Sinundan ako ni Morning Meeting Guy sa Tokyo!

Haha yung isa kong crush sa Itami nakita namin ni Jim kaninang lunch sa caf dito sa Hachiouji. Siguradong nakita nya rin kami kasi si Jim nagpakaobvious na sinaspatan sya. XD

Nung umaga nag-weekly meeting na naman kami, at this time kaharap ko na sa mesa yung mga key persons ng project habang nagtetelecon. Nakaka-intimidate pero at the same time nakakatuwa kasi sobrang asikaso nila, lalo na ni Oda-san. Sa video conference na-special mention na naman na pinapunta nya kami ng Tokyo kaso isa na lang pala ang bug namin (sarap ng feeling nun sobra), tas tinatanong nya rin kung meron daw ba 'ko nung files na gagamitin for the meeting (wala, so sa gitna nung meeting kinopya nya sa USB nya yung files at binigay sa 'kin) tapos nung patapos na, tinanong nya 'ko kung may gusto ba raw akong idagdag. Ngumiti lang ako tas umiling. Kahit mabait sya sobra naiintimidate pa rin ako e, hahaha XD

Anyway I would just like to report na as of tonight at around 22:00 pm JST, zero bugs na ang hawak ng 制御13開発GangesM窓口. (That's me by the way.) Nung mga 19:30 na-close na namin yung akala kong huli nang bug, tas mga alas-otso nakita ko may isa palang tumakas sa tester at bumalik. So thankfully madali lang din namang na-close yun.

Anyway ang masasabi ko lang tungkol sa zero bug status na 'to ay... hindi ko 'to kagagawan. No thanks to me at all. Gawa 'to mostly ni Jim at shempre ng offshore team. Saludo ako sa inyo. Maraming maraming salamat. Ang sarap. Ang saraaaaaaaap ng ganitong feeling. Naubusan kami ng bugs! Kaya today (and the rest of the week, if we stay pa rin dito) wala kaming deadlines to beat. Ang saraaaap sarap. Sobra. Yun nga lang namimiss ko pa rin si Anjo. Hahahahaha XD

Anyway tulog muna 'ko. Just wanted to share the milestone e, hahaha XD Gunayt!

First Day in the Big City

This morning, met up with Shigehisa-san at Shin Osaka station (Anjo's town!) and rode the 8:53 bullet train bound for Hachioji, Tokyo. Stig naman bullet train. Mabilis. Parang bala. Na ang presyo ay 13 thousand yen. For two hours. Shet almost 40 pesos per minute. Stig yun a.

Arrived at KMBT Hachioji around 1230 and ate a quick lunch at the enormous cafeteria. Exag talaga anlaki ng site na 'to ng KMBT. Akala ko malaki na yung Itami e. Dito sa Tokyo andaming buildings ng site, may roads talaga sa loob. Compound to the 2329877143941st level.

Was feeling nothing but pure fear at the thought of meeting my bosses at 1 pm. As in grabe talaga kinakausap ko sarili ko. "Uwi na 'ko uwi na 'ko uwi na 'ko uwi na 'ko..." Tas dumating sa conference room si Sekido-san, ang head ng QA at ang naniniguradong sinusunod ng bawat person-in-charge ang kani-kanilang mga deadline. (In short sya yung naniningil ng bug fixes sa 'kin araw-araw.) Sobrang kaba. Okey naman, nagpakilala kami sa isa't isa nang maayos. Pero di sya nakuntento. Dinala nya kami ni Jim sa isang testing room na puno ng mga naglalakihang printers at equipment at pinakilala kami sa mga testers na binubulabog ko ng mga requests ko for further testing. Tapos wait di pa tapos. Pumunta kami dun sa area ng mga boss tas pinakilala kami ni Sekido-san kay Kakutani-san (yung manager ng Dev 11), kay Oda-san (yung over-all project leader), at kay Fukuou-san (yung panel leader na pinapasahan ko ng bugs at nagpapasa naman sa 'kin ng bugs.) Shet etong mga taong 'to yung mine-mail ko araw-araw ng mga eksplanasyon sa malabo kong Nihongo at sobrang kinatatakutan ko. Nagkita na kami sa wakas, face to face.

Ano'ng feeling? Shockingly, ayus naman. Niyaya nila kami sa status meeting ng mga bugs kasama yung iba pang mga Hapon na debuggers, at sobrang light naman pala ng atmosphere. Nagtatawanan pa sila sa mga delays nila kahit bukas na yung deadline ng lahat ng bugs, ang gago. Tas pinakilala 'ko - na-realize ko ako lang yung babae dun sa kwarto - tas nag-sorry si Sekido-san sa 'min ni Jim kasi pinapunta-punta pa nila kami ng Tokyo e dalawa na lang yung bugs namin, patapos na rin naman. Thanks Jim. :D

Conclusion: SOOBRANG laking load off my chest. Siguro kasi alam kong onti na lang yung bugs namin. Pero more than that at least alam ko na kung sino yung mga kausap ko sa mail araw-araw, yung mga imahen at boses na naririnig ko tuwing may weekly video conference kami, yung mga Hapon kong boss na feeling ko sooobrang laki na ng atraso ko at sooobrang ayokong makita dahil sa mga delays na dulot ng kabagalan ko. Totoong tao pala sila, hindi lang sila mga pangalan sa address book ko at boses na nagsasalita ng di ko maintindihang Nihongo. They really do exist (hindi lang sila creatures of my nightmares), and they're normal old men lang naman pala, except for the fact that they wield a lot of power over us lowly debuggers. At mababait naman pala sila. Para kaming mga special guests, as in todo pakilala sa mga tao, panalo talaga.

After nung meeting, pinuntahan kami sa kwarto namin ng isa pang head nung isang scope tas nag-consult - NAG-CONSULT! - sya tungkol dun sa isang bug na pinasa namin sa kanila. Two old guys na mukhang panahon pa ng ENIAC or whatever e nagpoprogram na. Shet kung wala si Jim nun di ko alam gagawin ko. Pero ang point is, ganun na yung level - nag-coconsult sila sa 'min. Nag. Coconsult. Sa. Amin. That is just so... wrong. On so many levels.

Anyway the bad side about the fact that we have so little bugs left to fix here is that we may not have to stay for the rest of the week - baka before Friday bumalik na kami ng Osaka. Which is going to be a major suckfest because I have plans of going around Tokyo with Kabo and the other office peeps this weekend. Sad. :( Sabi ni Jim gawa raw sya ng bugs para makapag-stay raw kami. XD

Woohoo, ansaya talaga. First time ko na ganito kagaan ang feeling. In months. As in seryoso. Grabe. Mahal ko na naman ang mundo. Ang sarap na naman mabuhay. Until the next batch of bugs come in, that is. Hahaha XD Yun na muna! Good night!

Salamat. :)

Dumating si Sir Jay today, may dalang pabaon galing sa mga tao sa Pinas.
Para sa picture at mga dedication, salamat. :)

Babylon
Mayet: Musta ka na rin? Pasalubong ko galing Bulacan? Hahaha XD
RM: Hi din RM. :)
Mark D: Nahilo ako sa message mo. Sige inom tayo pag-uwi ko pulutan takoyaki. :D
Boah: Letse ka walang kwenta yung dedication mo. Hindi ako marunong mag-Espanyol. It's all Japanese.

Exodus
Emil: Salamat din. Miss ko na mga kagaguhang hirit mo. :)
MJ: Haha sorry naubusan ka ng space. Good luck din sa inyo. :)

Ivory
Apany: Daddy and Richard Gere miss you. Pano pa 'ko. God bless sa pagpapagamot, nag-aalala naman ako sa 'yo. Waah miss you Aps. :'(
Bondi: Di pa nga 'ko uuwi, di mo pa birthday e. Tara kain tayo. ;)
Jane: God bless din :)
Mrs. Tetangco: Congrats! Buti naman quit ka na sa yosi. At dapat lang naman. Hahahaha XD Kulet mo buti kasya ka pa dun sa ilalim ng tubo sa balcony, haha XD

SQA
May: Haha sorry naubusan ka rin ng space. Laki kasi magsulat ni Dulce e. Hahahaha XD God bless din :)

Inyou
Jocs: Your efforts are greatly appreciated din. Salamat sa pagpapasensya sa iyong bitchy bridge. Haha. Omg nahawa ata ako kay Anjo, pasensya ka na. Ganun talaga pag inlab. Hahaha XD
Wilfred: Pagaling ka. Hinay-hinay sa trabaho. Sorry na.
Sir Elips: Napapraning po ako pag tinatawag nyo 'kong ma'am. Hahaha XD Pagkatapos po nito dapat sobrang tibay ko na a. Pramis? Salamat po sa suporta. Inaantay po namin kayo dito. :D
Nicx: Salamat din sa pagtyatyaga at pagpapagal.
Mark C: Hoy wag sobrang trabaho, kung anu-ano nababalitaan ko. Salamat sa lahat a. Pasensya na sa pagpapahirap.
Yco: Merry Christmas din. :D
Angel: Salamat at may nagbabasa ng blog ko. Dati si Dulce lang talaga nagbabasa nito, seryoso. Hahaha XD
Jomer: Salamat din sa pasensya. :)
Bakla: Walangya ka hindi mo sinabi may ganito pa pala kayong nalalaman. Thanks talaga sa lahat bakel. Alam mo naman lahat e, literal. Haha. Mishu na sobra. Ingat lagi. :)


Grabe OFW na OFW dating ko a. Pero seryoso nakakataba ng puso, salamat. 'Kala ko nakalimutan nyo na 'kong lahat e. At least paminsan-minsan naaalala rin naman pala 'ko kahit feeling ko sobrang bad trip na sa 'kin yung team ko sa Pinas sa sobrang pahirap ko sa kanila. Sorry na. :(

Anyway! Pasensya na. Wala akong ibang maisip sabihin kung hindi pasensya at salamat. At saka I love you too. ;)

I miss Trent. :'(

"Do you think I'm a rigid, unrealistic, unforgiving, self-righteous jerk who can't hold on to a friend?"

Haha walang kinalaman yung picture saka yung quote. Stig lang. Daria forever. :D

Long overdue QQs post

Random QQ's from my YM logs, in no particular order. Keep forgetting to post these.

Is there another kind
maspogiako: kasi nalamn na nila na fuckin moron si halimaw
jMe: wahahahahaha
maspogiako: fuckin moron is patented by the way
maspogiako: kay kabo un
jMe: wahahahahaha

Hayuup
jMe: saka may narinig akong chismis, inofferan daw sila magpunta dito, how true?
iluvlunchguy: yeah parang me chance nga na ipadala cla
jMe: ooh
jMe: wag na
jMe: hirap dito e
iluvlunchguy: hahaha
iluvlunchguy: ok lng naman eh nde naman cla papahirapan katulad ng pagpapahirap nila sayo
jMe: :(

Kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan
jMe: gwapo?
jMe: mas gwapo sayo?
tentong: oo
jMe: a yung panget
jMe: panget kaya yon
jMe: mas gwapo ka dun
tentong: ayaaannn
tentong: caught fish
jMe: XD

Pag nag-honeymoon bago kinasal
tentong: onga pala...mahirap na mag honeymoon ulet, baka madeform noo ng bata
reyna: bwahahaha
reyna: talaga
tentong: o kaya magiging bading yung baby, isubo yung **** ni daddy
jMe: YUUUUUCK
reyna: yakkk

Reunion
jMe: sino sasabihin kong kntakin?
tentong: si reyna!!
reyna: ano ba yaaaannnnnnnnnnn
jMe: XD
jMe: sige sige
reyna: bat ako??
reyna: di yan sila ppunta pag ako
reyna: anuuu baaa
jMe: anu baaaaaaaa
tentong: sige si rey layug nalang
reyna: bwahahaha
jMe: WAHAHAHAHAHAHA XD

Cute Boys
reyna: ano ba nakakahiya dun
jMe: dahil sa pambebenta mo sa kin!!!
reyna: dapat sinabi mo na secret
jMe: nalaman tuloy nyang cute sya
reyna: wahahahaha
reyna: gagu alam nya yun
jMe: pero hindi nya alam na alam ko rin!
jMe: wahahahahaha
reyna: wahahahahahahha

Hahaha angkulet XD Anyway I woke up at 4 pm today. Ang sarap. In less than two days I'll be in Tokyo. First time kong makaalis ng Western Japan, stig. Apparently good thing daw 'tong "bijinesu turipu" na 'to dahil posibleng magkaroon na rin kami ng assignment sa Hachioji. If we do good. IF. In fairness may pabusiness-business trip na kaming nalalaman a. Wahahahaha XD

In other news, I'm going out and eat me some Pepper Lunch Beef Pepper Rice muna. Yum. Laterz.

I'm going to Tokyo!

I really shouldn't get excited.

Yesterday Sir Butch told me and Jim that our presence was "requested" at the college town of Hachioji next week for some hard core debugging. Kuntento na 'ko sa Osaka e, alamuyon. Maka-receive man ako ng email na pinapagalitan ako, at least alam kong malayo sila at hindi nila 'ko masasaktan. Kaso all the big bosses riding my ass on this project are there - Oda-san, Fukuou-san, Sekido-san, yung mga ka-video conference ko every week - and they emailed me yesterday, saying they are waiting for me. I know they're just being Japanese and polite but damn, did they really have to tell me they're waiting for me? "Jamie-san, omachi shimasu." "Jamie, I am waiting." Parang nanggagago na nananakot e. In fairness effective.

So yeah. Tuesday I'm going to Tokyo. In a bullet train! With hotel accommodations! For around one to two weeks! All-expense paid! Woohoo!!!

Kaso debugging? I'm going to Tokyo for debugging? Might as well skip the office and go around Tokyo hunting Matsujun for all the good I'll do debugging for them. Hahaha XD But anyway in fairness I really want to meet my bosses too. And everybody keeps telling me this is going to be a good experience. For whom, I wonder.

Bye Heath. (1979-2008)

Ampanget ng araw. Pinagreport na naman ako ng status ng bugs ko sa mga bossing kong Hapon. Take note video conference yun a, between Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo. At habang yung ibang dev - DEV! - isa o dalawang bugs na lang ang nireport, akong nag-iisang tao, pito yung nireport. Akong nag-iisang non-Japanese. Ang sarap. Ang saya. I'm not very good with oral reports to begin with, kahit English, pero Nihongo 'to men. Next level talaga. Nagpapanic ako sa bawat bug na inuusisa nila dahil HINDI KO SILA NAIINTINDIHAN AND IN SPITE OF THAT THEY EXPECT A COHERENT FUCKING ANSWER. POTA SOBRANG NAKAKAHIYA. Delayed na nga tapos nags-string together lang ako ng random Nihongo words to stand as explanation, feeling ko dobleng bwisit na yung nararamdaman nung mga Hapon. Tapos yung mga tumutulong sa 'kin sa project bumibigay na ata ang mga katawan. Ako kaya kelan no? Wish ko lang e. Tapos nabwibwisit na 'ko kasi hindi ako makagalaw dahil nabwibwisit na 'ko. Argh paulit-ulit na 'kong nagrereklamo. Okay stop.

Anyway in high school we had to recite a monologue in front of the class, and for some reason naalala ko yung piece ko for that assignment kanina habang nagyoyosi break ako. At kabisado ko pa!

Col. Jessep:
You want answers?

Kaffee:
I think I'm entitled to them.

Col. Jessep:
You want answers?

Kaffee:
I want the truth!

Col. Jessep:
You can't handle the truth!
Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns.
Whose gonna do it? You?
You, Lt. Weinburg?
I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom.
You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines.
You have that luxury.
You have the luxury of not knowing what I know:
that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives.
And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties,
you want me on that wall.
You need me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty.
We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something.
You use them as a punchline.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide,
and then questions the manner in which I provide it!
I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way,
Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post.
Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!

Kaffee:
Did you order the Code Red?

Col. Jessep:
I did the job I...

Kaffee:
[shouting] Did you order the Code Red?

Col. Jessep:
[shouts] You're goddamn right I did!


God I love Jack Nicholson. Naalala ko siguro 'to kasi naisip ko I wish I had the luxury to not be in this position. I mean, I could explain to you what my position in KMBT is right now, pero you would be bored out of your skull and you won't understand the magnitude (for me, at least) kaya wag na lang. Suffice to say that the position is pretty hard core. Si Anjo lang ata makakaintindi sa 'kin e kasi sya yung previous owner ng posisyon na 'to, pero obviously hindi ko sya makausap at mahingan ng advice dahil pag kaharap ko sya e kung ano-ano lang ang naiisip ko at lalong bumabaluktot ang baluktot kong Nihongo. (Ang gwapo kasi e. Seryoso. Dilf tsong.)

Anyway I know this post has nothing to do with Heath Ledger. But Jack Nicholson was the Joker in the Tim Burton Batman movies, and this year Heath will be the Joker in The Dark Knight. Obviously we weren't close or anything, but still, sad. :(

It's 3 am I must be you-know-what.

Nooni nooni noo. So here's something you didn't know about me - I've been estranged from my dad since, like, forever.

Unfortunately, I don't have any rebel stories to go with my parents-splitting-up extravaganza. I was too young to care. Sorry boring ba. Hahaha. XD

Anyway so my dad e-mailed me some of his "works" lately, right, and I guess you could say I inherited this fondness of writing from him. Ang weird, naka-receive ako ng e-mail galing sa kanya today. In fairness sa kanya may ibubuga naman sya. Pasampol nga ng Tagalog ni Tatay.


Lupagi

Sa tiwalang pagkakaupo, nakapalumpon ang mga tira-tirahang kinakapitan ng aandap-andap na pag-asa mandin.

Sa unang tingin, anaki'y mga larawan ng kawalang pag-asa. Subalit sa saliw ng mga makabigay buhay na himig, mawawala ka sa salitang halakhakan ng pagsasaya.


Merit Tagalog in fairness. Haha. Syet wala akong naintindihan. What the hell does "aandap-andap" mean? Totoong Tagalog ba yun? Anyway sige English naman.


Homecoming

The loneliest journey on earth is coming home. Retracing the once bubbly traces on a foreign soil now is a painful experience. The muddy soil is now a gruesome monster of fake masterpieces of development and original scenery and odor are now but a lost memory.


Blah blah blah. His pieces all have these dates on them, are really long winded, and I get bored after reading the first couple of lines. Napo-poseran ako men, wtf. In fairness gusto ko yung "the loneliest journey on earth is coming home." Senti shit.

Anyway since I basically don't know him from Adam, all I can really say is this: mas magaling ako sa kanyang magsulat.

Wahahahahahaha ang ingrata ko. >XD Anyway he also sent me a baby picture.


Stig, nineteen kopong-kopong na picture. At take note naka-tube top ang baklang bata, hindi ko kinayaaaaaaaaa...

I sooo hate my parents for dressing me up like a whore when I was a baby.

Oh well. At least alam kong mas cute naman ako kesa sa dalawang ungas na 'to.


Hahahahaha XD Namimiss ko na mga little monsters ko. Oh yeah right I was talking about my dad. Um, wala yun lang naman. Na-discover ko lang na old school blogger pala si erpats. Saka na mas magaling ako sa kanya. Hahaha sorry I'm bored. Nooni nooni noo.

If you have no idea what Merit and Basic means you can stop reading right here.

I think I finally know what's wrong with me.

I have this thing with words, right, and this whole Japanese experience is screwing with me. Big time.

I lord it over everyone I know na "merit" ako, right, and in Japan, it's like Kryptonite all over the place. I'm beyond powerless. Dito, sila ang merit. And I'm basic. God. Alam ko na yung feeling nina Sweetness, Dulcinea, Mommy Grace, Luscious Lana... shet ako lang pala sa F4+Madam ang hindi basic?!? Wahahahahahahaha XD

I digress. I admit I'm not the brightest apple in the bunch, especially when it comes to programming shit. Oh that I am not. But usually I go around that with my excellent grasp of vocabulary and grammar, not to mention my delightful conversational skills. Okay I'm not always delightful, but at least may sense naman ako kausap. I think.

Pero dito... they don't know that. They only see my work output. (Or the lack of it.) Usually at least I can explain that, make the other person understand. Ask help. Because if anyone needs that, ohmygod that would be me please. Or in the first place I wouldn't need their help, because if everything was in English or Filipino, I would understand everything because my reading comprehension has been flawless since grade school. Go on, read through my aptitude tests. Highest palagi yung parts tungkol sa language.

So I realized yet another thing wrong with me: masyado akong mayabang. Harharhar.

Anyway. If my whole life I have been having this love affair with the written word, and suddenly we were ripped apart, and then they forced me to do programming, then I would be in big fucking trouble.

Which explains this whole super happy experience. :)

Suggestions to solve this problem are, of course, very welcome. Just don't tell me to learn Nihongo, because if you do I would tell you to shove Minna no Nihongo - all four worthless volumes of it - straight up your fucking ass. Pota kahit inaral ko yun nang limang buwan it's worth exactly squat pag asa Japan ka.

Nooni nooni noo. Hindi gumagana yung Meebo ko since this afternoon, I've been home all day because I don't wanna go out because it's winter and raining (not a good combination if you have zero body fat), and I realized I have to be at work again in 12 hours.

God I really don't want to go to work tomorrow. Aside from the super fun work, nagsisimula na talagang magmukhang tatay si Anjo e. Dammit. The hottest piece of ass in the office. Nanganak-nganak pa kasi yung asawa nya last week. Fucking whore.

Hahaha bitter. O sya, gotta scrounge up dinner muna. Laterz.

Oo skwater ako.

Papunta 'kong office nung isang araw, on my bike, still bitching about my bad fucking luck, right, singing "Natutulog ba ang Diyos?" at the back of my head. Haha joke. Pero seryoso bad trip ako nun kasi papunta 'kong office tas anlamig-lamig, nakaka-stress.

Tapos biglang umulan. E di lalong bad trip di ba, naka-bike pa naman ako. Pinahiram-hiram ko pa kasi kay Jiggs yung payong ko. Tas na-realize ko, bakit parang lumulutang yung ulan? Saka hindi basa e. Saka medyo puti. Saka nags-stay sya on my nose and eyelashes...

Yun na. Stig. Sabi sa weather forecast bukas daw ulit ng gabi. :D

Kaya 'to.

ジェイミーさん

いつもお世話になっております。
ご連絡、ありがとうございました。
本日(1/12)午前中に、ジェイミーさんのチェックイン通知のメールを
見ておりましたので、ジェイミーさんが休日出勤で対応して下さって
いることを認識しておりました。
休日出勤、ありがとうございました。本当に感謝しております。

実は、日程が遅延しているのは、ジェイミーさんだけではありません。
私が、苦言メール（催促メール）を出しているのは、ジェイミーさん宛だけでは
ありません。
私は皆から憎まれてしまいそうで心配です・・・涙。

Read this mail yesterday from one of the bosses demanding bug fixes from me. He went on to say a couple of other stuff, but basically what he said was thank you for the effort, and that I wasn't the only one he was demanding from, meron din namang iba na delayed din. (May binigay pa syang sample na mail nya dun sa isang kupal e angkulet. Nade-delay rin ang mga Hapon? No way!) Anyway I think the mail was so I wouldn't feel so bad about all the shit going down.

In fairness na-touch naman ako. At least I know he knows I feel bad about everything, and that we are all making an effort to do what needs to be done.

So. Thank you dude. Medyo nakakagaan ng loob yung mail mo. Panalo ka. :)

;b

Damn I really shouldn't have gotten that coffee from the drink bar at dinner.

So it's almost 4 am JP time and I'm still wide freaking awake. I have OT to render later this morning; I don't know how the hell I'm gonna wake up in time. Anyway it's been a crazy week, crazier than usual; apparently starting this month I am officially the person in charge of the work scope here in Japan. The hell. So now all these Japanese KMBT big shots are mailing me, requesting me to do the stuff Anjo previously handled, asking me the status of the project. In freaking Nihongo. And I still have to handle all the stuff coming from the offshore team, asking me how to do this, telling me I have to do this because they can't do it offshore, asking me to please check this with the people here. Oh, and Anjo's happily off heading a different project.

I miss him. Although I hate him too, a little bit. Basta, galit kami ngayon. Iniwan nya ko sa ere. Break na kami. :(

Anyway I still don't see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel outta this. Kelan kaya ako masasanay sa workload na 'to. It's beyond crazy. You won't imagine the sheer terror I experience whenever I have to report a delayed status during a weekly video conference with the project leaders and my counterparts in three different KMBT locations, and then have to explain the cause of the delay of each bug in my broken Nihongo. The panic I feel when I receive mail from the project leader, demanding I close the bugs or else they'll go all panahon ng Hapon on me. The helplessness of not being able to ask, reason, or even understand what the hell they expect me to do because of the damn language barrier. The weight on my shoulders when I open the database and see more and more new bugs coming in, and no time to work on them. And unfortunately all I can do is sigh at my desk, hold back the freaking tears, and keep working.

So. Sorry for being such a drama queen. Saka please lang wag kang magtampo pag na-diss kita sa YM, kase I would love nothing more than to have easy work and chat with you all day. Unfortunately I don't have that luxury. What I have is the daily fear of more demands, more knowledge of the office flooring and carpeting from walking around all day with my head down in shame, avoiding looks from people who may or may not be backstabbing me in Nihongo; what I have are more and more disappointed looks from people I should be impressing, lesser and lesser time to take care of people who matter, and the increasingly desperate hope that I am not this stupid, this inept; I will get used to this, I will get better at my job. Or at the very least I tell myself that this, too, shall pass.



I used to be normal, you know?

Haha binasa ko ulit mula umpisa yung post ko ang drama sobra. Sobrang depressing kasi e, to realize na ang yabang-yabang ko tas yun pala wala akong binatbat. Woohoo, sarap sa ego men. Ja til next.

Thou shalt not break the sixth commandment.

I never learn.

If Anjo, just for kicks, tries to Google his name, the first hit would be this blog. Along with a couple of other names that, if leaked out in the KMBT office, would mean total fucking disaster. 'Cause basically I admitted to coveting my neighbor's husband. And a couple of other people. Oh man if anybody knows how I can erase that from Google please please PLEASE HELP ME. I've already edited the previous post, I don't know what else to do.

Dagfreakingnabbet.

2007: The Year in Review

Third "year in review" piece. What to write, what to write.

Okay. Game.

This year I turned 25. My theory that the year you turn (put your birthdate here; in my case 25 since I was born July 25th) is a memorable year is finally put to the test. So far it has been memorable naman. On my birthday Jim, Aldy, Aps, and I went to Osaka Castle Park in the day, watched a fireworks festival at Sakuranomiya in the evening, and had yakiniku for my birthday dinner. Tsalap.



This year obviously was a big year for me, work-wise. I went to Japan for the first time in March. and so far I've spent five months here in total. Travelled to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, basically all tourist sites surrounding Osaka. Japan's great. Some things I've learned living in Japan:

- No matter how good you think you are in Nihongo during training in the Philippines, when you get to Japan, you are going to stink. Big time. Every time. It doesn't matter how many anime series of J-doramas you've watched. YOU. WILL. SUCK.
- All Japanese are always in a hurry. Always. Walking, smoking, working, serving food, lahat. Hindi matatawaran ang efficiency ng mga Hapon. Bow talaga.
- "Kupal" is not a cultural thing. Some people generalize and say kupal ang mga Hapon, pero I don't agree. Ang masasabi ko lang, if I were asked, mababait ang mga Hapon. Sobrang gagalang. Pero hindi lahat. May mga gusto mo ring bigyan ng isa minsan. Para ring sa Pinas. So it's really not a cultural thing. Kahit saan ka magpunta may kupal talaga.
- Maraming gwapo sa Japan. You can go on and tell me na biased lang ako sa mga singkit, pero seryoso. I don't know what they have in the water here, pero every time I go out I always get to see a major hottie. Oftentimes I don't even have to go out, I just have to turn my head in the office and hello, there's Anjo, stretching and unintentionally lifting his shirt in the process, giving the world a free peek to his flat, toned stomach. Sigh. Which brings me to my next lesson learned.
- Bawal lambingin ang may asawa. Sorry talaga, Mrs. Anjo. You've caught yourself quite a hot daddy.
- Last but not least, I learned that just because you are in Japan does not mean you will run into Matsumoto Jun looking like this. Damn.


Oh well. May three months pa naman ako dito e. Lots of time.

Moving on, this year was also The Year of Arashi.


I discovered Arashi via the Jun bait, or getting hooked on Arashi by watching Matsujun doramas (Hana Yori Dango, Gokusen, etc.) and discovering his boyband in the process. Damn, kung nung 1997 meron akong Hanson (oo na!), ngayong 2007 meron akong Arashi.

(L-R)

Aiba Masaki
Initially I thought he looked, well, ordinary. Ugly, even. But I've since reformed. He's totally entertaining to watch, his pants are always falling off, and he I have to admit has a certain quality of hotness din naman pala. And he's such a softie too, he will cry at anything, even during thanking their 55,000 fans for attending their Tokyo Dome concert. Aaaw.


Sakurai Sho
Rapper dude. Rapper dude with a hot hot hot body. That alone would make him cool in my book, but apparently he's also a graduate of Keio University, the Japanese equivalent of an Ivy League school. Or Ateneo, if that makes it easier. (Harharhar.) So he's rapper dude with a hot body and brains to boot.


Ohno Satoshi
If I had to choose among all of Arashi who I would like to spend the rest of my life with, it would be this guy. I mean, Matsujun's the Matsujun of Arashi, but Ohno is the most hilarious person EVER. And the only person in Arashi who can actually sing. And dance. The first fifteen seconds of Ohno's solo in "Kotoba Yori Taisetsu na Mono" is just... I dunno, I don't even understand the words, but I get them because of the way he sang them. SHIT THAT WAS SO CHEESY. Pero anyway totoo, pramis. Pero angkulet pa rin ng mukha nya talaga. Haha. And no, Marie, hindi nya kamukha si Elbert. Syet.


Ninomiya Kazunari
The evilest little fucker among Arashi. Anlakas mang-asar, grabe. First among them to crossover to Hollywood (he was in Letters from Iwo-Jima.) And actually the most good-looking during their earlier days, nung nasa awkward teenager phase pa silang lahat. Come to think of it his face never really changes. Thirty years from now he's still going to look cute and angelic. Kahit sobrang walanghiya nya.




Matsumoto Jun
Last but not the least. Obviously. No introduction needed. Sabi nga ni Kabo, he's twice as famous as any other member of Arashi. But he's definitely the humblest one, and he loves Arashi the most kaya ayus lang. (Parang close kami no.) Pero anyway I didn't say that, the rest of Arashi said that. Pero there, I love him 'cause he replaced Dao Ming Si in my heart with Doumyoji Tsukasa (kahit sobrang reluctant ako dahil mahal na mahal ko yung Meteor Garden dati) and I will never forget the last episode of Gokusen because of his awesome acting. (Yankumeeeeeh!!!) Plus, he's so pretty. :)




And the good thing about fandom in the J-pop world, you will NEVER run out of stuff to buy/read/watch. They're everywhere. In fairness to my self-control this year I only ended up buying the Arashi Around Asia + In Dome DVD.


It was 5k yen, but what the heck. At least I didn't buy all the rest of the glorious Arashi merchandise (and there were a LOT. Man, Arashi's popular.) Last night there was a Johnny's Countdown special and all of Johnny's Boys were there, and Arashi was the host. Stig.

Ok, enough fangirling. Hmm, what else went down in 2007? At the risk of sounding even more boy crazy, I also noticed that I noticed a lot of boys this year. And it all started with Lunch Guy.

- Lunch Guy
- Anjo
- Boyfriend
- Onin
- Kat-tun Guy
- Morning Meeting Guy
- Berdie (na bagong chupet)
- Boah and Bondi (kailangan magkasama)
- and Vren (pumalit diumano sa trono ni Baldy)

Hmm, if I had to choose one boy among them, I would choose... Anjo. Nah, he's married. But if he wasn't I would totally choose him. He's hot, smart, arrogant, kinda gay, and really cute. As in I-can't-believe-he's-a-frickin'-programmer cute. Ok, enough coveting my neighbor's husband. Sorry God. Sorry boys.

This year, courtesy of Japan, I also was able to buy stuff I previously did not have the funds for. Financial freedom, we meet at last!

First, the Creative Vision: M I bought last March. It was my first major purchase since forever, so of course I love it. It is currently filled with around 20 gigs worth of songs and 10 gigs worth of everything else. I mainly use it in trains and stuff.


Second, my totally cool HP Pavilion Entertainment PC, which I bought last October. This one really hurt in the wallet department, but it's still worth it. I love it love it love it.


Third, well, I didn't really buy it, it came with the laptop, but it's still something new I got this year so I'm putting it here anyway. This is the HP Deskjet D4160 I got for free. Haven't actually used it yet, though. Maybe because at the office I'm surrounded by like 50 big ass printers.
And, last but not least, my 500 GB external HDD from Buffalo. Gave me my first taste of omnipotency. Thank you.


Yay. So now you will understand me when I say sorry that I wasn't able to buy pasalubong for you guys when I get back - I spent all my money on me, me, me kasi. Sorry na.

This year, one of my bestest friends got married. I wasn't there to celebrate with the rest of the admuECEzerofive gang, but I was there in spirit, pramis. Congrats, Grace and Melvin.

Also, my effervescent older sister Marie got back from Dubai after two and a half years to the Philippines to hatch the latest Little Ricky Hermoso. Dumadami na sila.


Man this is a long post. Symbolic of how long 2007 was. Syet. Hahaha XD Anyway tapusin ko na muna, pag may naalala pa 'kong thought provoking shit that went down last year habol ko na lang sa ibang post. If any.

Anyway as my boss Richard Gere taught me, in Japan aside from "Akemashite Omedetou" (or Happy New Year), they also say "Yoi Otoshi Wo," or literally, "A good year," in remembrance of the year about to end. And it was a good year, in spite of everything. Here's hoping we all have another good one. :)

良いお年を, and Happy New Year everyone! :)