4am
June 28, 2011
I am pleasantly surprised by my new lay-out :)
I called Roripuff last night to gossip on the latest activities in Cebu, especially those of my crushes. hehe Parang high-school teeny-boopers lang. We talked how one of them, RD, was already hitched (darn) and tried without success to scan through my FB comments I had on the picture of them together. Stalker lang. :p
Then I came across at how plain my blog looked, and what happened to your creative-director side of the deal?? hmf. He asked whether I wanted to reinstate my old look, with the candles stuff. I said, no, that seemed eons ago.
Worn out, the day got hold of me and I slept at 9.30pm!! I could not remember the last time I slept this early!!! hehehe
So now, I am out and about at 4am, reading my book, checking out other blogs and of course, viewing my own :)
I like my layout, Rori :) It depicts my lust love for armpits and the forthcoming postponed white party that I kinda prepared. hmf. Isip ko pa kung mag.drag ako. Trip-trip lang. hehehehehehehhe :p Punta ka na kasi rito para you can see why I am excited. hihi
*hush hush*
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Pretty White Liar Hush :p
9.30am
June 26, 2011
somewhere in Mandaluyong
I woke up to the persistent ring of my mobile. I grappled blindly to where the sound came from. Sh3t! Who the h3ll calls me up at this deadly hour?? Well, literally the sun was up and about, but because I had black-out curtains in my room, it seemed like it was still 3am. hehehehe
I groaned. It was Shiela! Darn, it was not even a guy! Hmf.
'Unsa bayet??', I uttered.
'Magdungan ta mass? Dungan ta mass ha, then kuyogi ko adto Healthway sa Shang kay ghilantan ko gabii and pa-check-up ko', her voice reverberated over the loudspeaker.
'Leche flan, you woke me up for that??'
'Tulog ka pa?? I thought the white party last night didn't push through'
'Yah, it didn't so I wore black'
'Hahahahaha pumunta ka pa rin?'
'White party or not, rain or shine, I needed to go out. Yah yah, let's cut the chase and I'll accompany you to Healthway after hearing mass. You drive Blake. Now let me get some sleep'
'Hahahaha see you later bayet!'
I hung up. Then I tried to get some sleep. I couldn't. Sh3t! My head still aches from the 6 bottles of Ice last night. I rolled endlessly and covered myself up with my comforter, but still, my senses were wide awake! Hmf.
I checked my phone. Shiela's messages occupied most of my inbox. Wow, she was not only satisfied with messaging me, she had to call and wake me up! hmf again!
Then I saw Drew's message.
'Mahal, saan ka kagabi?'
Uhm.. I needed to gather my thoughts. I got out of bed and fixed myself some Lipton milk tea.
Think, think, Hush. I did went to Malate last night. I had planned to tag Drew along, but lately, I wasn't feeling much of his companion. I don't know. He calls me mahal and I call him the same, but still, the feeling is incomparable with the way I felt before with Marxus. It's not that intense, pampalipas oras lang.
I tried to recall what happened last night.
The streets were crowded and I intentionally parked Blake away from the main road so Drew won't be able to see that I was there. Yes, the white party was postponed (which disappointed me a teeny bit, because I fussed with the outfit I wanted to wear, white tank top, over capri denims and red stilletos and curling my Clooney-cut hair was no mean feat!! hehehehehehe :p), and I was only informed by Carlo around 11.30pm! Technically, he did texted me around 10pm, but for heaven's sake, I was having my beauty sleep!! hehehehhe Since my mind was already set for Malate, we pushed through with the plan, but instead, we both wore black :)
I was cautious not to stand-out from the crowd, but given that a lot still wore white that night, I can't help it :( We immediately proceeded to Chelu, exchanged beso-beso with Jeff and was pleasantly surprised that at 12.30am, the place was packed! Sea of men who wore red, white and black danced to the beat, plus factoring in that Chelu had already a 2nd floor!! My, my, business must be very very good :) (though I did wish that there was a balcony to look down to…)
Back to Drew. I carefully drafted my response.
'Dito lang ako kagabi sa bahay, mahal. I was reading the book I bought yesterday'
I inhaled deeply and anticipated his reply. I vividly remember scanning the crowd if Drew was there. I was bracing myself for some confrontation but thankfully, none happened. Only Carlo saw the guy he was dating at the scene, but that's another story :)
'Weeh. Di nga. Nakita ka ng mga kawork ko kaya'
'Huh? Saan?' Man, it's hard to lie, especially if you still carry a hangover. Darn.
'Sa Malate daw'
Hmmm… too generic. I might get away with this. hehehe
'Nge. Di kaya natuloy white party dahil sa bagyo.' Well, I am still sticking to facts.
'Yung kasama ko sa work, kasama nya mga tomboy, nakita ka daw nila sa Chelu'
Uh-oh. No wonder the dudes kept staring at me and one even tried to approach me. I thought they were just admiring me and was plotting ways to turn her down should she continued and beg for my attention. Hahahahahaha Assuming! hahahahahahaha :p
'Hahahhaha talaga? Galing naman nya. Nakita nya ako habang nasa bahay lang ako while reading my book!' Ok ok, this is partly true. I did read the book, before going to Malate! hmf.
'Nakasuot ka nga ng itim eh'
Tsk tsk! Time to divert the conversation. I am already at the hot seat.
'Eh kaw mahal, ano gawa mo kagabi?', was my lame retort.
'Napagod ako sobra kaya nakatulog ako ng maaga, mahal'
'Ahhh… di ka ba nagcelebrate for passing your examinations yesterday?? Sayang naman..' Now, it was him we were talking about. hehehe
'Hinde mahal eh. Sobrang na drain ako'
So there, we continued with other topics and forgot about his officemates seeing me. Come to think of it, I only met a handful of his officemates and really can't believe that they still recall my face-value, since it was just on one occasion that I got to do this. Am I that, uhm, gorgeous?? Weeeeh… malayo na sa kwento :p
I am not good at lying. hays.
*hush, hush*
June 26, 2011
somewhere in Mandaluyong
I woke up to the persistent ring of my mobile. I grappled blindly to where the sound came from. Sh3t! Who the h3ll calls me up at this deadly hour?? Well, literally the sun was up and about, but because I had black-out curtains in my room, it seemed like it was still 3am. hehehehe
I groaned. It was Shiela! Darn, it was not even a guy! Hmf.
'Unsa bayet??', I uttered.
'Magdungan ta mass? Dungan ta mass ha, then kuyogi ko adto Healthway sa Shang kay ghilantan ko gabii and pa-check-up ko', her voice reverberated over the loudspeaker.
'Leche flan, you woke me up for that??'
'Tulog ka pa?? I thought the white party last night didn't push through'
'Yah, it didn't so I wore black'
'Hahahahaha pumunta ka pa rin?'
'White party or not, rain or shine, I needed to go out. Yah yah, let's cut the chase and I'll accompany you to Healthway after hearing mass. You drive Blake. Now let me get some sleep'
'Hahahaha see you later bayet!'
I hung up. Then I tried to get some sleep. I couldn't. Sh3t! My head still aches from the 6 bottles of Ice last night. I rolled endlessly and covered myself up with my comforter, but still, my senses were wide awake! Hmf.
I checked my phone. Shiela's messages occupied most of my inbox. Wow, she was not only satisfied with messaging me, she had to call and wake me up! hmf again!
Then I saw Drew's message.
'Mahal, saan ka kagabi?'
Uhm.. I needed to gather my thoughts. I got out of bed and fixed myself some Lipton milk tea.
Think, think, Hush. I did went to Malate last night. I had planned to tag Drew along, but lately, I wasn't feeling much of his companion. I don't know. He calls me mahal and I call him the same, but still, the feeling is incomparable with the way I felt before with Marxus. It's not that intense, pampalipas oras lang.
I tried to recall what happened last night.
The streets were crowded and I intentionally parked Blake away from the main road so Drew won't be able to see that I was there. Yes, the white party was postponed (which disappointed me a teeny bit, because I fussed with the outfit I wanted to wear, white tank top, over capri denims and red stilletos and curling my Clooney-cut hair was no mean feat!! hehehehehehe :p), and I was only informed by Carlo around 11.30pm! Technically, he did texted me around 10pm, but for heaven's sake, I was having my beauty sleep!! hehehehhe Since my mind was already set for Malate, we pushed through with the plan, but instead, we both wore black :)
I was cautious not to stand-out from the crowd, but given that a lot still wore white that night, I can't help it :( We immediately proceeded to Chelu, exchanged beso-beso with Jeff and was pleasantly surprised that at 12.30am, the place was packed! Sea of men who wore red, white and black danced to the beat, plus factoring in that Chelu had already a 2nd floor!! My, my, business must be very very good :) (though I did wish that there was a balcony to look down to…)
Back to Drew. I carefully drafted my response.
'Dito lang ako kagabi sa bahay, mahal. I was reading the book I bought yesterday'
I inhaled deeply and anticipated his reply. I vividly remember scanning the crowd if Drew was there. I was bracing myself for some confrontation but thankfully, none happened. Only Carlo saw the guy he was dating at the scene, but that's another story :)
'Weeh. Di nga. Nakita ka ng mga kawork ko kaya'
'Huh? Saan?' Man, it's hard to lie, especially if you still carry a hangover. Darn.
'Sa Malate daw'
Hmmm… too generic. I might get away with this. hehehe
'Nge. Di kaya natuloy white party dahil sa bagyo.' Well, I am still sticking to facts.
'Yung kasama ko sa work, kasama nya mga tomboy, nakita ka daw nila sa Chelu'
Uh-oh. No wonder the dudes kept staring at me and one even tried to approach me. I thought they were just admiring me and was plotting ways to turn her down should she continued and beg for my attention. Hahahahahaha Assuming! hahahahahahaha :p
'Hahahhaha talaga? Galing naman nya. Nakita nya ako habang nasa bahay lang ako while reading my book!' Ok ok, this is partly true. I did read the book, before going to Malate! hmf.
'Nakasuot ka nga ng itim eh'
Tsk tsk! Time to divert the conversation. I am already at the hot seat.
'Eh kaw mahal, ano gawa mo kagabi?', was my lame retort.
'Napagod ako sobra kaya nakatulog ako ng maaga, mahal'
'Ahhh… di ka ba nagcelebrate for passing your examinations yesterday?? Sayang naman..' Now, it was him we were talking about. hehehe
'Hinde mahal eh. Sobrang na drain ako'
So there, we continued with other topics and forgot about his officemates seeing me. Come to think of it, I only met a handful of his officemates and really can't believe that they still recall my face-value, since it was just on one occasion that I got to do this. Am I that, uhm, gorgeous?? Weeeeh… malayo na sa kwento :p
I am not good at lying. hays.
*hush, hush*
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles 2)
Price tag: Php 375
Fully Booked Greenbelt5
Rick Riordan's Throne of Fire is book 2 of the Kane Chronicles, which explores the world of Egyptian gods and goddesses. Book 1 (The Red Pyramid, and which I have) took me 4 months to finish! It was a wishlist gift last December and I was only able to wrap up it up April of this year. It was that uninteresting to read!!! Aside from the fact that I know nothing of Egyptian gods and goddesses (unlike the Greek and Roman supernaturals), the use of 2 characters narrating their points of view (the use of "I") was never my thing. This is why then, I had preferred Sweet Valley Twins over Sweet Dreams. hahahahaha Sh3t! hahahaha
So I had to review blogs to check whether this book is worth purchasing (book 2 of the The Lost Hero is still due this October 2011 and I am so pumped up on this), given the trauma beset on me by the Red Pyramid. I stumbled upon one that caught my fancy, Bookzone4boys, and he narrates how the Throne of Fire is far better than its predecessor :) That convinced me enough to trot down to Greenbelt 5 (in the midst of typhoon Falcon blazing the streets of Makati) and grabbed my hands on it.
Firstly, I really like purchasing at FullyBooked. Aside from its cozy ambiance (mostly have Starbucks in their stores - oh, oh, oh, I saw a cute barista in their Greenbelt5 store hihihihi), the attendants are so accommodating! I didn't bother to look for the book and they showed it to me, plus, I really like that they offer free plastic book covers for every purchase. No hassle on my end :) I like my books taken cared of :)
Also, FullyBooked has a wide array of books compared to National Bookstore (I used to get confused between Powerbooks and FullyBooked) and those hard find ones are usually at FullyBooked than at National Bookstore. A good example is the Throne of Fire, all branches of National still do not have this book!! Hmf.
Anyways, this is not a review of FullyBooked pala. Hihihi
So there you are hushkins. This book will accompany me through my stormy night and will keep you posted if it's worth the read or not :)
*hush hush*
Monday, June 20, 2011
That Green Tea Tea Frap
Starbucks
Veranda Galleria
10pm
I'm fretting myself with my gym schedule! hehehe The white party is fast approaching this Saturday and I need to look good :) weeeeh
… and I ended up at the sauna, and for the first time in months, I had my contacts on (I'm literally blind, btw, if I don't wear my glasses or contacts), so I was able to see everything. hehehe I decided months ago to take off my contacts when my eyes got irritated, but the temptation was too strong tonight. hehehehe
It's the same practice as usual. Linger a bit and the stares will pour in :) Keep eye contact and they start to touch their down under. One guy, I particularly like, but we were 4 in the sauna and I am definitely not an exhibitionist! hehehe I'm just a spectator weeeeeh
The sauna was not that intense as it was near closing time (usually closing is midnight, but because it's a holiday, it was 9pm cut-off) and I headed towards the shower area to take my final bath. Upon reaching the locker area, my crush was there and he kept staring, I just didn't have the guts today to ask for his number. Shy-effect. I thought he was going to dress up and I was plotting to 'coincidentally' bump by him and tell him to meet up outside, and you know the rest. hehe But fate wouldn't have it and he went back to the wet areas for some more flirting. Darn!
I finished changing clothes and waited for him by the aircon area. He came out of the shower bath and lingered his stares at me. I sooo wanted to talk to him, but maybe tomorrow will be another day :) weeeeeh.
I ended up with my green tea-tea frap and tiramisu cheesecake (bye-bye workout!) at the Veranda to compensate for the loss. Hmf. I am still here as of this post :)
Then again, the cute boy besides me left his Asus laptop to go to the CR. Wow, daring! Now's my chance to steal, este, to DO some pick-up lines. hihihihihi
Hush: 'Wow, you left your laptop!'
Boy: 'No choice, nature calls. and mukha ka namang mabait eh'
H: 'hahahaha My name's Hush, by the way'
B: 'Mine's Zee'
Boy, that was a firm grip.. and medyo malamya! hihihihih
*hush hush*
Veranda Galleria
10pm
I'm fretting myself with my gym schedule! hehehe The white party is fast approaching this Saturday and I need to look good :) weeeeh
… and I ended up at the sauna, and for the first time in months, I had my contacts on (I'm literally blind, btw, if I don't wear my glasses or contacts), so I was able to see everything. hehehe I decided months ago to take off my contacts when my eyes got irritated, but the temptation was too strong tonight. hehehehe
It's the same practice as usual. Linger a bit and the stares will pour in :) Keep eye contact and they start to touch their down under. One guy, I particularly like, but we were 4 in the sauna and I am definitely not an exhibitionist! hehehe I'm just a spectator weeeeeh
The sauna was not that intense as it was near closing time (usually closing is midnight, but because it's a holiday, it was 9pm cut-off) and I headed towards the shower area to take my final bath. Upon reaching the locker area, my crush was there and he kept staring, I just didn't have the guts today to ask for his number. Shy-effect. I thought he was going to dress up and I was plotting to 'coincidentally' bump by him and tell him to meet up outside, and you know the rest. hehe But fate wouldn't have it and he went back to the wet areas for some more flirting. Darn!
I finished changing clothes and waited for him by the aircon area. He came out of the shower bath and lingered his stares at me. I sooo wanted to talk to him, but maybe tomorrow will be another day :) weeeeeh.
I ended up with my green tea-tea frap and tiramisu cheesecake (bye-bye workout!) at the Veranda to compensate for the loss. Hmf. I am still here as of this post :)
Then again, the cute boy besides me left his Asus laptop to go to the CR. Wow, daring! Now's my chance to steal, este, to DO some pick-up lines. hihihihihi
Hush: 'Wow, you left your laptop!'
Boy: 'No choice, nature calls. and mukha ka namang mabait eh'
H: 'hahahaha My name's Hush, by the way'
B: 'Mine's Zee'
Boy, that was a firm grip.. and medyo malamya! hihihihih
*hush hush*
Super8 is Boring!!
SM City, Batangas
3.00pm
After 2 hours of driving, I finally arrived at Batangas. I was impressed, I didn't know that the Star Toll was already connected to the SLEX and that made driving convenient.. uhm, the concrete road wasn't so smooth and I was apprehensive because Star Toll still didn't have any lamp posts along the way. This could get very very dark going back. Tsk tsk!
Whenever I want to get a clear head, I drive long distance. Somehow the scenery washes away the muddy thoughts and I get to spend some quality time with Blake :) This was my first time in Batangas City proper. It was, uhm, crowded and getting to SM was delicate. One wrong turn, and you are lost! hahahahaha
I decided to watch Super8 to kill time. My!! It was a boring movie!! I dozed off for the first 20 minutes of the film and woke up to the train incident, which was the critical turn of the movie. It was dragging!! The dialogue between the characters were barely audible, it was as if they were whispering all the time!! Plus, they just keep on staring at each other, duh. Hmf.
I didn't read the plot prior to watching the film, I wanted to guess how it will end. It was just a freaking alien movie, with predictable outcome!! I hate it. The setting was circa 1970s, advent of colored videos and the use of Kodak films (yah, Kodak must have chipped in doughs). The story was run by 6 children (children, as in loud and nosy bunch!) out to do some film project, who happened to be at the train station at the right time. A neighbor tried to ram his truck straight towards the incoming train, and boom! That woke me up, imagine, from the barely audible conversations to Dolby-surround explosions that span 10minutes! Outrageous, a truck creating that much damage?? OA.
Did I mention that children were casts in the film? Loud children?? My goodness, they talk simultaneously after that incident, as if all freaked out etc, and it tends to get irritating. I wanted to scream, shut-up! I want to sleep some more! hahahaahaha :) The only funny part was when the alien attacked the bus they were riding in, and one of them suddenly vomited! hahahaha hilarious! That vomit came out of nowhere! hahahaaha
The ending was a dead-give-away when the children were at the school researching why the neighbor (who turned out to be a teacher/doctor and part of the team that did a research on an alien) tried to ram his truck towards the train. The doctor said, I could feel when the alien touched me that he was not happy being captured. Duh. Then let him free!! I just didn't get the notion why the alien needed to capture individuals to re-create his spaceship. Connect please.
Good thing was the ticket price was cheap, Php125. I didn't feel that much cheated, though I must admit, I should have watched Green Lantern instead! hmf.
*hush hush*
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Give Me Everything Tonight (Opus LSS)
This is officially my favorite music to date! :)
My good friend, Shiela, kept on insisting if I have heard of this track. I told her, are you sure of the title of this song, maybe it's part of the lyrics, or better yet an old song that you just came across recently! hehehe
Alas, I was proven wrong last night when we went to Opus at the Resorts World. hehehe Seems it is indeed a new song by Ne-yo and Pitbull and I soooo love the song already! I can't help but thump my feet and bob my head to the beat! hehehehe :)
Speaking of Opus, I kind of like the place. It looks a bit like Republiq but the crowd is cool :) (well, except for that old hag who embraced the table ushered to us by the attendant, 'Excuse me, but we paid for this table' Kung hinde lang sya matanda at banat, pinatulan ko na sana ng, how much did you pay for it?? I'll double the Daniels we ordered' Che!).
I noted that I belong in Opus :) hehehe mga socialites! hehehe Frankly, I didn't realized that PLUs predominated the scene! I was just observing from our coach (which was besides Ruffa's hehehe) and my goodness, I think I might frequent this place (and I love their magnum mojitos! ugh) :) hihihihihi
Well, back to the song, did I mention I keep on repeating it on my Nano?? Addict.
♫ Excuse me
♪ But I might drink a little bit more than I should tonight
And I might take you home with me if I could tonight ♫
And baby Ima make you feel so good tonight ♪
My good friend, Shiela, kept on insisting if I have heard of this track. I told her, are you sure of the title of this song, maybe it's part of the lyrics, or better yet an old song that you just came across recently! hehehe
Alas, I was proven wrong last night when we went to Opus at the Resorts World. hehehe Seems it is indeed a new song by Ne-yo and Pitbull and I soooo love the song already! I can't help but thump my feet and bob my head to the beat! hehehehe :)
Speaking of Opus, I kind of like the place. It looks a bit like Republiq but the crowd is cool :) (well, except for that old hag who embraced the table ushered to us by the attendant, 'Excuse me, but we paid for this table' Kung hinde lang sya matanda at banat, pinatulan ko na sana ng, how much did you pay for it?? I'll double the Daniels we ordered' Che!).
I noted that I belong in Opus :) hehehe mga socialites! hehehe Frankly, I didn't realized that PLUs predominated the scene! I was just observing from our coach (which was besides Ruffa's hehehe) and my goodness, I think I might frequent this place (and I love their magnum mojitos! ugh) :) hihihihihi
Well, back to the song, did I mention I keep on repeating it on my Nano?? Addict.
♫ Excuse me
♪ But I might drink a little bit more than I should tonight
And I might take you home with me if I could tonight ♫
And baby Ima make you feel so good tonight ♪
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Maisonette / Gabrielle Building in Kasipagan Street
I was traumatized by this place.
I used to live here when circumstances called for scrimping of the pockets, with Blake's amortization along with incidental costs related to his acquisition and the ongoing surge in gas that time (Php58/liter! WTF!!). I thought better to relocate from Ortigas to Mandaluyong, Kasipagan Street to be exact, and within Brgy Plainview.
The offer was too good to resist, at Php7,000 for a one-bedroom unit, only Php150 for garbage collection and an allotted parking space for me, this was a far-cry from the Php15,000 I was paying for rent at a nice condominium besides Galleria. I figured, I can do away with some luxuries and sacrifice a bit to bloat my piggy bank. Besides, my dear friend Sho was also renting here, at least I had somebody I can call to when there is no food on my table hehe!
This was what Nicole, the marketing personnel, laid down for me. I thought, nice lady, easy to approach (since she immediately responds to text messages) and I won't have any problem because I live like a hermit, goes in and out and doesn't do much inside my place. Plus, the fact that the place is owned by the son of Councilor Esteban, I thought, the place must be good vibes.
I was dead-wrong.
I read somewhere about Satan masking hell with golf-courses and buffet meals when a soul wanders around to convince the poor thing to stay with him. So, when the courting stage is over, the soul realized that he was deceived and he was stuck with his decision, otherwise the Php25,000 security deposit will be forfeited. I could totally relate to the poor guy!!
First issue was the parking. Nicole had said it was free and it came along with the rent and I had a space already. She even pinpointed me where I could place Blake. This was my primary concern, otherwise, I wouldn't relocate at all.
Came the time of moving in. I paid the deposit 2 months ahead of the scheduled transfer so that everything will be polished. However, the place smelled reeking of fresh paint, the bath shower-head broken, the doorknob of poor quality.. so I couldn't stay that night, least I get suffocated. I had to stay in with Marxus (bless his soul, literally!) that night.
'Baby, ayoko sa place mo. Malayo at di ko feel!'
I dismissed him then since I was on tight budget and I could afford to bend my body should the blankets shrink (oh diva!! English for 'marunong ako mamaluktot kung maiksi ang kumot :p ).
'Dapat sana kinonsult mo muna ako baby..', he continued.
I never had imagined that I regretted my decision then. I should have consulted him and not let our petty quarrels affected me. But that's another story.
Back to parking. The following day, I noted that a Mazda SUV was in my Baby Blake's spot. I asked the guard, Bobby, to request the owner to move his vehicle as that was my place. He said that it was still the previous tenant's vehicle and that the slot would be vacated a month from now. To make the long story short, I had to wrestle that slot, which irked the Mazda SUV owner. It came to a point where I had a discussion with Noel, Councilor Esteban's son.
He accused (yes, accused and didn't even hear my end) me of creating a stir. Did he not consult his better half Nicole on the arrangements we had?? I kept mum for I didn't want to get the ire of the owner, and I just wanted to get that slot, which was given to me eventually. The thing was, they charged me Php800/month for it, which was not even on the contract, by the way! I said to myself, I couldn't afford to let go of the security deposit then, and I could very well afford that, at least the slot was for me already since I was paying for it. Damn.
The 2nd situation gave me undue stress. The water bill they were charging me was exorbitant!! The lessor, Noel Esteban, not only explained why, but there was not breakdown of the meter reading. He said to ask it from Bobby, the guard, but in the span of time I was leasing their apartment, not once did I see that meter reading. Initially, the charge was at Php300 then over a span of 2 months, it rose to Php500 then it came to a point where I said, this is it, I don't need to renew my contract when I saw the Php800 they were charging! Goodness, Php800 is nothing (humility aside) and my MAC studiofix costs me even more, but for Pete's sake, I was living alone, at the office weekdays, and partying every weekend!!! I tried to levy it with December's charges, where I was in Baguio for 2 weeks!, which should lowered down the bill, but still it was at Php750! Kung hinde ka man makapagmura, ewan ko lang. Sh3t! There, I said it. Hmf. To add insult to injury, my Meralco bill (thank heavens it was metered), ranged from Php100 to Php190 only, while my previous water bills in Corinthian was only at Php150 to Php200. Puttanesca, leche flan galore!!!
I even heard from my neighbors, the huge increases in their water bill, and they even tried to approach Noel, but to no avail. He would just shrug his shoulders, Ganon talaga. I had never felt harassed in my entire life, and you know that feeling that you can't do anything because he is the lessor, the god! I felt so puny then. :(
There was also a point where because of the faulty doorknob, I can't freaking open it with my keys!! I had to sleep again at Marxus' place then and they wouldn't provide a locksmith and replace the darn knob. I had to buy a good one from Shangri-la Plaza and had Marxus replace my existing knobs because I don't know a thing about household repairs!! I really miss him now :(
When I read the new contract, for me to decide whether to renew or not (which was crazy by the way, me still entertaining the idea), I just had to laugh that they will be charging Php180/day for every visitor that sleeps at the place, who were not part of the names listed as lessee. Hotel??
Now the last part of the agonizing journey. The security deposit. The contract stated that I need to inform them in WRITING 60 calendar days prior to its expiration. In the event that no written notification of non-renewal is received by lessor, a penalty equivalent to one month's rent shall be charged! Bongga! My friend had to remind me of this clause. However, this confused me with the following clause also: this contract is not renewed (security deposit will be forfeited) and lessee is not able to notify in writing lessor of such non-renewal in 90 days prior to termination of contract. I just had to draft this notice immediately and even if I will incur debts to relocate, I will do so!
The security deposit, per contract, shall be returned to lessee 60 days after expiration. I had to wait 2 months to get my security deposit! I patiently waited for 60 days, issued text reminders to both Noel and Nicole that 5 days from now, I will need to get my deposit per contract arrangement. No replies were received.
On the day that my security deposit was due to me, I sent another round of text messages, ending with 'please reply', where I got a message from Nicole that she has already endorsed this to the mother of Noel and that I will get them 10 days from that date and will will deposit it in my savings account. Ok. Imbiyerna lang but patience is a virtue.
10 days after, I sent another round of messages. No reply. I tried calling Nicole, and as expected, she didn't pick up the phone. Bastos talaga. No decency at all. I sent another message to Noel that Nicole was not responding and could you please advise on status. Noel replied back that it was late clearing and it didn't make it on the bank's cut-off. I was musing, I am a darn banker and my bank account online reflects both restricted and open funds and the mere fact that it wasn't there caused great alarm to me. My friend said, wait until the following day, maybe the check didn't make it to clearing cut-off.
The following day, I waited until 1pm to give ample time for the bank to validate the check. I checked online. None. Nada. Nil. I sent out another message,
'Hi Nicole/Noel. I checked my bank online and the deposit is still not reflected and usually, it goes to restricted funds for checks that await clearing. I doubled check with the bank and they said no deposit was made. Please can I have the deposit slip so I can verify the details and get back at the bank?'
I didn't want to sound accusatory and put the blame on the bank, despite my strong gut-feel that they didn't deposit any money at all.
Nicole replied, 'you may get it tomorrow'
'Ok, thank you'
The following day, around 10am, I got 2 successive text messages on what was my bank account number. If I could just curse yet again, f$#k!ng sh3t!, I calmed myself down and replied with the details. It was only then, around 2pm, that I got Php15,000 from the Php25,000 deposit.
I consulted Sho, and she said, that in the new contract, they are deducting Php6,000 for renovation and painting costs from the security deposit. This was not even in my contract, but regardless, what happened to the Php4,000? Given, my electricity consumption of say, Php200, plus parking Php800, plus water of Php1000 (exag na toh), that still won't tally to Php4,000 and I should still be receiving Php2000. I texted Nicole.
'Please can you send the breakdown of the deductions of the deposit. Thank you'
No reply. Until now.
These situations, though may be perceived as minor if taken in single incidents, creates undue stress that I don't deserve. What is Php800 parking?? That's not even comparable to the Php3000 parking I spent in Ortigas, and I am willing to pay for it. BUT the thing is, lessor should inform beforehand of such charges and incorporate in the contract, so that it will become a deciding factor also. Don't say, it's part of the rent already and pinpoint to me where my slot is! Heck, I am even paying Php2000 parking now, but because it has been briefed already, I am not complaining and I pay on time! Che!
Be transparent in dealing with your customers. If you intend to place mark-ups in your water bills, say so! I understand well that it is business, and what is business if you don't make profit? BUT, don't make them blinded and guessing!
Follow what you preach. If you expect your customers to put into writing 60 days their intent not to renew, then do your end by also paying on time what is due to them. Lay down the facts, why you deducted this much, a good explanation will always suffice. For goodness sake, enroll in Globe's Unlimited text messages, it only costs an additional Php399 on top of your regular postpaid subscription!! That is very, very cheap!!
I never realized there are these kind of people, even if I have heard of them.
I won't say 'hush hush' for now. I hope that if someone out there is looking for a place to rent, and they stumble into this place, my blog gets to them first before they regret it..
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Baffled Hush
June 12 (Independence Day)
7.41pm
I was being pious and attending to the needs of my soul, when I chance upon my mobile with a text message from an unknown source.
'Hi Hush'
Curious, I scanned the history of that number. Ahhhhhhh…
'Hey Kris, how are you?'
'I see na di mo pa dinelete yung number ko. Ok lang. Ikaw?', was his message.
'Of course, why would I do that? :) I'm doing good. Kaw ba?', I lied. White lie lang. :p
My mind travelled back to that night I saw him on the dancefloor with somebody else. The guy he was dancing with turned out to be his boyfriend afterall and I kind of decided to delete his number. I was thinking, what's the use of retaining his digits when the guy's taken already, right? Or probably, I was just avoiding the temptation of punching the keypads and going out of my way to check on him. Either way, I still deleted his number (and NO! I am not bitter, hmf).
I was hurled back to my present state when I felt my phone vibrate.
'Not rily. We just broke up. So im out sumwer'
Hmmmmm… My mind was racing, and my attention diverted from the liturgy that was ongoing. Tsk tsk!! Bad Hush! Still, I was plotting on how to respond to him. Definitely, I was taken aback by this news, and admittedly, I still like the guy. What does he want to imply with that message? Does he need a shoulder to cry on, a warm hug to comfort him or a companion to, uhm, accompany him (?) during this darkest moment of his life?? hehehe I might be a bit overboard there, but, but, but!! Was it a sign that he still liked me and bridge whatever gap it was that separated us?
Then again, I was also musing, am I the spare tire that he could just replace the minute the other one got punctured? The rebound gorgeous (hehe, sensha na ulit) guy he will run to whenever things go wrong with his current relation? Or the boy-toy he could play around and show to his bf that he wasn't affected much by their separation??
What is he after? Did he long for my passionate kiss and warm embrace when we cuddled after that first explosion of the year? Or did he just want comfort s3x to avenge or cover up the hurt he was nursing? :(
I got tired of thinking. I responded.
'Alam mo Kris, ilabas mo lang yan then after it will be ok. Marami pa naman dyan na magmamahal at nagmamahal sa yo eh ^_^ I'm just a text away should you need me, i.inom natin yan!!'
I pocketed my device and turned my attention back to the priest.
*hush hush*
7.41pm
I was being pious and attending to the needs of my soul, when I chance upon my mobile with a text message from an unknown source.
'Hi Hush'
Curious, I scanned the history of that number. Ahhhhhhh…
'Hey Kris, how are you?'
'I see na di mo pa dinelete yung number ko. Ok lang. Ikaw?', was his message.
'Of course, why would I do that? :) I'm doing good. Kaw ba?', I lied. White lie lang. :p
My mind travelled back to that night I saw him on the dancefloor with somebody else. The guy he was dancing with turned out to be his boyfriend afterall and I kind of decided to delete his number. I was thinking, what's the use of retaining his digits when the guy's taken already, right? Or probably, I was just avoiding the temptation of punching the keypads and going out of my way to check on him. Either way, I still deleted his number (and NO! I am not bitter, hmf).
I was hurled back to my present state when I felt my phone vibrate.
'Not rily. We just broke up. So im out sumwer'
Hmmmmm… My mind was racing, and my attention diverted from the liturgy that was ongoing. Tsk tsk!! Bad Hush! Still, I was plotting on how to respond to him. Definitely, I was taken aback by this news, and admittedly, I still like the guy. What does he want to imply with that message? Does he need a shoulder to cry on, a warm hug to comfort him or a companion to, uhm, accompany him (?) during this darkest moment of his life?? hehehe I might be a bit overboard there, but, but, but!! Was it a sign that he still liked me and bridge whatever gap it was that separated us?
Then again, I was also musing, am I the spare tire that he could just replace the minute the other one got punctured? The rebound gorgeous (hehe, sensha na ulit) guy he will run to whenever things go wrong with his current relation? Or the boy-toy he could play around and show to his bf that he wasn't affected much by their separation??
What is he after? Did he long for my passionate kiss and warm embrace when we cuddled after that first explosion of the year? Or did he just want comfort s3x to avenge or cover up the hurt he was nursing? :(
I got tired of thinking. I responded.
'Alam mo Kris, ilabas mo lang yan then after it will be ok. Marami pa naman dyan na magmamahal at nagmamahal sa yo eh ^_^ I'm just a text away should you need me, i.inom natin yan!!'
I pocketed my device and turned my attention back to the priest.
*hush hush*
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Krazy Garlik, I Like ♥
I had promised to treat Idelle out for dinner today and thought to take her to Contis, since I find the food there sumptuous and affordable. She suggested that we check out Krazy Garlik at Greenbelt 5 since she had heard rave reviews about that restaurant.
'For the record, libre mo to ha', she texted.
'Oy, It's my discretion whether I find the prices reasonable or not, for the record also, otherwise we go back to Contis', I replied.
As expected, parking was full at Greenbelt and it took a while to get to Krazy Garlik. The place was packed!! Hmmmm… good sign that the food must be palatable :9
I love the ambiance that the restaurant depicts, I fancied the lights that looked like, uhm, garlic? hehehe I easily felt right at home :) On the left side of the entrance had collections of Garlic-stuff toys and I simply adored them. I forgot to ask the attendants whether they were for sale. I was anticipating that they would give it for free to dine-in customers. hehehehe hmf.
Since it was both our first time, we asked our attendant, Trisha, for the best dish.
'Sir, our best seller is the crispy pata'
'Uhm, miss, wag naman yung kababuyan po. Medyo light lang'
I scanned their chic menu and was curious with their Amazing Krazy Garlik Salad and ordered it. Aside from being picturesque, it was fantastic for my taste :)
We also ordered the BBQ Garlic Chicken and the burst of flavors with each bite was exhilarating! The strong barbeque sauce, together with the melting cheese, chewy chicken bits and sweet onions was enough for one to crave for another bite :) hehehe Plus top it off with Tabasco, and I was blown away! Whew!
'For the record, libre mo to ha', she texted.
'Oy, It's my discretion whether I find the prices reasonable or not, for the record also, otherwise we go back to Contis', I replied.
As expected, parking was full at Greenbelt and it took a while to get to Krazy Garlik. The place was packed!! Hmmmm… good sign that the food must be palatable :9
 |
| cute menu |
Since it was both our first time, we asked our attendant, Trisha, for the best dish.
'Sir, our best seller is the crispy pata'
'Uhm, miss, wag naman yung kababuyan po. Medyo light lang'
I scanned their chic menu and was curious with their Amazing Krazy Garlik Salad and ordered it. Aside from being picturesque, it was fantastic for my taste :)
 |
| photo grabbed from http://www.krazygarlik.com/menu.php# |
 |
| Bbq Garlic Chicken |
We complemented our food with these beverages: The Shadow and Infinity Ice Tea. Well, the latter, I alternated with their Infinity Lemonade. hehehehe Trip lang.
 |
| The Shadow |
 |
| Infinity Ice Tea and, uhm, bottomless in-house water :p |
This is where the restaurant, I think, fell short of expectations. The attendant highly recommended the Shadow, which is a mix of dragonfruit, vanilla ice cream and strawberries (per their menu), and it did sound delightful, yet when I took a sip of it, it tasted like children's flavored medicine!! And for the price of Php180, I definitely will not order this drink the next time around :(
The Infinity Icetea (or bottomless ice tea given a fancy twist) was, I think, just Nestea, and I can't help compare to the bottomless ang saya commercial of only Php10 per liter, against this Php110 drink. Hmf. Next time, I'll just have the in-house water with ice :)
I also noted, and I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but I simply can't distinguish the garlic that complemented the pizza and salad. I heard that everything in their menu, well except for the drinks, has garlic in it! Or probably because I am not an expert in food tasting.. well :)
The prices are comparable to that of Itallianis (read: Php 450 and up per dish), well given the fact that both are under the Bistro Circle, and our total bill cost me Php1,105 (including service fees). It would definitely be considered under the high-end bracket for me.
I enjoyed our dish, plus of course, the camaraderie and gossips I got from Idelle. It is always nice to hang out with my ex-San Miguel officemate and the ideas and ventures we would want to go into seemed endless for just one night :)
I'll definitely go back to this Krazy restaurant :) I like it.
*hush, hush*
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
That Thin Borderline
In my 7 years of handling people, I have always been challenged and will continuously be learning from the different personalities that I deal with at work. Lately, I have been subjected to an obstacle I am faced with and I have admitted in one of my entries that it's so much easier to accomplish a task compared with supervising and molding an individual. I can fly with rainbow colors with the former, yet pass the latter as easy as a camel going through the eye of a needle.
When I entered the bank, I had wanted to adjust my management style from being a pro-work type to a more lenient, interpersonal working relationship with my staff. I thought that I was too strict then, and idealistic, to demand something from a subordinate that took me years to appreciate. I envied Oliver, a colleague at San Miguel, who got perfectly well with his staff (at the expense of being scolded immensely by our manager for not delivering the reports on time). Then, I enjoyed the praises I got from my superiors, even my CFO and National Sales Manager for the work output I produced, yet at the expense of 'slavering' my staff. I would require them to work from 9am to 12mn just to finish and wrap up the day's work. I realized it was unhealthy.
So I adopted the pro-employee management style, I befriended my personnel, opened up to them and eventually became my buddies (point being Ferns become one of my hangout buddies). Came a time at year-end, when the tasks required by the country we worked with was yet defined, I anticipated that there may be surprises since everybody was caught up with the deliverables and requested all my personnel to stay and wait for the country's requirements to materialize. I designated Ferns as my officer-in-charge as I was in Cebu that year. He came back to me and reported that two of his colleagues didn't comply with my requests, had not even texted me and Ferns only found out that they were taking half-days via electronic mail. I think my BP rose to 130 when I heard his report and from there, things turned out for the worse between me and those 2 personnel.
Late last year, I hired 2 personnel to replace the 2 personnel I mentioned above. I took pains to scout out these individuals, even playing the HR role so I can personally testify the credibility of the person, and believe me, it took me 3 months to do so, I was that meticulous. One of those I hired was Jechel. She showed promise, besides the fact that she was pretty. She exudes confidence and her accounting background made her a potential to exceed and I explained to her that what matters most for me is personality, because that is what I lack. I needed somebody to complement me when difficult situations arise and what is brains if you don't have personality. Leave the brainy details to me.
Now that difficult situation I was talking about came to be. Over the course of time, she was discussing with me how easy the jobscope was, and she needed more challenge. Given that she has the potential, I assigned her to consolidate a reporting package that involves reporting to our VP and AVP. I never anticipated that I will regret that decision..
The team was busy with the forthcoming compliance audit, and since we failed the other year, it was essential that we pass this one, otherwise heads will roll, literally. One of the key tasks I assigned to her was to print the documents that we missed out. I was in the mood to sign off these documents and made a follow-up, noticed that there were missing elements to the file. I pointed them out, in a friendly manner, to which I got this response:
J: 'Di ko pa nagawa'
H: 'Why?'
J: 'Tingnan mo naman ang ginagawa ko, busy ako sa reporting package that you assigned to me! Di ko na naasikaso yan.'
That was an unexpected response and I could feel the heat rising up to my ears.
H: 'So does that mean that you will neglect your other duties?'
She grew silent seeing that I was fuming already.
Another day passed. There were deliverables for the team to accomplish that day and she came up to me.
J: 'Hush, magmeeting muna ako'
H: 'regarding what?'
J: 'the team outing we are planning'
H: 'Nope, please tell them that you can't attend.' I had already planned out to her what we were supposed to achieve that day.
J: 'So hinde na ako aa.ttend ng meeting ever??'
Did I tell her that? That statement blew whatever patience was left in me. Did I deserve that retort? I gave her opportunities to shine, assigned tasks that the VP and AVP would notice, that she could literally mingle and discuss directly her outputs. I gave her a free-hand in unexpected deliverables, again to make her stand out from the pack, assignments that required her to mingle with other people, to better her interpersonal skills. I even went to the extent of re-adjusting her work frame because she was having family problems and I didn't want to lose her because of that. I tried to understand why she reported back after break, tipsy and all red, evidently had a drink or two. I wholeheartedly discouraged her from having office affairs as this will not do good, especially when you see that person at the premise everyday, but she turned a deaf ear. At the end of the day, this is what it boiled down to.
I am not one to count whatever good things I do, but those are the thoughts that ran my mind when she responded to me. I felt betrayed and not respected as a mentor (not even as a superior) and given the minute patience I have, all hell broke loose. I threw my reviews at her when she wouldn't yield to putting down the phone when I asked her to, since I wanted to discuss things with her. Admittedly, I should have known better to do so.
How do you draw that thin line between you as her manager and she as her staff, when over time I had treated her as a friend and comrade? My intention was to bridge the gap between the manager and staff, so that if there is a problem, it is easy to consult with. I didn't want to seal off entirely the gap, but it seemed I did. I could only compare to amiga's boss, where they all cowered down whenever their boss arrives. I did not want that to happen to my team. I wanted to team to feel at home with me, but not disregarding the idea that I am still their mentor.
I have always pondered, had Jechel just said, 'ok, I'll start doing the missing items you noted in the print-outs', I would have dismissed everything and nothing like this would have happened. I had wanted to mold her to something that I was never good at, but the clay seemed too rigid already. Does she really need to itemize the things she did, when I know why already but I just needed a timeline? What does she want to prove?
Ferns: 'She's becoming the brat that she is' (her rebellious stance with her dad and grandmother).
Well, as for me, I will have to answer HR's administrative notice to me in 5 days. Good luck.
*hush hush*
When I entered the bank, I had wanted to adjust my management style from being a pro-work type to a more lenient, interpersonal working relationship with my staff. I thought that I was too strict then, and idealistic, to demand something from a subordinate that took me years to appreciate. I envied Oliver, a colleague at San Miguel, who got perfectly well with his staff (at the expense of being scolded immensely by our manager for not delivering the reports on time). Then, I enjoyed the praises I got from my superiors, even my CFO and National Sales Manager for the work output I produced, yet at the expense of 'slavering' my staff. I would require them to work from 9am to 12mn just to finish and wrap up the day's work. I realized it was unhealthy.
So I adopted the pro-employee management style, I befriended my personnel, opened up to them and eventually became my buddies (point being Ferns become one of my hangout buddies). Came a time at year-end, when the tasks required by the country we worked with was yet defined, I anticipated that there may be surprises since everybody was caught up with the deliverables and requested all my personnel to stay and wait for the country's requirements to materialize. I designated Ferns as my officer-in-charge as I was in Cebu that year. He came back to me and reported that two of his colleagues didn't comply with my requests, had not even texted me and Ferns only found out that they were taking half-days via electronic mail. I think my BP rose to 130 when I heard his report and from there, things turned out for the worse between me and those 2 personnel.
Late last year, I hired 2 personnel to replace the 2 personnel I mentioned above. I took pains to scout out these individuals, even playing the HR role so I can personally testify the credibility of the person, and believe me, it took me 3 months to do so, I was that meticulous. One of those I hired was Jechel. She showed promise, besides the fact that she was pretty. She exudes confidence and her accounting background made her a potential to exceed and I explained to her that what matters most for me is personality, because that is what I lack. I needed somebody to complement me when difficult situations arise and what is brains if you don't have personality. Leave the brainy details to me.
Now that difficult situation I was talking about came to be. Over the course of time, she was discussing with me how easy the jobscope was, and she needed more challenge. Given that she has the potential, I assigned her to consolidate a reporting package that involves reporting to our VP and AVP. I never anticipated that I will regret that decision..
The team was busy with the forthcoming compliance audit, and since we failed the other year, it was essential that we pass this one, otherwise heads will roll, literally. One of the key tasks I assigned to her was to print the documents that we missed out. I was in the mood to sign off these documents and made a follow-up, noticed that there were missing elements to the file. I pointed them out, in a friendly manner, to which I got this response:
J: 'Di ko pa nagawa'
H: 'Why?'
J: 'Tingnan mo naman ang ginagawa ko, busy ako sa reporting package that you assigned to me! Di ko na naasikaso yan.'
That was an unexpected response and I could feel the heat rising up to my ears.
H: 'So does that mean that you will neglect your other duties?'
She grew silent seeing that I was fuming already.
Another day passed. There were deliverables for the team to accomplish that day and she came up to me.
J: 'Hush, magmeeting muna ako'
H: 'regarding what?'
J: 'the team outing we are planning'
H: 'Nope, please tell them that you can't attend.' I had already planned out to her what we were supposed to achieve that day.
J: 'So hinde na ako aa.ttend ng meeting ever??'
Did I tell her that? That statement blew whatever patience was left in me. Did I deserve that retort? I gave her opportunities to shine, assigned tasks that the VP and AVP would notice, that she could literally mingle and discuss directly her outputs. I gave her a free-hand in unexpected deliverables, again to make her stand out from the pack, assignments that required her to mingle with other people, to better her interpersonal skills. I even went to the extent of re-adjusting her work frame because she was having family problems and I didn't want to lose her because of that. I tried to understand why she reported back after break, tipsy and all red, evidently had a drink or two. I wholeheartedly discouraged her from having office affairs as this will not do good, especially when you see that person at the premise everyday, but she turned a deaf ear. At the end of the day, this is what it boiled down to.
I am not one to count whatever good things I do, but those are the thoughts that ran my mind when she responded to me. I felt betrayed and not respected as a mentor (not even as a superior) and given the minute patience I have, all hell broke loose. I threw my reviews at her when she wouldn't yield to putting down the phone when I asked her to, since I wanted to discuss things with her. Admittedly, I should have known better to do so.
How do you draw that thin line between you as her manager and she as her staff, when over time I had treated her as a friend and comrade? My intention was to bridge the gap between the manager and staff, so that if there is a problem, it is easy to consult with. I didn't want to seal off entirely the gap, but it seemed I did. I could only compare to amiga's boss, where they all cowered down whenever their boss arrives. I did not want that to happen to my team. I wanted to team to feel at home with me, but not disregarding the idea that I am still their mentor.
I have always pondered, had Jechel just said, 'ok, I'll start doing the missing items you noted in the print-outs', I would have dismissed everything and nothing like this would have happened. I had wanted to mold her to something that I was never good at, but the clay seemed too rigid already. Does she really need to itemize the things she did, when I know why already but I just needed a timeline? What does she want to prove?
Ferns: 'She's becoming the brat that she is' (her rebellious stance with her dad and grandmother).
Well, as for me, I will have to answer HR's administrative notice to me in 5 days. Good luck.
*hush hush*
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