Mission: Starbucks

I'm not a big Starbucks fan, nor am I a big coffee fan, but I do appreciate some Starbucks stores here in the Metro. I especially love the one in my building here in Convergys because of the friendly staff who probably already know me and my 'usuals', which are either Venti Hot English Breakfast/Zen Green Tea with Honey or Venti Classic Hot Choco 2% milk, are warm and the best I've seen so far. They are quite friendly, really, and most of the time, they offer me some specials or upsizes for free.
So I'm not a big Starbucks fan, I am a big fan of this store.
So when they gave me a card, you know that promo where you get a sticker for every cup you buy? Like this:

Got this a couple of days ago, and I am kinda far away still from the 16 sticker goal to get the yearly planner. But then, it's until January of next year, so I guess I'll make it. My only problem is getting the coffee part of it coz part of the challenge is to get 8 stickers from buying the featured beverages, which are all coffee based. Coffee does not sit well with me, so I'm going to have a hard time on that one.
Til then, Bottoms Up!

Being Filipino

Euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/euphemism)


Good morning! While I am drinking my steamed milk, and in between munches on pan de sal, I want to talk about how we Filipinos are generally so polite, how we as a people redefined the whole meaning of the word above. Either it be to be polite, or to show intense sarcasm (saying, "uuuy, ang baby kasing cute ni Elmo sa sesame street" to mean that the baby looks like a monster), it is not a small feat that we Filipinos have sucessfully manuevered the usage of words to our advantage.

Take for instance, like Amy, our supercoach, said, if the baby is really so cute, the person would actually say "Ay, ang cute naman ng baby!" but if the kid is not so cute, the same person would exclaim "Ay! Ang laki-laki na nya!". Good point, eh?

So it just shows anyone that the Filipino is such a euphemistic race. We're so keen on not offending, to the point of our own discomfort. For example, an officemate you're not so close with offers you a ride in a non-aircon car. So all the way from Makati to Commonwealth you have absorbed all the air and dirt and smog. Officemate apologizes, and you would naturally say:"Okay lang. Okay nga yung fresh air eh..."

But maybe that's a good trait. It sure is as hell funny when you think about it

This is Just NOT RIGHT

People! Why? I just hate how people don't talk straight anymore.

MY PET PEEVES

1. Texting me using "po" or the DISGUSTING variations of the word like "poh" or "pow"

-I am not you're grandmother, mother or ninang, so please drop the pseudo respectful crap by using "po". Like, "wat r u wering poh?" Where is the dignity of the word there? JUST WHERE IS THE DIGNITY THERE? It is definitely not cute, and the same goes for the morons you say "sowee" or "pweez" especially if you are a guy. It's not endearing. It is disgusting. IT.IS.NOT.CUTE. Especially if we're not close.

2. Alternating caps on the friendster profile page or any other networking sites.
example, and this is a real one from friendster: MaArtE,SEnSItive, SuPlAdITa, FRiEnDly, fAshiOnIStA, KikAy, AtTraCtiVe AnD EveRytHinG NiCE THaT Was Me!! MaTaLinO (ThEReS N o OnE IN THiS WoRLd hAs stUpId MiNDs) mAaRte aKo PeRo InDi AkO mAlAnDE-jUZ DOn'T EvEr jUdGe Me cOz yOu dONt mE aT AlL.... AND ..... YoU MuZ ReMEmBeR eVeRYtHinGs hAs a reAsONS..... DoNt ! DArE mE COz YoU DoNt knOw wHaT CaN I dO SoMe peopLe dOnT UnDErSTaNd WhAT Is my aTtItUde BUt dOnT JuDgE aNyOnE...... .. i pRoTeCT my fRieNdS...aNd pRoTeCt YoUrs :)

Holy Ham! WHAT THE HELL??? Not only did I have to read this like three or four times because my brain is just too slow to read it all at once, I actually had to process the meaning of the whole thing. And just look at that grammar, "eVeRYtHinGs hAs a reAsONS". Do we still go to school, 'Pinas?

3. Text Language in text fields that can accomodate 10,000 characters or more.

-There is simply no excuse for this. The reason why text language is created is because the space is limited. You have room for 10,000 characters here.
Another example lifted from Friendster: *HoTcHiC**sEXy dAw..cHAvii nG mGAh fWEnDz qEw .. sVi qEw nAMn.. mAdAnDa aqEw.. maArTE?/..sObra ** hiHi.. nDi mHEii mAarTE.. kAla nYOuh lAng yUn,, kSHi cHigURo .. yU fOUnd mE.. wEAriNg uNiqUe eAriNgs.. USing mAkEuP.. oWeYs lOoKing mY fACe in tHE mirror.

4. Pretending to Talk like Blacks
-Their language is for them alone. It sounds cool only if they speak it. UTANG.NA.LOOB. Don't try to imitate them. It's just, again, DISGUSTING.
Example: ThuG BaLLa bAbY oF kArEn rOsE i CamE FrOm a SmaLL TowN wEr oL ThA GenGsTerS- kiLLahZ- DruG DeaLahZ- YounG bLoOdS- LiVin aLonE AnD biG TyM SinDiCaTe ArE OcCurS


Can we ever talk like people again?

What if I were a Mom?

Oh, boy, this one is tough. But I really do want to have a baby someday. I'm thinking maybe it's kinda cool to be a single parent, which is what I probably will end up being. You know, no other people telling you what to do, how to raise your child. No husband to take care of (who doesn't really want to have a baby in the first place). Just you, and that little tiny being so little and dependent on you for love, attention and support. Of course, having babies are financially tough. But hey, it's just what if.
How happy it will be to have someone who will finally soak in my love and give it back in return. It just seems so fulfilling to see a mother and child share a deep connection. I'm kinda longing for that kind of connection.
Allan and I kinda talked about children. We talked about baby names. We talked about having babies...but not really with each other, you understand. Just talking about children in general.
Rai asked me how I'd feel if I were pregnant. I was taken aback, really. Because I wasn't sure how I'd feel. I'd panic maybe. I wouldn't know how to deal with it.
Jeez. This entry is hard.

What if I Became a Teacher?

What if I became a teacher?

To tell you the truth, I considered being a teacher when I was entering college. I actually went over my options on the very last day of enrollment, when I always thought that I was a sold-out MassCom enthusiast. I finally went for MassCom, loved Masscom and eventually hated MassCom, but finally enjoyed something that became a blown passion. I dismissed the desire for being a teacher by telling myself I considered it the way I considered nursing because of the cute uniforms. Hey, that's just me.

Now I'm thinking, what if I became a teacher?

I think I would be a love-me-or-hate-me type. I would allow cheating. Just don't get caught. That way, I don't have to stress myself over academic honesty, and at the same time, I get to develop in my students some form of conscience.

I would most probably teach creative writing (only because I love the subject). And I would most probably not grade papers with grammatical errors (errors, not slips). I would incorporate with styles and structures the many experiences that they have in life. I would let my students choose what to write, and grade them not based on how they level up with others, but how they have improved from the last time.

I would most probably be absent often. Darn me, but old habits are hard to break. :D

Hmm. Maybe I should stick to being a writer.

That Man in Rated K

Yesterday I was watching Rated K and I came upon the capsule about that man who lost his wife to kidney complications. I found that section quite sad, depressing. The way it was presented was very lingering, especially when they were reenacting the scenes when husband, Roy brought her to watch the sunset in Manila Bay on their last anniversary.
How tough it must be for him to go through that. I can only hope that it'll not happen to me.
So the next step, naturally was to check the blog. Check it here. It was the blog of a very desperately sad man. You could feel in it's grammatically imperfect entries how hard it is to cope with losing someone so integral, so central, in a family's life. I went tsk-tsk-tsk when I saw on one entry, a PS that said: "How I wish I was communicating to you this much when you were still here. I miss you Mama." I am not one to weep over such heart wrenching words, but they do find a place to hit in my heart.
I can do nothing but to pray that everything will be better for them.

Why So Serious?

Many times, I would get depressed, you know, struggling to finish college, struggling to make my relationship with my boyfriend work. Wanting to keep my job and move up the ladder so I may earn more and get more of the things I want to have in my life. Of course I have my demons to conquer, my deep, dark secrets to keep, but I manage to be happy. Spread the happiness, so to speak. In the turn of experiences that happened to my life, I learned foremost that Not-Thinking-It's-That-Bad and just saying "Hay, Whatever" works pretty damned well.

A favorite pick-me-upper has always been what I call rant blogging or happy blogging. Now, rant blogging, from the word itself is ranting it all out. Churning the keyboard and punching the letters to form the thoughts that are ravaging in my head. I do this when I'm frustrated at that he-bitch who stepped on me and didn't say sorry, or when my boyfriend is being the bullhead that he sometimes can become. My RS teacher once said, that the fingers are actually exit points for emotions, just like our eyes (tear ducts, for obvious reasons) and our mouths through the words we speak. So energy actually drains out from our fingers. Take a can of water to water the plants while you're angry or frustrated, and watch them wither. It's a fact. After the rant blog I feel relaxed, and the frustrations go away. That easy.

Another type, happy blogging, is blogging about happy things, maybe from the lifestyle section of the paper, about new things, funny things that happened that day. Sometimes, I put out all my sarcasm there. It helps a lot with heartbreak. When we fight, or have some arguments, I pack up to Starbucks (free wi-fi) get a pamper-me-up Hot Choco Venti and a cinnamon roll and blog away about something I read in the magazines available in the cafe.

When I'm poor, I get my fix by going to the plaza, just to get out of the house or the office and take a breath of fresh air and say "Hay, Whatever!"

The important thing I guess, is to keep thinking: "This will not be something that will stress me!" Stressful things are those that we allow to get past the No Stress barrier. Keep them away, or atleast, if you wanna manage them, never forget YOU HAVE THE UPPER HAND. When things are getting stinky, or hurtful, your mind will wallow in it. So do something to trick your mind out of it. Think positive, think nice, cool, sarcastic, funny things to put you back on the right mood, and the right disposition.

I dedicate this to MR. To my other friends as well, but especially to MR, who sounds like she's almost going patooties (in her blog). Read back on all those entries, dear. Don't allow that misery to get the best of you. You're smart, talented and young. ALWAYS remember that.

And try the blogging.