|overheard_from_the_office_grapevine|

our low-cost office looks like an airconditioned IT sweatshop. workstations are cramped where we have little to no privacy. because of this, you hear the constant clicking of the mouse, the sound that the keyboard keys make and the occasional whispering of the people working there. we’ve grown accustomed to the deplorable working conditions in the office. change is inevitable during these hard times. all that’s expected of us is to adapt and be flexible to embrace these changes to cut down on overhead cost to be more “competitive”.

but this is not what i’m blogging about. i just heard this from the office grapevine. it’s been going on for weeks now, months even. by the entrance door, the 2 phone booth areas are constantly occupied. there’s nothing unusual about this but what’s surprising is that a lot of people taking in calls from their mobiles are conversing in english. i hear some speak very well and most i hear struggling to compose what they want to say. i myself can’t make sense of what they want to tell the party at the other end of the line. my ears were bleeding to hear most of them try to explain technical terms and still not make sense.

and so there i was eavesdropping on a warm sunny afternoon. are they being interviewed by recruiters from other countries? people are being pirated right under my nose. i’d like to try it too and see how it’s like. it has been a long while since i’ve tried to look at what’s out there.

Tags: 2010, Everyday Talkies, grapevine, IT, march, office, Photography Mayhem, work

|birthday_happiness|

iPod Nano 16GB 5th Generation

the accessory voucher amounting to Php2100 enabled me to buy SwitchEasy UltraBlack CapsuleThins– hard plastic lexan protective casing from iStudio.

Switcheasy UltraBlack CapsuleThins

i still give names for my toys. so far these are the names i’ve given them:
- paxton milo
- fiona apple
- madison margaux
- nico
- nairobi

and for this new toy, i now call you, China. :):):)

Tags: 16gb, 2010, 5th generation, apple, birthday, capsule thins, february, ipod, ipod nano, mac manic monday, switcheasy

|refurbished_home_2010|

typhoon ondoy is already old news. he’s best left buried and forgotten. here’s how the newly renovated house looks like.

our clean house

veranda + living room

living + dining room

kitchen

bedroom 3

bedroom 2

bedroom 1

Tags: 2010, antipolo, home, house, january, ondoy

|missing_snapshot_photography|

all photos were taken with a Canon PowerShot A95

i miss having a point-and-shoot digital camera. i miss having my Canon PowerShot A95 with me most of the time. its portablilty lets you bring it anywhere and at anytime take photos of anything that catches my fancy. it’s the kind of photography i like doing–the anything goes, whatever works and whatever rocks my boat kind of photo image capturing. i also refer to it as snapshot photography as it’s quick and painless rather than lugging around my DSLR and assembling its glass, attaching the speedlight and tinkering the settings to get that perfect shot. this will not let me spontaneously take photos as it happens and when it happens.

through the years, more and more digital cameras have been coming out with nifty features that are readily available in higher-end digital cameras. with that, it’s not hard to get images that are close to those that are taken professionally. after all, it’s not the camera, it’s the one holding it. if i’m at liberty to spend i’d like the PowerShot A series or the G series of Canon. i’ve been with Canon since 2004 and they’ve pretty much lived up to their slogan, “Delighting You Always.” when i’d be able to get a new point-and-shoot? that would be the day.

endnote: my Canon PowerShot A95 served me well and was highly dependable. it’s unfortunate that it drowned during the september 2009 flooding together with my lomo lc-a. i only got to save my Nikon D90.

Tags: 2010, camera, canon, Canon PowerShot A95, digital camera, Everyday Talkies, january, lomo, lomo l-ca, photography, Photography Mayhem, point-and-shoot, PowerShot, Tales of a Wanderlust

|2010:new_year_post|

this 2010, i want to…

…be able to blog more than last year.
…be able to have less cluttered thoughts when blogging. with that i came up with 2 new blogs– http://picturesandbox.wordpress.com and http://urbandenizen.wordpress.com.
…be able to take more photos and use my camera more often.
…start living on my own *yikes*.
…have a healthier lifestyle by eating more and responsibly.
…read more books.
…travel at least once this year.
…explore cooking.

to be continued as this list will expand further.

Tags: 2010, january, list

|my_last_entry_for_2009|

since it’s the 31st of december and with that the last day of the year, here’s my last blog entry for 2009.

photo essay: a day in the life– last day of 2009.

sometimes I just want to smash this thing to pieces but today I was glad to have waken up to a bright and sunny morning to start the end or the last day of 2009.

twitter-ing in bed before anything else is the first item on my list of to-do's.

I have been tidying things up in my room for the longest time. the lack of shelves prevent things from being in order.

a morning stroll at a quaint park in the heart of the bustling city as I kill time waiting.

food is food.

this is my last on foot entry for 2009 and with this I have a guest! :D

the journey back home was dreadful with the scorching heat.

julie & julia movie marathon at home. this is the last movie i saw for 2009.

I was dragged to the mall for some quick errands. Bribe me with food and I'm wiling to be your slave.

my last Starbucks coffee for 2009. a late afternoon of tall hot latte.

a tour of the kitchen revealed a chaotic atmosphere as food were being prepared for the new year festivities.

last touch is to blog all that transpired today and with that is the last photo in this photo essay of sorts.

Tags: 2009, december, Everyday Talkies, food, Good Eats, McDo, mcdonald's, photography, Photography Mayhem, places, Tales of a Wanderlust

|MacHeist_nanoBundle|

so i came across this over the weekend and decided to download and install these free mac applications. they’re on their last four days of giving away six mac applications for free so go sign-up and start downloading. these applications are as follows:

- ShoveBox: easily capture important bits of information
- WriteRoom: distraction-free writing
- Twitterific: Twitter application
- TinyGrab: splendidly simple screenshot sharing
- Hordes of Orcs: some game
- Mariner Write: the easiest to use Mac word processor

but wait! there’s more. after getting all six applications, you can also download and install VirusBarrier X5, the free antivirus application bundled with the MacHeist nanoBundle.

Tags: apple, Hordes of Orcs, mac, mac manic monday, macheist, Mariner Write, nanobundle, ShoveBox, TinyGrab, Twitterific, VirusBarrier, WriteRoom