179&tx=142&ty=109&ei=yNafTNOoLIzWtQONxKHWAQ&oei=yNafTNOoLIzWtQONxKHWAQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

Charice on Glee

I hardly watch TV. If there's something worth watching or talking about, I usually get my dose online. I've never been a fan of series, foreign or local. So Gossip Girl, True Blood, Weeds, Prison Break, CSI, Glee, I know by name and by advertisements but that's it. I don't know the inner conflicts of the stories or the intricate plot and characters. It's safe to say that I've watched one or two episodes of a series, but that's it. For some reason, these shows do not appeal to me.

But there's been a sensation with Glee nowadays. I heard that this American musical TV series hit the big mark on their first season. Most of my friends and colleagues are fan of it even my boyfriend. My sister and brother, not fanatics, but are knowledgeable with the story's progression. They began to download episodes, post something about it in Facebook periodically and talk about it during lunch. I know of Glee because of them actually. But this time, this first episode in the 2nd season, it especially hit big time especially for Filipinos. Apparently, youtube singing sensation Charice Pempengco, who is young but has a voice comparable to the greatest American Divas, made her first appearance in Glee as an exchange student Sunshine Corazon. Glee as I now know is a global tv sensation. With her on the show, her fame will shoot up, but not to belittle Oprah's backing and top billboard record of course.



I think it was Tuesday dawn last week when I went down to our office canteen, I literally saw packs of colleagues facing the flat screen TV's as if they're watching a martial law proclamaition. The world stopped for a few minutes. Charice was there in the episode with the Glee Cast, acting, looking a BIT fabulous, belting her infamous voice. I am happy to say that I'm proud. There's no question this girl has got talent, but we all know talent is not the only thing that keeps the artist afloat. I really hope she makes it big in Hollywood.

No more additional comments for me. No matter what they say, at the end of the day, that voice brought her in that show and let's just all appreciate her for that. If she does well in TV, then good for her, Glee became her break. She brought Filipino talent in the global mainstream. I support and I'm very proud.

Positivism I found and it's free

I slept for 3 hours. It was a power nap in my case. Now I'm recharged for Sunday and the fear of being grumpy is gone. I'm off to a good start. The sun is up. The day is free and I intend to make this day a great one.

I learned that it pays to be positive. I finally realized that it helps especially in dire situations. I know they have released medical studies about this one. I think I've read some, but at that time I wasn't really the positive-thinker so it didn't register. You see, all my life I've been a pessimist. Generally I think I still am, but a little sunshine of positivism continues to radiate especially when I encounter really shitty circumstances. I just found out last week how positive I can be and there's no point in denying it.

The most obvious shitty circumstances I have is usually at work, past and present. Everyone is stressed at work at some point, but mine is elevated into a higher level. Stress, pressure and constant expectation to deliver something grand and big while doing it in a fishbowl is so hard. It could generally crack a normal person. I seriously thought that with the pressure I currently face, it could make someone jeopardized and crazy. These days (until Christmas for which hopefully my project and migration go live), sleeping and eating become options. Work becomes a life and death situation at some point that I have to deliver or else. The information is trickling like sand. Interactions with superiors are huge. Eyes are on me and on the project 100%. It's like a battlefield at work.

Nevertheless, I know that I am here for a reason. I know I asked for this kind of work at some point. By history, this is the most challenging role I've ever signed up for. But I know even if my work is stressful and I get my heart racing all the time, I wouldn't give up on this. Even though everyday ends up tiring, I enjoy my simple accomplishments and working with people who are also exerting efforts in making things work. I appreciate their dedication and there is no way that I could give up on that. I love that I'm still learning new things. Slowly I've accepted that until I get my project live, I would experience hardships, birth pains, setbacks and disappointments. That is something I should prepare for and not be consumed with. There is no reason to ignore or deny that these things will bug me every single day. It was time for me to let go of my unrealistic expectations and unnecessary amount of pressure on myself.

Last week I had one of the most disappointing days ever. In hindsight I know I disappointed some people and I had clashed with a colleague. I thought this particular issue was under control until a rug was swept up under my feet by a person whom I was depending on. I was burned alive so to speak. That day I was exhausted, pissed and confused. I wanted to go home, hit someone and just hide. But I knew I couldn't and it was something that already happened. All I could do was to let off steam.

When I went home that day I knew my happy cells were burned. I couldn't think and function normally anymore. All I had to do was sleep. But before I completed surrendered to dream land, I thought about how things went. For one last time, I let out my frustrations and accepted it for what it is. I learned how to let it go and to look forward. When the calming realization settled in, I texted some people from work who witnessed what happened that day. I finally had the courage to tell them to be positive and that I am all right. Thankfully I got very good replies. I slept knowing that people continue to support and believe in me as I believe in myself.

In past experiences after a shity day, I would usually sulk and chug at work with an intense feeling of retribution, but this time I woke up nicely. I bought sweet goods to bring to the office as simple offerings that I'm still thankful with everything that's happening to me. I wanted to share my gratitude and happy thoughts with people. My offerings might not be much, but it's my way of staring a great day and appreciating people for their hard work. I came at work feeling energized and positive. The friction and frustration became past news. I had a clearer mindset on life and I worked with all of my heart. I know I love my job. I know that I'm not perfect, and I know there will be hard and disappointing days. But I also know that I am doing this for a reason, that I deserve this challenge to make me a better person. I just have to work hard, be patient, confident and positive.

In the past, I would not have been able to type these words. I would not have realized how real being positive is even if it was staring me at the face. I would just shrug it positivism off and continue living the world being a pessimist. I would be extra hard with myself for no productive reasons. I would bite off my confidence and slowly destroy my self esteem. But something happened to me that made me see the light. It could be a combination of maturity or wisdom. I learned how to be positive in dire circumstances though I'm still improving on that. I also know that being positive won't erase challenges. I would still be having shitty days and I would still feel confusion, disappointment and anger at some point, but I know a douse of positivism helps me clear things up and accept things for what they are. Positivism helps me to move on and be better. It helps me to believe in myself more and helps me not lose my goals when I hit roadblocks. Positivism I found. It's free and it doesn't take a lot of effort and science.

A nice and satisfying Saturday

It's 4:21 AM and the sun will up in a couple of hours. Shortly I would hear my father squeak out of his room while he prepares to leave for golf. I would hear Ate Ne preparing breakfast and Harvey coming in and out of the garden looking for that huge snake that everyone saw on Saturday afternoon while I was asleep. Yes, there was an unwelcome snake in our house and it was huge. It was as thick as an arm of an average 7 year old kid and it's length is from one car side mirror to the other. I'm sure it was a surreal and a scary sight. Nobody in our household likes snakes, well except for my sister who actually had a pet aqua snake before, which died because of my sister's usual neglect. When I woke up at around 7 pm, everyone was talking about it and I saw tennis rackets, golf clubs, flashlights and umbrellas everywhere. Apparently they all cornered it at one point, but never had the courage to do something with it. It escaped to the other part of the lot. Harvey, my hunter-worker dog, found it. They were about to attack one another and my father, out of fear of Harvey's safety, asked them to pull him out. Then it was gone. The snake used our garden-bar as an escape route. Everyone gave up out of fear and exhaustion. I think they'll call a heavy-duty exterminator this morning. Last year, I made a blog about my mother finding a small baby snake in her room. It was just a little big bigger than a normal worm, but now I think they found his mom. Scared for our dogs. The snake might actually harm them or retaliate. In fact, we're not sure if the snake is singular or plural.

I woke up and listened to the interesting story and made sure that an exterminator should be called first thing in the morning. I nearly forgot my date with Mitch. I dressed and met up with him at 8 pm as we started to do his plan for the night. He knows how stressed and busy I am with work and he knows that I need a relaxing weekend to recharge. So bless him for taking me out to dinner. He knows how I love Japanese and eating in Little Tokyo in Makati.

I love Little Tokyo. My father introduced this place to me as usual. Been eating here whenever I crave for fresh and authentic Japanese food. Whenever I eat here, I feel like I'm in Japan. It's more than what the food offers, but the setting is very very Japanese. Little Tokyo is like a small compound of authentic Japanese restaurants. Hardcore Japanese, businessmen and food trippers go there. In the middle of the busy city, there's a quaint Japanese place where it is always a very impressive venue for dating. The ambiance is relaxing and reminiscent of Japan. The food is fresh and bursting of Japanese flavor and the crowd is very cultured. Mitch, with his very Asian looks, really blended well in the crowd. Though he looked like a malnourished Samurai.



After dinner, we went straight to Greenbelt to have coffee and movie. He also knew what to watch. He knows that before I left for the States, I wanted to watch the Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga'hoole. It was an effort for his part since he is not really a fan of 3d and animation, but I saw that he's making an extra effort to keep me happy. While waiting for the movie, we had coffee at our favorite place in Coffee Bean. I was quite surprised that the coffee shop now serves yogurt. The movie ended up to be a cool one. Mitch loved the animation. Driving home, he couldn't get over how amazing it was. We actually enjoyed and Owl adventure-action movie. At this point, I couldn't ask for more.

The movie capped the night off and it was fortunately very good. Mitch was also very impressed with the animation. We both liked the simple story (which still lacked a bit of depth) But the real thing was, we were just so happy to be with each other. He missed the laid back Saturday dinner we would always do, which includes coffee and movie breaks. I missed hanging out with my man in Greenbelt and enjoying jokes and jabbers with him. He knows how to cheer me up and he lived up to the expectation tonight.

After our date, we went to a friend's house and had a relaxing conversation before I headed home at 3 am. Since I slept the whole day I'm having a hard time to sleep again. It is the known pain of a graveyard shift's body clock. But no worries, I intend to make my Sunday packed and relaxing as well. Probably I'll get some winks in a few hours before I execute my promise to my brother, which is to spend time playing computer games with him.

I intended to relax and just enjoy simple things this weekend, which was done. God knows that I need to recharge for the chugging week ahead (you have no idea). I have one day left to rest and spend time with people I hardly see anymore. Saturday started well and I'm off to a good start. It was a simple evening, but it was very fulfilling. Time away from work and more time for family and friends is definitely what I need, oh and a little bit of rest and sleep would also be fine.

Busy Nowadays

I've been busy lately. Probably this will go on until Christmas.

I'm busy adjusting to this shift, to new people, to heavier responsibilities and to wild expectations. Sometimes I get goosebumps going to work because I know I have to deliver GOLD all the time. It's not anymore a possibility of pulling this project off. It's a matter of MUST.

Forgive me if I don't grace this blog often. Even my weekends are drained by compromised time with loved ones. I will get back on my own terms soon. Soon.

This is the perfect time to have a vacation, don't you think? Even for the weekend.

And for that...I smell HONG KONG!