2008 year-end survey

and it's that time of the year again. isa na namang year-end survey! yey! hehehe..

so far, it's been a good year. nagiging mas maayos na kami sa bahay compared dun sa mga nakaraang taon na kakawala lang ni tatay. si nanay eh moving on steady, her work helps a lot (and the "going out a lot" helps too). si kapatid na bunso eh finally getting out of his funk at buti naman eh naisipang gawing productive ang buhay n'ya at nagsimula ng magtrabaho (he's currently a barista jan sa starbucks sa U.P. TechnoHub). si isa pang kapatid na lang ang inaatay ko na talagang maging productive na mamamayang pilipino (pero feeling ko eh mas gusto nitong maging house-husband), pero sabi naman daw n'ya eh aasikasuhin na n'ya ang pamilya n'ya. ako, steady lang. hindi na ako masyadong naapektuhan nung pagkawala ni tatay. tanggap ko na ako na ang bagong "tatay" sa bahay at kailangan kong tulungan si nanay sa pagtataguyud ng pamilya. naks!

sa trabaho eh okay naman ako. finally eh nalipat na ako sa mga projects na gusto kong gawin talaga. fine, i get it na mas less ang chance na maipadala ako sa ibang bansa dahil wala na ako dun sa dati kong project, pero atleast i am doing what i really want to do, and getting a lot better at doing it. mas marami akong natutunan ngayon at excited ako na magamit ang mga yun sa mga darating ko pang mga projects.

sa buhay pag-ibig, so far so good. steady lang. it's hardwork (and in my case, i need to work overtime), pero ganun talaga. i knew what i was getting into ng makipagbalikan ako kay girlfriend, so tanggap ko yun. i love you beh! we'll get there.

itong darating na 2009, marami akong nilu-look forward. may mga bagay na sinetup ko ng 2008 at gusto ko na masakatuparan nitong 2009. tignan na lang natin.

at ito na po ang survey:

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
i guess i did. hindi na ako palaging late pumasok sa opisina (shh...), minsan na lang. hehe. yung iba nagawa ko naman and yes, i'll make more for next year. isa na jan eh titigilan ko ng tawaging "boss" yung project manager ko. hehe. ayaw daw n'ya na tinatawag ko s'yang "boss".

Did anyone close to you give birth?
nope. wala ngayon taon. pero early next year meron kaming ina-anticipate ng barkada. paunang congrats, mareng arvie! :)

Did anyone close to you die?
fortunately, not this year. sana wala muna anytime soon..

What countries did you visit?
hay.. no other countries to visit this year. :(

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
a steady and strong relationship with the girlfriend. a new place to put the computer cafe business. and a chance to go abroad again (although this one is really shooting for the moon this time).

What date(s) from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 11, 2008 - i finally signed up for the new project i was doing for 2008 and got out of the former project i was in.

September 2008 - the girlfriend and i started talking again and eventually decided to try things out one more time.

October 9 - 13, 2008 - the ilocos tour me, the girlfriend and a couple of friends have

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
work related, that would be taking lead on the projects i handled for the year. it was a great learning experience for me and i take pride in the fact that my project manager thinks that i did a good job at her absence and that she believes that i am an asset to the company. naks! now, all i have to do is be better.

home related, that would be trying to step up in my role in the family. if i'll be at least half the man my father was, that would be a better achievement for me.

and yeah, getting back together with the girlfriend.

What was your biggest failure?
hmm.. honestly, i can't remember any big failure this year. interesting.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
nothing serious.. just the normal colds during the rainy season.

What was the best thing you bought?
a Sony Bravia HDTV and a Sony DAV HDX275 Home Theater System. watching movies at home is now a different experience. hahaha!

Whose behavior merited celebration?
my youngest brother, for finally making himself kapaki-pakinabang. hehehe.

my niece, gwen, for already starting school and being good at it (i love it that she's so smart, namoro nga talaga).

and florence (hayskul classmate and bestfriend since my UP days) for being so tough despite of all the things that is happening to her lately.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
hmm..

Where did most of your money go?
bills, DVDs, graphic novels, gadgets, out of town trips, bills..

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
hmm.. the new projects i was handling, the new people i was going to work with, the new things i was going to learn. also, getting the rayama group back together and doing our thing again. im really looking forward to the other things that are planned for this year for that group. and yeah, getting back together with the girlfriend.

What song(s) will always remind you of 2008?
"Reason Why" by Rachael Yamagata, "Dice" by Finley Quayle, "Shapeshifter" by Taken By Cars

Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? -- happier!
ii. thinner or fatter? -- fatter!
iii. richer or poorer? -- richer! hehehe..

What do you wish you'd done more?
hmm.. knowing that i have the tendency to procrastinate, i wish i have given more effort to my work. i knew deep inside i could have given more.

What do you wish you'd done less of?
less being an asshole.. less going to work late..

How many one-night stands?
zero.

What was your favorite TV program?
Chuck is TOTALLY my favorite tv show of the year. and House MD too..

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
not really..

What was the best book you read?
"The Portable Atheist" by Christopher Hitchens, "Mouse Guard" by David Petersen

What was this year's greatest musical discovery?
Taken By Cars!

What did you want and get?
a new project! a new bed! a new ipod! a new TV! :D

What was your favorite film of this year?
In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Definitely Maybe, Iron Man, The Dark Knight, WALL-E, Tropic Thunder, Hellboy: The Golden Army, Burn After Reading, Cloverfield

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
for my birthday celebration, me, the girlfriend and a couple of college friends went to Vigan, Laoag & Pagudpud. and yeah, i turned 27. fuck it, i'm finally getting old.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
getting that other project/training to Spain. i was already on the list to be sent there, but as my big boss said, "we have other plans for you". back then i thought they have big plans for me, but as it turned out, they just couldn't let me go out of the current project i am in coz there is no else capable of supporting it. oh well, better luck next time.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
the corporate look.. coz that's what i need to wear every-fucking-day at the office. :D

What kept you sane?
a lot of really good music and movies and a lot of quality time at home with the family and the girlfriend.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
ellen page, FTW!

What political issue stirred you the most?
i guess the U.S. presidential elections.

Who did you miss?
my dad. as always.

Who was the best new person you met?
rachel tan, janine tantan, ellen mangandi, siegfred correa (peeps from my QS1 training)

rhea, kyle & efren (my former teammates)

shelley!

and of course, my project manager/mentor: boss debby!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
tough times never last, but tough people do!

What was the nicest thing someone told you about yourself:
the mid-year evaluation my project manager gave me. and whenever the girlfriend compliments me for some of the things i do.

the most touching experience you've had this year?
hmmm.. those talks i've had with florence, she's having a very difficult time this year and is dealing with a very big problem.

What did you like most about yourself this year?
proving to myself (and to others) that i can do a lot of good at work if given the RIGHT kind of projects to handle.

What did you hate most about yourself this year?
procrastinating.

Was 2008 a good year for you?
hell yeah!

What was your favorite moment of the year?
the Ilocos Tour me, the girlfriend and a couple of friends did during the first week of october.

What was your least favorite moment of the year?
hmmm... when i didn't get the spain gig nung august. i guess u can't have them all..

Where were you when 2008 began?
at home.. eating.

Who were you with?
family and some friends.

Where will you be when 2008 ends?
probably just here at home.. eating. :D

Who will you be with when 2008 ends?
family. some neighbours, probably.

Do you have a new years resolution for 2009?
yeah, i have some. :)

What was your favorite month of 2008?
october!

Did you lose anybody close to you in 2008?
nope. fortunately!

Did you miss anybody in the past year?
mostly my dad..

What was your favorite record from 2008?
Endings of A New Kind - Taken By Cars
Bipolar - Up Dharma Down
Paramita - Paramita
Elephants - Rachael Yamagata

How many concerts did you see in 2008?
aside from the yearly UP Fair concerts? :)

Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2008?
nope.. i really am not drinking alcohol anymore.

do a lot of drugs in 2008?
no drugs for me, thank you.

you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
yeah, i do..

How much money did you spend in 2008?
A LOT!

What was your proudest moment of 2008?
hmm.. one would be after getting my mid-year evaluations. another would be when we finished the phase 1 of the project we had.

What was your most embarrassing moment of 2008?
hah! good thing i can't remember any of those.. hehe..

What are your plans for 2009?
dream. believe. surpass!

How are you different now that the year has ended?
i am now more confident on how i do my work. i feel i am finally getting comfortable to my role at home.. and i am not single!

What are your wishes for the new year?
more projects, new things to learn, good health and luck for the family, and a strong relationship with the girlfriend.

gifts and goodies!

tangina, tama na nga muna yang profanities and hostilities. don't worry, medyo okay na ako. nakahinga na, nakapag-labas ng sama ng loob at nakakain na ng marami nitong pasko. hehe.

at dahil pasko ngayon, naisipan kong mag-post ng tungkol sa pasko. at kapag pasko eh uso ang bigayan ng mga regalo, kaya ang naisip ko na i-post ngayon eh tungkol sa mga regalo na nakuha nitong mga nakaraang araw. so, kinuhaan ko ng pics ang ilan sa mga regalo na nakuha ko at gumawa ako ng simpleng mosiac:


1. a Victorinox Commander Bag - gift sa akin ni girlfriend na kasama sa wishlist na binigay ko sa kanya. well, hindi ko naman specifically nilagay na Victorinox bag ang gusto ko, sabi ko lang eh messenger bag ang style at pwede ko magamit sa office as well as sa gimikan. i love it. hehe.

2. a pair of Converse sneakers - ito naman eh gift ko sa sarili ko. i love the geekiness of the design. pati boss ko eh inaasar ako na masyado ko naman daw pinaninindigan ang pagiging geek ko at pati design ng sapatos ko eh ganyan.

3. Armando Caruso argyle socks - gift ulit sa akin ni girlfriend. gusto n'ya kse na meron akong bubuksan na gift pagdating ng december 25, yung gift n'ya k'se sa akin na Victorinox bag eh ginamit ko na agad hindi pa man dumarating ang pasko. sabi ko rin k'se sa kanya na isa sa mga trip ko na fashion churva ngayon eh argyle socks.

4. The Bourne Identity DVD - gift sa akin ni esmee siy para sa secret santa namin noong christmas party ng "corporate friends" (A.K.A. former Banksphere pipol). nakakatuwa na last year si esmee naman ang nabunot ko for secret santa at binigyan ko s'ya ng CD ng Under Southern Lights album ng Urbandub.

5. a Berlin wallet - pasalubong ni jons from his Germany trip. the lucky bastard got to travel a lot in europe for the past year. noong una, kasama namin s'ya sa Spain, tapos nito past 3 months eh nasa Germany naman. kainggit.

6. a Cosmonaut figurine/picture frame - gift sa akin ni ainy. i'm thinking of putting it on my desk at work, but i'm hesitant on putting a pic of myself on it. it's cute enough on its own. :)

7. a plastic tumbler - gift ni archie sanchez, head ng Java Faculty sa Soluziona. actually, gift n'ya for all members ng Java Faculty.

8. Toyota/Jaworski T-shirt - gift sa akin ni shelley. talagang pinangalandakan na old school ako eh noh? hahaha! thanks a lot shelley! i love it!

9. an Armando Caruso hanky - naks, parang ang sosyal ng name. haha! isa sa mga goodies na pinamigay noong christmas party ng "corporate friends", care of niza juhani.

10. a pen with lace - isa ulit sa mga goodies na pinamigay noong christmas party ng "corporate friends", care of thirdy lopez.

11. a cute bear cellphone thingamajig - yes, another one of the goodies from the "corporate friends" christmas party. ito naman ay galing kay jesslei segovia.

12. a smiley keychain - goodies ulit from the "corporate friends" christmas party, this one from leia krista. currently nakakabit ito ngayon sa aking bagong bag, cute eh. hehe.

i'm still thinking of buying myself a new watch (i saw this really nice watch from Fossil), pero parang andami ko ng gastos kaya medyo nagdadalawang isip ako na bilhin. pag-isipan ko pang mabuti.

putanginatalaga.

putangina talaga.. just when you thought everything is going alright, something just have to happen and fuck this up. EVERYTIME na lang. every FUCKING time.

that's why sometimes, i fucking don't post anything about how "well" my relationships are going, coz i don't want to fucking jinx things up. i maybe good at my job, maybe good on a couple of other things, but as i always say to my friends, i fucking suck at relationships. 

but i try. really hard. really.

pero this time, putangina talaga, sobrang frustrating. sobrang nakakainis. sobrang putanginang nakakapanggigil na hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili ko na ilabas na lahat ng profanity sa bawat pangungusap na isusulat ko dito. putangina talaga.

sige na, ako na ang pinaka-mahirap mong nakasama. ako na ang pinaka-walang kwenta. ako na ang pinaka-putanginang-hindi-maasahan-na-karelasyon mo. pero i did try. i tried hard. ginawa ko lahat ng gusto mo. ginawa ko ang sa tingin ko ay tama para sa atin. pero as usual, kulang pa rin. putangina, kulang pa rin. eventually may lalabas pa rin na mali. as usual, putangina talaga, lahat lahat eh mababale-wala dahil lang sa isang putanginang detalye na akala ko eh naintindihan mo na, pero hindi pala. sorry, putangina, tao lang ako eh. nagkakamali. 

sorry kung hindi ako umaabot sa sukatan na tinatapat mo sa akin paminsan-minsan. sorry kung nahuhulog din ako sa pedestal na pinaglagyan mo sa akin. pero lahat eh ginagawa ko para magka-ayos tayo. lahat ng makakaya ko ay ginagawa ko para malampasan natin lahat ng ito. ikaw lang ang mahal ko, walang iba. tangna, mas mahal na nga kita kahit sa sarili kong nanay. wala akong balak ipalit sayo at walang mas importante pa sa akin kundi ang magkaayos tayo.

lecheng buhay to.

at isa ka pang putanginang kang OFFICEMATE ni gf na ang nickname eh isang nakamamatay na sakit (nag nag-iinarte at tanggalin ko daw ang pangalan nya sa blog ko. huhuhu. how sad. leche.), alam ko na dumadaan ka dito sa blog ko at nakikibasa. putangina ka, tigil-tigilan mo yang kaka-drama mo sa girlfriend ko. hindi pa ako tapos sayo, tandaan mo yan. kaya lang kita hindi mabalikan pa kasi ang laging nyang sinasabi sa akin eh wag na kitang patulan. 

putangina talaga.

amf! ang tamad-tamad kseng mag-post.

isang buwan na walang post?! huwatdahell?!

oh well, ganun talaga siguro yun. dumarating ang panahon na tatamarin kang mag-post ng kahit na ano kasi feeling mo eh paulit-ulit rin lang naman o kasi feeling mo parang walang maikwento na matino o talagang tatamarin ka lang.

o siguro ako lang yun. hehe.

op kors marami rin namang nangyari sa akin sa nakaraang buwan. hindi lang naman puro trabaho ang inaatupag ko. although kapag wala ako sa bahay, talagang most of the time eh yun ang ginagawa ko. (meron pa kasi akong sideline na inaatupag with a group of college friends. pero hindi ako workaholic. promise.) meron akong mga bagong pinagkakaabalahan, may mga bagong nabili, mga bagong anik-anik.

isa sa mga matagal ko ng gusto na magkaroon eh isang matinong home theater system dito sa bahay. sobrang mahilig ako manuod ng mga pelikula at sa tingin ko ay medyo importante sa bawat isang movie afficionado na eventually ay magkaroon ng isang matinong home theater system para mas ma-enjoy nya ang "movie experience" sa kanyang bahay. diba? kaya sobrang masaya ako at FINALLY ay nakabili na kami ng home theater system at isang Bravia HDTV para sa asteeg na panunuod namin ng movies sa bahay. so far so good.


that's Iron Man on the Bravia connected via HDMI to the DAV HDX275 home theater system. hindi lang kita sa pic yung subwoofer at yung surround speakers. sarap na manuod ng movies sa bahay. at dahil lumabas na sa DVD ang The Dark Knight, im planning on buying one at panuorin dito sa bahay with the family. magandang timing para sa darating na long vacation this holiday. time to buy a lot of new DVDs. (and dibidis na rin. haha!)

***

aside from movies, peborit past time ko eh magbasa. at lately, napapadalas ang pagbili ko ng mga graphic novels. before, hindi ako makabili ng mga gusto ko na titles kasi hindi ko sya masama sa budget. alam mo na, maliit ang sweldo at merong mas mga importanteng bagay. kaya tyaga-tyaga ako noon na manghiram or magdownload ng scanned copies (i know, i know) from the Net. eneweis, ayun na nga, napapadalas ang bili ko ng graphic novels lately. at ang isa sa mga talagang natuwa ako na nabili ay ang 6-part collection ng Mouse Guard: Fall 1152.


naging isa sa mga favorite reads ko itong Mouse Guard series, kahit yung kapatid ko na skeptic nung una (bakit daw ako bumili nun eh parang pambata raw) eh nagustuhan na rin at tinatanong kung kailan daw ako bibili nung susunod dun sa series (next year pa lalabas ang collected edition ng Mouse Guard: Winter 1152). bumili na rin ako sa wakas ng copy ko ng V for Vendetta ni Alan Moore at naghahanap ako ngayon ng copy ng After Eden ni Arnold Arre para makumpleto ko na ang collection ko ng Arre graphic novels.

***

nitong mga nakaraang buwan, hindi ko masyadong nakukwento dito, pero nagiging mas maayos na (relatively) ang relationship ko with the girlfriend. we've been really trying hard to work things out, patch things up and make our relationship work. the past weeks have been so far a breeze for the both of us at masaya kami. walang masyadong tampuhan, walang masyadong away. natutuwa rin daw sya at paunti-unti eh i'm "letting her in" daw sa aking buhay. so, as a gesture of that, she decided to buy something for my bed:

yep, that's a patrick starfish stuffed toy. as both a reminder of her being in my life (and in my bed) at para meron s'yang yakapan when she's sleeping over kse inaagawan ko daw sya ng yakapan (pati daw kumot) kapag natutulog. happy times.

***

so ayun, ilang kwento sa mga nangyari sa akin the past month. actually, marami pa at susubukan kong mag-post ulit soon. sana sipagin ako, diba?