Money Talks(eek!)

I'm trying to be the most diligent I can in posting nonsense here at least once a week. Because doesn't it annoy you when you chance upon only one update in a blog you actually read out of, like, the one hundred gazillion times you visit it? I do. (Do I sound like I'm insinuating you actually read my blog?)

Moooving ooon. It's payday today! Woot! I prefer the 30th more than 15th because monthly contributions are deducted on the 15th.

Anyway, four days ago I checked my mahiwagang sobre to find only two money bills left inside. I panicked and mentally computed if I could survive on the measly amount until the next payday. I also recalled if I had been spending that recklessly to leave me that cash-poor (or poor in general). I guess I was because normally I would ride a jeepney going to work, but because I had been waking late for work for the last couple of weeks, I had no choice but to take the taxi. That's like 80 pesos per ride, that's two meals' worth for me! Also, I might have been too generous for my own good, treating people out to lunch/dinner. Hehe, feelingera!

Good thing all was not lost, I still had cash-in-bank and A/R's. But that incident thought taught me a lesson (which I will soon forget) not only in curtailing expenditures but also in planning finances. I went as far as generating an exhaustive monthly expenses schedule. May sensitivity analysis pa akong nalalaman! It showed me that I could save as much as 500 pesos per week (500 per week pa rin yon, noh.)

Come February I'll be a bit richer because my new work shift will be 8:45PM-5:45AM (binutal pa ang puta), covering all hours for the night differential premium, plus our tender-loving company is thoughtful enough to shell out 2,000-peso "hazard pay" per month per employee. WTF, that's still 2,000. However, every instance of absence deducts 500 pesos from that so in reality, it's just our slave-driving employer's scheme to curb attrition and absenteeism.

I know I should be grateful for and take advantage of the low cost of living here in KNL. Parang pamprobinsya lang. However, I'm predicting rent here will skyrocket in th near future. Commonwealth Avenue is poised to be the next Ayala Avenue, loko! Haha.

So there goes my boring and petty entry. Ganyan talaga pag boring and petty rin ang life.

Trinoma Date and More Gong Yoo

I had to edit my previous entry because it read so awkward(ly). At least I have an excuse for the crappy prose: I was half-asleep when I posted it.

From which I segue to my a-whole-day of being awake last Saturday. 2AM to 2AM, baby! After my 4AM-1PM shift, I headed straight to Dona's apartment to pick her up (yucch, feeling de kotse) for our date. Here's her own account of our Trimona outing. Below is my highlight.

Super Bowl. We ordered a four-person meal's worth of fried everything: shrimp, chicken, and rice. Deeply breathe as I could, I wasn't able to devour all of what we ordered so I took home the leftover. Here's the interseting part: I forgot to put it in the refrigirator before I hit the sack. I remembered as soon as I woke up, checked my bag and smelled the content of the plastic wrapper. Each food item smelled/tasted fine still, except for the fried rice. Keber! Breakfast was bountiful that morning, maasim-asim pa. Haha. Gross, ne?
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Gong Yoo (GY) DVDs c/o Dona


In furnace, Spy Girl was a major yawn. Its only redeeming point is, well, GY and *coughs* his shirtless scenes. Yes, there was more than one! (Trivia: The subject "more than one", albeit it denotes plurality, takes the singular verb.)


On the other hand, the second DVD She's on Duty was more engaging. Although it felt as if GY's presence was like a cameo appearance with several scenes. As if he lacked character development. But what do I know about character development, right? (Pretentious prick.) And I was bracing myself for the sex scenes which only now I discovered are from another GY and Kim Sun Ah ("My Name Is Kim Sam Soon") movie, S Diary.


So what was it like watching these movies? At the sight of GY, I literally felt my chest tighten it made breathing a task. Beautiful people stumbling in love over each other. I just wish I have someone whom I can be vulnerable to and emotionally depend on. I think I'm ready. WTF! Haha.

It Can Never Be Mine

I already finished watching "Coffee Prince" (CP). Too bad my DVD doesn't include the eighteenth, one-hour special episode. Oh well. Anyway, if you liked "Full House," I'm sure you'll enjoy watching CP as well.


So what kept me looking forward to every episode of CP? First of course was my Gong Yoo. Second was the homosexual theme around which the main conflict developed. Gong Yoo's character, after a period of self-denial and inner struggle, finally gave in to his feelings for and confessed his love to the lead female character with him knowing that she's a "he". Confused? Go and buy the DVD. My take on the series: Well, that's about it. Haha.

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In losing precious sleep over a Korean/Japanese series, my primary (and sometimes my only) requisite is for it to feature at least a mouth-watering shengwa in the cast. It's a bonus if its plot is fresh and well-written. I'm a "visualist" rather than a "literaist", meaning I prejudge with what first hits the eye. That's short of saying I'm superficial (which I am).

Every once in a while there are those Korean/Japanese series that challenge my views on romantic love: that the care-free and the self-absorbed wouldn't ever fuss over such folly. That being in a romantic relationship is the exact opposite of preserving one's well-being. I realize, however, that such convictions (if you may call them) form as a manifestation of defense mechanism. I'm speaking both of the characters and myself.

In my case, I tend to over-appraise my intelligence (yeah, I am intelligent), but when it comes to appeal or just plain "likeability", I believe I am the last gay man on Earth (and I'm neither brandishing nor feigning modesty as the preceding parenthetical comment would prove). So what am I driving at? (I don't know, the urge to sleep is so strong as I type this.) It just feels pathetic, you know, squeaking senseless in kilig, then proceed to sobbing right after because of Gong Yoo's (or any shengwa's, for that matter) hotness. It doesn't melt you; it burns you. Add to that that you're emotionally stunted that your range would allow only up until obsessive (not to mention self-destructve) crushes.


Zzzzzz. ~_~

And every time I see your face
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars
And soon I can see the shore

Official First Day

I'm supposed to write about "Coffee Prince" and its male lead Gong Yoo. He's the new(est) love of my life. You should see him shirtless! Haha. I'll post about the series and him just after I finish watching the DVD: three episodes to go.



For the meantime let me tell you a bit about my first and current job. If you're still left in the dark, I'm a call center/call-center/callcenter agent *fidgets* in a certain company "C" along avenue "C". To be exact I'm a technical support representative for the AT&T Bellsouth Consumer DSL account. I receive calls from nine Southern US states and troubleshoot DSL hardware, software, and connectivity issues.

Honestly, I doubt myself because I'm feeling as dumb as the Americans I’m talking to. The job is harder than it sounds. I can say I'm comfortable when it come to things techie, but given our very wide scope of support, I need more time digesting completely whatever was bombarded to me during the barely-a-month, product training. And solving the customer's problem isn't all there is to it. While doing so, I must also adhere strictly to tricky procedures, pass subjective customer surveys, and effect impossible call-handling metrics. Constantly, I imagine myself getting terminated any time soon and it scares me. :(

I hate challenges, but I know I'm in no position to complain. I just force myself to see them as things that could help me improve as a person. (May ganyon?!) At times when even that couldn't console me, I just carry on and cry trying.

I’m Buck, Beaches!

A two-month long hiatus had served its purpose. It cleared my head and helped set my priorities. Now I can say I’m in a much better place (not the afterlife kind) than I was a couple of months back. It’s about time I resume blogging.

Dear readers, did you meesh me? Haha, feelingera!
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Resolutions for the Rat

Hamtaro

1. Never absent. In my classes and especially in my work. I couldn’t afford to do so lest I get terminated, hehe. Even in my affairs with my high school friends. Another one had left for the US. :( More of that in the next post.

2. Be punctual. Time is gold. Therefore I conclude that time lost is gold lost. Besides, it doesn't really help one’s image to be tagged as always being late. Even less for the not fashionable like me. (Huh?)

3. Be competitive. Because I’m competitive only some of the time (i.e. when there’s no competition). Exerting a little more effort makes a big difference. Well, I believe it should. (As if I haven’t learned that great expectations is a movie in which Ethan Hawke felt Gwyneth Paltrow up the skirt also lead to great disappointments, e.g. Wave-O Revolution.)

This Year of the Rat, I hope I could be as shrewd as a shrew (yucch, pinilit) when it comes to my finances. Dahil ika nga ni Meja at ni Judy Conti, “It’s all about the money.”

Mayaman lang ako sa apelyido. Currently, my meager salary wouldn’t allow me to achieve a status of filthy richness that can support my whims and caprices. Nowadays, even cheap thrills aren’t cheap anymore. The more pressing it is that I finish my degree. Already! (Anong petsa na?) After which, ika ulit ni Bb. Conti, “Be at the right place at the right time.” Swertehan factor ba.

For the meantime, I, Ivan Rico, a technical support representative of the world, would die trying.