Right. I was planning on posting something on the 29th because hey, it's that day that only comes every four years! But unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my hands on a computer yesterday, and I didn't want to cheat by changing the post date of this entry (because you know, blog authors can do that :P). As to why I wasn't able to get my hands on a computer, it's because yesterday, I was sick.

S-I-C-K. Sick. Those of you who know me personally, I'm sure, will tell me that I'm always sick (in the head) anyway, but seriously, I had a fever yesterday, and had no energy to do anything but sit around at home, and watch House reruns. I thought watching people sicker than I was would make me feel better, but it didn't. As it turns out, water and good ol' Vitamin C still did the trick.

Actually, I'm still feeling quite sick at the moment. My throat is itchy, and it takes very little for me to get dizzy. Add to that the fact that I have a quiz in my Japanese class this afternoon, and it makes for a very nauseated me. But what I feel most badly about is how when Thursday night, I and my officemates went to Friday's (You know, TGIF, the restaurant) to celebrate two of our officemates' birthdays, I ate baby back ribs and pork chops and shrimp and mashed potatoes, only to throw it all up the moment I got home.

"At least you won't get fat," my mom said. And I'm thinking, yeah, that's what I'm concerned about. :P

Gah. I hate being sick.

In other news, my former co-teacher Honey gave me a virtual gift over at her blog.

Isn't that sweet?

Thanks, Honey!!

Rules:

Answer the questions below.
Do a Google image search with your answer.
Take a picture from the first page of results.
Don't copy the answers of the person who posted this before you.

1. The age you'll be on your next birthday: 24

2. A place you'd like to travel: Venice

3. Your favorite place: Japan

4. Your favorite food: Chocolates

5. Your favorite animal: Giraffe

6. Your favorite color: Red

7. First name of your significant other: Not Applicable

8. The town in which you live in: Las Piñas

9. Your screen name: miriyammqx

10. Your first job: English Tutor

11. A bad habit you have: Tactlessness

12. Your worst fear: The Future

I'm obviously rediscovering Rivermaya, hence my 3 consecutive posts about them. Pasensya, minsan lang naman ito.

Anyway, just wanted to share... I brought my Tuloy Ang Ligaya album to the office today so copy the songs to my computer (No, I won't upload them to the internet). And when I opened the case, I noticed that I wrote my name and the date I bought it on the cover. It's nothing unusual really, as I normally do that to everything I buy (usually books), but this time I even wrote the day I bought it (Sunday), and the branch I got it from (Tower Records, ATC). Vaguely remembering that there was more to this album than meets the eye, I spread out the entire cover (with the lyrics on it), and turned it over, and discovered that it was autographed!

That's when the memory came rushing back into my head, clear as day. I was coming home from a project my blockmates and I worked on in Pampanga, and while still in SLEX, I got an SMS from my friend saying she was going to the Rivermaya album launch in ATC. She said that the band would be there, including the new members, and that there would be an autograph session afterwards.

So instead of going home, I went straight to Tower Records, met up with my friends and we bought ourselves a copy of the then new album -- Tuloy Ang Ligaya. It came with a free Rivermaya poster, and yes, this was also the time when they would give Pulp Magazine for free whenever you bought a CD from Tower Records. Anyway, we waited a few minutes until the promoters of the event came and said that they'd be giving freebies before the band got there.

For the prize of an autographed poster, they asked the crowd who would be able to show them the highest top score on the Snake game. (Yes, this was the era where "snake" was the coolest cellphone game ever! :P) And mine just happened to be 3428 (or something like that, basta more than 3000), so I won the poster. :)

Eventually, the band came and performed some songs from their new album, not missing the carrier single Umaaraw, Umuulan. But the one I liked best at that time was Imposible. It was the first time I saw Rico Blanco up close (Tower Records is a relatively small place, and there weren't that many people that day), and Mark Escueta, and the then new band members -- Kakoi Legaspi, Mike Elgar and Japs Sergio. I asked them to sign both the CD cover, and the poster that I'd gotten for free from buying the album. My friend even asked them to sign the page where the article about them was, in Pulp Magazine.

All in all, I came home with one autographed CD, two autographed posters, and new excitement for the new Rivermaya. We eventually decided to give the extra poster as a gift to another friend (and a fellow Rivermaya fan), and I kept the other one in my closet (right next to my Takeshi poster :P).

I guess it's really just a normal autograph-signing event, but that was my first time to ever get anything autographed, and just remembering it makes me feel giddy again. That was a really nice day. And I missed that time when I was passionate about an artist.

And yes, I still like Rivermaya until now, but I have to admit, I'm not that excited to jump on the jeepney that'll take me to their gig. I want to see them, but I wouldn't go out of my way, like I had when they launched the Tuloy Ang Ligaya album. It's got nothing to do with Rico Blanco no longer being in the band or whatever obvious reason that Rivermaya has changed, but more to do with how those fan girl moments are really as fleeting as any other feeling there is in this world. But I'm glad that like everything else in this world, there is something that can make us go back to that point in time, and make us feel what we've felt, what we've forgotten how to feel, or perhaps replaced with something else. I kind of get now why some people like music so much. :)

No, this isn't an analysis of their music. I'm no music expert. Gusto ko lang mag-share.

Right now, someone in the office is playing the Cutterpillow album really loudly. (Okay, not really, but it's loud enough for me to hear, even if I'm a few work stations away. I don't even know who it is playing it.) And just for kicks, I'm tempted to play the Trip album really loudly, too. Para kunwari mid-90's ulit, and nagtatanungan tayo kung sino ang Hip Hop at Metal.

Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against the Eraserheads, in fact I really love them, too. But I really had fun during the time when they had the rivalry with Rivermaya, and I would defend Rivermaya as if it was my own band. Hehe. Wala lang. Para may conflict. I mean, it would've been boring if I'd just agreed with all the Ehead-lovers right? Even if I loved them, too? :P

I guess I'm just really missing them. Both bands, I mean. And sure, Rivermaya is still around (I even just said something about their new album in the previous post), pero 'di na gaya ng dati na dalawa silang magaling na band na parang nagcocompete (Well, hindi naman talaga. Feeling ko 'yung fans lang ang nag-cocompete talaga :P). Ngayon kasi, pumapare-pareho na ang tunog ng mga bands, tapos 'yung mga hindi naman pareho (like Up Dharma Down), masyadong iba, kaya hindi mo ma-compare. There's no band that really stands out, or rather, there are no two bands that really stand out, kaya wala masyadong rivalry, walang competition. Kung meron man, korny. Like, ano, mag-a-argue tayo kung sinong mas-pogi kina Champ (Hale) at Kean (Callalily)? No thanks, matutulog na lang ako. (Kasi obvious naman na mas-pogi si Kean 'no, haller!? No contest!! Hehe. :P)

'Yun lang naman ang gusto kong sabihin. I miss being passionate about OPM. Unlike before na mayroon talagang songs that rule the airwaves, ngayon, kung meron man, marami at a time. Or kung isa lang, foreign artist naman. Wait, 'yung Narda pala ng Kamikazee, ganun last last year, but it's not the same kasi wala man lang kumalaban sa song na 'yun. 'Di parang 'yung Ulan, na kasing sikat lang din ng Magasin. 'Yung mga tao alam 'yung Narda, pero 'di nila alam 'yung Lunes, o kaya 'yung... See? Wala nga ko maisip 'eh.

Tama na nga. Ano bang alam ko sa industriya na 'yan? And by the way, tinigil na rin niya ang pagpapatugtog ng Cutterpillow, Changes in My Life na'ng naririnig ko ngayon ("These are all the many changes..."). Great, and I thought he/she had good taste in music. Oh well. I guess I'll just go back to work.

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Nagtri-trip lang ako. Unfortunately, I can't find a nicer picture in the computer I'm using, and even more unfortunately, the other magazine covers (TIME, National Geographic, etc.) didn't fit as nicely as this one did. So kahit walang koneksyon sa pets 'yan, 'yan 'yung pinili kong cover. Ahehe. Oh well, the point really was just to try it out. :P

Try n'yo rin. Aliw. I was able to waste 15 minutes just looking for pictures, and choosing which magazine cover looked best with it.

P.S. In case you're curious, this picture was taken in Harajuku, Tokyo. I'm holding a Y500-worth bag of cotton candy. :P In fairness, masarap naman. :) And yeah, I kept the bag as a souvenir kasi Dragon Ball. :)

It's 6:49PM and I think this is a good time to ask;

How did Valentine's Day 2008 fare?

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), I'd say... 6. And if you know me well, you'd say that that's really pretty low, compared to the other Valentine's Days that have come and gone. I'm not exactly sure why it's just a 6, though. I mean, the day started out great.

I came to the office in pink, like I and my officemates agreed, and saw that everyone did the same. All us girls were in pink, and the guys were in red (well, maroon. And one guy was in pink, but that's better than wearing something completely off like blue or green). And then we girls got a heart-shaped chocolate candy from one of the guys. That's Chocolate No.1.

It was actually really sweet. But of course, in an effort to be funny, I had to be sarcastic about it;

"Naawa ka rin sa'min?" I asked. "Natunugan mong walang magbibigay, kaya ikaw na nag-take ng initiative? Hehehe."

They all laughed of course, if only to keep ourselves from being bitter about the reality that almost all of us are single girls, without even so much as a prospect for a date. Anyway, just minutes after, another officemate sent an e-mail with a picture of a teddy bear with flowers and hearts on it and some Valentine's day greetings, which if you add to the chocolate we'd just received, would put anyone in a valentine-mood. Especially, when just a few minutes after that, the office management went around and gave all of us Toblerone bars. I was already expecting it since last year they gave us all Hershey's Kissables. The management is really cute when it comes to these things. And so the Toblerone bar on my desk is Chocolate No.2.

Last year, we all went out to lunch. We ate at a restauarant in the mall, treated ourselves to really delicious pasta. It was fun. This year though, lunch was nothing too spectacular. We ate at the office pantry. And we ate lunches that we'd brought ourselves, or ordered from the office caterer. As if it wasn't a special day. And so I said that we should at least have some cake. So I called the nearest bake shop, and asked them to deliver one of their Double Dutch Chocolate Rolls. That's Chocolate No.3.

I sent an invitation around 2PM, saying that we'll be having our Valentine's Day Merienda at 4PM. Just in case you're curious, the invitation looked like this:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Click here to read my review on the movie Jumper.

At least it is for me... I think. Valentine Season has always been my favorite season after all (if it is even a season). And if you're wondering why that is, just skip back some entries, to the time that it was February last year, or the year before, I explain these sentiments in full detail. And that's why for now, I'm not going to repeat myself and explain why I like this ocassion. Instead, I'm going to say what's different between the Valentine's Day this year, and last year:

1. I'm in a new place again! Is it weird that in the 2 years that I've been in this company, I've celebrated Valentine's Day in 3 different locations? First was on the 14th floor of our original building, second was on the 5th floor, and now, I'm in a completely different building (see previous entry re details on this).

2. I'll be wearing pink. This isn't really all that relevant, except for the fact that I've been wearing red for the past 5 Valentine's Days of my life. :P But I'm wearing pink this year because the people in our office have agreed that the guys will be wearing red, and us girls will be in pink. Just for fun. In fact, I already know what I'm going to wear for tomorrow.

3. Lastly, I just wanted to express what I'm thinking, which is that if things keep progressing the way they are (or the way they're not), I'm thinking that tomorrow might just be my saddest Valentine's Day ever.

Okay, that's too much drama for this blog.  I guess I'll just wait for tomorrow and write something that makes more sense then.

(Sorry walang pics, wala akong computer sa bahay and we can't just connect cameras into the office computers. :P)

As I type this, I'm looking at a different view. Well, I still have the same old monitors, but other than that, everything else in my peripheral vision is more or less different from what I was used to looking at in the office for the past year. Because today is our first day in our new office building.

No, I didn't get a new job. Our department just moved 2 blocks away from our old building, because we've already grown too big to fit into the space the company provided for us in the old building. Apparently, they didn't expect us to grow this big. But we did, so now, there's a lot more people who need chairs to sit in, computers to use, and well, you get the idea.

So, the entire last week was all about packing (a boxing week, if you will). And if you've known me for a long time, I'm sure it won't be a surprise for you to know that I probably was the last employee to have finished packing my things. I finished it late Friday night. The people from maintenance moved our boxes early Saturday morning. What can I say? I hate to pack.

Unpacking, is just as bad. To this minute, I still haven't completely fixed my things in my new station. There are still some sheets of paper that are placed haphazardly beside the new telephone, and some files awaiting their judgement--to shred, or not to shred.  But so far, what are the things I like and don't like about my new work station? Let me count the ways...

I'll start with the likes:

• Goodbye McDonald's, Hello Jollibee/Chowking, etc! - Okay, I'm not looking forward to getting sick of Jollibee & Chowking. But believe me, after a year of having nothing to eat (when you don't have that much money) but McDonald's, you'll be excited about other fast foods, too. Note: Our old office was right beside McDonald's, now it's beside Jollibee. The Philippines is just that kind of place.
• New View! - Much like my very first work station in this company (in which I had my back towards everyone in the room, but a direct view of the window), I am also sitting right beside a window right now. Well, beside a window, and a wall. The wall is plain white, which I guess at the very least can clear my head if I get stressed. And the window, has a partial view of a construction site, and a partial view of The Fort Strip. I'm looking forward to all the new daydreams this new view will bring me.
• It's Cold! - If you're one of my officemates, you'd know why this is relevant. Because the floor we were in before had serious airconditioning issues. So I'm welcoming the cold, and the chance to wear long-sleeved blouses again.
• Corner station! - I like corners. True, I have my back to the rest of the office (again), but I'm facing the rest of the world (through the window). And it's way better than being in between the manager and the supervisor, or something like that. I like to stay in places where people aren't likely to notice me. And my station right now, is just that.
• It's bigger and more spacious - whereas in my old office, we just had about a meter-long desk, now, we all have corners so we have like, twice more space. Not to mention, that we have our peds (drawers) again , so we can store more junk in the office!  Hehe.
• The elevators have music! - Okay, this is probably the most shallow advantage that I'm going to say. The elevators in our old building are much bigger, and have much nicer interior. But, I guess as a consolation, they put music in this one. Well, I'm not expecting them to be playing all the songs I like (it's not a radio station after all), but it is much better than the awkward silences elevators normally have.
• There's actually a rec room - Or a lounge, or whatever you call it. There's a room where there are red couches (p.s. the color scheme is red -- I love it!) and a nice carpet, where it would be nice to play board games, or just hang out -- not during office hours of course, but it's at least a different view than the pantry when you're on a coffee break. (Actually I'm not even sure if you're allowed to eat in that area, but I think we should be.)

And now, let's get to the dislikes:

• No.1 on my list is definitely the small restrooms - Only 2 cubicles and 2 sinks for an entire floor! However will we survive?
• But, the hand dryer in the restrooms is just like the ones in Japan! - (and Hong Kong, I just found out recently) Yeah, this is a pretty shallow reason, too. But really, they can dry your hands a lot faster than the usual hand dryers in public restrooms here (as in here in the Philippines).
• The doors don't swing both ways - And they're not consistent either. The front door you have to pull, but the back door you have to push. Yeah, this is a small thing, but you know, sometimes, this can mean the difference between a memo for tardiness, and a commendation for having a perfect no-tardy record.
• I have my back to the rest of the office - I know, I know, I said I liked it better this way (and I still do),  but it is a disadvantage in the sense that I'm most probably going to be out of the loop again when it comes to what's happening on the floor. Then again, I never really cared much, so this really isn't that big of a problem.
• No more BPI! - If going to the bank used to be as easy as going to the ground floor, now, I'm going to have to walk at least 50 meters, even just to withdraw from the ATM. It totally sucks because now, you're really going to have to schedule your bank visits and such, unlike before when it was just as fast as going to the restroom.
• New phone number - Well, times a'changin' and because our work assignments will also change soon, they changed the phone that's beside me. It's okay, really. I just view it as a disadvantage because I'm going to have to tell everyone that my number's changed, not to mention, hassle the people who answer calls for me, on the phone with old number.
• New address - This applies to food deliveries, of course. I'm going to have to tell all the fast food delivery people the next time I call them that our address has changed, and say the address all over again. The address is a bit complicated, and I hate having to spell out the company name, and be clear on which floor it is, etc. etc. It's just, not very exciting.
• I left my mousepad in the old building  - This is what happens when you pack at the last minute. I left my mousepad, which isn't really all that hurtful, as long as I don't think about the picture of the cute polar bear on it. They might've mistaken it for trash (it's an old mousepad) and have thrown it away.  But maybe it's really time for a new one.

So, what else am I missing? New work station, new building, new transportation route, new mousepad, new food... There is something else, although I'm not sure if it's an advantage or a disadvantage... The lobby of our old office building makes me remember certain memories, and they're memories I'm still not quite sure if I want to be reminded of or not. I'm normally not very susceptible to change, but everyone's been telling me that this particular change is better for me. Then again, I don't really have a choice except to make new memories. It's not like I can request to go back to the old building. So, who knows?

Oh, and hey, it's Valentine week again. Have I told you before how things around me seem to change whenever it's Valentine season? First, I got my very first cellphone, then I got my first job, then I got my second job, and now I got a new work station. Perhaps February is the real beginning of the new year for me. Well, I always say I'm lagging behind everyone anyway.

So in case I don't get to write another entry within this week, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!