Everything Yellow

I'm on Wordpress.

My banger sister- on a bus ride to a supposed rock gig- said, "We are young and the time to make mistakes in NOW." With that in mind, I QUIT MY JOB. So today, I made it official, I left my Call Center job and off I run to find a new one hoping to find what I REALLY WANT along the way.

I'm young and very sickly and I guess all I ever want in this life is time to think things over and breathe... with my lung condition, breathing might be challenging. I love you, Acquire! As I have indicated on my resignation paper, it was a "first time" worth remembering. Yes, Acquire Asia Pacific was my first employer since graduating from College with the degree I stretched my bones to the fullest for.

I look back, I recall May 6, 2008, I was with Willy Sy, one of my 2 guy Best Friends, we walked in to Acquire, office located at the Lower Ground of the Worldwide Corporate Center along Shaw Blvd. I was young, I had no idea what was in store for me. Inna Aldeguer, my College Best Friend refered me to the company and so I got in, not because she referred me, it's because they thought I was good with the help of "RX 93.1" all over my resume, they thought, hey, this boy can talk, more than that, this boy can speak. With no work experience whatsoever, I got the job offer, a basic salary of Sixteen Thousand plus, on top, regularization allowance, commission and other bonuses.

20 Days, I worked all the necessary forms: from SSS number to NBI Clearance, I learned that life was never gonna be as easy as how it was in College. May 26th, start of Training. 18 months, I served Acquire, or they served me. I left because I knew I had to already.

I've seen million faces pass me by. From my fellow trainees to fellow agents who come and go and the bosses who later on found a better ofer elsewhere, I learned that leaving is always a part of every employee's life. After all, nothing's permanent to even begin with. And taking this small detail of life, which is employment, the whole idea of permanence is sure to be a perfect fit.

On the floor, I have always been the bottom performer. They love to call me a 'bottom' for some reason. Seriously now, I didn't know what I was doing. Being a newbie was never an excuse for my poor performance. From June of 08 to January of 09, I was stuck at Level 1 on the campaign for the beginners, Cold Dialing Campaign, Outbound Sales. I had 4 Team Leaders who I could say took care of me and then later on gave up on me- Eugene Mendoza, Jay-Jay Lim, Chris Misa and my trainer who then became a TL, Nino Simborio.

November, Nino moved to "the better campaign" and I was left dialing Cold. I was then handled by the TL who I have to say has got to be the best boss, leader, immediate supervisor I had been under, Eric Manalo. I spent the holidays in the office with Eric and my team mates, we were his first team as he got promoted from being a Sales Coach. I received the best Christmas gift from a boss, a fancy bracelet which I always wore, reminding me that in everything I do, there's always a TL to back me up, wrapped around me, so I better not fail. In January 2009, I was somewhat promoted, I would love to call it that, I started dialing the "way better campaign" on Outbound Sales, Online Campaign. Eric was still my supervisor then. I dialed Online leads until May of 2009. That was the time when I earned more than what I thought I was gonna be capable of. Twelve Thousand per cut-off and I was just on Level 1.

May of 2009, Eric was moved to another campaign, as equally as good as Online, Inbound Campaign. I was then handled by Sheryll Ronquillo. (Oh no, I'm starting to cry.) Sheryll was my first female boss. She was the only bos my parents got to meet when we bumped with each other at Kenny's in Mega. That time, my poor performance had become something that's beyond her control. I failed big time and so she let me go. I was transferred to another campaign, not as bad as Cold could be but it wasn't as heavenly as Online. I was transferred to April Nograles, another awesome lady love. I then dialed the "Online-2 Campaign." In July of 2009, I was diagnosed with Systemic Viral Infection and I got confined for 4 Days and 3 Nights. I had been absent for 9 Days in July and as per the handbook, no matter the reason, one cannot dial a "Special Campaign" with a heavy amount of absences. So April let me go and transferred me to Rich Dela Cruz, I was back to Cold Calling. It was not a bad experience to be dialing Cold again, I'd been there for the longest time anyway.

Last week of July, I tried to apply for a higher position in another Department, the Winback Manila Department in Acquire. Same acount, diferent job description. From the Department name itself, Winback, to win customers back. I made it and instantly, my status became Level 2. From the position title, Outbound Sales Representative Level 1, I became an Account Specialist Level 2. With generous training from Gian Isip and supervision of DM Sue Peterson, PM Marvin Maglonzo and immediate boss, Coach/ Team Leader Anne Dadufalza, I was living the life of an Account Manager. I have to say as well that I wouldn't be as awesome of an agent if it wasn't for the Level 3s who guided me along the way especially Leona Tampoc aka Ate Lyn Lyn, my Best Friend LT's sister.

November 2009, as I celebrate my 18th month, I left.
Health reasons, personal reasons, they came in handy. Very timely, we are moving addresses and I've been very sick lately, sick enough to stop making calls. I've been diagnosed with Pharyngitis twice, thrice in a year and I should give my throat, pharynx some rest. I was considered to be a candidate for Tonsilectomy (if I mispelled it, f*ck me) for my tonsils are way infected.

I just wanna tell everyone that Acquire rocked my life.
I will forever be thankful.

To all the people I've met through my first job,
it was nice knowing you all. :-)


If this is yet another huge mistake I've done in my life, nothing's responsible for the blame, not even my glamorous beautiful self. I'm young, I can change the course of my life because I'm only 22. I can live the next 22 years more making mistakes. Provided, I return to every detail and try... try to correct each and every mistake, breakdown and downfall.

So I guess this is Good Bye?


Lastly, to my girlfriends and boy tropas from Sales, to the ones who are still with Acquire and to the ones who have left before me, Honey Del Coro (my first ever friend in AAP), Michelle Genio, Lara Santos, Cindy Morales, Marese Secades, Berns Bunda, Pablo Uy, RJ Reyes, Quen Pineda, Mark Gatpayat and Matz Diaz, I love you and I'll miss you forever. To my Winback Family from the HOT Team to the WARM Team to the COLD Team to Recontracting and Cash Converters, you guys rock the Christmas Party, alright?

To my one and only crush at work who I never got to know, yes, I never had crush on anyone in Acquire except for this new HR who replaced the lady who hired me, Kitty Magpayo. Yes, you, Ivan Nava, you're simply beautiful and I still dream about kising your butt cheeks.


To all my gays in the office, it's all about the color Yellow, honey.
Remember me with a smile, always! :-)


Good on ya, mate!

Today marks my third day of not reporting to work. I've been slightly sick and now I feel over-the-top sick.

Tuesday, I went to Mega Clinic, Mega Mall to go through this "Pulmonary Function Test" and the results were quite expected, I have an infection somewhere. What surprised me was when it was already labeled as a 'disease' in the lungs which is alarming if you'd ask me. The findings stated, "Small Airways Obstructive Disease."

Wednesday, I had a Chest X-Ray done and today, I wait for the results.


I'm a smoker and that explains everything. This blog is to remind every one that it's not bad to believe what most people say, smoking is dangerous to your health, to our health. Let's all cut-down on puffin and lighting a stick after another. We can do this, seriously.

***
Crash and burn, yes. I crash, I burn. Been going through hard times lately with work. I don't know. What I do now is plainly work, I work to earn. This is not what I see myself doing for the next few months, years. This is not a career and there's no way I can make a career out of it. Been the bottom performer for far too many times now and I tend to ask myself, have I been learning from all these, really? The problem is in me yet I can't hate myself for not trying to strive. Now I don't know where this blog entry's going, I better get outta here and wait for my X-ray results. I wanna grab some doughnuts.

***
By the way, I've created a Wordpress account. You might wanna check it. But seriously, LJ, I'll never leave you. You're my first true love and I will love you forever.

Since Monday this week, I've been on a lowdown on how to cut my smoking in a day's worth. I've been very unwell lately and all I knew I had to do was to just quit it but I couldn't, I can't.

Since Monday this week, I've been having this oh-my-god moment at work and it's like everything I tried to actually work for, from my position to my reputation is falling apart.

So Since Monday this week, I've been undergoing this sweet therapy where every after work, I make it a point to chill and munch on the "flavor of the day" which makes me look like a pregnant lady craving for what she doesn't know.

Country Style Doughnuts in Shangri-La goes on a 20% sale every after 7pm, just in time for my craving. So I munch on the Peanut Butter one for 25 pesos and the Rocky Road doughnut was heaven, oh and never fail to try the Strawberry doughnut for 20 pesos, it's like the sweetest they have from the store, like, totally sweet you're not gonna intend to try it again.

It's a blessing in a way that we have McDonald's and Starbucks parallel to our office, like a good 40 steps and you're there. I have been craving for Vanilla Sundae at 25 pesos and Starbucks ultimate Belgian Waffle with Strawberry Syrup at 70 pesos like every single time I get depressed. 100 pesos every day for a treat is taking me to heaven. It lessens my smoking habit and I'm all, wow, floating. The downfall, though, is me being all cough-y and sniff-y. I hate it but I don't know, I can't stop craving for sweets.

I'm like this because for a good 2 months, I totally erased chocolates and everything sweet from my life. It was like a painful break-up, I tell you. I suffered from GERD, acid reflux, like Julie Powell's husband, Eric, in Julie & Julia. So bad I couldn't drink anything but water, not even milk or juice. So right now, I feel all over it and I'm like allowed to take things in moderation so, hey, it's a party!

Just a two-cents worth on well, everything but bitterness. :-)




Oh and tonight, it's a banana and Selecta Rocky Road fest at home!

***
And you know what's great about this night? The radio just won't stop throwing some good old 1990's music at me like crazy and early 2000's, too! Vertical Horizon's It's Over, Hanson's Penny And Me (ultimate roadtrip kilig song) and The Calling's Our Lives and some Third Eye Blind, Everclear, July For Kings, Ashanti and Mariah and Artful Dodger! Like totally crazy! It's the RX MONSTERS' RIOT which happens every Wednesday.

On that note, Congratulations to Monster Radio RX 93.1, yes, Manila's Hottest radio station for a successful SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM! The first on FM radio! :-)

Wednesday

I woke up to nothingness. I got to work 2 minutes earlier than usual. I had a good 15-minute breakfast of Garlic Rice, Longganisa and a mug of hot coffee, my first real hot coffee in 2 months. I stopped taking in anything that could trigger my GERD, gastro-whatnot. Up to now, I still don't know what it's called. Acid Reflux, keep it plain jane that way.

***
Dale, a friend from college, a hopeless romantic one, if I may, shared his story about coping up with depression from a past love and someone who for the longest time had been trying so hard to break-in on the scene. I was like, dude, you don't start my morning with love stories and shit. Like seriously, people getting depressed over a lost, a stolen love are dead men walking. It's funny how I get to say all these now, I feel all free and alone and happy and knowing that there are people going through what I once had gone through makes me feel terrible that they might not be able to survive what I already have. I feel all super human knowing that I'm not patronizing the so-called love anymore. I wish all the best for Dale. And it's funny that the person who's hurt him far too many times happens to be a good friend of mine as well so I'm like, whatever dudes, grow up. And to the person who all his life wanted to be in the name of the game, you're some pathetic butt trying to sniff on someone else's left-over. And yes, I am still bitter about seeing two trashes in a bin mixing themselves together. Just a funny and creative idea. Two banana peels could actually be a fruit itself. You don't get me, don't try to at all.

***
One of my many best friends, the one who's been my sister in College is giving birth! Lea Valdez-Mendoza is giving birth this week to, I hope and I'm certain, a healthy baby boy! All your prayers are very much needed. I love Lea so much and it's time I focus my attention on someone else- Baby Marion. :-) I am ready to take the responsibility of a fairy-god-bestfriend-aka-beckie.

***
Friday, pay day, I feel sick, under the weather, unwell, but I need to go out and dance. So if anyone from my group is reading this, text me, I got the names in, I'll see you Friday, Shangri-La, Dome Cafe dinner at 7pm. Go straight to Lea's and then Manor.

***
Yesterday at work, I had the most beautiful letdown. I had to be picked by Mama from work because I couldn't go home depressed. I had to eat chocolates just to let go of all the frustrations and realizations. It worked. Chocolates are love, whether or not you suffer from acid reflux, they do work.

***
A friend said,

"Arden, you're such a loner!"

when he saw me eating in the pantry by myself and on lunch breaks, I disappear for an hour, yes, all by myself, and I said in response,

"Good on you. You got something right today!"

Yes, I'm a loner. I'm the world's biggest irony. I'm the friendly dude who doesn't like to be with people during breaks and lunch. I'm slowly turning into a creep. Could this mean, I'm no loner who I thought I once was? My, my, I have my own world and no one's allowed to touch that.

***
Right now, my world's about the big screen. I make it a point to watch one to two films in a week at Shang in preparation for the Oscars. Please never deprive me of that.

On that note, I better head on out of here.

Lunch is over,
I was with me all the while. *Lame*

***
Oh and I was crying to Here There And Everywhere kanina.
For some reason.

I went through my blog entries today and I was frustrated with myself.

You know what the problem with me is? I don't proof read! I just click the publish button away.

I swear I'm gonna have to turn this all around.

Blog, I still love you.
Well, my blog site, I mean.

Got to go. Happy Monday!

September 25, Friday, eve of the Ondoy havoc.
Legend Villas Hotel, Mandaluyong City.

Carey Mulligan, I don't know you but I'm dying to finally get to,I can't wait for An Education" to be watched by me who thinks shares the same sentiments with the character you are playing in the most talked-about film this year where you star side-by-side Peter Sarsgaard (OH, LOVE), Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper among other big names. Dearest, people say they want to give you the Oscar trophy already this early but please, just chill, a nomination for you is already as grand as how it was for Anne Hathaway in last year's race. What I'm trying to say is, GIVE THE F*CKING OSCAR TO LA MERYL STREEP!

Wednesday.

I was stressed at work (like I don't get tired of saying it every day), parents didn't feel all asking me to come home real early and I just feel frustrated about being alone especially since it's the joyous season where no one considers the feeling of lonesomeness, I went to the theatre and watched a film I've been waiting for all my life since I learned about it.

Saturday.

I was all by myself at home this morning. Trying to catch up with sleep for last night blew me away. One of those nights when I meet up with my BEST BECKS (Maphy and JV) and Trixia and Jane for some cashin' out and piggin' out. SM Mega Mall was mad due to the sale so we had to kill time in Shang instead, dinner, ordering a huge amount of food we knew we were not capable of consuming. We couldn't leave the restaurant for there's this cute guy we were waiting on. Such hos. Coffee in Mega and some catching-up. Ending, we missed Julie & Julia and 500 Days Of Summer that wasn't even showing to begin with.

Saturday morning was a blast. I heard LIFEHOUSE's carrier track from their fifth studio album, SMOKE AND MIRRORS to drop in December. The single's called HALFWAY GONE. In this track, Ben Carey finally becomes Lifehouse's 4th offcial member after being left a trio in 2005.

In Lifehouse's website and Twitter, they announced:

... it's too late.

R.I.P. Stephen Gately
You have taken a piece of everyone who had a piece of 90's pop in them with you.

7 days today, I went back to Bonifacio St., Hagdang Bato Itaas, Mandaluyong City to stay the week since our house in Pasig is impossible. This place, this street, this house saw me grow from the little boy they all dubbed "Apo ni Bumbay" to a heavy pain in the butt they dubbed as "Anak ni Marie, taga Pasig."

It's so nice to be remembered no matter the years. I was raised here by my good mother and my wonderful Titos and Titas. I left this place when I was 7 when Mama married the person I now call Papa, our lives' hero.

The house isn't as big as it used to be anymore. The Khans have divided the lot after Nanay have died in 2005. I'm staying with the first born, my Tita who I call Ate. This used to be my playground. Earlier I saw people greeting me, calling me, Apo ni Bumbay. I miss Tatay, I miss Nanay (who thankfully they don't call "Asawa ni Bumbay" rather plainly Medy [from Mercedes).


I'll be going back to Pasig. The house is live-able now compared to how it was in the past 2 weeks.

Can I just thank Mama's officemates from GSK who helped. Thank you so much for cleaning our haven. You guys deserve my lovin'. As if it's something one would actually try and win.

I'm going back to Pasig. I sing,
"These streets have too many names for me,
I'm used to Bonifacio, spending my time in Tatlong Bayani and ERES Cavo Sanchez."

(Played words with Paolo Nutini's "These Streets")

Goodnight.

The whole blog entry's chicken sh*t. Got tired of telling the story over and over again. I hated how Ondoy killed our house but on a positive note, it restored our family's strength. Just when we thought we were getting bored of the daily routine and our roles in the family, here comes heaven and its wrath, blessing, waking everyone up.

Thanks be to God.

We might've lost our belongings, we were still able to save the jewels of our lives- each other.


Can I just give a big shout out to Papa, Mama, Hans, Gelo and Asia plus Rackie. My family, the best!

My relatives from Ninang and the Sabalerio family, the De Borja family, all the Khans and the Lagmans, love! To my relatives, family abroad, the Cariasos, we are safe, much love! Don't worry now.

Cousins, oh you all are love!


To BECKs Maphy and JV and Raaaaaab, thanks for that Tuesday night and the coffee and dough nuts and the laughs. Maphy, you are a saint.

To Meryll, thanks for walking the miles to see me and spend lunch with your lonely gay BFF.

To Willy Vance, last night's dinner was unforgivable. :-)

To Ron/Dad and Miss J, thanks for the ride home, here, there and everywhere and for taking me to the hospital.

To my Officemates, I never knew how blessed I was to be with you guys.

To my friends from everywhere, thanks for all the concerns. I love you and I will never forget how you lifted me up from the dirt Ondoy left us in. Tomy Kapatidz, GEEz, Trix, Lea, Hazel and Gilbert, my boys, Christi, Caramel, AM, oh and everyone who's very much concerned about us every time they hear about De Castro, I am in love with you all. Gian and Leona!

To Jenny Jean Bautista, thank you so much.

To Angela Ruiz, the first person in the office who I cried to. Yes, I'm a tough butt, I never cried in the office premises but that Thursday morning, I just couldn't help it.

Again, to Ron, thanks to you and to VIIXI.

FRIENDS, here's to all of you:
I FORGOT TO SAY OUT LOUD,
HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU AL REALLY ARE TO ME!

Hugs and kisses!


Goodnight.



This weekend, we'll revive the house in De Castro and by Christmas, we move to a different place where it's safer.



Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation.
Thanks to Your goodness this wine we offer.

Much love!




Oh and yes, I lost weight, I got darker, my skin's dry, I'm pretty ugly but I don't care!
Like, gah.

I still get good sex out of depression. I'm still punk and beautiful.
Got my old self back. I'm over the storm!

I forgot to say out loud how beautiful you really are to me.
I love you Maphy, JV and the GEEz.


This is, well, about the boy who lost himself during heaven's wrath.


September 25, Friday
I say THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

I woke up at 4AM, Friday morning to be picked up by my super close friend who I call Dad, Ron De Vera and drive to Tagaytay for breakfast and some catching up. After like 4-and-a-half hours of driving to and fro, I got back to Manila on time for my 9-hour shift which starts at 9AM and finished of at 6PM.
In the hotel, the 4 of us wait for absolution (Trixia, Maphy, JV and I). Watching Bruno and shopaholic back-to-back helped a bit. 6PM was approaching, still no word from my family and the TV was still shitty, Trixia's Mom was telling her that the flood keeps getting higher. Trixia is from QC, by the way. I still didn't have word from anyone from Pasig.

Hazel, who we were with the night before and left at midnight was at work that Saturday morning and as you may have guessed it, she got stranded and stayed at the hotel instead.

6PM, still no word from my folks and no good reception on TV, not even on local channels, the flood getting worse as hours pass, we decided to stay the night at Legend Villas, yes, another night in the hotel. Not as happy as the first night, heck, all the worries and stuff, the fact that we have to cash out for another night, but we passed that stage. The fun part during the 2nd night was the grocery-ing, cooking (Hazel's to-die-for Sinigang Na Baboy cooked in rice cooker), the DVD-ing and so on. Sunday night, I had too much yosi because of stress and guilt, I dozed off at 9PM. I bummed, totally.

The second night, the hotel has myself, Trxia, JV and partner Raaaaab, Hazel and Queen Pura Huang.


September 27, Sunday
I Walked On Water.
"On" is the wrong preposition.

Sunday morning, the sun's up and so is the TV cable. I saw how Ortigas Ext. was and I brokedown.
Raaaaaab (Rob, simply put) joined us Saturday night for he got stranded in Trinoma. He left his car in the mall parking and took the MRT to the hotel. It was an hour after the MRT got shut down. Sunday morning, 2 hours before we checked out, he and JV went to Trinoma to get the car and had everyone driven home. As for me, Ron and J, who I consider my gay parents picked me up from the hotel and they brought me to their place in Mandaluyong.

At Ron and J's, I called my Mama's best friend, Ghia (Tita Ghia) and she insisted we rescue my family. That very hour, she bought and brought inflatables thinking they could help. We parked at Tiendesitas and walked to Ortigas Ext. Flood was chest-high. I tried to walk against it as far as I could, it was Sunday the 27th at 4pm.

I walked along the damned-made river full of steel and garbage in Ortigas Ext., the road you take from Jenny's bridge to get to Junction. Our house is located inside De Castro Avenue which is the first right turn from the Ortigas highway, Liamzon Subdivision is where we live.

I got as far as De Castro, I couldn't walk past entrance because the road was slope down. Flood water would eat me whole. I went back to the bridge where Tita Ghia was waiting for me. I told her it was mad out there. I wasn't the hero my parents would see themselves get rescued by.

Tita Ghia in all her wonderful aura despite the calamity talked one of the rescue crew down to have me join the rescue team IN A MOTOR BOAT to get to De Castro proper. At 6pm when the sun had set and all we used as light was those on the motor boat bravely conquered the dreaded subdivision. We couldn't sail all the way through to our house in Liamzon. If we had, we would die for the roads narrow and trees weren't welcoming. Believe me, we were sailing on flood water as high as a typical house's 2nd floor and where parked cars on roads weren't visible anymore.

People were crying for help.

Although we didn't get to cruise all the way to our house, we were able to pass by my Lolo's place, a few streets from ours and I saw Papa up the roof. He was surprised at what he saw- me in the boat unexpectedly. I couldn't rescue them for we were prioritizing the sick ones who need medical attention. I shouted from afar, OK BA KAYO? He cried, OO, but with the noise coming from the motor which runs the boat, I missed the words that came after that.

I saw Papa. He said they were OK. I threw food at them. I couldn't join them for my main purpose that night was to help rescue other people.

As we went back to the bridge, I had the feeling of relief after seeing Papa. He might be up the roof that moment I saw him but I know that house, there's a safe spot in my Lolo's house, the 2nd floor and the terrace that never got affected.

Minutes later when we were walking back to Tiendesitas, Tita Ghia and I, back to her car, she was to drop me off at Shang because I insisted I stay the night at Ron and J's place, I got a call from my cousin, Ate Diane, whose computer I am now using to blog, telling me that Mama, Gelo and Asia were brought to their house that very night by rescuers.

Huh?

So I had Ron drive me to my Ninang's house, there I saw Mama and the 2 kids.

Mama, Gelo and Asia got rescued the same hour I was trying to come for them. They and a great number of people from Liamzon Subd. got rescued by the airforce throwing these rubber boats and had them to a safe area.

Here's the story from Mama's POV:

Saturday at 1pm, water came rushing in, it was just her and the 2 kids at home that afternoon, they failed to save everything you'd see in our first floor. They got forced out of the house by the men from the neighborhood as the water rises. They spend the 2 whole afternoons (Saturday and Sunday) at the third floor of our neighbor's house. 2 afternoons of rain pouring down on them, they slept with not much food and water to give them sweet dreams, my babies were suffering but safe while I was in the comforts of Legend Villas.

I can't go on. I'm sleepy.

My words are foocked up in this blog entry and I'm like whatever.

Going through my recent blog entries makes me wanna ask myself since when have I converted my blog site from a supposed online diary to another entertainment site? I just find it weird that I don't talk about my day-to-day experiences on LJ anymore.

Oh I figured, there's Twitter.


But I guess it's always fun to go back to the real site where you're allowed to have words pour down like endless rain into a papercup. (Yes, you got it right, that's line from Across The Universe. Just wordplayin.)

9 more days and September's over. For some strange reason, September's become one of my favorite months, the third in rank to be specific. I just thought about that like a year, 2 years back. December being my ultimate favorite month, yes, the season of seasons and May comes in second for it's my Birth Month. I don't intend to dread the month of May yet but when I'm to reach my 30's I sure will.

Before I formally conclude my September, here are some random stuff I would either gladly remember or wish I wouldn't.

--- Just last Saturday, I almost lost my Waz and my wallet and the cash in it. Why? Because I was puny and vulnerable. I sucked. I was blessed to have been saved. I don't wanna go back to that moment when...

--- Last Saturday, a little earlier in the afternoon, I went to Tayuman to meet an Ortho only to realize that I, with Papa who drove me and a friend to Manila on a spoiled rainy day, went there to have been issued with a piece of referral paper.

--- September 12, Saturday, I celebrated my 10th Year of friendship with the greatest people: Mei, Paul, Niña, Maceng, Kristine and LT. We had a new friend come along, Jen and we dedicate all the laughs to Thelma and Rhea who were MIAs.


--- Now this blog entry with the subject "Septemper" would not be justified if I won't blah about my rants, heartaches and frustrations. At one point, I did lose my temper and just started counting down days till I totally quit it. But if you'd come to terms, or if I'd come to terms, the problem lies in me, as it always does. I don't know what drives me pissed and what doesn't drive me at all. I am positive that you have an idea which event in my life I am pertaining to in this part of the blog. But I wanna stay... I seriously do.

--- The last week of the first month of the Christmas season shall be kicked off by a BREAKFAST IN TAGAYTAY this Friday before work. Yes, roadtrip overload! Then come evening, it's a one hell-of-a- HOTEL PARTY with the GEEz, my College bloodline! It's all about lush and cashin' out! And yes, payday caps this all up!

We know it when something so beautiful gets artistically captured, we tend to wish it stays that way...
... forever.

He was once dubbed as "The Immortal."
Irish actor Stuart Townsend is the first actor I ever saw portraying Dorian Gray when he was casted to play  the role in 2003's action adventure film, a collaboration between fictional characters with extra-o abilities, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG).

Stuart Townsend, known for his unmarried life/ relationship with Oscar winner Charlize Theron might've given Dorian Gray a relatively gorgeous face and body (I tell you) but about a year earlier than the release of LXG, he gave life to yet another fictional character, same qualities as a matter of fact, or just one quality--- immortality. In the movie adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned in 2002 which starred the late Aaliyah as Akasha, Townsend was the perfect actor to play the mother of all vampires' "significant other" (murmured with blood flowing from Akasha's mouth) who is the rock star Lestat.

We're half-way through September and roughly 4 months from now, 2009's over. I've been gathering all hits from the previous months and putting them in their 'supposed' proper order in my annual Year-End Countdown of the biggest hits.

This year's mighty five contenders are, in random order:

Kings Of Leon - Revelry - Only By The Night
The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling - The E.N.D.
Greenday - 21 Guns - 21st Century Breakdown
Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas - One Of The Boys
The Fray - You Found Me - The Fray

But before we crown them their respective ranks, let's first wait for the hits that could mean altering this supposed roster and remember the 13 BIGGEST SONGS of 2008 - The Lucky 13 from my Top 50 of 2008:

SONG OF THE YEAR:
1. VIVA LA VIDA
Coldplay/ Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

2. BROKEN
Lifehouse/ Who We Are

3. BREAKEVEN
The Script/ The Script

4. WHATEVER YOU WANT
Club 8/ The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming

5. THAT GREEN GENTLEMAN (Things Have Changed)
Panic At The Disco/ Pretty Odd by Panic At The Disco

***

6. SMOTHER ME
The Used/ Lies For The Liars

7. HEAVEN SENT
Keyshia Cole/ Just Like You

8. CHASING PAVEMENTS
Adele/ 19

9. CAT & MOUSE
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus/ Don't You Fake It

10. DISTURBIA
Rihianna/ Good Girl Gone Bad

***

11. DO THE PANIC
Phantom Planet/ Raise The Dead

12. WOMANIZER
Britney Spears/ Circus

13. GREAT DJ
The Ting Tings/ We Started Nothing

***

This year, I must say is a toss between these songs:

A song about finding God and leaving the life that once was

and

A song about losing it all for a good night.

:-)

It was the last week of August in 1999, I went to FRDC Bldg. on a rainy afternoon to meet the people of 939 KCFM. I didn't just meet Chico and Delamar, Cholo, Peachy, Auey. I didn't just get some free stuff from the generous staff of the station. I met my Best Friends.

It was later that year when I got introduced to another set of Best Friends who I met through another station, dot eight lesser in frequency- Manila's Hottest.

09.09.09 - an ordinary day but you know it when sometimes you feel like it has not become one of those yesterdays, this day's one of those that was not like the others. Confused yet? It's acceptable.

I got a very warm "Thank You" from Mama this morning and it's all that! Now I found a reason to stay and work harder than I could push myself to. I hope she gets better soon, she's suffering from back pain and it's nuts to see her like that! Prayers, guys.

I'm slowly being lead to a nice ortho, 'nice' kind of makes the cut for a description if you know what I mean.

And what else, I was in floral top, or is this a little hindi, Indian-inspired I'm wearing and I'm sporting this rockstar look with my hair. I feel all rocker, chick, pare! Yay!

***
My Facebook is the best site in the world for most of my College bestfriends have been tagging me in our random group photos from College. I miss them ultimately! College has got to be the best event of my life!

Here's one with my College posse, the GEEz. This is the usual scenario after every 9pm class, or 7pm, weekdays, weekend classes it doesn't matter, we have to make tambay and backstab people like we do best (hehe, I kid) before heading on out of UST. Oh and another photo from one of our class rooms, I think this was shot in Room, hmm, what's that room near the staircase? Let's just put it this way, this was from our Broad.Journ and PR room!

We don't have Fall in the Philippines so these films which are to be released this Fall in Northern America are, well, non-existent in this third-world republic. Good thing Metrowalk's just nearby!

The Fall season is one of the firsts to witness the next Oscarables and the to-die-for ones. Like, Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married in 2008 and Ellen Burstyn in Requiem For A Dream in 2000 and for the latter, Twilight in 2008.

This year, what excites me are these:

It's so overdue but I really have to blog this out. Just a short one for the hype's under the bridge already. The reason why I wanna include the 2009 Miss Universe in my blog is so that when I'm old and I decide to go through my so-called writings, I'll remember how crazy a fan I was of Miss Universe. Was? Or still Is even when I'm at age 50, 60, 70, 80 and so on.

By the way, just a fast fact: I started reading geography books when I was in Grade 3 or 4, when I was 11 I already memorized all the Capital cities and the flags of all the independent nations from Russia to Nauru, from India to Djibouti, from Uruguay to the Northern Marianas. So I make it a point to, every year, introduce myself to a new world of beauties, it's like traveling in a more sophisticated way.


Last year, I think it was mid-July, I blogged about Dayana Mendoza winning the Miss Universe crown in her flowy yellow gown and Miss USA tripping on the Miss Universe stage in Vietnam. It was yet another fall for the Americans in... Vietnam. History reads "The Vietnam War" yeah? I just thought it was funny.

This year's Miss Universe was a total whack. Or not so.
This Miss Universe is actually... historical in its sense.
This is the first time that a nation won the Miss Universe title twice in 2 years, back-to-back, however you wanna put it. I don't think it was fabricated so some history books would be updated. Fernandez did deserve the win. Although I was a little more for this year's 2nd Runner-Up.

From Darren Aronofsky, director of Academy Award nominated film THE WRESTLER,
one of his first few masterpieces:

I say,
"Teenagers scare the living sh*t out of me."


I'm in UST and I see High School babies and their hopes of becoming the next University students. This experience is making me tick.

FIRST: This day made me realize that I'm not who I used to be, I'm old and aging and I can never go back to how happy and light my life used to be and I have no choice but to move on, live my age, act my age and scare myself every time I look into mirrors and see my lines form like road directions on a map, directions all over my face yet I still feel lost in reality. I miss my old life, I want it back.

I hate the faces of the new people I meet everyday. They're fugly, they stink. They're old and they feel like a truckload of success which they're really not, they're a bunch of f*ckin' fakes. I just wanna be with my College bestfriends. These people are the truest there is. I also hate those people who I met through my college who after graduation started being obsessed with their names and career, like, you call yourself successful? You are a smug f*ck, you're not heavy. No one is. Pull yourself down and go to hell.


SECOND: I'm hatin' because I see teenagers everywhere. They scare me, yes. They scare me like yeah I'm getting old and I'm looking ugly but more than that, they scare me because I might turn into a pedophile. Hehe. These kids are the pinkest of the pink. Fresh blood, the smell of cologne and baby powder. These kids rock my socks. From their breakouts to their pink gums, they floor me and my sanity.

I saw a High School kid outside the University with his posse and he's like all cool, smokin' Marlboro Golds and I was like:

"You know what kid, it's better to have a dick in your mouth than a cigarette stick."

Of course I didn't say it out loud. I wasn't brave enough. :-)

***
Enough of the hatin'.

I kinda love how I feel today. Like I'm a responsible, dorky, sucky Kuya to my Baby Boy. I'm proud of myself and very proud of my Kuya Dong. The perks of being a Kuya, I must gladly say.

When Lifehouse stormed Manila on the 16th of July, 2008, I told myself that there's no other concert in Manila that I shall attend for I have been to the best one. That statement has got to be the reason why I gave Panic At The Disco a huge miss. Like, I was still floating from the Lifehouse UP CLOSE and PERSONAL in the RX studios and the Meet and Greet Lifehouse after the Big Dome concert (Thanks to Darwin Hernandez and Tanduay for that, btw). But more than a year later, it's a new life, reinvention of one's self. From the rocker sucker that I greatly was for Jason Wade, his unmistakable voice, writing, Lifehouse and the band's music, I knew I had to be an all-out weirdo, the flat-out boy who just doesn't care, who loves whatevers and does everything gaga-worthy. The boy who patronizes Lady GaGa, I am.


Lady GaGa writes, speaks and sings my anthem. It's like the world is too big for me to be able to express who I am. No one will even care if I tell them I'm this and that. For all they care? It's a marvelous feeling that someone like Lady GaGa breaks into the world of mainstream music carefully bringing with her is the underground lifestyle and her explicit fashion education. GaGa talks about love, sex and the real life.

In Beautiful, Dirty, Rich, she talks about ladies, gentlemen and gays alike who are as broke as hell but the hell they care. Walk the streets like you have more than enough in your pockets. Live the life, money's not everything anyway.

In Eh, Eh, she talks about the formation of a love triangle. In Brown Eyes, she talks about how maturity is indeed a factor in relationships. The song, as she defines it, is about the ones we've lost and the ones who are to come, cum.

Just Dance is clearly about an all-out party person finding herself in several clubs whose names she doesn't know and doesn't care about for all she wants to do is to just dance. It happens to us most of the time. Heck, we don't even know which table we left our drinks on. We forget where we are, who we're with, what we do for all we focus on is the dance.

GaGa claims that her intelligence and being smart is evident in her lyrics. In Love Game, she claims that the line "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick" is a smart arse like no one's put it that way before. Same sentiment goes for Poker Face's graphical analogy between gamble and sex (or no) in the line that reads, "Russian roulette is not the same without a gun. And baby when it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun." This was from MTV's Sessions when she was talking about her songs.

Lady GaGa strongly proves that she's more than the performer on stage. She has the voice and the knowledge on and love for strings. She plays the piano and creates her own musical identity and did I already say voice? The vocal prowess is impeccable. The GaGa can sing! No synth, no fakin' it, it's all her voice. She lets the people get a taste of her vocal abilities thru the somewhat ballads in the THE FAME album which are Brown Eyes and Again Again. She also lets go of her strong side and of the out-of-this-world outfits as she keeps it plain and simple with songs Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) and Summerboy. She sounds a bit Gwen Stefani-ish in Summerboy, I tell you.

GaGa in Manila:

11th of August, 2009: KEEP HOLY THE GaGa DAY!

I was underdressed at the concert for I was in my office attire (not an outfit, not even close). People in Araneta were GAGA-ed in its broader sense: the fashion. Just as how Lady GaGa wants her fans to be, never care what people say. Wear enything. Own it!

Diego Mapa, the goegeous man that he is and his band Pedicab opened for Lady Gaga. And as for the main event, the Big Dome suddenly got converted into THE HAUS OF GAGA.

10 solid songs. 4 outrageous costume change. Need I say more?

Props: Her bubble piano, big punk bike, her lighning-shaped deformed mic stand, her body piano organ and that garage band from New York. Drool-worthy drummer, dang lourd!

The million dollar set list:

Costume #1: Paparazzi. Love Game. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich.
Costume #2: The Fame. Money Honey. BoysBoysBoys.
Costume #3: Just Dance, Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say).
Costume #4: Brown Eyes. Poker Face (Piano). Poker face (Album).

What I will never forget about GaGa is when she was all shut up looking at her audience, waving her hand and blowing kisses. It was the softest side of GaGa that she let the fortunate Filipinos feel. That was her first arena on her own and I don't think she will ever forget the Philippines.

I loved how she dedicated the song BoysBoysBoys to all "the gay boys" in the crowd! And her provocative gestures from the pumping to wanking and all. And how she graphically explained what the song Eh, Eh was about. I'll never forget that.

A stranger asked, she shares, "Lady GaGa, do you have a dick?"
In return she said, "Yes. And it's much bigger tha yours."

***
PS: LT, my Bestfriend, upload all the GaGa concert pics already! :-)
And to the boy who got me to the concert, big thanks!

Cherry Cherry Boom Boom ♥

05 August 2009

Dear Mother of Philippine Democracy,
Ina ng Demokrasya:

I am forever blessed to have been born a year after you gave my old men's voices back to them. It would've been an experience if I had been older in 1986, to have witnessed such a revolt, people united once and for all, people of different intentions and bearing crying for one reason- democracy. But I wasn't and I know God had planned it to be that way. Maybe He knew I was too delicate and sensitive to be born amidst the nationwide turmoil. So thank you, thank you very much.

It's fascinating how you made the ultimate sacrifice by giving yourself for the people, so timely, you are giving everyone the chance to consider thinking for the greater good. You let go, set yourself free so you'd be an angel to us all. We shall treasure everything you have done. Indeed, Jesus wants us to follow Him as he walks and who would've thought, all the while He was walking wearing your shoes. Everyone shall follow all the good things you had done for our country. Thank you!

Jesus, thank you for lending President Cory Aquino to us. We learned a lot. Now it's time to return her back to You.