Love, Friendship, Confusion

Singing love songs, watching romantic films while thinking of her, wanting to see her every day, could I be possibly in love? Oh no…Maybe I just like her, may she just makes me happy that’s all..But why am I so pissed off of every guy who goes closer to her. I’m so confuse, I’m confuse with what’s confusing me…We are both single and available, we both got a job, but she has a child…But does it really matter? I don’t think It is, but I don’t know what’s stopping me? Rejection? Maybe, ‘coz I may be just giving meaning to the closeness that she is showing, it could be just a pure friendship…or not! Haayst, things just get too complicated sometimes. I may not sure with what’s gonna happen, but what I know I’m so sure that I like her and I want to maximize all the time and the opportunities for her to know that.

Baguio and Pangasinan Getaway

Its summer time again, one of the most important seasons here in the country. I remember the same time last year where I spent my summer with my sisters in Jolo, Sulu. One of the most scary places (at least for non-Muslim people in the country) in Mindanao but I can really say it has the most beautiful beaches and it is open to public, it got white sands that Boracay or Dakak has…this year, I spent my summer getaway in San Fabian Beach Resort, Pangasinan and a Baguio Trip with my office mates.

Originally, it was just a Baguio trip that we planned for since December when our team earned a pot money of 7,500.00. We kept the money ‘til it finally came to a realization last Sunday, March 28th. However, since the schedule didn’t much permit us to go to Baguio ‘coz it was just for a day supposedly (and we thought we won’t enjoy the trip for just a day) and our coach’s daughter is celebrating her birthday on the same day, we just decided to passed by one of the beaches in Pangasinan and planned to stay overnight and go back to Manila upon checking out by 12 noon. Everyone had fun with night swimming, boat riding, karaoke and all but still kept talking about the Baguio trip, and for the last minutes everyone decided to escape work on Monday (which was the stupidest thing we did) and headed to Baguio, ‘coz it was everyone’s first time to go the coolest city (literally cool as in “cold”) in the country. Personally, it was really my wish to visit the place as part of my frustration before when we had our educational tour last 2005 back in college.

It was just a two-hour trip from Pangasinan and as we headed near Baguio we started to feel the chill thinking we just took the non-aircon bus. We really felt like we were outside the country and that we visited the United States during winter. When we arrived there, everyone was wearing long sleeves, jacket, pretty much our attire in the office (‘coz it’s too cold). It seems like they have a wide centralized air-condition that the whole city is so cold, no aircon or a fan needed for malls, hotels, or even for bus or van. And during the morning, if you are outside you really want to see yourself breathing as it makes small cold smog in the air and you don’t want to take a bath without the heater on. And of course, Baguio is known for strawberries and I finally tasted real strawberries there (‘coz I only used to have strawberry jams or candies hehe).

We almost didn’t sleep as we just shared some thoughts about work and some personal experiences with our coach, we slept around 4:00 am and woke up around 8:00 am to buy some pasalubong (I only got a shirt and strawberry jam for myself) and by 11:00 am we p acked our stuff and headed back to Manila, it was a seven-hour trip and arrived around 6:30 pm (which only gave us almost 2 hours before our shift). It was really tiring but we really enjoyed it. I couldn’t almost believe that I have been to Baguio at last. Hope I could visit the place once again, and hope by that time (Inshallah),I could bring my younger sister with me.

A new month..A new start..

It's a new month again. Got to take myself back on track. The challenge for last month was totally not in my favor. Later as I start my shift tonight for the month I gotta to do good. No room for any mistakes this time or else I'm doomed!..Not bad for failing though after passing for four months consecutively...Well, honestly somehow its bad, 'coz i started being so negative again about the job and once again considering other opportunities, thanks to my coach who is always making me feel better each time I feel that way. But anyway, I know its gonna get better this month, I can feel everything will be back the to the way it was.

Done with my two days off, I feel like I had the whole week vacation, which is kinda good 'coz i don't feel so stressed out starting my week later. It's my off after my shift later but i'm gonna render RD OT, coz i had too much or enough rest and besides, I need to pay the house rentals, my sister's graduation fee, my debts worth 2,500.00 pesos (really a lot), i need more or less 7,000.00 this coming pay day (don't think my pay will be enough huhu)..But then again, I know its gonna be fine..

A road to happiness can be unpredictable, uncontrollable....and unbelievably funny!

Have you imagined things happening in random instead of being in order or organized? If someone tells you the story of anything, you would understand it if it would have been told in a way how it sequentially happened. Yes, normally, but not in the film 500 Days of Summer. The story of a "boy meets girl where the boy falls in love but the girl does not" (the film's tagline). just before how the movie started, there was an emphasis that the film is not a love story. I couldn't believe at first, but really, it wasn't a love story at all. A guy fell in love with an average girl then get ditched eventually. Well, it could have been a non-happy ending love story, but that's not what the movie is all about. It's about doing something that you really wanna do in life. Its about having the courage to do what the things that you wanna do and to express the words you wanna say. These things are pretty basic, too basic that we don't barely notice,'coz we don't give a time to examine it.

There was a boy who fell in love and the story revolves around him, not about him and the girl who he is in love with. Perhaps, the girl is just one the people that made him realize how life can be randomly crazy and a gift at the same time 'coz it always leads you to something beautiful in the end. 500 Days of Summer is one of the best films released in 2009, these types of films really teaches you how life can be so random, funny and meaningful. As the movie says "A road to happiness can be unpredictable, uncontrollable....and unbelievably funny! "

1 down, 9 to go..number of days left:18 days

Update on the challenge...just a refresher, yesterday a challenge have started, a challenge that have been agreed by me and myself..its about getting 10 Very Satisfied surveys from our customers for 22 days . Well, it seems like the challenge is easier than I expected 'coz on the very first day I got 1 Very Satisfied survey, that means I only need 9 more. However, I think I set the number of days wrong, It's not for 22 days 'coz we only have 28 days for this month, so the challenge is even more challenging this time 'coz I need to get 9 surveys within 18 days. And tonight, I'm expecting 1 or more Very Sat survey today, i know I can't avoid it but there's no room for any mistake anymore. Although I can''t expect it to be smooth, but I know i'll get through this..So those who are with me, anyone out there, let's get it on.

The Challenge for 10 consecutive perfect surveys

It's second week of February, how am I doing with my work now?Are my goals still met?For four consecutive months since October, my goals have always been met and surpassed. But this month, although I started good with the first week with 75% survey, it went down to 38% on the first half of the second week which a lot further from the goal of 70%, my personal goal is 75%. Currently , need 10 perfect surveys from our customer to make it 70% and that's my new goal now, I still have more than 20 days to make up for this. It sounds impossible 'coz surveys are uncontrollable (I even just got 8 surveys the entire month of January), but more calls more possible surveys, so I need to render RDOT at least once a week. I know with Him nothing is impossible, I just need to do extra effort.

Right now, the challenge for myself is 10 consecutive perfect surveys for 22 days. Later tonight, the challenge is on!

Breakfast with Wizard Team

February 2, 2010

Just got home from work around 12 noon today, although my shift ended at 7am this morning me and our coach together with my team mates went on a breakfast in a Jollibee in St. Francis Square in Ortigas. I had a Crispy Bangus (milk fish) with fried egg and a slice of tomato and a cup of coffee while the rest had mushroom with beef, spaghetti, hotdog and sausages. We waited for two hours or so in Jollibee for Mega Mall to open so that we can go to DQ (Dairy Queen) to eat Ice cream which I spent another hundred bucks for a 12 oz of coffee with chocolate drink (don’t forget what it’s called).

On our way home, I passed by Video City in the mall and rented 5 movies. I always rent five at a time because of their promotion 4 + 1, where in you have a free 1 movie for every 4 movie rentals. Just like what we’ve been talking during the breakfast and in DQ, I rented inspiring and romantic comedy movies. I got I Love You Goodbye, Wimbledon, The Greatest Game Ever Played, You’ve Got Mail and Facing the Giants. I really wanted to watch at least one when I got home today but I also need to get enough sleep ‘coz I still have a shift at 10pm to 7am. I will just go home early tomorrow so that I can watch at least two films before my shift.

I really enjoyed the talk again with Coach Melai, Laurika, Albert and also Joebert (though he just listened most of the time) this morning. It’s always been us together almost every after shift. It’s just so nice to have these people all the time ‘coz you will never feel the pressure of the work no matter how complicated and tiring it gets. Looking forward to be working with this bunch of good people for the next few months or perhaps years.

A Treat for myself

Got myself a new phone yesterday (picture on the right), finally I've got the phone that I have always wanted. Not the exact model though, but the color, the features and the style is really "shoot sa banga". W595 Model Sony Erickson Walkman has 3.2 megapixel camera and 2gb memory card and expandable upto 8gb,not really bad for Php9,000.00 (just 8,750 to be exact, with 250.00 discount). I really now believed that if something is gone, always expect for something better to come. I didn't really worry myself too much when I lost my old phone for three years last December which cost around Php 5,000.00 way back in 2007, 'coz I knew, better unit was reserved for me, and this is it now. My Cherry Mobile phone that i bought a day after i lost my old phone is now an extra and I'm thinking of selling it or I'll buy an extra Sun Cellular SIM for the "Unlimited Call Promo".

Aside from a cool phone, one my best friends (San) arrived home from Kuwait last Friday, and she gave me her brand new 250 Gb External Hard Disk as a "pasalubong". Just like the phone, External HDD was also one of the things that I always want to buy for myself 'coz my laptop has just 80 Gb internal HDD. Next stuff that I need to save for is an External DVD Drive, 'coz my laptop's drive only plays VCDs and writer doesn't work properly, and I think i'm gonna buy one before February ends (Inshallah!).

The Look Back

Its 2010 already. Looking back for the past few years when I once told myself if 2010 comes I should be achieving something in my life, both personal and professional. Just this week, when I was cleaning some files on my computer, I came across the budget file in MS Excel format that I once made when the year 2009 was starting. I targeted that I should be saving at least Php 30,000 before 2009 ends, but its 2010 and I haven’t saved any amount yet.

I also remember last 2008 when my ex-girlfriend and I were still in love with each other, we planned that by 2010 we would be settling down. But just like the 2008 ended, our relationship also ended for good. I even thought by 2010, I’ll be finishing my Masters Degree, but here I am, not even pursuing for it, and I don’t even know if I would still go for it this year, or even for this coming years.

Just also last year when I left Zamboanga for Manila to work abroad, I was hoping before 2009 ends I would be working outside Philippines and earn more so that I can provide more to my family. But here I am, still in Manila for almost 8 months now.

A year or two had passed now and you start asking yourself. Where are those dreams now? What happened? Did you really work for it? Maybe because you don’t really like doing it after all, or maybe for some reason when one thing in your life changed, you just somehow relive your life, relive your dreams and start things over. And because of that, you start to avoid the things you have done in the past, including the things you wanted to do before. It’s like you want a new YOU. But before you blame yourself for not chasing your own dream, for messing up your own plans, ask yourself, what did you want to have why you want those things anyway? Are you still achieving them? I told myself, Hey, I haven’t saved anything but at least I have provided what my family needs, I have stayed here in Manila for almost 8 months now but did I waste it? I’m earning more for myself and for my family and what’s more important about it, is that I am enjoying it.

50 Best Movies of 2009

2009 is almost over, while we count down the days up to the last minute of 2010, let's do a countdown as well of the 50 of the Best Movies released the entire year of 2009. These films are not based from revenues they earned during the theatrical release but from reviews of critics and users world wide. Most of my personal favorite movies are on the list. Transformers 2 and New Moon are not part of the list. Check whose in or out as Movieinfo tabulated the 50 Best Movies of 2009.

50. Where the Wild Things Are
49. Michael Jackson 's This Is It'
48. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
47. Earth
46. In The Loop
45. The September Issue
44. It's Complicated
43. Duplicity
42. Ponyo
41. Drag Me to Hell
40. The Informant
39. Tyson
38. World's Greates Dad
37. Bas Lietenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
36. Sherlock Holmes
35. Anvil! The Anvil Story
34. Julie & Julia
33. Broken Embraces
32. A Single Man
31. Adventurland
30. Paranormal Activity
29. Whip It
28. Moon
27. The Road
26. Sugar
25. The Blind Side
24. Food, Inc
23. Crazy Heart
22. The Messengers
21. I Love You, Man
20. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
19. A Serious Man
18. District 9
17. Nine
16. Invictus
15. The Princess and the Frog
14. (500) Days of Summer
13. Zombieland
12. The Cove
11. Coraline
10. The Hangover
9. Precious
8. Star Trek
7. An Education
6. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. Avatar
4. The Hurt Locker
3. Inglorious Basterds
2. Up
1. Up in the Air

So far there are 13 movies that I have already watched, 37 more to go..I'm really hoping the rest of the films will be released here in the Philippines.

My 3-D Experience

I have finally watched the most awaited film this December, James Cameron’s Avatar. Ever since this film announced to be released on December, I just couldn’t help but to count the days and finally, this afternoon I was able to watch it in SM Megamall. And what’s good about it, I watched it in 3-D. I couldn’t explain the experience of watching 3-D, it’s like you are with the casts and you feel like you can touch them. Plus, you would really appreciate the effects more in 3-D in a sense that it really looks like real. James Cameron really prepared for it, after more than a decade since he did Titanic which broke all box office records, he is back to offer us something that we can’t forget.

WELCOME TO A NEW HOME

Just moved to a townhouse this week. After six months of stay in my cousin’s place, I finally moved to a place of my own. Well, not really my own place ‘coz there are four of us in a room, and there are 30 other tenants more in the house. The townhouse is located in Boni Avenue which is just one MRT station away from my work and it is very much affordable with cable TV and furniture. And I know the place is safe ‘coz one of the requirements for the tenants is NBI clearance with government ID and employment ID. So all of us here are all professionals, which for me is really a factor for a peaceful and safe place to live in. It is like home away from home. I got three roommates, two of them are programmers and one is working in medical institution. Although we don’t talk much ‘coz we seldom see each other because of the schedule I still feel that I am welcome.

Update

It’s really been a while. There are a lot of things that I really want to write here in this blog. Too many that I don’t know what to start with. Hmm, let me just say something about my purpose why I am here in Manila, which is to apply for work abroad. Well, I just got an offer from an agency to work in KSA, although the pay is lower than I expected but at least it is more than I make here in Manila. I’m waiting for my medical examination this week, and if everything is settled, come this January I would start working for Arabs. KSA is really the dream place of every Muslim and Mecca is always the spot the we really want to visit at least once in our lifetime. This is one of the reasons that motivates me with the new job, and I can’t wait to start with it.

Speaking of job, I am doing better in my work lately. For past few months, I’ve been seeing a lot of green on my scorecards. I’m really enjoying the job now, I really like the experience dealing with different people. Though sometimes you get unlucky with a not-so-nice customer, but at least you tried to do your best to help them. They might not be happy with the services that they are getting, atleast there are people like us, technical support representatives that provide them the excellent experience possible and would somehow put smiles on their faces. And for me this is not really an easy job, but with dedication and the right attitude, I know everything will be easy.

Maybe one of the things that makes it easier for me here in Manila is my own dream. I don’t want to live my life here, ‘coz I know this place is not really good for me and for my future family. But somehow I manage to live here happily ‘coz of the goal that I set prior to coming to this big city.

10 of the Highest Grossing Films of 2009

As we count down for the year 2010, let's do a countdown for the biggest movie of the year as well. These films are the biggest films that grossed hundred millions worldwide. Some of these films are still showing in some countries. As of December 7, 2009, here is the top 10 Highest Grossing Films this year.

10. STAR TREK - with an estimated budget of $150 million, this sci-fi action remake directed by J. J. Abrams (who also directed the Mission Impossible III in 2006) grossed $384,953,671 worldwide. Starred by Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg and Eric Bana.

09. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF SMITHSONIAN - following the success of first movie in 2006, Director Shawn Levy, Ben Stiller and the rest of the casts (this time with Amy Adams) returned this year with a sequel. Although it failed to surpass the grossing of the first film, it still managed to earn $412,378,818 worldwide also with a production budget of $150 million.

08. THE HANGOVER - this surprised hit was produced with just an estimated production budget of $35 million. Breaking all the records of all previously released R-rated youth movie with a worldwide gross of $459,355,808. Starred by best buddies, Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha and directed by Todd Philips (Old School, Starsky and Hutch and Road Trip).

07. ANGELS AND DEMONS - this film probably the most controversial film released this year. Just like Dan Brown first book, The Da Vinci Code, its prequel Angels and Demons was also banned by some countries and cinemas but still manage to earn $485,900,330 world wide. Ron Howard and Tom Hanks teamed up again in this film with Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgard. This movie also produced with in $150 million budget.

06. THE TWILIGHT SAGE: NEW MOON - with Chris Weitz (Golden Compass) as the new director, this Stephanie Meyer's 2nd book which was just released last month has earned $498,639,000 and counting. With a production budget of just $50 million, this film is the highest grossing film of Summit Entertainment ever produced. Starred by Kristen Stewart, Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

05. UP - This highest rated animated film marks as the Pixar's 10th film and was produced with in $175 million budget. Among Pixar's film Up earned $506,962,798 which is second to Finding Nemo in terms of total gross worldwide.

04. 2012 - Directed by Disaster Guru, Roland Emmerich, 2012 is probably the mother of all disaster films. Produced with in $200 million, the movie has already reached $600,087,000 and still counting. Starred by John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

03. TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN - this Michael Bay's action-packed is this year's number one film in North America, but just placing third worldwide. With $200 million budget, this sequel surpassed its first film with $833,229,011 worldwide. Starred by Shia Lebouf, Megan Fox, and Josh Duhamel.

02. ICE AGE : THE DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS - yes, UP is not the highest grossing animated film this year, but Ice Age 3. This animated film even surpassed T2 with its worldwide gross of $878,802,649. This film is Fox's all time greatest film (since Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantomenace) in terms of return of investment as this just produced within $90 million budget.
01. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE - this is not a surprise for HP6 to be this year's highest grossing film. Fans waited for over a year for this 6th film to be released as its date of released was moved from last year original date. Produced within $250 million, this 6th HP film ranks 3rd among all HP movies. To date, HP6 is earning $929,330,206 worldwide.