Charlotte's Kringle's Web

For the past few days, my mind was a crazy mess of thoughts. I'm caught in the middle of this web we've spun ourselves and I dunno if I could ever untangle it. I got into it for reasons I myself cannot explain. Now I'm wrestling with my conscience, trying to stave off my inevitable defeat.

I have an awful lot of things to say but I know that none of it will still matter. Coz it's not my call anymore. But still, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. What I did was wrong and I am really really very sorry. :(

"I never meant to cause you trouble,
And I never meant to do you wrong,
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,
Oh no, I never meant to do you harm"
--- Trouble, Coldplay

Rebel With A Cause

I feel insulted by your thinking that I dunno what's wrong from what's right, that I still can't decide for myself. Coz I know, and I can. I should! I'm 21 years old, for crying out loud! Fine, you can play your role as parents. You can give me your two cents worth on the matter. You can enlighten me with your wisdom. But that is as far as you guys can go. Don't take a step further and pressure me into changing my decision. You see, the more you pressure me to do so, the harder I would resist, and the worse the situation would be.

You always say that I should use my head. You know what? I am using my head. As well as my heart.

2wenty 00h! Se7en

Today is just another day among days. A tiny mark drawn in the infinite stretch that is time. It's just another Monday. Another day on the calendar. But what makes it really special is that for most of us, the New Year symbolizes a new beginning. A time where we could begin with a slate wiped clean.

As of this moment, there are 365 blank spaces awaiting to be filled in with good and bad choices, and written on with memories of loving, losing, winning, and living.

Wishing everyone a prosperous 2007!

Doña Jovita Garden Resort

Went to Doña Jovita Garden Resort in Laguna with my college friends. After several outings that have passed, I was finally able to join them again. First met up with Gary and Yel at Glorietta. Then we headed to Festival Mall in Alabang where we waited for Ogie, Jonna, and Marj. Rode a bus going to Pansol and fetch Erwin somewhere down the road. Ehe.

We arrived at the place at around 11pm and ate our dinner just then. And it rained pa! Very reminiscent of what happened during our Milestone, eh? Think I have a birthmark on my ass. >_<

The resort was basically divided into two. The area on the left side had a forest feel in it with cottages, gigantic trees, and tree houses. While the area on the right side had a nice hotel feel. Since we're not Tarzans and Janes reincarnated, we chose the most comfortable one for us - the hotel rooms.

One of the rules in the resort though is that the use of videoke ceases at midnight. There were lots of other activities that we could do though, like fishing, horse riding, billiards, darts, etc. But we had to pay an additional cost for each. So we just sticked to the one that really brought us there. And that is to swim. We stayed in the water talking about our lives and other people's lives until our skins got all wrinkly. Hehe.

Going back to Manila, Gary and I took a bus headed to Cubao. We seated at the back portion of the bus - something we later regretted so badly. There was this acrid smell of urine coming from, I dunno, maybe a container hidden at the back of the bus. YAK. Imagine having had to endure that for the rest of trip!

When we stepped out of the bus and stood in front of Megamall, along the stretch of EDSA, I thought to myself: "Breathe in! The air here has never been so fresh!" ^_^

Road Trip

Mary: "Kringle! Gising na!"
Me: "Ha? Bakit?"
Mary: "Tagaytay tayo!"
Me: "HA?!"
Mary: "Hehe. Basta, tawagan mo si Roxie!"

I was still half asleep as I stretched my arms and rubbed the sleep grit from my eyes. I stopped for a moment trying to remember what day it was. Am I late for work? No. Am I supposed to be at the office today? Hell no. Have I forgotten a planned outing? I don't think so. What did Mary just told me?!

Me: "Ei, bakit?"
Roxie: "Tagaytay daw tayo!"
Me: "HA?!"
...
Me: "Seryoso? Adik kayo."

With no real itinerary whatsoever, Boss Chris, Mary, Roxie, and I were off to Tagaytay in no time. We browsed through brochures and decided to check out Sonya's Garden first.



The place was truly a beauty. We walked through the garden's colorful and vibrant floral explosion. Got comfy in every daybed hidden in the vines as we absorbed everything our eyes could behold. I hope when I get back there, it won't just be for sightseeing though. I'll make sure to bring enough moolah for the food and the spa. But I don't think I would use that spooky restroom ever again. Nyahaha.



We then had our dinner at Leslie's Restaurant. Ordered an awful lot of food - crispy pata, crispy kangkong, sizzling something (hehe), tuna belly, and whatnot - all served generously.



We didn't quite manage to wolf everything down though. One by one, we dropped our spoons and forks, sated, and slipped into a food-induced coma.



The moment we recovered from the fit, we're ready for more Kodak moments! A bunch of camera whores, we are!

Hello Diabetes!

After work, we drove all the way to the City Center (now known as Bonifacio High Street) at The Fort just to taste the sugary sweet goodness of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. We ordered two dozens of this obesity-inducing pastry - one box goes to Roxie's family and the other box is for us to devour.



Deciding on what flavor to dig into first was no easy feat. Each variety looked mighty tempting! Especially the one topped off with colorful candy sprinkles! YUM!



Three doughnuts after, April and I already felt uncomfortably full...



...while Roxie felt like she wasn't able to eat her fair share! Hehe. ^_^

We walked out of the doughnut factory deliriously happy...



...and insanely high on sugar!!!

Tsukiden Christmas Party '06

We had our company Christmas party at Saisaki in Megamall. With the theme being The 80's, we had to dress up in 80's style clothes and become a bunch of walking fashion disasters for a night. Having attended an 80's themed party in the past, I knew exactly how to do away with neon-colored tops, leg warmers, and shoulder pads. I jumped into a red shirt, a jumper, and a pair of Chuck Taylor's; Then I sported a cap with an (M) printed on it. Voila! I'm Super Mario, the Koopa-smashing plumber of the 80's! ^_^



Part of the program is the battle between Business Units including the Admin. Each group was given 10 minutes to present anything 80's and Christmas-y. Our Business Unit, CSBU, did a three-part presentation:

Thriller!!! Thriller Nights!!!


At isang kilong pulang asukal!!!


C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-CSBU!!!

With barely a week of preparation, we still managed to land second place. If it's because of biases in judgment or just sheer talent, you decide. Hehe. ;)

After the party, we stayed at Starbucks where we pumped ourselves up with caffeine...

...as we played several games of Pekwa! Merry Christmas y'all! ^_^

Bang! Boom! Splash!

The 4th phase of the VGS project is finally over. Well, for me at least since I really don't have any modules to maintain. And after several weeks of planning, preparation, and debate, our Milestone celebration pushed through at last.

First stop: Gotcha! paintball war games in Antipolo.



The jungle-like terrain was extremely rough, especially if the team is on offense. We had to climb hills laid with dried leaves, branches, rocks, and whatnot, just to get to the opponent's territory. 'Twas a blast pointing a gun, pulling the trigger, ducking, crawling, running like hell, and inflicting pain! Ehe. Out of the 3 games, though, our team never won. Huhu. Nweiz, the war ended with me having two massive bruises.

Hopefully, when I get better, I'd get battered less.

While the others headed to Boss Jay's place for lunch and to get some rest, Isah and I went to our respective homes and did some preparation for our second stop. Thankfully, I managed to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before I freshened up and prepared my things.

We then headed to Solemar del Pansol Subdivision at Pansol, Laguna. We left Boss Jay's place later than planned plus the traffic along Manggahan was terrible. Needless to say, we arrived at the place late, around 11pm, I guess.



The night (or should I say, morning?) was spent with a whole lotta drinking and singing...



Just a thought. Why is it that videoke songs are all boobs and butt parades? You'll always see a video of a girl wearing a skimpy bikini outfit, frolicking at the beach, even if you choose to sing a song like "Lead Me Lord", for example! Very distracting, to say the least.

The following day, we kinda felt the storm's rage for it rained most of the time. But of course, it won't stop us from diving into the hot spring waters.

The night wore on, and 'twas time for us to leave. We packed our things, we took more pictures, we bought some pasalubongs, and we headed back to Manila...

Borat Buraot

I didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway. Why? Coz I had to. Coz I did it for a reason. And it angers me to think that there are people who are powerful enough to take that reason away from me, putting all my efforts to waste and making all my sacrifices senseless.

Tangina. Nakakaburaot.

~o0o~

Watched Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. How's that for a movie title? Hehe.

'Twas a mockumentary about a Kazakh journalist named Borat Sagdiyev who travels to the US to learn about American culture for the benefit of his great and glorious nation, Kazakhstan. He interviewed real people, flummoxed them with stupid questions and offensive remarks, and got real reactions caught on tape. I dunno how much of it was staged, though.

Nweiz, the movie was soo hilarious, soo insane, soo fucked up, and soo politically incorrect. 'Twas one of those movies that will leave you scratching your head, thinking "He didn't just say that, did he?", laughing hysterically every time, and wanting more!

There was one scene that was so horrifying, it left a mental scar that would stay with me for the rest of my life! Think gay porn that is too awful for words! Yikes! The horror. >_<

But a beautiful satire, it is. Watch it! ^_^

Bloody Dream

'Twas only through Kathy that I heard the news about Bayani Fernando lifting all traffic rules in Metro Manila. It is "to give motorists a chance to reflect on what compels them to obey traffic rules". A day where there would be no MMDA officials drawing their truncheons and blowing their whistles to unruly motorists. "Huli Holiday", as it is aptly called.

Now join me as I step back into my dream world...

I was watching the news with my Dad. 'Twas showing footages of cars and motorcycles beating the red light, counterflowing, and speeding off like maniacs. Then there's this motorcycle ridden by a woman. As the camera zoomed in, it showed Vina Morales clad in this tight-fitting black plastic trousers, kinda like what Trinity wore in The Matrix. Out of nowhere, hundreds of traffic enforcers appeared holding fire hoses aimed directly at the motorcyclists. Its powerful force sent bodies flying off their rides, crashing into the pavement like rag dolls thrown about by a disgruntled child. Vina laid motionless on her back, half-naked, all wounded and bloody. A man came to her rescue but as he carried her away to safety, a fountain of blood came gushing out of her right breast. Vina screamed out in pain and lost her consciousness. The end.

This isn't actually the first time that I dreamt of blood and gore and neither it is the first time that it had a celebrity guest appearance. I remember Mylene Dizon, Romnick Sarmienta, Patrick Garcia, Desiree del Valle, and Pen Medina (just to name a few) stepping into my dreams. Nyahaha! This is the first time though that I remembered a dream in vivid detail.

Hmm.. I think I should stop watching Happy Tree Friends.

Say Cheeeese!

Our itinerary: meet at Megamall, proceed to Fine Light, have our grad pictures reproduced, then accompany April as she gets her new 'do.

Roxie and I arrived at Megamall an hour late. April was a little pissed off, I think. Well, who wouldn't be? But blame the traffic, really. Not me. Hehehe. ^_^

We then headed to Fine Light. Since the studio charges way too much for just a few wallet size copies (Read: 300 pesos for 8 copies!), April and Roxie asked if they could just get hold of the soft copies. Unfortunately, they've deleted the files taken a year ago and they had to look for it uh.. somewhere.

Nweiz, we left the studio empty-handed and decided to grab a bite to eat at Chef d' Angelo in Galleria. To satisfy our big appetites, we ordered two platters of pasta and a pan of pizza. But the cashier must've failed to take our orders accurately coz the waiter arrived with a single platter of pasta instead of two. Actually, with their generous serving of food, 'twas enough to quell our hungers. But we just wanted to make a pig out of ourselves. ... Or was it an I? Nyaha.

April: "Penge po ng cheese."
*Waiter arrives with a bottle of chili.*
April: "Cheese po."
*Waiter arrives with a handful of tissue.*
April: "Cheese po.. CHEEEEESE!"

Hehehe! That really cracked us up! Either he's got a hearing problem or April... well, she has a ngold. Cold, I mean. Hehe. ^_^

After dinner, we walked around the mall. Found some toys stuffed with polyfoam beads, which were too cute not to buy. While April was having a hair spa, Roxie and I bought her some Christmas gifts. Yep, you read that one right. We gave Christmas gifts even though we're yet to celebrate Halloween! Hehe. Well, I guess it's never too early to spread the Christmas cheer!

Merry Christmas, April! Really, it was the traffic. ^_^

21 Candles

---

By the President of the Philippines

Proclamation No. 1155

Declaring Tuesday, October 24, 2006 as a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid'l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan) Kringle's Birthday.

---

Hehe. Today's my birthday and having it declared as a holiday is more than enough reason to celebrate! I need not to go to work; I got to sleep as long as I wanted to; and I was footloose and stress free for an entire weekday! Just what I needed after working overtime yesterday. Haha!

The day was filled with too much surprises (unexpected visitors, gifts, phone calls, and all that.) Too much actually that I still have my jaw dropped on the floor. O_O ......... God, I really dunno what to say. Thank you so so so much. Nyaha.

Well, now that the 21st candle is added to the cake that is my life, I now stand at the bottom of the adult ladder. I know that ascending it wouldn't be as easy as ABC, but with knees shaking and feet hobbling, I'mma climb the first rung.

To everyone who wished me a happy birthday, thank you! It was. ^_^

CSBU Team Building

We just had our Team Building Workshop at Estancia Resort in Tagaytay. 'Twas a nice break for me after all the toil in the last few months. And a nice opportunity to mingle with my colleagues outside the office doing all those transactional activities (whatever that means).

For the first activity, we had to create a laptop out of Judge chewing gums, a box of matches, and a folder. The catch is, we can't use the gums without chewing them first. So aside from the challenge of creating a laptop with the given materials, the greater challenge is that we had to mold other people's chewed chewing gums with our bare hands. Nyaha. Not only did this activity require us to keep our creative juices flowing but our mouth juices as well.

For the second activity, we were grouped in pairs and I was paired with Pansai. One had to be blind-folded so with a game of bato-bato-pick, 'twas decided that he would be blind-folded and I would be his guide. One of the instructions given to us as guides is that we are not allowed to talk. And with the help of this activity, I realized how much of a cheater I am. Haha.

The third activity drained the energy out of us all. The goal is to find these three items: a spoon or a fork, a flag, and a letter. Simple? Not really. We were tied closely as a group. Some were blind-folded and were allowed to talk and to touch, while some were not blind-folded but weren't allowed to touch. Our leader was the only person untied but wasn't allowed to talk. There were lots of stairs that we had to climb up and down for N times. And did I mention that we had this activity after lunch, when the sun was shining full blast?!

For the last activity, we had to build a tower out of barbecue sticks, newspaper, and strips of masking tape. But these materials don't come for free. We had to purchase them using our clothes, our accessories, and our slippers. Apparently, they don't come cheap either. The fun part was when each group was given a chance to test the strength sabotage the other towers. Hehe. So much for building ties huh! Nweiz, here goes a photo of everyone who went.

Believe it or not, "WE CARE."

Paranoia At Its Finest

Today has been such a drag. There's this big-deal-issue that's been bothering me for quite some time now. I've tried my hardest to remain unaffected and to not fall into a pit of depression. But the weeklong chain of events have kept on dodging me that I fear I'm about to lose my balance and fall. :(

Shit happens. And when it does, isn't it a lot healthier to talk about it than to shoot words without aim? Why can't they just tell the truth upfront? Why don't they just pinpoint the problem once and for all? Why do we all have to fuckin' guess?!

Learn It. Live It. Love It.

As I write this entry, I'm still here at the office. Yes, it's Sunday and it's past 12 in the morning and I haven't slept a wink yet. I've alternately been busy working and busy not working. Unit testing and waiting for a module to unit test, that is.

I never thought I would actually say this, but I'm starting to enjoy working overtime. Well, enjoy is not quite the word for it but... Basta. Working for more than 8 hours a day and spending the weekends at work makes me cringe no more. A good night sleep is something I've been deprived of for the past few days. I look and act like I came straight out from the Night of the Living Dead. But surprisingly so, I have no complaints. I guess I've learned to accept that this is an inevitable part of my job and that I have to live with it. And perhaps I really am enjoying working overtime. Nyehe. >_<

While I've been very *eherm* committed to my job, I do recognize that I also have to take care of myself. I lost some pounds, some 5 pounds to be exact. I now have panda eyes and a pimple plantation on my face. I need to pop more vitamins. I need my eye gel mask. I need a higher percentage of PanOxyl. But for now, I think all I need is a gallon of coffee.

The Tao Of Pooh

[Excerpt taken from The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff]
Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie,
A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly.
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
"Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie."

Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie,
A fish can't whistle and neither can I.
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
"Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie."

Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie,
Why does a chicken, I don't know why.
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
"Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie."

A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly. Everything has its own place and function. That applies to people, although many don't seem to realize it, stuck as they are in the wrong job, the wrong marriage, or the wrong house. When you know and respect your own Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don't belong.

A fish can't whistle and neither can I. I have certain limitations, and I know what they are. There's nothing wrong with not being able to whistle, especially if you're a fish. But there can be lots of things wrong with blindly trying to do what you aren't designed for.

Why does a chicken, I don't know why. There are things that we don't really need to know. We don't need to imitate Nearsighted Science, which peers at the world through an electron microscope, looking for answers it will never find and coming up with more questions instead. We don't need to play Abstract Philosopher, asking unnecessary questions and coming up with meaningless answers. What we need to do is recognize Inner Nature and work with Things As They Are.

Ask me a riddle and I reply:
"Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie."

Bruised Almighty

Yesterday, we had our company sportsfest at the Ultra. It rained so most of the outdoor events were cancelled. Actually, all except for the tug-o-war (Which we've won. Hehe. I just had to say that.) Oh well. At least, all indoor games pushed through. I got to play the deadliest basketball game ever. With all the shoving, and poking, and jabbing. I really consider myself lucky to emerge out of the basketball court alive. And I'm not even exaggerating here. Hehe. I had no idea that 'twas a basketball-slash-rugby-slash-wrestling event that I signed up for. Thank God the championship games didn't push through coz we're all physically drained and battered and bruised. x_x The pictures below, obviously, are all taken before the "deadly" event so we all still look "alive". Hehe.

Two Years And Counting

Two years na pala kami! ...ng blog ko! Hehe. ^_^

Happy 2nd year anniversary! I can't believe it's been 2 years since we started this beautiful relationship and I'd like to think that in those years, I've matured in more ways than one. You've challenged me to articulate my thoughts into words, to express myself without fear of judgement, to keep things real and just be me. And I thank you for that. Thank you for giving me this chance to do what I love doing, a chance to share a bit of my personal world where people can either cry with me, laugh with me, or even laugh at me. Honestly, there were times when I wanted out of this relationship, when I felt like you remind me of things I'd rather forget. But then I ask myself, "Do I really want to forget?" Two years and 174 entries later, guess what? We're still together. And I promise that I'll hold on to this relationship, as long as I'm able.

Welcome Party 2006

It has become a company tradition to welcome the newly hires with a party they would never forget. Ever. What makes it so unforgettable? Try performing in front of a hundred watchful eyes, waiting for you to do something stupid, so they can all have a good laugh at your sorry expense. That's what. But it's all in good fun, of course.



Out of the 5 groups that performed, we landed third. Not bad for barely a week of preparation, eh? I really dunno how we bagged the third place coz I thought we just made a mess out of ourselves. Oh well. That's 2,500 pesos worth of crap, baby! Ano, ha?! Ehe. Kudos to us! ^_^

My First Cup of Java

Having gone through the VGS orientation, more or less, I now have an idea of what the project is all about. I don't think the orientation is enough to pull me through this project unscathed, though. Unlike the numerous lectures and trainings we had when we were with NGN that somehow geared us up for the project, there's no assurance that we'll have the same kind of preparation with VGS. Their schedule is so tight that there isn't much time to squeeze in an in depth discussion of the project. Which is quite scary, actually. I dunno if I could survive diving headfirst into this whole VGS thing without any kind of training to begin with. I dunno if I could soak everything up in a matter of days. I dunno if I could easily cope with such a sudden change. I dunno exactly how I, a Java ignoramus, could be of help. Hai...

So this is my first cup. Cheers!