Looking forward to ordering Neil's upcoming book "Fragile Things", I will also try to order "Smokes and Murrors" on Amazon. This fast becoming an addiction (smile). I wonder if I could buy Dave McKean's artwork locally...maybe a poster or two. I can imagine it to be a little expensive.

Weekends are here again, how am I going to celebrate? I'm still not sure, hang out somewhere with friends, go home have a bit of shut eye, go to Greenbelt for coffee and more books. Nothing special really, I need to cheer up, happiness is just a state of mind James..I constantly try to remind myself. My mom use to tell me that it was raining cats and dogs when I was born...did that in fact affected my psychological makeup? (paused)

More conference meetings, this time with HP. 5:40 in the morning, a few more minutes and I'll be on my way home. On second thought, might do another hour of overtime.

11:53. Wish I didn't have to celebrate half of my birthday at the office. Sheesh. Looking forward to that Galera trip this weekend.

Quotations

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses. You build up a whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life... You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' or 'how very perceptive' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. Nothing should be able to do that. Especially not love. I hate love.

-The character "Rose Walker" in The Sandman #65

Mixed Metaphors Lyrics by Dave McKean

And when I fall asleep
the people in my life
fly swiftly to my side
and lean over my bed
and open up their heads
and let me look inside
and when I fall awake
I try to ask them why
but there's no-one to reply

And when I fall asleep
the objects in my house
move slowly to my side
and whisper secret names
the names they usually hide
and when I fall awake
I try to write them down
but real names are like sand
they spill out of my hands

And all the nights asleep
and all the counted sheep
and all the little deaths
and all the final breaths
the rubbish I have read
detritus in my head
and just as I am sure
I'm not dreaming after all
I stay and dream some more

Pissed off, lost my mp3 player on my way to work..GRRrr!!

Kudos to a fellow inkling

Two days ago, a certain "event" came about, it was during my two day off. A "certain" email was forwarded to several people in the office. Unfortunately, or if I may say fortunately it also reached certain people who were working at the top of the corporate ladder. A friend forwarded me a copy and if I may say, it is an excellent piece of work. I commend my friend Arvin for such an excellent literary piece. One thing pains me though, that such attempts like this would only just be as good as those minority politicians in congress, trying to convince the blind majority. A brave attempt but certainly will only fall into deaf ears. Your work is noted Arvin, fellow inkling. We may be labeled rebels or as such card carrying communist, but we join the ranks of those who in their own special way, try to change their world and go against the flow.

This is the unedited version.

***************************************************************************************

It is funny, really.

It is. It’s so funny that it breaks my ribs and causes my lungs to implode, I am reeling from an encroachment of sorts, albeit comical, it still stings. I know you’re feeling it too, this sudden urge to gag. You are probably in the same state as I am, clad in “corporate” clothes, glistening with sweat from the mad rush at the MRT.

We look nice, it is supposed to create an office environment to increase productivity and give a sense of self worth, isn’t it?

But really now, does anyone believe it? C’mon.

I understand FULLY the logic behind the move, some people slouch on the way they dress and this reflects on the company. A better dressed work force = better workers. Right? Not when these workers have been used to, and happy with, a dress code schedule that gave enough freedom to be both corporate chic and comfy. What has this move done but irritate the employees and further burden them.

Is how one looks really more important than the fervor one displays at work?

Three points on the matter, my dear, dear friends:

 We are in a TROPICAL country. We go home from 5am – 9am, with the later shifts getting more vitamin D than they require. It feels good to leave home in these attires at this hour, fresh from the shower and raring to go, but when you’re sleep deprived, exhausted and choked by clothes you were NEVER used to wearing…it’s a different story. Which leads me to my next salvo…
 A normal guy, especially a fresh graduate, has no more than 5 long-sleeved shirts. One he wore for his confirmation, two for different weddings and two new one he got for this job. Now, honestly, does anyone do his laundry weekly here?
 A simple question: WHY? Did our performance slump suddenly? Does our cotton shirts drain our ability to do well in our responsibilities. If I were to believe that we are just following the status quo in Torrance and Montreal, how I wish we had their weather, and their salary too…

I put myself in the opposite pair of shoes, and, rationalizing this dress code move (the height of this skit would be the hilarious need for all upper garments to be tucked) is possible, and thus I propose the following:

 We are becoming what Rory, in his speech when all of us came in, didn’t want us to think we are in: A call center. Yes, the big wigs that shape this nocturnal building of faux industrial chic design have decided to turn us into a call center. An answer in itself, this point doesn’t need explanation.
 Manila is under performing, and the excellent steps in Montreal are being enacted so as to provide guidance and tutelage. Oh-KAY.
 It’s all a joke and we’ll all end up just laughing about this in the near future.

Ah… how I wish we all have cars and don’t have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the daily commute. How easy it would be to be clad in long sleeves and collared shirts if we had the money to remodel the contents of our closets in a cinch and if we all lived in centrally air-conditioned hotels.

But the reality of the matter is: most of us live within our means: the only machinery that cools our midday forays with the sandman are your old, reliable industrial fans, we go to work using any of the four: a bus, a jeep, a public railway system or a ratty public AUV (Asian Utility Vehicle).

Not all of us leave in a perfect world.

*** I am sending this out to my friends within the office. I have no dream of starting anything outside a laugh out of this, and maybe some seconds of cerebral function. I hope they send it out too. I wish I could provide them with some kicks and giggles, and at the end of the week, we talk about, rant and laugh about it…but ultimately, there aint anything we can do about it, right? RIGHT? 

Two rootbeers later...

Sunday, 4:08 AM. Two cans of Mug rootbeer and a sandwhich later, I'm still hungry. Team 4 decided to order pizza (awesome!). I can't wait to sink my teeth into a nice juicy, slice of Monster pizza (definitely, heaven here on earth). I'm also craving for some Siu Mai and sharks fin soup, nothing beats Chinese food..(my Chinese sensibilities)

Work has always been laid back during weekends. So everybody tries to take advantage of it. Guitar playing in the background, working nightshift has never been as enjoyable as right now. I usually talk a lot about my job, it's really not because the company that I'm working for is perfect, actually it's far from being perfect. We do have our fair share of office politics, a**h****, terror bosses, hotties, jerks and weirdos..the usual stuff that comes with this kind of job. But you know what, I bet you that there are thousands of people out there who doesn't have a job, or even if they do, I betcha they don't get the same figures that we get. I'm practically just babbling along right now.

What else? I had a great date night during my off, special thanks to the Pimp Daddy...mt buddy Arvin was able to introduce me to some fine women (hehe) It's just nice to have dates all over again, get to know some new people. Life continues to be quite complicated, but I also have a lot to be thankful about and I guess that is whats most important. The be able to see beauty, to enjoy the simple and yes the best things in life are definitely free.

I was able to finish Gaiman's Anansi Boys, Matt, if you're reading this, get your butt off to Powerbooks and get one, that is if they still have a copy. That man is a genius, he has set a new standard for the genre, if not creating a totally new one. Go buy a book, lock your doors, turn off your phone, unplug your landlines, brew some coffee or make a nice hot mug of Swiss Miss and prepare to leave the world for awhile.

Coffee, I heard that StarBucks just released their new Black Apron Exclusive coffee, it's called Kopi Kampung, Indonesian Sulawesi. I'm not sure how the Starbucks critics are going to rate this but it might be a good idea to know what it taste like. Being a big fan of Indonesian coffee. If I could just get one of those Mazzer Mini E grinders, sheesh if not because they cost an arm and a leg.

The night my heart flew and crashed again

She was dressed impeccably, the scent of her perfume was sweet. She was wearing a smile that said; I'm yours tonight. I smiled back, trying my best not to look too amazed or awed. She gently slid her arms around mine. People laughing, music all around. The night, young and ours for the taking.

We sat down, I told her she looks ravishing, she smiled back and gave me that look that guys would die for. I was the master of the universe, the world is under my feet. The waiter was already standing, ready to take our order. The band started to play. Everything seemed perfect...

(to be continued)

Busy Busy

Emails, follow-up calls, rebates, authorization letters, faxes, orders...having a really really busy day. Still have not taken my lunch, oreos and C2 keeping me alive for now (lol) No work tomorrow! 2 days of rest..oh and a date for tomorrow! (haha) good thing it's payday. A movie and dinner sounds good to me, but not as exciting as moving in to my new apartment this coming month!

Looking through masks and mirrors by James Yee

I love writing. It is one of my passions in life. I usually need the refuge of my desk and the silence of my room to draw some kind of inspiration. But there are such moments when the god of words places his hand upon my shoulders and my hand begins to write.

Searching for an oasis in the middle of a transient desert, looking for meaning within the confines of the universe. Dreams, visions...they visit me as I sleep, leaving me empty as I wake up again. Phantom visitations from another world, keeping me safe from all that I have lost. Don't wake me up, let me lay down my head for awhile, let me wander through my slumber, taking refuge in a world that is not my own. If I ask, will you answer? If I look, will I find? Don't wake me up, I'm dreaming, don't wake me up, I'm trying to live.

Time to go home

It's 6:31 am so to speak, getting ready to go home. One more sale, this time for a Mac Pro! cool! These PC are just hot off the presses and it's still on backorder but once it ships, it'll be awesome. Now I'm ready to go home to get some shut eye.

updates from work

Unfortunatly, all happy endings come to an end. Mozilla is officially banned from work, I'm using the all lumbering, program they call explorer. Fortunately, we are still able to access Blogger. It seems this is to protect people from eating all up the precious bandwith of the company.

I was able to get the new Anansi Boys book, first edition so thats an added value. Have started reading through a few pages, seems like an excellent storyline. Gaiman seems to have such a huge interest in this God-Gods kind of thing. Can't wait to get through several chapters this weekend.

Orders for today, 2 MacBook Pros, not bad at all.

5:00 AM. I'm back at my desk from the training room. We did some conferencing with the guys from Edge Tech, updates on some new products and technology plus a new memory configurator site to assist us on thos complicated memory compatibility issues. Also some nifty SPIFF and rewards program for those who reach a specific sales percentage, cool gadgets by the way!

One thing that I'm also raving about, is that I'll be moving in to my new apartment very soon! It's pretty much smaller than the place I'm staying in right now but it's going to be my own place, no more pesky cousins around! (haha) I'll be needing a bit of time though to do some restyling and repainting. A Terra Cotta based color is really what I'm after, adding in some lighting to accentuate the colors. Hmm, I'm gonna need a lot more cash this coming month for this project to push through. Hopefully, I can move in early next month.

I was able to finish a book this week which is good since I was able to balance work, sleeping and reading...ah time, if I can just have more of it then my life will be perfect (lol). I almost forgot, it's Wednesday already! I have two days of peace and quiet, hoping to get some much needed R&R...hopefully.

Relationship wise, lots of recommendations, lots of future dates but unfortunately my schedule does not permit me to grab those "opportunities" (hehe)

Management has been a lil' bit on the strict side, hoping that I'll still be able to access Friendster via proxy. Hey IT, give us a break! Promise! we'll get you more sales!

Back to using Blogger

Well call me old school but I'm back to using Blogger. Friendster is officially banned from our office, thanks to the new guy. Anyway, there's still hope (hehe) thanks to good ol' Blogspot. So for the meantime, here is where I'm going to post my forthcoming posts and hopefully, we won't be seeing any red pop-out signs on our Mozillas.