I clocked in at 8:59 today.

Whew! Just barely made it in time (well, there's a 15-minute grace period after 9am) because the cold was just so nice and made me stay in bed later than usual.

I woke up four times in the span of an hour, the first three times guaranteeing that I'd be getting up right after killing an alarm (out of 5 that my phone has). Of course, I didn't get up at all until the fourth time I woke up.

All that's history now, and at the moment I'm really just swamped with work and all that shiz.



Why am I even posting here?

Anyway. I hope everyone's just dandy and that none of you are staying in a flooded house like ours. Take care.

So, despite the tons of work I still have yet to finish, I just really wanted to join this contest. :)



FULL-RES version that complies with contest rules:
http://pics.livejournal.com/poyayan/pic/0000p8xz

As per the directions:
Ask your friends to rate your design on a scale of 1 – 5 cookies (5 is the highest) and share their insights. One insight per visitor will be counted. (Get your readers to comment on your entry and rate your design)


WHY MY THUMBMARK DESIGN REPRESENTS ME

I love writing. Heck, I finished Creative Writing at UP-D. I work as an editor for an internet marketing company, which entails a lot of writing, too. My sidelines have all been related to writing. That's what all of those elements around the thumbmark represent.

The laurel wreath stands for my aspirations as a writer. The dream is still alive. Hopefully I can reach them.

The pen stands for my personal writing. While I haven't been able to do a lot of that lately, all I really need is a little nudge and some free time to get started.

The mouse stands for work. Most of what I do is internet-related, whether it's blogging, editing copy, or some side jobs.

The bands of color stand for many things. The LG Free Touch concept, maybe. What I want my writing to be, maybe. It's up in the air.


WHY I DESERVE AN LG COOKIE

I believe I worked hard to get this thing done.

Plus, I really want that phone. It's free, for crying out loud. And it's a touchscreen phone. I've never had one of those. My phone's been acting wonky lately (it restarted itself a day ago), so it would also be welcome relief.

Plus, I really want that phone. Oh, I mentioned that already. Haha!


Thanks in advance, guys! :)

So, I was thinking of some random shit (that is incidentally a lie) for April Fools' Day, but I have a lot of work to do, so scratch that.

*Looks*

Wow, my last update was way back in January... January 7. This makes a grand total of TWO posts for 2009! Yeah!



I guess, sometimes, you just run out of things to say.

-----

On a side note, Happy Birthday to Sakura Kinomoto. Don't ask me; I just remember. Useless information is useless.

Alas, 2009 is upon us. It's a little sad seeing 2008 go. I mean, 2008 was a great year for me:

- I got my Creative Writing degree.
- I got a job with some of the most amazing teammates, like, EVER
- I nearly got fired after getting regularized at said job
- I got a bank account
- We got a PS3
- Laser tag, yeah!

and possibly the most important milestone for 2008:
- Xanne. Me. One year, baby!

I have a lot to be thankful for, when I think about it. I feel so blessed with all the things I got to do. Even with all the busy days and the somewhat-irregular schedule, I can still take time out to hang with friends (who are equally busy and have their own things going on). I meet with my girl regularly. My family is doing great.

So, yeah... 2008 was awesome, but there's a new year comin'. Here's to an even more awesome 2009... it's gonna be legendary!

May you all have a happy new year's celebration.

Because bullet form is legendary.

* First up, Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you all had a grand time and ate legendary food.

* Didn't get any cash this year. Maybe getting my own paychecks has something to do with it.

* Started the How I Met Your Mother season1 marathon last night, and just finished an hour ago. Funny shit. You should all watch it. Plus, it's got it's cheesy romantic moments, too. And NPH. Legendary!

* I wonder how past!Ryan would've reacted after watching said show. I probably would've felt so sickeningly sappy that I'd have done something totally stupid.

* I hate that I have to go to work on the 27th. >__>

* I really admire (not that way) a certain person because of her... loyalty. She's as solid as solid gets. Imagine, this emo nutjob horseshit dood does all the same emo nutjob horseshit things (the kind which I find absolutely insulting if I am said horseshit's friend) over and over again, yet she never falters to be with him. it's amazing.

...and kinda sad, in a way.

* Still, fark you, Globe, for having no Unlitxt over the holidays.

* "Ayeah, right."

Stolen from Szusza.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Buy a mobile phone with my own money

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't have any last year

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Some kittens

5. What countries did you visit?
None

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Social skills. Tons of money. A not-so-big tummy.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 6. ONE YEAR :) I love you, Xanne! (as if nagmu-multiply siya)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finding a job, I guess

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being as... good as I think I could have been

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yeah, but hey -- no absences! :D

11. What was the best thing you bought?
my Sony Ericsson T700 (though the Chucks, books [Calamity Physics, two Le Guin compilations, Sherlock Holmes, and Eats,Shoots,and Leaves], and cheap-but-great pants all come quite close)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Neil Patrick Harris. LEGENDARY

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
the same shits from the same people like *toot*. LeBron James for being a dick about his 2010 free agency. Bayani Fernando just because.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food. :)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our anniversary

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
With You

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? happier :))))))))
- richer or poorer? richer :DDDDDDD
- thinner or fatter? fuck you :((((((((

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
hanging out with friends

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
i believe the term is 'petiks'

20. How did you spend the holidays?
wala pa nga e. fffff cant wait damn still at work

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I fall in love with Roxanne more and more with each passing day. :)

22. How many one-night stands?
no

23. What was your favorite TV program?
How I Met Your Mother, Boston Legal

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
i hate... uhhhh... taxes? lol

25. What was the best book you read?
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves

26. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Dark Knight

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Shirts and Pants SFW

28 Whom did you miss?
Some people

29. Who was the best new person you met?
persons, achuli. KAPI-EDS! :D

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I still have a lot to learn.

I love books. Now that I can afford to snag a few every now and then, it's become a real guilty pleasure to buy books whenever I can regardless of the budget I try so hard to maintain.

I was supposed to go home straight from work. Alas, there was a scheduled fumigation in the building and we were forced to leave early (pending manual time adjustment come Tuesday). I don't really know why, but I decided to go to Greenhills.

There were many people. Damn, even for a day-after-payday, there were too damned many people. I exited to V-mall as early as I can, and the first store I saw was... Book Sale. Magazines first, as per the usual routine. Then I saw some attractive book spines. Within five minutes, I was lugging around Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

I scoured the magazine back-issue rack. Random magazines, as always. After 20 minutes, I narrowed down my mag acquisition to either the F1 magazine with Robert Kubica on the cover, or a back-issue of Juxtapoz. I went for the Juxtapoz. One art magazine and a Sherlock collection. Not bad, especially at a shade over 200 bucks.

I went up, intending to go to Best Toys before making rounds at the computer/gadget stores to look for headphones for office use. But then, A Different Bookstore just called out to me. Or so it seemed.

There was nothing I particularly wanted to get. Plus, it wasn't a Wednesday. As I was about to leave, I glimpsed out of the corner of my eye a book with an interesting cover. It also had an interesting title: Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I read the blurb and... well... it was interesting. So yeah, I bought it simply because it was interesting, from the cover to the blurb to the photo at the back [who I thought was the main character, but it turns out it's the really-pretty author Marisha Pessl]. And heck, it was pretty much affordable at PhP350.

So I spent over 500 bucks on impulse-bought reading materials.

That's a lot, considering I still have a loooooong backlog of books, anthologies, and comics to read. Well, I guess it's time to get back to leafing through fiction. I have to make time to read. That much is clear. Anyway, I think it's still money well spent. I'd still much rather spend on books than on overpriced concert tickets.

Anyway, I'm done sipping caramel frappe and eating Tortillos... I want to start reading Special Topics... now, but I'm still giving the Sherlock stories a whirl. Ciao!

First of all, congrats to UP AME for a successful fair. Woohoo! Bonggang-bonggang Christmas Party? :D

-----

There were supposed to be tidbits here about one or more of the following: flawed situational perception especially when it comes to attempts at having a relationship with certain people, possible repercussions of outstanding behavior and the misinterpretation of one's actions, dslr-toting people who suddenly become 'good photographers', taxi drivers who need Eyeshield21-like abilities to see good routes, and sin. But alas, I'm still too sleepy to even begin on any of it.

-----

It was nice seeing a good number of my AME batchmates at the fair. Too bad Deng left early, and some weren't able to go.



LOL Merv

-----

Jesus Christ, everything I wanted to write about before I slept earlier has just deserted me. @___@ Never mind. XD

-----

Happy Birthday, Kaka!

So, for the time being, I have my brother's PSP. I just bought a separate Memory Stick [4GB, class A, worth PhP850], so I can put my own games and popsloader and whatnot. E-books. Yeah. So now I'm not sure whether buying a G900 is justified anymore. Maybe the money for a high-end phone should just go to more important allocations.

Let's see... this is a rundown of pending expenses:

LittleBigPlanet [due Wed]: 2800
Weekly transpo fare: 250-400
Monthly prepaid load Globe: 900
Team Jacket: 600-700

so that's around 4.5k until the next payday. After LBP, no more PS3 games until 2009--that's the mantra.

and a list of other stuff I want/need to buy:

WD Passport 320Gb: 5800
New mouse from CDRK: 200-ish
Gundam Kits: 450-1350
Graphic Novels. Books. DVDs. Blu-Rays. Damn.

I need to write more articles.

UP student ka ba?
- Yes.

Student number?
- 2003-22666

Course? Major?
- Shifted from BFA Art Education to BA Creative Writing

Do you really like it there?
- I loved CW for the most part

Is this your first choice of campus?
- Yes, as well as first choice for course (BFA AE. 2nd choice ko was PolSci lol)

Why or why not?
- Manila had more of Science courses, and the courses I liked were in Diliman

San-san ka nag-apply na colleges/universities?
- UP, the Ateneo, and DLSU. Passed all three entrance exams(whee yabang)

Dumadalaw ka pa ba sa UP or dadalaw ka pa ba kahit grad ka na?
- Yup.

The best thing(s) about UP?
- You get to meet all sorts of people, from wunderkinds to assholes.

( more under the cut )

-----

Damn you, Sony Ericsson. Why display phased-out phones? Why do your salespeople still give positive specs for phased-out phones?

ME: What's the difference between P1i and G900?
Salesdude: It's practically the same, but the G900 has a 5mp camera.
ME: I see... does it come with a free memory card?
S: No sir... but the P1i has a 1Gb card in the package.
ME: *puts down G900* I see. I'll go with the P1i, then.
S: Oh, we don't have stock. That's phased-out.
ME: ...

THE END.

Here's how I see Manila's streets in the future...

From corner to corner, it will be something like this: A 7-eleven, some fastfood chains (fixtures would be Jobi and McDo), a Lotto betting station, and either another 7-eleven or a gas station at the other corner.

This is after seeing YET ANOTHER 7-eleven opening soon in some building along Shaw (Ortigas area), and then a Red Ribbon opened beside Chowking and Jollibee near Pedro Gil.

This week starts off with a lot of opportunities brewing -- who knows what could be changing in your life over the next few days!

Shit. No, I don't really want any changes yet, if it doesn't involve a raise.


It's only natural that your attention is drawn to the end of the week, but it should really remain right here in the present.

End of week = nearer to payday. Uguu. Sadly, present = 14 copies left to edit in 2 days.


So do your best to live in the moment and enjoy the time you're having while you are having it. There are too many unknowns to be able to assume that things are going to go completely the way you want them to.

I know >__< Living in a present that has me tired and broke.

In the web content department, we have something called a 'call to action'. It's a very standard part of every copy where the writer eggs on the reader to purchase a product by enticing him with the benefits of said action.

"Keep your love life stable by getting a lovelife stabilizer from our site today!"

Something like that.

Sometimes, calls to action are very basic. Some can get pretty bullshitty, IMO. But there comes a time when one simply must heed the call to action.

Heed it, or all else is lost. Especially after letting so many other calls to action simply pass by.

I finally got around to heeding one of my calls to action. I finished the revisions for the *** Grand Alumni website... fixing some stuff, adding some logos, editing some text... I do hope they don't make me change anything anymore and pay me my five grand already.

-----

First day in my new cubicle at work earlier. It's going to take some getting used to... it's not as cold there, and the keyboard is different, and I don't have that power unit with extra sockets where I usually plug my laptop into on the rare occasion that I bring it with me.

Well, you know what they say... "Change we can believe in." Oh, wait, that's Barack's.

-----

I'm picking up my copy of Disgaea 3 for the PS3 hopefully tomorrow. But I still don't think I can handle being so strapped for cash that I might sell it anyway. :/

-----

Do As Infinity is alive and well!

Nobody's really checking LJ anymore, it seems. But Plurk can get very exclusive at times, and I can't really latch on to what other people are saying (or not saying).

Anyway. Watched episodes 19 and 20 of Macross F tonight... and fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

The only upside? If I watched ep19 last week, and ep20 tonight, I probably would be more depressed. Good thing I had both eps in one go.

Considering this is the only anime I'm following right now (my brothers are watching Code Geass but I don't really have time to catch up), it's a devastating experience. Oh well. Only a few more to go before it ends, anyway.

Now... sleep.

Update Schmupdate...

Life

Nothing much here aside from work... I'm glad something that was broken is sort of whole again. Frankly, I never thought it would get whole again. It probably isn't (and will never be) the same as before, but it's something.

Our little talk last Saturday morning about writing (workshops, Master's, submissions) sort of lit a spark... the way Tabby talked of her workshops and how I imagine it must feel like to be published outside of an org newsletter can get the juices flowing. Sadly, I have no time to embark on a literary renaissance right now. Until September, at best, my writing life will remain in the Dark Ages.

Work

I am amazed at the lack of progress I am making at "work", that is, the work that my mom hooked me up with. It's a web site redesign, basically. And so far I've managed to code one page. One page in two weeks.

Maybe it's the giveaway rate. Maybe it's lack of inspiration. Maybe it's simple katamaran. Bottom line is, I better get my ass in gear if I want to earn that 5k (yeah, I know. Slaving away for that paltry sum is a little sad) as soon as possible.

On another note, I can't wait for next payday. I have a bulk of my money stashed away for the XBOX360, so I'm cash-strapped right now. I have around 500 bucks left. Cripes.

UAAP: Maroons Basketball

Just watched the replay of the UP-Adamson basketball match last Saturday night. I didn't realize I could get more embarrassed watching UP win than seeing them lose five straight games. The reason? The way Jay Agbayani kept shouting "P*TANGINAAAAAA" with his WTF!face everytime he scored a basket.

I know the team desperately needs intensity. I know the team lacks confidence. But Agbayani's display of bravado is unbecoming of a good player and I think it puts UP in a bad light.

Besides, buti sana kung laging ganoon laro niya eh. I mean, he disappeared when the Falcons made a run to trim a 10-point first half lead and tie the game. All he did during that stretch was bitch at the referee. And if they were 5-2 rather than 2-5, that kind of angas would probably be more acceptable.

Then, get this, when the UP hymn was playing at the end, HE WAS WAVING AT HIS er.. FANS rather than pump his fists or sing the song. Can't he even respect the alma mater song? Even I stop in my tracks back at school when the song was playing. Heck, even some cars stop upon hearing UP Naming Mahal.

I just hope he keeps his intensity in check next time. Who knows, someone might just get ticked off enough and punch his clock out the next time he mouths off.

Oh, and the guys probably should keep chest-bumping to a minimum until they beat a team not named Adamson or NU (no offense). Just my two cents' worth.

Movies

Saw Zohan... it was funny XD If you're looking for a simple laughtrip, this one's worth checking out (esp. if you don't have to pay for it XD).

- An attempt -


What use are my words
if she cannot fathom what they mean?
If every letter remains unseen,
and every sentiment left within?

Indeed, what use are words
if the very message doesn't need them -
if it is something so complex
in its inherent simplicity?

I have found no use for words,
though I ache and crave
to feel them once again
issue forth from the tip of my pen.

Indeed, without my words,
which have been my lifeblood
all these long years,
I have found despair -

and release.

For I find myself lost for words
when her scent wafts near
I need only press my lips upon hers;
No use to write, nor speak.
Only to touch.
Only to feel.
Only to live.

Played basketball for the second time with the MBS Tek marketing peeps (with some developers, too) at Valle Verde... I think I played better compared to the first time, since I was able to get more of my usual kind of game going. I still need to recover stamina and court awareness, though. A lot of those. I missed a lot of good outlets and turned the ball over several times. I need to work on a lot, and there just isn't any place or time to improve on my game.

There was this instance where someone hit a three in my face and I muttered something - an expression, which technically is a compliment, which means something like "I wish I didn't challenge the shot because he hit it in my face anyway". As I was going home, I thought that the term could mean something else and might be offensive to the player who hit the shot. T__T I hope he didn't take it the wrong way... I don't trash talk... I'm a nice guy...

Anyway... I just really miss basketball. I'm going to feel all sore tomorrow, but heck. When you're on the court, everything just feels right and it really fires you up.

Until next time.

(No, not the show with Reverend Camden.)

We turned seven months a few hours ago.

All I can think of is how quickly those seven months seemed to fly by.

I'm glad I made a decision (yes, after much deliberation and, uh, indecision), and I know I can't do a lot of things I'm doing right now without someone like Xanne driving me. She is my inspiration. She gives me strength and my hope. She is my ray of light when all else seems bleak and lost. She is my motivation when even the last ounce of confidence has escaped me.

I guess, when you like/love someone, you really should be willing to do anything and everything for that person. Who cares what others will think? Who cares if anyone stands in your way? Even if they all care what you do, it's ultimately up to you. Or her. There's no excuse for standing idle and waiting and waiting and waiting.

(Akala mo kung sino magsalita e, no?)

Thanks always, hon. I love you. :3

I don't know what's wrong.

I always feel sleepy, but I can't sleep. I always feel tired, but I have no desire to rest.

I feel like everyone's getting on with their lives while I am stuck in a rut.

Someone I write for says I have to revise my work and show more enthusiasm in my writing. I look at the text everyday, and I feel like there is nothing to revise.

There is always something left to be revised.

I browse Multiply. Facebook. LiveJournal. People are always on the move, going places, seeing sights. I am stagnant.

Today, I believe I turned in my worst work yet. It will show. There is no way they can't see it. And I can do nothing more, not while I am gripped by this unshakable feeling of being tethered to the ground by the very things I get by life with.


I want to write again.

I want to draw again.

I want to play basketball.

I want to press my lips upon my girl's lips, hold her tight, feel her breathing.

I want to live like there's no tomorrow.


Yet here I sit, on a deteriorating couch as red as blood, watching and waiting for pixels and bytes to load and kill my time for me.

My distractions. My tethers. My ennui. It will end.

I turned 22. Yay. I'm getting old.

Celtics won again. Yeah~

Went to Greenhills this afternoon to buy me a present. I wanted it to be a shoe + Revoltech fig (since Wasabi Toys was on sale) combo, but alas, I have no money so I just bought a new pair of sneakers! It's also why I'm bankrupt right now. *Sigh* Can't wait for the nth payday after which I can buy those Porsche Design Adidas sneakers at Shoe Salon.

Went to Trinoma to meet with my girl, to celebrate my birthday and also our sixth month together (last June 6). While waiting, I got frustrated with the gashapon thingy at Toys R Us. Took me three tries before I gave up on getting the Dynames chibi gashapon. Then Xanne and I ate at Teriyaki Boy, walked around, then went to her place. At around 10 I went home.

So yeah. I'm tired. And there's work tomorrow. Gotta split now.

Thanks to everyone who greeted me through YM and text. Even got a text from Mayi~ Whee.