Posts Tagged ‘party’

We Won! We Won! Part III.V

{ Thursday, June 25, 2009 @ 9:22 pm } · { Life }
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Woohoo!!!! :D Yehey!! :D Wheeee!!! :D Asteeeeg!!! :D Galeng!!!! Panalo!!! :D *applause!*applause!*applause!* :D

Hahaha, hindi naman ako masyadong high na high? ;) Can you guess why? (Oy, rhyming ‘yun!) Nanalo kasi kami sa singing contest sa office. Yehey!!! Whee!!! I love it!!!

Although, you may have noticed na Part III.V (3.5 hahaha na-gets n’yo ba? ;) ) lang imbis na Part IV ‘yung title ko. That’s because we actually only won 2nd place. Pero so what? Ang sagot ko diyan:

2ND PLACE, HELL YEAH!!!!
(Bonus points to whoever can figure out what movie that’s from.)

Hehehe! After all, I personally think na kaya lang kami second place was dahil natalo kami sa alam n’yo na, the ever important criteria — audience impact. Mayabang ako kaya sasabihin kong magaling kami, pero honest din ako kaya sasabihin ko ring pagdating sa audience impact ‘eh wala talaga kaming laban. Paano ba naman? 10 lang kami sa team, and we were against 9 other teams in the department, who each had mga 10 members din. And of course, none of them ever cheer for us, kasi, ewan ko rin. Haha! No, kasi nga, mga alien kami na madalas mag-solo. Hehehe. ‘Pag meron ngang isa sa kanila na may birthday, invited buong department except our team. :P Pero oks lang naman, nasanay na kami, plus, it’s really mostly our own fault, you know, for not socializing too much. But, I’m getting off-topic. I was talking about the singing contest.

We’d cheered as hard as we could when they announced my teammate’s name (for the purposes of this entry, let’s call her T). Yeah, all 10 of us cheered. Haha. Well, okay, we did have some friends from other departments. And by some, I mean about 3 people. Haha! But again, it’s fine. I think we cheered loud enough for everyone to know that T had some real loyal supporters. Haha. One of the judges even mentioned us and said “You’ve got a great cheering squad!” Wheee!! That’s us! ;) Hehehe. Although speaking of the cheering thing, I really didn’t like how some girl would always raise the banner they made for the other contestants whenever we would cheer. I mean, she was obviously supporting the other contestant and was doing it as an “in your face” kind of thing, which is really just so low. I mean yeah, we don’t cheer for the others as much, but we also don’t sabotage or boo them. But whatever. Complaining about it more will only make my IQ points drop (if they haven’t already just by being offended).

Anyway, T did really well. She sang My Immortal and she even had the “Amy Lee look”. Seriously, she was in a black dress and hi-cut boots, plus dark make-up. And we asked the special effects people to turn down the lights, too. You know, to get the atmosphere.  She hit all the notes, save for one, around the end, and you could tell it was because she ran out of air because the note before that was really hard. But the judges said that it didn’t really affect her performance that much, since it was after all just one note.

Biases aside (oh, who am I kidding, of course I’m biased, but I will tell you why I didn’t like the other performances), I really think that it was T’s performance that showed the most amount of skill. But I’ll give points to the other 2 contestants as well, since by choosing an upbeat song (i.e. I Kissed a Girl, Jai Ho), they really got the crowd going. One of the judges even said that she felt like dancing along with the contestant who sang Jai Ho.

Anyway… After all the performances were done and deliberation was over, I knew that we were only going to get 2nd place. Because sabi ko nga, talo talaga kami sa audience impact. It’s really weird ‘pag nandito ka. I mean, on normal days, we don’t really notice it, kasi we’re all working and don’t need to interact with each other much, pero tuwing may event na ganito, kitang-kita mo talaga — it’s Them v.s. Us. Hahaha! Pero ano ba, bring up ako nang bring up niyan, nakakalimutan ko tuloy ‘yung point.

The judges were so nice to say that T was “only behind by 1 point“. I mean, if that’s not a clear indication that she had talent, then I don’t know what is. And here’s a secret: After the awarding ceremonies and encore and other hullaballoo, one of the judges approached T and told her, “It was a really great performance, but we didn’t choose you as the winner, because of the crowd.“

WHOA! Way to validate what I had in the back of my mind! Haha! But we didn’t really make anything of it, unless you know, unless we wanted around 90 angry people glaring at us everyday in the office. But you know what, I think they’ll do it anyway? Hehe. You know, our supervisor even had to remind us to cheer and support M, the winner, when she was doing her encore song. Because our team had actually already gone out of the venue and were taking pictures — enjoying ourselves, but with just ourselves. Hahaha. We even made quite a ruckus when we got back to our work stations, too. Although that’s nothing new since we’ve always been the noisiest team anyway. (Yeah, that’s why we’re a, and I quote — “great cheering squad”! Hahaha!)

Right. I have a feeling that all of this is going to be too wordy and isn’t going to make a lot of sense tomorrow, but haha, whatever. I’m still high on excitement. And this is without alcohol!  Haha! (Oh great, now that I mentioned alcohol, you’re all going to think that I’m drunk, aren’t you? Well, I’m not. Get my blood tested (or is it urine that you’re supposed to test?) if you want. Haha!)

Right. Stopping this now and going back to work. Would you believe, after all that, I still have work to go back to?!?

And Now I Have WiFi

{ Monday, May 5, 2008 @ 2:12 am } · { Life, Lokal, Music, People }
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Thanks to my brother who’s home from Japan, for the summer, the gadgets in our house (my computer included) didn’t just (finally) work the way they’re supposed to, but I had a pretty eventful week/weekend as well. So, this will probably be a long post. :P

Short background: My brother works for a Japanese Company, so that’s (Japan) where he’s been living for the past year or so. He gets to come back home sometimes, but it’s usually just for a week, which is why a lot of stuff happens within the week he’s around.

(Note: It’s the same case with my sister who’s currently living in New Zealand, and gets to visit us only once or twice a year, and also only for a short period of time.)

Let’s start at the beginning then, shall we?

Nintendo DS Lite

My brother bought me one from Japan! :) (This has a somewhat funny background story on it, click here to find out.) He already installed the Japanese-English Dictionary I wanted (Wahoo! I actually have a denshi jishou (電子辞書)! I’ve always wanted one of these.) and some other cool games (e.g. Elite Beat Agents). :D I’m really enjoying myself, even if the games are still few. One problem though: I said before that I didn’t want to buy any game consoles because I wanted to spend my free time reading books (because that’s the way to improve one’s writing!), but weh, I guess my geeky side got the better of me. Besides (and yes, this is my excuse, which I consider to be valid) it’s not just a game console, it’s a dictionary, too! It’s educational! ;)

The best part really, is the fact that it’s the Crimson & Black Model, which I just really really love! :D Mostly because I love red and black, but also because I don’t see many DS Lites that are of that color here in the Philippines. That does pose a bit of a problem though–I can’t find a nice case for it! All the ones I see are light blue, silver or pink. :-| I can’t find any red ones, and I really really want one right away because I’m afraid it’ll have scratch marks on it (and I hate scratch marks :( ). I know, I can always choose a black cover, or a white one, but… but… Black and white are boring. I want red! XD

Summer Outing #2

Me and My Family (sans sister) at the Patapat Bridge, Ilocos Norte

This summer, my mom wanted to go see the Blue Lagoon (in Maira-Ira, near Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte), so she booked us some rooms in Fort Ilocandia Hotel in Laoag City. We were there from April 30 until May 3, and it was great! :D

What I like most about taking trips/vacations with my parents is that they can plan a really balanced vacation–what I mean is, they plan the itinerary such that there’s enough time to see the sights, and relax, I mean, really relax, as in, the type of relaxation that borders on boredom. Hehehe. No, seriously, what we did was to stay at the hotel for the entire first day that we were there. We did nothing but sit at the cafe, and stare at the beach. :) And then on the next day, we hired a van to take us to the Blue Lagoon and some other famous tourist spots in the area (e.g. Bangui Windmills, Patapat Bridge, etc.). By the 3rd day, we again, had nothing planned but the flight back to Manila later in the evening, so we were able to rest from the tiring trip of the day before, and do whatever else we wanted to do again, i.e. swim in the beach/pool of the resort, order more room service, etc.

It was a really fun trip, never mind that it wasn’t exactly a new and exotic place (We went to Ilocos in 2000 too.), I don’t think there’s anything wrong with repeating going to a place anyway, especially when your main objective is to relax. :D


Party! Party!

My aunt, nephew and brother, tossing around a balloon outside our house.
(I’m somewhere in the background, eating cake. Ahehe.)

Although my mom and brother’s birthday’s been long past, we celebrated it anyway yesterday (because that’s just how we are–we celebrated New Year on January 15 this year even, because we were in Japan on January 1), by having our relatives visit our house for dinner.

No, I didn’t help that much with the preparation, but I was the one who bought the gifts for my nephews (It’s their birthdays too–there’s 2 of ‘em), and the dessert (Braso de Mercedes galore!).

The food was great (as always–my aunts love to cook), and it was actually quite fun. Don’t tell my relatives, but I like it better when we’re the ones who host the get-togethers, because 1) there’s a bigger chance that the relatives I don’t like won’t be there, and 2) if there are people who I don’t like who come, my room where I can hide out in is nearby :P .

It’s kind of funny how my brother was really the “life of the party”, though. Everyone wanted to talk to him, and they asked him about a variety of stuff too–his life in Japan, his work, his new hobby of photography, his experience in the Tokyo marathon, his recent snowboarding injury, etc. I mean, it’s supposed to be natural since he is the birthday celebrant (and a “balikabayan” at that), but I can’t help but remember that when my sister was home last January and we were also celebrating her birthday (this time, it was an advance celebration because her birthday is technically during February), our relatives didn’t ask her that many questions. Sure, they asked her how she likes New Zealand, but other than that and a couple basic of questions about work, the only other thing they asked about was if she had a boyfriend already.

Personally, I think it’s unfair, and I’m beginning to think that maybe people have double-standards about migration too. Of course it could be that it’s only applicable to my family (although I’ve observed this from some other families as well), but it seems that if a single woman migrates to another country, people assume that she’s there to find herself a husband. But if a single man goes to another country, they think he’s there for fun, or for work.

Then again, it could also be that because my brother’s always been more friendly than my sister, maybe my relatives just feel more comfortable asking my brother about various things. I really don’t know since I’m their sibling, and since I get to talk to them more often than our other relatives, I don’t ask so many questions myself.

(Note: I do like something other than the food whenever our family has get-togethers though, when we sing Happy Birthday, we’re always in tune! :) Hooray for not having anyone tone-deaf in the family! Hehehe. ;) )

Back to the Routine

What I hate most about vacations really, is how it’s so hard to go back to the routine you had before you took your vacation. I go back to work tomorrow (technically later but I haven’t slept yet, so it’s still tomorrow to me), and as excited as I am to see my officemates again and find out what’s happened in the days that I was gone, I can’t help but think that I’d still prefer a nice lazy day to a busy work day any day. (This is a sign that I’m getting tired, I just used the word “day” 3 times in the same sentence.)

One thing I do like about my old routine though, is that I’ll get to watch J-Dramas again! :) Yes, I’m aware that this isn’t work-related, but I don’t really like watching TV during vacations because to me, TV is the way to unwind after a hard day at work. If I’m watching TV while I’m on vacation, then instead of feeling like it’s a vacation, I’d feel more like I’m just killing time ’til I have to go to work again the next day.

I’ve just finished watching Dragon Zakura, actually. (I finished it just when my cousins arrived at our house for the birthday party. Okay, no, that’s a lie. They got here before I finished it, but I didn’t leave my room until the last episode finished. Yeah, I’m a lousy host. XP) I might post something about it later on. In case you’re curious, the next drama in line is Orange Days. Another old one, but it’s also another one that I’ve had many friends recommend to me, so… I do feel a bit sad that it’s not a Yamapi drama, but it does star Tsumabaki Satoshi–another face I miss, so it shouldn’t be too bad. :)

Just in case though, here’s something that’ll help me remember Yamapi, and it’s quite timely for us in the Philippines, too. :D

Summer Time by NewS

Photo Shoot & Farewell Party

{ Friday, April 18, 2008 @ 11:18 pm } · { Life, People }
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Lots of stuff happened in the office today, in fact it was so busy, I think I spent more time standing than sitting, although I think that makes me luckier than the others, who spent nearly the whole day sitting down, processing as many documents as they can, while they still can.

Okay, a little background: Our team in the office uses a special software that’s unique to the company. Let’s call it Program X. Anyway, Program X is being upgraded to Program Y. And today was the last day for it. By Monday, Program X will be un-usable, and we should all be using Program Y. Hence, everyone today was trying to do as much as they can in Program X, so that by the time Program Y comes, there wouldn’t be any unfinished documents left.

It’s a little hard for us, letting go of Program X, since we’ve been using it for several years. I think that’s why some of us have got a slight case of separation anxiety. Hehe. Anyway, one of us suggested we should have a farewell party for Program X. It was really just a joke, but come 4PM, we realized we were all hungry, so we called and had some pizza delivered. And just like how we normally are when there are parties, we all ate at one table in the pantry. Sometime in between the meal one of us said, “Hey, the farewell party for Program X came true after all!“

Okay, if you’re not my officemate, you probably won’t be able to relate, but anyway, the reason I’m telling the story here is because I just want to remember these moments that happen in the office, as they don’t happen often. I don’t know, call me sentimental, but I feel really lucky to be working with such a friendly bunch. Although I know we all have separate personal lives, and that inevitably we’ll have issues with each other that’s work-related, I mean, nobody can always agree with everybody all the time, right? Still, I’m happy that there are at least times like these where we’re all getting along and having fun, which brings me to the next part of this post, our mini-photoshoot!

Don’t tell anyone yet, but I’m planning on submitting an article for our monthly department newsletter. I don’t even know if it’s going to be accepted and published, but I’ve showed it to the team and they liked it, so hopefully the people behind the newsletter will as well. Anyway, the article is really just a self-introduction of our team, containing our names, our designations, and a few sentences about our personalities. To make it look nicer, we decided we should put our pictures in as well, we’re introducing ourselves after all. And so, earlier today, we had a mini-photo shoot at the break-out room (it’s like an informal meeting room, with red couches, and a low glass table).

We took solo pictures of each member, and then one with the whole team in it. We just used my officemate’s cellphone camera, but I think the pictures turned out nicely (I hope. I haven’t actually seen them yet on the computer). Especially because coincidentally, the colors of our clothes complimented each other, and so did the red couch that we were sitting on. :)

Just like the with the Farewell Party (although the photo shoot actually happened first), we had a lot of fun just goofing around with our teammates, as if it was a team-building activity. I’m glad to know that we get along enough that we don’t really have to go out of town and hire some other company to organize “team building activities” for us just to get us to spend time with each other. Not that those out of town trips aren’t fun, too. But I’m happy we get to bond with each other, even within the limited space of our office building.

I really do hope that the other people in our department will view my article as our way of reaching out to others (we’ve been accused of being snobs -_-), and not some form of vanity, though. I guess we can be easily misunderstood since we’re not really all that friendly, but in my case, well, it’s just because I’m shy! I mean, why would I talk to somebody who doesn’t even know me, it’s not like he/she really cares what I have to say, right? And okay, I guess you can say that blogging is the same thing–why write, when the people out there probably don’t care about who you are and what you think about things, right? But I think blogging is different in the sense that, because you have to deliberately read what’s written, then you have more control of what you’re going to do. Like, if you get bored with my post mid-way, you can just close the browser, or click on a link that gets you out of here. But if we’re talking with each other face to face and you decide I’m a boring conversationalist, you’d be rude to just suddenly stand up and walk away, right?

Anyway, I just wanted to post something before I go on my 2-day vacation (which probably isn’t really a vacation, considering it’s just for 2 days hehe) to the beach. :) Although that means no internet, no computers and no TV (can you believe it, the resort doesn’t have TV sets in its rooms? hehe, well, it’s supposed to be a getaway place after all), that’s really fine with me since there’ll be sun, sand and the vast ocean that connects us to the entire world.

Happy weekend everyone! :D