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iHurt

I'll be leaving for Macao tomorrow at 12 noon, and before I have my well-deserved vacation, I want to vent out my disenchantment on something that stomped on my of judge of character ... again.  I like to take it all out right now, because I don't want to carry any excesses baggage (figuratively and literally).

One of the things that I swear I will never do in my life is play with other people's feelings.  It is a very devastating situation to be caught in, especially for the victim.  A lesson that I've learned and will always keep in mind is that principle and character are things that make a person, but can neither be taught in any academic institution, nor be bought by any amount of money.

Why I ended up in disappointment is partly my fault.  I've seen the signs, but I chose to be blind and let them pass my judgement.  I let myself be lured into something that, I was hoping, would make me happy.  It may not make any difference now, but I thought this time was different.  I believed that a person who seemed educated and proper would have the decency to be sensitive and not hurt other people's feelings. I was astoundingly wrong.  

For the person who should be reading this entry, this is what I have to say:

If you are a good friend that you claim to be, act like one.  Well, I shouldn't expect anything more from you.  You probably don't care.  You never did.

As for me, I want to come back from the trip renewed.

I leave you with a song that encapsulates my feelings right now.

One Year Employee

Today, I celebrate 1 year of being an employee.  It's been a really tough year for me.  I'm still in my first job.  Basing it from my previous rants, I think you can very much deduce that I'm not really having a blast with my current work.  However, despite the not-so-good experiences, I still don't regret applying and taking the position.  One of the things (or should I say, the only thing) I'm thankful for is the camaraderie I have with my co-workers.  I feel blessed to have colleagues whom I enjoy spending long work hours with and share bits and pieces of my life.

To all my friends at work (you know who you are), thank you for making my stay worthwhile.  I can't guarantee that we will be sharing more months of enduring all the challenges together, but I can promise that I will remember each one of you and the prints you've left in my life.  I hope that if the time comes when we will have to go our separate ways, we will still find time to remember one another and share more moments we can all cherish.

Thank you.

Here I Go Again...

It's a feeling of mixed emotions.  There is an ounce of excitement, a bit of anticipation, and a pinch of enthusiasm; however, there is a part of me that is wary, anxious, and doubtful.  I want to be happy, but there is something that is holding me back.  It's probably the uncertainty of what may unfold.  I'm trying to keep a positive outlook, but I'm afraid of being disappointed ... again.  I have to face the fact that life is full of surprises and that I can never run away from being astonished.  A lot of things are going on in my head.  

This is the price I have to pay for being obsessive-compulsive.  I have to brave the reality that there are things I can never really put in order.  All I have to do is watch and be in awe as they fall into place.

I hope somebody is reading this.

Thinking of Switching Image Host

I've been using Photobucket as my image host way back since Blog-City days.  Too bad Blog-City took down my site, probably due to non-payment.  Hahahaha!  I was a student then and it was my mother who paid for the one-year subscription.  I'm now employed and happy with TypePad.  Going back to image hosting, I now use Photobucket to host my blog-related images like the signature, subscribe to RSS feed icon and the newly created contact icon.  For hosting my photo sets, I've turned to Jalbum.  What I really like about Jalbum is the flash-based viewer that prevents photo-grabbing (Sorry to burst your bubble, Ate Mary.  Hehehehe!).

It's about time that I upgrade to a paid account.  Either I upgrade my Jalbum account or switch to another host.

I'm toying with the idea of switching to Flickr.  What do you think?  Though I won't be able to use quingdom as my username (it's already taken.  Damn!), what that keeps me wanting Flickr is the photobadge and the unlimited space.

Do you have any other image hosting suggestions?  Comments will be highly appreciated.

Now, I Have to Learn Spanish

Last Saturday, when I was at work, I was exchanging text messages with my mother, then she remembered and told me she got me a book and that she was hoping I would like it.  Knowing that Mama never failed to hit my taste, I was confident I would like it, whatever the book was about.  I was thinking it might be a photography book since I'm into them lately.  When I got home, I was surprised (in a good way, of course) to see the title the book she got me - El Juego Del Cero (The Zero Game) by Brad Meltzer.  First thing that got into my mind?  "Now, I really have to learn Spanish."  I remembered Mama probably got the clue that I liked books in Spanish because I asked her to cover with plastic El Peregrino de Compostela by Paulo Coehlo (a book I bought in Spain). 

My love for foreign languages is getting more interesting.  I better start learning Spanish seriously.  Besides, I'm aiming to speak at least 10 languages by the time I reach the age of 30.  There isn't a specific use for the skill, but finishing the 2 books I have may be a good one.

I'd also like to share the dedication Mama wrote:

Sweet!

Cover image courtesy of Books by ISBN.

Top 15 Things I Want for Christmas 2008

Christmas is in the air, especially in the Philippines where the Christmas season starts as soon as we hit the "Ber" months.  I'm sure a lot of people already posted their wish list online through their respective blogs and social networking sites, and I won't be the last to do so.

On this list, I'm sharing the things I'm hoping to receive this Christmas.  The items are arranged according to preference (1 being the most preferred).

Without further ado, here are the top 15 things I want for Christmas 2008:

Starting to Like Espadrilles

The plan was to go to the mall after our morning check-up. My brother was buying shoes he needed for work and I did not plan on buying anything (honest!).

First casualty, white polo shirt with wide gray stripes.  I think I'm done with plain colored shirts, so I picked it out at Folded and Hung.

While waiting for my brother try on shoes, I looked around and saw that Happy Feet has something for guys.  This rack of pseudo-espadrilles (they have rubber soles instead of the fiber ones that traditional espadrilles have) caught my eye, but I've always dismissed the thought that I could pull it off with this footwear.  My mother gave me the nudge to try it on and to my surprise, it did look good on me.  Please forgive my conceit.  Hehehe!