Damien Rice – Accidental Babies
I am now on Facebook. I have to agree it’s more organized than the tacky Friendster.
So I wasn’t able to attend my friends’ gig. There’s always next time.
Tags: facebook, damien rice, friendster
Emerson Hart – Vanity
Isn’t it supposed to be raining today? I think these days are supposed to be the rainy days already. Ang init!
I left the office around 1PM today and went home to catch a few hours on sleep. Last night I, with a couple of friends, went to Nineteen20 bar in Timog. It was my first time there. The place was great – great music but it got too loud at past 10; an okay menu, I guess; and beer is much cheaper! We ordered sizzling hotdog as pulutan then we had one of their seafood samplers after that. It was something new and it tasted great. I started throwing up a little too early so I had to stop munching on the seafood. Bugger.
It was 11:30 when I got home. It was early and I was too drunk.
Tonight, I am supposed to go to some bar along Aurora – damn I forgot the name. Some friends are having a gig there. Well, I still don’t know if I will go. I still feel a little hangover from last night. I still have to do my groceries. I should be going.
I am currently downloading The Office Season 4. I’ve read great reviews.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: TheOffice, hangover, nineteen20
I got this call earlier:
Caller: Hello
Me: Hello?
Caller: Can I speak to Mr Michael Retuta
Me: Yes, speaking. Who’s this?
Caller: Hi Michael, I am Barbara from <”L”> and I would like to ask if you are looking for a job right now.
Me: Hmmm not exactly because I am currently employed but may I ask how you got my number?
She said she got it from their database. I am not aware that there are companies that have contact details of employed people who are not looking for jobs in their databases. I was surprised, confused and a little bothered because it got me thinking… or not.
I don’t feel anything at the moment.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: employmentcall
Wednesday. Nanang and Uncle were still with me. I went out to have their documents photocopied. I just realized how much of a hassle this, applying for a travel visa, could be. You have to acquire numerous documents. You must present documents to prove that the travel is just for visit. You must prove that you have assets to leave behind. You must acquire your land titles. You must have certifications of your bank accounts prepared. I didn’t even know that you can use cattle ownership documents as proof. i didn’t even know that cattle (yes, cows!) have ownership documents! Plus the tiring meetings with your agent (you’re lucky if you can affor one), your expenses.
I just hope they get through.
So on that Wednesday morning, I had to wait for my other Uncle (the one in London) to send me pictures of this document that proves that the house where Nanang and Uncle will be staying is my Aunt Lina’s. (Aunt Lina is Nanang’s and Uncle’s sponsors — she’s the one inviting them to London for the visit). I got them before lunch. After lunch, I went out to have them printed and photocopied together with the other papers. Then I went home to sort and arrange the original documents and the photocopies. We had to arrange them according to a checklist (yes, there’s a checklist) so that the document-checking process that were to take place the day after would take less time. We found out that a few pages were not photocopied. Damn the photocopier! So I had to go out again.
It took the whole afternoon for us to successfully sort out and put all the documents in their respective envelopes — the original and the copy.
Then Thursday came. I woke up early to prepare breakfast — fish and hotdogs and coffee.
Their appointment was at 09:30 AM. We went out early because I know it doesn’t hurt to be early. We reached the building (AXA tower beside Makati Post Office) before 7:00 AM. I took the appointment slip from my Uncle and approached the building entrance. I read the slip just to make sure that we are on the correct building. It was then that I learned that the appointment time should be strictly followed. The slip says that applicants must not arrive at the building not 10 minutes earlier than the appointed time! I approached the guard nonetheless and asked him if we could just get on with the application but he said it was too early. Damn the guards! We have a hundred fifty minutes to waste — and waste them we did! We sat at the Makati Post Office steps reading local tabloid, solving a sudoku puzzle and wasting time over tagalog crosswords which I learned I am never good at.
After the long wait, we headed back to the building. I was with them inside the building. We went to the floor where they have to submit and have their papers checked. I wasn’t allowed in the room so I went out the building. The time would be around 10 AM. An hour later, Uncle and Nanang got out. There was some mistake with the check that should pay the application fees. Their checks were overpriced! Damn the bank clerk! So we had to find for the nearest Metrobank and have them issue another check with the exact amount. We took a cab in front of the building and I asked the driver to take us to the nearest Metrobank branch. So the driver circled AXA, took a turn then crossed to the block next to AXA’s… then there was Metrobank. The meter didn’t even reach 32.50!
Uncle had the checks after 30 minutes then we walked back to AXA. The time was 11:45 AM. I didn’t enter the building this time. They went in and I waited outside… and waited… and waited… and waited… then grabbed lunch, because I am human, and humans get hungry, and humans eat when they get hungry and when they’re bored, so I ate… then I waited some more. Then there they were — Nanang and Uncle, hungry. The time was 03:00 PM. The documents were fine and they will be sent to the UK Embassy for approval.
I am now too tired to think how to close this entry so I won’t bother.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: tired
This is boring. Don’t read.
This past week has been very stressful. Yes, I was on a two and a half day leave but I spent those days as the ultimate family guide and messenger. It was stressful, tiring and exhausting indeed.
My uncle and grandmother arrived here in Manila last Monday night. I went to the terminal half hour before 12 midnight to pick them up. I was too early, so I had to wait a good half hour for their bus to arrive. Their bus arrived a few minutes after 12 midnight. We took a cab and arrived at my apartment 30 minutes later.
I reported for work Tuesday morning. I left the office a few minutes after 12 noon and went home — to prepare lunch for, and eat lunch with Uncle and Nanang (my grandmother). We are to meet with their agent that afternoon to prep their documents, to check if anything is missing and that everything is in order. The agent told Uncle that we need not bring Nanang with us. But Uncle wanted to bring her but I kept on pressing that if the agent told him that there is no need to bring Nanang then there must be no reason why she should be there. Uncle was worried that there might be some papers that she needed to sign and I kept reiterating my point that the agent told him clearly that she is NOT NEEDED there. The agent must know what she’s doing. Besides, it will be tiresome for her to be walking around the mall… and it was raining. That was one of the many arguments we had since they arrived. That afternoon, we left Nanang at the apartment. I and Uncle took the train to get to Ayala. We arrived at the meeting place 5 minutes earlier than the appointed time. The agent arrived 15 minutes later. Then it was all paper shuffling… The agent was the one filling in the forms. She just instructed Uncle in what pages should he and Nanang sign. I had to sit and wait for two hours for her to finish with her jotting and paper-shuffling. I was hungry. I bet they were too so I bought each of us drinks and ensaymada. The agent finally arranged their papers according to, I suppose, how the “checkers” in the place-where-the-documents-are-to-be-passed will check them. We said goodbye then we went to the supermarket to buy some food and pasalubong for Nanang. Twenty minutes later, we are ready to go home. It was raining and the queues in all the taxi stands are a blockbuster so we decided to take the MRT again. I was thinking what if we brought Nanang with us. After the hot, long, wet, sweaty, tiring, exhausting MRT and FX rides, we finally arrived at my apartment.
That was just Tuesday.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: tired
[I wrote this at around 15-May 12:30 AM but wasn't able to publish it]
Matt Nathanson – Car Crash
I feel a little lightheaded. Like I am on drugs or something. Not that I have ever been on one because I know haven’t, at least not “illegally”. I am drug-free. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep or the fact that I am sleepy and I am ignoring it. Maybe it’s the anticipation of an earthquake that isn’t gonna happen (not that I want it to happen). A friend text me a few hours ago that there will be an earthquake tonight. Crap. I am not even aware that science can predict earthquakes now.
I left work at 3 pm today. I earned enough work hours for me to leave two hours earlier. For the last two days, I have been working ’til late in the evening to help out in this project. I am actually happy because I miss working overtime. Happy may not be the appropriate feeling for it. Well, anyway, it’s good that during these past two days I had to be directed and to be told what to do. Because sometimes at work, it’s difficult to come up with tasks to get my hands occupied when there is really nothing left to do… especially when everybody expects you to be responsible enough to self manage, to still be productive during “idle” times. During such “vacancies”, I do readings and research and more readings… and it gets tiresome. I am not the best self-managing person around and I do need a little pushing sometimes to break the routine. Oh, career crap.
I think I just need a few hours of sleep. I have to do this interview tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it because it’s new to me and I really enjoy doing it. Off. To. Bed. Now.
Blogged with Flock
Last Saturday, I decided to format my homedrive and reinstall Windows because the day before, it got infected with trojans and the “Virus Alert” popups started to really annoy me. It took me about 3 hours to successfully install the OS, device drivers and other applications I thought critical. Then another 3 hours later, I found out that I accidentally wiped out my almost 15Gb music files. I can’t feel anything.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: dumb
It has been a long day. I woke up late and yeah, I missed the Sunday service.
I called my cousin this morning and we planned to meet up in SM North. I have to give her some papers I fetched last Thursday from Antipolo. I took the MRT because I miss the commute and I like to tire myself. It was around 1 pm when I arrived at SM North. She wasn’t there yet. I strolled around the crowded mall for around 20 minutes until she arrived.
I took her to The Block and we ate lunch in Teriyaki Boy. I had chicken, she ordered Beef, and I ordered another plate of beef and some fried veggies.
After lunch, we went to Trinoma and bought tickets for Speed Racer. The time is 03:30 PM. I think she preferred Iron Man, but I saw it already (I am paying). Hehe.
Speed Racer. Wow. I frankly didn’t want to watch this because I think it’ll be boring. I really didn’t have any expectations or anything. I just don’t like to watch it. Since it’s maybe the next best movie to Iron Man available to watch, so, Speed Racer it is. In the middle of the movie, I thought “I am actually enjoying this”. I found myself holding my breath with each race. It was fun. It was funny. That’s what you get when you don’t have any expectations. You’ll find the experience more rewarding.
An unusual Sunday it was. I am tired. I am exhausted. I am sweating.
Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and to all the mothers.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: sunday, speed racer, mother’s day, tired
