What makes some government people think they are superior to ordinary folks seeking their office's approval or whatever request from them? Why do they speak to you like everything's your fault and make you feel stupid. Well at least that's how I felt this morning when I talked to this certain "Malacañang officer". But then maybe it's just my inferiority complex kicking in.

Anyway, I had to call Malacañang to follow-up on something for my company. As expected, it hasn't been a pleasant conversation with just one person. I was given about five numbers to call to make the follow up (I call a number and the person that I talk to gives me another number and name to contact and when I call that person he gives me another number and name to call, and so on). Wait, that was only four, I think. The fourth was a recorded message because it was the trunkline.

The first three were polite and patiently told me to call the next number. (Now that I think about it, it was like solving a mystery. "Dial this number to get your next clue") But the fifth one was, aargh! 

It was an old woman who instantly went ballistic upon hearing me say "follow-up." I wanted to hung-up, no, I wanted to bang the receiver hard for her eardrums to crack, but doing that might cost my job, so I just pretended to still be listening to a recorded message. I said "good morning ma'am. I would just like to follow up on our company's request for…" And she went, "ANONG ORGANIZATION?" (I had to type it in capital letters so you could really feel her rage). So I mentioned my company's name. "FOLLOW UP?! EH KANINA LANG NAMIN NATANGGAP YUNG REQUEST SA FAX!!!" she said. At that point I wanted to scream at her, "HINDI PO AKO BINGIII!!!" I tried to explain that we hand-carried the same request last week and I was told to follow it up in their office, but she never let me finish talking. She just went on speaking with another person in the room, probably confirming if my claim was true. "HELLO?! BULAG BA KAYO? RECEIVED COPY KAYA YUNG FINAX KO DIYAN!" I wanted to say, but I chose to shut up and just wait for her next attack.

When she finally got back on the phone, she told me to call back in "TWO WEEKS WORKING DAYS" to follow-up. Confused, I asked to clarify what she just said, "Two working days po?" And she had gone mad again. "TWO WEEKS WORKING DAYS!!! HINDI KAMI NAGPA-PROCESS NG TWO WORKING DAYS!" She yelled, as if scolding a kid who had broken her antique vase. I sooo wanted to end the conversation right then so I was like, "Opo, maraming salamat po!" in my sweetest tone, but she repeated her sentiment two more times, "TWO WEEKS WORKING DAYS!!! TWO WEEKS WORKING DAYS!!!" to make sure that I understood what she was trying to get through my head. OK! FINE! TWO WEEKS WORKING DAYS! Then she gave me the numbers to call (yes, another set) and the persons to look for.

Before she put down the phone she also gave me her full name and designation, in case I wanted to report her to the authorities for, let's see, tele-harassment?

What is their problem? I would understand it if I called them five minutes before five, but it was 9 in the morning, for crying out loud! Wala pa silang karapatang ma-stress ng ganoong oras ano. Hay mga tao talaga...

Ivee: Gusto ko ng Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim.

Ang aking konsensya: Hindi mo pa nga alam kung marunong ka nyang lomography na 'yan eh. Tumigil ka! Gastos pa yun!

Ivee: Pero P1,300 lang!

Ang aking konsensya: Kahit na noh! Pambili mo nalang yun ng 120 film at pang-process.

Ivee: Sige na nga.

Photo from Jennie Castillo

Hay. Sa ngayon, si Vivitar UW&S ay mananatili na lang munang isang "lomo crush". Besides, I still have to see how things will go between me and Logan, my Holga.

I'm so excited to load that film! Hopefully nothing goes wrong.

***

I've been listening to *bleep* for three straight days and it's starting to feel weird already. Eerie, even but I just couldn't stop! I'm enjoying it so much and I don't care if it's so out-of-season. No, it isn't a Christmas album. Basta! haha!

Clue: It's the soundtrack of a 34-year-old movie.

Uwian naaa!

"Things that are living in the pockets of your bag, jeans or jacket: travel and pay checks, old cigarette pack that just looks interesting, sugar lumps and all the stuff that has found home in your pockets. They are all the treasures our project is looking for! Our goal is not only bring all this objects into light but show the owner of them." --FACE YOUR POCKETS PROJECT

 
A piece of me, Vigan City map, bus ticket, Tweety pocket tissue, mobile phone, mini notebook, Sony MP3 player, Nivea strawberry lip balm, Maybelline pressed powder, Rosary, card reader, P10 coins, cheek and lip tint, red aviators.

It was fun! But I had a hard time squeezing my face in, haha! Check out the site for more stuff like this. You might want to make your own, too.

I'm walking around the office with my headphones on, listening to Good Times with Mo, Mojo and Grace Lee, laughing by myself and looking stupid.  Grace Lee is out of the country (I think she's in Spain) so Bianca King is filling in for her. She sounds like a kid. I don't like it. I hope Grace comes back really soon.

This morning they had Brian Gorell on the show (via overseas phone call, of course) and that was why I tuned in. But I only managed to catch the last two minutes of his stint. Boo.

I can't wait to have my first two rolls processed! lomo-on!

My day is just starting. I hope it goes well. Please, please, PLEASE!

hmmm...I'm gonna logout now. Still nothing blog-worthy to yap about.

later!

...the new Tabulas control panel allows you to add more than one custom template? I'm not sure about the limit but I managed to add three more templates without having to delete the code for my Jellybean template. This, so far, is the coolest feature of the new control panel for me. I shall keep exploring...Rock on Mr. Roy! (oh look, the smileys are back! yey!)

I should be in the shower now. I'm meeting Jean for lunch in an hour. Then later around three I'll be meeting with Geoff at the mall and then we'll visit Jean in the hospital.

Confused? So am I!

I'll be seeing two Jeans today. Jean Catherine, my best friend since first grade, and Jean Marie, my friend from the office.

The first one I'll be meeting for lunch for some business opportunity and lots of catching up. The other I will visit, together with Geoff, in the hospital because she had an operation yesterday.

***

I'm sooo loving the new Tabulas control panel! I think I said that about a hundred times already, haha! I'm still encountering bugs, but hey, it's a one-man-project you know.

***

I really have to buy my own portable dvd player so I could watch the flicks in my stack WHENEVER and WHEREVER I want.

Speaking of flicks, I bought a dibidi of Across the Universe in Baguio last week. Yesterday morning the public market from which I bought it was razed by fire. Sad.

Speaking of Baguio, I have yet to sort those photos. I only have a few digital takes as I was busy working with Logan.

Speaking of Logan, I might have those rolls processed today...yay!

Speaking of today, I have people to meet!

Catch you later!

I did meet up with Jean, my best friend whose nickname is actually Jenn, and also got to meet her cuuute dog Nachi! I generally don't like animals but Nachi was just so adorable! He went all giddy upon seeing me. For a moment I thought about getting my own pet, but nah. I'd rather buy a Diana+ and lotsa 120mm films.

Cute Nachi and my pretty bestie Jenn
(I forgot to take pictures of my actual visit to them, so I just grabbed this from Jenn's Friendster page)

Then I was off to the mall to meet Geoff. He got there before I did and we immediately proceeded to visit the other Jean who, we were glad to see, was doing fine. Parang walang nangyari...

After all these, I went to Paul's and brought him his favorite Dunkin' Donuts. Nakakapagod pero masaya. Kaya ko palang mag-commute ng mag-isa!

*There's something wrong with the Tabulas Gallery. I couldn't upload photos so I had to use Photobucket for this entry.

Timothy Olyphant! Haha!

I chanced upon Catch and Release on HBO last night and he was just so...oh I can't even put it into words! OA ba? Tinamaan talaga ako eh..hehehe!

He looked so familiar so feeling ko naman destiny kami. Then I realized he was the hitman in the movie Hitman, which I got to see on the bus on our way home from Baguio last week. Naturally, I googled him for photos and more info and that's where I found out that he was also the bad guy in the latest Die Hard film, Live Free or Die Hard or simply Die Hard 4.0.

Hay...landi! haha!

Moving on, I finally got to watch Across the Universe this afternoon with Paul. I'm sooo going to buy the soundtrack! Or download everything from Limewire, hehe.

One movie down, a lot more to go! I really need that portable dvd player. I almost bought one yesterday, but I remembered my vow not to swipe my card until my remaining balance is below a certain amount. Hpft. Tiis, tiis muna.

May pasok nanaman bukas.

Have a great week ahead!

I figured out just recently (or maybe I already did eons ago and I was just in denial) that I am a hardcore anti-social. Okay, maybe not that hardcore, but I now agree with people whose first impression of me is being a snob. I just don't have that sort of magic that attracts other people to become friends with me instantly. And then there's also my shyness, which I'm totally blaming for the snob tag. "Hindi ako suplada, mahiyain lang talaga," has always been my excuse.

But there are cases when I am genuinely being a snob. Those are the instances when I don't like the people I'm dealing with or when they're wasting my time. I guess I'm not that good at hiding my impatience, but I think it's better that way than to pretend to be enjoying the company of the person who's in reality getting into my nerves.

Of my remaining positive traits, the one that I am most proud of is my being honest. I'm not playing saint here. I do lie but only to avoid further damages in really complicated situations. Otherwise I always choose to tell the truth. I am quite honest in the sense that, as I mentioned earlier, I never hide how I feel towards a person. if I don't like you that much, then I won't hang out with you just for the sake of getting along. If I hate you, which, in my opinion is entirely different from not liking someone, then I won't even look at you. 

Likewise, I can't really hide it when I like a person. I give more attention and am more sensitive and attentive to his or her needs. It doesn't matter if that other person likes me in return or not as long as I am able to get the message across, that I'd like to be his or her friend. If that person doesn't feel the same way towards me, fine. I'm not the type that would force someone to like me. BUT, I find ways to express that what I'm offering is sincere friendship.

Sadly, there are just some who refuse to see and accept what I have to offer...

A BIG thank you to those who have chosen to see beyond the superficial and accepted my friendship!

I guess we all are at some point. Kaya nga naimbento ang online communities at blogs eh. We all want to check on the lives of certain people who have been, are or whom we wish could be part of our lives.

For me there's nothing really wrong with cyber stalking, as long as no harm is done to both the subject and the stalker (I really wish there was a better term. Fan?). I mean, pag ba palaging may nagbabasa ng blog mo o sumisilip sa Friendster mo, may nangyayari bang masama sa'yo? Buti nga may interesado sa mga pinaggagagawa mo dito sa net eh. At 'di ba yun naman ang point nun? To let the whole cyberworld know what's up with you?

But let me make it clear that the only thing that I'm ok with is harmless cyber stalking. Ibang usapan na pag sa real world. That could be really dangerous.

Sa mga fellow stalkers ko, 'wag kayong magpahuli! Haha! At sa mga subjects ng mga cyber stalker, rejoice! May pumapansin sa inyo.

They stopped publishing Nancy in the comics section of the Manila Bulletin!

I hope it's only temporary. I'm gonna miss her and Sluggo and Aunt Fritzi and Rollo and even Irma whom I seldom see appear in the strip.

...blasting my earphones. The entire Across the Universe soundrack, which I successfully downloaded from Multiply (yes, I am still able to download songs from that site *evil grin*) is currently on repeat mode.

...the new P5 per 15 minutes browsing rate of Globe! Together with the Opera Mini mobile internet browser, it allows me to blog virtually anywhere and anytime, like now.

...watching movies alone. This might sound weird for some, but I really enjoy seeing movies by my lonesome. Digesting the film is much easier without the interruptions. Incidentally, this is the reason why I finally bought a portable dvd player yesterday.

...listening to either Mo, Mojo and Grace Lee of Magic or Chris Tsuper and Nicole Hyala of Love Radio in the morning on my way to work. They all have the power to perk me up during the most, uh, challenging time of the day for me.

...changing the colors of my Tabulas template. It makes me feel like an expert in html.

...taking photos of the sky, clear or cloudy.

...reading the comics section of the Manila Bulletin. My favorite strips are Baltic & Co., Ipenuts, Nancy, Archie, Beetle Bailey, The Born Loser, Tok & Mol and Life in Progress.

These are some of the things that make my boring life more tolerable.

Right now I'm waiting for...

• my sister to get off the phone so I could call Paul. I miss him.
• the result of my first two rolls. Aha! I finally had 'em processed last Friday and now I'm just waiting for the CD to be delivered.
• tomorrow to come because I'll be seeing my UST friends + Bonj.
• the next pay day.
• the next weekend.
• Multiply to be back online (maintenance is on going).
• my phone and credit card bills.
• my next out-of-town trip.
• my next spa day.
• my next salon day.
• another lomo-op.
• another good movie.
• a romantic date with my man.
• the end of my long agony.

I am THIS pink!

My favorite (shopping) bag from Herbench, Boy Meets Girl perfume from Penshoppe, Hello Kitty wallet, Fibrella umbrella, Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret? and Snoopy make-up kit from Watsons.

But of course I'm speaking from my point of view. There might already be a little bias there...haha!

Folks, here's how I did in this lomo thingy:

Baguio Cathedral

Session Road

Hero-in-the-making (PMA)

See the rest of my shots here.

"Even though we can't hear or see them at all, a person is a person, no matter how small"

-Horton

I woke up this morning with a heavy head so I decided not to go to work today. I'm stuck here at home with the 'rents. The Across the Universe bug hasn't left me yet and neither has the excitement of seeing my first lomographs!

About the quotable quote above, I watched Horton this morning on dibidi and managed to remember that line. Sometimes even the littlest fame or fortune gets to our head and we tend to think of others as inferior to us, like we hold their fate in our hands. Let us not forget that we are all equal in the eyes of God and only He can judge us.

Anyway, I'm still not feeling so well but I think I can go to work tomorrow. I have to. In the mean time, I'm going to watch some more dvds. An Audrey Hepburn flick, perhaps?

Hope your day went well!

Because I am such a fickle mind and I realized just now that it is the perfect name for my new BFF, I am renaming my Holga 120N HOLLY. Yup, it's now a SHE.

With respect, of course, to the accessories line of my dear online pal Clarise Ng. =) (I hope you don't mind my naming her after our favorite Audrey Hepburn character, too).

I'm looking forward to more journeys with you, oh Holly!

 

"Ikaw ang gusto kong makasama habambuhay!c-:"

--Paul
29-Apr-2008 10:52 pm

I'm going to be a year older again soon. Want to cheer me up?

to be continued...

*I can't really think of anything else to ask for.