8/31/13 - Bazooka Rocks Festival II

Bazooka Rocks is an indoor festival featuring a dozen bands to play for more than 12 hours of music. I went to last year's event and had quite a good time. This was an event I was looking forward to and it almost turned out to be a disaster. 

I went to the venue early. This was held at the SMX Convention Center just like last year. While I was at the jeepney, I realized that I took my ticket out of my wallet and after checking, I did left it at home! I had to go back and return to my house after arriving at around 10:30 am. It was a good thing that there wasn't any traffic and the local bands were the only one playing in the morning. I was able to come back at around 12 noon. Just when I thought nothing could go wrong, the right strap of my backpack almost got ripped off and it was actually the backpack I just bought a few weeks ago! I wasn't even carrying a lot of stuff, just my umbrella, wallet and camera.  I decided that I'll deposit my bag in the baggage counter but was surprised to see that they removed it so I had to bring it inside the concert area.

The line at the entrance was so long!It took more than an hour just to get in and I missed the performance of the 1st band which was RadioDriveBy. I actually wanted to see them since I think I would like their music. Hopefully, I could find copies of their album since I think they were selling them at the merch booth. Speaking of the merch booth, they were selling some band merch just like last year but the line seems to be longer than last year. I wasn't really interested since the designs were not so great but I would have thought that they would have fixed the solution to the long lines already to avoid the hassle of the buyers.

There were more food booths this time which is a great improvement from last year where there were only around 2 to 3 booths. There were also more people who came this time around so the place was really packed. There seems to be more activity booths such as face painting and games booths and a photo wall and of course, the huge inflatable slide.

The first band I caught was an Asian band called Uchusentai Noiz. I don't really like their music or gimmicks which is a good thing cause I just wanted to eat that time since I haven't eaten breakfast.

I actually spent most of my money on food more than anything else. There were breaks in between the bands' performances and I ate food every single time. The prices were quite high but there were reasonable ones.

Tonight Alive came up next. They've been on my music library for a long time but I started to really like them recently. Jenna, the vocalist, is so pretty and was nice to see her live. They come from Australia which is pretty cool. They performed a lot of songs from their old albums as well as some new songs from their upcoming album called The Other Side which I just listened to this morning and was amazing. The crowd was lively during this set. In fact, the crowd was pretty active for almost the entire day which I have to commend since Filipino concert goers are usually passive.

Hardcore band We Came As Romans were the next band. They seem to be more fitting to play at a later time but since the crowd was mostly young teens, I guess they were put up at an earlier timeslot. I don't really listen to their music so I took this time to rest.

During the breaks, the bands had a meet and greet at the merch booth. I was lucky to catch most of them up close including All Time Low.

Old timer The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was the next act. I remember them exploding here in the country with their hit songs from their first album. A couple of albums later, they came back. I actually thought they were inactive but it was nice to know they're not and even performed songs from their latest album. Of course, the crowd went wild when they sang old hits like Your Guardian Angel, Cat & Mouse and Face Down. They were also great live. They apparently had a contest and they let the winner sing one song onstage which was really awesome of them. It shows how much they appreciate their fans.

Anberlin was the next act and I love how great they were. They seemed to have a good time and genuinely enjoyed performing in front of the fans. Though the crowd was not as loud as I hoped it would be but it's mostly because of the 2 acts that are coming after them. They sang a lot of songs from their discography which is really good.

Pop rock veterans and one of my favorite bands, All Time Low, were the second to the last act of the night. I've seen them before and they really know how to put up a good show. The crowd was insane when they came up. They performed a lot of songs and the crowd sang along to every one of them.  They are one of the bands with a huge following here in the country and I would pay to see them again and again. It's strange that they are not really the last act but it's not so bad at all. I really hope they come back again.

Finally, another crowd charmer, A Rocket To The Moon closes the show. I've seen them twice last year and I love them son much that I had to watch them again this year, especially since this may be the last time I'll ever get to. They have announced their breakup and this tour is a farewell to the fans. It is really disappointing since I love their music but I'm just so happy that I get to see them before they do.They sang a lot of songs and the crowd was still wild even if it was past midnight. Some people in the audience were even teary-eyed. It was a perfect way to end the night and I hope we won't hear the last of them. Thank you, ARTM.

Overall, the event had significant improvements from last year and I hope there will be another event next year.

8/30/13

I'm not liking the changes in the office. It seems like we're moving in such a rapid pace and we can't keep up. I'm not against change but too much change without moderation is really a struggle. I'm not just talking about the clients but even the workflow or the office structure, the management seems to be in a hurry. I just wish they can slow down before implementing all these changes.

I just realized I haven't blogged about my Bazooka Rocks experience yet. I'll try to do it this weekend. It;s been a while since I wrote something that isn;t in a form of a rant or mumble...

8/29/2013

This week has been so hectic! I've been so stressed that I couldn't even write a single article because there's a lot of things to do!

This week I've also confirmed one suspicion that I knew all along. I have a bad habit of looking at my seatmate's work station and sometimes seeing their computer screens. So yesterday I saw my officemate chatting with someone through skype and he admitted that he was a bisexual. I thought he would be gay downright but nothing's wrong with whatever he turns out to be. I just hope he has the courage to come out, at least o his friends like us.

But there's somehow an improvement. He seems to open up more about his personal plans such as his longtime plans for his career. I can't talk more about it but I'm the only one he trusts so far regarding that matter and the only person he's told about it so far and I think that's good. It;s nice to feel trusted by someone.

8/27/13

What a very tiring week! I haven't had enough rest since last Sunday's event and I have a lot of stuff to do at work. I can barely squeeze out time to blog. There's not really much update for now. I just wanted to make a quick update. Everyone's talking about the VMA's and I probably would be doing the same thing except that we no longer have MTV ever since we switched cable provider. I didn't really need to watch it though to know what happened.

8/24/13

Another change in the office is bound to happen but even though I am worried about it, I'm not going to elaborate  or complain about it yet I'm just too tired for that right now. All I know is I am expecting that the workload will be heavier again starting next month or even next week.

A new specialist has been added to the team and its nice that there's another person to balance the load and she seems to be a nice person that we will get along with easily.

Despite working for only 2 days this week, I seem to have faced a very tough challenge that concerns me personally and makes me doubt my stay in the company. It's just tool bad because I've really appreciated most of the people in the company.

But there's still some good news. Bazooka Rocks is tomorrow! Though I admit I'm not as excited as I should be, it is a good break from all the stress. It's nice to see some of the bands I like. I'm hoping this one will be somehow better than last year. I am also praying for good weather tomorrow.

It's unfortunate that we have work on the following day but I'll still watch the entire show like last year.

8/22/13

What a terrible day! Got indirectly scolded at the office in front of my co-workers. Though it's pretty much my fault for having a fear of the authority but it was never my intention to bypass my superiors or cause any trouble.

But I didn't think it would be such a big deal on who I report to. I thought at least letting them know somehow about my condition is the most important and I just learned that I'm wrong.

I've also overheard that we might be moving to a new location which is in another city. That is something I am afraid of since one of the reasons I chose to accept a position at this company is because of its location. Moving to another office which is far from where I live will take sop much effort and consume most of my salary. The travel expenses alone is enough to keep me broke and I can already see myself accumulating a bunch of late time-ins.

Just when I thought this job could be the best one yet, I feel like it's pushing me away.

8/21/13

It's back to work tomorrow. It should have been today but I decided to stay at home instead to help out on house cleaning and I was feeling a bit ill. I did do minimal work today so I could somehow say that I've been productive.

The feeling is quite weird. I'm no longer used to consecutive days of having no work. It's not necessarily a vacation as I felt so tired in all these days of having no work. I can't help but think that I'm slacking off even if I have legitimate reasons to stay off from work especially after yesterday's tropical disaster hit our home. I'm no workaholic but it feels like a routine already which can both be a good and bad thing.

With just two days of work for this week, I can already sense an overwhelming list of tasks to do. Though I plan to cut it short, I still want to accomplish at least half of my tasks. I am also scared for the performance of my clients because of this lack of activity. I can't ask for help from others because I know they are fully loaded too.

I've been wondering if this stress and worry toward my clients is worth it. It's been more than two weeks since I celebrated my 6 month in the company and there's no signs of me getting regularized. *sigh*

8/20/13

It's Ondoy all over again. For the 2nd straight day, flood hit our home and this time it's even worse than yesterday.

When I woke up in the morning, I knew that there's no way I could get to work because of the rain outside. There was no flood yet but it was slowly building up. I went online and found out that the situation was worse in other areas. To my surprise, the flood in our street was rising so quickly so we had to quickly get our stuff on higher ground and pack up Before I knew it, the water inside our house is already above the ankles.. It's a good thing that I was able to move quickly and move all my items away from the flood. I also helped in moving our other stuff so we didn't have as much damage unlike back then during the Ondoy disaster.

Since the water was rising, we decided to leave the house and go to our neighbor's house which was elevated. It was also where we took shelter during Ondoy. But this time, the flood on the street was only up to the thighs and not up to the waist. We were served breakfast and waited for the water to subside, which actually happened fast. Rains still poured every now and then but we were already safe to go back home to clean up the mess.

As expected, there were a lot of mud and dirt but not much damage done to our items. We somehow learned our lesson and it has prepared us to move quickly. 

Because of the weather, I wasn't able to come to work or even work at home today and it doesn't look good for tomorrow either as I'm feeling sick right now. The weather is predicted to be better starting tomorrow but I somehow wish that the roads are non-passable so I don;t have to feel bad about being absent. My other colleagues have been experiencing terrible situations as well and I'm praying for their safety.

This has been  the worse weather condition for the year so far and I hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon..or ever.

8/19/13

Here I am typing this blog at the comfort of my own bed. At this time, I am usually still stuck in the office but not today.

This past week, we've been experiencing terrible rains but this weekend was even worse. Though the rain wasn't that strong, it was nonstop. There is apparently a typhoon but I didn;t know that it would affect us greatly.

Classes were suspended already for today but us in the workforce are used to not getting suspensions.

This morning, our helper woke me up at 4 in the morning I thought it was too early until she told me to get my items on higher ground as floodwater has already reached our house. One of our bedrooms and our dirty kitchen that were not elevated got flooded but we got most of the items out. As a precaution, I've also prepared my stuff on my room as well on my mom's room who was not here yet.  But after a few hours, the rain slowed down and the flood started to subside. Thankfully, it did not reach the other parts of our house and did not reach my room so I started to put back my things.

The rain wasn't as strong as Ondoy back in 2009 but it did gave me a scare. I thought I would be prepared for this and even if I did get to arrange my stuff so that they won't get wet, I suddenly rattled out and didn't know what things I should bring in case we had to leave. It was also the mental factor that made me panic. I've been so traumatized by the Ondoy flood and I was scared of facing the same experience again.

It's good that we're safe now but my timeline is still flooded with status updates and pictures of places that are still flooded including some of my friends'. The government should really find a way to lessen the flooding especially here in the city.It's causing a terrible problem that has plagued our country for the longest time. I think it's time they start cleaning up the waterways that have been clogged by trash and illegal inhabitants.

It's gonna be a long day at work tomorrow.

8/18/13

I've been spending a lot recently. Aside from cds, I have gotten myself some shirts, a new backpack, a new pants and a pair of shoes. All I was thinking was that I could use it for the office and it has been a while since I've splurged on clothing or something useful.

This is the problem I have when my money is with me and not in the bank I've been wanting to deposit my salary to my savings account but the only time I have to do that is every Saturdays and I've been going out for the past few weeks and I tend to forget about it.

It's also a bad thing that they're switching to another bank where they'll make all transactions including our payroll so I'll have to withdraw the all the time and deposit it to my savings account every time just like I used to in my first job.

We have also been going out to dinner with my officemates every week which can leave a dent in my wallet. After this week, I'll try to restrict myself again from spending too much.

8/15/13

This past week has passed by so fast and my emotions have been on a rollercoaster.

It's so hard to hate on someone when I was the problem all along. I've been acting like a kid trying to put up a brave front but deep inside, my cowardliness has brought me nothing but negativity.

But I think it's all better now. Though I do accept that I won't get what I want anymore, at least things are becoming better.

Just today after office hours, I was walking with my officemate as usual and for some reason, the conversation turned out to be about me and his "analysis" of me. Here's the thing, he's actually good at reading people and what he said was pretty much accurate and even went as far as figuring out I have a lot of secrets and persuading me to share them to someone I trust. But I somehow get the hint that it should be him. I think he is catching on to my feelings and trying to make me admit about what I feel about him. 

Though it kinda excites me that he may actually look forward to finding out my secret, I might be just overreacting and things might be awkward if I go all out. Besides, I just gotta stop thinking that anything will ever happen between us. My actions have been quite obvious and that is just going to get me into trouble.

On a lighter note, the airconditioning system in the gym has been under maintenance earlier today and the heat was almost unbearable. I was already sweating with only 5 minutes in. They need to fix it ASAP!

8/11/13 - EK Trip

The last time I went to Enchanted Kingdom was such a long time ago that I don't even remember when, but all I know is that I always have a good time whenever I go here with my relatives.

Yesterday was my first time to go there with my officemates and and by public transportation. This outing was planned a few months ago but circumstances delayed it and we ended up having only 3 of us who went through with it. Of course I'm disappointed because I was looking forward to have fun with the entire team but I can't let them stop me from enjoying the day.

So the three of us met at the bus station near the LRT Gil Puyat station and took the bus to Walter Mart Balibago. We arrived at lunchtime and we decided to eat our lunch there since the food in EK is expensive.

We took a tricycle and got dropped off in EK itself. I'm surprised how fast our entire travel was. There were plenty of people, but not as much as it regularly is in the peak season so we got our tickets fast and lines for the rides weren't too long. They have an ongoing promo so our tickets have been slashed to a lower rate so now is the perfect time to go to EK. However, one of their main rides, Rio Grande, was under construction so I was really disappointed.

But they do have some new rides and attractions such as the Go Kart, Horror House and the Disc-o-magic. I've tried most of the rides even those that require additional payment. We did not get to explore the Boulderville section but that's alright since that one is for kids. Their old ride called the Condor was also replaced with another ride called the Tower Ekstreme which was almost similar and is just a simplified version. The old rides were still there such as the Log jam, Bump cars, Anchors away,etc. We did not ride the Swan lake since that one's boring and also the Space shuttle because we're all scared of the loop. Though I would have probably tried it if I had a lot of friends with me.

The weather was also uncooperative. It rained most of the day but thankfully, there were times when it stalled. That's why we were wet most of the time.

For our meal, I had an ice cream bar for snacks and for dinner, I treated them with a whole box of pizza which was to celebrate my 6th month in the company. It's too bad I couldn't treat everyone because they were not with us but it's not my loss.

The Rialto was quite a disappointment though. The movie was not a good one. We also tried the 4D Theatre which was just okay but the effects were getting redundant after some time and the movie was also not so entertaining. I don't know if the rides are getting boring or just me getting old. But I still want to return to the place again soon.

Before we left, we rode the Ferris wheel and the Merry Go Round. I also got a henna tattoo on my right shoulder. I wish we had more time since we were not able to take a look around too much. We didn't even get to buy a souvenir or play some games.

We all had a good time overall. Now I know how to travel to EK and it's convenient for me. I'm looking forward to our next adventure.

8/10/13

We went to Enchanted Kingdom today! It was fun despite the problems we encountered. I'm not gonna post about it right now but I just want to say that I'm so happy!

8/9/13 - Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Watched this movie earlier with my officemate. This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year because I wanted to see how they'll continue the story. The first one was actually done so bad so it was no surprise that they changed the director for this movie and also re-casted some of the roles. I really love the books and I hate to see it get ruined by the movies.

Since they were not able to establish the complete details in the first film, they tried to do it in this movie which made the introduction part of the film.

As most film adaptations commit, a lot of scenes from the books were omitted  For casual movie goers, they might enjoy the film but for those who read the books like me, the movie is a disappointment.

They changed too many details that was hard not to notice. If they have done it right the first time, they wouldn't have to do so. However, if this gets a sequel, I'll still watch just for the sake of my interest in the series. But I really think this needs a reboot in the future.

8/8/13

I am so damn pissed. One of my colleagues whom I thought I could trust on just did something today that made me question if I can really count on him.

I thought friendship was supposedly a two way street yet I'm the only one who's making all the efforts. It's nothing romantic but for just the one time that I need my friend, I was just ignored. I've spent so much time trying to be a good person and the best friend but I have to take it back.

I don't know if you're still worth it. Its going to be hard but I'm somehow glad that this happened so I can see your true colors. I know I'm overreacting right now and being too selfish but when plans that have been made more than two months ago are suddenly in peril, there's no way of avoiding this situation to happen.

8/7/13

I had my 6 monthsary at the company yesterday. But as I expected, it turned out to be a non-event. In fact, I don't think they would remember it if I didn't treat my colleagues with chocolate. As sad as that sounds, I almost expected it. I don't think my performance have improved and it probably even dipped these past few months. I'm not surprised if they're not yet considering me for regularization. I am not proud of that but it couldn't be worse than all the beating I've been taking emotionally and mentally.

Work has been really challenging and testing me to my limits. I don't want to blame my superiors but I can't lie and tell that it hasn't crossed my mind. Sometimes I just want to give up but I'm not yet ready to get back to being a bum.

I was never that confident about my skills and talent and changes in the office workflow have been making me question my capabilities and whether I'm really cut out for this industry. I've never felt so degraded during my stay.

My rapport with my fellow colleagues has also been bothering me. I love them and I do think they're the best bunch of people I have worked with ever since I graduated but I hate myself for being too attached to people and for letting myself get fooled around by my emotions. I need to just step back from everyone and spend some time to know myself better. I sometimes feel used and unappreciated despite all my attempts to help out. I know my pride is high but a simple thank you for my efforts is enough. I just want to pull through and get through whatever this is I'm going through.

8/4/2013

I hate ants! I've been cleaning my room today because there are so many of them in my room and I can't seem to point out how to get rid of them. I know I keep a lot of food stash but I already double checked and it's safe. I've been wiping them down with water and even spraying them but they keep on coming back. It's getting so annoying.

Other than that, this weekend has been quite chill. I don't know if it's because I lost a big account but I haven't been as lazy like this on a weekend for the past 6 months.I might try to write an article later but I don't really feel so worried about it. I should actually be scared because I'll be working on at least 3 new clients starting tomorrow and the performance of my current clients have dipped in the past week. So just good luck to me! 

The EK trip has been moved to this coming Saturday but I'm not really sure if that's still gonna push through. I already have my back-up plan and I'm going to watch Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters if it doesn't (even though I badly want it to happen).

8/3/13

I'm going to attempt to have my haircut later. It's not a big deal but in the office, they're pushing me to grow my hair long again. As much as I'm tempted to, I just don't see myself growing it again. It's too hard to maintain and I look so feminine with it.It's also too hot and it's annoying when hair gets blown to my face. It's also going to be difficult to sport that look in the gym or the office. So for now, I'll stick to my boring but comfortable short hair.

8/1/13

Today was quite awful. Most people had no internet connection during the morning. Fortunately, my computer was able to connect to the internet without any problems. However, I shared it with my colleague who had more important and urgent tasks to finish. It's just in my nature to put someone else before me and that's something I'm proud of. I know I can be selfish sometimes but helping out feels good.

But on to the bad news, one of my big clients paused their accounts. Though I'm happy that my workload was cut short, it's quite frustrating on my part as I feel like I did not give my best. I know I could have probably exerted more effort. Even if they haven't officially stopped their campaign with us, they already gave me new clients to work on. It couldn't have come in a worse time as I'm about to have my 6th monthsary with the company and now I'm worried that my regularization will be put on the line. But no matter what happens, I'm just glad I was a part of this company.

7/31/2013

Can't believe it's August already! It's my 6th month in the company already and I'm getting excited, but I don't want to dwell on it since I don't think the admin trust me enough to become a leader.
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I've started playing around with my new blog. It's not yet done but I'm slowly trying to get it done.

I can't wait to post on it!