Nightmare Before Christmas

This came to mind when I heard about the Ampatuan massacre in the news on Monday morning that claimed lives of about 40 people roughly 20 of whom were a journalist in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province which is an island of Mindanao. According to the news, the victims were about to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, Vice Mayor of Buluan who was challenging Andal S. Ampatuan Jr., son of the incumbent Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. in the 2010 National Governatorial Elections. The journalists were accompanying women of the Mangudadatu clan which is another powerful and rival clan of the Ampatuan's when their convoy was stopped by about 100 armed men who herded them to a remote hillside and attacked them with M-16 rifles and machetes. Two of their vehicles and many bodies were thrown into a freshly-dug pit and covered with earth by an excavator. Officials said that the death toll rises to 57 as of yesterday and they're still looking for more bodies waiting to be found.

I was devastated. It was barbaric and gruesome. They were slaughtered like animals. What kind of monster is capable of doing this? Can they still sleep at night or even care if they're still alive but their souls are already rotting in hell? I don't get it. How can people kill for a thirst of power? This sick for crying out loud. This is a democratic country but how come some still live in fear and no one can protect them? People are aware of what's going on in Maguindanao but they have no choice but to keep their eyes closed and their mouth shut or the consequence may be fatal. When will this civil war end?

New Moon

I saw the movie New Moon (The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer) yesterday and as anticipated it was just as good as the first one.  I thought it's exciting, action-filled, the visual effects are amazing. Love 'em wolves you can almost touch their fur lol. 


I hate falling in line, I haven't slept a wink I watched this movie after my shift. I don't want to be left behind and I can't wait to see this on the big screen. I was really surprised to see Taylor Lautner's transformation not as a wolf but into a "total hunk." I'm sure he worked darn hard to get those eight packs. My sister and I can't stop giggling when every lady in the audience reacted as soon as he took off his shirt to wipe off the blood on Bella's head in the motorcycle accident scene. Obviously, his hard work paid off to get that super bod. 


The story ends with Edward asking Bella to marry him if she really wants to spend forever with him so he can change her (be an immortal) and become one of them. The movie leaves you wanting for more, I guess that's the whole point. I just finished watching Twilight on Star Movies, I've seen it four times already I guess I just can't get enough of it. 


I have a dental appointment tomorrow and it's been a while since I visit a dentist. Thank goodness I'm on leave tomorrow night also, it's five more days before 13th month, yay!  It's thirty-three days to go before Christmas I already got Christmas presents but if I can still wish for something it'd be to spend Christmas week away from the office. 

Cubao X

I went to Cubao Expo yesterday (formerly Marikina Shoe Expo) along with my sister and niece. We're in the hunt for school shoes but to our dismay, there aren't too many shoes there anymore. I totally understand why the name's changed. 


There are thrift shops that sell ukay ukay as well as all sorts of vintage stuff. There are art shops too but most of them are closed. There's nothing extraordinary about the place really. We found ourselves at the Gateway Mall then later we checked another thrift shop fronting Cubao X that sell all kinds of junk from stuff toys, ukay ukay, shoes, books, broken appliances, etc. but we didn't buy anything there either they're not cheap at all for a piece of junk. Cubao has improved a lot but I feel like I didn't miss anything. 

VANS X Slayer

I got myself a VANS x Slayer slip on yesterday I'm ecstatic about it because I bought it at a cheaper price. I mean seriously, I've owned 2 pair of vans slip ons in the past and it costs around 2-3k but believe it or not I had it for only Php900 from a warehouse sale along Edsa-Shaw. How kewl is that? 


The VANS Slayer theme pays homage to Slayer, one of the most influential trash metal bands in history. Aside from the classic slip-on emblazoned with Slayer's signature logo, they also offer skate and Owens HI models. This warehouse also sells sporting goods for brands like Reebok, Rockport, and Umbro. Where has this place been when I need it? 


I'm loving my VANS I'm pretty sure I'll be back there soon.

Check out vans slayer website here:
http://www.vans.com/slayer/

New Baby

I brought my Nokia 6500 Classic phone at Nokia Care yesterday for repair it's been acting up lately. The battery drains very easily and won't get a full charge anymore, unfortunately, it's 2 months out of warranty already. Hopefully, it's nothing major I've only had it for only a year. I hate to let it go as soon as I had it fixed I might sell it but I got envious when my sister got herself a Samsung Star touch screen phone. I told myself I'd like something edgy yet affordable just like hers so I bought a Nokia 5530 which is one of the most affordable touch phones to date from Nokia. I thought I might like LG's affordable touch phone, a KP500 cookie but I didn't like its specs even if costs so much cheaper than what I got. It doesn't have 3G or wifi, I'm more of a Nokia user anyway so I've no regrets buying another Nokia. 


It helps to do some research when buying stuff so you know what to expect especially if you're on a budget. I've transferred files from my old phone, downloaded themes and videos so far. I'm a happy camper. 


I'm so done with mid-shift I don't give a damn anymore going back to the graveyard because I hate the afternoon traffic. I need to attend to some things in the morning. It's only 54 days to go before Christmas I thought it's not too early to hang our Parol at the terrace door. It's been a tough year for my family when my dad got terribly ill but God has never forsaken us so I have all the reason to be thankful for this year. I know that it's been a tough year for our nation too. We've had tragedies that struck our nation but I still hope that we'll welcome Christmas with joy in our hearts even without the tangible things.

Octoberfest + National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Octoberfest is in the air again. It's been a long time since I've experienced Octoberfest. I think about a year ago when I was still working in Eastwood City. 


I'm still getting used to my new shift. There's long avail which lasted for hours, but wait until calls start coming in it. It's very much like the weather these days, it's very unpredictable. 


My sister and I went to St. Francis Square yesterday to look for cool and affordable stuff. We have plans of going back during the payday weekend hehe. I bought myself a real cool"vector" designed organizer that comes with a pen and discount coupons.  

October is also the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). This program is dedicated to increasing awareness about the importance of the early detection of breast cancer through a nationwide campaign held in October. This pink ribbon shows my support to NBCAM. 

Typhoon Ondoy

I've never seen a real big flood in my life until I finally came face to face with one last Saturday. I took a video of the flood with my camera phone so I can show it to my sister as a proof. She can hardly believe how big the flood was. Thank goodness our apartment is on the second floor and the flood didn't reach our floor but I got a little scared since I'm all by myself. My sister is at work that time I told myself that if the rain won't subside there's still a chance that the water might go up. I'm just really blessed that it subsided before evening and my sister got home safely. 


We had no electricity for more than 24 hours, that was from Saturday afternoon until before 5 PM yesterday. Manong guard said the water motor will be fixed today, I hope so. I heard it drowned after the flood. For the time being our water supply is coming from the ground floor tank. We only use reserved water so it's a must to conserve. I hate complaining because I know that there are less fortunate people out there. On a sad note, I think it will take a long time for our country to completely recover from the wrath of Ondoy, but we have to keep our hopes up.

Bad Weather

I'm not sure if it's just coincidence or just the weather lately that every time I'm in the mood to write something, it's rains or a storm is coming up. 


I can't help but wonder sometimes if my writing invokes rain or something. I read in the news that Ondoy is the name of the tropical storm. There's flood outside and we are on the second floor. When I was a kid my family lived in a house in Quiapo, Manila wherein flood is our constant visitor so I consider myself lucky that we didn't experience that anymore growing up in Antipolo. 


I took a video of the flood using my cellphone so I have a souvenir of Typhoon Ondoy visiting when I saw a cat stuck in the gate downstairs. I got worried it might drown so I decided to come to its rescue. I can't stand seeing a living creature looking helpless like that. I know it may sound odd but I almost called our Manong Guard to rescue the poor cat. 


We lost cable signal again because it's still raining badly. In my opinion, Sky Cable is better off without their Digibox because we have nothing but problems since they hooked that thing up. The signal gets interrupted while in the middle of watching something important. Sucks right? 


I didn't sign up for overtime this week I'm just really tired. I had split off this week it's like I never had off at all. 

Mall Scam + Holiday

Yesterday was the worst day of my life. I was late for work because I got lost in Valero. The cab got caught for doing a right turn on a one-way road, believe it or not, but there's police lurking in Makati on wee hours of the morning. 


After my shift in the afternoon, I went to CD-R King Starmall to buy blank discs and as soon as I got out of the store a lady in corporate attire hand me a coupon that says I have a free door/window entry alarm which is a piece of crap, by the way, because it doesn't work. It won't make a noise unless you leave the on button all the time.  The lady walked me through inside their store, had me sit on a massage chair and told me to wait while they encode the information they got from me like my address and phone number. Later on, they started selling me stuff that I don't have any interest at all like a digital stove, facial massage, etc. After a few more minutes they started acting like they got excited and told me that I won something. Eventually, they want my credit card information that I didn't care give out of course. I'm not stupid to fall for that crap. I thought these people are pathetic and desperate since they don't know the risk of what they are doing. After all their effort I refused the offer and left. I felt so bad I wasted my time maybe I'm just so tired that's why I didn't realize what I was getting myself into right away. My intuition already tells me not to come with that lady but I  got curious over the free stuff I guess. 




I reformatted my laptop it caught a virus again. I can't burn movies anymore and it's not a problem with my external HP dvd writer. 


I asked my elder sister to come over to buy jack a flea soap. Our poor dog's infested with fleas again I think he needs a real good bath. 


Before I forgot, today is a holiday. Our country commemorates on the death of Ninoy Aquino Sr. 


Today is also the finale of the Koreanovela Boys Over Flower. Oh, brother, I've got to watch that.

Not Fair

I went to SM Megamall earlier hoping that I will be able to pay my SSS salary loan. I called to inquire about it last week with SSS and was told that it's possible even if it has penalty already, unfortunately, the teller told me that they only accept monthly payments and not salary loans that haven't been paid for a year. 


I'm really disappointed with my current company because I submitted a photocopy of my SSS voucher before I hit production but it was too late when I noticed that they failed to deduct the remaining amount on my salary for a year upon checking my online contributions. To cut it short I have to carry the burden and pay up my loan including the interest even if it was my employer's fault. Sucks right? I know I'm partly to blame for entrusting that they will take care of everything for me. What's more annoying is that that they didn't admit that they lost the photocopy of the voucher and wants me to sign an authorization to deduct that will allow them to deduct it on a one-time basis... I was like wtf? I end up paying it voluntarily. 


Darn.

Goodbye Cory Aquino

Former president Corazon Aquino is dead at age 76 after a yearlong battle with colon cancer. 


It was no surprise to me anymore when the news broke out on the Internet that cory died this morning. Her supporters have been praying for her the past month. she was the 11th and the first female president of the Philippines. She became president in 1986 and rose to fame after the assassination of her husband Benigno Ninoy Aquino in 1983 who was then an opposition leader. 


I was only six years old when my family moved out of Quiapo and decided to live in Antipolo for good. There was too much turbulence back then I still have a vivid memory of my childhood when helicopters are spraying tear gas in the air while my dad is missing in action. My mom had to close all windows and cover our eyes and nose with a damp handkerchief to prevent us from feeling dizzy and to avid our nose from bleeding. It was way too chaotic. But I don't understand what was happening back then, I'm just a kid. 

Cory led the people power movement that overthrew the repressive Marcos regime without violence that inspired other nations including the end of communist rule in Eastern Europe. But being president of a country where people have high hopes of a better government wasn't an easy task it was like cleaning up mountains of garbage, but she did her best. She was a strong woman and she deserved the good life that she was blessed with. Cory will live forever in the hearts of Filipinos. It's kinda sad to have lost a good soul but I'm sure she's in a better place now and together again with the only man she loved, Ninoy. I uploaded this yellow ribbon on my Facebook account, as my way of saying thanks to her. Without her courage and determination, my generation and this country wouldn't have a taste of democracy nor enjoy freedom. 


Visit the official website:
http://coryaquino.ph/ca_website.htm

My sister and I had some bonding time together and decided to chill at Haagen Dazs, Atrium earlier. I had "Bruffin Surprise" whilst my sister had "Cookie Crunch." I'm just kinda stressed out lately and having ice cream can be a good way to relax sometimes. Indulge.