I'M THINKING OF GETTING A...

I've been thinking... i'm already 24, still single, still laboring over my underpaid~overworked job in a government hospital, and up until now i haven't really proven something for myself. I remember a week ago when a good friend of mine, Cess came home from Manila. I don't know how it happened but the topic on getting inked came up. She asked me if i wanna have one, i was like "are you kidding me? i have always wanted to have one for a very long time na." I told her that i was planning to have one on my wrist, preferably left, or maybe on my forearm. She asked me what will i get if ever, i got stuck for a moment after that, i have been yearning to get a tattoo for ages already and still i haven't yet decided what to get! I just told her the first thing that came to mind, "a quote from a book/lyrics to song/line from a poem i haven't found yet". Then she told me what she want to have and where she's planning to get it, and said that we should get one soon, and soon would be that day or the day after. I said "no way, i need to pass medicals first before i get one." Then the topic drifted off to something remotely related to the last one.

I've been thinking.... tattoos are an expression of a wearer's feelings, a physical representation of his/her inspiration embedded on the skin. It being permanent manifests that once you let that buzzing needle touch your skin, there's no turning back, what was done was done, and there's no way of erasing it... well, you can have outrageously expensive sessions of laser removal, but that only removes the outside, what about the emotions, the impulse that got you there in the first place? That's practically as permanent as the tattoo itself. So I figured if i'm going to have one, a text tattoo that is, i won't be quoting Pablo Neruda or Bob Ong, no matter how beautiful or witty the words are, since these people haven't touched my life yet. I won't be placing lyrics from an epically wonderful song from a random artist since that artist's music did not save me at all. This is very much in contrary to what i told Cess, "......i haven't found yet."

I've been thinking..... if i will be getting one i will be fishing out from one of the thousands of magical insights from the Harry Potter books. Because basically HP have been my life ever since i sneak the hardbound edition of the books from the College library to my Chemistry class when i was in High School, and read it instead of jotting down notes/listening to my teacher. It took me to a lot of places and further enriched my imagination. If i will be getting one i will be embedding a "magical" text in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph (or maybe the hieroglyph "ankh" which means "immortality") because eversince i was a child, who used to watch Ancient Egypt documentaries in NGC and Discovery, i have always believed that i was an Ancient Egyptian in my past life. If i will be getting one i will have an esoteric symbol, something only bonafide fanboys & girls will recognize. Which gave me the idea of getting the runic symbols of the Deathly Hallows on my wrist or posterior forearm. But not now... like i mentioned to Cess a week ago: "i need to pass medicals first before i'll get one."

THE SABBATICAL (MY 2 WEEKS OF REST)

A lot has happened 2-3 weeks ago which made me decide that it was time for me to take a break for a while and go "find myself". I have been planning to request for a week-long leave months prior to that crazy week I had at work. After "packing" 5 patients in less than 2 weeks and experiencing an emotionally-staining case of verbal abuse from a co-worker hours after his patient arrested, I figured that this career just started to take its toll on me big time. I realized that I have been physically and mentally drained and I deserved a break from all of these brouhaha which unfolded before me in a short period. I passed my letter requesting for a 2-week leave from my duties, citing 2 fictional weddings in Manila I was supposed to be a big part of. And even though I requested on a time when there is a relative shortage in staff, on the day when the schedule for the next week's suppose to be finalized and approved, I fortunately received good news from my bosses. Now I have just a few days left before i resume for work again, and i ask myself: "what have i done for myself in these 2 weeks of relieving myself from my job?" Not much, I presume.

First off, i just revealed that my reasons in my request letter were not real. Only my friends outside of work and my c-workers in my floor knew this. So if in any way my bosses were able to read this (which i am certain they won't :P ) i am fckin screwed. But i like to see it like this: IT'S BEEN DONE, GET OVER IT.

For almost 2 weeks i have been eating a lot. I have been doing a lot of catching up with my high school friends. And i am not spending a lot during those eating and catching up sprees. Christel is currently here on vacation from Italy, and she's been dispensing Euros to make her stay here, though short, worthwhile. Last week we literally spent 4 days eating out, and for the first time ever in my employed life i came home very late. Not during-the-early-hours-of-morning late, just mornight late. :)

Day 1 of my "sabbatical" i told myself that i will be finishing every project kept on hold due to tight work schedules. This included photo editing jobs, recording of tracks for my "dream" EP album (which will be released in this blog eventually..), implementing stage for this awesome hoodie i'm working on, etc etc. But sadly, none of these were finished nor started. SO what have i been doing during those days when i am not out with friends? I did some catching up with sleep. Yes, i slept like a maniac. And i watched True Blood during waking hours... and random episodes from HIMYM Season 6... :P

My last post was all about hammering down the last nail in my crusade to finally fulfill my "SexyBack Manifesto". ......yyyeah..I can't do that..at the moment. But i will next week. There are tons of temptations lurking this week for me to take it seriously. I ran around the tracks the other day, supposedly yesterday also but it started pouring. The weather's not cooperating! (excuses, excuses, you're just too lazy to go fat boi).

I believe i need to cut back on some vices. My run the other day consisted mainly of brisk walking. I feel ashamed of myself. It's only been more than a month since my last run (Milo Marathon). And i survived that one. I ran more than i walked. I really, really need to adapt a clean lifestyle. (Last schtick evuhhh!!!!! This time for realZ.)

SO here i am, counting down the days before i resume for work. Christel will be arriving in the morning from Manila, Marian arrived yesterday and she's on leave from her work too. I am pretty sure that we will be going out this afternoon again. And i am certain that the itinerary will mostly involve eating out. I realized that what i have been doing this past 2 weeks is basically what this sabbatical was meant to do for me: Relieve the stress. And its working. Talking with friends, having a few (or more) laughs, reminiscing the good days of High School with coffee or at most times with tons of food, has been very therapeutic for me. I realized that i don't need to stress myself again with those unfinished projects, it's just like incorporating work in this well-deserved break. ALthough those are just hobbies, but i tend to sometimes be perfectionist about them..only adding up to the stress i was aiming to erase.

Now that i am a few days away from work again, i hope i won't be pooled with stress again in the next few days, or weeks. I don't need another sabbatical for now...

I WAS INVITED TO TAKE PART IN A CHRISTIAN CEREMONY

Last April I was asked by Eunice to be one of the godparents of his son Carl. Since she is a very good friend of mine, i immediately said yes. It may seem shocking or disloyal to those who know me very well, i may have, at some point, doubted my own decision, but it really did happen. I, a self-pronounced excommunicate of the Roman Catholic church, and a self-proclaimed non-believer, said "yes" to attend a christening or as Eunice's church would put it a "dedication to the Lord Almighty".

So here's the deal on this one. I am a non-believer. I have been one since mid-2010. And i am proud to announce it to the world. Agreeing to be the godparent of Carl may seem like a gesture of disloyalty to my own chosen path. But i do not believe in that. In my defense to those who criticized me (~i know one, but i know there were others), i consider myself a non-discriminating person. Offer me to take part in a ceremony in your church and i will be grateful. I actually consider it to be an honor when i am asked to be like this, or like that in somebody's wedding/christening/funeral etc. because i am being made to believe that these people whom i treat like shit (ok, maybe not, but you get the point) sometimes actually trust me in the bottom of their hearts.... and that they are willing to risk a slot for me in those souvenir photos. Unlike some (most) believers i advocate brotherly/sisterly love outside organized religions.

So i took part in Carl's dedication to the Lord Almighty. I listened to the Pastor and i honestly thought he is very nice. As i listen to his preachings i maintained an open mind. That was the first time i entered a non-Catholic mass/service wherein i actually paid attention. I expected a revelation to occur in me but... nothing. I admire his teachings but if i am going to put those in practice why should i do it for someone else unseen? Why not do it for myself, for the people around me? So i promised myself that i will set a good example for Carl. That i will be a dedicated godparent as long as he sees me. So that he may grow up to be a wise, open-minded person with his own beliefs. We did the pledge/dedication/acceptance thing but i did not dare mouth back the words the Pastor were feeding us. That would be too much to be shoved down my throat. :P

AND THIS IS WHERE THE CRUEL WORLD PART BEGINS

This is "Cruel World", a song written by Magi Martin and music by me. It started with a joke about me making music for an EP album and i told Magi, "you love to write right? give me a copy of any poem you have and ill try to write some music on it." So i read the poem she gave me and it sounded a bit dark--ish. The title was mine-- since it was untitled when she gave me the copy. She told me that it was written during those gloomy, "un-thankful" days in her household. So yeah, give it a try, and if you liked it, don't hesitate to comment. Violent reactions are appreciated too. :P
Vocals... i mean caterwauls provided by moi, recorded in my bedroom using Audacity, mixed using Audition etc. etc. etc. Spare me the technical stuff and just listen owkei? Please.. hehehe

AND I AM TELLING YOU... I NEED TO SET-UP A TRIAGE FOR INCOMING CALLS

"Prioritize" is my word for the week and perhaps for the rest of the year. Being a self-diagnosed ADHD i think i ought to make it as a mantra, and what better way to start this year right than to set-up some ground rules... starting with CALLS.

I usually do not receive phone calls from a lot of people, i rarely text or call unless it's urgent or necessary, and i especially HATE it when i pull myself out from what i am currently doing just to answer my phone. Being a self-diagnosed ADHD, the slightest distraction from my main focus might, but most probably will, direct me to another task. I am pleased to inform you that my job, work, occupation and profession does not require me to sit all day, infront of the computer monitor, with coffee and cigarette breaks, constantly chatting leisurely with my co-workers. My job, work, occupation and profession is all about dynamism. DYNAMIC! DYNAMIC! DYNAMIC! (with accompanying clapping or hand waving gesture whichever you prefer). And we rarely engage in leisurely talks with our co-workers, and almost every break time is always a working break. Because unlike most jobs, it's life we are dealing with for crying out loud!!! And I may sound somewhat hyperbolic in this part of this post so i think i'm gonna have to shut up now and proceed with my point. :)

I then officially declare a Triage for my incoming calls. Here is a scenario:

I am at work, doing my usual chores, "saving lives" (yeah, whatever)

*ring* *ring* (or in my case, *INTERGALACTIC, PLANETARY, INTERGALACTIC, IIIINTERGALACTIC*)

Please note that whatever it is you are about to say, that it requires you to hear my voice, i shall consider it urgent or an emergency.

I answer my phone, causing me to dismiss my attention to a current task.

"Hellow?"

"Adda jay orders mon. Umay mon to alan."

"Owkei. Isu lang?"

"Wen. Bye."

And then you hang-up.

In my brain another day just passed. The first thing i see after that conversation might, but most likely will, automatically drive me to it diverting me from my previous, unfinished task. And in my mind i would be cursing you all day for being a distraction... thus decreasing my merits from your god.

Rule # 1:

If it is still not that bothersome to send it through text, SMS, MMS, etc feel free to do that before calling me. Because i don't want to be distracted. Your call might kill a patient. And whenever i hear my ringtone it always delivers a "kick" in my groin opting me to answer it first and abandon what i am doing. And in my line of work that is dangerous you know...

Rule # 2:

I will only answer to text messages which would require a decent reply, like if you are asking a question. If your text is a statement, consider my silence to be : "yes, i got that." No need to send it to me 20 times, drop call me 10x, or worse, actually call me.

Rule # 3:

My replies to your questions through text will be considered complete and i will only answer unanswered questions. I will try my best to answer any possible follow-up questions, and every information shall be absolutely final. 'Pag nangungulit ka lang ("xur nb yn?" etc.) hindi na kita rereply'an bobey. For me "LOAD is GOLD", and yeah i know it rhymes, it was unintentionalll...

Rule # 4:

If you decide to call me you better have a good reason why you are calling me. Or else i would only be cursing your soul for the rest of my day.

Rule # 5:

If necessary i have the right to silence my phone while you are calling. That would teach you how to text first.

Rule # 6:

Please abide by these rules in order for me to maintain my concentration with whatever i am doing because time is gold, right timing is proper gold-digging. ok?

Summary:

GREEN -- must be texted always, no matter what. DO NOT call, just text. It usually includestatements such as "D2 n me" "D2 me fountain,wil w8 4u" "CR lng me" "Mern na ordrs u" "Pnta na u,pnta na me" etc.

YELLOW -- still, just text me, if there's no reply from me, it might mean i am busy, but i will make it a point to answer back ASAP if necessary. This usually includes inquiries which do not require my immediate attention (my own standards), but i can always weigh the situation if it is urgent on your part or not.

RED -- call without delay. If you decide to text me instead, i'll be the one to call you at the soonest possible time. I prefer calls for these situations since i seldom check my phone for messages.

BLACK -- texts i will just delete. nagsa-sayang ka lang ng load, network signal, oras etc. This usually include smileys out of nowhere, "Hi", "Hw r u?" etc. Mga sitwasyon na sasayang lang sa neurons ko. I need these neurons to function properly, especially now that my brain is being slowly depleted of oxygen because my respiratory tract is clogged with phlegm.

** This is a work of fiction, conceptualized as a form of leisure for the readers. This must not be taken seriously... but seriously, be ethical enough to text first before you call if your message is not important. It is lighter to text, load-wise, neurons-wise, network space-wise, and i could go on with this -wise, -wise bullcrap all day.. So please, just text. If i deem it necessary to reply back ASAP, i will, but if not, please do not waste my time. Because a minute talking to you about nonsense (in my own standards) is a minute of doing something useful for me to realize that i deserve my salary. Thank you.

The Five Things I Learned, So Far, in My 24 Years of Existence

Originally meant to be a post for August 2010, i failed to publish it for unknown/forgotten reason. The original title was "The Five Things I Learned, So Far, In My 23 Years of Existence". So basically i just changed "23" to "24" since i am 24 now. But after reviewing this, these things still apply.

So we learn a lot of things as we interact with this world, which is basically the reason why we exist; so a lot of us are still crawling in the dark when it comes to finding our true potentials, which is essentially why we still do not cease to, well, exist; so i finally decided to put up the five (important) things i learned so far in my 24 years of interacting with this world...and this shall grow along the way.

The world is subjective, this is how i view it.

Numero Uno

There is no such thing as a "born leader".

Nobody interacts perfectly with this world. The world, as cliche as it may sound, is a harsh place. One day you are at the top of your game, the next day you are sinking rapidly at the bottom of this world's annals. I have had my experience of both worlds in the past and in the present. And although it may not be the best experience, it is most definitely a very meaningful one. Anyone who would want to refute this have not experienced the world's full wrath yet. (def. "Born Leader" - one who is superior to everyone in this race called world interaction......marathon)

Numero Dos

If you do not like what most people are going gaga for, you are either a hipster or a douche...or a combination of both: a Hipstouche

I remember using the term "hipster" referring to those morons in ASAP. Then i realized that those chimps are not hipster, they only dress and/or look like hipster. A hipster is a person who goes beyond or to the opposite of mainstream. And those gorillas are reeking mainstream. If you consider yourself "indie" then you may well be a hipster. Hipsters are criticized for being major douchebags since hipsters are sometimes known to spread douchiness. But those are the idiot hipsters. I do not like mainstream that much, i pretend to like mainstream for the benefit of the lower mortals... i mean, my friends (hehehe >:D) So... yeah i can definitely say that i am a hipster. (Got any problem with that? Because i will use my pseudovegan telekinesis on you!)

Numero Tres

Not everyone who speaks properly/well is included in the "elite" league of superior humans...if there is one in the first place.

As i mentioned above, there is no such thing as a "born leader". So a person speaks carabao english or has a speech defect. It does not mean that he's stupid. We shall never know what goes inside a person's head unless we ourselves experience it first-hand. And besides a lot of great speakers are just that, "great speakers". They just spread douchiness in this world and their main presence deprives us of safe air to breathe. Yes, i'm partially referring to the monkeys on TV.

Numero Quatro

It is better to just shut-up than alienate the people around you and end up being the odd one out.

Not everyone interacts with this world the same way as some people do. Having "weird" interests - as some called it - placed me in awkward conversations in the past, so whenever i feel like relating my "weird" interests to a certain topic during conversations, i just usually resort to encasing my thoughts instead of making a fool out of myself. That is why i am always on the lookout for someone who shares the same interests as me... always on the lookout. (and someday that creature will come and entertain me -- "creature" yes, i believe in life beyond this Universe) But i learned that too much restriction can rob you of your personality - as pointed out to me by my cousin years ago.

Numero Cinco

Learn to trust everybody you interact with in this world.

I do not see the credibility in the common version of this. I think not all people lie, and if they do lie it is mainly because they are protecting something. Don't get me wrong, i absolutely am a fan of House and his philosophies or "Houseisms" or whatever you would want to call it but i just do not think it is necessary to cover yourself with electric barbed wires everytime. I learned that if you trust someone, that person will do the same. It is pretty basic actually, it is the Golden Rule. I personally believe that the whole world will be a much better place if we all learn to trust the people we interact with everyday.

Who invited who?

Out of boredom i googled PGMA and clicked the article about her in Wiki. While reading the first part of the article, i came across a sentence which enlightened my day.

"In 1987 she was invited by President Corazon Aquino to join the government as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry."

Wow.
It was the Late President Aquino who introduced President Gloria to the dirty world of politics all along.

I know Wiki is not that reliable as a source of information. The Aquino Camp may also have another story to this, or maybe it has always been a plan of PGMA to step into his Dad's shoes someday when she was younger, but that part of the article really hit me in the most strange way that made me utter "Oh the irony!".

"The muse of Philippine Democracy gave birth to the Most-Hated President in Philippine history."

I have nothing against PGMA. I still think she is one of the most intelligent individuals ever to rule the land. She really stretched the capabilities of her position pretty well. (Yeah, sheREALLY did!) She may have acted stupidly under pressure, but overall she handled herself pretty well. And yes, i'm still going to stand by to what i told my friends a couple of years back, that i have faith in PGMA.


---

To read the rest of the article about her in Wiki (i think it won't be necessary to put the link, but i'm doing it anyway) here's the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo

*NB: This was originally a Note i posted in FaceBook last 08 May 2010 @ 13:55. I just thought it would be interesting to include it here.

8-Bit Wedding Invitation

My good friend, Tina, who is going to get married this July, assigned me the rigorous task of designing/coming up with a kick-ass wedding invitation. As i was Googling for "unique", "unconventional", "cute", yet "simple" designs, i came across this beauty.

Nostalgia struck me when i saw this 8-bit Video Game-inspired wedding invitation. I suddenly remember the days when "Game & Watch" was like the 'bomb', and finishing Mario in the original Nintendo game console is a huge achievement. My hat's off to whoever conceptualized something as awesome as this.

Addictive

Is it a sin to be addicted to the internet? Did the internet transformed itself into the latest drug? Some may have already been recovering from the addiction the internet brings and yet i am assuming that everyday a lot of people are being introduced to its addictive properties. Am i a victim of the internet's seductive poison?

I may be. It came into full realization when i discovered that i have been spending too much time searching for "how to's" in Google and YouTube. From complex things such as "how to hack your mobile phone to avail of free internet" (my brain's still bleeding from this one) to the simpler ones such as "how to stop bleeding post-tooth extraction" (i mean, it's a no-brainer, just apply pressure to the pulp using a clean gauze or cotton ball). Too much "how to" searches and i will be starting to forget that i have a common sense. Another thing is, I have been basing my decisions too much on what i see in the internet. Such as, which movie to watch or which food to eat. It's like the internet is taking over by brain! And the worse thing is, just like most drugs, the internet is depriving me of sleep. I saw awhile ago in BBC that the light from your computer monitor or laptop can cause sleep deprivation. I attest to that. A lot of ongoing and future projects are being postponed because of the internet. I promised myself that during this 3-week break i will be finishing/starting those projects and yet here i am rubbing my nose to the screen of my laptop. I would always wake up each day with it on stand-by mode (if i continue this, i will be putting my laptop in a risky situation leading to its early retirement), wherein a simple slide of my index finger on the pointer would bring it back again to life. It may have also been the reason why the electric bill is going up (i still blame the TV set to compensate) according to Mamang's standards (lol).

Physical and Psychological dependence, sleep deprivation, social isolation- i really am a victim caught in the internet's web. Or am i just a person who blames the internet in order to escape the real problem... myself.

I will be making a pact with myself that i shall accomplish and/or commence those projects i have waiting in my disk by giving myself 24 hours of abstinence from the internet. It may be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or any day during my leave as long as i make it a point that i will do this before i start reporting for work again. I will prove to myself that "i am not an addict (maybe it's a lie), i am not an addict."

Another Famous Untooned Cartoon

And here is Naruto!

Awesome right?! :D

Prez Noynoy's First Lady

Newly-elect Philippine President Noynoy Aquino will be the first "single" president in Philippine history. Yes, he may be currently dating Councilor Shalani Soledad, the Christine Reyes dead ringer and hot 'shawarma', but that does not count unless they tie the knot prior to his Oath of Office.

We've seen the better half of our past presidents.

Ever wondered what Noynoy's First Lady would be like?

And no, it's not Miss Shalani...

Lady Noynoy

A hybrid of Lady Gaga and Noynoy.

:)