Dead Thoughts

I just woke up from a long sleep that was neither refreshing nor restful. I had an odd dream that I was conducting an interview with Naima from America's Next Top Model 4. I seriously find it particularly weird because not only don't I care much about her (because I like Brita), but I only saw one episode- and that's the one where Brita got the boot.

Here's something to wait for! And I'm a little excited, especially since I missed on last year's leg, where they featured my favorite bands (Twisted Halo, Sugar Free, Imago, Cambio among others), simply because I didn't have the cash.
Now, this year's event features 6Cyclemind, Hale, Itchyworms, Urbandub, UpDharmaDown and The Dawn. Athough I must admit that I'm not that excited with The Dawn being in the list, and I care about Hale as much as I would a wart in some Chinese girl's toe in Tibet. But Urbandub and UpDharmaDown makes the event a whole lot more interesting!

I've been wanting to buy Budjette Tan and Ka-Jo Baldisimo's collaborative work titled Trese. It's an awesome work that is expressed in monochromatic pages ala-ashcan comic.
It features occult investigator Alexandra Trese as she investigates one mystical case to another, spanning mostly everything from local mythical creatures to crime noir stories.
And this is a great project for Alamat Comics, since it has been a while since they released something new. And I am determined to collect each and every issue. Even if you can read some of the issue here, I still prefer the feel of the pages of the comic in my fingers.

During the start of the week, I made the mistake of passing by Megamall on the way home. And almost impossible to avoid was a casual peek at both Comic Quest and Filbar's. And now, I'm itching to buy both the compiled editions of X-Men: Age of Apocalypse and DC's Infinity Crisis.

So I'm guessing Infinity Crisis is created in the mold of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour; a way to wipe the entire DCU slate clean and restart the entire universe. While X-Men:Age of Apocalypse is the compiled edition of the Age of Apocalypse phenomenon Marvel launched during the late 90s. Although I've managed to read some issues and eventually how the entire event concluded, I want to read the entire story to know how the other books' scenarios affected the main storyline.

My first rest day in the production floor is nearly over. And since it's a Friday, most of my friends are probably out partying or in some bar getting too drunk, while I'm at home trying to recuperate from an untterly exhausting week. Frankly, I was beginning to think that the week would never end and I ended up forgetting what day it was. Those were two very unpleasant feelings I did'nt really miss when I resigned from Ambergris. Plus add the bizarrely savage treatment I got from my TM during our talk, and I guess it's safe to say that I WANT OUT!


In a few hours, I will be going to bed and sleep. And I am desperately hoping that when I wake up, I'd find myself still working on the Tanduay Cofeetable Book!


I sorely miss seeing my byline printed in a newly published copy of a magazine. Those were the days when I had fun interacting with people, interviewing sources and finding time to write for other magazines on the side. Those were simple days when my biggest joy would be to get a free CD of a band inside the PR kit for an event I'm covering.



I miss Admit One and, of course, Twisted Halo so much. The crux of the matter is that I miss the entire gig/concert setup of a stage (no matter how small), screeching guitars, pounding skins and the cheering crowds and hearing my own voice go out as I shout my aggressions away. I miss feeling the bass drums and bass guitars vibrating through the floor, the guitar solos and the effects crawling up my skin to the tips of every strand of my hair and the everyone singing in unison.

It's the communion of music. A mosiac of emotions and every sensation trickling from every iota of your being, as you are transported from one facet of your psyche to another tucked in the pocket of your sanity, where everything cascades in the ebb and flow of the rhythm, and all confines of the physical attributes have no recourse than to anwer to the beat.

This is the cabbalistic chant of he soul.

I am now in the middle of my second week of aBay. Got past the first one without a cinch, but for this week, all nine of us remaining ZEN TS agents were divided for the other teams to partake.

Last Friday I asked our beloved floorwalker if I have a nice TM. She frowned. I stared unblinking at her.

So I let the week slide.

Moday. Got to meet the dreaded TM. Although I didn't sense anything sinister in her aura, I can't help but think of how the week would end up.

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

The week seemed to be exhaustingly long, the calls dragging and I found myself surprisingly somewhat uptight, somehow I felt I wouldn't like my stay with my new team wouldn't be that pleasant.
I dropped by the church on the way home and attended mass. My first mass in a while. Surprisingly, I finally felt relaxed. The priest's sermon was about asking/expecting something in return. And it sounded like it was directed towards me.

Thursday. I started the day, with remnants of the inner peace I encountered the day before. Got to the MRT station at around 5:15am so I knew I was gonna be early. However, it wasn't until 6:00am when a train did pass by- and I had no idea why. I guess this is what literature majors would consider an omen: something seething was on its way. Suddenly lost my peaceful state of mind.

Halfway through my shift, my TM talked to me. Apparently, there's a 75% chance I 'd get the boot even before the week is over. Good grief! This was one of the reasons why I was eager to migrate to Xbox; I knew my technical skills all too well to expect myself to pass this account.

So, Xbox or no Xbox, I want out! Now!

I was browsing through Jenn's blog when I happened upon a post. It's probably one of those forwarded emails but I still think they're funny. And since I am indeed in a crossroad (sorta like a pre-mid-life crisis really) because I know I'm getting OLD (a feeling that is both equally overwhelming and confusing), I found it appealing that some of them are actually applicable- although I won't tell which ones are.

25 ways to know if you've grown up...
1. Your house plants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
6. You watch the Weather Channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of "hookup" and "break up."
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."
10. You're the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won't turn down the stereo.
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
16. You take naps.
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead ofthe beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff"
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
22. "I just can't drink the way I used to" replaces "I'm never going to drink that much again."
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking "Oh sh** what the hell happened?"

Bonus: 26: You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn't apply to you and can't find one to save your sorry old ass. Then you forward it to a bunch of old friends 'cause you know they'll enjoy it and do the same!

May 2006. During my initial application interview, Dodie (my interviewer / accent trainer) asked me if there was an account I’d specifically want to be a part of. I answered promptly: “I’d LOVE to be with XBOX.” And it was to my slight dismay that when I was called back, I was proudly told by an HR person, “Congratulations for passing our evaluations for the Technical Support positions.” I was mildly stunned. Me? Tech support? I don’t even believe in my own technical skills, and now people from the US are gonna call me up for technical help/advice?

But I decided to go along the flow, hoping that there’d be a chance to move to Xbox. Hey, if the opportunity doesn’t show itself, I can always wait until the sixth month (IF I survive the initial months) and resign and go back to writing and research work.

Jump to our last week of Product Specs. People from up above (aka the Big Bosses) got inside our doorknob-less training room and announced that they were looking for agents to migrate for the new Xbox CS account. And that made the entire class think about their future with this company; and both Jenn and I squirmed with delight! Xbox was, after all, the entire reason why I even decided to march with my resume in tow and sought employment here despite my inner writer’s protests.

And so naturally I signed up and had my interview a week later. The next day was our second day of nesting, some of my batchmates were being pulled out one by one and asked to go a room, with glass windows. I could see them all sitting and looking at each other, wondering what it was all about.

A few minutes later, I could see them staring intently at someone I couldn’t see, and then came their exultant cheers. They turned to me and motioned that they have just been accepted for Xbox.

I didn’t. Blast it!