The Boy Mistook You for a Purple Toothbrush

Facebook fan pages I'd make, except that I'd be too lazy maintaining them.

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:19:12 GMT

In the days before Yahoo! acquired Egroups, there was Yahoo! Clubs. Some of them are for rather esoteric interests like "Why are zippers marked with YKK?" or "Put a stop against children eating paste" (which are real clubs I belonged to, btw). Now, I'm seeing a resurgence of these common interest group in Facebook fan pages.

It's another growing internet meme: Come up with a statement other people could relate to. Create a fan page for said interest. Wait for fans to link your page to their profiles. And now you have fan pages for all sorts of stuff. One of my favorite is "Stop hitting us with those f*cking pillows" which claims they even have their own anti-fan site.

I'm too lazy to create and maintain a fan site (actually I am maintaining one for my website); but if I were to create some more, I'll use some of these:

- Leave your kids at home if you can't stop them from screaming in public places.

- Don't use too many exclamation points! Is your heart palpitating!! Maybe you ought to cut down on your coffee!!!

- People, for the love of Dog, learn how to use the ATM efficiently.

- Just because I said people ought to be whacked in the head for their mistakes doesn't mean I am serious about it. Learn to spot a joke, boyo. Ya ya ya.

- Don't just say "Kudos!" when you wanted to congratulate someone. Make an effort to write a decent sentence.

- It's insulting to people when you reply to messages with "K"; unless that's really what you're after.

- I know you love that song, but don't play it in a bleedin' loop every bleedin' day. An MP3 player with 500+ songs and you can't come up with a decent playlist?

- The caller at the other end of the phone could hear you shouting; will you act like a civilized human being and PIPE DOWN A LITTLE? Thank you.

- No, seriously,,, multiple commas are not used,,, as ellipses,,,,

- Give "basically" a rest. Better yet, stop using pointless adverbs when beginning your sentences.

- Lightly touching my bum does not pass as effective security check.

I realized all of these could be made into individual Twitter broadcasts. Which proves how people could adopt and distill their ire into sentences with 140 characters or less. But that's for another entry, I think.

who knows what bob ong looks like?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:48:37 GMT

one of my favorite authors wrote about comparing an experience with his friend to walking into a record store and finding out that the person he was with was actually part of the beatles. i was thinking, i'd like to pull a prank like that again.

years back, i pulled a prank where i audibly hinted that one of my friends was the commercial model for a telco advertising campaign. my friend only looked slightly similar to the model but it worked since the model was relatively popular without being too exposed outside the ads for people to distiguish the differences in appearance. two women who sat in the next table in the bar even asked for autographs.

i can't pull off the jay contreras thing anymore (and i am reluctant to pretend to be a celebrity anyways), but i thought maybe i could try it with a willing accomplice. we could try a locally known celebrity whom people would readily know but can't really recognize. i thought we could try bob ong.

pretending to be bob ong should be easy: just get a suitably chinoy-looking guy in his early to mid 30s who is familiar with the author's works, walk into a bookstore, stage a conversation where the non-celebrity friend would audibly (but not too obviously) inquire about bob ong's books.

if you're lucky, someone will overhear the conversation. if you're really lucky, someone will be curious enough and approach you to ask if the other person is indeed bob ong. and since very few people know what bob ong looks like, both of you might just get away with it while giving people the satisfaction of meeting a celebrity.

wouldn't that put you in santa's gift list?

pick a card, any card.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:15:59 GMT

a friend whom i read tarot cards for during the weekend sent a message saying what i told him seems to be coming true.

"what was it about?" i asked him. he replied it was about the job promotion; i vaguely remember the questions he asked about his job, much less the answers i gave.

i almost always forget whatever i tell people when i do card readings for them. many of the questions asked during a reading are personal, after all, and it feels like i am prying too much into their lives if i hold on to personal details like that.

on the other hand, since i don't keep track of what i say to people i read cards for, i never really get any kind of feedback from them. when i was reading professionally, it gets awkward when a new client asked for my "batting average" -- i have no way of measuring "accuracy" (if one could really objectively measure card reading accuracy).

to make a slight change of subject, last week my phone woke me up and i was a researcher from a local channel who called me. we spoke before, when he was asking about tarot cards for a local newsmagazine. this time he was asking if i had experience talking to the dead.

"no," i replied after the question had sunk in, "i don't." i told him i don't know anyone who was into necromancy either. he thanked me politely and disconnected the call. i'm so glad i don't have his job.

"Experience Call Center Agents with EXCEPTIONAL Pronunciation Skills!!"

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:51:55 GMT

got this from the mail:

the blurb says "Experience Call Center Agents with EXCEPTIONAL Pronunciation Skills!!" which sounds like a come on from a sex ad.

and i guess they're not too keen on proper grammar either, just exceptional pronunciation. but really, i'd be a bit worried of people who pronounces words too exceptionally.

too long for twitter, too short to be a proper blog post.

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:26:39 GMT

my boss left this note pasted on an orange covered pail she placed on my station:

Jade,

I'm assigning you as the team's official keeper of "stuff". This is for our "trick or treat" event.

Thanks, =)

Cha

i'm not really sure what those stuff are that will go there. maybe we ought to give away multi-colored (and flavored) packets of rubber.

here i am again being grumpy on a monday.

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:39:05 GMT

i think i've been turning off people at work again because of my grumpy mood. my back hurts and the train service earlier this evening was horrible. these things would definitely cheer up anyone's mood, i'm sure.

anywho, i've been itching to tell this to people for some time now. actually, i've been telling something similar to people for some time now, only i'm not sure if people are really listening.

what i wanted to say is this: a very important skill for a tech support agent is knowing where the scope of support ends. while it's admirable to go beyond what is asked for by the job, it could also be dangerous to provide advice on matters one does not have any real expertise on or is not truly responsible for. i think this applies to other jobs where one banks on perceived expertise on a specialized field.

on the other hand, i am getting sick of the teeth-whitening ads i see in our client's web-based email. since my email client is all screwy when connecting to the smtp port, i have to rely on web-based emails for office correspondence and that means seeing inane web advertising.

it's awe-striking how concerned people are fighting the good fight against the evil conspiracy of dentists withholding the secrets of whiter teeth. i would like to cheer them on and say thank you thank you, good sirs!

Magnetic spice rack.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:59:50 GMT

I never got around to acquiring an herb and spice rack for my kitchen.The mother has one, which looks like this, but she hardly ever uses it. Filipino cooking do not really call for a lot of herbs and spice. Maybe one day I'll sweet talk her into giving it to me.

Or not, if ever I could me this:

Which is pure awesomeness if only because I could hang some canisters upside-down. Of course that means I have to be extra anal about keeping the canisters' lid closed after I'm done with the spices.

It won't be the first item I will purchase for my dream kitchen (a twin-surface induction stove -- or better yet, a "zoneless" induction cooker -- would be my first purchase), but it will make a nifty addition to it.

Indigenous Knowledge Trade Fair and Exhibit

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:38:41 GMT

Invitation: Indigenous Knowledge Trade Fair and Exhibit

October 16-18, 2009
Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City

Our Indigenous Peoples have so much to teach us about caring for our environment and living sustainably, but they need us to advocate with them so that more people can know about it.

See and experience the life of IPs... explore partnerships with them... patronize their products... protect the environment with them.

Wine making and tasting, cultural presentations, night market of organic goods and IP products, film showing, solidarity concert.

(taken from iya's multiply)

Pinoy Story Writing Contest

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:07:29 GMT

ATTENTION: The deadline for submission of entries has been extended to OCTOBER 17, 2009 at 5:00p.m.

Pinoy Story Writing Contest

The National Book Development Board is inviting interested participants to join the Pinoy Story Writing Contest, a competition that aims to enrich and expand the array of Filipino-authored works in the country, based on pre-selected themes or categories. This contest is part of the NBDB's celebration of the 13th Philippine Book Development Month with the theme, Galing Pinoy, Basahin!

Winner will be announced in November 2009.

To view the complete set of rules and guidelines, please visit or download here. To download an entry form, click here. For inquiries, you may email pinoystorywritingcontest@nbdb.gov.ph or call 926-8238 (Dianne).

hauling the laundry after the flood. (guest starring an 80s bikini briefs commercial jingle)

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:39:49 GMT

when i look into my closet and see very few underwear left, i know it's really time to have the laundry done. many times, i wonder how come it seems i use up so many clothes when in fact i don't change clothes more often than the average non-slobby guy. on most days, even go around shirtless at home, so i don't have to use two shirts in a day. and yet used clothes seem to pile on me like fallen hair on the shower floor when i take a bath.

so earlier i sorted through my near-overflowing hamper (it's made to look like a cute, green frog) and packed the clothes i will bring to the laundromat. i dressed up for work and called a cab so i could drop off the clothes before i head for the office.

from the cab, i could see that the laundry shop i go to when i want to have my clothes washed quickly is packed. large bags of clothes are put in front of the counter. when i went inside, the woman by the counter told me (in a harassed, i-cannot-believe-i-am-having-this-day kind of way) that i can't have the clothes done until tuesday (today's a wednesday). "we couldn't ask other branches to help us," the bewildered woman explained, "because they're also filled with orders."

with the mountains of clothes all around us, i didn't think of disbelieving her. i just said thank you, left the shop and went back to the waiting cab. i asked the cab driver to drive me to another laundry shop instead. we found a laundry shop further into boni avenue: a small shop that was not packed with clothes. the lady doing the laundry said i could pick my clothes by friday afternoon. that was a relief. for a minute there i thought i had to buy new underwear because i will be running out of clean boxers.

incidentally, i was wandering around the men's underwear section of the department store the other day, looking for plain-colored shirts. one sales lady called my attention and started sales talking about YC briefs. i had to look away quickly because the YC bikini briefs commercial jingle started playing in my head.

Living like a real island person.

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:20:13 GMT

I was stranded in my apartment since last night. While the compound wasn't flooded, the street outside and the area from the Mandaluyong city hall up to the Pasig river flooded, with waters reaching 4 feet in front of the city hall. I had to wade through chest-deep waters yesterday afternoon.

The rains stopped during the night and I hoped the water would also recede once the rain stopped. But when I looked at the street, it seems that the water is still leg-deep. That means that it's likely thigh-deep near the city hall.

I've always found it funny that the city hall is the area of Mandaluyong that is most prone to flooding; you'd think the city government would have done something about it a long time ago. But after yesterday, it's not so funny anymore.

Worse thing is, I need to cross the city hall or the banks of Pasig river to reach Edsa or Makati. Even simple tasks like buying food is difficult since I have to go out of the apartment compound.

I still am lucky. My leaking ceiling was recently fixed and I was able to sleep on a dry mattress. Power was cut off in our area but there was running water in the apartment for me to wash off the flood waters. I still have some food stocked in the party that'll let me survive for a week.

A lot of people in Metro Manila weren't so lucky, I don't even need to watch the news to know about ruined properties, displaced people or shortage of food and clean water. These floods happen in Metro Manila almost every typhoon season, people have considered it part of Metro Manila life. It's become normal, most people think it's a Test of Faith from God they have to endure.

And anyways, the rainy season will end by October.

happy on a mid-week.

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:01:00 GMT

01.
i told lorie i could never come to work earlier than her, unless it's her night off. so here i am, an hour and half early for my shift. tonight is also lorie's off.

still, it feels nice coming to work with nearly all the lights off. there is only the light of my screen to illuminate the keys and it feels so comfortable working like this. i know it will ruin my eyesight eventually.

but the radio is playing some old adult contemporary music, and i still feel cool despite the lack of air-conditioning because of the rainwater that soaked my shirt, and i really hope tonight would be a good night. another co-worker, chris, would not say that i came to work all grumpy and angry again. but he didn't see me come to work tonight because i came here earlier than everyone.

02.
before i finished writing that last sentence, someone turned on the lights by my workstation. i felt somewhat let down, like it ruined a really fine ambiance that brought a really good mood.

03.
it was raining lightly outside and i didn't bring an umbrella. it was not heavy enough to soak me to the skin; only to wet my shirt to give off a cool feeling when the breeze hit me.

it's one of things i nearly forgot: how the street shine because of reflected lamplight when it's wet because of the rain. i guess my preoccupation with electronic gadgets that made me want to avoid walking under the rain unprotected.

it feels nice doing again something that i used to do when i didn't bother too much with the artifice of modern civilization. it feels good having rain fall against my face again.

04.
i am still broke and in debt. i might as well have to cancel all my plans for enrolling in writing workshops or travelling for the remainder of the year. i might not be able to move to another apartment in november, like i planned.

but at least tonight i could say i'm happy and content. the last few weeks have been really hard on me.

Hello, Mr. Barber. We haven't seen each other in 5 years.

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:49:42 GMT

When someone asks me when will I have my hair cut short, my usual joking answer would be: "When I start growing bald." All the while I hoped my genes would not turn the joke against me.

I've been growing my hair for more than 5 years. My hair has been as much part of my appearance that co-workers hardly remember the time my hair was shorter. It has been both loved and hated by friends, colleagues and lovers. Personally, I only let it grow because I only wanted to see how long I could keep growing my hair until I am forced to stop it.

It seems I may have to cut it all soon. One day my mother saw two bald spots on my scalp and I started to notice an increase in hair fall when I shower.

So I had a dermatologist check me and she confirmed I have alopecia areata. The doctor who looked at me was a pretty girl who a bit younger than me, with a occasional nervous tics that was kind of worrying at first. (For all I know, she might have mild Tourette's. But she didn't spontaneously swear, which would have been awesome.)

She spoke like a pre-school teacher, probably a mannerism acquired while talking to her usual patients. She explained how the illness is non-contagious, can't really be stopped from expanding, often stops by itself, and is either caused or aggravated by stress. I can't stop it, I'll have bald spots for at least half a year, and it's caused by stress (which is almost like saying it could be caused by anything). Great.

That was last week. Now, I could tell I've grown almost a dozen bald spots in various places in my head, and soon my remaining hair might not be able to cover the bald areas anymore. By that time I have no choice but say good-bye to the keratin and dead cells I've cared for in the last 5 years. I may appear nonchalant but few people will understand how heart-wrenching it would be for me to watch my hair slowly cut off.

And it feels like my appointment to the barber's will be set quite soon. So if anyone there is interested in buying almost 3 feet of curly hair, I might be selling some.

road trip tuesday.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:07:08 GMT

monday night was hectic in a oddly out-of-place way. sure i was not in the best frame of mind, just coming from a weekend outing that same morning. still, i found myself helping agents answer a lot of rather challenging questions which kept me busy for most of the night.

i decided to leave the office at 8.

on the way home i was exchanging messages with len regarding a favor i asked two days before. i did not expect her to be out of town, and i very much needed to borrow something. so lacking sleep, i went to molino to meet up with her.

molino is about 2.5 hours from my place, all in all, in a flattened area of bacoor; and it was freaking hot going there. i snoozed in the van i rode and ended up missing my stop, so i had to go back again. len and i met in the local mall, and the airconditioning was a wonderful gift from the gods of cavite.

i stayed until mid-afternoon, the sun bearing down on molino like a jilted ex-girlfriend. it took me 15 minutes to get a ride back to manila, and i could feel skin cancer wrapping around my exposed skin. finally i got a ride and amused myself reading about the musings of a man who tried to be a drag queen for a day.

when i arrived in makati, some friends might have sensed my presence and asked where i was. i permitted an appearance, and they promptly whisked me to another friend's dad's wake. the deceased was 90 when he passed away; he must have lived a really rich life.

hardly having any sleep, i excused myself at 7 to drag myself to ortigas for work. somehow, it was surreal but logical that i learn of patrick swayze's passing as soon as i went online.

i should go home and sleep.

wet, wet, wet.

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:41:35 GMT

Little girl with an umbrella in the rain
On Black - Localize - Recent - Interestingness - Ipernity - Blog
Uploaded by manganite on 5 Aug '07, 6.04pm CST PST.

---
i didn't stay in the apartment last wednesday and slept at the parents' place instead. the last few days has had strong rains and when i arrived this morning, i found out that my bedroom has had a heavily dripping ceiling again.

the pool that formed on the floor reached my mattress, a blanket i left on the floor, an empty bag, a stuffed toy, and a just-opened box of tissues. i ended up sleeping among the pillow seats in the living room again.

i'm getting tired of sorting through soggy personal items. i'll just let the current lease end and look for a new apartment in november.

snail's pace.

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:48:36 GMT

i left my workstation this morning with a running site upgrade. i came back and the upgrade hardly moved: the progress report was just a few percent further than when i left it.

that's it! i'm gonna ask the software's tech guys to zap the store's basket files so i could finish the stupid store upgrade.

i hate it when i couldn't run these things myself and have to wait things out like a normal product user.

bothered and bewildered.

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:48:26 GMT

i keep slapping the mouse on my desk when the pointer wouldn't move. and then i'll remember that it's an optical mouse, and so hitting it on a surface will not do anything since there is no mouse ball. a few minutes later, i'll be frustrated with the unresponsive mouse and slap it on my desk again.

understand this: i am paid by the company to be disturbed. when i applied and was accepted to the position i am in right now, i know that the job entails agents disturbing what i am currently doing so they could ask questions.

for the most part, i've come to accept that just as much as having pimple scars on my face. it sucks but it's there and i really don't have any right complaining about it.

so anyways, i was helping this new agent earlier with a call and told him about some account changes that caused the customer not to be able to send emails temporarily. "try to find out what the previous agent did for that account," i told the new agent.

a few minutes later, the agent approached me again and said he couldn't find any documentations on the account changes. "regardless," i told him, "the account history shows that it's been updated and i think that update caused the mail problem."

i repeated my earlier explanation on the cause of the issue (which i already sent to him by private message) thinking that the agent still did not understand what i told him. "tell that customer," i concluded, "he should be able to send out emails again later today."

"i already told him that," the agent replied. "the customer accepted the explanation." i asked him what was the problem, then, and he answered he just couldn't find the documentation for the account changes -- and we went to another circle of me explaning the issue and its cause and him telling me that the customer did accept that explanation.

"so is there a problem then?" i finally asked, a bit frustrated. he told me there isn't. "that's good, then." and with that, i hinted that our conversation is over, i will go back to what i am doing and that he should as well.

apparently, the guy wanted to give me an update on what happened to the call. that was well-meaning of him, i'm sure. but the thing is, i don't need to know that. it was not my call, i was not the person who spoke with that customer. i am only here to guide him towards the correct call resolution.

my point is that i may be paid to be bothered by agents asking me questions, but i still don't like to see my time wasted by something that does not concern me.

Filipinas Heritage Library - City Fiction

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:27:30 GMT

City Fiction
August 20, 2009, 6pm to 9pm
August 22, 2009, 8am to 5pm
August 27, 2009, 6pm to 9pm

Speaker: Conchitina Cruz

What makes a place unforgettable and unique? It's the people and their stories to which these places stood as silent witnesses; stories that the places inadvertently speak of and continue to narrate even long after the people are gone.

If a place's treasure is its people, how rich then is a city, that pulses with the life of the human hearts that fill its every nook and cranny?

Make the city your muse. Be the narrator of city tales with City Fiction, a workshop that will help participants see the city through a writer's eyes.

Workshop fee is P3,800.00 inclusive of materials, snacks, entrance fees, transportation, and certificate. A downpayment of P800 is required to reserve a slot. Deadline for reservations is on August 14, 2009. A 5 percent discount will be given to those who pay in full on or before the deadline. Payments can be given in cash, through credit card*, or Globe GCash.

*Discount does not apply to credit card transactions.

The workshop will be held at the Filipinas Heritage Library located along Makati Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Makati City (across The Peninsula Manila).

For inquiries, please call Jen Bascoguin at 892-1801, send an SMS to 0917-561-2413, or email bascoguin.jm @ ayalafoundation.org

there seems to be a lot of famous people kicking the bucket lately.

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:27:58 GMT

someone was supposed to give me his guitar but one thing led to another and that didn't happen. it would've been an excuse for me to finally learn how to play one. or maybe not.

maybe i will finally pick a guitar when i'm 35, and like in stranger than fiction, play (i'd go the) whole wide world to someone i like.

r.i.p. les paul.

Japanese Film Festival (Eiga Sai) 2009 Screening Schedule

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:00:44 GMT

Eiga Sai 2009 Screening Schedule

Shangri-La Plaza

July 5 (Sun)
2:00 PM Memories of Tomorrow
4:30 PM Mind Game
7:00 PM Memories of Matsuko

July 6 (Mon)
2:00 PM The Milkwoman
4:30 PM Mind Game
7:00 PM Turn Over

July 7 (Tue)
2:00 PM Turn Over
4:30 PM Kamome Diner
7:00 PM ALWAYS - Sunset on Third Street

July 8 (Wed)
2:00 PM The Milkwoman
4:30 PM Tony Takitani
7:00 PM Mind Game

July 9 (Thu)
2:00 PM Turn Over
4:30 PM Memories of Tomorrow
7:00 PM ALWAYS - Sunset on Third Street

July 10 (Fri)
2:00 PM The Milkwoman
4:30 PM Memories of Matsuko
7:00 PM Tony Takitani

July 11 (Sat)
2:00 PM Kamome Diner
4:30 PM Tony Takitani
7:00 PM Memories of Tomorrow

July 12 (Sun)
2:00 PM Mind Game
4:30 PM ALWAYS - Sunset on Third Street
7:00 PM Memories of Matsuko

UP Film Institute

Aug 14 (Fri)
12:30 PM ALWAYS - Sunset on Third Street
3:00 PM Tony Takitani

Aug 15 (Sat)
4:00 PM Memories of Tomorrow
6:30 PM Memories of Matsuko

Aug 17 (Mon)
4:00 PM Mind Game
6:30 PM The Milkwoman

Aug 18 (Tue)
4:00 PM Tony Takitani
6:30 PM Turn Over

Aug 19 (Wed)
4:00 PM Kamome Diner
6:30 PM Memories of Tomorrow

Aug 20 (Thu)
4:00 PM Memories of Matsuko
6:30 PM Kamome Diner

Gaisano South City Mall, Davao

Jul 18(Sat)
10:00 AM The Milkwoman
1:00 PM Mind Game
3:00 PM Tony Takitani
4:30 PM ALWAYS - Sunset on Third Street

Jul 19 (Sun)
10:00 AM Turn Over
1:00 PM Kamome Diner
3:00 PM Memories of Tomorrow
5:15 PM Memories of Matsuko

Ayala Center Cinema 4, Cebu

Jul 28 (Tue)
7:00 PM ALWAYS - Sunset on Third Street

July 29 (Wed)
7:00 PM The Milkwoman

Jul 30 (Thu)
7:00 PM Turn Over

Jul 31 (Fri)
7:00 PM Tony Takitani

Aug 1 (Sat)
4:00 PM Mind Game
7:00 PM Memories of Tomorrow

Aug 2 (Sun)
4:00 PM Kamome Diner
7:00 PM Memories of Matsuko

Baguio Center Mall Cinema, Baguio City

Aug 7 (Fri)
8:00 PM ALWAYS - Sunset on Third Street

Aug 8 (Sat)
8:30 AM Tony Takitani
8:00 PM Memories of Matsuko

Aug 9 (Sun)
8:00 AM Mind Game
8:00 PM Memories of Tomorrow

Aug 10 (Mon)
8:00 AM The Milkwoman
8:00 PM Turn Over

Aug 11 (Tue)
8:00 AM Kamome Diner
8:00 PM Memories of Matsuko

the king is dead. long live the king.

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:13:31 GMT

Michael Jackson is dead
2:06 PM | June 25, 2009

Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.

Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and his family is arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times.

Jackson was rushed to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center this afternoon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a call at Jackson's home at 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and took him to the hospital, Ruda told The Times.

http://tinyurl.com/moa3ya

the only thing good about my fake american accent was the title.

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:05:53 GMT

zai, supporter of local indies, invited a few colleagues to watch the movie in galleria. i have to say i was curious: as a person who works in the industry that the movie is supposed to portray, i wanted to know how the movie will present the call center industry. i was not expecting a very realistic take on it (i mean, we all know doctors and lawyers don't really act that way in really life when we see their screen counterparts, do we?), but i did not expect the movie to be that bad.

it was so bad, i'm surprised it was deemed fit for showing.

i missed the first 20 minutes when i arrived, but from what i caught afterwards, the story revolves on a small team of call center people. there was the newbie guy, the bland but sensible girl, the efficient SME (subject matter expert), the rebellious semi-gothette, the fashion-conscious guy, and the team leader from hell.

right away i know something was missing: where was the token gay person? this is an industry teaming with all sorts gay people and not one of the cast was gay.

and by "story", i was stretching things a bit. what passes as the "story" was a series of uninteresting sketches on some of the more common call center stereotypes: getting shouted out by customers, getting mugged, anonymous sex, overbreak stories. one scene jaggedly shifts to another scene without anything making sense. perfunctory dialogues are left hanging in the air and seemed to be part of the movie only because the production team remembered that the characters ought to be talking.

i wasn't really expecting too much. i know people who would champion indies as if they are the savior of the philippine movie industry when in fact a of indies are little more than a pile of droppings. sure, there are a couple of indies that presented movies that innovative and free of the formulas of commercial cinema but that was because of a combination of good story, production, acting and post-production. if they had a big production company backing them up without restricting artistic freedom, they would still have made a good movie. being independently produced does not necessarily make a movie better.

but i wasn't expecting the movie to be this bad. a movie that presents itself as an "art" film (this movie was part of cinemalaya, after all, and so we could assume it aspire to be some movie) could say something about its subject, maybe distoring reality in the name of artistic license so it could deliver its point. or it could imitate reality and present things as they seem. or it could do both. this movie did neither. or it did things halfway but lost sight of what exactly were they trying to do.

oh, to anyone who worked in the call center industry it will look familiar, in the way that an imitation iphone looks familiar. and yet i expect call center agents watching the movie will frequently snigger because what they see onscreen is not how things really happen. not that people would mind that if there was interesting drama shown instead but there wasn't any either. who's the main character in the movie again? i kind of lost it after the eighth subplot.

sure, i could complain all i want about the story and people could say i simply have too much expectations. but i will counter, what about minor technicalities? like one should never see cameras reflected on glass in a movie. or is it too much to ask for decent sound editing; one where the dialogue volume is consistent? this is a cinemalaya-sponsored movie; i've seen students films that are way better made than this.

it simply was a waste of money. my co-workers asked if i want to stay and watch the beginning of the movie but i said i wasn't willing to waste my time further.

Soleil all over you, warm sun pours over me.

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:33:49 GMT

Faith pours from your walls, drowning you calls.
I've tried to hear, you're not near.
Remembering when I saw your face
Shining my way, pure timing.
Now I've fallen in deep slow silent sleep.
It's killing me, I'm dying

To put a little sunshine in your life...

echos-only please, already.

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:12:09 GMT

i don't see the point in forcing people at work to speak only in english if there are no attempts to correct incorrect grammar, neutralize accent or avoid "filipinisms"; what ends up happening is that people continue to practice language mistakes. the reason the english-only policy was implemented was to improve people's language skills, and yet there doesn't seem to be any concrete effort in that regard.

people are just making up for their initial lack of confidence in speaking a second language by talking louder and acting more obnoxious while they continue to malign a language they won't bother to learn properly.

birthday blues.

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:50:42 GMT

next year's birthday will not be spent working. nobody should spend their birthdays working alone. it makes one think of opening a window and jumping off from the 15th floor. it's not fun.

right now i have to think of the friends i'm expecting later. i haven't decided what to cook. it's either pasta or curry. i could use the bacon for an alfredo sauce. and my alfredo isn't too bad now.

man, i want these things i'm doing over and done with so i could go home. i have to stop and write every couple of minutes or i will start attacking the guard on this floor.

i hope i won't end up collapsing later.