On Resignations

I feel sad everytime good hires decide to leave the company. More than anything, we invest time in making better corporate individuals out of them and the worst thing is that they often give up even before we're halfway there. There's a lot of potential in most of them and it saddens me that they allow themselves to be swayed by how they feel, mistaking it for a logical process.

If there's one thing I've realized all these years, it's that it's easy to give up just because we think we're not headed where we're supposed to go or because what's happening is not according to our ideals. Ideals are precisely that-- ideals. Everyday, we have to work towards our goals and sometimes we turn out as planned and oftentimes, we don't.

That's life. Deal with it.

Guess what I really resent is that good hires leaving is a set back to me. I need an heir to my humble throne and I won't get to complete my mission of finding that person if my potential heirs leave before they even prove they're worthy.

Fail. Again.

As in 30-day blogger challenge fail. I wonder how hardcore bloggers do it? :)

Day 8: Hong Kong

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

(Note: I'm continuing the 30-day blogger challenge which I started in August 2011. Obviously I wasn't successful then. Let's see now!)

 

 

Hong Kong is memorable to me because it's the first country I traveled to outside of the Philippines. Even though I was only about 10 years old then, I still remember the feeling of seeing a whole new country for the first time. Different people, different languages, different way of life. It was all fascinating to me. After quite a long time of trying to explain myself to the people I talk to, I remember the joy I felt when someone approached me and spoke to me in Tagalog. I didn't realize that there were a lot of Filipinos there, but somehow it was nice to know there were others like us. I was eager to see the similarities and took notice of even the little things. It was my first time to see a place outside of the Philippines and I instantly recognized how much more progressive they were. I think I rode the MTR before I've even tried the LRT!

 

The entire experience was memorable from applying for a passport and getting the worst headshot taken just outside of the DFA premises, getting on a plane and landing in a different country to arriving back in the Philippines with tons of memories and stories to share. 

When people tell me they're going out of the country for the first time, I get really excited for them, especially kids, because I'm reminded of how cool it was back then.

 

Fast forward to 19 years later and I've already gone to a lot of other countries after that trip to Hong Kong. The farthest ones I got to visit through work and one of the 'firsts' that I enjoyed was traveling alone. First I traveled back from the US to Manila alone and I was so paranoid about missing connecting flights! And then I was sent to UK on official business -- that was excitement on a much, much higher level. I was alone in a country far, far away, and I survived and made the most out of it.

 

Weird, but to be in Boracay alone is also in my bucket list. It would've been the easiest to do, but what's stopping me is the thought of the nights. The days I'll survive alone. All I do is hang at the beach anyway. The nights, though, I need to drink and drinking ain't fun alone. Soooo.

 

The end!

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>

Day 7: No, we can't talk about it.

Day 7: Favorite Movies

(Note: Because I feel like it, I'm continuing the 30-day blogger challenge I started in August 2011. Here's my second attempt at finishing it!)

Most of the greatest movies have a killer soundtrack and with my being a music junkie, it's just natural that I'm drawn to perfectly crafted moments that months or years later, I sometimes can't remember the whole point of the movie anymore, but I'll always remember the scene.

10. Wicker Park

Precisely for THIS moment.

9. City of Angels

I cried my eyes out for this movie. In this particular scene, I totally understand the longing that Seth feels and how difficult it is to lose a loved one, like I'd be willing to trade anything for five minutes with my brother again.

8. Phonebooth

This one I love just for the sheer creativity of it. I was watching it in awe at how cost-efficient this must be, not to mention the superb scriptwriting.

7. Devil's Advocate

"Let me give you a little inside information about God. God likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste. Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha. And while you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin' His sick, fuckin' ass off! He's a tight-ass! He's a SADIST! He's an absentee landlord! Worship that? NEVER!"

6. Meet Joe Black

It's not in the trailer, but here's one nice quote from the movie:

 

"Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back. How do you find him? Well, you forget your head, and you listen to your heart. And I'm not hearing any heart. Cause the truth is, honey, there's no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all. But you have to try, cause if you haven't tried, you haven't lived."

 

 

5. Before Sunrise / Before Sunset

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's chemistry is undeniable. I know most people who got bored with this movie because it was all talk and not much action, but I'm such a sucker for good conversations. While watching the movie, I felt like I was with them.  It's one of those 'fate brought us together' types, but here you can really feel the characters connecting. And the endings are almost always open-ended -- leaves us to create our own.

 

"What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?"

 

 

5. 500 Days of Summer

This is a love story that ends realistically. They didn't end up together.  This scene is the most heartbreaking of all.

Deconstruction 101
-----------------------------------

Tom: You never wanted to be anybody’s girlfriend and now you’re somebody’s wife.
Summer: That surprised me too.
Tom: I don’t think I’ll ever understand that… I mean it doesn’t make sense.
Summer: It just happened.
Tom: Right… but that, that’s what i don’t understand. what just happened?
Summer: I just, I just woke up one day and I knew.
Tom: Knew what?
Summer: What I was never sure of with you.
Tom: You know what sucks? That everything you believe in is complete and utter bullshit. It sucks. You know, destiny, soul mates, true love and all that childhood fairytale, none sense. You were right. I should have listened to you.
Summer: I guess it's coz I was sitting in a deli and reading Dorian Grey and a guy comes up to me and asks me about it. And now he is my husband. So what if I've gone to the movies? What if I had gone somewhere else for lunch? What if I'd gotten there ten minutes later? It was meant to be and I just kept thinking. Tom was right.

4. Any Given Sunday

One of the best inspirational moments ever.

3. Love Actually

Sweet. This movie is pure love. So many characters whose lives, for some reason, are intertwined. This particular scene is romantic but not cheesy. It's so genuine that if it happened to me, di ko siya tutuksuhing baduy!

2. Almost Famous

Everyone dreams of that rockstar moment. For those who are not in the scene, we've always wondered what it's like to be in it. That sense of being brought together by music, sharing the same passion, loving what you do and the shit that goes with it.

Before this scene, there was conflict among everyone in that bus. There were so many issues that have not been resolved and ill-feelings harbored towards one another. They're a tight group, but it was falling apart. Then the song came on, and without dialogue, we see everyone coming together again.

Don't we all have that moment when we come into conflict with the people we care about, like the "I so hate you right now" feeling?  No matter how big our issues are, our love and affection for those people will never go away. We go through rough patches, but there comes a moment when apologies need not even be said. It can be a joke that everyone can't help but laugh at, or a song that you all just can't help but sing along to. In that moment, it's all understood and we are okay :)

This will go down as one of the best sing-along scenes ever.

1. Fight Club

Nobody does mindfuck as well as Chuck Pahlaniuk does.  Add David Fincher's filmmaking prowess and we get a fucking good film which I saw over and over and over again.

Here's one of the best dialogues --- in kinetic typography.

 

 

 

It's the greatest moment of your life, man, and you're out somewhere miserable!

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Day 6: (Drunk) Plants vs Zombies

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

(Note: Because I feel like it, I'm continuing the 30-day blogger challenge I started in August 2011. Here's my second attempt at finishing it!)

This photo never gets old! Can't help but laugh whenever I remember this one Christmas get-together when all of us got hammered silly and started doing crazy weird stuff. Trigger-happy me just started snapping away and it was only the morning after when I got to see what kind of shots I took.

One of my friends was sitting on the cooler, Indian style, staring at the sky while sucking a straw in her mouth. One was beside a tree doing the Beyonce booty shake with white shutter shades on... And then this!!! They're seriously role-playing I guess. What you don't see in the picture is one of our guy friends crouched on te floor, carrying the flower pot on which this plant was on to make sure that the pea shooter always had the paso with her wherever she goes. Mwahahaha ha shucks. People our age aren't supposed to play like this anymore!

Notice my friend who has the purple stocking on her face with matching facial expression! And the zombie is looking at the camera, bet she's smiling underneath - that or she's giving us the scary face. We wouldn't know!

>>>>>>>>>>

███ ███ ████████ █████ ███ █████ ███.[ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ.] (ʀᴀ ɴᴏ. 10175)

This Cybercrime Prevention Law is just too ridiculous not to write about. If it were to take effect in its present version, consider this an attempt at increasing my years in prison for all the libelous things I said about no one you could identify all over social media.

 

Good thing my posts have always been vague. You won't know for sure that it's you I'm talking about in those rant posts unless you get to walk inside my head. And if you have a strong feeling it's you, I can't blame you and you can't blame me for harboring those thoughts about you.  And I'm not naming anyone here except for the stupid government who even allowed this to progress in such a state.

 

What the hell is wrong with you?! To think that the person who added the libel clause plagiarized a blog (read: STOLE) which was why he was subjected to such intense cyberbullying in the first place.  And then the person who signed it claims he reviewed it thoroughly. Either he was lying to cover up his complacency or he's also that stupid to even be able to discern what those clauses really mean.

Are we to blame if we don't take well to stupidity? 

 

The Cybercrime Law is just so stupid I wonder if those who wrote and signed it even know how social media really works. I can go on and write about this all night but I'll be in super deep shit by then.

███ ███ ████████ █████ ███.[ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ.] (ʀᴀ ɴᴏ. 10175)

 

>>>

Day 5: "My body feels young but my mind is very old."

Day 5: A song to match your mood

(Note: Because I feel like it, I'm continuing the 30-day blogger challenge I started in August 2011. Here's my second attempt at finishing it!)

 

One day, I'm gonna leave this planet
You know I'd stay but I just can't stand it and
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
One day, I'm gonna leave my spirit
I'll find me a hole and I will live in it and
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind

Half the World Away, Oasis

 

 

Hmmm. I haven't been in the best mood lately. I can be my usual happy self on the exterior and that's because I really don't want to pull anyone down with me. I try to sort things out by myself with the help of some friends who would lend their ears and listen to what I have to say.

 

I'm actually not sure about what it is that weighs me down, I just know there's something.  I've been needing more trips to the beach lately. I just want to be near the water so I can smell the sea, breathe fresh hair, look at the sky and get some peace and calm. It also helps that I'm surrounded by friends. When we're talking silly and laughing our hearts out, I feel great. When we talk serious and they listen to me, I feel genuine concern.

 

Of course, those trips eventually end and we get sucked again into the monotony that is everyday life. Then we go live on the surface and try really hard to trick our minds and look okay.  There are times when we forget, but when we remember, it kind of feels twice heavy.  Then there are people you hang with, who call themselves your "friend/s", who expect you to listen to them but not listen to you.  It's okay because when I call myself a friend, I listen. 

THEN AGAIN, it could be my hormones writing.

 

I think this song comes pretty close to articulating my mood. The lyrics are quite self-explanatory.

 

 

>>>>>>>>>

 

 

Throw Your Arms Around Me.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that at the end of the day, I find that it's not the work that frustrates me.

And I'm not not sure what I'm holding out for or what's in the way. This frustration is unnecessary and I'm not sure I want to do this for a long time.

This shouldn't be it. Whatever I think, say or do next could be perceived as selfish, but it has got to happen.




>>>>>

Day 4: Dad and Mom

Day 4: Your parents

(Note: Because I feel like it, I'm continuing the 30-day blogger challenge I started in August 2011. Here's my second attempt at finishing it!)

I think my parents are a good match in that they balance each other out.

 

Mom is a disciplinarian, owing to her Spanish heritage.  Her dad was pure Spanish, who married a Filipina and my mom and her six other siblings grew up in a very strict and calculated environment.  They had house rules and they obeyed them. Their family is very traditional and so are their values. This is apparent in the way my uncle and aunts from mom's side would raise their children - very strict and prohibitive, bordering on overprotection and suffoctation. From bathing to eating to studying and how one carries himself in public -- everything is covered by rules of what and what not to do.  To a certain extent, Mom shares this mentality with the rest of her family, but I think she's exercising a lot of caution in imposing these things on us given the fact that my dad does not operate in the same way.  I share my pet peeve for dirty toilets with my mom and her spending habits -- we're both impulsive shoppers. We're not the type to shop every chance we get, but when we want something, we have to get it, even if it means realizing weeks, months or years later that we didn't need what we wanted after all.

 

Dad is very liberated. Although they have traditional family values, our grandparents from Dad's side have been lenient in exercising them, or at least that's what I remember from all the years we spent with our grandparents during our childhood. Dad is not strict at all. Occasionally, we get reminders from him but it's never as if he were scolding us. He would use sarcasm to drive a message and that works for me and my sister.  He leaves the disciplining to Mom, but he steps in most of the time to act as our lawyer. I see myself as my Dad's mini-me. We share a lot of common interests and he's such a big influence in my life. I went to Ateneo because when I was growing up, he made me believe that there was no better school. So when I was in Ateneo, I got confirmation: There's no better school. HAHA. I like fast cars, love the water and drink like a fish -- just like my father.

 

Most of the children out there would say their parents are the best. I would say the same for me. I am here because of them. I'm having a good great life so far and I wouldn't have had experienced any of this had it not for these two people who are the world's greatest.

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>

Wanderlust

Hanging out in a coffee shop because I woke up early and decided to head to work well ahead of time.

I've been doing a lot of domestic traveling this year, and it helps in some way. I'm listing the places I've been to so far. Memories are the best souvenirs :)

January: Boracay, La Union
February: Boracay
March: nowhere
April: nowhere
May: Ilocos, Batangas, FRANCE
June: Batangas, La Union, Mindoro
July: nowhere
August: Iloilo, Boracay
September: Zambales, Boracay

:)