The World of Second Chances

My Valentine’s Experiences

February 13, 2009

Life & Love

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. My best buddy here in the office is very excited about it. Forgive her, she’s only 24. 😉

When I was younger, I regarded this day as the 3rd most special day after All Saint’s Day and Christmas. Valentine’s used to be that special day that could make or break my day. I finished high school with no Valentine’s card, no Valentine’s date and no Valentino to spend the day with. Good thing, my father was born on Valentine’s Day so his birthday celebration made up for it.

It was in Baguio City where I had my first Valentine’s with my first boyfriend. It was actually a group date with a couple of mutual friends. We just had doughnut and soda (what a combination!) at Mr. Donut’s in Session Road. My first boyfriend gave me three red roses on that special day. I was his first love, too; I gave my yes to him 12 days before Valentine’s.

My worst Valentine’s experience was in 1998 when my jealousy-stricken first boyfriend assumed that I was with someone else inside my room. I fell asleep after making a Valentine’s card for him that was why I didn’t hear his knocks. When I opened the door, his eyes were fierce and angrily, he accused me of sleeping with someone else. I showed him the card and after seeing it, he cooled down but he had ruined my romantic mood for that day.

My second boyfriend NEVER gave me flowers for reasons that I do not know until now. My most memorable Valentine’s with him was when he said NO to his teammate’s request for swapping their shift. That was in 2001 and it was our first Valentine’s date. We dined at Shakey’s in Magsaysay Avenue (Olongapo City)

I have yet to celebrate my first Valentine’s with Miel, my third boyfriend and fiance’. I don’t expect red balloons and red roses. I don’t expect chocolate cake or chocolate bars. His presence would just be enough. With Miel, everyday is Valentine’s Day for me.
Celebrity Urban Legend

February 6, 2009

That’s Entertainment

I am having a good time reading this thread from Pinoy Exchange.
(http://zefiris.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302672) I think that not only us Filipinos are very much interested on the dirts and intrigues of the people that we put on the pedestal; the celebrities. Does it mean that with all those flaws and inconsistencies, it make them a lesser person or a lesser celebrity? For some people, yes. But for some, especially the logical ones, maybe not!

Urban Legend # 1:
What’s with St. Luke’s that make it a favourite target of abortion urban legends? This urban legend made me curious whenever I’m there for our yearly lead-in-blood testing, a company requirement. Who knows, baka andun si ganitong artista para magpa-abort, debah? But then, if we will analyze it in a logical way, if I were the celebrity, I would have the fetus aborted in the US or anywhere else in Asia; in a place where I can keep my real identity hidden. Why would a good hospital like St. Lukes be the favourite target of intrigues? Why not Makati Med? Why not Asian Hospital?

Urban Legend # 2:
When I was a little kid, I was afraid to go to any Robinson’s mall for fear of being eaten by the snake that’s said to be Robina Gokongwei’s twin. There were two celebrity urban legends that made the story “credible” in the late 80’s: that of Alice Dixson and that of Rita Avila. The latter denied the incident. I wonder, if this snake story is true, then how come people still patronize all Robinson’s stores? It’s now 2009, I guess people from that time (80’s) were more prone to believing baseless rumors just like their belief in ET’s and UFO’s. And don’t you think that that black proganda in the 80’s came from Robinson’s rival mall? Hmmmm….

Urban Legend #3:
Just like Urban Legend #1, there is no solid proof that some of our sweet and decent actresses like Charlene Gonzales or Dawn Zulueta had an abortion. I may agree that some actresses REALLY had an abortion but again, the question is, how reliable is the source of this rumor? I was 19 when I was hospitalized due to dehydration at the height of my morning sickness and one of the nurses who attended me was the son of our family friend. True to his professional code of ethics, he didn’t mention my condition to any of our mutual friends or acquaintances. (Our family kept this incident to protect our privacy since we were living in the countryside with lots of conservative people around.) Now what’s the connection? It’s in the professional code of ethics. Sure, we’re talking about urban legend here that this actress went to this hospital to have an abortion. So who’s the source? The doctor? The nurses? Where is their code of ethics then? If it’s just an urband legend that is meant to ruin one’s reputation, then who made this urban legend?

Some celebrity urban legends are indeed amusing just like Ramon Revilla Sr’s amulet stories and the Nida Blanca-Ninoy Aquino courtship. One thing that also fascinates me is the fake Bongbong Marcos story and Imee Marcos’ paternity story. I wouldn’t want to think that Adolf Hitler is our national hero’s son and I think that it had been proven that Rizal was not his biological father.

Urban legends, real or not, are entertaining to read. It’s just a matter of logic and common sense what to believe and what not to believe. Right?
Ang Babaing Humugot Sa Puso Ni Dingdong

February 4, 2009

That’s Entertainment

Teaser lang ng “Ang Babaing Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang” ang napapanuod ko. (Mas importante sa akin ang 8 oras na tulog kesa manuod ng TV, hehehe.) Simula ng mapanuod ko, naging curious ako. Paano nga ba ginampanan ni Ms. Vivian Velez ang role na Proserfina? Sa mga hindi nakaaalam, si Ms. Vivian Velez ang tinaguriang Ms. Body Beautiful ng kanyang panahon. Walang retoke yun, ha? Tama ba ang impormasyon ko na ang original role na Proserfina ay isang serial killer? Dito kasi sa Marian Rivera version, isa syang akyat-bahay. Kung ganyan kaganda at ka-sexy ang akyat-bahay, malamang lahat na magpapa-akyat-bahay.

Hindi maikakaila, si Marian Rivera ang babaing humugot sa puso ni Dingdong Dantes. Sa aking palagay, hindi lang gimmick ang sweetness nila ngayon. In fairness, bagay na bagay kay Marian ang malandi at wild na role bilang Proserfina. Siya lang ang naiisip kong tamang artistang gumanap sa papel na iyon.

Vindicated nga ba si Karylle dahil ngayon lumalabas na totoong nagka-developan nga ang dalawang lead stars ng GMA-7. Sa aking palagay, nararapat nang patahimikin din si Karylle at huwag ng ungkatin ang nakaraan nila ni Dingdong. Hindi ito nakabubuti sa career ni Karylle dahil laging may comparison na magaganap sa kanila ni Marian. Let’s face it, hindi leading lady material si Karylle. Mas magandang mag-focus sya sa theater dahil dun naman talaga ang forte nya. Hindi nakakatulong ang pagka-link nya kay Jericho Rosales o Christian Bautista. Nagmumukha syang gumaganti lang sa ex-bf nyang si Dingdong. Natutuwa naman din ako sa very sexy billboards nya for Bench. Classy ang dating ni Karylle at napatunayan din naman nyang she’s HOT in her own right.
Silay

January 28, 2009

Life & Love

Very familiar sa akin ang term na “silay.” Nauna ko itong narinig kay Mary Ann, best friend ko noong grade school. Ten years old ako ng ma-realize kong may crush na pala ako. Andrew ang name ng first crush ko. Pag sinabi ni Mary Ann na, “sana masilayan naman natin crush natin,” sumasang-ayon naman ako. Masarap magka-crush, di ba? Mas masarap pa siguro kesa magka-boyfriend. Andun kasi ang thrill lalo na pag ina-assess mo sa sarili mo kung gusto ka ba nya o hindi.

Seven months na kami ni Miel. Bago kami mag-isang taon bilang mag-boyfriend, magpapakasal na kami. Wala naman ding halos nabago sa sitwasyon namin. Para pa rin kaming bago nang bago.

Kagabi, nasa labas sya ng apartment ko, nag-iihaw ng ulam para sa hapunan namin. Ako naman, nasa sala at nagbabasa. Paminsan-minsan, tinitignan ko sya at andun pa rin ang kilig pag nakikita ko sya. Lalo naman akong kinilig nung sya naman ang pasimpleng sumilip sa bintana para makita ako.

Eyes wide open. Nakangiting labi. Parang namamangha sa nakita nya. Sumilay nga ang lalaking sinilayan ko. Wala lang.Nakakakilig. Sana habambuhay kaming ganito. =)
So Help Us, God…

January 27, 2009

Career, Finance & Product

Massive job layoffs.
Cost-cutting on companies.
4-days a week work schedule.
Freeze hiring.
What’s next?

I wonder if the global economic crisis is the beast that is mentioned in the bible. I hope not. I hope that this is just temporary. Who will think that a great country like the USA will go bankrupt? In the Philippines, we’re used to living a hard life that’s why Filipinos go abroad to give their family a better future. What will now happen to the families of the Overseas Filipino Workers who were laid off in Korea and Taiwan. There is also a threat of massive job layoff in the construction industry in Dubai that will affect not just the blue collar workers but the Filipino engineers and architects as well.

What is happening seems like a nightmare to me. It was so unforeseen on the early quarter of 2008. But what is good in a bad time like this is people cling to each other for moral and emotional support. People tend to be more empathetic with each other as compared before when competition was very obvious. There is competition but there is also empathy which is good.

What will happen next? Will education and health care be a luxury rather than a necessity? It’s a grim scenario, isn’t it? It’s like people will go back to the age when hunting for food is their way of life.

If there is one Supreme Being whom we can depend on in this depressing time, it’s God. (Atheists and agnostics, I don’t care what you believe in and your opinion is not counted with regard to this subject.)

Maybe we have become so absorbed in this world’s materialism that we forgot about God. Maybe what is happening is one way of getting back to God or renewing one’s faith in God.

Hel
Wistron Mass Layoff

January 20, 2009

Career, Finance & Product

Wistron Infocomm Philippines is under the umbrella company of Acer Information in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Wistron Infocomm Philippines is formerly known as Acer Information Philippines and is recognized to be a top earner and top tax contributor in SBMA. The beautifully landscaped area is home to three buildings: the Admin building, the Desktop building and the Mobile building. Desktop and Mobile are actually production plants.

The Desktop building used to produce desktop computers. The plant was shutdown in late 2001 when desktop operation was transferred in China. Now, the Customer Service Department occupies this building. On the other hand, the Mobile plant produces laptop until the operation was transferred in China. For two years now, smart phones are being produced and is the main source of income for Wistron.

Wistron, as a company, was able to beat the threat of unionizing, several attempted closures and high manufacturing cost. Since 2002, cost cutting measures were implemented. For the keen observers, it was a signal that Wistron was not doing well financially speaking. Then came the transfer of desktop operations in China where the labor cost is said to be much cheaper. The pioneers in Wistron were the most optimistic and most loyal to the company. It was the pioneer group who kept the balance by assuring the doubting Thomases that just like any other crisis, it would just pass.

But did it? How can they explain the mass layoff of 500 regular employees this morning of January 20, 2009? It was so sudden; employees were not able to prepare. They were given five minutes to stay in the company premises and then, they were escorted out of Wistron compound where a shuttle bus is waiting. Police and SWAT were reportedly visible in the area. January 20, 2009 became the mourning day of Wistron Infocomm Philippines.

Surely, the one million desktop production in year 2000 will just be a memory. There will no longer be a queue in the metal detector area, canteen and ATM area. They will no longer see familiar faces, hear familiar voices and smell familiar scents. Definitely, the ones left behind will be insecure of their future in Wistron. The once top tax contributor in SBMA will be nothing but a history.

The global economic crisis can now be felt. God bless the Philippines. God bless the world!
Waste Segregation in Balanga City

January 16, 2009

Life & Love

The waste segregation program in Balanga City under the leadership of Mayor Joet Garcia is admirable. There are garbage collectors that roam around the city twice a day to collect biodegrable and non-biodegradable wastes. Residents are mandated to do waste segregation, otherwise, the garbage collector won’t collect it.

What is good in this waste segregation program is that, biodegradable wastes are made into compost while non-biodegradable wastes go down to the junk shops. It generates extra income for the residents while maintaining a clean and garbage-free environment.

Mayor Joet Garcia maybe a neophyte in politics but his one year of public service record is impressive. I believe that he is even better than his brother, ex-Mayor and now Congressman Albert Garcia. On the other hand, the then Mayor Albert or Mayor Abet as we fondly call him, was responsible in giving Balanga a make-over.

Keep up the good work, Mayor Joet! Continue to make Balanga City a clean and garbage-free city!