06/21/09 - Hot Pink Chick

06/21/09 - Hot Pink Chick
Originally uploaded by meltesorero

My family recently had a mini-reunion to celebrate Father’s Day. One hyperactive cousin, Jamie, brought her new pet, a chick she got from a visit to the province. It now tweets to the very native name “Abayo”.

GLAM-ming up a bit too late.

It's a been about a month since AI8 wrapped up, but I just finished downloading a fantastic album compilation of the entire season; complete with live performances, studio recordings, group medleys, guest performances, and the finale show. All tracks are grouped into folders, categorized per week, the filenames are neat, the details filled in correctly and completely. It's so organized, it excited my inner OC self.

Anyway, I've been listening to the album for the past couple of days and based on the weekly live performances, I can definitely say that this season's contestants suck. Yea, they do. Okay, not all of the songs are bad, but most of them aren't worth a second listen. This bunch seems to have the least talent compared to all the past seasons' contestants.

There is, however, a handful from this pool that are just awesome. And one such contestant is the fabulous, fabulous Adam Lambert, also known to rickey.org readers as Glambert.

Runner up to boy-next-door Kris Allen, this season's openly gay glamrocker initially caught my attention with his version of the winner's current single, No Boundaries.

For those of you who chose to watch the news instead of American Idol and haven't heard the performances, here are the links to both live versions.

Adam's version:


and Kris' version:


You have two different artists singing the same song on national TV one after the other, there's bound to be comparison. Even though you know you shouldn't, you still do it. You can't help but compare them, just like parents can't help but have a favorite kid, even though they reassure the others and say they love them all equally.

Comparing Adam's version to Kris', I'd have to say that Adam rocked it harder. The song just suited him better, his style a good fit for the song. Not taking anything away from this year's champion, Kris' version isn't bad at all, in fact it's quite pleasant to the ears. It's just not very wow-worthy because Kris' voice has a certain niche, and this song definitely isn't part of it.

I know it's too late to throw a bitchfit, but if it were a month or so earlier,

I'd be rooting for the Glambert..

..and would probaby be holding up one of these.

I want j00.

Others would normally call this a wish list, but I'm choosing to call it a list of the things that I don't have yet.

1. Nintendo DS.

Isn't this just a beaut?

It's too cute a gadget to pass up. Also, I've been saying that I want one of these for the longest time. Anyone wanna buy my (one year and four month old) PSP for a reasonable price before Norbelle sells her DS to someone else?

2. Angels & Demons: Special Illustrated Edition.

Eet haz piktchers!

I chanced upon a nice review of this illustrated edition recently and I was sold. I don't care what they say, I love the book to bits and having an illustrated version would be fantastic.

3. Bath Gloves.

Scrub-a-dub-dub, abumelt.

Bath gloves are great to use in the shower, makes me feel extremely clean and scrubbed. The ones I currently use are very worn and the ones I bought recently seems to be missing in that dump I call a bedroom.

4. Safety pins.

The answer to peek-a-boobies.

Please don't think I'm kidding? These are very useful things for preventing accidental cleavage views and I always seem to run out of them. Srsly.

5. Tazo Tea, English Breakfast flavor.

Tea is good, tea is healthy, tea is love.
Um, what?

Favorite tea in the world! Well, not the one in the picture, but I couldn't find a good picture of the English Breakfast one. I've been meaning to get me a box, so I can drink tea instead of coffee to wake me up.

6. Pastillas de Leche.

*drools*

The combination of milk and sugar is just too irresistible for my sweet tooth. Also, chewy, home-baked ones are the best kind (and should be the only kind there is).

7. Mouse wrist support.

The picture doesn't look very wholesome, from an angle. But it is, I swear, it is!

I work in front of the PC for more than 8 hours per day, therefore, I use a mouse more than 8 hours in one day, and Carpal Tunnel doesn't sound like fun. So, preventive. Besides, they have a lot of cute, and relatively cheap ones over at the malls. I just always forget to get me some.

8. Mini brush with dustpan.

If someone can find me something this cute,
I'd pay you five times its actual price.

These little dust brushes are very useful for small amounts of dust and dirt. I used to have one, but my baby cousins (who like playing house in my room) seem to have misplaced mine.

~

So there it is. There goes my list. Don't take me too seriously, pzl, I just needed something to write about.

*all pictures were Googled, none of them are mine, credits go to the kind strangers who actually took them.

Nope, I'm not what you think I am.

Time for a new entry. Why? It's the last day of the (not-so) long weekend and I'm not quite ready to think of the workweek up ahead. I thought of finding people to talk to/with, but I decided against it eventually. Instead of chatting with strangers, I figure this is a better way to spend the hour. Yes, spilling my guts out to the vast world of the intarwebz.

Some people seem to think that I'm rolling in money. It annoys me because I know that I'm definitely not rich, I make the same amount of money as anyone from the same age bracket does. It frustrates me, when anyone insists that I am rich, because all factors considered, I probably earn less than your average Joe, because I shifted careers very recently. In other words, I had to start from scratch again and had to take a pay cut (and I still wonder, from time to time, if I did the right thing). So anyway, I asked a few people why they think what they think about me, and here's what I came up with.

Here are the Top 3 Reasons Why People Think I Don't Have Money Problems.

1. Having studied at DLSU.

The school seems to have a reputation of breeding no-good, dumb-ass, and bratty rich kids whose parents can afford to burn money as if it grew on trees. This stereotype isn't quite fair, in my opinon. I have met many sensible, polite, and smart kids who came from this school. They had the best Information Technology curriculum (or at least, one of the better ones) in my time. Also, tuition was high, but my parents bought one of those college assurance plans and all they had to pay for while I was college was my allowance, my school books, and other minor miscellaneous expenses.

2. Using a car to work.

Sure, I use a car, but only because commuting from my house to work is a hassle and is pretty expensive too. I drive a second hand, 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer bought from a family friend at a very good price. It's a pretty nice car, and I have no complaints with it, but it's not mine because I didn't pay for it, my mom did (with money that she worked for), because I don't have that kind of dough on me. I pay for gasoline, toll and parking fees though, which amounts to around p250 per day, or at least p5000 per month, and that's assuming I don't go out on weekends. The maintenance and running expenses eats up a big chunk of my salary too.

3. Travelling to different countries.

Okay, I like experiencing different cultures, eating their food, seeing their traditions, buying their stuff, also getting a break from the monotony of daily life. Travelling is one of those things I'd shell out good, hard-earned money for. I don't necessarily spend beyond my means on these trips, they come few and far in between, and are considered as treats to myself.

Also, I was a bum for half of last year, I dipped so far into my savings that I don't have one anymore. Now I'm trying to pay up my debts little by little and at the same time spend for my daily living expenses, all on a salary just a bit above minimum wage. Just like you and the rest of the world (who isn't Paris Hilton), I have bills that need to be paid and debts that catch up on me.

Oi, it's May.

Today's the first day of May and it being a holiday, I've stayed in my bed far longer than what's usual, it (my bed) hasn't had this much sleep action since I stopped being a bum sometime last year. I actually woke up early because of a phone call (it was a wrong number), got up to prepare my breakfast (by "prepare" I meant, getting the food and arranging them on a plate) and brought it back to bed and ate it there.. here, I mean. Yep, I'm still horizontal while writing this post.

I wanted to sleep some more but apparently, there's only so much sleep time one's body can take, and I've reached the limit. So, here I am, cluttering up my journal for lack of better things to do in bed. I don't have anything important to say, really, but I'm in bed and my brain is refusing to tell its bodily functions to.. um.. function.

Yea, I get easily distracted, YM is keeping me distracted for the meantime. So let me end this bleh post with a general wish that this holiday will turn out to be a good one for all of us. *salutes*

Characters you meet while waiting in a queue.

Recently, I spent my lunch hour (and more) waiting in line to file my income tax return. In a diverse set of people where the tension was rising because of the heat, the long wait, the money to be given up, and just the general inconvenience, characters are sure to be present. They make things interesting, and they give people something to think and talk about. With this particular set, I met some highly amusing ones and I'd like to share them with you.

Interesting character #1: Mrs. Middle-aged Mommy
Wide hips, maroon lipstick, big handbag, strong vocal chords.

The first one who caught my attention, she sat 3 heads before me. When someone complained, "Bakit ang bagal naman gumalaw ng pilang 'to." ("Why is this line moving so slowly?"), she said, to the crowd, in her booming, musical voice: "Nasa Pilipinas kasi tayo! Lahat dito mabagal! Ang Pilipinas talaga mabagal!" ("We're in the Philippines! Everything is slow in this country!"), illiciting uneasy laughter from the entire room.

Interesting character #2: Ms. I Am Loud And Proud
Big woman, sans makeup, street-smart attitude, rude, and crass.

She had a loud, tinny voice, you can't help but notice her making complaints and comments about everything. When someone cut in line, she shouted brashly: "Ano ba naman yan. Hindi naman pumila 'tong babaeng 'to. Kahiya-hiya, bigla nalang sumingit, ang kapal ng mukha. Kami lahat dito, pumila ng maayos, tapos siya, sisingit lang? Bakit naman ganon, guard? Ang kapal." ("What the hell! This woman right here wasn't in line earlier?! She just cut in! She should be ashamed of herself! All of us here waited for our turn and she thinks she can just cut in line? Guard, do something about it!"). Everyone just shifted nervously.

Interesting character #3: Mr. I Am Awesome
Douchebag-y type, confident pose, in polo and slacks, smart-looking folder in hand.

Asked this dude to hold my place in line because I needed to clarify something from the other room. He obliged, nicely, in fact. He was nice enough until he tried to start a conversation. He asked me what company I worked for, what I did for a living, where my office was exactly. I kept giving him vague answers because I am wary of strangers and I had just watched Taken. He kept trying to be helpful and make casual conversation until I started talking to the mommy-types.

Interesting character #4: Mr. I Love My Momma
Slouching, In a baseball cap, tshirt, jeans and rubbershoes.

His mother saved his place in line, right before me. When we got settled in inside, his mother went, "O sige ha, iwan ko na anak ko sa inyo." ("Okay, I'm going to leave him here with you now."). He was quiet and reserved, kept to himself, broke into small smiles when something was funny. Only talked when directly talked to, also, moved in line precisely, quickly, fluidly, his papers arranged in a neat, orderly stack (prepared by mommy).

Interesting character #5: Mr. Friendly Guard
Strongly built, thick brows, easy and open smile, fatherly type.

He was passing by and I was casually telling the mother next to me that I've been waiting for a few hours now and was thirsty from the heat. With an open smile, he offered to get me a bottle of water from the nearby stall (so I wouldn't have to leave my place in line). I gave him my thanks and he was friendly all througout my stay, said goodbye and some other niceties like, "Natapos din, ano?" ("Good, you're finally done with it.") as I was leaving.

Interesting character #6: Mr. Tired But Still Working Guard
Strongly built, thick brows, tired but smart eyes, fatherly type.

He was guarding the line outside (where it was extremely warm). He had a wry smile on his face because people kept trying to cut their way in. He answered the questions as best he could, tried to be helpful but he was firm. He moved languidly, through the motions, and was indifferent to the complaining taxpayers. He was nice, friendly, steady and solid. From the look of it, he was just tired from the daily grind, because he smiled and waved me goodbye as I left.

All of them were very interesting, but I am particularly thankful to Mr. Friendly Guard, who kindly, willingly and cheerfully bought me a cold bottle of water but whose name I didn't get to ask. Without him, I would've been a lot crabbier and a little less amused.

There's pork in the barrel.

It's tax season once again and in all my years as a taxpaying citizen of this country (meaning, 3 long years), I've never had to compute for my own tax. I always just let the company accountants do their jobs. I mean, that's what they're there for, right? These accountants, they slaved away their college years as students learning to do that shiz. Their parents spent their hard-earned money for these kids to know how to add up the numbers. Companies pay these people good money so they do their maths right. So I figure, I might as well let them do their thing.

Besides, I do math like Peter does it.

I wish I was kidding.

This year, because I had two employers for 2008, I had to file my own Income Tax Return (ITR) to consolidate the taxes withheld from both companies.
Because both these companies computed for my taxes separately, and deducted exemptions for the year separately, there was a discrepancy in the total amount that I had to pay the government. And because yesterday was the last day for filing ITRs, I had to pay the remaining amount in full on that day, leaving me a whole lot poorer and a whole lot unhappier. Burned a whole in my already burnt pocket, that one did. So yea, it'll be water for dinner for the next half a year or so. On the upside, I'll probably lose the extra pounds I've been wanting to lose.

Anyway, I prepared all the forms in the morning, and decided to give up my lunch break to file the papers and expected to be back a couple of hours in. But crawling through Makati lunch hour traffic and looking for parking near the BIR building took me about an hour and a half already. Waiting in line with all the last minute filers took longer and it was extremely agitating for everyone. It was a sweltering day, and strangers were in close quarters, all sweaty and antsy, having been required by the law to pay their hard earned money to the country. Tension was understandable and expected. While waiting in line, I met quite a few interesting people. The stereotypes amused me, so that's what my next blog entry will be about.

The trip took a good four hours of my day, longer than planned. I was tired and sweaty (and late for work) after it, but it was a pretty good experience, all in all. Now I don't have to depend solely on the accountants to do my taxes for me next year. I now know to compute how much pork to put in the barrel.

Spooning doesn't always have to be green.

Holy smokes, I haven't posted in days, damn it. I was doing well too, I had more than one entry in a month. And for someone who posted just fifteen entries for an entire year, that's saying something. But yea, last week, deadlines zoomed by, my bedroom got taken over by cousins on a vacation, and things have been mighty busy and chaotic.

At times like this, when your world is topsy-turvy and you feel like you've stepped out of your comfort zone, outside that security blanket; there's nothing cozier than to be on the receiving end of a warm bear hug. Skin-on-skin interaction has that calming, therapeutic effect on me, it seems.
There's something about someone touching me (n-no, not in that way) that makes me feel reassured, wanted, and cared for. And, that's how it works for most people, imo.

In fact, even science claims it to be true, by stating that touching triggers the release of brain endorphins. And endorphins, as we all know, is that substance that the brain releases to produce a general feeling of peace and contentment, albeit temporary. In geekier terms, "Endorphins are small neuropeptides that are produced by the body and act to reduce pain—hence, the name endorphin (shortened version of endogenous morphine)." -Chemistry Encyclopedia

Different kinds of touching, cuddling, snuggling produces that substance in our brain and creates for us a happy little bubble. And on today's Google search for "hugs", a Wikipedia result turned up, defining spooning as a "cuddling position, a kind of hugging when both the hugger and the hugged face the same direction." So no, spooning doesn't always have to be taken in that other context.