Criminals and More Zombies

So I’ve tried not to extend my zombie love affair in the office. Not that anybody’s interested anyway. I’ve put down “No Easy Hope” to give way to the season finale of The Walking Dead. Suffice to say, it was a good rendition of the classic movie, Night of the Living Dead. Of course, there former had more action with the characters fighting back and having that “God-mode” of hitting-zombies-in-the-head-with-just-one-shot-while-moving. I would remember as a kid that I first had a glimpse of zombies in HBO, while watching Night of the Living Dead. What got to me was the ugly and scary faces of the zombies, rather than their sluggish movements. The ‘walkers’ in the series were more energetic (?), maybe they were eager at the prospect of a fresh meal. Anyway, the next season would premiere on Fall, so it’s another long wait before we see what happens to the group.

Moving on to non-zombie matters....

Safety and security in the village has not been satisfactory. There were incidents of theft, carnapping and forced entry into some homes. Despite efforts of the association to increase security guards and their wages, it still wasn’t enough. They were suspecting tenants who usually rent houses inside the village and observe patterns of households. They would also befriend household helpers, sometimes get them as girlfriends who would serve as lookouts or informants. When they have acquired information, they would force themselves in the house when the owners are in their offices and schools.

According to spy movies and novels, the most dangerous mistake is to have a routine that could help these criminals predict your next move. Sometimes, it is also a good practice to have erratic schedules and use different routes. It’s good to have a pilot for a brother as they have the most bizarre and erratic schedules.
A neighbor’s car was stolen as well, but it might be because it was parked outside his house. Secretly, I wouldn’t mind those cars being taken away... I mean, what’s the point of buying cars when there’s not enough space in your garage to keep them. Our village roads only have 2 lanes so when a car is parked on the street, only 1 car can pass. It’s such a hassle for everyone, really.

Fact is, criminals are getting smarter. They invest by staying in villages, doing their “due diligence” to make calculated efforts and maximizing their returns, given the risk mitigation that they took. I remember a story a few years back wherein South American ladies would fly business class and steal from other passengers in the lounges. Other passengers wouldn’t think so much about security as they are in an exclusive area and that everyone is “honourable” enough. Right now, we need to be more vigilant, keep an eye out for suspicious persons and be have erratic schedules.

Partial Review: No Easy Hope

I’ve been one of those people who are called spectators. I enjoy watching from the sidelines and cheer/boo people on. This would be mighty applicable with my fascination for anything zombie-themed. I like watching movies, reading books and even the walkthroughs of epic zombie games like Left 4 Dead and the Resident Evil series. But when it comes to actually being part of a world that is dominated by zombies (think 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead), I am pretty sure I’d be one of the first to freeze up, squeal like a sissy girl and cause myself more harm than good. I’d rather play Plants vs Zombies than play Left 4 Dead, which I know will induce a few white hairs and an increased heart rate.

So I am currently reading this ebook I got from Amazon.com. The title is No Easy Hope (Surviving the Dead) Book 1 by James N. Cook. It only costs around $4 and it’s a pretty easy read. It’s a first person perspective of protagonist Eric Riordan, where he narrates his life in a zombie-infested world. He then takes us back to a few years prior to the outbreak where he meets Gabriel Garrett, former scout sniper in the Marine Corps. To explain without giving up too many details, Gabe was aware of a virus that can kill people and bring them back to life as flesh-thirsty monsters. He and Eric prepared for the inevitable and true enough, when the virus took to the streets, they were capable of defending and caring for themselves.

I’m only 54% done in the novel (according to my Kindle App) but I would like to share that what struck and surprised me the most in the story so far was when Eric was watching the virus spread on TV. It’s that feeling of helplessness as well as frantic anticipation of the bad things that will start coming your way. Despite the fact that the hero had a well-equipped bunker in his semi-isolated home, there is still tension and nervous wonder if you’ll ever survive.
Is this preparation enough?
Do I have enough to last me weeks? Months? Years?
Is this the life I’ll live for the rest of my life?

It was the waiting and wondering that really got to me...how long do you think you’ll hide before deciding to go out into a new world?

...to be continued...

Second Wind

It's a beautiful Friday morning. I had to wake up early because of a "breakfast" thing with our managers and the president. We’re not really included in the breakfast but it was more of a “strength in numbers” kind. Should the president decide to go to our area, at least we were there. But that wasn’t what happened... you see, even if we were dressed in sort of business casual attire instead of the casual Friday look, we had our own breakfast at the pantry. I had my fried bananas and coffee while my officemates munched on Bread Talk pastries.
The week flew by fast (I guess that’s what happens when you’re suddenly bombarded with requests and some jumpstarted initiatives. Nope, I’m not going to discuss work. Not now. ^_^

This week, Joey flew to Singapore to attend a forum and take advantage of the IT Fair at Suntec City. I had felt a little guilty for not informing dad earlier so we could give him the apartment key so he could save on accommodations. Dad was also busy with his business trips and is still recuperating from his appendectomy a few weeks back. Dad’s back in Manila now, the hole near his bellybutton got infected and was recommended a few days of rest.

So anyway, I’m giddy to see Joey again tomorrow with his bag of goodies. I didn’t ask him to buy anything from the IT Fair but I know he bought some gadgets and I just want to see his latest toys. =)

I’ve also been busy in the nostalgic department. I still need to create a slideshow of the trip we had in Europe 2 years ago! That and fix the slideshow of our trip the year before! The transition of the slides were too fast for mom and dad’s comfort so I had to fix them manually. I hate rework so I decided to start all over. Clean slate is better than looking at a horrible mess.

I’ve been meaning to leave the office on time today and spend a few good hours at a coffee shop and finish my slides. My good ‘ol ipad is struggling with the massive photos and videos but seems to be keeping up. I’ve finished Zurich, Lucerne and almost done with Vienna... it’s a wild ride back to memory lane. I’m still thinking if I have time to create a blog entry about it. Or maybe create a separate blog for my travels.

Seriously, where is this energy coming from??? ^_^

On Working and Research

As much as I'd like to blame the office broadband for spewing out crappy internet for my research, I think about 20 years ago when there was no internet for reference. I'm assuming most of the people have to talk to experts or experienced colleagues to get answers or information.

Now I'm curious how dad does his work...how he got so far and so up so fast. He is absolutely my work guru. A lot of people who know him in the office regard him as strict, hardworking, thorough and brilliant (one of the SVPs even said he looked like a genius: maybe he is!).

Living with my dad for a year in Singapore opened my eyes to his work habits. Since we never saw him other than the holidays when we were kids, it never occurred to me how he worked and became successful.

1. Work hard, work smart -- he always told me to work smart.. make sure you know the purpose of your work so you don't end up wasting time in meaningless work.

2. Have concrete goals -- dreaming of becoming a CEO in 5 years is not very objective. Take it a step at a time. Start with accomplishing a task and move forward; you get to see real results- which is more motivating!

3. Never be afraid to ask questions -- it's better to make mistakes at the start. Asking questions and sending drafts saves you and your boss future headaches and delays

4. Learn -- you are never too old to learn. Combine education (book smart) and wisdom (street smart).

I'm sure dad does a lot more. He's the kind of guy that goes the extra mile. I'd love to pick his brains one time and ask him what's a day like for him.

Life was so much simpler way back

I read past entries and realized that I had a lot of time to blog back then...! I just feel that time slips past my fingers and I barely realize it's the middle of the week already.

I looked at the blog entry that I did while I was starting HP..my very first company. Compared to my first day in EDC, HP was a walk through hell... in all honesty, I wasn't prepared for a life of German programming language, flex time (when you're young and given that much freedom, it's BAD) and no sense of discipline (I mean it in the "non-traditional corporate environment" sense).

Since my parents were baby boomers area, one could only imagine the corporate life way back when. And that is the kind of corporate life I was expecting. Of course, things change, people change culture and the culture now is a celebration of independence and accountability. At least in my mind of MNCs.

EDC seems more structured, more "back to the future" type of environment. Since my parents came from that company 20+ years back, this is exactly the corporate life they were painting in my mind. It's not so bad. It's an eye-opener for me. The difference between a local and a multi-national company. A flat organization vs. structured hierarchy. A private company vs. a recently privatized GOCC.

There are so many things I have yet to know about corporate life. The formality, the "traditional" sense of going to the office...

I must say, working in EDC has charmed me. It seems down-to-earth (in it's literal and figurative sense!) but at the same time, I'm learning a lot...fueling (hahaha) my knowledge of management and governance from masters classes.

HP and I had a good ride. I met a lot of people who have become my closest of friends. I have shared wonderful experiences and have experienced the best and worst (so far) of living an adult life. But now, it's on to a new chapter. Move on, move forward, move towards future and wonderful opportunities out there.

Ah life, we haven't even started!

Getting fit for the apocalypse

Lately I've been researching on books or fiction with alternate realities, specifically the scenario wherein Nazis won World War II and left the Allied powers almost broke with no military force to protect them incase the Axis powers decide to invade their country. One good suggestion for a novel is Robert Harris' Fatherland. He's the same author of Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. I personally haven't read Fatherland but I read Hannibal and Red Dragon. I'm thinking of buying the Fatherland ebook. It might be a good read and see from his imagination and perspective a world with Germany as the most powerful country on earth.

Jumping to the future, I've been watching some gameplays of Left 4 Dead on youtube. This also makes me wonder what kind of world we'd have if zombies live among us. Many popular theories are depicted either in books (Max Brooks' World War Z and Zombie Survival Guide), movies (Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days/Weeks Later, I am Legend) and even on TV (The Walking Dead). This may suggest the possibility of a widespread virus that attacks the human body and turns it into lifeless cannibals.

Apart from The Zombie Survival Guide, the movie Zombieland gives us tips and tricks which may be useful in the event of that catastrophe. Which kind of changes my perspective on fitness. Instead of going to the gym to help me lose weight, I could see this as a paradigm shift a d turn it into a training for zombie protection. Improve stamina, build mental toughness and even learn how to fire high-powered weapons. Personally, I'd think it would be a better motivation than improving self confidence and body image. But that's just me.

Cooking Kars!

The past few days, I've been experimenting lately in the kitchen. With much prodding from my mom to *at least* try cooking something simple, I've finally tried making simple dishes (thank you Mama Sita and Knorr mix!).

Wish I could post the pics now but my iphone can't get a wifi connection properly to email the pics in my laptop. Maybe next time I'll use my ipad or an actual camera.

But anyway, I cooked chicken caldereta on Monday night, which tasted incredibly edible! On Tuesday, I tried Sinigang (which was a bit too sour for our liking) and Pork Caldereta (aka Plan B) and asparagus with garlic and oyster sauce. I think I'm doing pretty well with this cooking thing.

I guess one pet peeve about all this is the dishwashing part. Thank God for younger sisters who can't cook! Mwahahaha!

More Motivation

I got a new (smaller and lighter) notebook last year for class. I was hauling it to class everyday.. and even if the transportation is very efficient in Singapore, it was still a challenge to haul it.

From dad's apartment, I would take:
- a 10minute walk to the MRT station
- take the red line to City Hall to transfer to green line (11 minute ride)
- 40minute travel to Boon Lay station
- wait around 10minutes to hop on the 179 bus going in the campus
- walk uphill from the bus stop to Research Techno Plaza for about 3 minutes

My old laptop isn't really that heavy. It's one of those multi-tasking notebooks that's not too big, not too small. But with constant travelling, it gets heavier the longer I hold onto it.

But now that I have a smaller laptop, it's more portable and has more battery life. I also like the color! It's a swirly pink with purple and white with some butterflies (how girly can you get?!.

I also promised myself that I'd be more active in my blogging in parallel with my masters but sometimes, I don't have that much inspiration to create something for my blog.

I still want to creative..maybe more witty than my older posts... not just create half-hearted posts and ideas.

2010

The year I'm about to leave behind was a year of many things. It would take me more than my fingers and toes to describe memorable and valuable events that would forever cherish my heart. But, that would be a different entry.

2011..new years always give me something to ponder. What would be this year be for me? Of course, I am more of a "I-control-my-destiny" type of person rather than being fatalistic. The new year brings promise, hope, opportunities and happiness. But all of them can be achieved if you put your heart into making it happen.

One of the more interesting resolutions for me is to start being a serious runner. I made a list once of things I wanted to accomplish early this year and I found myself writing, "Run a marathon". It's not easy to begin with... studies and other things keep me occupied most of the time. Running a marathon is no joke... and it's something I wanted to accomplish before I end my 20s. Maybe I should start a running regimen early this year and run a marathon as a 'test'.

He he, who knows... I might get a finisher shirt =)

Linger

My mind's been wandering after trying to figure out what's happening during our class... I've been fleeting from one thought to another...

I got an opportunity to bond once again with my (4-year old) iPod while commuting to and fro school. It's been almost a year since I've last sync-ed it and I've never really made a lot of effort in updating it with new songs. If it helps, the songs I last sync-ed were old school music (Christmas in Our Hearts, anyone?)

The new generation of songs, I get it from Joey. And I'm quite contented with listening to it with him. But when I'm alone, I'd rather prefer the smooth and more free-flowing melodies of ballads and standard songs; they type that just makes me want to sing my heart out and feel really really good!

A few days back, I was scrolling through my ancient playlist and was still amazed that my most played songs were still Japanese. =)

Lho and behold, there were still anime songs. Gundam rules in my heart! There was a time in college that that song rocks my car day in and day out, until I got to memorize the lyrics...that I got to understand the lyrics. I listened to it again and once again let myself be dragged into wanton screeching and belting, amazed that I can still go along with the lyrics!

Ah those were the days. =)

Homebound!

Finally! After our finals, Joey and I are taking the 0635 flight back to Manila. Despite the anticipation of going home and being with our family and friends, we (or rather I) was doing last-minute packing, forgetting something here and there before coming to the present wherein I'm blogging and yet I'm still not done packing.

=D

I really don't like packing... and I hate unpacking.

But anyway, these are minor things and we're looking forward to tomorrow... errr later. I'm just about ready to finish everything...

See you in Manila!

Breather

Just a little post before I "review" again in Venture Capital Financing...

Earlier today, I bombed a part of the exams (Accounting for New and Ongoing Ventures) which was really very easy to answer. I was down, combined with a very upset stomach... which clearly did nothing to help me ease the helplessness I was feeling over my exams.

But you know what..? Joey made me realize to take a deep breath and take a step back. Life and masters degrees are not about grades and marks and report cards. What really matters is you learned something that you know you will use in the years ahead.

I got to learn more about Financial Reports, Cost Accounting and Financial Ratios for the semester as a Masters student than when I was an undergrad. I guess it was understandable that I bombed taxation since I'm not really interested in Singapore taxation.. and I know I won't get to use it when I start my business in Manila anyway...

Tuesday Mornings

We're currently having our Accounting class. It's a bed-weather in Singapore. Outside, it's raining like crazy but here we are, studying Financial Ratios and Singapore Taxation.

Dad brought me to school early (he has a flight today) so I bought Joey and us lunch at the very very far Subway.

We're doing Financial Ratios exercises... hayyyy

Coffee Fail!

Dad's new coffee machine has been whirring disturbingly..I checked the manual and saw that one of the solutions was to clean the brew group (the mechanism inside the machine that collects the ground beans and combines it with water).

Cleaned it, I did... but did nothing to solve the problem. It kept whirring and grinding the beans but no coffee was coming out! I checked inside again and all the coffee ground and water were scattered... argh! Such frustration (and a bit of fear..)

Maybe tomorrow would be a better day... I hope so! It's gonna be the first day of (graduate) school!

Alive!

I've decided to revive this blog... might do a bit of tweaking to make it more... presentable..? =D

I've had this blog since I was in college (posted a lot of entries!).. but lost a bit of mojo blogging during my "corporate years"..

But now I'm going to school again! Graduate school, that is. I'm really excited in this chapter of my life... and the fact that my significant other is attending the same school and class with me... makes it all the more interesting. =)

So hopefully, I might have time to fix this page. =)

Goals?

I just had a 1:1 session with my manager and our discussion involves goals for the new year. It is after all the start of the year which means there's around 10 months of proving yourself once again to the company, that you deserve to be called an employee of Company XX and you deserve the rewards and recognition.

But of course, there's also such a thing as.. has the company proven itself to you? One of the many ideas I ponder on is how the company works for you. Are they giving you your due worth? Do they give you the benefits/salary increase you deserve?

Going back to our discussion, the meeting's objective was to determine your goals for the year and at the same time, look back on your previous accomplishments. Well, long story short, most of what we discussed were my results of the previous year. Sometimes it's also nice to look back on how you've grown since you started working for the company.

I'd like to believe that everyone deserves to be recognized for being part of an organization that grew because of the people. Everyone deserves to have the spotlight once in a while. Everyone deserves to be recognized.

The Last Time I Felt Like This

One of my favorite duets. =) I've been dying to watch the movie.

Hello, I dont even know your name, but I'm hopin' all the same

This is more than just a simple hello.

Hello, do i smile and look away? No, i think i'll smile and stay

To see where this might go.

'Cause the last time I felt like this, I was falling in love,

Falling and feeling, I'd never fall inlove again.

Yes the last time I felt like this, was long before i knew

What I'm feeling now with you.

Hello, I can't wait till we're alone, somewhere quiet on our own

So that we can fall the rest of the way.

I know that before the night is thru, I'll be talking love to you

Meaning every word I say.

'Cause the last time I felt like this I was falling in love,

Falling and feeling, I'd never fall in love again.

Yes, the last time i felt like this, was long before i knew

What I'm feeling now with you.

Oh, the last time I felt like this i was falling in love,

Falling and feeling, I'd never fall in love again

Yes, the last time I felt like this, was long before I knew

What I'm feeling now with you.

Times Forgotten

This morning, I booked myself a flight to Kalibo by end of October. It's been a while since I visited mom's place of birth... 8 years to be exact. The last time I went there was when I was in high school.

That time, it was only me and mom who visited Lola Nancy, her siblings and my cousins. We used to go there on summer holidays. It's either Silay or Malinao for 2 months of going back to basics. Of course there's tv, electricity and running water.. but on summer days, kids play out on the street, swim in the nearby rivers, sleep early in the afternoon and pray the Angelus every 6pm.

Life in the barrio is very very different than in the city. Sometimes, I realize how much comfort I have at home, when most of my cousins still walk 5 kilometers just to get to school on their very thin slippers, braving the weather and the muddy roads.

I'm thinking that as I spend my week with my relatives, it's going to feel longer than an 'urban week'. I'm thinking of bringing some books to read or a journal. Among other things:

1. Talk to Lola Nancy and see how she's doing.
2. Bring an awful lot of insect repellent lotion. Gawd, mosquitos there are mutants.
3. Bring a plug-in insect repellent.. you'll never know when a cockroach strikes.
4. Sunblock... maybe a sudden roadtrip to Bora
5. Bikinis...refer to #4
6. Visit Sister Claire in Bulabod. Maybe I'll get to finish those stations of the cross...
7. Hiking boots.. refer to #6
8. Food trip in Malinao or Kalibo
9. Visit relatives in Kalibo.. make myself known after all these years

Come to think of it.. maybe my week won't be such a dud. I have a lot to catch up. After all, my mom's family is almost half the people in the town. =)

Reeling my Emotions

My poor baby! He hasn't slept very well the past 3 days because of work. I was terribly worried about his project... it was so off and out of control! I'm really glad it's nearing its end.

My brother knocked on my door just 5 minutes ago. He told me the flight we were planning this Saturday was cancelled. We were supposed to go to Vigan and back but he told me that the airport there was under renovation. Plus, he was supposed to build hours but then (stupid) PAL realized that he had enough hours already to be admitted. Stupid good-for-nothing airline. I've got nothing to smile about.

I'm soooo disappointed I wanted to wail and shout and cry. I hate it when things don't go my way and I can't do anything to stop it. But then again, my mom told me that everything happens for a reason. I believe her. If it is not yet our time to fly, then I will wait for the next opportunity.

Life's Surprises

It was only last week that we buried our beloved mother, Cory Aquino. She was considered the mother of the free Filipino people who restored democracy. It was a dark and stormy day when they announced her death on August 1.

Her burial was a special non-working holiday in the country. That day, I went to Joey's house. As soon as I went inside, rain pummeled the streets. I was thankful I didn't have an umbrella with me. I said hi to his parents before we went off to RVM in N. Domingo St to visit Lola Sinta.

We were more than surprised when she asked us about our relationship. That happiness should not be the only thing that would sustain our relationship. It immediately felt like an orals exam with our theo/philo teacher.

I told her that I never thought life would be so much happier with Joey around (naksss). I've always felt that I want to be better and be a better person. And of course, I'm very much in love with him and I feel that even if that phase is gone, my genuine love is still there.

The love and care he gives me is so much more than what I ask for. He has taken good care of me and has never done anything that would hurt me. I love him for that. =)

We had lunch with Lola Sinta at QC Sports Club. We were watching TV, which was showing Cory's casket being circled around Intramuros. Hundreds and thousands of Filipinos braved the weather just to be with her. They were all wearing yellow and was waving the "laban" sign she was very famous for.

After lunch, we dropper her off in the convent before we headed to Starbucks to study for GRE. Our GRE is scheduled on November and we're reviewing as early as now, especially the math part. I've gotten horrible at math. I'm glad Joey's there to help me out. He's so much smarter than me in math and he knows all the shortcuts to solving problems... hehehe.

Today he's in Laguna for his project's cutover. Yesterday, we had brunch in Bonifacio High Street and watched brainless zombie movies (Dawn of the Dead). He's not much of a horror flick fan but I liked the plotless killing and splatter of human and zombie flesh.

We went around the place, browsing through books and enjoying the good weather for once before he would check in at Linden Suites.

Sometimes, the time you had with a loved one isn't enough. The words you say to that person could not really capture the feelings gushing in you. But I guess that's what makes a relationship special. It will take the rest of your lives to understand the incomparable, incomprehensible love you share and the unimaginable, overwhelming desire to be one with that person.

Yes, I'm in love. =)