MRT: No Turnback Allowed Starting March 1

I am a frequent mrt commuter. On my way to the office, I ride 5 times, roundtrip, (or even more) a week. My route is southbound and I alight at the Taft station, the last at the south. I am from Cubao but instead of riding the southbound from there, I prefer to turn back (roundtrip is the common term for the commuters), riding the northbound up until the North station, the end of the north line. Upon arrival at the last station, passengers bound for south need not to get off the train and pay again. The train would just shift track to southbound and will stop at the North Ave. station where passengers would load. This has been my daily routine to work because of the volume of fellow commuters at Cubao station, it would take me forever to arrive at the office. I have been late due to such situation. The thing is, I need to leave earlier so as to allot time I would piddle going to North Ave. But, I am deadsure that I will be arriving on time at Taft station. Also, I would also be getting nothing from the pushing and elbowing of the crowd. I would just sit, read a book and even nap during the trip. So far, so good until the MRT management changed the policy.

I’ll be saying goodbye to my 9 month complacent routine, tomorrow will be my last roundtrip. Effective on March 1, all turn backers will not be allowed anymore. Passengers should alight from the North station, exit from the platform, re enter and pay, and cross to the opposite station to ride the MRT southbound. It’s a hell lot of a hassle especially for those pregnant and commuters with children. Only the senior citizens, physically challenged and the blind are allowed to turn back. The first door of the MRT will be allotted for the commuters from the opposite station. Surely, seats won’t be enough and we won’t be spared of the pushing and constant elbowing. Well, that's the common thing in the MRT everyday.

I know that what the MRT management did is fair for them. Turning back should not be free. What’s the reason of commuter’s turning back? Ultimately, it’s a waste of time. But, it roots down to the slow turnover of passengers in the station that makes them opt to turn back and make sure that they would arrive early at their destination. I experienced missing 8 trains on my way to work. Every train that passed was too loaded. If only MRT service would be more efficient, passengers would surely wait up on the station for their turn. I just hope there would fixed intervals of skip trains.

Job Hunt Is Haunting Me

Hey readers! I am still alive. I am temporarily staying in Manila with my niece. Internet connection is limited. I only rent at the nearby shop just to go online.

As soon as I woke up yesterday, I felt glum. Exactly three years ago, I had my march along the aisle for my graduation rites. Since then, I am a bummer for three years and still counting. Time passed and so most of the opportunities I could have seek. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Momentarily, I stopped musing over the past. I have a scheduled interview that I needed to look forward to. It made me convince myself to strangle myself early from bed. It was the fifth week of my job hunt. I am almost losing my high spirit towards work. It’s not easy looking for a job especially that I am not a fresh graduate anymore. I had been to eleven interviews. Majority of them haven’t contacted me if I were dumped or qualified for the position I have applied for. It’s stressful knowing that after all the efforts I exerted for every appointment, I’m always told to just wait for a notification if I were to proceed to the next step. Waiting is grueling without even having the assurance that it would be worth it.

I am not quitting yet. My only hope is hope. It is the only thing I have now. And if I quit, clearly, I choose to fail. I am being dragged by the fact that competition for jobs are going to be higher this March, graduation month. If by any means I am so unfortunate, call centers would be my last option. Studying for a second course has never left my mind. My relatives are not amenable about it, but I still plan to take short courses if they can suffice my shift to another industry.

If I have no interviews, my days usually pass without something to do. It is nerve wracking thinking of how bored I am and how the coming days are going to be. I’ll be back in Manila tomorrow. Next week will be my 6th week of the hunt. I am still perfectly sanguine having the thought that I am not the only person going through this dilemma. A lot more are out there unemployed, even more in need of a source of income. They might have families to feed, more necessities to be responded. I am still lucky.

Hello next week! Please be the best to me. Who knows, the approaching week will be what I have waited for, hopefully.

Blogging, Frustrations and a Hope

Time is gold, an adage I have took for granted before I knew blogging. I have been obsessed to online games. From crack of dawn until midnight, I played along with my siblings who share the same addiction. We have a shop that made it effortless for us to go online. From then and there, I have graduated and unemployed due to my uneagerness to work. I continued bumming around, played every chance I get. Little did I know, I was unconsciously wasting not only time, in addition, money. The latter can be earned again but time frittered cannot be brought back. I grew complacent living within the bounds of the virtual world not realizing how much resources I have piddled away.

In my search for a better and more productive, I recalled my high school friend Nick, of Pinoydreamer.com. I became his silent reader and soon decided to have my own blog. Doubtful and afraid that I may not express myself very well and that I may be criticized by readers,I still pursued it. I gave blogging a shot. To use my time wisely was my primary reason to blog. Why would I play when I can hone my English reading and writing posts through blogging? That was my motivation to start another journey online.

Having my own blog is similar to having my own room. I have my own realm of thoughts, my own rules applied. I can freely express my feelings. It is through this blog that I can immortalize my experiences, memories I would like to cherish as the years would pass.

Frustrations

My life after school is monotony, until now. I am left hanging on my own indecisiveness. Frustrations encumber me whenever I assess my career. A year and a month passed in a blur with me still slack. If only I followed my heart’s desire, I won’t feel this loss. I know I could have done better and bigger if only I settled for the right decision upon entering college. My greatest mistake, my choice of career path. Fear of failure along with limited financial resources incapacitated me to study the course that would attach a three-letter abbreviation after my name. I avoided failure unfortunately I stumbled with loss. What a fate. However, I still believe everything has a reason. Thus, I won't falter dreaming and acting to pursue it.

The hope

I have mentioned already in my previous posts my plan of studying and working abroad. My hope is heavily dependent on my IELTS exam result. The band scores will determine if I can make or break into the admission of the university. What somehow soothed my frustration and painted my Holy Week rainbow was the arrival of my IELTS results. Though it arrived few days late from the date it should have been delivered, my mood shifted immediately from pissed off to euphoric. I passed the university band score requirements. That was my first take. Was it beginner's luck? I remember Paolo Coehlo saying that when you're really close to what God sent you to be here, you are going to experience beginner's luck. I can't tell if I'm close already, its only He who knows. How I wish I am..

I was doodling this the night before the exam outcomes were released. I was really anxious on how it would come out. Law of Attraction and positivity were all I thought of then. I am so much glad for the good news. It was a good start though I still have several steps to walk through.

My blogging hobby was more helpful than I gave it credit for. I owe my band scores to this online activity. Through this, I read and write a lot enough for me to exercise and improve my rusting English. The only irony was, I got the lowest band score in writing. hehe I am well aware I was not able to complete the number of words required. Surely, it was the reason my score was penalized. Nevertheless, what really matters now is that I passed, I did it! Hopefully, the next few steps required to my ultimate goal will work conveniently.

(This was supposed to be my entry for Ate Lainy's contest. Due to my ever failing Internet connection during the Holy Week, I wasn't able to post it before the deadline.)

Bored and back

I am online again after being dormant for roughly a couple of weeks. The last two weeks were stressing owing to the preparations I made for IELTS, the pressure the pending exam caused and the mayhem with my small business, which was another tale to tell. Thanks to heaven I was done with both, the reviews and the exam itself. I’ll be posting soon regarding how the exam had been as soon I felt positive about it. I am getting apprehensive because the results will be released by the end of this week. I am praying and hoping that it will turn out well. There will be four separate band scores for each of the exams namely, listening, reading, writing and speaking. Over-all band score will also be computed. An over-all band score of 6 and not lower than 5.5 for the each of the four exams are needed for the school admission. What dreads me the most is the result of my writing exam. I was unable to complete the 150 words and 250 words required for the two essays. I am doubtful if the examiner will give enough consideration. I am lifting my hopes up on Him. I am trying to pacify myself until the judgment day which is on Friday.

Business is back again after all computers were reformatted due to a self-replicating worm virus, Almanahe, that wiped out all the programs. It was toilsome installing new games and programs again. Luckily, I have backed up my personal and important files. One of them was this header I made for Abie. As far as I could remember, I did this last February. It was only now that I have rummaged through my usb that I found it. Though its simple, hope you'll like it Abie. =)

Busy as a bee

I have been busy during the last few weeks. Evidently, I failed to update my blog. Throughout my absence, I completed my passport requirements, applied for it, went out to DFA for my personal appearance, inquired at IDP for IELTS examination and finally, I submitted my IELTS application.

What is IELTS?

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking – for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.

I and Adrian planned of studying in Australia. Although I have finished a degree already, I would like to study again and work at the same time. I haven’t applied for a job since I graduated. I had a small business that gave my bumming around a justice. Even so, I still wanted to give my career a clearer direction and if given the chance, this is going to be the second one.

We are scheduled for the said exam on March 21. That will be barely two weeks from now. Just the thought of it makes me uneasy. I want to pass, definitely. We answered several IELTS reviewers to give us a glimpse of what to expect during the test. We also decided to attend an IELTS workshop scheduled on March 19. The application itself is pricey so we will be bracing ourselves for that very day. Please include us in your prayers.

I will not be in attendance again online to make way for some preparations. Thank you those persistent droppers who find time to visit my blog . Sorry guys if I neglect to drop back. Still, I will make an effort for my dropping chores. Til next time!

photo from busybee

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

Only a single day left before we 2008 finally ends. Another year of failure and success is bound to take its exit in our lives. A great deal of events had happened during the last 364 days of this year. I graduated, left home, had a small business, stayed unmotivated to work, annoyed with monotony As I looked back, waves of mixed emotions swept through me, happiness, melancholy, emptiness, distrust and the list goes on. It’s all but natural to feel these things. We are humans after all, sensitive to every stimulus inevitable for us to stumble upon.

This year has not been that good enough for me. Or is it just me who made it that way? I felt reprehensible of everything that happened. Life could have offered me more if I have not been complacent of what I am. Nevertheless, I am still thankful for all the blessings I have received. Maybe I was just expecting too much that I fail to recognize life’s little pleasures.

With a deep sense of gratification, I am finally pining for another year of chances. The gaffes I have committed in the past should not impede me from moving forward, instead, it should have serve as a motivation for me to do better, to be more responsible with my career.

I have no regrets after all the blunders I came across. It made me immerge as a better person. I have lessons learned and plans laid out. However, I should not live with either the past or the future. I should live with the present, should live with "now".

Life goes on. Let us not be stocked with the past and welcome another year of prosperity.

My christmas, my vote

My Christmas

Christmas was over. How well did you spend it? Mine was just as simple as eating together with my family as we wait for midnight. We ate, talked, and laughed collectively as we shared different tales of our own. It was most likely a simple reunion given that we lived separately since mom died. It was a perfect time to be reunited. More than the gifts, perfect crisp bills and foods, nothing beats family togetherness this festive season. The warmth cheers and sense of belongingness everyone felt during the once-a-year Noche Buena is incomparable with any material thing the malls can offer. Still, at the end of the day, it is not the quantity in your pocket that counts as the spirit of Christmas, it is the quality of time with your loved ones that is.

My vote

Before the holidays, I had a conversation with Ate Lainy regarding a contest of Kuya Jessie. I did not join it instead, I decided to be voter. The contest winners will be determined by popularity. Of course, This is so me votes for Lainy (woohoo).

I almost forgot that today was the deadline of the said contest. Thanks to my calendar hehe. I know my promise of voting you was long overdue Ate Lainy. I hope my vote helps. And to all the contestants, good luck!

Get going with Dneero

A bum's life

April, May, June, July, August, September and October passed quickly. November has passed too and yet, I am still a bum. I am not really that shiftless loafer since I have a small business to be occupied of. Though small, just enough to support some of my needs and wants and somehow help my relatives.

The most rewarding part of it is having control of my time. There are no superiors to be reported to and there is no compelling rush to beat off the time card compare to the usual rushing employees I can picture out in MRT stations. I have a complete liberty of time. However, I am obliged to stay at home that makes my life gets boring each day. I am not a home buddy. Way back college, staying at home is only an option when I felt like doing necessary household chores, schoolwork, or felt an urge to finish a good book. But life is far different now than it was when I was a student. I have already graduated that made my excuse for leaving and going to school for a project turned to be an ineffective lie.

Thanks for the company of my computer that temporarily eases me every time dull moments strike me just like this time. Blogging has been a productive hobby to deflect my monotony that gives me an opportunity for self-improvement and discovery. Blogging has proven me there is an illimitable, borderless world of learning with just several taps on the keyboard and clicks on the mouse. I have more yet to learn and achieve which is, I know beyond the four walls of this room.

We have a plan to work and study in Australia next year. It seems that February, the start of the school year, is still so distant for me to wait this early on until I realized I haven’t had a passport yet haha. Time ticked twice more than I anticipated. I have several requirements left to consider including my IELTS application, its result, certainly, a passport and more than ever, the say-so of my family. I also would like to be a flight attendant which is another tale to tell. I have my options on hand. None of them weighed much on my decision yet. One thing is certain, I do not want to live another year as a bum. This would be the first and the last. Next year would be my time to do extremely well. I will make things happen with this impetus I am exerting a great deal of effort to gather. The most important thing I need to do by now is learn to get out of my shell, to prepare my exodus from my comfort zone.

photo from Flickr

Friendster still unstable

Friendster has been down lately. Since the other day until yesterday, the website loads at a snail's pace and for quite some time, temporary maintenance has been announced at their page. What was the commotion about?
This morning I received a text message from two of my friends containing this note:

"Please be advised that Friendster has suffered a great damage on their site as a computer named h4xor-nightmare had infiltrated their database. Please do not log in your accounts or add friends for the time being for the team is currently recovering the losses that were inflicted. Please spread."

This was really disconcerting though it was not mentioned whom this message originally came from, whether or he/she is trustworthy. I am not exactly the best judge of what is and isn't reliable. I am just apprehensive of what was going on so I send the same message to some of my friends.

I started using Friendster four years ago. I created my account when I was still in my senior years in highschool. From then, I have accumulated 1000+ friends. I have met new and old friends including strangers from the online community. hehe Friendster seem to be an online assurance that even though people do not personally met, still, we have this kind of connection that allows us all to be updated of each others' lives. Our connection cannot be broken by absence or distance, we are just a click away from a friend or relative. That was a some days ago when Friendster had not been plagued yet.

Snapping back to reality, regrettably, as I logged in my account, the number of my friends was trimmed off from 1000+ to 55. Imagine that? That was not even a fourth or a tenth of my friendlist. I have been whining about this since yesterday. I know I am not only the sole person who felt this loss. I am not blaming those people behind Friendster. I know setbacks are encountered by everyone. I hope that will problem will be resolved, if not that soon, at least, be resolved successfully with losses recovered.

Unrequited

You love #1, you're for falling for #2
You can't leave #1, but you can't bear losing #2
#1 can't be happy without you, #2 is your happiness
#1 gives you the world, #2 means the world to you

Who would you choose?

photo: Oh so emo

My new layout

Ooops! Have you noticed anything? Yes, I have changed my layout into a more organized one. Not that my old layout made a mess on my blog but it’s not as clean as this one. It has been ages since I wanted to change it but got no time and guts to do so. I was afraid that it might turn out as a disaster thinking my widgets would be altered and worse, deleted hehe. And now that I have changed it, I'm ever so happy! I’m proud I was able to do the header by myself through photoshop and successfully modified the original header of the layout. It was an achievement for me though others may have done this easily. It took me few hours to find and edit the tags. I am no pro when comes to web design but managed even with limitations hehe.
Everything looked perfectly well, I think. But, I guess you also noticed, upon reading this post, the font size is bigger than the normal haha. I tried to edit the html and adjust the font sizes but, nothing happened. =( Can anybody help me with that?

Love, let go and learn

There are things in life that we can’t hold on forever, no matter how we fight for it. Things change, people and feelings also do. Memories are the only things that never change when everything else does. It’s an agony to accept that despite the feelings we have, it’s all not enough. Despite our willingness to leave everything for the person, it’s all not enough. It leads to a painful ending to what should have been a long and happy relationship. It’s just that some things are so close to be beyond our reach.

Loving is always a learning process. With love, we learn how to care and sacrifice. We learn to be unselfish and give more than we can even to the point that we lost ourselves. And when everything does not end well, we learn and how it feels to fall and get hurt, to sacrifice yet taken for granted. But learning does not have to end there. After the fall, even though it is difficult, we strive to get back to our own feet and move on. Letting go is one of life’s greatest challenges we continue to face. However, this is what we should learn, that life does not end when heartaches begin. It’s true that there is life in love but there can still be life even after losing love. True enough that if we are torn into million pieces, it would normally take time over to repair back ourselves again. Still, life goes on.

As Oprah did say, "you always do a little growing up every time you do a little letting go." Growth may sometimes hurt us but though the pain made us bitter, our experiences will surely make us better.

image by heather in wonderland

UAAP Cheerdance 2008

Everybody’s most anticipated cheering competition was held last Sunday, September 7, 2008 at the Araneta Coliseum. Surprisingly, there were more than 23,000 crowds who attended to witness the event. Most of which were students from the UAAP participating schools to support their own pep squad.

Cheers and screams of the audience roared over the coliseum as each pep squad strut off their breathtaking stunts they have toiled to perfect months before.

It was yet another victory for the University of the Philippines Pep Squad. They bagged the UAAP Cheerdance title this year. The Salinggawi Dance Troupe of the University of Sto. Thomas failed to reclaim their spot, got the 2^nd place. Running third in place were Far Eastern University Pep Squad.

photo up rocks

Corrupted memory

Aargh! Not even a single photo or a song was left in my gallery and track list. All pictures vanished instantly. Later I discovered my memory card was corrupted. I have no I idea on how it exactly happened. However, the memory card details still remained occupied with files. And yet I can not open them anymore. Sigh. There were about 400 photos stored in my memory card in addition to my favorite songs I keep. Too bad I have no back up copies. Is there in any way can I retrieve them? =(

He has it

I was about to pay for an item yesterday and asked Adrian for money. He fished out money from his pocket, a 100 peso bill. Instead of handing it to me, he kept it back in his pocket. I wondered why. Then later, he showed it to me. It was indeed the 100 peso bill collector’s item from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Along with the commemoration of UP’s 100^th year, BSP issued 100-peso banknotes with the overprint of the UP Centennial 2008 logo.

Though it was just an accident when Adrian acquired it, he felt proud of it. Imagine, most of the collectors would spend money to have it and here he is, got one of the limited bills effortlessly for free. In fact, it was his idea to let me blog and brag about it haha. Maybe he’s going to let it framed (kidding aside).

Game Face, Get a Chance to Win 3000 ECs

Since its going to be my birthday next week, on the 12th, let’s play some guessing game. I have some pictures here divided into two groups. The first group, Group A, consists of youngsters and the other group, Group B, their equivalents when they have grown up. Let’s see if you can match their faces based on their physical attributes.

All you have to do is to leave a comment on this post with your answers. For example, A6 is a match, though they are not really a match. =) Each blogger only has 3 chances to guess. The prize? I’m giving away 3000 ECs. The number of correct answers corresponds to the number of entries. The winner be randomly chosen through random .org. This game will run for five days starting now, August 9, 6:00 pm Manila time.

Bear with me guys for I have scanned the old pictures the reason why they seem to be blurry. Goodluck!

GROUP A

Group B

Adrian's Birthday!

Its my bf's birthday today. He's a teen no more. He just turned 20 hehe. We are of same age now. I am a year older. But, it would only last for about 10 days. Its going to be my birthday on 12 that would make me 21.
I am excited later. We'll be eating out. =) Pig out time again. Still do not know where yet. I made something for him. Here it is.

Pimp my phone

Yesterday I was at Trinoma with my boyfriend. We bought clothes for we need for her niece’s 18^th birthday party tonight. And the part I like most, we got my cellphone pimped. Yehey! At last, my cellphone looks new again. It had been worn out due to some scratches it had accumulated for about 2 years now. Yes, my cellphone is 2 years old already and I have still no plan of replacing it. I have never had a cellphone this old that still looks perfect for me.

I’ll be posting its old pictures soon. Here is how it looked like now. I picked a dark color to camouflage the scratches since the mask seems to be a transparent plastic. Thanks to Skim Jam for the perfect makeover.

The Pound for Pound King’s Victory

It was yet another pride for the Filipino people as Manny took his 4th world record in different weight classes and triumphed over his Mexican contender, David Diaz, today in his match, “Lethal Combination” held at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Manny for the mean time, set aside his prowess and accolade, focusing more on what the Filipino people as well as his global fans are expecting of him. “It’s really a big honor for me and my country to be part of boxing history,” he said. “This is not just for me but for the Filipino people.”
Though being the first Asian boxer to hold several world titles, Manny was never been confident with any of his fights. He knew perfectly well the extreme cautions he has to take in every duel. “Losing is not an option,” he said.
Hats off to our new WBC lightweight champion!