No Apologies

I have not updated my blog for the longest time and I won’t apologize for that (grins). So what have I been doing for the past few days?

Sleep. Glorious sleep. Even superheroes need rest. I’ve taken advantage of my rest days to recharge before I continue my never-ending quest to conquer the world.

Facebook. Yeah, I’m guilty prioritizing my farm in Farmville and taking care of my pet ‘Lingling’ in Pet Society. I’ve already reached Level 21 and there’s no stopping me. There are times when the first thing I think of when I wake up in the middle of the night is to harvest my crops. It’s making me crazy. And of course, I also keep myself busy by answering some quizzes and buying some friends to be my slave in Friends for Sale.

Gym. In a span of one month, I lost 12 lbs. Applause. Besides going to the gym, I also see to it that I don’t eat anything after 6pm as much as I can. But don’t expect me to have a Survivor-worthy body. I just wanted to lose some excess weight to prepare myself for the Mossimo Bikini Summit. hahaha

Tagalog Shows. Boys Over Flowers has just ended last week. At first I thought the list of the shows that I usually watch will shorten but boy, I was wrong! The ever-beautiful, lovely, sexy, perfect Marian Rivera’s ‘Darna’ already started. ‘Survivor Philippines 2-Palau’ has also started to grace the boob tube (in my case, the
Filipino streaming sites) with a bang. The newest edition of ‘Starstruck’ will
be shown on Monday, and the list goes on.

Movies and TV Shows. I never fail to download the weekly episodes of Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen. These two almost have the same format. Almost. Except the latter is more devious because of Chef Gordon Ramsay. Horror-Suspense Films also kept me glued to my laptop. Some films which are worth-mentioning are ‘The Haunting in Connecticut,’ ‘Orphan,’ ‘The Last House on the Left’ and ‘Friday the 13th.’

Jobstreet. I can’t help it. I’m doing the inevitable. During my spare time, I see to it that I submit my CV and try my luck. There’s no harm in trying anyway. Luckily, our ever-friendly IT’s have not blocked Jobstreet, yet. Yeah, I’ve considered applying in some companies in Manila. If the price is right, then why not?

Pasalubong. I’m doing some last-minute pasalubong for my family and friends. I’m going home next week for a long vacation. Seven days. And yup, I have yet to buy some keychains and chocolates which I promised to give to some people on September 4.

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Off-Topic: I received an sms from one of my dearest blogger-friends, RevSiopao and I quote ‘Pls save the dates:Dec 7-Priestly Ordination, 9am, St.Joseph Cathedral Balanga, Bataan/ Dec8-First Mass, 7pm, St.John the Baptist Parish, Pinaglabanan,
San Juan, MM.’

To RevSiopao, I’m really happy with the good news. Everybody in the blogosphere
misses you. Keep rocking on and continue inspiring us. God bless you.

I would also like to thank another blogosphere friend, Pareng Otep, for the picture
below that he did for me. Don’t forget to bring my shirt on September 4 because I
would not be wearing one.

 

Don’t You Just Hate It When…

1.You’re not in the mood for no particular reason?

2.You accidentally cut your finger with a razor? Clumsiness at its best.

3.You find it difficult to sleep after a tiresome night shift?

4.Youtube will be phasing out support for your browser in the office soon? Dang. Night shifts will definitely be very boring.

5.You could not find a site to download the full episodes of ‘Fairly Odd Parents?’Anti-fairies are really strong nowadays.

6.Two of the shortest words in the English language are ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ and yet, they are often the ones that require most thought before they are spoken?

7.People around you create their own little drama of pure insecurity?

8.‘Nobody nobody bachu’ kept on playing in your head over and over and over again? (Please leave me alone!)

9.It’s hard to believe that it’s more important to be happy than to be right?

10.Dead end signs are really kinder than human? They at least have the decency to tell you that you’re going nowhere.

11.People believe you not for what you say but how you say it?

12.You keep on ruining the perfectly beautiful petals of the flower when you know from the start that she loves you not?

13.You’re vulnerable to believing lies?

14.Some people you consider friends left you without a glance?

15.You were very prepared with your photoshoot and then you realized afterwards that you forgot to set the right date on your digicam? For the record, these pics were taken on 14-Aug-2009.

 

Job Opening in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

This company in KL badly neeeds a Proofreader…

Let’s take a closer look…

Huwwaaaaattttt? Don’t they even know how to spell Philippines correctly?

I mean, grammatical mistakes could be forgiven. But putting the name of our country on your brochures and misspell it…dang!

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Off-topic: I watched ‘The People’s Farewell’ to THE Corazon Aquino yesterday and it was really sad. I was particularly touched with the eulogies of Mel Mamaril (Cory’s bodyguard) and Kris Aquino. However, a part of me wished that Mamaril just read a Tagalog eulogy. Nonetheless, it was really heartfelt. On the other hand, I loved how Kris said, ‘I’m sorry mom, I lied to you. Nagsinungaling ako when I told you na we would be okay. I did this because we wanted you to be free from all your pain at para hindi ka na mag-alala tungkol sa amin. Pero, mom, it would take a lifetime for us to be okay because we will forever miss you.’ And yes, Rye is not ashamed to admit that he cried again. hehe

To THE Cory Aquino, have a safe trip Madam. Thank you for showing us that you could be a leader and a good person at the same time.

 

 

Bud Brothers

This is a quick one. I was browsing thru my old pictures and found out that I really look like my brothers.

My 12 year old brother Paulo (Marco Paulo)

He never takes ‘no’ for an answer. Shouting is a part of his life.  He usually logs out from his ym everytime I go online. He knows that I will ask him many questions which could interrupt his glorious Dota game.  (click here)

 

Rye during his younger days…

 

My youngest brother Baby Owa (Marcus Joshua)

He’s the only brother I have, who I can still kiss and hug in public. I call him ‘mallows,’ short for marshmallow.  He went here in Kuala Lumpur for a two week vacation last April. He’s one of the most loyal customers of 711.

 

Rye inside the Big Brother house…

 

My 4th year high school brother, Samboy (Marcos Jr.)

My dad’s nickname is ‘Boy.’ Since he’s the Junior, we call him ‘Samboy.’ He used to be my partner in  crime when he was younger. We loved watching horror shows before like Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and other scary stuffs. He’s the only one in our family who has a third eye. Scary.

 

Dondon, my 19 year old brother (Don Vincent)

We used to call him ‘froggy’ because of his loud voice. Let’s just say he has a voice, which will make his future wife aim for a divorce. His name was derived from my two gramps– Donato and Vicente. He had one-liners which made me crazy.

While watching the Chinese kiddie-karate flick ‘Little Shaolin:’

Dondon: Ay, may matanda palang Intsik!

Dondon talking to Aling Letty, the sari-sari store owner in our area:

Dondon: Aling Letty, magkano po ba ang catsup nung 1987?

 

As usual and as always, it still ends with me, only me. And this time, the innocent me. :p

 

Fun Nights Are Over

Night shifts in our contact center are supposed to be fun. Really fun. (You don’t believe me, do you? click here).

When I was hired last year, we only served five countries (Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia). In a span of almost a year, six additional accounts were added (Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand).  I was transferred from the Philippine to the Singapore Market.  I have been doing sales, customer service, inquiries and assistance at the same time. One of the most important qualities that a call center agent should possess is the ability to do multi-tasking.

So as the contact center grows, the agents come and go as well.  The fun night shifts we’ve had before will soon be over. Our IT’s already blocked Facebook and the other porn sites. I could not even watch some Tagalog Shows anymore thru the different Pinoy Channels (anybody knows a good proxy site?puhleasseee).  And worse, from the usual four hour sleep before, I could only sleep around three hours or less.

Sometimes, due to the lack of manpower (which is inevitable), we do not have Manager on Duty (MOD) during the night shift.  And because of that, a few weeks ago,  a very simple task was assigned to me: To be in charge of the center. C’mon I’m just a plain and cute call center agent. I do not know anything about this. Luckily, nothing extraordinary came up that day.

.

 

If I could just say ‘no,’ during that time I will. Nobody wants additional responsibilities. But I was up for the challenge. I did not want to regret my decision of not even trying to test the waters. 

Life is really a one-way street. No matter how many doors we take, none of them lead back.  So even if it seems difficult at first, we should enjoy every moment because none of them will happen the same way again.

 

Rants and Raves

R.A.N.T.S

1. I’m turning a year older again soon. Dang. Anyway, growing old is compulsory. Growing up is a choice.

2. I was never the handsome one, I am just the cute one. In some places, cute means ‘not ugly.’

3. What happened to my Saturday? Monday’s coming the day I hate.

4. As I was bloghopping, I’ve seen many bloggers who post apologies or announcements about their inactivity and I’m not sure why they do it. For the nth time, If you don’t have anything to write about, it’s okay.
The best thing about blogging is that there’s nobody to please but yourself. Again, there are no deadlines to beat.

5. I finally have a facebook account. I’m going with the fad. I have yet to see if I will really enjoy it. I learned that many of my friends already have a facebook account. Sadly, some of these friends who were really close to me before are now strangers with just a known face.

6. Everybody really talks bad about somebody at one point.

7. I get frustrated when I could not sing the newest song which is being played over the radio because I dunno the lyrics.

8. Sometimes I get so weird that I, myself get freaked out. Guess I’m on a never-ending quest to save me from me.

 

R.A.V.E.S

1. Some of my blogger friends nominated me before in the ‘Influential Blogger Awards.’ The other day, Pareng Otep (aka Otep Sucaldito) told me that he nominated me in the Philippine Blog Awards 2009. Wow. The next thing on my list: To conquer the world!haha.

2. I was given RM70 by our trainor and our manager as a prize for being the lone member of our group who did not have any absent and mistake in three weeks. Winner.

3. I’m really OC (obsessive compulsive) when it comes to the proper usage of apostrophe in a sentence.

4. Almost all of the reality shows I watch have ended. The Bachelorette Season 5 will end next week. I still go with Reid Rosenthal for the win. I’m also happy because the newest season of Hell’s Kitchen has started. Gordon Ramsay is still evil as always.

5. It’s a pat on the back everytime someone asks me if I have posted a new blog entry. It means that besides me, some people actually care what my next post would be.

6. When I first started blogging, I felt compelled to post something new, just because it has been 5 or 6 days since my last post. What I’ve learned is that it’s much
better to wait until I have something useful to say than to blog just for the sake of blogging. I’m sure the majority of the regular readers and lurkers would rather wait an extra 2 or 3 days for a better post than for me to publish something that is low in quality.

7. Sometimes blog ideas will pop into my head when I’m not at my computer. Rather than relying on my memory, I’ll quickly jot it down on paper or type in my cellphone until the time I could transfer it. The idea of writing this post, for example, came to me while on a treadmill in the gym. Crazy.

8. I gained weight when I went home for a vacation. But now, I’ve lost 9 lbs. in three weeks. yipee. As much as possible, I don’t eat after 6 pm. But sometimes I feel that there’s a ghost who’s taking over me. This ghost controls me. And it sometimes craves for rice, burger,fries, pizza and beer.

 

Random Things Which Make Me Feel Blessed

1. After months of waiting, my income tax refund was finally approved. yipee. I just received the letter from the tax department that I will receive the refund thru cheque within 14 days.

2. Working abroad has its own pros and cons. Though I’m sacrificing a lot in terms of my personal life, I realized that financially, I was able to save more in less than a year. To set the records straight, I do not earn a very high salary compared to other Overseas Filipino Workers. It’s just enough to send money at home, to buy my basic necessities, to pamper myself with the things that I like, and to save a part of it. I learned that no matter how big or small your salary is, you could save if you want to. Less drama and more money!

3. It’s inevitable that you feel ugly about yourself and I sometimes do for no reason at all. Luckily, there are some people who make me feel special and who think I’m still hot (applause). I love compliments. But who doesn’t? In addition, most people I meet in KL think I am a student here. I’m ageless. haha.

4. Stress gets the best of me at times. I’ve already planned to resign a million times. Working on a thirteen hour shift really makes me dead tired. The first thing I think of when I reach home after a dayshift is sleep. After a heart-to-heart conversation with one of my colleagues (thanks Geri!), I realized that although dayshift is really like hell only hell is better, night shifts in the office are the best. I could sometimes sleep for four hours straight because there are less calls. Besides, no company in Manila could give me a salary which is at par with what I’m getting here. Happiness is really a state of mind and I choose to be happy.

5. I’m turning a year old in Kuala Lumpur. It seems like yesterday when I had my worries and doubts if I could make it or not. The first week in the hotel made me realize that I was already alone. I hated the silence because it screamed the truth that I was really on my own. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried before. My only regret was, I did not have the chance to cry in the hotel shower while leaning on the wall and slowly sitting down ala soap opera. Perfect.

6. Thank God for the internet. If there’s none, I must’ve been crazy by now. I’m still updated with the most important news and happenings in Manila like Marian Rivera is the new Darna. I could also watch Pinoy shows like Adik Sa’yo, Rosalinda and Ngayon at Kailanman. It’s crazy because I’ve never been a fan of telenovelas. But when you’re abroad and nobody speaks your language, you crave watching tv shows which make you feel closer at home.

7. Blogosphere rocks. I used to maintain a blog in Friendster but I felt like I have to reach a larger audience because I would like to inspire other people the way the other bloggers inspire me. Besides, I am a frustrated writer. I was supposed to take English Journalism as an elective back in high school but due to peer pressure, I took Filipino Journalism (my closest friends enrolled here). It did not make any difference except that English Journalism was more active and the adviser was better.

I also met really kewl people and friends who I’m hoping to keep for life because of the blogosphere. To the people who drop by my site by chance whether they like it or not, to those in my ym list, I could not thank all of you enough. Thank you for the company and the support as well. I will forever be grateful because you’re all part of this chapter in my life. Rye for President. hehe

The best thing that I’ve learned is that, in order to feel very blessed, we should stop comparing our accomplishments to the others. At the end of the day, nobody can tell us if we did an excellent job but ourselves. I never thought for once that being a call center agent will give me the opportunity to work abroad. My colleagues told me before that working for call centers is not the best thing to put in my resume because it won’t bring me anywhere. I proved them wrong. I really did.

 

Getting Used to Goodbyes

There. My nine-day vacation has finally ended. I enjoyed my short trip back to the AH1N1 infected Philippines. Haha. There’s really no place like home.

Nine days passed by in a jiffy. Before I knew it, I’m already on my way back to Kuala Lumpur.

It was not enough to squeeze in all the activities that I planned. Luckily, I was able to do most of them. I spent most of my time with my family. We dined out, watched movie, strolled in the mall and hang out. I met some really good friends, laughed like I never did for ten months, saw familiar faces, heard familiar voices, cracked old jokes and experienced tested bond.

I ate and pigged out on all the Pinoy foods I missed. Jollibee, puto, kutsinta, sisig, gulaman, zagu, longganisa, embutido, tortillos, choco mucho, clover bits, ding dong and the list goes on.

At the end of the day, I realized that I missed the foods but not more than I missed the company of people who genuinely care for me and who I really respect and adore in return. I also found time to visit two of my angels who are now in heaven, St. Jude in Mendiola and my late Lola. I owe them a lot. Their magic and guidance keep me going, and going, and going.

I was actually surprised when I did not feel sad on the day of my trip back to my second home in KL. I was even excited because I miss the serenity and the new found comfort that my room gives me.

I wondered why I felt that way. Maybe because I’ve already accepted the fact that nothing really lasts forever. Maybe because I realized that  the choice that I made to work abroad made me more mature and bolder in making decisions. Maybe because I am enjoying my independence and freedom. Or maybe because I’m just getting used to goodbyes?

of course, it always ends with me

 

I’m All Set (All The Best Times Rolled Into One)

It’s like the night of my graduation. It’s like the day I went to Puerto Galera, Pagudpod, Anawangin Cove and Vigan. It’s like the time I passed the College Entrance Exam. It’s like the minute I found out that I was hired on my first job application. It’s like all the best times rolled into one.

I’m finally going home tomorrow morning. (Applause)

I’ve been waiting for this moment for the past ten months. I’ve prepared all my stuffs and I’m all set.

I wanted to rest and sleep but excitement gets the best of me. I know I would not be able to update my blog for around two weeks because I’ll be very busy doing monkey businesses spending time with my family and catching up with my friends.

Blogging has been helping me kill time and has taught me interesting things in the process.

Thank you to my blogosphere friends and the lurkers for taking time to drop by my humble site even if I may not be the best writer ‘ere. Thank you for being my constant companion since January 2009. Being away from the comforts of home means being away from familiar faces, warmth and affection.

Thank you for affecting and inspiring me either through your support, beliefs, advice, opinions, wisdom, magic or entertainment.
 
Thank you for opening your hearts through your respective blogs. I really enjoyed and learned a lot from all of your posts. And dang, I’m excited to learn more.

Special thanks to some of the people who have been staying in touch with me through ym, entertaining me with their stories and craziness, and making my stay in Kuala Lumpur an enjoyable one.

There were times when I was really tired to update my blog site and keeping up with the pressure of writing. I’ve realized that the best thing about this is that I should not pressure myself. I just have to write whenever I want to and if ever I have time. There are no rules to follow. There are no deadlines to beat.

I’ll update this blog as soon as I return to KL. Until then, in the tradition of Rye, I just have to leave you with some of the photos I’ve taken before my trip back home.

 

In A Week’s Time

Last Sunday I attended mass in Masjid Jamek…Next week I’ll visit St.Jude in Mendiola.

The other day I saw my friends’ photos in Friendster…Next week I’ll upload my newly-taken photos with them.

The other day I ate in McDonald’s…Next week I’ll eat in Jollibee.

The other day I drank Teh Tarik Ice…Next week I’ll drink Gulaman at Sago, Emperador and San Mig Light.

Yesterday I saw Midvalley Megamall…Next week I’ll see SM Megamall.

Yesterday I rode the bus…Next week I’ll ride the jeepney.

Yesterday I watched shows on the internet…Next week I’ll hear about the Network Wars again.

Yesterday I talked to my parents over the phone…Next week I’ll talk to them personally.

Last night I prayed to Lola for her guidance…Next week I’ll visit her tomb and offer flowers for her.

Last night I prepared Mi Goreng…Next week I’ll have Sopas and Lugaw at Tokwa for my merienda.

Last night I slept in my room…Next week I’ll sleep in my room, in Pasig.

This morning I woke up in our apartment…Next week I’ll wake up in our home.

This morning I cooked my food…Next week mom will cook for me.

This morning I passed by Persiaran Komanwel…Next week I’ll pass by EDSA.

This morning I sang to myself while taking a bath…Next week I’ll use the videoke.

Today I saw Bukit Jalil Stadium…Next week I’ll see Araneta Coliseum.

Today I ate Nasi Lemak…Next week I’ll eat Embutido and Caldereta.

Today I saw my colleagues…Next week I’ll hang out with my closest friends and relatives.

Today I’ll hug my pillows while sleeping…Next Week I’ll hug my baby brothers.

Today I’m in Kuala Lumpur…Next week I’ll be in Manila!

And because Rye is in a very good mood today, I would like to share two of the reasons why I smiled this morning: