What I Have To Put Up With

So I'm back at my receptionist drone job. Thankfully I've gotten a more lenient schedule than last time - or rather, a more coherent, solid schedule. That doesn't mean I'm free of stress though. Especially when it comes to the single worst part of my day - the commute.

First I have to take the notoriously crowded Metro and Light Rail Transit. Yes, they're two different companies running the lines in this city and they're both losing money. But that's another rant. Anyway, there's the fact that they're not 100% reliable. If I'm really unlucky, sometimes I get delayed until I'm a record 45 minutes late for class. That was half the class I missed.

The waving guy in the center is a guard. Apparently I can't take pictures in LRT stations.

Then there's the walk from the arts building to the Hotel Management building. It's about 4-5 blocks and the walk takes under 10 minutes if I'm brisk. These days I don't even bring my sling bag most of the time. It'd be nice if I wasn't walking through urban Manila streets...and they're definitely not known for their cleanliness unless I was in a gated subdivision. Some of the places I walk through don't even have sidewalks. At least Manila traffic isn't that fast.

The route to work goes over this very bridge. That's the Arts Building that's reflected in its murky waters.

No respect for the crosswalk! The Hotel Management building's in the background.

I walk in the path of these all the time. At least this one was stationary...you don't want to be near one that's just starting to move.

Now, I don't have a car I can use for this period of time, and perhaps I should be thankful because commuting to school and work in a car would actually take longer than the train due to the traffic around the times I'd be doing so, and that's not counting the extra gas costs (and environmental damage, blah blah blah.) That doesn't mean I envy some of the people who can drive themselves to school in rides like these:

I've actually spotted fancier makes in front of the building. No super-exotics though, most of the kids who can afford college aren't that rich.

Then there's the commute home. I like to pass through a small mall attached to the Southbound side of the LRT station near college just to browse the latest video games. However the part of the mall that exits to the station has its own "smoker's alley." I've been told that the people here are slackers who are nearing their maximum residency periods in college.

You can't see the carbon-monoxide-laced death in the air.

I once read somewhere that each cigarette takes off 7 minutes from my lifetime. I wonder if I'll even live to see the end of college after walking through all of this 3 days a week (5 days including days without work), 45 weeks of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if these smokers outlive me, and I'm younger than them!

Still, that doesn't mean that whatever change I have left can't buy me a little something to ease the pain.

Slurpee. Does a body good.

The Great Popularity Contest.

What is it about people being set on fire that always gets the news' attention more than a more than one person being blown up (regardless of cause?)

Either way, I've stumbled on two disgustingly similar articles today, one a heartbreaker and the other very humorous (were it not for aforementioned heartbreaker.)

The first (CNN) is of a 5-year-old boy set on fire and horribly disfigured by insurgents in Iraq.

The second (Reuters) is of a Russian woman setting fire to her ex-husband's genitalia.

That both made the top of the "most popular" articles on their respective news agencies' sites has got to say something as negative about the sites they're on as much as it does about the people involved. Much more for the first than the second.

And that's why we can't have nice things.

I've got ADS.

Not this, dumbshit.

So if you look to the right of this page, you'll see some Google AdSense ads. Yes, I chose to put them up there because I need the money. But I technically cannot ask or encourage you, the few who bother to read this, to click it.

Anyhoo, this afternoon I had nothing to do (school got rained out again!) so I decided to tag along with my bros to the Ayala Museum downtown. Will post some pics once the PSP's done recharging.

Humans are filthy creatures.

This pretty much sums it up.

So last night I was finishing up my last lab shift for the week and I like to do my extra bit by picking up the usual array of litter that these lazy bastards in "Hotel and Restaurant Institution Management" tend to leave around. One of the more common items are Mentos wrappers, as well as tissue paper. It's enrollment week so people left their notepads where they jot down their optimum schedules. Since Wednesday and Thursday got rained out, the enrollment period is extended until next Wednesday, and I'll have a shift on Monday.

This week however was extra frustrating as Friday's free-slotters were extra dirty. If I hadn't forgotten my camera I would've taken a picture of the haul, which could fit inside a medium-sized Tupperware tray. WHICH I ALSO FOUND. At least the outside of the tray was clean so I could pile all the stuff in it (the inside had some residue of some unidentifiable white stuff that looked to have been spatula-ed or spooned out). I also managed to find a broken click-pen that could still write.

At least I can sleep in pretty much all of today...and I managed to download this free MMO called Audition Online which has these really catchy hip-hop tunes...though I'm really more fond of that power ballad. It's very Bust-A-Groove though there is a DDR-style thing called "BeatUp!" mode if you're lucky to find that room.

Man...the life of a reptile gets pretty dull.

Hotel and Restaurant Institution Management my tail.

Fruit Punch Blood

Putting all preconceived racial notions aside, that's a rather interesting way to think of what my (metaphorical) blood would be if nations could be assigned different "flavors." I'm not going to assign each nation a specific flavor, but you might get the idea of what I'm talking about at the end.

My mom once told me that somewhere high up my line is a Portuguese friar. Now, the friars in this country probably sired entire cities (if not towns) full of their offspring during the colonial period, but Portuguese? Then again, if Magellan was a Portuguese who could sail for Spain...than... nah. That's too fucked up to consider.

So speaking of my mom, she's given a mention for being descended from one of the branches of the Montemayor clan (at least from a book detailing the clan's history) though her born surname is Buendia, essentially making her descended from lots of Spanish/mestizo influence. Fine.

On the contrary, my dad's family side appears to be indio, which would be "normal" had his ancestry not included some rather notable figures of the Philippine Revolution such as Gregoria De Jesus (who married Andres Bonifacio but later ended up married to), Julio Nakpil and Maximo Viola, the Freemason reputed to have published Jose Rizal's famous Noli Me Tangere.

So not only do we have Spanish and Filipino Revolutionary heritage clashing in Spanish, Portuguese, indigenous Filipino, Chinese and maybe some Italian blood (Viola sounds pretty Italian to me), but it's all giftwrapped in American citizenship.

Hence, Fruit Punch Blood. With extra saccharine.

Imagine that!

Dante's Inferno Over A Cheap Burger At Seven

Life. Or what I would look like in a suit. I look good in suits.

I often like to stare at my wrists, particularly around the joints area where the arm meets the bottom of my hands. Always notice how they're pretty damn thin...almost as if I could snap my hands off if I wanted to. My weight is about the same as my IQ, and I'm pretty damn light. 1-3-5, 1-3-5, every time I get on the scale it's never been less than that for the past few years. Hell, that was the weight on my State ID card back in 2004, so at least I've got reference for that.

Speaking of an identity crisis, I lost my Student Assistant's ID earlier this week. Thankfully those things are dirt cheap (P30? Not even 10% of my main Student ID) though I was worried that I'd get fired for it. Or at least get my shift (they call it "duty") scrapped meaning I work 4 hours for free. Fuck if it takes me an entire hour to earn how much that thing costs anyway. The things I drop on the train. And then my dad wants to pretty much strap everything dropable to my clothing as if I have to have everything on a leash. No wait...that was before that.

Oh, and they set up the web filter again in my internet, which pretty much eliminates a good portion of my usual surfing material but thankfully does not include my RP forums, my DA archive and of course, this outlet for my steam.

Lab's closing in 20 minutes and there's this guy on Station 32 that I suspect is pissed because I switched his ID out for someone else's because someone upstairs didn't replace a lost tag. I shan't bother to ask the rest of the story, because personally I don't give a damn anymore.

Funny, ever since my little birthday visit to school I'm a lot calmer. Things worry me but don't actually stick. I've actually gotten over that whole ID thing at least until that damn lab head tells me how and where to pay for it. Seriously, I text her but she doesn't respond until late at night or early in the morning on the next day. That and there are two Student Assistant websites (i.e. Yahoo Groups) and the company schedule directed me to the wrong one even though the up-to-date schedules are posted there.

Been hanging with my MP3 player for a while. Speaking of which, I actually lost my ID on the day I got it. Must've dropped it on the train. It's jamming to Fabolous right now while my PSP simmers from getting filled with demos after I moved out all my MP3s to the new player. I love speaker mode. Didn't realize my PSP was screen-on for 4 hours.

Better'n an iPod nano, and a firmware upgrade effectively saves me money I'd use on a charger-player dock. GAP card added for size reference and ego bloating.

The guy at Station 32's gone. Good for him.

Time to close up. I have to but I'm already staying late to write this, because science apparently says it's supposed to happen. Not that it sucks as much as the lab head not counting in the extra minutes I spend to close up this place after 7.

Bitch.

Hi, I'm a...

You are a "Neko" (cat)

What Japanese Smiley Are You?

...Oh God. So many people are using Japanese emoticons that it's just stupid.

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed. Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

Are You a Dumb American?

That's more like it. Of course, if I'm smart, then I must not be American, right?

You Are 54% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

Sorta. So if I'm only that much American...then my IQ must be pretty middling. Let's take a quick test (read another Cheap Blog Survey) and find out.

Your SAT Score of 1330 Means:

You Scored Higher Than Howard Stern You Scored Higher Than George W. Bush You Scored Lower Than Al Gore You Scored Lower Than David Duchovny You Scored Lower Than Natalie Portman You Scored Lower Than Bill Gates Your IQ is most likely in the 130-140 range Equivalent ACT score: 30 Schools that Fit Your SAT Score: College of William and Mary New York University Boston College United States Naval Academy University of California, Berkeley*

What Does Your SAT Score Mean?

*The fuck if I'm ever gonna study in Commie Central. But dumber than the man who invented the Internet AND the chick who got her head shaved on V for Vendetta? Way to make me feel better (and ashamed for me being American.) At least I'm not a-

You Are a Conservative Democrat

Frankly, the way most other Democrats behave embarasses you greatly. You pride yourself on a high level of morals, and you have a good grasp on right and wrong. It's likely you think America needs to get back to its conservative, Juedo-Christian values. Why aren't you a Republican then? Because you believe the goverment helps more than hurts.

What's Your Political Persuasion?

Ooooookay. Lots of mindfucking even for this near-genius. Still, the only way I'd walk that road is if I'd strayed off...

Your 2005 Song Is

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day "My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating" In 2005, you bummed everyone out. Like you care.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

I'm surprised that this didn't become an emo anthem...though the amount of despair I seem to experience easily puts me into that category. So...let's put this to rest. After all these strange anomalies (and the fact that I've put so many CBSes in one post), am I really just one of the crowd?

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ISTP)

Your personality type is reserved, methodical, spirited, and intense. Only about 6% of all people have your personality, including 3% of all women and 8% of all men You are Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Looks like there's room for a square cog after all. And for that...

You Are Pretty Happy

You generally have a happy, fulfilling life. But things could be a little better, and deep down, you know it. Maybe you need more supportive friends or a more challenging career. Something is preventing you from being totally happy. You just need to figure out what it is!

How Happy Are You, Really?