a catch of fishy files

For starters, it’s been a while.. Last time I posted (and wrote) a blog was after my summer escapade. Now it’s BER (beer? haha) month and it felt like ages since I wrote down my thoughts (and whatever bullshit I can think of for that matter). I’m not even surprised that Friendster developed new themes while I was gone. Haha! At least I have a new theme to flaunt.. fishy!! *blop* *blop*

Okay, so while I’m trying to organize my thoughts (or what’s left of my work-clogged brain), I realized that there are a lot of things I’d like to write about. Hmm, it’s been nearly four months since my last post, and as pathetic as my life seemed to be lately, a lot of things happened to me, you know. I just don’t know if they’re worth the space. Harhar!

Here goes. Please bear in mind that I will TRY to write as coherently as possible. If you get lost somewhere, please close this window.

>> Jazz the Work Horse

I was restraining myself to use the word “toxic” to describe work lately, but I realized that there’s no other way. Haha! I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say I’m missing a LOT of nights out lately. Pfft! Even my weekends (which I usually reserve for booze and party) are spent at home with my dog. How exciting! (No offense, Yuki) I realize that I desperately need to unwind.. hehehe. Attention to my GeneSoc brods, bring on the beer! And for those of you who, like me, are craving for an alcohol dose, just let me know. =)

 >> Jazz the Puff Dragon

Barely two months to go.. and I’m quitting smoking (hopefully, for good). Hahahaha! Apparently, turning 25 isn’t the only thing to look forward to on my birthday. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.. and enjoying my remaining cancer sticks while supplies last. Hwehe! I can just imagine my friends raising their eyebrows. We’ll see about that.

>> Jazz the Parrot

I know, I tend to repeat my stories more than necessary. Can you blame me? Haha! Right now, I miss gabbing. I miss talking for a whole night. I dunno what’s gotten into me lately, I’m not the usual chatter. Hmm. Stress, what are you doing to me? Haha! I realized that I miss talking to Imong (hi Beauty!) about the pathetic state of my love life. Then again, I wonder if I actually have one. Pfft. I miss talking to Yen to catch up on things. I miss my overseas calls to Peachy (then again, my other line is still disconnected, so that’s an excuse). I miss talking to Karlo and our business endeavors (yeah right!). I miss talking. Period.

>> Jazz the Fat Crab

Disclaimer: The nickname was coined by Yen during our Pagudpud trip, because of some crabby pose. Okay, so needless to say, I’m gaining weight. This is probably the piggest phase (if there’s such a term) of my entire life! Again, stress, what have you done to me?! Ahaha! Can you blame me if I’m a fan of Mountain Dew? And French Fries? And Coke? And Crispy Pata? Hehehe. I so swear, I’ll try to trim up in time for my birthday.

>> Jazz the Mall Rat

Shopping: When I’m down and out, it’s the one thing that I find therapeutic aside from driving. Not that I’m splurging a lot lately (though I am inclined to do so), but shopping just elates me, for some reason. Maybe it’s the fact that you go out, looking for something that you want and then finding it (sometimes at a bargain price) at the end of the day. Then sometimes, you just come across something you interests you (maybe a book or a pair of shoes), and then you end up loving it. Sometimes, you try on a cute top, end up buying it, but then you realize that there’s nothing decent to pair it with; or maybe you just don’t like it after all. And of course, there are times when you’re looking for a particular item (like this necklace I had before which I lost, stupid me) that you’ve scored the nearest malls, but couldn’t find anything like it. Hmm. Shopping talaga, parang love! Hahahahaha!

>> Jazzy Fish

Ah, I missed being me. My crazy self. Hahaha! I missed going for a spontaneous drive to the beach or to Tagaytay or to Monumento (those were the days).. I missed dropping by Bakla’s apartment, just for kicks. I missed craving for CrissCut Fries. I missed taking snapshots of candid moments. I missed my Holga. I missed my cheesecurls dipped in coffee. I missed penguin moments. I missed staying up all night, driving around the city.. I missed dishing out my latest theories on things (and people). Gawd, I missed a lot! Waaah! I guess it’s because most of the people I do these things with are either out of the country, out of Luzon or somewhere in outer space. Not that I don’t like the people I hang out with lately, meeting people is a blast. But sometimes, I wish that they’d know me right then and there - I’d like to do away with all the getting-to-know crap. Haha!

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Whew, that was long.. and topsy-turvy! Haha. If anything made sense to you, I guess it’s not so bad. I told you I missed blogging!

JT

i’m baaaack!

so glad to be home.. really! i’ve been away for a week, but it felt like months. anyhoots, enough of the drama. below are the things i love (and hate) about taipei. in a nutshell.

1. the weather. it’s pretty cold there. more like baguio, but a little colder, especially during the night. since it’s spring in taipei, some days are very sunny. i don’t mind the sun though, i could stay under the sun for a whole morning and still feel cool. one setback: too much sun means more freckles for me. ahuhu.

2. the sights. i love. waaah! very nice. it’s a good thing the maps were dotted with little stars indicating tourist spots, so that’s a plus. here are some of the photos. (note: full album to be posted soon.. still have to organize my folder)

3. the food. i hate. so much. as you all know (or for those people who have witnessed my weird-bordering-on-crazy food preference), i’m veeeerrrrry picky when it comes to food. so you can imagine my pathetic dietary state in taipei. HUHUHU. everywhere, it smelled like noodles. i swore not to eat in chowking until my dying day. again, HUHUHU.

below is a photo of one of the dish served during the luncheon at the hotel. imagine my disgust. everything i hate mixed in one dish: beef with coconut milk and red curry. WTF?! needless to say, i skipped lunch that day.

4. the language. mandarin chinese. goodness. remember how we used to do imitations of chinese-speaking? well, imagine a hundred people around you doing just the same (and they actually understood each other)… sigh. very difficult. sometimes i get by with just barok English. sometimes, not at all. i’m seriously considering taking up mandarin lessons.

5. the adventure. i love, love, love. here are the reasons why:

a. navigation - i was never really the "map person". i leave that task to imong, who usually does the navigating for us. unfortunately, he wasn’t there.. and i missed him SOO much especially while i was trying to figure out where were we in the map. cha (my taipei buddy) and i got lost a few times.. after that, i finally got it. whew. (note to self: practice navigating with imong next time)

b. great finds. yep. i went shopping there. apparently, taipei has a lot of night markets which stay open until the wee hours of the morning. we had a blast shopping. lots of stuff are on sale because they’re changing seasons, so it was one hell of a shopping experience. =)

c. F4 fever - yep, you heard me. as much as i want to bump into vic zhou or jerry yan, that didn’t happen. (yeah, dream on).. but what happened was, we were able to find the exact ice cream parlor where dao ming si took san chai (tama ba spelling?) out on a date. you know, the one with the mini coopers. sooo cool. they even had a wall with famous autographs - yep, including jerry’s.. huwaaah!

d. the people. well, actually, one person. we met this really, really nice taiwanese girl named denis (who looked like my college roommate, petite). she was actually the one who showed us where the ice cream parlor was.. AND even accompanied us there.. AND even paid for our milkshakes. *touched* i didn’t know taiwanese can be very nice. sigh. i miss her already.

SOOOOO, in a nutshell, my taipei trip was a blast. despite the information-overload workshop sessions at work, nostalgic moments (i missed the penguins terribly, and imong too), deprived dietary needs, huge language barrier, i managed to survive. WHEW!

photos coming soon.. i’m still figuring out how to sort them.

*blop* *blop*

7 nicotine-free days.. woopee!

and i thought i was going to die. but you know, it’s not so hard after all. well, it WAS hard, there were times when i was puffing my imaginary cig. but all i needed to do was think of my driving force. for those of you who know me well, this is no secret. =)

anyhoots, i did it. i was able to prove to myself that i can stop smoking. even for just a week. i started smoking circa 2002, before i joined genesoc. it’s been six years, and i never dared myself to stop smoking… until recently. hmm.

i’ve been planning to quit smoking this year. for good. i just feel like i’ve had enough cancer sticks to last me a lifetime. i once smoked a WHOLE pack in one sitting (i still have it, for nostalgic purposes). i’m planning to put out the butt on my 25th birthday.

let’s wait and see.

for those of you who are subjects to horrible torture, this post might come in handy when you’re stuck in TWAPIK.. and for those of you who, by any chance, happen to know anyone from the construction team of SLEX/Alabang bridge, please, beg them to have pity..

1. First of all, it’s advisable that you embark on this one-hell-of-a-nightmare trip with someone you know (i.e., your friend, or someone whose presence is enough to help you maintain your sanity). In my case, I was with Imong.

2. If you’re going to Elbi to attend a birthday party (specifically, an Undin’s birthday bash), prepare to arrive a little late. But then again, this is just an understatement.

3. Take the skyway entry at Arnaiz Ave., (if you’re coming from Makati)… that way, it’ll save time. Right? Fucking wrong!!

4. Check your watch, it’s 9:41p.m. You calculate your travel time, and you set a goal. "We’ll be there by 11p.m."

5. The traffic slows down after 5 minutes of hitting 90kph. Hmm.

6. Try to kid yourself that it’s not big a deal. It’s just a minor traffic due to a stupid bottleneck. Try to buy time by catching up with your friend.. You’re allowed to talk about ANYTHING. =)

7. It’s 10:30p.m. and you’re nowhere near the skyway exit. Congratulations! You’re officially stuck in traffic!!

8. Fumble through your CDs. Put on something blood-pumping.. I recommend Bowling for Soup’s "Bitch Song", "Get Happy" and the most ironic of all: Click Five’s "Good Day".. Har har!

9. Don’t forget to light up a cig. The smoke tends to soothe your frustrated nerves.

10. Since you’ve already talked about practically everything with your friend, divert your attention to the other vehicles within your car’s radius. If you get to inch faster than anybody, GLOAT! Hahaha! It’s not your fault that you’re a better driver than them. Hwehe!

11. If you’re still not moving, make up stories about the other cars’ passengers/drivers. This will cheer you up for a little while.

12. Finally, you’re way past skyway.. Here comes the second hurdle: traffic along Bicutan/Sucat/Alabang.. Brace yourselves.

13. You’re officially bored. Change the music. Switch to 98.7, and get soothed by the classical music as you and your friend reminisce about cartoons long-forgotten. Your friend is equally bored. Give him your map (which is torn in the folded edges), a magic tape and ask him to tape it on both sides. You, being the driver, should amuse yourself by giving your right foot a little rest (assuming you drive an automatic). Try controlling the gas/break pedal using your left foot. In fairness, it’s not that bad! =)

14. As you crawl your way through traffic, justify your insane actions by acknowledging that you’re just bored and that you’re not totally crazy.

15. At almost midnight, you’re finally on your way through SLEX. Woohoo! Shoutouts to you and your friend, you’re still alive.

16. As you pick up speed, pretend that you’re a pilot of some sort. "Fasten your seatbelts people, we’re hitting 60… and now 70.. okay, almost there.. we’re 90kph people!! We’re going for a hundred!! Bring it on!!"

17. Oh, and don’t forget to laugh your head off. Despite the hellish traffic, try to look at the fun side of things. =)

18. It’s half past 12, and you took the shortcut route to Calamba (the one that passes through the Municipal Hall). As you drive, you notice that the car in front of you has a weird-sounding horn.. It’s sound like "woot! woot!".. Now, due to the excitement of finally making it to LB before sunrise, you and your friend imitate sound. Do this with arms waving from left to right and back again.. everybody now: "Woot! Woot!"

19. You’re finally in LB, at 15minutes to go before 1a.m. For the last hurdle, you have to squeeze your car in the only parking spot nearest to the bar. Whoever invented parallel parking is probably out of his wits. Grr.

20. Ten minutes and undamaged cars later, you’re ready to go. Turn of the ignition. Put on your heels, freshen up. Get out of the car. Congratulate your autobot for a job well done. Keep a mental note to self to feed him gas the next day. Go to the bar, arm in arm with your friend (who stuck with you through it all) and hit the party scene. ^^*

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It doesn’t matter how long you’re stuck in traffic. What matters is that you made it and you’re still sane enough for friends, chikas, party and booze.

Cheers!! ^^*

JT

  is it just me, or everybody’s getting hooked in this multiply brouhaha?! for the past months, i’ve been having invites flood my yahoo mail like some sort of spam mail or something. i didn’t accept them because <1> i don’t give a flying shit; <2> i already have my friendster account; <3> i just don’t have the time to update my multiply site. for crying out loud, i’ve had this pathetic little picture of my brithday cake as my primary photo here in friendster [why would i even bother with my multiply?!]

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oh well. my recent rendezvouz with the genes [who were all talking greek about this multiply shit] made me realize one thing: goddamnit, i’m officially out of the loop. and yeah, i had these very comforting comments from mike and yenertz about the number of friends i have in my multiply. so i’m a multiply-anti-social. sue me. bwahaha!!

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for the record, i’ve been receiving pathetic emails from multiply saying "what you’ve missed", and it’s not surprising since i have only logged in thrice: first, when i created the account; second, when i checked it again months later [and to my surprise, one little nitwit bothered to view my profile - who, by the way, i blocked FOR GOOD]; and third, a couple of hours ago [as i am in dire need of some pics to replace my birthday cake and i had to grab some from imong's cerulean madness site]..

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all this multiply craze/drama/insanity is getting on my nerves. and i ask myself: is it worth it?! hmm, probably.. but then again, what’s the point of keeping my friendster, blogging here.. then keeping my blogspot [for um, saner posts].. and now, this multiply thing comes along. WTF?! i’d like to think i’ve had enough of this whole get-yourself-a-place-in-the-cyberspace-map thing. waaaah! enough already!

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i guess the bottom line is this: i just don’t have the time. i don’t have the luxury to update and post and invite and add and reply and update again.. the whole drama. i’m contented with my occasional posts here in this god-forsaken blog.. so i’m not the bummer i used to be. har har! hmm, it’s funny that i’m writing this, when a couple of hours ago, i’ve accepted friend invites [and sent some] in multiply.. hmm. labo!! haha! seriously, i can’t say i’m getting hooked. as of this writing, i don’t plan to. it’s way too much work [at least for me]. but then again, me being me, you’ll never know. ^^*

JT