Still running resumes through our parsing tool today. I’m almost half-way through my pile. I apparently have approximately 2400+ resumes in my pile. I am drawing tiny little butterflies and trees and flowers in a piece of paper while making sure the resumes are going in properly and that I am noting down the ones that don’t go through.
Very boring but I’m not complaining too much because I’d really rather be doing this than training all day. This is a nice little break. I can even catch up with my posts while parsing. I just wish the emails and phone calls from clients would stop too.
For anyone who’s ever bought a pair of shorts, don’t you find them to be expensive? They cost almost just as much as a pair of jeans and a pair of shorts is probably less then half the amount of cloth they use for those pair of jeans. It’s an absolute rip-off! You’re almost better off cutting a pair of old jeans and making shorts out of them. I was so surprised at how much they cost! If I knew how to sew, I think I would try to make my own pair. Sheesh.
Deacon Joe attended mass yesterday. He’s a brother who was with our parish for the entire year last year and he’s a deacon now who is about to be ordained into the priesthood in a month or so. I’m going to say it and I know it sounds so wrong but he’s such a good-looking guy with a really great personality. I like his talks because he’s so funny and just so down-to-earth and I can really relate to what he’s saying. He’s so involved with the community and I often see him after mass talking to kids and the elderly. I have a tiny, teeny crush on him which my mom is very aware of and she constantly teases me when he’s present at mass. She keeps saying, “at least you lost him to God…” Hahahahaha. I have a tiny crush on him mom, that doesn’t mean I’m head over heels in-love with him. I can just appreciate the guy that’s all.
Anyhow, back to work I must go.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Snow... Lots of it.
I keep posting about the snow storms we've been getting this winter season and I thought I should post the pictures I took during some of them.
Facebook Updated.
9 degrees today! Woohoo!
It’s cloudy and it’s raining all day but at least it’s warm-ER. Yesterday was the first time this season that I was able to wear a light jacket outside and it was great!
I have been updating my Facebook recently and found a few relatives’ pages. I had gone to my aunt’s Facebook page and found links to other family members. I was surprised to find out I have family in Winnipeg, Manitoba. So weird! I’ve never met them before (I think) and when I added them, I wasn’t really sure they were indeed family. I figured since they were in my aunt’s friends list and they had the same last name as me, we must be related in some way. Turns out they’re my second cousins who I didn’t even know existed. My dad… tsk tsk… he should really tell me more… oh I don’t know… maybe like let’s say family members in other places!
Anyway, it’s really interesting to meet all these new people even if it’s just online. Ahh Facebook… helping families discover each other… hahaha. Seriously, I would love to meet all my second and third cousins. It’s been so long since we’ve had a really big family reunion and I think it’s about time we had one. I mean, relatives not knowing or meeting each other since birth tells you something. Apparently, there are talks about a big family reunion sometime in the next few years in the Philippines but if it ever pushes through it will certainly be one expensive trip home.
My lola (grandma) on my mom’s side is turning 90 yrs old and we’re also having a big birthday bash for her which I’m really excited about. I’m finally going to see my cousins and nieces and nephews! Yay!
I have been doing my best to update all of my online pages – Blogger, Multiply, Friendster, Facebook, etc… I’ve dropped the ball on my Wordpress, Myspace and Eskwela and Ringo. There’s just way too many pages to maintain regularly!
It’s cloudy and it’s raining all day but at least it’s warm-ER. Yesterday was the first time this season that I was able to wear a light jacket outside and it was great!
I have been updating my Facebook recently and found a few relatives’ pages. I had gone to my aunt’s Facebook page and found links to other family members. I was surprised to find out I have family in Winnipeg, Manitoba. So weird! I’ve never met them before (I think) and when I added them, I wasn’t really sure they were indeed family. I figured since they were in my aunt’s friends list and they had the same last name as me, we must be related in some way. Turns out they’re my second cousins who I didn’t even know existed. My dad… tsk tsk… he should really tell me more… oh I don’t know… maybe like let’s say family members in other places!
Anyway, it’s really interesting to meet all these new people even if it’s just online. Ahh Facebook… helping families discover each other… hahaha. Seriously, I would love to meet all my second and third cousins. It’s been so long since we’ve had a really big family reunion and I think it’s about time we had one. I mean, relatives not knowing or meeting each other since birth tells you something. Apparently, there are talks about a big family reunion sometime in the next few years in the Philippines but if it ever pushes through it will certainly be one expensive trip home.
My lola (grandma) on my mom’s side is turning 90 yrs old and we’re also having a big birthday bash for her which I’m really excited about. I’m finally going to see my cousins and nieces and nephews! Yay!
I have been doing my best to update all of my online pages – Blogger, Multiply, Friendster, Facebook, etc… I’ve dropped the ball on my Wordpress, Myspace and Eskwela and Ringo. There’s just way too many pages to maintain regularly!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sushi = Yum.
There is a sushi place along Bloor Street West called Momiji Sushi and it's REALLY GOOD. I accidentally discovered them when one day I was in the mood for fish and chips and the fish and chips place was closed and it was a choice between Swiss Chalet and Sushi. I wasn't particularly in the mood for Swiss Chalet so I decided to go for sushi. In the past, whenever Steve and I would go to Swiss Chalet for take out, we would pass the sushi place on our way to the parking lot and we'd often remark on how many people were going in and out of the restaurant.
Anyhow, it doesn't look much on the outside but it's really quite nice inside. We haven't really sat down and eaten in the restaurant since we often just take food out and eat at home but one day we will sit and eat inside. It's got a great ambiance.. very clean and warm and the service is great. Steve often comments on how their food looks like a work of art. It really looks like they spend a lot of time in preparing their food.
I always order rolls and tempura and they're the best among all the sushi places I've been to in Canada so far. A bit pricey I have to say but it's worth the money. I was looking for a link to the place but couldn't find one. I wanted to post it here so you guys could check it out. Too bad I couldn't find their website... I don't even know if they have one. But yeah, sushi lovers out there, be sure to check them out if your ever in town.
Anyhow, it doesn't look much on the outside but it's really quite nice inside. We haven't really sat down and eaten in the restaurant since we often just take food out and eat at home but one day we will sit and eat inside. It's got a great ambiance.. very clean and warm and the service is great. Steve often comments on how their food looks like a work of art. It really looks like they spend a lot of time in preparing their food.
I always order rolls and tempura and they're the best among all the sushi places I've been to in Canada so far. A bit pricey I have to say but it's worth the money. I was looking for a link to the place but couldn't find one. I wanted to post it here so you guys could check it out. Too bad I couldn't find their website... I don't even know if they have one. But yeah, sushi lovers out there, be sure to check them out if your ever in town.
Earth Hour
Last night at promptly 8:00 pm EST, we turned off all our lights at home in participation with Earth Hour.
We had all our lights off until 9:00 pm and ate dinner by candle light. It was reminiscent of those "brown out" days during Ramos' time in the Philippines. JR commented that whenever he turned the tap on, he was conscious of how much water he was using because in his mind, no light meant no electricity which in turn meant no water. In the Philippines, we had a water pump at the back of the house which ran with electricity and when there was no electricity, it meant no water for us so we were very careful of how much water was running in the house.
Nelly Furtado, being named as the Canadian ambassador for Earth Hour, performed for free at Nathan Phillips Square last night and I had forgotten all about it. My parents and I were already downtown and had I remembered she was performing, I would have passed by to get a glimpse. I wouldn't have stayed for the entire show though because it was cold outside and I'm not a big fan of being outside when it's below 0 degrees.
My dad and I were watching the Earth Hour coverage on TV and we were kinda disappointed that some of the buildings downtown still had their lights on. I would have loved to see the entire city pitch black for the first time. But they mentioned on TV that some of those establishments/buildings were built during the 50s and some lights don't have separate switches and that turning the main switch off would've turned everything off and some people needed light for business so they couldn't completely turn everything off. Whatever. I would've still preferred it if everyone joined in. What's 1 hour without light?
Anyway, I think everyone should be more conscious of how we are affecting our environment. It's sad that people are only doing something about it now when they should have been taking steps a long time ago. Better late than never I guess?
We had all our lights off until 9:00 pm and ate dinner by candle light. It was reminiscent of those "brown out" days during Ramos' time in the Philippines. JR commented that whenever he turned the tap on, he was conscious of how much water he was using because in his mind, no light meant no electricity which in turn meant no water. In the Philippines, we had a water pump at the back of the house which ran with electricity and when there was no electricity, it meant no water for us so we were very careful of how much water was running in the house.
Nelly Furtado, being named as the Canadian ambassador for Earth Hour, performed for free at Nathan Phillips Square last night and I had forgotten all about it. My parents and I were already downtown and had I remembered she was performing, I would have passed by to get a glimpse. I wouldn't have stayed for the entire show though because it was cold outside and I'm not a big fan of being outside when it's below 0 degrees.
My dad and I were watching the Earth Hour coverage on TV and we were kinda disappointed that some of the buildings downtown still had their lights on. I would have loved to see the entire city pitch black for the first time. But they mentioned on TV that some of those establishments/buildings were built during the 50s and some lights don't have separate switches and that turning the main switch off would've turned everything off and some people needed light for business so they couldn't completely turn everything off. Whatever. I would've still preferred it if everyone joined in. What's 1 hour without light?
Anyway, I think everyone should be more conscious of how we are affecting our environment. It's sad that people are only doing something about it now when they should have been taking steps a long time ago. Better late than never I guess?
Friday, March 28, 2008
Not Fun.
We have this client who sent us more than 10,000 resumes which we then have to parse into their database. Normally, this is something that is done through a service we offer called Data Conversion but since the client is cheap and doesn’t want to pay for it, we offered to parse the resumes for them for a smaller fee.
One of our developers could have written a code that could do the resume parsing on its own but it would take our developer an estimated 3 days to write it and unfortunately it’s 3 days we can’t afford since we have a lot of deadlines for other clients and we need to have all resumes fully uploaded by next week in preparation for their training session.
So we are forced to parse them in ourselves in batches using our resume parsing tool but just to be on the safe side, we are parsing them 15 at a time per person and there’s about 4-5 of us doing it at the same time. Since some resumes aren’t in the proper format and some of them are corrupted, we have to keep track of the resumes that don’t parse in so that we can inform the client of it.
I had training from 9:30 this morning until 3 pm and now I’m just spending the remainder of my workday going through the resume list. The amount of resumes is no joke. It’s taking a long time to go through the list and having to watch it while it runs just so I can note down anything that fails is kinda boring. It’s an easy task in a sense that I pretty much just have to sit and watch it go and note down anything that fails but it’s making me drowsy.
I’ve had to do so many different things for this job including tasks that aren’t really part of my job description or tasks that aren’t my responsibility. It’s freakin’ ridiculous but I seem to get into these situations where I find myself just agreeing to do it even if I don’t necessarily want to. I don’t mind doing favors and going out of my way to help especially if it’s going to benefit everyone but sometimes the favors are just really annoying. It’s also my fault because I have a hard time saying no and being firm about it.
I’m barely making progress on my list of resumes. This is going to be fun.
One of our developers could have written a code that could do the resume parsing on its own but it would take our developer an estimated 3 days to write it and unfortunately it’s 3 days we can’t afford since we have a lot of deadlines for other clients and we need to have all resumes fully uploaded by next week in preparation for their training session.
So we are forced to parse them in ourselves in batches using our resume parsing tool but just to be on the safe side, we are parsing them 15 at a time per person and there’s about 4-5 of us doing it at the same time. Since some resumes aren’t in the proper format and some of them are corrupted, we have to keep track of the resumes that don’t parse in so that we can inform the client of it.
I had training from 9:30 this morning until 3 pm and now I’m just spending the remainder of my workday going through the resume list. The amount of resumes is no joke. It’s taking a long time to go through the list and having to watch it while it runs just so I can note down anything that fails is kinda boring. It’s an easy task in a sense that I pretty much just have to sit and watch it go and note down anything that fails but it’s making me drowsy.
I’ve had to do so many different things for this job including tasks that aren’t really part of my job description or tasks that aren’t my responsibility. It’s freakin’ ridiculous but I seem to get into these situations where I find myself just agreeing to do it even if I don’t necessarily want to. I don’t mind doing favors and going out of my way to help especially if it’s going to benefit everyone but sometimes the favors are just really annoying. It’s also my fault because I have a hard time saying no and being firm about it.
I’m barely making progress on my list of resumes. This is going to be fun.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
A Break Please?
While training a client this morning…
Me: Okay, so that’s everything in the Job Match drop down menu…now before I proceed to the next topic would anyone like to take a short, 15-min break here?
Client A: Uhm… no, I think I’m fine.
Client B: Same here, I think we’re fine.
Me: So I guess we’ll just push forward then and maybe just break at noon for lunch?
Client A: Yes, I think we’ll just break at lunch since we’re good for now.
Me (thinking): Crap, I was kinda hoping you’d need a 15-min break... now I have to talk till noon and my throat’s already killing me! Sh*t!
Me: Okay, so that’s everything in the Job Match drop down menu…now before I proceed to the next topic would anyone like to take a short, 15-min break here?
Client A: Uhm… no, I think I’m fine.
Client B: Same here, I think we’re fine.
Me: So I guess we’ll just push forward then and maybe just break at noon for lunch?
Client A: Yes, I think we’ll just break at lunch since we’re good for now.
Me (thinking): Crap, I was kinda hoping you’d need a 15-min break... now I have to talk till noon and my throat’s already killing me! Sh*t!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Stupid Virus.
Crap! I think I have an MSN virus. A friend had sent me a link on msn and stupid me clicked on it because I thought she was sharing pictures of her new baby boy. Yun pala it was a darn virus. Steve has it on his machine too and he has stopped using his messenger at work but I need mine! I use it to communicate with my boss in LA and it’s primarily how I keep in touch with my friends in the Philippines and other places.
I asked the Tech Manager if he knows how to remove it and he said no. Apparently it’s one of those things that are difficult to detect and clean. So now I am running my McAfee to scan my machine and I’m hoping it will be able to find and delete it. If it doesn’t, I might be forced to re-format my machine… and I just got this machine too! All my freakin’ files are here. Kainis talaga.
I hate having to re-format and re-install programs and files pa naman. Nakakainis!
I asked the Tech Manager if he knows how to remove it and he said no. Apparently it’s one of those things that are difficult to detect and clean. So now I am running my McAfee to scan my machine and I’m hoping it will be able to find and delete it. If it doesn’t, I might be forced to re-format my machine… and I just got this machine too! All my freakin’ files are here. Kainis talaga.
I hate having to re-format and re-install programs and files pa naman. Nakakainis!
Discussions.
The other day while we were all sitting in Steve’s office having coffee, we were discussing the story in the news about a guy who got caught on camera taking out a hand gun and shooting several people. It wasn’t as if it happened late at night… I think it might have actually taken place early in the evening. It truly is sad to hear people getting shot, stabbed, mugged and abused in the news on such a regular basis. It almost feels as if our headlines revolve on people getting hurt or killed. It’s all we hear nowadays. It really is depressing that the world we live in has become such an unsafe place and that people have started to become desensitized to crime. Since when is taking the life of another human being an acceptable and automatic solution to a disagreement between individuals? Ganun na lang ba? If you do something I don’t like, do I just take a gun a shoot you and get it over with? Where did the morals of our society go?
At work one morning, while sipping our coffees and eating our bagels, we started talking about people begging for money on the streets. How there’s always a guy begging for money so he can go home or go to a certain place, a guy begging for money for food and another begging for money for medicine or milk or diapers for a baby. I’m sure most of you if not all, have given money at some point. I know I have. The sad thing is, I’m not always so sure they are spending/using the money for the right reasons. The guy who claims he needs money to buy a bus ticket home is still there… in that same spot in the mall entrance, still begging for money to go home several years after I’ve given him some money. I don’t know what to think… was he lying about needing the money to go home and I was just an idiot who fell for it? Did something else happen and he ended up using the money for that? In all these years that have gone by, does he still not have enough money to buy that bus ticket home?
A co-worker was telling me that he once gave some change to a guy who cleaned his windshield on the highway and the guy ended up throwing the change back at him. I guess he wanted more… but for someone who is needy, you’d think he’d at least be appreciative. I’ve also heard about a woman carrying her baby and asking for money outside the grocery store saying she needed to buy milk or diapers for her baby. But when she was given the diapers/milk, she asked if she could have the receipt as well. What for? One can’t help but think that she will prolly go into the store, return the items and get the money back. If she needed the said items for the baby, why then does she need to return them for the money?
I like giving alms but it’s discouraging when you encounter people who take advantage of you. Tinutulungan na nga, nangaabuso pa. Nakakainis diba? I’m not saying all of them are just out to get you. I think that there are those who really are needy and will put the money you give them to good use. I feel bad because those that abuse the goodness of others ruin it for those who are genuinely in need. Now people are more wary and hesitant in helping. People are less inclined to be compassionate because every one is worried they will be taken advantage of in one way or another.
At the same time I also can’t help but think that maybe those that take advantage and who lie feel compelled to do so because maybe even when they ask nicely, people are just so uncompassionate and maybe they feel the need to come up with ways to get people to give.
I just wish people would strive to be better persons.
-----------------------------
At work one morning, while sipping our coffees and eating our bagels, we started talking about people begging for money on the streets. How there’s always a guy begging for money so he can go home or go to a certain place, a guy begging for money for food and another begging for money for medicine or milk or diapers for a baby. I’m sure most of you if not all, have given money at some point. I know I have. The sad thing is, I’m not always so sure they are spending/using the money for the right reasons. The guy who claims he needs money to buy a bus ticket home is still there… in that same spot in the mall entrance, still begging for money to go home several years after I’ve given him some money. I don’t know what to think… was he lying about needing the money to go home and I was just an idiot who fell for it? Did something else happen and he ended up using the money for that? In all these years that have gone by, does he still not have enough money to buy that bus ticket home?
A co-worker was telling me that he once gave some change to a guy who cleaned his windshield on the highway and the guy ended up throwing the change back at him. I guess he wanted more… but for someone who is needy, you’d think he’d at least be appreciative. I’ve also heard about a woman carrying her baby and asking for money outside the grocery store saying she needed to buy milk or diapers for her baby. But when she was given the diapers/milk, she asked if she could have the receipt as well. What for? One can’t help but think that she will prolly go into the store, return the items and get the money back. If she needed the said items for the baby, why then does she need to return them for the money?
I like giving alms but it’s discouraging when you encounter people who take advantage of you. Tinutulungan na nga, nangaabuso pa. Nakakainis diba? I’m not saying all of them are just out to get you. I think that there are those who really are needy and will put the money you give them to good use. I feel bad because those that abuse the goodness of others ruin it for those who are genuinely in need. Now people are more wary and hesitant in helping. People are less inclined to be compassionate because every one is worried they will be taken advantage of in one way or another.
At the same time I also can’t help but think that maybe those that take advantage and who lie feel compelled to do so because maybe even when they ask nicely, people are just so uncompassionate and maybe they feel the need to come up with ways to get people to give.
I just wish people would strive to be better persons.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A Bad Case of Wiki.
You know you’ve either done something really great or something really awful when you find an entire page about you on Wikipedia.
Our CEO happens to be mentioned in a page about a person he was involved with in the past. And he is not mentioned in a “he-did-something-really-great” kind of way. He’s painted as more of a “he-did-something-really-bad-and-got-away-with-it”. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read the article. The article sounds biased but the things they mentioned are quite true (at least based on what I have heard from those who know him better) although I don’t know how much of it is accurate. He didn’t murder anyone (in case you were wondering)…
Sometimes I look at him and I wonder if he regrets any of it. I wonder because he got a lot of money out of it… but at the same time, his reputation is tarnished. Everyone knows what he’s done and some companies outside of North America hesitate to do business with him because they are aware of his past. I would mention his name here but so many people Google him and I don’t want my blog coming up in the results page. Yikes.
I wonder if he would do it still if he ever had the chance to go back to the past.
Our CEO happens to be mentioned in a page about a person he was involved with in the past. And he is not mentioned in a “he-did-something-really-great” kind of way. He’s painted as more of a “he-did-something-really-bad-and-got-away-with-it”. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read the article. The article sounds biased but the things they mentioned are quite true (at least based on what I have heard from those who know him better) although I don’t know how much of it is accurate. He didn’t murder anyone (in case you were wondering)…
Sometimes I look at him and I wonder if he regrets any of it. I wonder because he got a lot of money out of it… but at the same time, his reputation is tarnished. Everyone knows what he’s done and some companies outside of North America hesitate to do business with him because they are aware of his past. I would mention his name here but so many people Google him and I don’t want my blog coming up in the results page. Yikes.
I wonder if he would do it still if he ever had the chance to go back to the past.
All Things Chocolate-y.
I feel like I am drowning in chocolate. With Easter weekend coming, there have been chocolate eggs and all things chocolate-y everywhere. I like chocolate (who doesn’t?) but I like it in small doses. I can’t stand having too much in one sitting or else I’ll feel sick after. For example, I will have a piece of a chocolate bar but I cannot finish the whole thing. I can’t even finish half of it. It’s just way too sweet for me.
Today I had 3 pieces of those Cadbury mini eggs and a chocolate chip cookie. I didn’t feel too good after. I think it’s too much in one day. My teeth are beginning to hurt but it could also be imaginary pain. Maybe I am feeling a bit of tooth ache because I am well aware of how much sweets I had today and also aware of the fact that it is not good for me.
Anyhow, I still have 2 pieces of Hershey chocolates on my desk in bright blue and pink foils and I glance at it every 5 minutes or so, contemplating on whether I should eat them or not. I am dissuading myself by concentrating on work and eating gum. But those bright colorful foils are so eye-catching. Dang.
Today I had 3 pieces of those Cadbury mini eggs and a chocolate chip cookie. I didn’t feel too good after. I think it’s too much in one day. My teeth are beginning to hurt but it could also be imaginary pain. Maybe I am feeling a bit of tooth ache because I am well aware of how much sweets I had today and also aware of the fact that it is not good for me.
Anyhow, I still have 2 pieces of Hershey chocolates on my desk in bright blue and pink foils and I glance at it every 5 minutes or so, contemplating on whether I should eat them or not. I am dissuading myself by concentrating on work and eating gum. But those bright colorful foils are so eye-catching. Dang.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Heroes on DVD.
JR found a website containing all episodes of Heroes in HD quality which he then downloaded and burned into a DVD. I was able to follow some episodes on TV but had missed most of them so it was good that he was able to find them online. That way we can just watch them whenever we want without having to rent them. A big plus was that it was in HD.
We had already seen episodes 1-3 so we started with episode 4 last night. That darn show is just way too addictive. We ended up watching 3 episodes last night and it screwed up my plans of going to bed early. We finally decided to turn it off at around 12:30 am.
I know how the season ends because I was able to see the last episode. I just need to see the episodes in between because I missed a lot of crucial information like who is Nightmare Man and why Kensei ended up being so mean and how Peter came back to New York and why Suresh ended up working for The Company when he’s supposed to be in alliance with Matt. Despite the fact that I know how the season began and how it ended, it all is still very entertaining to watch.
The last episode we saw last night ended with Peter and Caitlyn being transported into the future and Hiro being betrayed by Kensei. I can’t wait to see the next episode!
We had already seen episodes 1-3 so we started with episode 4 last night. That darn show is just way too addictive. We ended up watching 3 episodes last night and it screwed up my plans of going to bed early. We finally decided to turn it off at around 12:30 am.
I know how the season ends because I was able to see the last episode. I just need to see the episodes in between because I missed a lot of crucial information like who is Nightmare Man and why Kensei ended up being so mean and how Peter came back to New York and why Suresh ended up working for The Company when he’s supposed to be in alliance with Matt. Despite the fact that I know how the season began and how it ended, it all is still very entertaining to watch.
The last episode we saw last night ended with Peter and Caitlyn being transported into the future and Hiro being betrayed by Kensei. I can’t wait to see the next episode!
Manila Ocean Park.
I just found out that there is now a Manila Ocean Park in the Philippines! Whoa! I didn’t even know they were building one. When did all this happen? It seems as if I have been living under a rock all this time. It never fails to amaze me how so much can happen in the 3-4 years since I left the country… I am blown away.
It seems to have just opened recently and I found a bit of info and some pictures of it here.
It looks pretty cool and I would love to go one day. The prices on the site above said the admission fee is 400php for adults and 350php for kids. It seems expensive in my opinion but the prices of commodities have risen since I left the Philippines and maybe 400php is not that much money anymore. Plus, I don’t really know what you get with it and how big the place is and maybe 400php is reasonable for what you get. Nonetheless, it all seems very interesting and worth seeing. It would certainly be a good place for a school field trip although again, I do not know if 400php is all that affordable. I am definitely adding this to my list of places to visit one day.
In the website, it also mentioned that…
I have always wanted to visit an Ocean Park of some sort. I have yet to experience walking in a water/aquarium tunnel with marine life swimming all around me. It is what attracts me the most. Marine life is just so interesting and beautiful. Have you seen those Planet Earth documentaries featuring marine life? They are, without question, among the most intriguing and beautiful creatures on our planet. I love watching those documentaries. Who knew that in Indonesia, they have land snakes that go to the sea to feed on fishes? Not only that, but they actually work with other fishes to trap those little ones in one place where both species can feed. They look so pretty and scary at the same time. I cannot imagine myself being in the water at the same time as those snakes. There were hundreds of them! And they are quite poisonous too. I always ask myself how they’re caught on film…
I really hope to be able to visit the Manila Ocean Park one day with the entire family. It would be an awesome experience I think.
It seems to have just opened recently and I found a bit of info and some pictures of it here.
It looks pretty cool and I would love to go one day. The prices on the site above said the admission fee is 400php for adults and 350php for kids. It seems expensive in my opinion but the prices of commodities have risen since I left the Philippines and maybe 400php is not that much money anymore. Plus, I don’t really know what you get with it and how big the place is and maybe 400php is reasonable for what you get. Nonetheless, it all seems very interesting and worth seeing. It would certainly be a good place for a school field trip although again, I do not know if 400php is all that affordable. I am definitely adding this to my list of places to visit one day.
In the website, it also mentioned that…
…The Oceanarium Journey is divided into six sections and each section carries a Filipino name: "Agos", "Bahura", "Buhay na Karagatan", "Pating", "Ang Kailaliman", and "Laot"…Just out of curiosity, what does “Bahura” mean? I have never heard of that word before. Yes, believe it or not, there are a lot of Filipino words I am not familiar with although I was born and raised in the Philippines.
I have always wanted to visit an Ocean Park of some sort. I have yet to experience walking in a water/aquarium tunnel with marine life swimming all around me. It is what attracts me the most. Marine life is just so interesting and beautiful. Have you seen those Planet Earth documentaries featuring marine life? They are, without question, among the most intriguing and beautiful creatures on our planet. I love watching those documentaries. Who knew that in Indonesia, they have land snakes that go to the sea to feed on fishes? Not only that, but they actually work with other fishes to trap those little ones in one place where both species can feed. They look so pretty and scary at the same time. I cannot imagine myself being in the water at the same time as those snakes. There were hundreds of them! And they are quite poisonous too. I always ask myself how they’re caught on film…
I really hope to be able to visit the Manila Ocean Park one day with the entire family. It would be an awesome experience I think.
Close To You
Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Just like me (Just like me)
They long to be
Close to you.
Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Hahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Lahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
I was listening to my iPod while doing some QA today and this song came on. I didn’t even know I had it in there.
I love the Carpenters. Don’t ask me why… I just do. My dad loves listening to music and when I was little, he would put the Carpenters’ CD on and I would grab the CD insert and sing along. The CD insert had the lyrics so I would often just follow it. I remember my parents even bought me this tiny little microphone which I could plug onto our stereo and I would pretend I was some famous singer and the coffee table in our living room was my stage. I think at one point I believed my mom named me after Karen Carpenter although she said she actually got my name from a character in a soap opera she used to watch.
I love their songs because they’re so soothing and so easy to follow. I remember singing to “Sing a Song” over and over again. Every time the song ended, I would ask my dad to play it again for me. I honestly don’t know how my parents tolerated my singing especially if it’s the same song on repeat. Maybe my parents thought it was adorable? I could only guess.
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Just like me (Just like me)
They long to be
Close to you.
Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Hahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Lahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
- Close To You
The Carpenters
I was listening to my iPod while doing some QA today and this song came on. I didn’t even know I had it in there.
I love the Carpenters. Don’t ask me why… I just do. My dad loves listening to music and when I was little, he would put the Carpenters’ CD on and I would grab the CD insert and sing along. The CD insert had the lyrics so I would often just follow it. I remember my parents even bought me this tiny little microphone which I could plug onto our stereo and I would pretend I was some famous singer and the coffee table in our living room was my stage. I think at one point I believed my mom named me after Karen Carpenter although she said she actually got my name from a character in a soap opera she used to watch.
I love their songs because they’re so soothing and so easy to follow. I remember singing to “Sing a Song” over and over again. Every time the song ended, I would ask my dad to play it again for me. I honestly don’t know how my parents tolerated my singing especially if it’s the same song on repeat. Maybe my parents thought it was adorable? I could only guess.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Screwed.
Sh*t…
The report I had been building for a client, which took me forever to create had just encountered an error and I think it’s gone… completely gone!
I can feel a nasty headache beginning to form.
I hope I can salvage some part of it. I would absolutely hate to create it all over again from scratch. It took me so long to just add the fields I need and then have to specify criteria and after all that work, have it crash on me. Craptastic.
Pardon me folks, I just need to vent. This day is already starting to be a big pain in the ass.
The report I had been building for a client, which took me forever to create had just encountered an error and I think it’s gone… completely gone!
I can feel a nasty headache beginning to form.
I hope I can salvage some part of it. I would absolutely hate to create it all over again from scratch. It took me so long to just add the fields I need and then have to specify criteria and after all that work, have it crash on me. Craptastic.
Pardon me folks, I just need to vent. This day is already starting to be a big pain in the ass.
Monday, March 17, 2008
I shouldn't have.
I am very, very, very tired.
Do you sometimes find yourself offering to help someone and then end up regretting it right after the words come out of your mouth? I did that today. In fact, I did that so many, many times today.
I had a classroom training session today. The type where clients come to our office and sit in our classroom and listen to me talk all day. I knew it would be a little challenging since they've had so much turn over in the past and their database is a mess. Because I do not have a choice and training is my primary responsibility, I had to do it.
It wasn't easy but it was not as bad as I had expected. The trainees were actually quite smart and most of them were actually quite nice. But during the entire training session, I couldn't stop myself from offering suggestions on how they might want to customize the database this way and that way and what they should be doing and offering to help them make the necessary changes and on and on and on I went until I had pretty much offered them the world and all the stars in the sky. It was horrible. I could have saved myself the trouble and let them figure it out for themselves. But nooooo! I just had to open my mouth, offer time that I do not have on my calendar and I offered them all the help I could possibly give. By the time I realized what I had gotten myself into, it was already too late. I have already talked the client into the possibility of re-implementation, more training and several conference calls to meet with their managers.
I like helping people. I like being able to assist them in any way I can. I like listening to their problems and being able to offer solutions. But all this extra work I bring myself into can be stressful and exhausting. I should know better... that I cannot please everyone and that I cannot be expected to do everything. But at the same time, how can I not offer to make someone else's life a little easier even when it's a simple database customization or a shortcut to getting something done or what-have-you?
Ayayayayayayay... the things I sometimes do.
Do you sometimes find yourself offering to help someone and then end up regretting it right after the words come out of your mouth? I did that today. In fact, I did that so many, many times today.
I had a classroom training session today. The type where clients come to our office and sit in our classroom and listen to me talk all day. I knew it would be a little challenging since they've had so much turn over in the past and their database is a mess. Because I do not have a choice and training is my primary responsibility, I had to do it.
It wasn't easy but it was not as bad as I had expected. The trainees were actually quite smart and most of them were actually quite nice. But during the entire training session, I couldn't stop myself from offering suggestions on how they might want to customize the database this way and that way and what they should be doing and offering to help them make the necessary changes and on and on and on I went until I had pretty much offered them the world and all the stars in the sky. It was horrible. I could have saved myself the trouble and let them figure it out for themselves. But nooooo! I just had to open my mouth, offer time that I do not have on my calendar and I offered them all the help I could possibly give. By the time I realized what I had gotten myself into, it was already too late. I have already talked the client into the possibility of re-implementation, more training and several conference calls to meet with their managers.
I like helping people. I like being able to assist them in any way I can. I like listening to their problems and being able to offer solutions. But all this extra work I bring myself into can be stressful and exhausting. I should know better... that I cannot please everyone and that I cannot be expected to do everything. But at the same time, how can I not offer to make someone else's life a little easier even when it's a simple database customization or a shortcut to getting something done or what-have-you?
Ayayayayayayay... the things I sometimes do.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Braces.
I was reading the paper the other day and I stumbled across an article about braces. I have been wanting to get braces since I was little but they were just always so expensive.
Apparently, you can have "invisible" braces. They're put behind your teeth instead of the front so it's practically inconspicuous and they are just as effective. But goodness, they cost a lot of money! They could cost an extra three to five thousand dollars more than regular ones. Yeesh!
I think the prices are insane but I guess if you really need them, you just have to save up and pay.
Apparently, you can have "invisible" braces. They're put behind your teeth instead of the front so it's practically inconspicuous and they are just as effective. But goodness, they cost a lot of money! They could cost an extra three to five thousand dollars more than regular ones. Yeesh!
I think the prices are insane but I guess if you really need them, you just have to save up and pay.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Parents.
… It’s about the children, not about you. Often, parents project their own dramas and issues on their kids and this puts a lot of undue pressure on them. Our kids are not there to raise us and take care of us. As much as possible, we should not burden them with our own problems. We are there to parent, not be parented…
Steve and I often talk about how we envision parenting… having discussions about parenting dos and don’ts and what we think we would do in certain situations. We often look at our experiences with our own parents and what we would want to follow and what we would want to do differently.
It’s not to say that I think my parents are awful. On the contrary I have really awesome parents. I have a lot of respect for them and there are a lot of things I would also want to follow when I have my own kids. But my parents aren’t perfect either. They also have flaws and sometimes they make decisions that I don’t necessarily agree with. Often I am in awe of their wisdom and love and then there are times when I think they’re being irrational or irresponsible or sometimes even childish. But their flaws do not by any means diminish or affect how much I love them. I get frustrated, upset and disappointed too but I think every child feels that way about their parents once in awhile.
I don’t think… I KNOW how much my parents love me and my brothers. It is evident in everything they do. Safe to say, their world revolves around us three kids. When I reflect on the many sacrifices our parents have endured for our sake, I am left feeling overwhelmed and sometimes embarrassed that I am not always able to return the favor.
Needless to say, I am very blessed to have such loving parents. Even when I don't always understand their reasons for the things they do, I trust that they are doing the best they can and with our welfare in mind.
I can only hope that others are as fortunate as me and if not, I hope that we all strive to become good parents someday to our own children.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
TV
I was watching TV with Steve last night and we were watching this show called “Moment of Truth”. They basically have a guy/girl on the show and they ask him/her a bunch of really personal questions and he/she has to tell the truth in exchange for money. I think the top prize is half a million dollars. They ask really tough and ridiculous questions… enough that the person could risk losing his/her family and spouse. I kept thinking, why would someone risk hurting his/her reputation, a spouse and family for money? It just goes to show that some people will do anything for money. Some of the questions they asked during the show last night were:
So yeah, we ended up watching the last few minutes of America’s Next Top Model instead. Speaking of which, that show tells me that almost anyone can look like a model with a proper make up artist, hair stylist and a great set of clothes. Not forgetting to mention, a really good photographer who knows what he’s doing. I don’t particularly like any of the girls this cycle. I think Aimee is pretty but other than that, I don’t see anything special with any of them.
Can you believe the amount of reality shows on TV nowadays? Every channel has at least one reality show on at night… Paradise Hotel, America’s Next Top Model, Rock of Love, Big Brother, Survivor, Girlicious, etc. Ang dami dami talaga. I don’t watch all of them. Nakakasawa din kasi and some of them are just really corny and ridiculous. Now I hear they will be coming out with a new reality show featuring the Lohans. My goodness, it seems like another way to waste 30 minutes of my evening. It reminds of that reality show… I forgot the name.. was it Living with the Carters or something? It was the one with Nick Carter (of the Backstreet Boys) and his family. Disaster.
Anyway, I guess to each his own, right? Kanya-kanyang palabas. Whatever floats your boat kung baga.
- Have you had any sexual relations with any of your wife’s sisters?
- Have you slept with any of your friends’ wives?
So yeah, we ended up watching the last few minutes of America’s Next Top Model instead. Speaking of which, that show tells me that almost anyone can look like a model with a proper make up artist, hair stylist and a great set of clothes. Not forgetting to mention, a really good photographer who knows what he’s doing. I don’t particularly like any of the girls this cycle. I think Aimee is pretty but other than that, I don’t see anything special with any of them.
Can you believe the amount of reality shows on TV nowadays? Every channel has at least one reality show on at night… Paradise Hotel, America’s Next Top Model, Rock of Love, Big Brother, Survivor, Girlicious, etc. Ang dami dami talaga. I don’t watch all of them. Nakakasawa din kasi and some of them are just really corny and ridiculous. Now I hear they will be coming out with a new reality show featuring the Lohans. My goodness, it seems like another way to waste 30 minutes of my evening. It reminds of that reality show… I forgot the name.. was it Living with the Carters or something? It was the one with Nick Carter (of the Backstreet Boys) and his family. Disaster.
Anyway, I guess to each his own, right? Kanya-kanyang palabas. Whatever floats your boat kung baga.
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