Once Upon a Donut

Anyone interested in $25 Online Shop GCs?

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:58:42 GMT

After a year of filling up surveys after surveys, I finally have enough
points to redeem a $25 GC in any of these online stores: Amazon, Overstock,
Target, and some other stores I cannot remember. However, when I was about
to redeem the online code, I saw that either: a) some of the stores do not
ship to the Philippines or; b) shipping expenses will totally defeat the
freebie-ness of the product.

*sighs*

So if there's anyone out there who would charitably buy the GC from me
through Paypal, please give me a nudge. I would really appreciate it,
especially now that I'm just about ready to strangle myself for not
anticipating this happening one year before I started answering those
45-minute questions.

Trying on the Windows Live Writer

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:40:44 GMT

So I decided to run the Windows Live Writer a little test to see how it will change the way I post. Hence, don't be surprised if today's post is meaningless. (Wish I had this in my office to make Auto-In sessions less tense >.<)

[after 2 hours]

I've practiced using 15-20% of the program features-- all of them non-essential to the software. The rest of the time, I spent on browsing anime wallpapers over this gorgeous anime wallpaper site. So yesh, I'll be giving feedbacks on the usefulness of this program some other time.

In a slightly different topic, I'm disappointed (but not surprised) that the latest Parokya album is only nearing the gold status in sales (source: SOP show 2 Sundays ago). Although I am a diehard devotee of the band, I actually think that Solid sounded like small commercials strung together to come up with the album. Aside from Boys Do Falling Love, the other songs sounded too... average. And it wasn't something that DJs and VJs will play. Di emo eh.

But I still spam-played the album anyway. Chito's vocals will always be worth listening to, even if it's just chronicling the sad tale of a poor idiot who was left by his comrades to clean after a night of hard drinking.

I love you Chito!

Pick-up Lines Galore

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:17:39 GMT

You may or may not have already read (or heavens forbid, encountered) these lines. Relish those unforgettable moments of heightened campiness, cheesiness and WTFs by going through my countdown of the (craziest) most heartfelt pick-up lines.

And who says it's only Tom "You-complete-me" Cruise who can get away with these stuff? XD

(For non-Tagalog readers, I did my best to translate some of the lines. But as all translations go, my best efforts are not enough to fully capture the *ahem* essence of these things.)

..........................

1.Ibibili kita ng salbabida.. *** kasi malulunod ka sa pagmamahal ko..
(I'm gonna buy you a life preserver[1] , because you'll drown in my love.)
2.Pustiso ka ba?? *** kasi, can't smile without you..
(Are you my false teeth? Because I can't smile without you.)
3.Mabilis ka siguro sa mga puzzle noh?? *** kasi kakasimula pa lang ng araw ko, pero nabuo mo na agad..
(You must be quick with puzzles, huh? Because my day is just starting, but you have already completed it.)
4. Ako ay isang exam... *** kaya sagutin mo na ako...
5. Excuse me.. Are you a dictionary?? *** because you give meaning to my life..
6. May kilala ka bang gumagawa ng relo?? *** may sira ata relo ko.. pag ikaw kasi kasama ko, humihinto ang oras ko..
(Do you know anyone who repairs watches? There must be something wrong with mine, because whenever I'm with you, time always seems to cease its motion...)
7.Am i a bad shooter?? *** coz i keep on missing you..
8. Pwede ba kitang maging sidecar?? *** single kasi ako eh..
(Can you be my sidecar[2]? Because I'm single [3].)
9.Me lisensya ka ba?? *** coz you're driving me crazy..
(Do you have a license? Because you're driving me crazy.)
10. Can i take your picture?? *** coz i want to show Santa exactly what i want for christmas!!

Runner-ups:
a. Miss pwede ba kita maging driver?? *** para ikaw na magpapatakbo ng buhay ko..
b. Pinaglihi ka ba sa keyboard?? *** kasi type kita..
c. Uy picture tayo!! *** para ma-develop tayo!!

[1] While asking around what salbabida in English is, one of my officemates came up with this wonderful translation: floating tires.
[2] the part of a three-wheeled vehicle that holds the passengers
[3] What Pinoys call a bicycle (basically any vehicle without a sidecar)
................

Grabe nakakatawa yung mga pick-up lines noh?? LOL! May alam ka pa bang iba?? Wala na akong maisip eh... kundi ikaw.

Troublesleuthing

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:34:48 GMT

While on avail (no calls are pouring in), our trainer decided to share a couple of Detective-Conan like tales to pass the time (under the guise of sharpening our problem-solving skills). He challenged us to come up with the possible causes of the various scenarios he gave, and us being the capable and analytical level 2 technicians we are, we immediately buckled down to resolve these quite sordid tales through our creative, out-of-the-box thinking abilities.

***** The Case of the Radio Suicide *****

Trainer Gian narrated, "A guy got up from his bed, went to the bathroom, and brushed his teeth. While doing this, the radio was on, blaring something from Radio DJ Joe D'Mango's show. After his bathroom ritual, he went to bed and fell asleep. The next day, he woke up and hanged himself in his room." He gazed at everyone around the floor. "Why is that?"

"Because he hated the song?" volunteered Myrone, one of the veteran aces in our team, both in troubleshooting and creating wacky trouble in the training.

"No." Gian looked around the room, waiting for more analyses from the L2 team.

"Is it a love song?" Charlez, Myron's partner-in-crime, chimed in.

"Irrelevant."

"Does it have something to do with love?" asked Vinia, one of our more senior agents asked.

"Yes."

"The guy hated Joe D'Mango," said Raf confidently.

"Gian just said it's related to love," said Vinia warily.

"Well, that's because previously, he and Joe had something special. But they had long parted ways and the guy is still bitter," explained this certified man-lover in the team.

"Did Joe play a song that reminded him of his ex?" tried Manuel, another senior-aged member of our team.

"You're getting there."

"Did his girlfriend commit infidelity?" asked Myrone.

"Correct." And amidst our collective "HUH?"s, Gian gave out the whole story. "While the guy was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, he overheard his girlfriend's voice in Joe's radio program, saying she's having an affair with another man."

***** The Case of the Penguin Soup *****

"Now let's try this one," said our trainer, rubbing his hands eagerly.

"There was a couple who were actually survivors of a plane crash. When they came to a restaurant, they were served penguin soup. After eating a bit, the father rose and went to the bathroom where he shot himself. Now why did he do that?"

"Because he's a penguin lover? Or an animal lover?" asked Vinia.

"No."

"Because he learned about the bird flu epidemia and chose to kill himself instead?" tried Charlez.

"No!"

"I think a dead penguin possessed the father and found cannibalism yucky," said Raf.

"No, I think his wife is having an affair with a penguin," piped in Bien.

"Nope. Try harder."

"I love doing it hard!" squealed Raf.

"Maybe because the guy was Batman and he found eating his enemy yucky," Che tried.

"Maybe it wasn't really a penguin, but a human," said Vinia thoughtfully.

"Is it because of the wife?" asked Manuel.

"Start with that question."

"Is it because of a man?" asked Myrone.

"Rephrase the question."

"Is the man gay?" Myrone.

"No."

"Is the penguin gay?"

"Absolutely not."

"Is it because of a boy?" tried Manuel once more.

"Close."

"The penguin ate the boy," concluded Charlez.

"No."

"The man ate the boy," said Bien kiddingly.

"That's right." Gian smiled. "You guys are pretty sharp! Or just plain crazy? Anyway, allow me to explain this."

It turned out that the couple had a son with them when their plane crashed. The poor boy instantly died, so the parents, as well as the other survivors worked together to bury him.

However, rescue had not came in for weeks and food supply was running dangerously nil. Without the parents' knowledge, the other survivors conspired to dig out the buried dead bodies and eat those-- including the boy's corpse. In order to not encounter any more fuss with the parents, they decided to tell the couple that what they were eating was penguin soup.

Thus, upon finding that the restaurant's penguin soup tasted differently from the one that he had in the crash zone, the father immediately understood everything and killed himself.

***** The Finale *****

Someone in the far end of the row already received a call, so Trainer Gian decided to call it a day with his brain puzzler activities. However, Bien could not resist doing one more for the team.

"There was an L2 tech support guy and a trainer. They both went to the bathroom at the same time and never came back. Why is that?"

Raf grinned. "That's easy. They shot each other."

Woo-hoo. New lay-out.

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:59:15 GMT

Still blue, I know. The reason behind my limited color scheme, as I've explained to KJ long ago, is simple: it's because green is my favorite color. As it is my favorite color, I do not want to be over-exposed to the color lest I will lose my fascination for it. Which is why I turn to using blue for my stuff instead. Please don't ask for the logic of the situation-- many have tried to decipher it, but failed miserably. I know I did.

Anyway, we're still trying to move to a new house (note: trying). Unfortunately, it didn't push through for pecuniary reasons, as Jose Rizal would put it. And so my mom will be away for the whole day tomorrow, desperately looking for a different house before Monday comes. For the meantime, I slept in my cousin's house to finish his term paper, and at the same time, check if my album download of Solid (Parokya's latest album) had finished successfully.

While taking a break, I decided to pay my LJ a visit to do some design revamping for the season. No special reason behind choosing a prominent Xmas design (which goes also for the snowman)-- it's just that green is my favorite color and well, you know the drill.

Will try to give my two cents on the Parokya album. Not that everyone's a fanatic of this band, but really, a true friend must endure fangirl rants from time to time, right?

I leave you with KJ's words of wisdom for the day:

(watching Kamandag's trailer) Richard [Gutierrez] na naman? Nakakasawa na siya. Sana si Raymond naman.

Solar hands, Arm, and Other Things That Kept Me Busy (Bonus! Chito TV Sightings)

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:31:59 GMT

Taking advantage of the free time from phone due to the Thanksgiving celebration in the US, I'm trying to create an entry on Notepad which I will upload on Monday next week. Although my company is hooked to a high-speed connection 24x7, browsing is strictly a no-no in our workplace. (Yes, I've been following this rule religiously for the past 2 months, but I don't think I will ever get used to it =.=)

Anyway, I was planning on updating the journal for at least the past three weeks, mainly for these reasons:

1. My newfound anime delight, Yakitate Japan (which I viewed in its 61-episode entirety for 48 straight hours on (pirated) DVD.

I think this is the first real time that I liked a love triangle! Azuma, Kawachi and Tsukino are a delight to watch. I am also drawn to Tsukino's high-school-yet-very-mature demeanor, as well as to her Cinderella-esque backstory. I think every character here has a good sidestory to them-- even the Gai-like Manager :D

Also, I still get a kick at the "reactions" that the show display oh-so-flamboyantly. Take for instance, Kuroyanagi (who, at first, reminded me of Aoshi Shinomori), who looked so intimidating and respectable in his first few scenes. And then you had to retract your first impression of him later on as you watch him turn into a Super Kuroyanagi 1, 2 and 3 while battling Freezer. (shakes head laughingly) Plus, I know there is no other way to call those outrageous scenes, but reading a subtitled line such as "Kuroyanagi's reaction is showing!" cracks me up. Every time. If it does the same for you, then I'm pleased to welcome you to the *wink wink* club.

Moreover, you know that Azuma's bread will win every time, but it's still very engaging to watch him do it, given his dire circumstances (at one time, he had to make bread using eggs and a flour of his choice alone XD).

Finally, who wouldn't love fearless, shameless parodies which look so authentic that they had to place a Yakitate logo over the scenes to remind you that you're still watching the same show? The Detective Conan and Gundam-Princess Moon parodies are priceless, as well as the Dragonball Z thingie :D And I've only mentioned just a few of them, at that :p

2. Finishing Full Metal Panic (which I first caught on our local channel).

The first time I saw FMP on GMA-7, I decided I did not like Kaname. Maybe it's the dubbing. Or how her panties get exposed (albeit pixelated) in every other scene or so (I know, it's not her fault but open-mindedness is not my best trait ^^). Perhaps she's just too self-confident for my taste.

Anyhow, I decided against watching the local run of the series avidly because of these (shallow) reasons. However, one utterly boring afternoon on my rest day, I ran out of shows to watch (I usually tune in to JackTV and Lifestyle Network, but the former had started to run HipHop Abs TV shopping while the latter is showing Martha).

So I opted to pick up my sister's BF's FMP dvd. I ended up watching the entire series for the whole day.

For one, Sagara reminds me of Heero Yuy minus 10 points of seriousness: brown hair, military inclination, drives a big badass robot, became the leading lady's classmate... like I said, Heero-like. And anyone who knew me since high school would know that I worshipped the very ground that Heero walks on. (I even found his constant threats to the lives of other people cool back then! XD)

It wasn't laugh-out funny the way Yakitate was, but it did have some amusing scenes. The romance factor didn't make me swoon either-- probably because it turned out too predictable. The action... I couldn't care less if it disappeared altogether :)

As for Kaname, I was kind of impressed that she's not as useless as I thought she would be-- in fact, she did manage to save Sagara several times in the series. Not through crying out the guy's name and in turn inspiring the latter (yes, I've watched way too much anime), but through becoming one with the battleship and guiding Sagara in battling Mr. what's-his-name. She still retains, however, the typical anime gal attitude towards her love interest (slapping his head with a paper fan, kicking his butt literally, etc.) and the biased viewer I am, this turned me off a lot.

Anyway, I heard the second part of the series is funnier and more Mojacko-ish ( by which, I mean, it has stand-alone episodes which can be watched separately and in any order). I'm thinking that it may be worthwhile to pick up this title as well once it comes out in our suking pirata store.

3. My plans to resign from my current job.

After being transferred from my previous e-mail support account to a phone one, I've been fighting wearisome bouts with stress. I think the 18k less 22% tax hardly compensates for what I'm going through, so I'm thinking seriously of leaving my job on the second week of January 2008 to go abroad.

For one, it'll only involve teaching English conversational skills. Next, it'll only involve at least 2-4 hours a week, so I can use the rest of the time to: a) pursue an online course, preferably in medical transcription; and b) do other sidelines, or even go to another work of a similar type but a different employer.

Also, I'm hoping that by this very important move, I can be able to come up with the money my mom needs to have her own drugstore. That is my main goal, along with helping my sister to finish her HRM course, so that it can give our family a steady source of income when I finally stop working to get back to school.

I'm thinking of resigning on the week after my 1st year anniversary with the company. The date seems so far away though >.< If only circumstances would permit me, I would have very well resigned right this moment. However, I'm banking on that ITR thingie so I can finally get a credit card. I'm thinking of giving my mom a new mattress since she keeps on complaining about her back ^^;;

............
Also, since losing my computer to the woes of a problematic motherboard, I've been looking for CPU/CSU (if you want to get so technical about it) towers that I can: a) pay in installment or; b) is a working Pentium 4 unit below 5000 pesos. If anyone there knows where I can get one (aside from TipidPC.com, which I now spam with my hits), do drop me a line. I really need that since I'm planning to pursue an online course for transcription. [silence] And yeah, I need my Mp3s, Frontpage, and Photoshop back. XD

In a lighter note, I am in heavenly bliss! [hearts] I saw Chito Miranda for TWO STRAIGHT DAYS! [cheers] I saw him in 1 vs 100 (so that's an hour of glorious yummy Chito), and the next day, on ASAP, when he sang "Harana" with Yeng what's-her-name (slow song + Chito's crooning = Syao happily rolling around the floor, oblivious of awed stares from other employees in the pantry). He also launched their new album (which I'm currently hunting online). Nudge me if you see the album on the stores already ^^

Lastly, I would like to give my quick thanks to the people who e-mailed/PM-ed me. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated.

I'm 21...and thinking.

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 20:42:52 GMT

Weeks ago, I was anticipating the day after this one as a day wherein I'll be having the spree of my life-- a pizza date with my friends, a shopping splurge with my BF for the gifts I had been eyeing for my family and friends, a Red Ribbon cake and well, basically getting to spend the entire half-month salary I have worked so hard for.

But now, just 2 hours away from my 21st birthday, I have found my plans changed. My salary (which has been given last week) was spent on my sister's educational tour and uniform (she has three sets, being an HRM student). It was all for a good cause, I know, but I still am disappointed. *sighs*

Anyway this morning after coming home from work, I got into thinking for other ways that I could earn additional income for my family. I had earlier looked for home jobs, but I wasn't able to find any. Other writing and editorial jobs require that I work at their office, which isn't possible in my case (my primary job is in Quezon City while the writing job is like 1-2 hours away). Heck, I even tried paid surveys! (Got spammed, while other legitimate tests pay 5 points per survey, which is redeemable only after 3000+ points. I'm just on 260+ points so far =.= And I've been doing it for almost 3 weeks already.)

So after brainstorming for other sorts of ideas that will not require me to prostitute myself to both dirty old men (or something equally repulsive, like going door-to-door selling fake laundry soaps), I have decided that I will try to write a novel for a Tagalog romance publishing house. After all, it requires only a story of 24,000 words (which is roughly 8 chapters of my average fics) and a happy ending. I can do that. Or at least I would like to think I can XD

Anyway, I'm now spending every spare moment I have in visualizing my characters. Once I have the picture of the main characters complete, I should be able to create a plot bunny for them. I figured that based on the books that the new authors from the publishing house have released, they're very fanfiction-like, sans jutsus and Japanese phrases. Plus, it'll be Taglish, so I should be able to fuse my Tagalog cracks with my English mush ^-^ Yay!

Also, I am joining an advertisement contest sponsored by our company. I'm not that proficient with Adobe PhotoShop, but just as soon as I get a good catchphrase, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to conceptualize a comprehensible visual to go with it. [crosses fingers]

So in case you're still reading up to this point, Birthday Girl and Nurse Bondage, I do apologize if I had to break my promise again. I owe you guys big time ^^;; I'm just trying to work something out, though this time, I cannot give a timeframe for it. Basta, you'll be the first to know if I've accomplished this na.

Mwah! Salamat! And a happy birthday to me! :)

~ written 10:06 PM; delay in posting caused by sudden interruption of company net connection

My First Two Days on the Job

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 02:30:51 GMT

DAY ONE Dec. 4

4:00 am
I was assigned to be in the HR-Insular building in Makati for my training at exactly 6:30 am. So going against the biological tendencies of my body to get up at sometime more normal, like 12nn, I kicked myself out of bed and readied myself.

6:28 am
When I first approached the guard / receptionist, he was speaking in low grumbles. I couldn't hear him at all! Perhaps he noticed that I was very, very nervous then. Chuckling, he just took my school ID from my hand and spoke in Taglish (Tagalog-English).

7:25 am
Finally got called in. Am currently waiting in Room 15 for our trainer.

Our room, despite the conference tables, carpets, and numerous PCs, looked welcoming. There are cartolinas everywhere with drawings that seemed like were drawn by trainees.

7:55 am
Just got back from the bathroom. Our trainer, who turned out to be a pretty ex-preschool teacher, arrived ten minutes ago and had told us to go for a quick breakfast as she prepared something. Everyone else went down to eat. Since I have already eaten on my way here, I just decided to head for the lavatory instead. I retouched myself (well, powdered is more like it XD And a touch of lipstick that is yummier to eat than to put on the lips) and then went back to wait the minutes away. When I went back, I found more of us there who must have arrived late.

All in all, we were 16 people: four girls and the rest, men. I was the youngest ^^;; Everyone else's age ranged between 23-40s.

DAY 2 - Dec. 5

7:40 pm

After some rest, I found the energy to pick up a pen and write. I was too tired last night to write about what happened to the rest of my day. Tired and well... still heartbroken. I really do miss KJ. /sighs

Anyway, the most important highlight of my day was... *drumroll* I finally learned how to ride an LRT! XD

From R. Papa Station in Tondo, I had to stand all the way to Gil Puyat station, but the new sceneries made me oblivious to that ^^

1. Manila City Hall - wow, that place is HUGE 0.o
2. De la Salle U. - special significance: that's where my best friend, Omitot, studies. And it's so near to Mcdo XD
3. Supreme Court, National Museum, PGH, Quiapo Church - I remember seeing them when I was in grade school... on field trips XD
4. Rizal Park - I want to take KJ there once he visits me here in Manila. We were both looking for a place with lots of open spaces... and free / cheap access ^^

Now as for today, my latest discoveries are that: (1) Baclaran is the worst place to get lost in by the likes of me who is as good in directions as Sohma Hatsuharu; (2) Star City is just a ride away from the Gil Puyat station! (Yay! Amusement park!)

Right now, I'm still trying to get used to living in someone else's house. I also miss KJ so much (I'm sure you're asking if I don't miss my mom. Confidentially, not really ^^;; Baaaaad Syaowee XD)

But I'm just glad I'm being treated well by the people here, and that my classmates are nice (I've just been with them for two days, so I couldn't really say ^^;;) I'm also thankful that internet rate here goes as low as 15 per hour.

Will try to go online whenever I can. Unfortunately, my sked just changed from 6:30am-2:30pm to 2:00pm-10:pm.

Ouchie!

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 06:16:51 GMT

First day period syndromes. You gotta love 'em. (clutches tummy-- or whatever you call that body part which feels like a dripping towel wrenched too tightly)

Anyway, today is our town fiesta. I was planning to ride the ferris wheel tonight with my hubby/cuddle slave KJ and eat bbbqs, but I was asked by my mom to go to my cousin's house to fix a webcam installation sans CD-ROM. (Something about loose threads and stuff-- I have to wait until KJ gets back so I can verify ^^;;) So here I am, happily typing and surfing away, grateful to be able to have a contact with the Net after a long, looong time ^^

So updates on my job thingie: I got a job (still a trainee though ^^) in Convergys Commonwealth. I'll be working as a Tech Rep (which is the ultimate irony, considering my fine skills in troubleshooting). My mom was happy, of course, so happy in fact that she cracked one of her rarer-than-talking-pebbles jokes.

Mama: (mimicking my high-pitched voice) Thank you for calling our company. How may I help you? Oh, your net broke down? (covers mouthpiece) KJ!!!

Hah! To show her that I can be talented too, I started reading those thick pc guide books that can put even the Merriam-Webster unabridged editions to shame. After a few days of reading, I swear I've started to DREAM those things! No kidding. The most recent one had me thinking of PPP and SMTP while conversing with characters from Atlantica, a fantasy series airing on Philippine primietime.

Aside from the books, I've grown quite busy finishing Pokemon: LeafGreen version. I spent two nights and a half making it to the Pokemon League, only to have the rom image crash just before I was to battle Nemmy in the final showdown. Yeah, dirty antic to pull for the emulator, it fully knowing that I'll totally beat the game =.=

So basically, that's what happened these past few weeks ^^ I might be offline until Xmas, but I'll do check my email once a week or so.

P.S.
Pinoy Bits
1. Manny Pacquiao overload >p And Atienzas riding the float along with him, waving to crowds that were OBVIOUSLY not there to see them. I had to mention this one, despite my lack of interest in this topic, because it was the reason that the CCS episode didn't show on GMA yesterday.
2. Angelica Panganiban pics. I was like, "Wow, cool photoshop effects! ^^" Some people say it's fake, some say it's the real deal. But frankly, for someone like me who had just recently discovered what brushes and grudges actually do, I was pretty impressed ^^ Besides, it's not like it's the first time that this happened in the industry ^^;

Cliffhanging

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:38:36 GMT

Tomorrow, I'm supposed to head for Eastwood in Libis for a final interview with the E-Telecare people. Unfortunately, until now, my mom and I don't have the bus fare just yet, so I'm not sure if I could make it there. I'm praying for a miracle tonight. I really, really need this job. My whole family is counting on this last shred of hope for us to make it through.

Actually, being a call center agent is the farthest thing on my mind. I hate talking-- I prefer to write and read instead. My ability to write in English is inversely proportional to how well I speak. Whenever I open my mouth, I get conscious of my diction, my pronunciation... and well, the words I know very well to write and use in my compositions, I struggle to pronounce when I am forced to speak.

I'm also a bad conversationalist. Unless I find it necessary, I keep my mouth shut and go about with my own affairs. While my mom is outgoing and is all, "Hi, my name is... what's yours?", I on the other hand, prefer to read a newspaper, or a flyer, or anything with letters on it.

To find myself in an industry where talk is equivalent to pesos, especially good ones, is a real bewildering experience for me. To be asked by a Filipino-looking woman with a British twang to describe myself while she silently takes note on how I speak is just pure torturious hell for me. I don't really know how I passed the four initial tests and two mini-interviews, but they advised me to be more 'spontaneous'. I guess mechanical "Yes, Ma'am" and "No, Ma'am" hardly counts as spontaneity. [shrugs]

Nevertheless, I'm willing to embrace just all of these, if only to help my family. I wish it's with conceit that I can say that i'm the only person who can help my mom, but it's just plain simple fact. It's either I make good on this one, or we all end up miserable.

It'll mean a lot of sacrifice on my part, and one of the hardest perhaps, aside from being apart from my family and my boyfriend, is that I have to stop writing. In the kind of lifestyle I already am anticipating, writing won't have any place in it, surely. I console myself that I would just be working for a year or so, but there are little nibbling fears within me. What if I lose interest in writing fanfics while working? What if the people who knew me would all grow up and forget me?

[sighs again] Oh well, there's no point in worrying myself over it. I mean, I'm not yet sure if something will happen tonight. =.= Maybe I won't even be able to go to Manila tomorrow.

But that'll be more distressing for my mom, I think.

P.S.

Just remembered in time... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKO-CHAN!!! Love ya lots!

Yay-ness!

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 11:43:55 GMT

Won for myself a cute banner!

Thanks Lightflower-san and NejiTen LJ~! My entry for this contest is here: http://community.livejournal.com/nejiten/152973.html

Writers with lots of time in their hands... check this out!

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:37:56 GMT

Friendster-type sites are also invading ff world ^^ It's fully packed with nice features ( free sites, free polls, free quizzes... very nice ^^) and will manage to take up some of your time when you're intent on killing one.

Type http://www.myfandoms.com/syaoran.no.hime/ on the address bar to see my profile. If you do create an account, do add me as your friends, ne? Salamat!

Resurfacing for a bit of Net Oxygen

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 02:44:58 GMT

I'm currently swimming under loads of finals requirements so I'm not going to be online as often (? XD) as before. But anyway, this post is actually for an aging best friend of mine whose bday I forgot whether it's 4 or 10.

I may not be good with numbers, dates, or everything else related to Math, but I do know that you are my pinaka-best friend in the whole choco-verse.

Belated / Advanced / In time / Time after Time Happy birthday Omitot!!! Alabshu lats!

Oh my gulaaaaay~!!!

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:19:27 GMT

I just received one of the best birthday gifts I can have last Wednesday.

I was supposed to scan it, but since the scanner broke down, I'd just have to describe it ^^

It's a small piece of blue and white tag, and inside were two signatures. The other one is irrelevant (syao = meanie), but the other reads:

Syao,
Salamat!
Chito
Parokya

[It says: Syao, Thank you! Chito, Parokya. Chito Miranda is my uber favorite band vocalist in the whole wide world and nearby cosmos ^^ He's from Parokya ni Edgar, a decade-old Pinoy band (but had never lost its twenty-something appeal because of their riotous brand of humor and yummy, funny, sometimes mellowy songs).]

[major fangirl scream] I love you Chito Mirandaaaaa!!!! [another piercing scream]
My friend, Mavic, got this for me when she and her sister dined in a Korean restaurant in Manila recently. While they were eating, she saw Chito and his girlfriend arrive and settle on a spot near them. She told me that the first thing that came into her mind was to kidnap Chito Miranda for me. But since she does feel sorry for his girlfriend, she decided to get the next best thing: an autograph!

She asked the waiter to bring this small piece of paper to him so he could sign it, and then requested that it be written for "syao". After a minute, the waiter returned, asking where is this "syao" (another fangirl scream here *Chito is looking for me~!!!!*) and why wasn't she the one who approached him. Mavic explained to the waiter that I was currently in Pampanga, 2 1/2 hours away from Manila, and that she would bring it home to a fanatic friend. So in the end, the waiter just asked how "syao" is spelled. So Mavic spelled it for the waiter. When the impromptu messenger returned, he was already bringing the precious autograph! ^--------^

Mavic's boyfriend (and my cousin) Nemmy, along with my other friends, were the one who gave this to me. They started with a song-guitar thingie, singing Happy Birthday to Me. Then slowly, their lyrics started to tell a story... something about a girl who loves this band (especially the vocalist!) so much... wants to go to all their concerts but couldn't have a chance... who knows all their songs by heart. I don't remember much what were the rest of the lyrics, but I do remember them singing something about a restaurant, and a waiter, and an autograph...

... and then all of a sudden, Nemmy handed me a notebook paper with an accompanying small tag or something. I opened it, digested the words for some seconds, and then let out a scream. I remember everyone laughing as they watched me make a spectacle of myself. I was crying, laughing, and trembling all at the same time. My mind was saying "This is a real live something from Chito Miranda! And it has his skin cells!"

But more than that, I think, was this really touched feeling, knowing that Mavic, the shy girl she is, must have mustered a lot of guts to ask a celebrity for his autograph. She did this really incredible thing, making part of my dreams come true. Even if she wasn't present in the celebration itself, she still has her way of surprising me in ways that only friends really knew.

On a different note, KJ gave me potted roses. Its pot was decorated with glitters spelling my name and a big heart. Very cute :)

All in all, my birthday wasn't so bad. Although it had its share of annoying stuff (my Filipino teacher, KJ failing to remember his promise to fetch me in school and making me wait there for 2.5 hrs =.=), the good stuff did more than balance it.

BTW, I got the job! ^-^ I'll just be waiting for TESDA's call (it's a government agency related to Technical Education... or something =.=)

My First Job "Interview"

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 02:25:09 GMT

3pm - KJ dropped me off in the Mayor's office and wished me luck before he went off to school. I went inside and found about 5 applicants outside, aged 15-45+. They were all talking about the "interview".

3:10 pm - Careful not to fold or damage my folder-less bio-data (w/c, in classic Syaowee touch, had the wrong cellphone number printed on it), I sat and stretched my legs. It was then that an applicant emerged from another inner room, sighing.

They then began to talk about what transpired inside the airconditioned room. She said that she wasn't able to catch the last few questions of her interviewer, but she did okay in Part C. I was at loss as to what Part A even was.

3:45 - Four applicants later (one more applicant arrived; it seems he was there earlier, but he decided to take a puff first), the second to the last applicant and I were at last called inside the room. The guy was gentlemanly enough to ask if he could take the turn ahead of me, as there was only one phone. I smiled graciously at him. As he happily babbled over the phone, I was handed a sheet of paper detailing Parts A-D. I went 0.o when I realized how the "interview" was going to be.

4:00 - I was the last applicant to head over to the fax machine. I was told to dial this 1-800 thingie. Which I did. Nervousness started to overwhelm me when I heard the answering machine's voice.

"Thank you for calling _______. Blah blah blah blah blah. Please say your name. (pause as I said my name as loud as I could) Blah blah blah. (chimes heard)

"Part A: Reading. Please read the sentences as instructed. (pause) Read sentence 7."

I hurriedly scanned my paper. "April didn't like the boys in her school..."

After five minutes (which seemed like an eternity to me), chimes rang again.

And then the voice (w/c reminds me of Microsoft Narrator dubbers XD) spoke again. "Part B: Repeating. Repeat the sentence that the voice will say. For example, a voice says, "We'll be leaving town tomorrow." And you say, "We'll be leaving town tomorrow."

Now this one startled me, since I didn't anticipate that many voices would be used here-- some talking quickly, others using this accent I couldn't place. I think I got only 7 out of 10 here. This part of the test requires immense concentration, since some sentences here are really, REALLY long. It'll be hard to catch what the voice was saying if you didn't hear the first part of his sentence.

Part C beckons.

"Part C: Question and Answer," said the voice. "The voice will ask a simple question, and you must give a simple answer. For example, the voice says, 'Where do you get water, from a newspaper or from a bottle?' And you say, 'from a bottle' or 'a bottle'."

This would have been a cinch for me, but panic is a great enemy. Panic clouds your mind, chases your logic away, and pretty much makes your heartbeat pound in your ears. Bad news for an interviewee, indeed.

"Does a person have fewer arms or fewer toes?" The voice.

"... toes?" I said, just a second before the next question came and my realization that I just said something stupid.

After more questions, chimes came again.

"Part D: Sentence Build," introduced the unfatiguable voice of the machine. "The voice will read fragments of sentences, which you will piece together. For example: likes reading... my mother... her favorite magazine. And you will say, 'My mother likes reading her favorite magazine'."

Basically, I did a more OK job here than Part B. Less annoying accents and it gives a three-second interval per phrase, so it gives me time to think.
Anyway, the people inside the office watching me were quite happy with the way my "interview" (which was more of an assessment to me) went, since according to them, I was the only one who finished the entire test talking. The rest had been rendered speechless at the last part of the test.

After I went out of the office, I was told that we would just be texted whether we got in or not, just so we wouldn't hope in vain.
I'm not sure if I would get the call center agent job, but I just charge this one to experience. ^^;;

On a different note, Happy 20th Birthday to Me!!! Thank you for the greetings, minna!

One Day to Go before Twenty

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 05:17:26 GMT

Tomorrow, I'm hitting the absolute age of adulthood which leaves me no more room for excuses to insist that I still am a kid.

... I am not yet ready >.<

Anyway, yesterday, I went to my first job interview... as a call center agent. The interview I was expecting was that it would be conducted online, with headsets and a broadband and a webcam. To my surprise, we were told that the assessment will be conducted via phone.

Oh.

And the interview that I was anticipating was going to have me answering questions such as, "What can you contribute to the company?" or "Describe yourself"... well, it turned out that I was going to talk to an answering machine 0.o

More about my job interview tomorrow-- I'm being charged per minute on this cafe ^^;;

Anyway, happy bday to me tomorrow! :)

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 02:49:08 GMT

Last Aug.20, KJ and I celebrated our 15th monthsary Part A. Anyway, I made an e-book for him, with the back page, front page, fly leaf, and copyright page unveiled. I'll be showing the rest of the contents on Aug. 28, which is Part B of my monthsary celebration.

Front
Back
Fly Leaf
Copyright

I wonder how much will it cost me to publish this? XD

Taho

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 03:08:46 GMT

Ta-ho - n. A confectionary product made of soya, sugar, and sago, often sold every early morning in the streets.
~.~.~.~

This morning, while riding a jeepney on my way to school, I saw a man peddling taho in the streets. I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to jump off the vehicle and steal the guy's goods.

Demo, I already paid my fare, and if I do go down, I won't have enough money to go home anymore. So I watched in great longing as the jeep passed by the magtataho, wishing that someday, the man and I shall meet again. And I can finally gulp down my rightful share of a 5 peso cup of taho.

On the Verge

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 12:01:57 GMT

Yesterday
I was on the verge of...
... deciding to quit on fanfiction-writing because it's so damn difficult to brainstorm for stuff that has not been done yet.
... hurting my beloved guy because all of a sudden, I found myself crushing on a person from school. And then I stupidly told him that, because I thought he would appreciate my honesty. Well, let's just he didn't take it enthusiastically.
... snapping at my Educ Tech teacher, because she insists a teacher can be considered an educational hardware and her voice is software.

Today
I was happy I didn't.
... I finished an update for my Nejiten series
... My man learned my ill feeling for our relationship's lack of romantic excitement
... I still got 97 for my prelim grade in that subject. My teacher thinks I'm... high-spirited.

Ako c PC 1 is out of critical stage... for now =.=

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 07:12:19 GMT

KJ got the pc running on Safe Mode this morning. He told me that I couldn't get past the boot screen because my user profile was corrupted. And since I had my pc on auto-logon, the pc couldn't start.

So I tried to open the pc this afternoon after 3 hours of sleep. The pc wouldn;t boot normally: the scandisk thingie hangs, as well as the loading personal settings part. So here I am on Safe Mode, deprived of my custom Start Menu, music (he warned me that my pc doesn't have sound drivers in this setting...or something to that effect), and generally, my customized desktop.

But I'll live with this. It's better than seeing an endless loop of black screen.

KJ still thinks I should buy a new HDD, but this Safe Mode pass would buy me some more time to come up with money.

Anyway, I'm on ficcating mode as I write, but I couldn't concentrate on finishing my stories. I could hear the nearby karaoke bar, my next-door neighbors are chatting loudly, and the mosquitoes won't let up. I'm thinking of taking an evening walk and just save my fics for later, when I would only have to fight with those insects and the "I did it my waaaay!!!" crooners.

Ako c PC 1... in coma

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 07:00:24 GMT

Barely finishing loading the WinXP boot screen, the pc makes a click sound and restarts. That was what caught my attention just yesterday morning. Thinking it was all a case of overworked pc, I decided to let it rest.

This morning I used Ako c PC 1 with no problem. I was even able to type the first 1500 words update of my NejiTen update. But when I returned this afternoon, the PC won't start anymore. KJ gave it his best shot, but even a great com sci stude like him couldn't do anything about my hard disk that he thinks has a physical problem already.

He diagnosed that I should get a new hard disk. ASAP. But when I brought this up with my mom (who owes me two thousand pesos -- part of the prize money I got from a fanfic contest) she said she couldn't produce that much immediately. A 20gb hdd is 2.5k php.

And so here I am in some spyware-laden net cafe unit, moaning and sulking and praying for a miracle. The files in my PC are irreplaceable-- they are my 5 years worth of net surfing. And without a person who has enough disk space to allow me to back up my files there, all my fics, sites, pics, vidz, mp3s... they're all doomed! >.<

So please, please help me pray for a miracle, you guys. My PC is one of the few material possessions I have and I take great pride of. T.T

One Last Glance

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 10:17:23 GMT

Last Sunday, KJ's grandma, Ma'am Tiangco, passed away. At 9:45 am, amidst a rosary led by KJ himself, she closed her eyes in finality.

The whole town of Arayat mourned for this wonderful old woman who can be considered a pioneer among the town residents. At age 79, almost everyone has had her for a teacher or a school principal. After all, Ma'am Tiangco has been the principal of the Arayat Institute ever since she was a young woman of twenties.

More than that, she became an inspiration to other people because of the magnitude of her heart's goodness and compassion. Many young men and women were able to finish their high school education because she supported them. From free education to free boarding and lodging in her own little house, she derived all the money used for this work from her hard-earned savings as an educator.

She is also one of the most recognizable faces in the Sta. Catalina Church. This woman lives right next to it, and she takes full advantage of this privilege by visiting the house of God everyday. She has also sheperded the AI students to the church every Wednesday for their weekly novenas-- a move to strengthen their own Christian faiths too.

The morning she was finally taken to the cemetery where her corporal temple shall finally be put to rest, mourners came in droves to see her off. KJ told me that it lessened the pain, seeing that so many people loved his grandmother.

It was devastating for KJ and the rest of us here to go on living without her. But she has moved on to a better place that traitorious sicknesses like cancer and diabetes cannot touch.

Please pray for her dear old soul.

I WON!!!!

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Mon, 08 May 2006 01:19:10 GMT

OMG, OMG, I WON! I WON!!!!!!! ^--------------------^ OMG.... I'm so.... AIIIIE!!!!!

http://www.s3.phpbbforfree.com/forums/fatedheaven-about13.html

Not Quite Right

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Mon, 01 May 2006 05:08:22 GMT

ARGH! The story I'm working on won't flow smoothly in my head! I have the beginning, the finale, and the suspense of the chapter update. But I couldn't write the climax of the story -- the confrontation that the whole story has been working on since the main couple met! @.@

Just in case you're wondering why there I produced a finale sans a climax, I'll explain. Usually, I ficcate as the ideas in my head flow. But lately, my stagnant creative juice would only spurt out bits and pieces of ideas. Thus, I'll get a conclusion on Monday and come up with the middle part four days later.

And now, my chapter update would be called complete if only I could get this one part of the story right. [steams] I read and re-read it over and over, but it still didn't come out right. I tried to erase and type again, but my mind goes blank in the middle of a sentence.

GRAH! DAMN WRITER'S BLOCK!!!

P.S.

Last night, I told KJ teasingly that he only values me nowadays because he doesn't want those 11 months of enduring my impossible attitude to be all for vain. He gave me a vintage scientific KJ answer: "It's not a question of which is important-- whether it's you or the relationship itself. It's like a black hole-- everything, including light, gets sucked down into one massive singularity. In the same way, all the reasons why I love all comes down to one thing, and that's you."

Happy 11th Monthsary!

nco_que_shmiranda@msn.com — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 02:22:40 GMT

Hi KJ! In case you're reading this, happy 11 months to us! ^---^ I'm sorry if sometimes I don't act like a person my age and maturity should, but you are the best thing that happened to me since... um... since I learned that Coke can be drunk even without breakfast XD (Okay, so that's suicide but.... hehehe tish good for me).

I love you so very muchie! Too bad I forgot my copy of the mp3 of your serenade last April 20. ^^ I would have posted it here too XD My own version of William Hung! Weeee!