Mabuhay ka Manny!!!

Tangina Astig!!!

After the first round, I kinda thought Manny couldnt do it. But I guess he really showed El Terible this time. Finally, he knocks the SOB down. At least this time, no doubts, no second thoughts, no questions. I would've counted it a defeat if he won via scorecards. So this time... he did it, and he did it the classic Pacquiao way... which is to beat his opponent's face to a pulp!

While am at it, who the fuck sang Lupang Hinirang? And why the fuck did they choose that girl? I counted at least 6 flat notes and her last one... that last note where every warm-blooded pinoy shudders from the inside with nostalgic images of the martyrs and heroes fighting for the freedom... what does she do? She fucking ends the anthem with a shriek that sounded it came from a cat on a hot tin roof!

The Hour

Holy Crap! Last night, I arrived feeling awful knowing that in several hours, the announcement from senior management would come, and the team leads would be advised about the attrition. So my fellow Senior Project managers and I were basically just mulling around and quielty awaiting the hour as we watch everybody else casually go about their daily work routine, totally oblivious to the fact that most of them are about to lose their jobs. In certain cases, groups would be totally wiped out completely.

I was chatting over YM when I saw the support staff stand up one by one, telling everybody that there was a meeting at the conf room. I looked behind me and saw that QC guys were also starting to queue inside their bosses office. Fuck! This is it. It's ON.

Once everybody was inside, I stood up and just walked out. It was 3 in the morning and there was really nothing to do outside, but I had to go out for air and think. I didnt want to be in the office when their meeting finished. The dread of it. They all seemed nice people. They had such dynamic relationships. They seemed to be working well together...

Gloomy Day Ahead

Just came out of a meeting. I already felt suspicious when my boss called us 30 minutes early for our weekly meeting. He seemed like something was bothering him, and there was. We got a heads up on a gloomy event that will unfold next Monday. Apparently, there is a management buyout that is ongoing at our US headquarters and so heads will roll. And our Manila office is gonna take a big hit. 60% attrition, actually.

We were reassured that our group would remain intact, but he was honest about telling us that he would be leaving after this tide has past. So what does that make of us? Are we now supposed to report directly to the US office? I think the only reason they are retaining us is because of our visibility to the existing clients being Project Managers, and that it is almost impossible right now to simply just hand all these existing projects to new people. Maybe I am too paranoid, and maybe we're all gonna be just fine. But then how can one treat a management buyout without a dish of a little paranoia?

What options do I really have right now? What future is there for me in this company? And so while they claim that I am safe, should I just wait until it becomes convenient for them to let me go? I think not.

Leaving too soon

It feels too soon. Mom is flying back to the US and I really havent been able to spend much time with her. Between the 2 jobs on 2 shifts, time with the wife and daughter, I really dont have much left. I'm supposed to drop her off at the airport later at 5:30AM, and in the meantime I'm about to pull another 24 hour day. But I've already blogged too much about my stupid 24 hour days, and its beginning to get boring. Fucking tiring and boring.

They went to megamall for a last minute shopping last night. The wife says they bought some shirts for Dad, and some other gifts for my aunt. Would've wanted to buy a pair of shoes for Dad... but it's gonna be a tough gamble to do so, specially because he's so friggin nitpciky about his shoes. I dont really understand why he sent his 2 shoes over... supposed to be for me and my brother. We have more shoes than him, but I guess he probably doesnt know.

I got a text message for a job interview at this bank I applied for last year. Very surprising since this was probably around September - October 2005. The way things are turning up in my current job, I'm thinking I might wanna give this a try. nothing to loose anyway. I hope they can raise my current salary, or at least match it. At least I think they can give me better benefits. Plus I get to run my own department. Nothing like being able to practice power-tripping at work....

House Window Shopping

Yesterday, my mom coaxed me into visiting this Canyon Ranch in Carmona Cavite. It's basically a real estate developer with some new lots for sale in this hilltop community they're developing above the new race track there. I was supposed to take my daughter to see The Narnia movie but I guess plans have changed now. Even my daughter said it was ok, just so she can spend time with her Lola. Heck, even my wife wanted to see the model houses. I protested but of course, we finally went.

The place was nice, and the air was cool because they had a nice breeze going, being on the hills and all. The model houses looked great, but then again why wouldnt they, if they were the "model" that everyone would go and see. The thing is, they were expensive... at least, the one that I really liked. But my mom really had her eyes pinned on this 3 room house option and relatively speaking, it was the best deal in the brochure as far as financing is concerned.

And for a moment I could really imagine myself seeing the community already set up with people and houses around. It would obviously be great to live there and have a relaxed life. But then again.. when do I really expect myself to do that? In 2 years? or 5? I'm not really planning on retiring in the next 5 years. I mean of course I would like to have the money to do so, but that's highly unlikely. Besides, this is Carmona, Cavite we are talking about, and SLE traffic can be very vicious and unforgiving. If I had a house in the Metro, then this would be a nice option as a vacation spot, somewhere to be a bit more laid back... but other than that, I'd rather throw my chips at buying a house in the Metro first.

And then we make the trip back and reality really snaps back into perspective. I tell my mom my thoughts about it and basically decline the offer to buy a house there also so we get some sort of discount. For a moment there, my mom sounded like she was asking me if I wanted to buy a shirt in a mall or something. But, she takes them pretty well. I do hope that they go ahead and buy the one they like, because at least for them, this would be an OK choice being based in the US and all of that. Whenever they're here, I'd rather that they have some quiet place to relax and enjoy, rather than be in the Metro and have to deal with traffic and all the other old "friends" I'd rather they not see.

My wife and I strolled around Megamall for a while as we try to convince my daughter that there are other edible food besides Jollibee. She ended up giving her consent when reassured that we would buy spring rolls.

I've been wanting to buy loafer shoes for a while now but havent really found anything that's really convincing. And then I decide to walk in to Mendrez, and there I see 3 loafers that I like. One of them, I really love. I tried my size and they looked really great. Bad news was that the third one was out of stock for my size, so what could I do? I ended buying both of them since I couldnt make up my mind.

Date with my Wife

I haven't been out with my wife for a long time. When I say out, I mean a date where there's only the two of us. Of course we go to malls, watch movies, but never really anything like we used to do like young couples do and go to hip places and do whatever kids do these days.

I got stood up by friends Saturday night, so I called the wife and told her I'd take her to greenbelt and just chill. Her reaction was basically "...and do what?" So we finally went there, and for the first 20 minutes or so we had a problem figuring out which establishment to walk in to and what to actually do. She didnt want to drink, she didnt want to listen to live music, and she didnt want to sit with all the expats below at Cafe Havana. So we decided to eat. Oody's isnt really your fine dining choice, heck its not even the best asian cuisine I've been in, and the Pad Thai isn't even close to the real Pad Thai I got used to. But it's ok I guess. Mostly through dinner she was criticizing the food, and as usual I ended up having to finish whatever she ordered. We didnt really do much after that, called it a night around midnight.

Things get different when you already know people too much, specially since when you get married you realize that there are really a lot of things that you dont like about the person and vice versa. But marriage is marriage, and family is family and you do love each other, not to mention the fact that you have a daughter together. Is it true that familiarity breeds contempt? I think so. The trick is trying to control the effects of it. Chris Rock really was dead on with his joke when he said that there comes a time when you've heard everything the other person has to say, and you just wanna stab her in the throat with a pencil.

How do you keep a relationship new, specially a married one? I envy people who can seem to maintain the enthusiasm of their married life. But then again, it may all be just perspective and a projected image. Is it all a myth? Or is it just learning to deal and live with all of it? Maybe some people are better at accepting things, both good and bad, and then maybe some people are smarter than that and actually do something about it.

I think it was good that we got a chance to go out again. I am not really sure how we can enjoy it like we used to, but I guess spending some time with each other really is worth its own weight in gold. Just dont ask me on a bad day. I've read somewhere that young poeple go through life hoping to change the world, and old people just want to understand it. Am I that old?

Ministop Discovery

I've just made a startling discovery!

A mountain dew soda in can @ 330ml costs P17, while the one in a plastic bottle @ 500ml costs P19... Whoa! And I've been buying my sodas in cans.... sonnavaaahhh...