Going to the company I talked about previously to have a theoretical and practical exam was quite a challenge. I didn't get enough sleep and it took around an hour just for the shuttle to arrive in the terminal. I should have taken the jeep but the lines were also long and I already paid. It's a good thing that the building was not hard to find as it was right behind a well-known building. I arrived just in time for my 9:30 appointment

The office looked good. Though it was just plain, rows of booths with their own computers and everyone sitting beside each other separate rooms on the side and no other decorations aside from their bulletin board and the small sofa for the guests, it still looked clean and better than the two companies I've worked for. There were a lot of people working and the atmosphere around the office was very serious and you would barely hear them talk. Just the sound of the aircon and their whispers fill the air. Only those who look like the boss/managers were talking in a loud tone.

There were other applicants that time and I even got to talk with someone who was there to have her initial interview. I got to ask her several questions and found out I was only there to have my exam and if I pass, they'll e-mail me to schedule my 1st face-to-face interview. I was relieved since I wasn't ready yet. I wanted to ask her more but I was called to start the exam right after.

The first part was just a simple 45-item multiple choice exam to test my grammar. I finished it quite early at around 10 am. The next part was to write a 750-word article about laptops,smartphones and iPads. I was a little worried since I was not allowed to use the net but I was able to finish it and even exceed the word count. I just hope the article was used to check my grammar again because my article was so random and didn't exactly have any story. The last part was quite easy since I just had to fill-up a form asking for personal information but it was a very long questionnaire and looked like a booklet which took most of my time. I made a mistake of not bringing some of my work-related documents as I could not remember some basic info like my SSS number or the telephone numbers of my previous companies. But since I was starting to consider not pushing through my application even if I pass, I did not spend much time pondering on it and tried to answer all the questions honestly.I was rushing by the end because it was already past lunchtime and I have not eaten yet. They did not ask me to take a break. I noticed several other applicants arriving as well. I finished exactly by 1pm and as expected, told me that they would contact me for the results. I headed back to the mall to have my lunch and go to the gym. It was a very tiring day and I do hope I pass even if I might not actually take the position.

I thought that yesterday was just going to be an ordinary day but I was surprised when I opened my e-mail and saw an invitation from one of the companies I applied to. They were inviting me for a theoretical and practical exam for tomorrow though they didn't mention if they were also going to interview me. It wasn't exactly my dream company but it was a decent job. I did hesitate for a while and did not confirm my attendance right away to give me time to think.

When I got home from the gym, I decided to confirm since I don't want to waste an opportunity again. Upon opening my e-mail, I received a response from the company I'm trying to get a part time job in writing which I failed at first and just waiting for my results for my second writing sample. I was surprised to see that I passed! The company is not exactly that great but it will at least fill some spot on my resume. I still need to go to the bank to fix some concerns though.

I'm still going tomorrow to the other company but I'm not worried and I'm prepared if I get rejected.

I received some good news today. I will elaborate on it soon since I'm still overwhelmed and I need some sleep :p

I was torn between watching a kiddie movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid sequel or an adult/family drama movie whose trailer doesn't leave me a lot to thirst for. In the end, I decided to go with the latter.

People Like Us is a movie top-billed by Chris Pine (Star Trek,Just My Luck), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games,Zac & Miri Make A Porno), Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns,Hairspray) and Olivia Wilde (Tron,Cowboys & Aliens). I found out that its original title was Welcome to People and it was changed to its current name. I do think that either title did not convey the entire story of the film. But not to be discouraged, the actual film turned out to be one of my favorites this year.

As the trailer and previews have teased us, it is about Sam (Pine) having a difficult situation at work that could land him in jail and finds out through his girlfriend, Hannah (Wilde) that his father died. But instead of mourning, Sam looks a bit passive and not affected by this development but he manages to go back home where he is coldly welcomed by his mother (Pfeiffer). We learn that Sam did not have a good relationship with his father, a musician/manager and it worsens when his lawyer gave him a package that contains money to be delivered to a child. This leads to the major developments in the movie about finding out about his sister who is dealing with her own problems and trying to raise a child on her own and several complications in his family and personal life. As he grows closer to his sister and his nephew, he struggles to keep the secret of their real relationship. This is a very dialogue-driven movie and I have to commend the script and the actors for their excellent delivery.

Chris Pine did a good job and proved that he deserves to be one of the leading men in Hollywood, Banks also portrayed her role very well,being a hardworking mother who tries to be strong for her child despite under difficult situations. Michael Hall D'Addario played Banks' son, Josh, in the movie. He was good for most parts though he felt a little awkward in some parts but he has good potential in his future. Pfeiffer, being an incredible actress that she already is, was predictably good. Wilde was able to bring out the best in Pine's character despite her limited scenes with him in the movie. It is quite disappointing that this might not get the recognition it deserves.

What I like most in the movie is that in the middle of watching it, I had a realization that what kept me glued to the film is that I can relate to Sam's character. Having an estranged father whom he doesn't feel affectionate to despite being gone really strikes me. I might be spilling too much but since no one reads this anyway, I can say I know I have another sibling out there. I guess that's the difference between Sam and me, at least I know about my father's extra affairs. In the film, Sam is also portrayed as someone who runs away from his problems all the time and that is how I picture myself, unfortunately. But I hope that just like Sam, I'll be able to face my fears soon and have a better life.

One thing that also made the film good was the music. It had excellent musical score, produced by A.R. Rahman. In the film, Sam also suggested to Josh in a dialogue a playlist, particularly, Gang of Four,The Buzzcocks,Joy Division, The Clash, Joy Division and Television. I better check them out soon.

I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. I miss movies like these. A perfect blend of comedy and drama and a hint of romance,not in an incestuous way, but you will love the chemistry between Sam and his relationships with the people around him.

It's quite hard to make this entry when one of my biggest dreams in life got crushed. But this is a way of letting go so let me share what happened.

Last Saturday, Philippine Airlines had a recruitment day held at the Diamond Hotel in Roxas Boulevard. It was supposed to be for one day only but got extended for another day. I still went there on Saturday since I anticipated there will be more applicants on Sunday.

I have never been to the hotel so I just got directions from the net. It didn't help that I woke up a little late but I was still able to leave the house by 6:30am. Fortunately, I found the hotel and arrived there by 7:30am. Registration starts at 8am and ends at 10am. By the time I arrived, there was already a very lengthy line and I was already lucky that the end of the line was somewhere at the back side of the hotel. By the time the registration began and they let people in, the line reached all the way to Roxas Boulevard and since they couldn't be accommodated anymore, they were sent home. I''m so thankful I got in.

We were first sent into the ballroom area and divided into several lanes. Each lane is sent to the actual ballroom until it's full. While waiting outside, a lot of people were already having a chat and I can hear a lot expressing their worries and concerns and that didn't help me avoid being nervous. When our line were sent in, things went quite fast.There were two people checking the resumes and sent to the 2nd floor one by one.

We were given numbers for easier identification and were made to fall in line again as we proceed to the first step which is the documentary verification. While in line, we had to fill out a small form that also indicates the procedures of the entire recruitment and they were also showing an AVP of the new flights and services that PAL will offer.

Unfortunately, by the time I was going to be called, they announced that it was already time for lunch break so we had to return after an hour and a half. Since we had our assigned numbers and we already have our seats and familiarized our seatmates, it was alright to leave without worrying of forming a new line. 

I had my lunch in Jollibee at Robinson's Manila which was near the area. I had my lunch quick and returned to the hotel to freshen up and avoid being late.

By the time it resumed, I got to the 1st step immediately. They just checked our resume and verified the info and I was told that I passed the 1st step. 

The next step was the 1st screening and I thought that was where we were going to have our impact interview. I researched online what it is and it is basically where I have to introduce myself and say anything I want to say. We were taken to another room and they took 5 per batch. In my batch, we were 5 boys and 1 girl. There are 2 booths where the screening is done.  I was expecting a panel but it was just one lady who collected our resumes while we stand in front of her.

We were asked to recite our name,age and height one by one. We were asked to turn around before being asked to proceed outside and wait for the results.

I was the first one called and I was greeted by bad news that I was rejected. 

I felt so humiliated after that so I tried to leave as soon as possible. I can't be discreet since I had to walk down the huge stairway where everyone can see who got rejected.

I saw a couple of people downstairs but not as many as I thought and I just felt so depressed.

This was my chance and I blew it. They said I could try again in 6 months but I'm not sure if anything's gonna change especially if I got rejected because of my looks.

The worst part is that I didn't even reach the final step. The next 3 steps after the 1st screening was the initial medical, photo ops and the 2nd screening/executive interview. I did not exactly expect to pass the recruitment smoothly but I expected that if ever I got rejected, it was because of my answers in an interview and not because of my physical appearance. I know I'm not model material but I never thought I would look so gruesome and unattractive. They pounced on my confidence and my low self-esteem so quickly. I didn't even get the chance to defend myself and prove that I can handle the job.

When I got home, I found out from one applicant who posted in an online forum that due to the huge amount of applicants, they chose guys who were only 5'8 or above even though the qualifications were asking for at least 5'6. I doubt I would grow 2 more inches by 6 months.

After finding out the news, my mom actually found out that only 13 passed and 28 were conditional during that day. I don't know if I should feel good that I'm not the only one grieving or to feel bad that I wasn't part of them. But either way, I am still trying to move on and accept my fate. I'm just praying that when the right time comes, I will be given the chance to fly the flag, as they say.

For the past 1-2 weeks, Manila has been experiencing torrential rains. It is normal to experience it here but it is getting out of hand. We had experienced a typhoon last week which is reasonable for having bad weather but after it left, people thought the weather would improve and the rains would stop. But the problem is it didn't.

Last Monday, the rain seemed like how it normally does so I went to the gym as usual. I was able to finish early since I went there early to do some errands (to be discussed in future posts). As I was going home, the line for the shuttle service was quite long as expected during rainy days. It took me around 1 1/2 hours just to get home. On the road, I noticed some roads were already flooded near our street but fortunately, our street wasn't flooded yet.

But it got worse later on that night as the rains didn't stop and as I was watching the street outside, water was rising and I feared that it would be similar to the typhoon Ondoy back in 2009. I couldn't sleep despite my grogginess but I had an intuition that what happened back then would not happen again in our house so I didn't really panicked but I tried to get some thing on higher ground just in case. 

I slept with risk of waking up to a scene of floodwater in the house but as I had hoped for, the water outside our house already died down despite the continuous rain that still poured. I checked the news to find out that it wasn't the same for most areas. A lot are flooding and several news of deaths have been reported. Red warning has been raised. Classes in all levels, work including in the BPO industry in Manila has been suspended, something that is rare. What's worse is that it was not even a typhoon and just rains coming from the monsoon. It was later reported that the amount of rainfall that was produced was greater than that of Ondoy! It is quite alarming to think how bad could it get if it was a fully developed typhoon? Not only the government but everyone should do something about it especially in waste disposal as it is one of the reasons of flooding. 

The good thing about this is it brings out the heroism among many of our fellowmen and unites us in helping each other. Several companies,schools, establishments are helping in giving relief goods where everyone can donate and help in relief operations. 

Today, the red warning has been lifted and it was predicted that the weather will be good. We got teased by the sun appearing in the morning but the heavy downpour of rain returned by the afternoon and continued throughout the day. Hopefully, it will be gone by tomorrow because I need to run some errands again.

I've always enjoyed these movies movies that showcase their dancing especially the Step Up series. Although I wasn't exactly hyped to see the movie, I didn't hesitate on watching the 4th installment of the series as I know it will deliver in showing off exhilarating dance moves and music that's sure to make you bop to the beat.


The movie stars the film debut of upcoming actor Ryan Guzman and popular trainer Misha Gabriel. The leading lady of the movie is no other than a former contestant of the TV show So You Think You Can Dance, Kathryn McCormick who resembles a lot like Jessica Stroup. The rest of the cast involves Peter Gallagher, whom I thought it was funny cause he played a similar role in other movies before, and other actors who showed they can truly dance.

The story is nothing groundbreaking. Just a group of dancers collectively known as The Mob trying to win a contest that would reward them with exposure and make a name for themselves for better opportunities. The group is joined by Kathryn's character who has a passion for dancing after making friends with one of the group's leader, played by Ryan. Unfortunately, her father is a wealthy real estate businessman who threatens to tore down the area where most people including The Mob resides. Ryan and Kathryn is caught in this big problem that could affect all parties involved.

But the lack of originality is compensated by the dancing in the film which was amazing. Not to mention that the cast are quite good-looking which is one of the formulas for these kind of movies and are completely appreciated.

I don't know if they'll continue this franchise but I do hope to see the cast in other projects in the future.

I can't believe my passion for writing, or at least what I think I have, has failed me. I know I have a lot to improve on but I don't think it's that bad. 

After receiving my results for the writing sample I sent as part of the application in the company I applied for, which actually took a whole month before I got the results, I was greeted with bad news that I did not pass. Though there is still hope for me to join since I can submit a new article again after a week. But after this first try, I felt so let down. I know that's not the right attitude but the pessimism inside me always prevails but despite this, I'll try to bounce back. I won't stop trying until I get in. Maybe it's my fault too since at first, I kinda hoped that I wouldn't pass after finding out the issue in payment  but I realized I need to get myself active somehow and this was a perfect opportunity.

I got depressed after receiving the news that I couldn't sleep properly last night. But today, I tried to make myself feel better and just kept on telling myself that I can still make it and I hope I do.