Category Archives: Uncategorized

a glimpse of the year that was

another year has come and gone.  as what is normally being done during this time of the year, reflections and look-backs of this year spring about from television companies to newspapers to about almost everything that can be looked back on.  i used to do that on previous entries, but for this year, i'll just reflect on an accomplishment(s) and failure(s) i had for 2006.  although it is really nice to do some sort of countdown like what i posted last year, due to time constraints, i am unable to do so.  in any case, i might throw some things into the mix for i am writing this as i go along (like i mostly do with my entries, no drafts whatsoever).  so, here goes:

 

major accomplishment(s) for 2006 – there are not much things i did this year that are worthy of being called accomplishment, but if i were to name some things that i think are positively noteworthy are:  one, getting my nokia n90 phone; two, transferring blog sites; and three, almost getting a perfect attendance record for one year at work.  getting my current phone was a dream come true in itself.  i never thought i would see the day that i would purchase such a piece of electronic gadget, which is the most expensive personal item i got so far.  i initially thought of getting an n93 when it came out, but i felt that getting the n90 was a product of blood, sweat and tears from my previous company, so trading it in suddenly became out of the question and i plan to hold on to this phone (like i did in all the phones i bought) for as long as i can.  transferring my blog to i.ph from ebloggy.com is also one that i hold in high regard.  fully customizable templates and the pride of it being in dot ph got me sold.  plus the fact that i was able to transfer my previous entries (although manually) from the previous blog site added to the happiness i had in transferring over.  don't worry, i'll be including pictures on my entries soon.  and nearly having a perfect attendance record for one year is quite an achievement for my career.  never in my life had i imagined that i would go to the office everyday for one whole year. of course, it is inclusive of vacation leaves, but still, looking back at my track record for absences at work, although it's a little improvement from my last company, it's still something i am slightly proud of.

 

major failure(s) for 2006 – 2006 in general was a good year for me.  only two things come to mind about not getting or reaching for some things i needed, and they were:  one, losing weight and getting in shape; and two, not finding a significant other.  well, number two has been on the list of failures for a decade now (i celebrated 10 years of being single back in february) and i don't see any major improvement on the first quarter of 2007.  but still, friends are telling me that this coming year will be my year, and that they're setting me up with different women, yada, yada, yada…  i mean, not that i'm taking what they're doing for granted, no, not at all.  in fact i'm thrilled that they are so overly concerned about me having a lovelife that they're going through great lengths to make sure that i do.  it's just that i'm taking it one day at a time.  or rather, one date at a time.  i also have to remind myself that i'm now five months away from my deadline of getting married, or at least engaged, before turning 31 or else i'll adopt a kid to raise on my own.  but as they say, you can never tell.  with regards to losing weight, i already have a concrete plan which will start as soon as the third day of january.  i'll divulge the details soon enough, i just need to finalize some things before i formally get underway.  as i was telling brew earlier today, maybe getting myself in shape first would be the spark that ignites positive energy to come my way and, well, so too will the ladies.

 

there.  a quick look back at 2006.  chalk that up to the years labeled good.  and hopefully 2007 will be better.  i might not be posting until the latter part of the first week of january, or maybe the second week, but by then, things would've settled down after the holiday rush.  here's wishing everyone a safe, peaceful, injury-free and prosperous welcoming of the new year!!  🙂

christmas compromise

it's something that i hoped it would be better, but it's something i get nonetheless.  as they say, it's better to end up with something than nothing at all.  my boss and i had a talk a day (night) after i sent a lengthy, two-paragraph email the other day (night) about my decision to not report to work from the 24th to the 31st of this month (excluding my rest days on the 29th and 30th, plus the 25th, which our department didn't have any work scheduled), with or without their approval, including how i felt about the decision they handed down on the leaves on those dates.  i made it clear to her (them, including her counterpart-slash-partner), that it was a decision i made with such difficulty because of the perfect attendance record i had the whole year, which i was planning to complete, and the personal desire to spend the holidays with my family.  plus, that i had no personal ill-feelings towards them for that decision.  hey, i'm a manager myself, so i know how it feels to make a tough decision.  business is business, as they say.  she opened up the conversation by thanking me for expressing what i felt on that email and that it is highly appreciated.  she continued on by saying that it was an eye-opener for them on how to create a procedure to put in place same time next year.  but, she stopped short of granting approval of my request, saying that they wanted to avoid an issue wherein a decision was already made, and then suddenly there would be exceptions to the rule.  i completely understood where she was coming from.  again, my decision is not to undermine their authority or defy the decisions that they make.  it was, on my part, my own decision to not to report to work on those dates.

 

but then, my boss proposed a compromise.  she told me that i can be out on the 24th and the 31st, but have to report back to work on the 26th to the 28th.  she cited numerous reasons, including some important deliverables which i knew really had to be done.  and that those two dates won't be counted as VL, but i'll get paid nonetheless (like an sick leave).  it'll just be two occurrences of absences that will be reflected on me, but not enough to merit me a warning of some sort.

 

hey, i'm a level-headed, easy-to-talk-to guy.  so, i agreed to the compromise she offered.  at least i'll still be able to celebrate both holidays with my family.  in the end, everything worked out benefitting both of us.  i don't mind coming to work for three days on christmas/new year's eve week.  besides, the deliverables really, really, and i mean really have to be done by that week, so it's all good.  i'm officially feeling a lot better now, like a thorn was plucked from my arse.  here's looking forward to a wonderful christmas weekend, and i hope the same for all of you.  🙂

let’s play tag

i've been tagged, so here goes…

 

A – Available or single:  BOTH!!  hehehehehehe!!!
B – Best friend:  two, actually.  one now lives in Singapore, but i still consider him as my best friend, Aris.  and the second one i consider my best friend is brew.
C – Cake or pie:  hmmm… good question.  i guess cake would do for me.
D – Drink of choice: pineapple juice
E – Essential item you use everyday:  my mobile phone
F – Favorite color: black, blue, green
G – Gummy bears or worms:  BOTH!! please let me have both!!!  hehehehehehe!!!
H – Hometown:  Paranaque City, Philippines
I – Indulgence:  music and sports
J – January or February:  january
K – Kids & names:  angelo vincent kyle and barbara nicole angela
L – Life is incomplete without?  a purpose
M – Marriage date:  none, but hoping that there would be one someday
N – Number of siblings:  two (2), a younger brother and sister
O – Oranges or apples:  apples
P – Phobias or fears:  cockroaches and sometimes heights
Q – Fave quote:  "we only have one life to live so live it to the fullest.  make the most out of it; makes mistakes, as long as you learn from them; love with everything in your heart as long as you know it's for real, even if you don't get the same in return; fight until your last breath, as long as it's worth fighting for; dare to change, as long as it's changing something for the better; pray solemnly, as long as you're sincere in what you're praying for; kick ass and kick it hard, as long as you know the ass you're kicking deserves it; laugh boisterously, as long as it's really funny; spend with everything you have, as long as you spend it wisely; say something, anything, and don't hold back as long as what you say is the truth and is what you really feel inside; work diligently, as long as it doesn't interfere with your personal wants and needs; play the game, as long as the game doesn't play you back; drink all you can, as long as you can still walk or drive home safely; eat merrily as long as it keeps you full, but not more than what you should; and best of all, fuck deeply, oftenly, and as long as it takes to make you satisfied, as well as your partner should."
R – Reason to smile:  the quote above.  everything embodies what i believe in.
S – Season:  christmas!!!
T – Tag 3 people:  cher, erlyn, and trina
U – Unknown fact about me:  i haven't tried or even tasted zagu… ever.
V – Vegetable you don’t like:  ampalaya
W – Worst habit:  oversleeping
X – X-rays:  a year ago
Y – Your fave food:  pasta!!!
Z – Zodiac sign:  gemini

vindication

it's a very good feeling when someone agrees with what you say.  moreover so, if what you have said is controversial to most people.  i have been getting unsavory remarks about what i posted about the verdict on the subic rape case.  yet, i didn't flinch for a second.  and what vindicates me is that a particular journalist, well, he's not just a journalist, but someone who is an icon to the oppressed and one of my favorite people because he speaks his mind out, whatever it may be, without fear.  why?  because he can.  the same way that i can, and our common link is freedom of expression.  and he was the one who inspired me to write the same way–no holds barred.

 

you can read ramon tulfo's take on the verdict at this link:  http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view_article.php?article_id=38632

 

i feel better now, not that pissed anymore.  =)