Starry Red Room

To Edit: Previous Post

2009-11-10T23:11:00.001+08:00

So I didn't ACTUALLY fail the CPA Board Exams. I got a conditional grade. =)

Back to overachieving again. =D

How Much I Miss My Overachiever Me

2009-10-19T23:07:00.002+08:00

During Nursery, I remember being the star of my small school. To my classmates, I was Madonna. I could dance to La Bamba gracefully with a drop of a hat. I graduated armed with a gold medal. First Honor.

When I moved to a bigger school in EDSA, my dear JASMS, things didn't change much. I was still getting good grades, gaining a lot of friends and excelling on various extra curricular activities. Through the years I have cultivated beautiful friendships with a lot of my classmates and while at it, I still managed to maintain the O's (Outstanding) in my report cards. I was a part of our class volleyball team, class cheering squad, participated in unforgettable school plays and performed a lot of dance presentations. My life was such a breeze.

When I transferred to an exclusive school for girls in Cubao, I got really scared of the new environment, but still got through it all. Almost graduated from grade school with a certificate of recognition. In high school, I kinda messed up with my peers early on but eventually got back on my feet halfway. I never ceased in joining extra curricular activities such as dance contests and etc. In my Freshmen year, I was one of the fortunate cheerdancers who made it through the rigorous try outs for the Pep Squad. By my Junior year, I was topping the class with my unbelievable Chemistry and English grades. It was in my High School when I fell in love with Taekwondo and vowed to become a blackbelt someday. Juggling my academic life and my sports -- life, still, wasn't that complicated for me.

I took only four college entrance exams. I got cut off in the quota of UP. Gracefully flunked Ateneo (couldn't afford the tuition fee even if I did pass). Passed the De La Salle University exam with the special privilege to take Advanced Placement Exams. Passed the UST exam for my first and second choice of courses. I maintained very good grades during my GenEd years. While focusing on my academics, I still got my license as an Open Water Scuba Diver under PADI. I earned my Taekwondo Blackbelt Degree, received my Instructor's license and even qualified to become a national referee. On the latter part of my sophomore year, I took the qualifying exams for my majoring. Passed all the exams for Business Administration, Economics and the much coveted, Accountancy. I even placed in the top section, A1. With the height of my achievements, I didn't know if it was still possible for me to fall down. But I did.

In my Junior year, I have experienced my first failure. For someone who topped her high school class, who didn't receive a grade either than an O or an AA in elementary, failure is like taking a bullet, a shotgun bullet. Not one but three failures in my majoring years. I didn't know honestly what had gone wrong. Did I choose the wrong course? But I didn't dwell on that notion, and still took my first CPA board exams which I flunked as well.

I took some time pondering my situation and eventually gave it up and faced the real world. I entered the corporate world. Still a part of me is still missing, the title of being a CPA. After 3 long years, I tried another shot. Dropped everything in my table and focused on the upcoming exam. To my frustration, I still failed. I have called all the saints in heaven, bought all the books and studied as much as I possibly can. Still I failed. For an overachiever, failure is poison.

How to move on?

Why I still call it Swine Flu

2009-06-21T01:50:00.001+08:00

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http://starryredroom.blogspot.com

It's been months since this rare strain flu virus came out. Now WHO declared the pandemic and this scares the shit out of me. One reason and perhaps the only reason is the fact that I'm such a sickly person who boasts a stunning record of 2 fevers, daily allergies, 3-day dysmenorrhea, 2 sore throat/tonsilitis -- all of these in one month! Yes, one month and I can make any small clinic rich! Growing up, I have been confined in the hospital twice. First was due to UTI, plus Primary Complex and Typhoid Fever. Mind you, I was confined for the 3 diseases. Next was due to a stupid accident where I fell from my double decked bed. Yes, I fractured my arm. So my unbelievably low resistance immune system coupled with clumsiness and bad luck, I am a walking magnet for illnesses. That's the reason why I had to cover my nose the entire time I'm out of the house nowadays. I'm too cool to wear a face mask so I had to bear with having to hold my hanky to my nose. If this keeps off the virus then I would tirelessly do this. So why do I still call A (H1N1) Influenza, Swine Flu? Simply because I refuse to add another scary disease in my disease vocabulary. I've had enough.

Week 3: So where's Week 2?

2009-06-14T16:21:00.001+08:00

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http://starryredroom.blogspot.com

I wasn't able to post a week 2 blog for the simple reason that I'm just too lazy to write one. Week 3 was boring so I figured a tweet about week 3 will suffice. So now I will blog about the two review weeks that had gone by. Week 2 was my birthday week, although I didn't tell anyone in the review that I was celebrating my birthday on the coming Saturday. I was still playing snob so my classmates doesn't have to know. Although my seatmate and I have finally broken the ice.. We discussed one problem that he failed to catch the reviewer's dictated answer. Just a few lines. Atleast I have mustered the courage to finally ask him where is the CPAR bookstore located. LOL I am a few lectures behind some subjects but I feel like I can still catch up. The new books are teeming on my desk, cursing me to atleast touch them. I will, I'm just trying to find some free time with all my facebook, Sims 3 and all that crap. Somebody slap me back to my review! Week 3 was boring for the simple fact that the Commission on Higher Education declared suspension of classes. Yes we are not in college but according to our Review Director we have to comply with the rules. Anyway this Swine Flu is starting to get out of hand. Or it already is. I'm overdosing myself with vitamin C. That is all with my week 2 and 3 weeks. I'll probably blog about my birthday in another entry.

Week 1: Feels Like Kindergarten Once Again

2009-05-31T02:39:00.004+08:00

This week, my CPA review classes started. As anxious as I was back when I was still in kindergarten, I just took solace on the fact that my classmates are probably 3-4 years younger than I am. Why feel scared? My seatmate, a guy named Bon Jovi, turned out to be the complete opposite of what I imagined. I thought he would look like a short curly haired dorky kid who loves classic rock bands just because he was named after one. Surprised as I was, my seatmate was an average looking guy who could possibly pass as Richie Sambora's kid with Heather Locklear. Didn't talk to him because I was still expecting the short curly haired dork. Sorry for digressing. Anyway, the week started great because the first subject was Law. I don't know if fate was telling me that I was on the wrong class because I shouldn't be pushing myself into this CPA mess once more and I should be taking up Law at this point in time. But then again, I realized that having Law as a the first subject is probably one way of keeping my attention to this review. I fell in love with Law once again because of the remarkable Law Reviewer of CPAR. The other reviewers were also quite interesting. The legendary Valix's son is actually one of my reviewers. Other legendary authors such as Roque, Bobadilla and Ibay are also on the roster. One letdown for this week is learning the fact that Sir Christopher German was not going to teach in my class. The only reason why I transferred in CPAR was because I might be able to get my motivation once again by hearing Sir German's lectures. But then again, I think, the license itself is the biggest motivation that I have right now. Through all these first week jitters, I think I have done it quite well. I'll just have to keep my pace steady as I sail along the coming four months till October 2009.

I STILL Get Cloned A Lot

2009-03-23T11:54:00.002+08:00

As my Plurk, Multiply and Myspace tagline goes "I get cloned a lot", again, I have been victimized by cloning. The other day, I was stumbling on webpages that could help me increase my productivity as a VA and I found this awesome page that lists online productivity tools for VA's. I saw this Copyscape website which checks a website if its content is copied by another site/blog. Randomly, I typed in my wordpress blog, and horror of all horrors, I found a blog that copied one of my posts verbatim! What makes it more infuriating is that this guy who copied my post, reposted "Dating a Rockstar 101" in his post and did not credit me or whatsoever. He didn't even change any word, which makes him look like a complete idiot because I was retelling my dating stories with my husband. Come on! This plagiarizer is a DUDE! And my blog contains phrases like, "my husband is like this and blah blah blah" I also namedropped Steve and Chi in my blog there. What are the chances that this plagiarizer who happens to be a dude, really has a husband, and has a band called Typecast, with Steve and Chi as members? I never thought that I will become a victim of plagiarism! I have never done plagiarism in my entire life, even while I was still a student. I do respect people's intellectual properties. I can't believe that hacking is not the only thing that I should be worried about in the Internet. I really have to be wary of people with no morals and take credit out of other creative people's output.

Now, my wordpress blog is private. Will open it up again as soon as my wounds have healed.

SLEEP EARLY: FAIL

2009-03-22T23:16:00.002+08:00

Given last week's working schedule dilemma, I have vowed to sleep early so that I can wake up early and have enough time to work during daytime. Well here's the result: FAIL.

I found out that I couldn't sleep early without having to take Trianon's Melatonin pill. And I couldn't keep myself away early in the morning without having to resort to brewed coffee. I am still the old Ana who works more efficiently during night time. Ugh. Old habits are surely hard to break.

One of my favorite online assignments have come to an end. I feel so sad because I have become attached to the company and to my boss who is such a dear person. If only my real life bosses are as nice as her, I'm sure I wouldn't get burned out even after 5 years of working for the same person. =D Anyway, the company is just starting out so my services as a VA isn't needed for now. I have established their social networking accounts so, they are pretty to good to run on their own. I never thought that it's possible to be attached to any of my online jobs. I thought online gigs are very short term and there are no room for loving your work or a particular assignment. Perhaps this assignment had made me feel important, a boost to my self confidence, that's why I have learned to love the job.

I hope in the future, I could again land on another good assignment worth remembering.

Working Schedule Dilemma

2009-03-15T00:17:00.004+08:00

I have been working online for a few months now and I am starting to get the vibe of doing so. I may have trouble keeping myself awake in the morning, but the beauty of working online is that you can compensate your missed morning hours at night. I usually wake up at around 7-8am to cook my husband's packed lunch and breakfast. I prepare his bag, clothes and etc since I do know how it feels when you NEED to wake up early and you would have to endure a long day in the office. Helping him out with his morning routine could make him feel a tad better at the start of the day. As soon as he leaves, I check my email to see if I have instructions from my buyers (bosses in the regular dayjob setup). I try to organize my to-do list for the day and start working on the task that is the easiest to finish and work my way to the taxing ones. When my morning coffee wears off, usually after an hour of working, I sleep till lunch time. Right after lunch, I would feel really energetic and more alert so at this point I log hours of work for different buyers. By 6pm, I start cooking our dinner. When my husband gets home by 7pm, we have dinner and usually finish after 2 hours (we usually watch a downloaded movie each time). After we finish with all the chores, we face our respective computers. He does freelance website design at his spare time and I go back to my online assignments. I normally finish off at around 2am. This had been my routine for the past couple of months. This really works for me but then I noticed that I really get a hard time in picking up sleep when I retire past midnite. I always end up sleeping at around 3-4am. My father warned me about this terrible sleeping habit and I am now trying to reevaluate my working/sleeping habits and try to come up of a way to improve it.

Problem: Dozing in the morning
Solution: Sleep earlier at night. Look for another coffee brand. Irish Cream does not seem to work for me.

Problem: Finish working at 2am
Solution: Be strict with working schedule. 10 hours a day max. No excuses, shorten breaks. Concentrate on work. Find more online productivity tools.

Problem: Mild insomnia
Solution: Sleep before midnight.

Looks pretty easy to me. I'll try this next week. I'll be back with a blog on the results. =D

Home Cubicle

2009-03-08T01:55:00.003+08:00

I used to love my office cubicle from my second (and longest job I've had since graduation) job. I was in the middle. Hidden from unwanted peering eyes, if you know what I mean. *winks* It's not that I'm buys doing some illegal activities in my small and hidden cubicle, it's just that I value my privacy so much that it irritates me when people just pay me an unwanted visit without any forewarning or whatsoever. Yes, too much coffee gets me jumpy.

So going to the contents of my office cubicle, I used to have my unreliable desktop computer.
Windows XP.
No internet browsing, strictly for email.
TurboNote, the local network messaging system which also serves to constantly remind of tasks.
Cellphone at one side.
iPod on my lap, using one of the earphones. Listening to iPods, MP3 players and other music players are strictly prohibited. I can't agree with this rule since I am REALLY picky with music and the office centralized radio is no good.
4 magazine boxes on the table which contains most of my current files.
In/Out Tray which never seems to stop from teeming.
Logbook for my outgoing reports.
Other office supplies.

Those are the stuffs I used to work with. Seems that it had made work run quite smoothly.

I am now trying to figure out now if what I have at home cubicle is enough to make my online work run smoothly.

Asus Laptop
Windows Vista
Internet - Smart Broadband
AVG Antivirus with Identity Protection
iPod with speakers
Cellphone and Landline at one side
Belle De Jour Planner to write down deadlines and stuffs to do
Webmail Notifier to keep track of my 2 emails every 3minutes
Dictionary

Now I am searching for other online tools which I can use to replace my in/out tray and logbook. I use Microsoft Excel for now but I was thinking that maybe I can find other web based tools that I can use to make my work easier.

Any tips?

Breaking My Resolution

2009-03-03T21:49:00.005+08:00

I would have to forget that I did promise myself that I should not work on a job that has the word "assistant" in the title. Just for now. Anyway, I am enjoying what I do at the moment. Enjoying for me meant painting a smile on my face because I learned a couple of brilliant things. Enjoying meant winking my left eye because I am trying to understand a thing or two.

Here are a few things that I've learned while working at home:

1. Google Calendar -the second link to your top left. Yes, never noticed it? Welcome to the club. I just had my first hand experience with Google Calendars when a buyer asked me to handle her appointments. Surely, this web tool is something that any busy person should utilize. So if you're online almost 24/7 and you tend to forget millions of tasks to do, try Google Calendar.

2. Ubiquitous - it's a Firefox add-on (or extension) that basically serves as your online personal assistant. Just a simple click of a Ctrl-Space, you summon the tool. Basic commands are emailing someone, mapping, defining terms, translating words or phrases and wikipedia. I use the dictionary most frequently since searching for a definition of a word doesn't have to take ten years anymore.

3. Del.icio.us - and why didn't I ever learned how to do this before? I'm a big fan of bookmarking pages and it's really annoying when you already bookmarked a page that you like in a one computer (ofcourse the link was too long to remember) but then you have to access the bookmarked page in another computer. Sucks, eh? Delicious made things easier for me by keeping my bookmarked lists just one click away.

4. Paypal - the way to go. =) The accountant side of me had won again. oDesk presented different methods of withdrawing your hardearned money. oDesk debit card seems to be the easiest way to withdraw your cash. But with all the add-on fees? Nah thanks. Paypal may seem more complex but it has lesser fees and more transparent view of your money.

5. Time Management - one thing that my boss in my previous company always reminded me. The sure way to effiiciency is by learning the art of Time Management. I've bookmarked a couple of time management tips for virtual assistants that I really thought was very insightful. Here's the link of the best one for me.

6. Webmail Notifier - even before my online work days, I have been a big fan of the Firefox Webmail Notifier. It keeps me posted on all incoming emails that I have in all the email addresses that I maintain. Now that I do online work and most of my conversations with my bosses are via email, the webmail notifier had made me alert on instructions sent to me.

7. Mouse Wheel - also even before being an internet researcher, the mouse wheel had worked wonders for me. Made my browsing a breeze. Just a click of the wheel on a link, voila, the link is opened on a new tab. Click of the wheel on the tab, closes the tab. Why am I adding this in my list? For the simple reason that it makes my research easier than ever. Just googling a word or phrase and wheel click everything. Fast and efficient.

8. Importance of a Blog - yes, I do keep another blog wherein I rant mostly about my relationship with my husband. And this blog is supposed to remind me of everything I do for my future possible alzheimer-ed self. I have learned that blogs also help you sum up what you have learned in the process and makes you remember it fully and more effectively.

These are the few things, so far, that I have learned while working online. I am certainly sure that someday, when I have decided to change my career path, again, these stuffs will still come useful.

Perhaps my breaking my resolution isn't so bad after all.

Job of the Future

2009-03-01T17:27:00.003+08:00

I have quit my dayjob in preparation for my review this coming May 2009. For a few days I am enjoying work-free days. Waking up anytime that I want. Watching Sex and the City round the clock. Staring at the ceiling. Chatting with Melvin online. Stumbling upon different websites. Facebook fest. Practically everything unproductive. For those days, I have figured out that I am more than these. I am a person who loves doing productive activities. I prefer reading books to enrich my vocabulary instead of learning the latest gay lingo. I prefer to work instead of just sitting here lazily. Ok maybe I exaggerated on the last one.

I embarked on the quest of finding ways to make my time productive while I am a bum. First thing I considered productive was working for this British DJ who gave me my big break in oDesk.com. I logged hours for his assignment more than I thought I would be able to do so. I skipped going to my husband's gigs just to log longer hours. Earning that few dollars per hour had been so important to me to the point that I got hooked to it. So I maximized my weekly online job application limit and started applying to interesting jobs. It had been a bit unfortunate since out of 10 applications I manage to have only 1 or 2 interviews. This online work is so much tougher competition than the actual work outside the Internet. I remember applying for several jobs and I get to be interviewed by most of the jobs and end up getting different salary offers. But this internet work competition is fiercer than ever. Or maybe perhaps the skills required for my job bracket are pretty much easier to be very good at. Unlike my actual degree of BS Accountancy. That could be the case. So I analyzed my skills and made really good cover letters to be considered by buyers of services (employers in the real world). I learned that I do enjoy social networking and doing it for extended periods of time doesn't bother me at all. Also, I do enjoy doing internet research since learning new things about different fields seems to fascinate me. With this, I applied for different social networking and internet research jobs. That's the time I got more interviews. And a few unsolicited invites to be interviewed. Even if I am really appreciative of the interest in my profile and services, I still make it a point to choose my buyers. based on how they handle interviews and their buyer feedbacks. I know I'm not supposed to be the picky end since I am the one looking for the job, but I don't want to work for someone who will probably give me a problem in the future. So out of the interviews that I received, I have picked a few buyers who are really nice, accomodating and most importantly, smart. I want to learn from my buyers and make them serve as my inspiration in striving to have what it takes to be successful and perhaps become a buyer myself in the future. It's like aspiring to become a boss as well.

I now maintain two excellent assignments in oDesk. One asks me to do research on a sport I have never tried and have no intention of trying (but I still enjoy learning its technicalities). Another asks me to maintain her schedule and appointments as well as do research in various topics. Both of them very witty. Both of them enrich my mind as well as my pocket. =)

After a few weeks of earning in oDesk, I have grown more interested in doing freelance jobs online and so I bumped into Elance.com. Another freelancing site that offers almost the same features as oDesk. I signed up and applied for 3 jobs. Turns out that elance have less credits for you to apply for jobs as compared with oDesk. So I just let my elance account rest for a while. After some time, I got invitations to apply for certain jobs, to my surprise the jobs are very interesting since it involves my favorite online task, social networking. I sent out my applications, and alas, error. Elance is really strict in the 3 job applications limit per account per month and I was redirected in purchasing a paid account. I decided not to avail of the paid account and ignored the invitations. A few days passed, I browse back to my invitations, and said to myself that these jobs are too good to be ignored. So I signed up for the paid account, using my oDesk hard earned money. I applied for the invitations and got the jobs! I then figured out that paying for an account in Elance is all worth it. I now enjoy working for my new buyers via elance.

That's my story about my two freelance account which is now providing additional income for me and my husband. It could even slap my old paychecks in my previous dayjobs. So is online freelancing work the job of the future? Are we all going to resort to work at home jobs in the years to come? It is a good future but then the Wall-E population gives me the creeps.

Day 3 in UP Fair 2009 - Amplified

2009-02-12T17:51:00.003+08:00

I wasn't able to catch my brother Jacques perform last night. They were set to play at around 8pm and Typecast's call time was around 11pm. Sad, that I didn't catch my brother play once again. A bit guilty since I can watch Melvin's band whenever I want to but I have never seen my brother play live. Next time, I promise to do so.

The other thing that bothered me that night was...

...what happened to Jamir? Why so fat?

WORDPRESS

2009-02-11T08:30:00.002+08:00

I decided to put up a Wordpress blog. Out of curiosity and consistency. I'd like to keep this blog (Blogspot) to contain all my random thoughts about my life excluding my stories about my marriage. The wordpress blog will be mainly about my relationship with my husband. Simply stating, Blogspot = Life in General while Wordpress = Love.

So gay?

Bear with me.

Look Book

2009-02-05T12:14:00.002+08:00

Finally, I got in Lookbook.nu!

It took me a few weeks to figure out how to get an invite in that prestigious fashion invite-only social networking site. It was crazy. Begging one blog to another to give me an invite. Luckily, I was smart enough to get in, how? Top secret. Now? I'm willing to pass it on... If a random person stumbles in my blog wants an invite, just message me.

Here's my first entry
So whaddaya think?

Oink

2009-01-30T00:24:00.003+08:00

PIG FORECAST for 2009

The Pig is an innocent, sweet and lovable personality. They can also be quite melancholy and over-sensitive. The Pig loves the company of others, and adores parties, gossip and chit chat. They are highly intelligent, but prefer to keep this side of their nature under wraps. The Pig does not care that much for money, but is one of the zodiac signs that is very lucky.

Forecast for 2009: 2009 should prove to be a lucky and encouraging year for all Pigs. Interesting offers and chance meetings can occur at any time of the year and the Pig needs to be alert and aware for any lucky breaks. With such a hectic year, it’s important for the Pig to make time for fun and relaxation and travel may be one way to do this. It’s also an excellent year to review his diet and fitness regime, as he needs to be in top form for such an active schedule. April to July will bring happy times for love and relationships, while August and September bring interesting offers on the work front, particularly in relation to publishing and writing.

Taken from http://www.sipc.edu.ph/Ramil/articles/pig-2009-forecast/

Considering me being a bum at the start of the year... I guess it's a slow start for my fat ass. When do I expect these hectic schedules, chance meetings and lucky breaks? I guess, it is YET to come. Right now, I'm setting my head to feel busy with my virtual work. Perhaps I should start wearing office clothes at home just to set the working mood. Oh heck, I should love my job now since it doesn't scold me if I log in late. Or if I am wearing inappropriate clothes. This is probably the best job ever. It's like being homeschooled. The perks of your home. Earning dollars while watching Sex and The City. No, that's not my job. I meant, I can multitask without raising eyebrows from superiors. As long as I'm delivering the tasks needed, I'm good. This is the life.

Going back to the forecast, I'm particularly interested with the forecast regarding career offers in writing and publishing. Do I actually have a future there? I mean, I know I should have taken up Journalism in college since writing is my first love. And it is what I am good at. But now, I think I have already missed a lot in honing my writing skills. Wasted too much time in debits, credits and financial statements instead of learning the million idioms I can possibly use in my daily conversations or blogs.

Did I really make the wrong career choice?

Seeing CAPTCHAs

2009-01-20T00:32:00.002+08:00

OMG! If only Captcha's are food, I would look like a whale now. I've been dealing with Captcha's for the past few hours. Yes, the jumbled picture letters to monitor if you're human or not. If only I could slap Myspace to prove I'm human. I've started working online for a British DJ last Sunday. It was fun, my boss was very warm and friendly. So far, I don't have any problems in dealing with him. I'm actually enjoying the work he assigned to me. It's pretty easy actually. Just adding Myspace & Facebook friends and promoting his webradio. Basic and fun. But those CAPTCHA's are starting to get to me. Oh darn it...

Got to rest my eyes for now. Probably write a longer blog regarding my new work soon.

CPA...soon,,,

2009-01-17T20:10:00.003+08:00

I did enroll today! Finally decided to review in CPAR after several months of stressing which review school should I take. ReSA, my former review school, CTDI a review school with plenty of UST professors, or the UST Review School which up to now, I don't know if they have established it already or not. I felt relieved that finally I have enrolled myself. Next step will be the review proper and the exam itself. I am pretty much confident that I'll be more focused this time. I have been craving to be a student once again for a few years now, now I'm gonna be one again! Although I hated the fact that Melvin and I got ripped off by a stupid pedicab driver who asked us to pay him 20 bux per head. It wasn't even a special trip, we were jampacked inside the pedicab! Welcome back to Manila.

Going back to the lighter side, I'm glad that Sir German is still a reviewer in CPAR and hopefully I'll bump into his class. Christopher German is one of my two favorite professors in UST. He taught Constructive Accounting and Practical Accounting 2. I wouldn't have understood Prac2 without his lessons. He was my perfect kind of mentor. If only he was my professor in ALL accounting subjects, I would have passed the Board when I first took it. But no regrets, I'm taking it again this year, hopefully I'll make it this time. I moving towards my good luck charm, my favorite professor. And perhaps relying my fate on CPAR which had established itself prestigiously in the Accounting world.

Perhaps also relying on my luck on my seatmate, Bon Jovi. Hahahaha...

A Virtual What?

2009-01-13T23:40:00.002+08:00

For the past few days, I've been beautifying my account in a virtual assistant website. Yes, I'm looking for a job which won't require me to face my boss. Or even talk to the Personnel Department. Phobia, eh?

So, I've been trying to convince myself that I am very marketable and sooner or later, a Buyer of my services would contact me and pay me to work for him/her. Apparently, it's taking too long. No Buyer takes interest on my experience-less profile. How the hell will I gain experience if no one would hire me? And I'm turning green with envy towards other profiles which are teeming with assignments. God, what is wrong with me?

I'll be waiting. I'll give it a week.

I won't lose hope. Just as Travis from Gym Class Heroes says, On the scale of one to awesome, I'm the shiiiiiiit!

Officially A Bum in a Few Days

2009-01-12T00:30:00.002+08:00

Counting days had never been this exciting. This is practically the next most exciting countdown I've ever had after my countdown till my wedding. I can't wait to be an official bum. And yes it all happens on the 26th of this month. A great way to start the Chinese New Year. Feng Shui. To get rid of bad vibes. Hahaha! I don't even know if I used Feng Shui correctly. Oh well, semantics.

My BDJ planner had been working wonders since 2009 started. I have written under the 2009 Career Goals, "To land on a job without the word 'Assistant' on the title", and yes, I decided to turn my back on my current job. Because of the word 'assistant' in my title. I need growth. I need a promotion. Since the word 'promotion' is not a household name in our office, it's about time to move on.

Right now I am venturing the world of remote careers. Virtual jobs and the like. I wonder how's it like to work for someone oceans apart from you. It will be terrific. Distance is a good factor to eliminate pressure. I can't wait to work for a company earth's-radius-far away from me.

I can't wait to party.

Oh by the way, I quit my job today

2009-01-08T23:41:00.003+08:00

Yes, I did. It was brutal. It was sick. So why stay?

The letter I made, or partially made was short and sweet.

RE: RESIGNATION

Dear Madame:

I would like to formally tender my resignation from ... , effective January 26, 2009.

In this regard I would like to especially thank you and my co-employees for making my stay with the company worthwhile. Further, I have enjoyed working for the company in the Finance Department from which I have gained a lot of experience.

However, in order for me to move further in my career, I have decided to accept a job offer as Junior A/R Specialist, for a BPO company situated in Araneta Center, Cubao.

Again, Thank you.

Sincerely,

Your Biggest Loss Ever

Well, I didn't really write the "Your Biggest Loss Ever" part.

But it would have been cool if I did.

How do I ache thee? Let me count the ways.

2009-01-05T23:09:00.003+08:00

It's cold and my old knee injury is hurting again. I twisted my right knee while I was in high school during a Tae Kwon Do training. This is one of the many injuries I have incurred during my Taekwondo years. God I can't believe I still feel the pain.

Yes, I have been a sickly kid while growing up. I was given the complete booster shots when I was a kid and I still wonder how could my body be this magnetic to all aches and illnesses. How could I be this unfortunate?

The year 2008 had brought me far too many illnesses. An endless battle with tonsillitis. Neverending allergies. Rhinitis. Skin allergies. Eye allergies. Name it, I have it. I ran out of sick leave credits for the whole year just because of my illnesses. The company I work for couldn't even believe I could be this sickly. Apparently, I was diagnosed as a Type A employee. Meaning, I was fit to work with no known ailments. Type A my ass. I even underwent the effin TransV because I was bleeding for more than 15 days!

Perhaps it is my lack of exercise that brought this on. I have always been a very athletic girl and I just suddenly stopped being active. Maybe my body is screaming out that I should go back to my old routine. I should take care of my self by doing my daily exercise.

Perhaps tomorrow is a good day to start.

2009! Here I come!

2009-01-04T22:49:00.003+08:00

I decided to post a picture a day starting today. A single picture that will actually remind me of what had transpired that given day. For today I placed a Belle De Jour picture.

The journal that will actually "organize" my life. Hopefully...

So what did I write in the journal?

2009 Goals

Personal Life Goals: Become a CPA by this year!

Fitness Goals: Lose Weight! Stay in the 50-55kg weight class.

Financial Goals: (i'd rather not tell)

Career Goals: (this could get me fired)

Habits to Start/Habits to Break: Go back being independent. Stop being clingy & whiny.

New Experience to Try: Work as a Freelance Bookkeeper.

New Things to Learn: Cook ala Rachael Ray!

I already have written a few stuffs to do for the first week of January, mainly about work and etc. I'm still getting the hang of "actually planning" my week's schedule. I am planning to coordinate my BDJ with this blog. I don't know if it will be a good idea or if it will only make my life more taxing than it already is. Wish me luck.

Boli

2008-12-31T00:28:00.005+08:00

I have a new addition to our bed. Please welcome, Boli the Dachshund.

Isn't it a spitting image of my real dog, Haribol the Dachshund?

Okay, maybe not that much. My husband bought me Boli to remind me of Haribol. Haribol is my dog who lives in parents' house. I couldn't take him here along with me since we live in the second floor studio type apartment. Haribol loves to move around the house and he'll instantly get bored when he stays in our apartment which he could circumnavigate in 3 seconds. Plus we don't have mice or roaches which he proudly kills everytime he sees one. My mom promised that I could have Haribol live with us when I move back somewhere near their place. Soo looking forward to it...

Haribol had been my dog for almost 5 years already. He'd been with me through thick and thin. I remember he was the first one who heard that I flunked an Accounting subject back in college. He sits on my lap whenever I cry. He sleeps on top of me when he feels like it. I secretly untie him if my dad punishes him for doing something wrong. Haribol is one of my best friends that I'm surely proud of. With that, I always long for his presence. That's why my husband bought me Boli. To constantly remind me of a very important loved one in my life. So that everytime I'm far from Haribol, Boli is here to keep me company. Without the face-licking.

Falling Out of Fall Out Boy

2008-12-30T00:02:00.006+08:00

10,500 pesos for the Patron tickets?! Are you effin' kidding me?

I have always told myself that if I would have to buy tickets to a concert it had to be the Patron tickets since it's the nearest spot to the stage. Unfortunately, it is also the priciest of them all. I'd rather not try buying the cheapest ticket since I believe my spot at home in front of my laptop logged to youtube.com is soooo much better. What made me say so? I have endured watching UAAP games back in college from the farthest part of the Araneta Coliseum and I couldn't even recognize which is the point guard and which is the coach! Good thing, they have giant screens where they post the scores. As long as UST is winning, I'm screaming! So imagine if I would have to watch Fall Out Boy from the General Admission area, which is worth 525 pesos, how could I see Pete Wentz's face or even his eyeliner? My 525 pesos would be better spent on a 500 peso load. Or a date with my husband in some fancy restaurant.

Gawd! How could they price the ticket like that? Flashback: I've watched The Moffatts Live in Manila when I was in HS. My friend and I were seated at the Patron area, 19th row to be specific. And damn, I still couldn't see so clearly since when the lights went out, everyone stood on their seats. The price of the ticket? 1500 pesos. Yep for the Patron seats. In less than 20 years, ticket prices skyrocketed.

I wonder, could it be because FOB is experiencing the US Recession and decided to pass the burden to their consumers/fans? Or could it be a case of opportunistic event organizers who knows for a fact that there are rich scene kids slash posers who are willing to pay the price?

I thought this concert was for the true blue FOB fans. The kids who save money to buy their CDs. The kids who blog and chat about FOB over the net. The kids who listen to FOB nonstop. The kids/students whose only source of income is their daily allowance. How could they afford the too expensive tickets?

I know business is business but they could at least tried to study the economic status of the Philippines before pricing tickets these high.

I am a yuppie, although it may seem unobvious. I belong to the 10,000-20,000 pesos monthly salary bracket. And I won't buy those ridiculously priced tickets.

But I still adore Pete's pete. I mean, Pete Wentz. LOL

My New Year's Resolution

2008-12-29T01:54:00.000+08:00

I do this almost every year and every year I have to break at least 50% of what I resolve to be. Still, I try to make things work by doing another list for the coming 2009. Bear with me, please.

1. Exercise daily -- or at least thrice a week.
2. Follow your Belle De Jour planner. It's meant to change your life, okay?
3. Study -- not because you need to pass the board, but because you aim to pass the board.
4. Read a good book monthly.
5. Find different ways to bond with your husband.
6. Never neglect your duties as a daughter and sister.
7. Go out with HS and College friends at least once a quarter.
8. Save 5% of your monthly income. Not just yours, but you and your husband's.
9. Maintain a positive attitude and internalize The Secret.
10. Don't break any of these.

So here it is, my new year's resolution. I guess I should have added: never miss a day in writing in your blog. But then again, I slack.