Cheap shots

Things that were so irritating and so wrong in the Morales-Pacquiao match yesterday:

a. Mike's presence before, during & after the match.
b. That phone call from Mike's wife, which took up most of the interview time Quinito Henson and Brian Villoria had with Pacquiao.
c. Politicizing Pacman's victory through incessant calls for "unity" among Filipinos.

The only right thing there was the Filipinos' genuine happiness for their champion.

God save us from theatrical politicians.

Confession: CSI vs CSI Miami

I confess that CSI Miami had a better storyline than CSI, at least this last season's.

I hope CSI will have a better season than Miami.

I hope Gil would start wearing shades, too. Or something that will allow him to take something off during dramatic moments, a la Horatio's FPJ-stance after each CSI: Miami episode.

I confess that I, a loyal CSI fan, have finally succumbed to Horatio's 'tragic hero' charm.

Naku dapat talaga mas maganda mga episodes ng CSI ngayon....kundi....

....manonood pa rin ako. Hehe.

Diminiciency

I hereby declare I want a full body massage....NOW!

I'm expecting this week to be a ho-hum week: the order of things settles into the familiar routine once again, where work becomes work (not chaos), at least in the meantime. Funny how I reacted late to all the stress and pressure I've put myself into on the last days of 2005. I hoped that I will win that contest, when I know the odds of winning are way, way, muy, muy imposible. I inflicted stress on Tin, Rye, and Macris, simply because I believed we could win it. But hey, we got some money in exchange, and we had a bountiful Christmas with it, si? And of course there's work, which is both exciting and stressful--well sometimes more stressful (and because it's stressful, sometimes it's no longer exciting). December was chaotic because of clients hoping they can still accomplish that over-delayed research scheduled early in the year but delightfully set aside to accomplish other money-making pursuits. So we, moneyless researchers, gladly accepted your project, so that we could reach our quota for the year, never mind the sleepless nights and endless days.

And the first week of January was spent tidying things up, washing office clothes (so that I won't be washing clothes all year, as superstition goes), cleaning the unit, throwing away papers (oops, shredding pala), cleaning out my e-mail account, and giving my laptop its much needed reformatting and cleaning. I welcomed 2006 with a clean slate.

I have a good start this year. I now got a regular job and the promised salary increase (cheers!). Just last week, I learned a lot of research stuff I would've probably learned in school for two years. I stopped working on papers for now, just to give myself some time to rest (and because I also need to have my eyes checked, too).

My priorities are shifting. I am now looking forward to going to work everyday. Imagine me getting excited over projects. Exciting naman talaga e. On the works is a project that's so thesis deja vu--I'd be working on something related to ICTs!!! (OK, you're now entering a nerd zone).
Hay basta, it's so related to our thesis last year, kulang na lang sabihin ko sa client, "yan po yung thesis namin!"

I am actually thinking my future is in MR, you know?
(But of course, this is just me talking at the moment. Who knows what might happen these coming months?)
But for now, I'd like to document this point in my life when I am feeling very optimistic (ika nga ni Tin, 'I'm so optimistic, I just can't hide it.') :)

After all, this year's supposed to be my year (nga ba?). Ewan. Basta.
Bring it on, biatch.

(The title's supposed to mean "diminishing efficiency." But since I'm feeling lalalala today, it's now "diminishing DEficiency." O dava.)

Tagging myself

Yey! Suprisingly, I have nothing to do this morning. So I'm back to blogging.

I'll start the year right by....answering a survey (lifted from Rye's blog). Hehe.


What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Go after 400+ people in key cities in Metro Manila.
Braving the streets of Metro Manila, everyday, from morning until night.
Giving my hair its much-needed attention by having a haircut 6x this year (used to do it twice a year only).
Assuming the roles of full-time blogger & camera whore/paparazzo (paparazza?).
Not think about my boylet issues for at least the first three quarters of the year.
Having the courage to prioritize myself over others.
Having honest, kikay, unapologetic, radically diverse friends who are not afraid to speak their minds.
Live on my own: cook/iron/clean for myself, paid the bills myself, laugh/cry/comment all by myself (baliw!)
Re-uniting with old eng'g friends.
Finally rooting for the Maroons after years of indifference towards the UAAP (or at least for the UP Team).

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and did you make more for this year?
Hmmm. Let me check my notebook first. I'll update you on this later.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
None.

Did anyone close to you die?
Our dog matriarch, Armani, died last Dec. 24. May God grace her with lotsa dog food (and sinigang, too).

What countries did you visit?
Rye's right. Philippines. Visited numerous Filipinos all over Metro Manila, and got to know beautiful Filipinos in urban Philippines.

What would you like to have this year that you lacked in 2005?
A body that I'll love.
Ditto: the state of being carefree.
Fling boylet.
Boyfriend (preferably this one).
Promotion & salary increase (ulit, hehe).
More opportunities to travel around and outside the country.
A mini-business.
Pamangkin/s (sana mag-asawa na si Kuya)
Meaningful, genuinely happy & memorable Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Sherlock Holmes novels (2vol. set, Library Collection edition)
Complete stories and novels of Edgar Allan Poe.
A new lay-out design for my unit.
Passport & visa.
Time: leisure time/free time/do-nothing-at-all time/reading time
add-on: my own component pala :)

What date(s) from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Every 15/30 of the month. Suweldo days.
Sept 1. First day at work.
April 24. Graduation day.
Jul 23. Reunion with my engg'g girlfriends.
Jul 28. My baptism of fire (er, books) at National Bookstore-Cubao.
Mar 18. Walked around with Rye & J-Anne, enjoying the UP environs for the last time.
Apr 8. Tambay sa Sunken with Jeg, Mel & Gwyn.
Oct. 16. Moving-in day.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Learning the logistics behind the real life (i.e., budgetting, doing household chores: ironing (!) & cooking (!), dealing with domestic life alone, quiet days spent on reading and watching TV)

What was your biggest failure?
Being a lousy daughter/sister.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes! I broke my chin after 50 counts of jumping rope. Stupid Chin.

What was the best thing you bought?
Things. All the books I hoarded last year, deluding myself I will have the time to read them after graduating. Yeah right.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mama, who managed to have a truly happy and positive outlook in life despite her illness. May God grant you more laugh-filled years to take care of your dear plants. They need you. :)

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
That president of a beautiful Third World Asian country.

Where did most of your money go?
Books, land, bills, meds.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our thesis! A dream come true :)
Job-hunting and its craziness.
Ditto: Release of Harry Potter 6.
Seeing the Dark Tower 7 at Powerbooks. (Haven't bought it yet, though).
Gift-shopping with Macris.
Book sales! Great book finds!
Planning for a business with Rye.
Breathing the cool, festive air of December.
Meet-ups with engg gfs, Croiness, Judy.

What song(s) will always remind you of 2005?
Pinoy Ako
Hanggang Kailan
Ever After
All Black Eyed Peas songs
ditto: that Green Day song that was played over and over again last September, hehe
Imago songs
the Encantadia song na akala ko kinanta ng Imago ("Rainsong"-like kasi yung dating) or some Indie singer
Maling Akala
Lintik

Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? - neither
thinner or fatter? - fatter
richer or poorer? - richer

What do you wish you'd done more?
Travelling
Reading
Resting/Relaxing

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating
Procrastinating
Worrying

How did you spend Christmas?
Ditto: simply

How many one-night stands?
Nada.

What was/were your favorite TV program(s)?
Lots!
CSI, CSI NY, CSI Miami
House
4400
Amazing Race
Pinoy Big Brother (before the Big Night)
Cooking shows at the Lifestyle Network, esp. Ciao America
Iron Chef America
SNL reruns
Friends reruns

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Wala naman.

What was the best book you read?
Hmmm. This is hard. Maybe "999," a collection of gothic/horror short stories. For non-fic, "No Logo" by Naomi Klein.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
redisovery: ska (reggae) music of Brownman Revival

What did you want and get?
bags
paper holder for my laptop
Diploma (na makukuha pa lang sa April)
my own place
book collection of my fave authors
a hard-core quantitative, too-good-to-be-true survey research (me & Nina as authors)
bi-monthly salary

What was your favorite film of last year?
Hands down, it would be "13 going on 30," kahit 2004 pa 'to. Haha! I really liked Jennifer "Alias" Garner there. Remember, Jeg & Gwyn? "I moved on, you moved on, we both took different paths...." Hehe!

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 23 last May. I celebrated my birthday at home, pero I got calls and texts from close friends, HS friends and classmates :). I ended the day looking over my long-term/short-term goals, checking if I indeed accomplished them before I turned 23. Yuck, seryoso. Hehe.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A boylet/boy toy/toy boy. Hehe.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Uhm....semi-corporate? Hay naku, 2005's a year for sensible shoes (no sandals/slippers, imagine!), slacks, and long-sleeved blouses.

What kept you sane?
Dinner/weekend dates with Rye, Gwyn, Jenix, Tin & Jude.
Lifestyle Network & AXN.
My book collection.

Which celebrity/public figure/s did you fancy the most?
Johnny Depp din. Lindsay Lohan (not the post-Mean Girls Lohan ha).

What political issue stirred you the most?
Everything that President of the beautiful Third World country did.

Who did you miss?
Eng'g people, HS friends and barkadas, Gigi, Elaine, UP, 54 Mahinmean, Ate Jen, random people I met during our survey

Who was the best new person/people you met?
Old people in the workplace who are secure of themselves, bakya people whose feet remain firmly on the ground. Buti na lang I have not met any 'poser.' Yet.

Tell us a valuable life lesson/s you learned in 2005.
I should give myself a break. To give happiness to others, you must first be happy yourself. It's not bad to be selfish. (Or, it is not always good to be selfless).

Did you fall in love in 2005?
Nope.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way"
-- Tracy Chapman, "Fast Car"

Pwede rin 'to:
"Lintik na pag-ibig..."-- Brownman Revival, "Lintik"
(Yun muna, saka na yung susunod na lyrics pag may boylet na. Nyahaha!)