Metro Traffic: Not Fun in the Philippines

It's Tuesday.  Not the first day of the week but it's the first workweek day.  Classes in Manila has been cancelled by mayor Joseph Estrada so I was expecting a fairly light traffic.  But lo and behold! We (with my fellow passengers) were stuck in Marcos highway (west bound) for almost an hour.  The travel from Sta. Lucia East grand mall to LRT 2 Santolan Station usually takes just less than 10 minutes but no, not today.  We were all surprised with the heavy traffic, even in other roads which my office mates also encountered. Yes it did rain but the traffic is terribly extraordinary.  Even on our way back home, we were stuck in San Juan going out to Quezon City.

Traffic view from the overpass of Santolan-Marcos highway

Vehicles lined-up, west bound while classes in all levels in Manila are suspended.

Traffic will never become better in the metro, I guess.  Unless we really have the will to do some positive changes altogether--- motorists, commuters, and of course, the government. *sigh*

Terrible Traffic

File photo of Ortigas Extension, West-bound

Hello, August!  First Monday of the month and traffic is a big mess.  Road accident which involved at least 8 vehicles has jammed the major thoroughfares of Metro Manila which caused hundreds of people to be late in their respective appointments.  Times like this that you wish you have a personal chopper which may take you anywhere without any hassle.  I myself drove for more or less three hours going to work.  It usually takes me an hour or less with the "normal" traffic condition.  Tsk, tsk... sayang ang gas.  Then occasional rain showers add to the gloominess of the day.  Super typhoon Halong (local name: Jose) continues to intensifies as it moves West-Northwest.  Good thing is that it will not make a landfall this time.  I can't imagine if the Philippine capital will once again be hit directly by the typhoon.  The strength of the typhoon reminds me of Yolanda which devastated parts of Visayas last year.  Metro Manila wouldn't have prepared more for another super typhoon.  Hopefully, weather must improve over the weekend.  Below is the current track of typhoon Jose.  Just look at the wind strength:

Ingat, everyone!  Let's us all have a fruitful week ahead! ;)

1st Local Trip of the Year

Waiting for our flight back to Manila, from an unexpected trip to Iloilo.  My 2014 started a little unfavorable at work.  First work day of the year, I needed to commute to BIR in Malabon/Navotas just tohave my records updated from the previous employer.  It is my FIRST TIME to actually attend to this matter as my previous employers' HR Department takes care of EVERYTHING.  I just can't understand why the employees need to personally update when in fact, the BIR staff who received my documents didn't even bother to ask any identification cards from me.  Imagine the time I wasted spent just by traveling to and from that distance.  Yeah, my workplace is in Kalentong.  Good thing an LRT ride back to the office is neat.  Anyway, I'm just thankful that I was able to update my record which is supposed to reflect tax deduction adjustments on my payslip.  I'm currently being taxed as married with no dependent/s so the deduction on my gross pay is sky rocketing.  Now I just need to cross my fingers and put my wavering trust to our HR department that the changes will be in effect very soon. And yeah, I am also hoping for a HUGE tax refund due to this.  I've been working for almost two years now in this company and only now that this error has been rectified, but yeah, hope more because the changes are still not in effect.

This trip to Iloilo came very short-noticed.  The more difficult part is not to know what exactly is going to happen to an event which was already organized, but details of it were not really cascaded to you and you were assigned for to "supervise" it.  It's a bit annoying.  Looking a day back,  I'm just thankful that generally, everything went well, even if there was a miscommunication with the media invitees who went to (and immediately left) the event.  Their call time was freakin' 1pm for a 6pm event! Didn't bother asking who did the media invites but yeah, he/she's too excited.  Anyway, the program went smoothly, the press conference was scripted (which i preferred that time) and was able to talk to media friends.  Controversial typhoon Yolanda reporter Atom Araullo of ABS CBN hosted the event.

Presscon:  PRO-FRIENDS Iloilo launched it's "I Want Happiness" campaign during the event.

Just got an announcement that our flight back to Manila is delayed.  What's new, Cebupac?  Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the time and this cold coffee while waiting for the aircraft.

Happy New Year! ;)

an unsolicited (bad) advice

after taking a good nap after lunch, i once in a while log-in to FB mobile to check my notifications of there are already comments on the photo i posted at lunch time. got a good number of likes already and a few comments. "notifications" is what i look at first whenever i log-in to facebook because it's where you are told that somebody either liked or commented on your your post, or the post/s where you yourself liked or commented. now checking it again this early evening, i noticed a relative giving a comment in the photo i posted and dedicated to my dad during his birthday. to my surprise, it was a long comment intended for my dad about her observation during *their* recently-held family reunion. my dad seemed happy (based on her comment) and said something like this...
"koyang eddie... our rudy fernandez way back... looks so pogi. i see you are very happy with your newfound SOULMATE. get an annulment just like what ________ did..."

i was like... WTF??? on a PUBLIC post you will write that? and clearly it wasn't well-thought of... my mom commented on the same thread of comments earlier. well, i HAD to delete it and send her a PRIVATE message:

"hi tita XXXX. please don't advice my dad to get an annulment, much more on a public forum such as Facebook. it is already a struggle for us to keep our family back together and reading such unsolicited advice isn't doing us any good.
thanks."

some *relatives* are just unbelievable.

Day 22 of 365

wow! just WOW! Ren & I just got back from the office to get and pack our things we left earlier (time check: 9:48PM). we rounded the three branches of Chris Sports and its affiliate store in BGC to stick the corrections to our run bibs. i just feel awful today. we could have done many other things and it could have lessen our work load. and tomorrow, our call time is 630AM for our day 2 taping for the upcoming tv show.

talk about exhaustion.

need.to.go.home.NOW.

ang hirap kumita ng pera

eto na yung kwento ng modus operandi na bumiktima sa amin noong nakaraan pang biyernes. andami kong pwedeng gawing title ng post na ito... "kakaibang trip" / "pang-famas na modus" / "effort si kuya" / "buwis-buhay na modus" / "babala: bagong modus"
lahat ng 'yan, swak sa ikukwento ko.

holiday. kaya ang karaniwang kalsada na 'di umuusad sa sikip ng trapik kapag may pasok, pwedeng baybayin sa bilis na higit 60 kilometro kada oras nang araw na iyon. pero naglalaro lang sa 40 kph ang takbo ng kotse namin. paglagpas lang ng may ilang metro mula sa MABUHAY rotonda, isang medyo may edad na lalaki ang biglang tumambad sa unahan ng kotseng minamaneho ko. nagmula sya sa center island. naglakad nang parang lasing o bagong gising (time check: ilang minuto bago alas-7 ng umaga) papalapit sa tumatakbo kong sasakyan. wala sya sa tamang tawiran. iniwasan ko si kuya. tiyak ko, hindi ko sya mahahagip. pero kumalabog ang likuran ng kotse ko pagkatapos kong umiwas sa kanya. at dahil tumatakbo ang kotse ko, sumulyap kami ni wifey sa likod--- lumingon sya, ako naman sa rear view mirror tumingin. si kuya, tumatakbong parang si Ben Johnson habol-habol ang tumatakbong kotse ko. aaminin ko, medyo kinabahan ako. paglingon ko ulit sa harap, nakapula ang traffic light. patay! eto na si kuya. lumapit sa gilid ng kotse, pinakita ang duguang braso. sinipat ko habang medyo natutuliro... may "dugo" pero wait... tila walang sugat o galos dun sa duguan niyang braso. si kuya na parang lasing kanina, gising na gising ang diwang nagtatatalak sa gilid ko. dumampot ng bato. yun na yata ang pinakamatagal na stop light ng buong driving career ko. "gusto ko lang kumain, babanggain nyo pa ko.. natapon lahat ng kanin kong dala, eto pa nangyari sa akin!" (sabay turo sa dumudugo nyang braso na walang kagalos-galos)

natatandaan ko pa na inalok ko syang tumabi kami at para pag-usapan pero nang maramdaman naming uma-acting na lang si kuya (o maaaring hindi rin) inabutan na namin sya ng cold cash pagpalit ng stop light mula pula at naging luntian. malugod nya itong inabot nang buksan ko ang bintana ng sasakyan, hindi naman kami binato.

ayun. instant 100 bucks bago mag-alas siete ng umaga, mukhang quota na si kuya. binalikan namin siya ni wifey ng tanaw pagka-andar namin at parang wala lang ang nangyari sa kanya. tuwid namang maglakad at umupo lang ulit sa may center island. takte!

when it rains, it (REALLY) pours!

just as i am about to enjoy the fruits of my rakets, here comes the "rain."

my little girl has been admitted *again* in the hospital. counting, this is her 4th stay there this year. 1 covered by an HMO company, the rest, spot cash (or rather credit from family members/relatives). i have begun sacrificing my precious quality time with my two girls early this month in order for me to get additional income and save for the health plan i'm getting for my family. believe me. getting sick is so expensive so better get these health plans, whichever is suited for your needs.

earlier this morning, as i drove my car in reverse from the parking lot of the hospital, i slammed into a young tree. the trunk cover of my car got deformed:


i swear i didn't notice the tree behind but i'm honestly admitting it's my fault (who else is to blame anyway?) i wasn't looking at the back or on my rear view mirror. i was just glancing at my side mirror which i normally don't do when backing my car. now i can't tell when i will be able to have its repair. geez... it's still less than a year! but yeah, looking at the brighter side, i slammed into a tree and not into another car, which should be more problematic.

*sigh* i hope the rain stops sooner. :(

ang BIR at ang OHIP (usapang taxation)

TAX SEASON. abala ang ilan, marami sa pagfa-file ng kanilang income tax. ang pagbabayad ng tamang buwis ay gampanin ng isang mabuting mamamayan. kung isa kang bata, teenager, estudyante at napadpad ka dito sa blog ko, alam mo bang nagbabayad ka na rin ng buwis kahit hindi ka pa nagtatrabaho?



^ halimbawa yang resibo sa itaas. resibo po yan ng numero unong fastfood chain dito sa ating bansa. kung magpapadeliver ka ng isang bucket ng chickenjoy na naglalaman ng anim na parte ng manok, nagkakahalaga ito ng P314.29. ang nakatakda mong bayaran na tax (sa ayaw mo at sa gusto dahil automatic itong kukunin ng gobyerno) ay 12% ng total bill mo. kaya kung magaling ka sa math (o mas malinaw ang mata mo na nakita mo agad sa resibo ang itemized value) P37.71 ang 12% VAT na babayaran mo. mas mahal pa kaysa regular french fries! kaya imbes na maglalabas ka na lang ng P350 at masusuklian ka pa sana ng P35.71, lalabas na kulang pa ng P2.00 ang bayad mo kung P350 lang ang inilabas mong pera. 12% nang 12% ang binabayaran mo tuwing bibili ka ng pagkain sa fastfood at mga restaurant. (ang fishball ba may tax?) gayundin kung bibili ka ng items sa mall. lahat ng iyan, subject to the dreadful VAT--- Value Added Tax (hindi ko nga lang makita ang value o naitutulong nitong VAT na ito sa buhay nating mga Pilipino, which brings me to my blog subject...

patuloy ang paalala sa atin ng Bureau Of Internal Revenue (BIR) tungkol sa tamang pagbabayad ng buwis. ngayon nga pati mga well-known personalities, ine-expose na nila kapag napatunayan ng tax evasion. at minsan, hindi pa napapatunayan, nata-trial by publicity na! ang punto naman ng BIR, makakolekta ng buwis para magamit sa kaukulan niya. pero nakakasakit lang ng panga, hindi mo maramdaman kung saan napupunta ang buwis na ibinabayad mo. mas nakakasakit ng bangs kapag tinignan mo ang payslip mo at para kang hinoldap ng gobyerno sa laki ng tax na kinakaltas sa kakarampot mong sweldo :(

ang koleksyon ng tax sa probinsya ng Ontario, nakakainggit. oo, mas mataas ang binabayarang tax kumpara sa Pilipinas... 8% + 7% PST at GST, pero pagdating sa pangangailangan ng kaniyang mamamayan, ramdam mo ang kaginhawahan ng tax na binabayaran mo! bukod sa free primary at secondary schooling, mas masarap lasapin ang kanilang Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). kapag nagkasakit ka kase at na-ospital, wala, as in, WALA ka nang babayaran basta kumpleto ang papeles mo na isa kang lehitimong mamamayan ng Ontario at maayos ang record ng health card mo. correct me if i'm correct. pero ganun ang pagkakaalam ko, nakita ko, at naikwento rin ng mga kakilala ko doon. dito kase sa bansa natin, ultimo maliit na proyekto na bunga ng tax na binabayaran mo, nananakaw pa ang credit ng isang nagpapapoging pulitiko. classic example? click here.

sabi ng BIR, h'wag daw sila ang habulin ng tax payers. tama naman. dapat, ang binabantayan natin eh yung mga gumagamit ng pondo ng gobyerno na mula sa mga taxes na ibinabayad natin. nasaan na? nasaan na?

for freakin' five years and ten months

i don't know why my loyalty and trustworthiness to them all went to waste. they've done it to me again. didn't know that three strikes weren't enough.

if this is some kind of an april fools joke, well, i'm not laughing. and yeah, please please please... take note of this and kindly bear in mind because it comes very handy and practical:

"Love Your Job But Never Fall In Love With Your Company, Because You Never Know When It Stops Loving You."

some things that annoy me

1. pedestrians crossing the street just under an overpass or footbridge.



2. ... parang yun lang muna ang naiisip ko. GRRRR!!!

magaling lang mag-project

ang post na ito ay isa na namang pagngi-ngitngit tungkol sa kawalan ng pera. pero para maiba naman (at dahil napakarami ko na yatang "no money rant" sa blog ko na ito)... ibahin natin ang anggulo ng kwento . :P

bakit kaya kapag sinabi kong "wala akong/kaming pera" ay wala ring naniniwala? para bang isang napakalaking krimen ang nasabi ko at hindi talaga mapaniwalaan. meron pa ngang nagsabi sa akin... "kuya, mawalan na ng pera ang banko pero ikaw.. hinde!" --- o, pamatay di ba?!

ganun ba talaga ang husay ko/namin (ni misis) na magtago ng tunay naming kalagayan? pero hindi naman sa pagiging OA, kumakain pa naman kami ng tatlong dalawang beses sa isang araw (skip breakfast, kape na lang) at minsan ako eh hindi na rin nagha-hapunan (by choice). at hindi naman din nauubusan ng diaper at gatas ang aming little girl (number one rule sa amin ngayon yan--- daughter first before parents!). well, it's either artista kaming mag-asawa (magaling umarte at magtago ng tunay naming nararamdaman) o kaya naman eh we just choose to have a positive outlook in life (naks!) i think it's the latter (or pwede ring both, hehehe). wala naman kaseng mangyayari kung magmumukmok kami pareho. pag nagmukmok kami, hindi naman biglang susulpot sa harap namin yung muntik nang hindi napanalunang jackpot sa lotto noon na daan-daang milyong piso! although sa aming dalawa ni wifey, mas siya yung positive thinker kaysa akin. siya yung nagpapaalala sa akin na hindi ko dapat ikalumo ang kawalan ng pera naming mag-asawa.

pero teka... define "walang pera". sabi kase ng isa kong kaibigan, wag ko raw sabihing wala kaming pera dahil hindi naman daw totoo. sabagay, exaj nga namang sabihin yun dahil may pambili naman kami ng pagkain araw-araw (kahit pancit canton lang sa tindahan). actually, kapag sinabi kong "walang pera", ang ibig sabihin nun eh wala kaming panggastos para sa mga kaluhuuan namin... minsan din, hindi namin nababayaran yung mga dapat bayaran sa loob ng isang buwan. at may pagkakataon na kahit kailangan naming mag-asawa ay hindi namin nabibili. kase nga, "wala kaming pera." yun na yun! siguro may kaunting inggit lang kami sa ilang mga kakilala na pabaka-bakasyon kung saan-saan, at pabili-bili ng mga gamit na hindi naman necessary. at pagkatapos ay ibabandila nila sa facebook... hmmm... i-shutdown na lang kaya namin yung mga FB accounts namin? good idea? haha! wag naman. isa na lang yun sa pinaglilibangan namin kapag hindi kami makalabas ng bahay (dahil walang panggastos, hehe).

di bale, bilang bahagi ng aking kampanya na 2011 positivity... yayaman din kami! ;)

depressing

i should be happy. but no. i am depressed. and i just can't keep it. i need a new job.

victim vs suspects vs "authorities"

barely this noontime, the supreme court came up with the most-awaited decision on one of the most controversial cases in Manila for the past decade. the SC has acquitted the suspects of the decade-long unresolved massacre case that happened right inside the house of the victims. the event of the massacre, which was made cinematic into a movie, is more than enough to give me goosebumps. just imagine being unsafe right inside your own home!

fast forward to present... the victims' surviving family member, who patiently hoped for justice, nearly broke down in tears upon hearing the supreme court decision. the (primary) suspects for the murder of his family has been found not guilty!

now this scares me more. can we ever trust our "authorities"? if their primary suspects more than a decade ago, weren't really the culprit, how can this case be unresolved for so long? how could have the "authorities" wasted the lives of the wrong suspects and send them to jail to serve the sentence not intended for them? how can the "authorities" destroy the trust of the surviving victim that justice can be at hand even after patiently waiting ofr so many years? how can the "authorities" not capture the real culprits of this crime?

scary shit.

inbox messages = zero

:(

the other day, i did a usual routine in cleaning up my sent folder: mark all, then, delete all marked. i didn't bother double-checking the items but the deletion unusually took longer time to finish. when i was about to compose a message, i noticed my inbox folder. it had no messages indicated below it. i opened and to my surprise, all items were deleted. i looked at my sent folder and messages were still there. uh-oh! i deleted the items on the wrong folder. well, so much for the memory of my most treasured 2006, 2007 messages and some 2008 messages too...

:(

*sigh*

i'm currently looking at 3rdy* from a distance as he is lined up to have his 1K maintenance check-up. i was a bit surprise to learn that while this supposed 1K & 5K maintenance check is FREE, i still need to put out cash for the cost of oil & a new filter. i've never been so poor in my entire life. ok, let me rephrase that: i've never experienced almost asking for alms in order to survive my days in between salary cut-offs! as i have twitted earlier as my status: "describing my financial status in two words: El Niño." ok. wifey's gonna get mad at me again if she reads this. she already told me to not to get so serious about this thing since my looks is catching up fast with my age. but yeah, i've asked myself, "how can't i be thinking about it?" :(

anyhoo, this is the best time to think about inspirational phrases, songs, messages that will somehow uplift a person whenever he/she feels low. phrases like, "there's a rainbow always after the rain", "life's like a wheel--- this time you are down, soon you'll be up.", "every dark cloud has a silver lining." ...and many more!

my career right now is helping me just very little in terms of my needs that is why i'm currently looking on "expanding" my income without sacrificing my time for my family and of course my "duties". i know that something better is coming my way very soon... i hope to learn of it sooner. i don't wanna lose my patience but can somebody please wake me up when september ends? ...and let me see the skies sparkle again...



*3rdy - is supposed to be the name of our son but turned out to be the given name of our first-owned car.

blogging from work

came in late at work today (10:10am), and i'm here blogging from work. this ain't gonna be a long straight post. i'm updating in a staggered basis... laters.

(11:38)
done with urgent purchase orders. i just hope there'll be a swift delivery to the concerned distributor.

i'm getting stranded for two consecutive nights already due to heavy rain and flash flood in our humble village. the other night, heavy rain caught me after attending a sunday school class at church. i sought cover in a Jollibee store and while waiting for the heavy rain to stop (which eventually lasted for over two hours), i grabbed a 1-pc burger steak meal and an order of Palabok Fiesta for wifey. after minutes of waiting when i finished my meal, i decided to stand just outside the door of the store as they were already cleaning up the dining place. store's already closing. when I chanced upon the rain slightly getting light, i decided to go already. wifey's already worried about the situation knowing how flood water rises in our area. a jollibee crew took me to the nearest waiting shed even if i insisted i'm ok (since i knew i'm gonna get soaked anyway at the tricycle terminal) anyway, the crew insisted harder so i was accompanied to the waiting shed with a BIG jollibee umbrella :P i was right... flood water is already gutter-deep at the tricycle terminal. i was just lucky even if i was on the last part of the line, a tricycle residing in our area looked for passengers near his place as it was his last trip. lucky enough, not so many people ahead of me on line lives in our area. so i skipped the long line, hopped-in the tricycle (with drenched feet) and rode my way home.

(12:50)
the following day, wifey and baby aya were staying in my in-laws place for the day. while riding the jeepney home, heavy rain poured. the rain was comparable to yesterday's. wifey & little aya together with my mother in law tried to go back home to our place but flood water in one area going to us was already flooded and preventing light vehicles to pass. so they took a u-turn and went back to their place. i called wifey and told them to just spend the night there while i was waiting in line (again) for my tricycle ride home. same scenario as the previous night, my feet were drenched in flood water and i shared the tricycle ride home with a neighbor. i was soaked with rain water when i reached home even if i bring an umbrella with me this time. i called wifey to inform her i already was home safe & sound. after taking a nice warm bath, i just grabbed my brother-in-law's set of DVD titles and chose what to watch until i fall asleep.

how i miss my L300 van. it's loss has made a big impact on me especially that it's raining almost everyday at the time when i'm off from work.

[caption id="attachment_1592" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="my dear L-300 van through the years until we called it quits :("][/caption]

tomorrow, i am reporting to work. the old office has been renovated and it's time to move some things. so that's why i'm working. well, i'm bringing my baby here tomorrow due to insistent public demand :D i still need to finish a lot of things here in the office and my office mates can take care of my baby while i get busy :P

(15:12)
let's all take a moment of silence for the burial of... Wowowee...

(15:38)
nabasa ko sa re-twit ni GMA reporter, Josh Villanueva: " @MMDAtweets This account is a test account of d agency. The official account will b @tweetMMDA which will become @MMDA eventually."
- comment ko: gumaganun pa ang MMDA! :D earlier, i twited this.

(17:55)
i foresee a long night......

(18:23)
ate chona is ordering us dinner, yay! :)

(19:39)
this is very disappointing. i've set my mind to come home late today since this afternoon upon seeing that we still have a LOT of pending PO's for approval. but processing a purchase order tomorrow--- on a SATURDAY is too much. >:(

i miss the former bosses.

(21:41)
still here in the office. WOW.

(22:02)
i think its not a good idea to blog from work on a cut-off day. i should have shared better stories on 'dead times' but yeah, there are no 'dead times' during cut-off days. but this blogging from work was brought about by our DSL service disconnection. so yeah, we don't have internet connection at home anymore... until i find a more affordable internet plan. i'm looking at SUN Broadband plan. we're practically cutting-off expenses, like, downgrading subscriptions to lessen our monthly bills. i already started that by downgrading my mobile plan from 1000 to 600. then we had our PLDT landline-DSL bundle cut, and subscribed to SUN's wireless landline. i can do without my Globe mobile also, so any takers of my Nokia 2680 is welcome. :) it's already 22:33 on my office PC clock. good thing it's not raining outside.

(22:44)
finally, jenners is done with her report. i'm shutting down my PC now. update is done, blog from work is over, and i call it a day!

*whew*

isanlibong piso... nasaan?!

baryang-barya na lang, as in, baryang-barya na lang ang isanlibong piso ngayon. bakit ba pawala na nang pawala ang halaga ng pera natin ngayon? kung ako'y may isanlibong piso ngayon sa kamay ko, pang gasolina ko ang 500, yung 100 ay pang kain ko ng tanghalian at meryenda (kapag ginutom sa hapon), yung natitirang 300 ay pambayad ko sa namamalantsa ng damit namin. meron pa kong natitirang 100. 60-piso dito ay ipambabayad ko sa 2 basyo ng mineral water at yung 40 pesos ay magagamit kong pamasahe (one way) papuntang opisina kapag ang sasakyan ko ay coding. ang siste, zero balance na ako pagdating sa opisina. yan. dalawang araw (na bitin pa) ang itatakbo ng isanlibong piso sa akin. huwag pa akong tapatan ng pagkaubos ng gatas ng anak ko at sabayan ng sandamakmak na utility bills kung hinde, maghahanap na ako ng lubid para itali sa leeg ko at isabit sa kung saan mang puno malapit sa amin. joke lang. kawawa naman ang pamilyang maiiwan ko. saka di yata ako magiging pogi kapag namatay ako nang nakabigti.

kayo, hanggang saan ang itinatakbo ng isanlibong piso nyo?

random

current computer clock: 2:56pm. i'm currently pissed off. this started just a while ago, after lunch. well, not really something new during cut-off days. i seriously am considering a new job assignment.

* * * * * * *

i twitted earlier that i'm thanking God it's Friday! ...until i remembered that we need to report for work tomorrow. it's a Chinese schedule "lucky day" thing in line with our transfer to the new office. anyway, i still thank God i'm still breathing.

* * * * * * *

we just received a MEMO: "wear red tomorrow." nice...my one and only red polo shirt is in the laundry. *sigh*

* * * * * * *

my dear wifey's birthday is approaching... i still haven't got anything for her :(

* * * * * * *

it's 5:17 on my computer clock. i just faxed all the purchase orders and will now prepare to email receipt confirmation.

* * * * * * *

it's now 6pm. i still need to photocopy a lot of invoices. amazingly, i'm not pissed off anymore. i wanna go home already, though.

* * * * * * *

7:26pm... still in the office. just tallied our weekly report. Lemuelers said that it's flooded outside due to heavy rain.

* * * * * * *

got a facebook message from a familiar name from my grade school years. i texted a couple of grade school friends whom i have contact with, and ask them this: "Beejay & Ron, do we have a classmate named ___________ in UNO-R grade school? He's adding me up on facebook."
here are their replies:
Ron: "Yeah. He was the skinny kid from the states with glasses."
I replied: "Ok, thanks."

now, here's the winner of the two replies:
Beejay: "Yup. He's (insert complete name here). He Used to wear dat michael jackson thriller jacket. Hehehe"
I replied: "Really? I now recall... haha. Tnx."

LOL :D

mahiya naman kayo

ang blog post na ito ay bunsod ng pagdamay ko sa isang kaibigan at ang paborito kong online amateur photographer na si tukayong totomai. ganito kase yun. sumali sya sa isang photo competition noong taong 2009 sa kanilang lalawigan, na may kinalaman sa MASSKARA FESTIVAL. inorganisa ito ng Bodyshot Photography. Nang ilabas ang mga nanalo sa contest, kinilala at nanalo ang entry ni totomai bilang 2nd prize:



dahil kasalukuyang naghahanap-buhay sa Japan si totomai, ipinakisuyo na lang nya sa kapatid nya ang pag-claim ng P20,000 2nd prize award. mula ng makipag-ugnayan ang kapatid nya sa organizer, lumipas ang ilang mga araw para ituro lang sya sa main sponsor nung prize, ang EPSON. makalipas ang may isang buwan, nag-email sa EPSON si totomai para ikuwento ang mga pangyayari at kung paano niya makukuha ang kaniyang napanalunan. sumagot ang EPSON at binati sya sa pagkakapanalo at sinabing kinontak na nila (EPSON) ang NIKON para sa kanyang prize money (40,000 YEN din yun, mga kaibigan). NIKON daw ang in-charge sa kanyang prize money (yung 2nd prize). Makalipas ang ilang araw, nagemail ang EPSON sa kaniya at hiningi ang ilang detalye niya sa banko. pagkatapos nun ay sinabihan lang sya na ii-email siya kapag nakapag deposit na si NIKON.

isang buwan na naman ang halos lumipas, nag-follow-up si totomai kay EPSON. sumagot si EPSON pagkalipas ng isang araw at sinabi lang na ipa-follow-up niya si NIKON sa prize (ang laking tulong, di ba?)

nagbabay ang 2009... nag-hello si 2010. nag-follow-up si totomai kay EPSON. sumagot si EPSON: "halos atakihin ako sa puso sa pagkakagulat ko! akala ko nabigay na yan sa iyo ni NIKON!" (gawa-gawa ko lang yang quote na yan, naiinis na kase ako!)

after one week, nag follow-up ulit si totomai. NR.

after 11 days, binigay na ni EPSON ang email ni NIKON (nabagot na rin siguro si EPSON sa kakulitan ng kaibigan ko). nag-email si totomai kay gwapong NIKON at sinagot sya ng nakakabinging ______________. nag-email ulit sya kay NIKON at lalo syang nabingi sa sagot: ______________________________.

after 9 days nung follow-up email kay NIKON, nag-email ulit sya kay EPSON para lang MAGULAT sya sa isinagot na naibigay na sa lahat yung prizes maliban yung sa kaniya. wow, me ganun?!

patapos na ang ikatlong buwan ng taong 2010, tumulong na ang ilang kaibigan ni totomai sa pagpa-follow-up. para pa ring prusisyon ng salubong ang mga pangyayari... mahaba. gumive-up na si EPSON representative at itinaas ang white flag. suko na raw sya sa mga pangyayari dahil ang lagi lang sinasabi sa kanila ni NIKON eh pina-process na yung payment. April 2010 na. November 2009 pa lang, ginawaran na ng 2nd prize yung winning photo ni totomai.

Ano ito, ha? hindi naman na pinag-uusapan ang premyo rito eh (although malaki-laki rin yun, 450 USD din yun!) yun lang integridad nyo sa pagpapa-contest, sisikat kayo dahil sa paggamit ng ibang tao tapos yung kakaunting pabuya (na barya lang sa kinikita ninyo) eh hindi ninyo pa maibigay?!! kaburaot kayo ha, MAHIYA NAMAN KAYO!

(ang buong detalye ng kwento nito ay matatagpuan dito.)

ranting days must be over

ok. i've been having bad days this week. let me start:

i have lost my parking ticket in a mall the other day. it's my first time to loose a parking ticket in my entire driving career! so imagine the humiliation when i approached the car park attendant, scratching my head and telling him that i've lost my ticket. after a short discussion with the guard on duty, i was issued a receipt reflecting the fee for the lost ticket. the guard informed me that it is however refundable should i relocate my ticket within 24 hours. upon parking the van in the garage, wifey was able to find the ticket! it was found in aya jr's. piled up things from the stroller. so thinking i could refund until before 10pm the following day, i brought the ticket and the receipt with me to work the following day so i can re-claim my money after office.

driving to work one morning, the radio was giving me a static sound. i checked if the tuner was on an exact frequency and so i thought the radio was just loose from its base or something. i removed it and put it back. then the sound was completely lost. i turned on the indoor light of the van and it didn't turn on. then a few meters away, i noticed that i have also lost my break lights. i panicked a bit and tested if the wiper was working, the signal lights and the headlight. except for the latter, the others were working just fine. but i realized how dangerous it was driving without a tail light. so by lunch break, i brought my van to the electrical shop near our place to have it fixed. i left it there then take public ride back to work and came back for it after office hours. while i was driving home after having it (supposedly) fixed, i was nearing our place when a sudden darkness surprised me up front. my headlights went off... again! i had a difficult time driving but the good thing was i was near our place. the real test came at dawn the next day when i had to drive to church to perform my (choir) duty. park light was functioning but insufficient to light the way ahead. so i had to hold the flashlight on my left hand as i drive with my right hand. good thing was that not so many vehicles were on the streets during those unholy hours of dawn.

and so i hurriedly went to the parking entrance of the mall and talked with the parking attendant lady. i told her why i was there and guess what? she didn't know what to do! "Manong (referring to the guard), may nagrerefund ng lost ticket, nahanap na niya, anong gagawin dito? saan ito?" in my mind i was like, "this is impossible!" then manong guard replied: "yun kaseng mga kasamahan mo pag may ganyan, nirerefer sa treasury. (then manong guard referring to me...) kaso sir, sarado na sila. office hours lang pwedeng mag claim." then imagine a skull smiley dropping its jaw, i was like, "huwaaaaattt???!!!" i spent wasted a few minutes discussing with both of them but realizing that my mission will come to no avail, i agreed to come back the next day but ensuring that they properly documented the incident.

i paid a whooping 350 bucks for the repair of the van's electrical wiring. i asked the cause of the dead line (since i was guessing that only a fuse broke down) and the electrician told me a lot of causes. well, as expected of them. but its ok since its harder to drive without head and tail lights especially at night.

"office hours"--- i kept that in mind. and since i thought the claim would be swiftly done and considering that my work time starts at 9, i decided to go to the mall's treasury office by first hour of their office. i was fuming mad inside when i was told that i can't refund the money since 24 hours has expired. so i have to re-tell my *plight* with their parking attendants the previous night and how unknowledgable their parking attendants are in facing situations such as what happened to me. i was pointing out their flawed "procedure" and insisted i get my money back. i was told to wait for the treasury department supervisor but after a decade of not showing up, i approached again the front desk of their admin office and asked for a higher authority whom i can talk to. i was referred to a same level person, supervisor, but this time of another department. being in the customer service field for years now, i expressed my disappointment on their "process & procedure" in refunding lost ticket fees.

van's now running good again, and i got back my money from the lost parking ticket fee. but all the hassle i've gone through was too draining. good thing, ranting days are over.