I seldom get the chance to talk to my friends and keep them up-to-date with what's going on with my life...
well, this is it. My online journal. Yah, another personal blog,just exactly what the world needs now. Let's be realistic, it's cheaper than overseas calls. Less tiring than novel-like emails.
About Me
Name: celgee Home: Philippines About Me: just read through my entries and you'll get to know me :) See my complete profile
...and I am still waiting for the email that will change my life. My personal seer (a.k.a. grouchy) says it'll be soon. My prediction is that it will be on my birthday...[hope they'll just give it as a present hehe]
"You must know that in any moment a decision you make can change the course of your life forever: the very next person stand behind in line or sit next to on an airplane, the very next phone call you make or receive, the very next movie you see or book you read or page you turn could be the one single thing that causes the floodgates to open, and all of the things that you've been waiting for to fall into place." - Anthony Robbins
My trip home took more than an hour due to the congested streets in Greenhills. Luckily, Mang Rolly kept me entertained with his fascinating adventures as a truck driver for the past 11 years, and now a cab driver for MGE. He started the conversation with his observations about cab riders being picky. I told him that based on experience, people would prefer riding well-known cabs such as MGE, R&E and Dollar. Primarily because we can trust that their taxi meters have not been modified - he did confirm that some taxi drivers would change the settings and control the speed of the meter rate (a.k.a. "Batingting").
He even spoke about his family in Leyte - he has 2 daughters and a son. His 2 daughters are teachers in Tacloban, while his son is still in 2nd Yr college. All of his children are in Leyte, while he works here in Manila to pay for his son's education. He would have not worked here in Manila if only his wife was still with them. His wife passed away a year after she gave birth to their son. They lived in the province, and most people thought that she died in her sleep (bangungot or nightmare), but he later found out that it was a heart attack. It was a sudden loss, as they were not aware that she had a heart ailment. I had a nice time talking to Mang Rolly as he shared his experiences of how he supported his children's education and I hope that his kids know what their dad is sacrificing for them - living alone in Manila, working 18hours a day to ensure that all their needs will be provided.
All the time that we were travelling from Cybergate to Retiro, he talked non-stop. I was really thankful for his openness.
This entry is a few weeks early for Father's day, and I am just thankful that my dad (I call him tatay) is just a room away. Though I am guilty of not giving him the attention he needs - he is a bit talkative as well, just like Mang Rolly - and sometimes I tend to ignore what he tells me either because I am in a rush to get to work or maybe I am busy checking mails and stuff or simply because I think I can just ask him again next time. I know the material things I provide will not compensate for the quality time that I should be giving to him and my mom. :( I have been making myself busy with work and reasoning out that I need to do things - as it is our bread and butter - but at the end of the day - everything I have worked/saved for would be useless if they're no longer there. I have always been in a rush to save enough for them - - to ensure that I would be able to pay for all their medical bills in case they get sick and get them the best treatment if needed (unlike other countries, people here do not have the luxury of having affordable health cards, esp. if you are 65yrs old and above; my Mom is turning 67 in July and my dad will be 72 in Nov), provide them things they have always wanted and of course, take them on a tour or vacation outside the Philippines. I hope that I would be able to fulfill my Dad's dream to travel frequently to Australia and go fishing there. :-)
For the past days, I have been contemplating on what new hairstyle I could have. I am in a desperate need of change - and I am getting tired of seeing the same hairstyle in the mirror everyday. I am having a hard time deciding what I should do with my hair, and for the past weekends I have been checking out some hairstyles that could look okay on me.
Luckily, I found a cool site that could give me a makeover in an instant! :)
I started playing around with some celebrity hairstyles (hehe)... I dare you not to laugh. [I even tried on Beyonce, Angelina Jolie and J. Lo's hairdo, and I almost cried while laughing hahahahaha] Save the cheerleader? Hahaha... Am not the cheerleader? But trying desperately to be a hero... as grouchy said - "hindi ka salbabida" (translation: you're not a lifesaver!) F.R.I.E.N.D.S.? Nah! I don't think Tom (nor Jerry) would approve of such a short do. It might make me look more chubby. Hahaha... Just playing around. As much as I would want to sing Spice Girls songs, I don't think I have the right to copy Posh Spice's hairstyle.
It was fun - had it not been a weekday, I could have stayed up all morning playing around with what I could do with my hair plus the make-up they have in their site.:)
Anyway, here are some of the other hairdo's I considered:
I think I liked #5 the most (at least from the choices I have), and even tried putting on some glasses & shades. Not sure though if my friends would agree... it's been a while since I had bangs (I think the last time was for a video shoot.. still remember that, Yas & Tenten? hehe )
I was still in High School when this song first came out. I have always liked Mariah Carey, even if she gives me a hard time singing her songs. I like the words she puts in her songs such as - :: Butterfly :: I Still Believe :: Whenever you call :: Thank God I found you :: Can't Take that away :: Never Too Far :: MusicBox :: One Sweet Day
I also liked "Always be my baby" - because it had this upbeat tempo, and the chorus is really nice. I had a greater appreciation of the song though only after I heard David Cook gave his own interpretation in American Idol. After I heard him sing it, it became hard for me to get the song out of my head. For a while, it became the default song in my Friendster profile.. I think I had it there for a week. It then invaded my iPod, and soon after, my cellphone. It was like a virus. :) Every night I would listen to it before going to sleep... I got sooo addicted to it. I love the song!! David Cook re-invented the song, and gave a really nice male-version of the song and I am soo glad he did. It is actually a sad song, a song full of hope and a bit of pain - and it is just right that he sang it that way.
* * *
Want to compare? Turn the volume of your speakers up :)
Here's Mariah's version:
Here's David Cook's rendition:
Lyrics: Always Be My Baby
we were as one babe for a moment in time and it seemed everlasting that you would always be mine now you want to be free so I'm letting you fly cause i know in my heart babe our love will never die,no!
you'll always be a part of me i'm a part of you indefinitely boy don't you know you can't escape me ooh darling cause you'll always be my baby and we'll linger on time can't erase a feeling this strong no way you're never gonna shake me ooh darling cause you'll always be my baby
i ain't gonna cry no and i won't beg you to stay if you're determined to leave boy i will not stand in your way but inevitably you'll be back again cause ya know in your heart babe our love will never end no you'll always be a part of me i'm part of you indefinitely boy don't you know you can't escape me ooh darling cause you'll always be my baby and we'll linger on time can't erase a feeling this strong no way you're never gonna shake me ooh darlin cause you'll always be my baby
i know that you'll be back boy when your days and your nights get a little bit colder ooohhh i know that,you'll be right back, baby oh, baby believe me it's only a matter of time of time
you'll always be a part of me (oooohhhh) i'm part of you indefinitely (oooohhhh) boy don't you know you can't escape me (ooooohhhhhh) ooh darlin cause you'll always be my baby and we'll linger on (and we will linger on) time cant erase a feeling this strong (ohhhh) no way you're never gonna shake me (oh baby) ooh darlin cause you'll always be my baby
you'll always be a part of me (yeah yeah oooohhhh) i'm part of you indefinitely (oooohhhh) boy don't you know you can't escape me (ooooohhhhhh) ooh darlin cause you'll always be my baby (no no) and we'll linger on (you and I will always be) time cant erase a feeling this strong no way you're never gonna shake me (you & I) ooh darlin cause you'll always be my baby (you & I)
you and i will always be no way your never gonna shake me no way your never gonna shake me you and i will always be
My biological clock has been changed - I think it's been almost a month now. I can only fall asleep sometime in between 1:30 - 2am, and would be awake only after 9am. So where I am in between the hours that I am awake? - either at work, or working at home when get arrive in the evening - my typical weekday! That's why on weekends, I try to stay away from my laptop. Weekends are sacred - that's what I have learned. Saturday is for my parents. Sunday is for Jp. I have the weekday all for myself - or should I say for work.
Anyway, in the effort to keep myself bored and hopefully become sleepy - I tried answering the survey in my friend's bulletin board in Friendster.
--THREE NAMES THAT FRIENDS CALL YOU: > Cel (College Friends) > Maricel (Family and Relatives) > Cecilia (Grade School and High School Friends)
--THREE MOST IMPORTANT DATES IN YOUR LIFE: > January 14 > July 28 > November 13
--THREE THINGS YOU'VE DONE IN THE LAST 33 MINUTES: > responded to an email for work > watched CSI > checked my friendster account
--THREE WAYS TO BE HAPPY: > Be with people who lets you be youself and people who can make you smile/laugh without too much effort > Pamper yourself - Spa, Manicure/Pedicure, SHOPPING! > Leave your worries behind - take time off from work
--THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS AS OF NOW > David Cook's rendition of Always be my baby > Michael Buble's Everything > Imago's Sundo
--THREE PERSONS YOU MISS: > My Lola > Tita Lita > Jannet
--THREE GIFTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE: > Bags > Watches > Gadgets
--THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBIES: > Blogging > Shopping > Going to the spa
--THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO: > Australia > South Africa > Hawaii
...people who can't accept their mistakes and passes on the blame to someone else. One of the things that I have learned about being a leader is that I can pass on the responsibility to my subordinates, but at the end of the day I am still accountable for what they have done. I guess not all people know that... For the past 21 months in my current project, I have already worked with 10 managers. Luckily, out of the 10 - I only despise 2. (Though 1 is already out of the picture). The latest one is someone who has this habit of overdelegating his tasks and including passing on the blame for decisions made or agreed with someone else. Duh?! I am not looking forward to speaking with him again - he acts as if things between us are okay, but my other manager is telling me that X tells them all sorts of things - that I decided on this and that. Grow up please! Grrrrr....
...people who do nothing but complain. It's like you're already helping them out but they still could not appreciate the effort you've done for them. If you run into people like these - let them be. You've done your part - if they can't appreciate your help, no need to extend your helping hand anymore. Totally not your loss... :)
Don't take me wrong, I am not full of hate. :) Just trying to say what I dislike about some of the people I interact with.
[Healthy Reflection] Appreciation of the Good Things in Life
How many times are we blind to the good in front of us because we're looking past it for something better? It's like watching the railroad track your entire life, waiting for a train to come in and never realizing that you're sitting smack in the middle of the splendid Grand Central Station. Take a second look at your goals. Are they building on the good already in your life? Are you taking full advantage of the strengths you already have? Is it worth giving up what you have for what you might have? In many cases, the answer is yes. To that we say "Go for it!" with all the enthusiasm we can muster. Those are the meaningful goals. If the answer is no, try reworking your goals to include ones that complement your present life rather than substitute for it. Whatever the answer is for you, we could all use a little more appreciation for the pieces of silver in our lives.
"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold." - Maurice Setter
I am guilty of this - I sometimes miss appreciating the good things in my life. I don't have to go look to far to see what brings joy to my life. :) I recently had an eye opener of how lucky I am with what I have. I am just thankful to have such wonderful people around me, that despite all the craziness and havoc at work - they are there to pull me up, esp. at times that I just want to scream at the top of my lungs due to disgust or just simply die in my cube (just kidding about the last part hehe).
Looking for meaning? Having trouble figuring out how to make a difference? The answer may be closer and simpler than you think. Ask yourself: If I were gone tomorrow, what will I be most proud of having left behind? The answer will be different for each of us, but it may tell you something about why you're here. Your answer can be as involved as a foundation you helped start, or as simple as a favorite picture that you took. Something will be here when you're gone. What would you like it to be? What one thing would tell the world what you were all about? Maybe it's your child. Maybe you're already working on something that could turn into one of your greatest accomplishments. If so, give it your all. The more of yourself that goes into it now, the more people will be able to see you later on.
"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." - William James, philosopher and psychologist