Routine Interview With Miss Olive

Okay so nadelay ang semestral interview ko sa Guidance Office. Naabutan kasi ako ng ulan sa job fair nung una kong schedule. Kung ako ang tatanungin, ayaw ko sanang magpa-interview kaya lang required sa scholarship ko. Oh well. Pero okay lang naman kasi masaya namang kausap si Miss Olive.

Medyo naghintay ako ng kaunti dun sa seating area kasi may ginagawa pa si Miss Olive. Makalipas ang ilang sandali, lumabas na si Miss Olive, at binati niya ako. Magaan na ang pakiramdam ko kay Miss Olive kasi nga halos dalawang taon na ata ako kinakausap ni Miss Olive.

Kumustahan lang naman ang nangyari. Nakakatuwang naalala pa ni Miss Olive yung mga sinabi ko sa kanya last sem; walang mga notes-notes yun kasi ang alala ko last time, parang hindi nila makita yung file ko kasi nga lumipat sila ng office. Bigla ko tuloy naalala yung time na nakasakay ako sa LRT papuntang Gateway tapos may kumaway sa akin na babaeng mukhang mabait, maputi at nakasalamin. Ngumiti ako at napatigil ng sandali, kasi hindi ko naalala agad na si Miss Olive pala iyon.

Basta, secret ang pinag-usapan namin. Ganun naman palagi, 'di ba?

Nung paalis niya ako, sabi niya sa akin na I look happier than before, that there was something different about me. Tinanong niya ako kung meron bang something, good news or the like.

"Ha? Wala ano. Haha."

Pagkabalik ko sa CompSAt room, sinabi ko sa kanila na mukha raw akong masaya ayon kay Miss Olive.

Nag-comment si Rai.

"But but, the people who are happy are mostly the ones with the heaviest problems..."

Letter From Azeus Systems, Ltd.

Hi,

We would like to thank you for exploring career opportunities in Azeus Systems Philippines Limited. However, we regret to inform you that your present qualifications do not match those needed in the position you are being considered for.

Should there be job opportunities suited for your qualifications later on, we will surely get in touch with you. In the meantime, we wish you the best of luck in your job search and other related endeavors.

--

Azeus Systems Philippines Limited
Unit 2802-B West Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center
Pasig City 1605
Direct Line: 687 0744
Trunk Line: 637 5960 to 62
Fax No.: 637 5963
Email: careers-ph@azeus.com
http://www.azeus.com

Ang J Naman

Unti-unti na atang dumadami ang mga tenth sa buhay ko.

Hindi pala, marami nang tenth sa buhay ko. Marami na dahil kulang na ang isang kamay para bilangin ang mga tenth na ito. Tenth ano, tenth kuwan, tenth kailan, tenth ganyan.

Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ba ako o ano.


Parang:

Ay, saan ka pupunta?

A, ano po, sa tenth kuwan po. Kasama ko po si tenth ano po. Mga tenth kuwan po kami magkikita sa tenth doon. Nakakainis nga po't doon pa ni tenth kuwan magkita kasi napaka tenth talaga ng tenth na lugar na iyon. Alam niyo po yun? Yung may mga eigth o ninth o eleventh naman po, pero lagi na lang pong si tenth kuwan sa tenth kuwan ng mga tenth kuwan. Lagi na lang pong tenth. Nakakahalata na nga po ako sa ka-tenth-an ng pu-tenth-inang buhay kong ito, eh. Alam mo yun...


Ganito lang ba talaga, o sadyang J ang buhay ko?

Philippine Stock Exchange Center, West Tower

Yeay. Hahanapin po namin ang lugar na ito bukas. Good luck naman sa aming mga walang alam sa Ortigas Center.

Pero nakahanap na ako ng vicinity map! Yun pala ang Tektite Towers. Now now, I do believe I have heard a lot of stories about that building...

Yun na lang muna ngayon. Tinatamad akong maglagay ng something chunky and slash or substantial eh. Karaniwang pagod ang aking utak. Uminom na kaya ako ng Sustagen?

My Phone is Dead

My ever faithful phone is dying, if not dead.

I think it's the flex cable.

Shed even just a tear for it, will you? It has been my one and only trusty companion for over two years.



It has seen me laugh my heart out...
It has offered its shoulder when I was in tears...
And it has been something more than just a phone to me.



I treated it as an extension of myself, always looking for it when it escapes my sight. It is not because of its material worth, but I constantly hold it in my hands because of all the memories it has.

Memories I wish to forget,
and memories that I will embrace deep inside my heart for as long as I live.





Sigh. I want my old self back.

Christmas "Break"

Hay nako. Pati ba naman ang real-life rants ko tungkol sa Christmas "Break", aabot pa dito sa aking blog? Wala lang kasi. Feeling ko yung last three schooldays of the year, nagrereklamo na ako tungkol sa break-ness ng "break" na ito. I mean, nakakainis kasi eh. Sana talaga hindi na lang nila tinawag na Christmas "Break" yung Christmas Break kasi wala namang break about this break eh. Laging may pinapagawa yung mga prof na something big, something long, and something hard over the "break". Napakalousy ng feeling ng break na ganito ano, besides the fact na wala akong baon dahil walang pasok meaning hindi ako makakagala somewhere like Timezone. Natutunan ko na kasi yung proper staple juggle ni Zafina kasi tinuro sa akin ni RB kung paano ba yung tama. Mali kasi yung ginagawa ko. At gusto ko rin kasi iimprove yung akin blocking skills, kasi hanggang ngayon, bobo pa rin akong magblock sa ibaba. Natatalo ako kay Bryan kasi yung simula ng combo niya ay yung sweeping kick thing sa ibaba.

Naiinis lang talaga ako sa fact na break na break na namin, tapos inaasahan kaming gawin na yung first stage ng aming programming project. Kailangan naming gumawa ng Sales and Inventory Management System para sa isang imaginary supermarket. Hay nako. At least naman Java na yung gagamitin namin, at hindi na some other language besides English, Filipino, Nihongo, or Sign. Nakakainis, pero at least nabawasan kahit papaano.

Yung only consolation na lang namin siguro ay maraming prof na MWF ang classes ay tinamad nang magclass nung Friday.

Oh well. I guess I should be happy with what I have and what I'm getting, and not drown myself in tears or burn in anger for the things I'm missing.

Twelve Hours, P1,500.00

A while ago, I received what seems to be my first official paycheck ever in my humble twenty years of life. I was ecstatic as I saw the nice attendant behind Window 10 shuffle through her notes and yank out a form with my name printed on it. As she was preparing the necessary documents for her to release the check with my name printed in bold font, I started to wonder what I would do with the money. It is just a small amount, a compensation of P1,500.00, but still, it meant a lot to me. As I signed the "Received By" field, I remembered the contract Ate Lisa gave me to make my work more or less formal:

TERMS OF REFERENCE

These are the TERMS OF REFERENCE that govern the research work conducted by RODOLFO NOKOM, henceforth referred to as the RESEARCH ASSISTANT, of MA. MERCEDES T. RODRIGO, Ph.D., henceforth referred to as Dr. Rodrigo, of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS) of the Ateneo de Manila University for the project entitled "Multidimensional Analysis of User-Machine Interactions Towards the Develoopment of Models of Affect" for the period of 15 September 2008 to 31 October 2008.

1. Obligation of the RESEARCH ASSISTANT

• Assemble and ensure completeness of experiment kits for field work;
• Encode data gathered from field work;
• Keep all data confidential; no data will be released, analyzed or published without written permission from Dr. Rodrigo;

2. Obligations of Dr. Rodrigo

• Provide the RESEARCH ASSISTANT with an inventory of the items that should go into the experiment kit;
• Pay for costs of reproduction, communication, or postage and delivery related to the research; and
• Provide the RESEARCH ASSISTANT with the gross compensation in the amount of P1,500.00 per month. The Ateneo de Manila University will deduct withholding tax from this amount and remit it to the appropriate government agency.

Conforme:

Rodolfo Nokom
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Ma. Mercedes T. Rodrigo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Information Systems and Computer Science
Loyola Schools
Ateneo de Manila University

After working for twelve hours in a span of two weeks, I get rewarded. Actually, Ma'am Didith just paid me. All I wanted was the service hours needed in my scholarship.

Now, what should I do with this?

My Eye!

After playing for a week as Isabella of the Spanish in Civilization 4: Warlords from midnight until the faint blue color of the skies crept up my window, my right eye started to complain. It became sore most of the time, with me paying little or no attention to it. After a few days, the soreness went away, only to be replaced by an even more irritating counterpart, a stye. I woke up with my right eye jammed with a sticky and terribly grotesque paste. I will save the details (especially the color) because it will be enough for someone to hurl their week's worth of food or start a period of extreme loss of appetite of epic proportions.

I immediately told my sister who is a nurse about my awful right eyelid. At first, I thought it was a pimple since a dot of pus emerged from my eyelid, but upon further reasoning, my sister and I concluded that the horrible abomination that lived in my eyelid is nothing more but a kuliti. We figured that if it was a pimple, why was it in the eyelid, and not on the surface of it? She told me that these horrible things were caused by bacteria, hence the pus. As the day progressed, the dot of pus grew larger and larger. Every time I gingerly checked my eye, the small dot of discoloration grew more and more. It was like a small, yellow green balloon being inflated to its extremes.


And then, it happened.


Well, the discomfort of something always poking my eye is less now as compared to before. I guess I should start getting some sleep. Hell week has taken a chunk out of my resistance, and what I'm doing now isn't helping either.

Sleep

To whom it may concern,
Or for those who have concern:

Here is the short list of my week, with requirements:

Tuesday, September 9, 2008
- CS179.15A Detailed Concept Paper
Progress? Almost done.

- Software Installation at St. Therese's College
Confirmation? I can't join Ma'am Didith and Sir Saichi since I have a report to do.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008
- CS123 Oracle Financials Report
Progess? Haven't started yet.

- Data Gathering at St. Therese's College
Confirmation? Most probably I cannot join Ma'am Didith and Sir Saichi again since I have a long test the following day.

Thursday, September 11, 2008
- CS152 Second Long Test
Progress? Haven't studied caches and assembly.

- Gathered Data Compilation
Confirmation? Not sure yet, I have a long test in the morning.

Saturday & Sunday, September 13-14, 2008
- Ateneo College Entrance Test Proctor
Call time? 5:45am. Yes, in the morning.


I am perpetually drained of sleep. Every passing week is tougher than the previous one.


Basically, I can't write of anything since I feel tired. My brain feels drained, and my emotions are starting to get tired as well.

I find myself stupid. Even if my body is at the brink of collapsing, my will still finds a hidden ounce of strength to walk a distance and go to Timezone in Gateway.


*sigh


I miss substantial blogging. It's just that everything seems to be draining away, into the nether abyss. The solace I find in the places I love going to is slowly starting to morph into a depressing state of solitude.

I hope as I sleep, I dream of myself free from work, basking in the cool air and loud noise of someplace chaotic. There, our eyes would meet, hopefully building a bridge for friendship to cross the turbulent waters between two strangers.

Till next time, and I hope there is a next time. Something tells me time is running inadequate.

Part Time Work Again?

Nag-apply ako as an assistant ni Ma'am Didith doon sa research project niya. I was tasked to find a screencast software at dahil buti na lang, na bring up ang topic na ito sa forums ng CompSAt, nakahanap at nakatest ako agad. Actually, kaka-mail ko lang kay Ma'am Didith yung tungkol dito sa AviScreen. Well, hindi ko alam kung bibigyan ako ni Ma'am Didith ng sweldo, pero malamang hindi kasi sinabi ko sa kanya na i-credit na lang yung work ko as service hours. Medyo nanghihinayang din ako at some level since natapos ko na yung service work ko last Friday, pero o well, excess hours na lang siguro yung work ko under Ma'am Didith.

Kahapon, nagpunta kami sa bahay ni Andrea sa Bel-Air in Makati. Ang astig ng bahay nila. Japanese motif, pero very modern ang feel. The way their house opens at the side just blew me away. It was bare since the house was for rent, but it still had the feeling of minimalist elegance and simple beauty. Lumangoy rin kami sa pool. The water felt great, lalo na kung marami kang iniisip na mga bagay-bagay.

Sasali na rin ako sa Documentations ng Omegathlon at sa isang committee ng Loopback. I need to bury myself under work, kasi siya, lagi na lang busy.

Hay.

Yes, I know. Another post without significant substance. I'll be thinking of a tag for these kind of posts.