Reality Bytes

Job Anniv.

Bring in the pancit and ice cream because I am celebrating my first anniversary at my day job, hehe. Now, I know not too many of you celebrate their so-called anniversaries for many things but I just feel like celebrating.

It wasn’t too long ago when I fired myself from my hellish stint in a semiconductor company, without any job to look forward to. I’ve had a month of attending interviews and no one seem to accept me because I have no real experience in the IT industry. That’s why I’m very grateful to them for giving me this break. Sobs, kakaiyak.

Ironic

Many students ideally look forward to their graduation day so they can finally experience the “real world” and realize their dreams.

Many employees are wishing they would become students again and go back to the time when things were less risky and complicated.

Virus

The worst computer virus I’ve experienced in the post-floppy drive era was the one which deleted all my Word and Excel documents and replaced them with text files having garbled filenames. Good thing it didn’t do any harm to PowerPoint files so we just extracted our reports from the embedded Excel sheets in our PowerPoint slides.

It happened in 2004 but up to now, I still have not installed any anti-virus software on any of the PCs I use. The nerve.

Fly My Way

Working Abroad

Most (if not all) of my working friends are either planning to go abroad or are already there. Had I not been tied down with contracts here and there, I would’ve joined “everyone”.

All I could say is: “See ya’ on de oda’ side!”

Being Broke

As far as I can remember, I had been always running out of money. No matter how much income I get, it never seems to be enough. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how I was able to live through my entry level salary some three years ago. Yet back then I felt like I have more than enough.

Hmm, something must be wrong here. I guess I need to have a talk to my old self to know how he was able to manage way back when.

TV

Everyone seems to be watching American Idol and Lost and Grey’s Anatomy (not to mention Asian Treasures, hehe). Personally, I do not know why watching TV has lost its appeal on me altogether. I’m afraid it would take up too much of my time (in exchange for um, nothing?).

To be fair, though, I do like watching cartoons like The Simpsons and Family Guy and some shows on The Discovery Channel. They are just not perfectly synchronized with my schedule.

Hate Late?

Late for Work

I’d hate to admit it but arriving late for work is very slowly becoming second nature to me once again. I remember telling a colleague last year that I can’t seem to work properly if I arrived late, like, my whole day is ruined. Now it’s becoming almost a habit that I’d arrive 7 or 20 or 30 minutes past nine, and it does not seem to bother me as much.

At first I thought I was losing my enthusiasm for my job but that isn’t really the case. In fact, I am thrilled of doing my tasks at the office, the fun has not degraded at all. Perhaps it’s our location and being aware of the fact that I’ll be moving in the vicinity real soon — this makes me feel complacent in being late.

Chopsticks

I’d like to try to learn to use chopsticks when dining in Japanese restaurants. I’m just looking for the perfect timing to do so.

For the meantime, I’m still content with requesting spoon and fork whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Food Court 2

We planned to eat at Bodhi in SM Manila a few weeks ago. It appears that the entire Food Court 2 at that mall has been swallowed by the earth beneath. Wham, it’s all gone.

Bye Bodhi. Our vegetarian cravings will forever grieve for your demise.

The Art of No

Client Meeting

A few minutes ago, I met with a prospective client. I’ve been planning, for the longest time, to find a suitable freelancing opportunity. This is the first time I’ve had the courage to actively go and look for one.

I promised to submit the proposal on Friday. I’m not sure if I could hire some teammates but most probably, I would. Not sure if I could close this deal, though, but I’ll try my best nevertheless.

Busy

I think I will be very, VERY, very busy this year. Somebody save me.

Saying No

I’d like to teach people how to say NO. Or at least make them understand why I frequently decline their invitations. No amount of persuasion will work for me if I have already made a decision to do or not do something.

The logic is plain simple. If you ask me this and I say no, it onlly means I cannot do it. It may look like I can do it and I may seem to have the means to do it but believe me, I really can’t. I would just be disappointing you in a manner much worse than if I just simply said ‘no’ in the first place.

What It Isn’t All About

Postmodern

Someone said that we are no longer living in the modern era, but rather, in postmodern times. So, like, what is postmodern? The Wikipedia article for Postmodernism is a relatively lengthy article but still does not seem to say much on the definition of postmodernism. Then again, it’s an encyclopedia. I guess I should consult a dictionary for defining something.

Apple TV

During the recent Macworld Expo, Steve Jobs demoed two new products from Apple Computer — the Apple TV and the Apple iPhone. Everyone seems to be raving about the iPhone. Hey, it’s got name trademark problems and is not yet available until June (in the US, at least).

I’d like to buy the TV set because (1) I don’t have a TV, (2) I already have a phone and MP3 player, (3) it looks like a laptop, but not quite a Macbook, and (4) it “can be” affordable.

Profile

I am having a hard time to write a profile for myself nowadays.

I am not my job.
I am not the clothes I wear.
I am not my bank account.
I am not the programs I write.
I am not the voice in my head.
I am not my iPod Shuffle.
I am not my worn-out shoe.
I am not my blog.

If I am not all these things, then how should I describe me then? According to Tyler Durden: We are the all-singing, all-dancing c**p of the world.

Makes sense to me.

Survival Kit

Cooking

In preparation for my departure, I want to learn how to cook.

Chopsuey, sinigang, and caldereta — I’d get by with that for a month. I’ve got, more or less, three weeks to do so.

The other day, I attempted to fry the leftover rice. I did it while doing something in my PC. In a matter of minutes, smoke filled the house.

Driving

Besides cooking, I also want to learn how to drive.

Although it’s more relaxing to be at the passenger seat, there are just some days when I’d like to take the wheel from my brother.

Authors

As a fan of balance, I try not to read more than one book from a particular author. Maybe I’m afraid they would be able to influence me too much, or something to that effect.

But there are just some book authors whose work I can’t resist, including Dan Brown, Sidney Sheldon, Joshua Harris, Jessica Zafra, Bob Ong (come out, come out, whoever you are), and more recently, Bo Sanchez.

Urban Itch, Part 2

MOA Fireworks Display

My friends from the office as well as from the church kept on dragging me to the fireworks show at the Mall of Asia. For all it’s worth, I am hands-down impressed but I don’t think it’s worth the traffic and stampede potentials.

New Room

Last Thursday, after scouting for a room to rent, I finally found one which I think suits most of the criteria I’m looking for.

The moment I walked into the unit and saw a database schema diagram and development timeline posted on the walls (replacing the paintings that were supposed to be there), I knew I was home.

I’ll be moving there on Feb 10 (with mixed feelings).

Lack of Sleep

I’m losing sleep and it’s affecting my judgment.

Windows Re-installation

I was able to install Windows XP which passes GWA, courtesy of my employer. Still, I have to buy a new hard drive because the one I’m currently using is going to crash on me again anytime soon. I have yet to restore my iTunes library plus I think I have forever lost full-sized copies of the photos I took in 2006 and lots of other stuff I haven’t even begun to think about.

It’s currently downloading 79 high-priority updates.