Infosys 2012

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Catching Fire

"Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!"

This is Katniss Everdeen's famous line in the 3rd installment of the Hunger Games series by Suzzane Collins, Mockingjay. Here, she is taunting the Capitol in one of her TV propaganda for District 13. Where in simple words it might just mean "we die, you die too."
I'm obviously meaning to discuss Catching Fire in this post judging from the title of it, the second book of the trilogy, and not Mockingjay. However I felt the introduction was necessary  since you won't find  the phrase 'Catching Fire' anywhere in the entire course of book 2. Which I think is pretty cool.

For a bit of a plot:
Katniss is now 17. Having won the 74th Annual Hunger Games last year with fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, they try to go back to their usual lives before the game.

The thing is, they couldn't. I suppose this is mainly what book 2 is all about. There's no going back. The person you were before you entered the Hunger Games arena, is not the same person that comes out of it.

You might have won the game, yes, but a part of you has died. No more innocence, only survival.

That's what it's like for Katniss, the nightmares explains it all. Not for Peeta, though. His character contradicts normal human instinct - to fight, to kill, to survive. He remains pure amidst a violence-filled situation. He's like the pillar of virtue in the book.

You're now a victor, you've just successfully outlived 22 other kids, congratulations to you.

However, the trauma, the impact of this brutal game in their lives surpasses the bruises and the wounds that they've collected - which can easily be erased by state-of-the-art medicines provided by the Capitol.

It's a burden that they will forever bear.

Kinda like Frodo being stabbed by one of the Nazgul, and being the ring-bearer at the same time. There is that physical and emotional wound that somehow never fully heaed.

There are perks to being a victor though: the incredible wealth, the new house at Victor's village, the status. And isn't that just the best thing about the Hunger Games series? It's so satirical.

I will spare you some of the details. I won't be discussing the Quarter Quell, the wedding proposal, the secret plot to overthrow the Capitol. If you haven't read it, Wikipedia it or better yet, start reading.

On the lighter side, new characters will be introduced in this second book. Some of which will greatly impact Katniss' life up until the 3rd installment -- Finnick Odair, Johanna Mason, and Plutarch Heavensbee, to name a few.

Now if we are to discuss the romance part of the novel, I think in this book it will be apparent to the readers who among Peeta or Gale Katniss has true feelings for.

To conclude this, I have high hopes for this book being translated to the big screen. With Sam Claffin being casted as Finnick, Jena Malone as Johanna, and Phillip Seymour-Houffman as Plutarch, I say its gonna be pretty exciting.

One my friends who's also an avid reader of the series once told me that Catching Fire is his favorite among the three. It's funny, it's light, it's sarcastic, it's exciting. Considering how dark and depressing Mockingjay is for me (in a good way though), I think his point is valid.

Definitely a must read.

A nameless enemy

September 26 2009, Metro Manila, Philippines experienced the wrath of Tropical Storm Ketsana, more commonly known as “Ondoy.” It was probably the most devastating and heaviest rainfall experience in the history of our country. According to sources it left a damage of about $1.09 billion and 747 fatalities.

That was BARELY 3 years ago.

Ondoy, 2009:

Nameless monsoon, 2012:

A pretty similar sight.

What's happening to the world?

We probably thought it wouldn’t happen again, right? And we were wrong. For here is another ravaging beast. This time it's not even a typhoon, it's just some nameless monsoon that we can't even curse if we wanted to.

Damn you monsoon-with-no-name!

But we Filipinos know better now, right? We should.

#BangonPilipinas has been trending last Tuesday and Wednesday when the flood was at its meanest (in English it means 'rise Philippines!') to keep everyone's spirit up. Not all areas in Manila were gravely affected as the others, that's why some people rushed to social media sites such as FB and Twitter to update, help and even inspire each other amidst this time of crisis.

There was even an SMS that spread about comparing the date of the flood, August 7 2012,  to the bible verse Genesis 8:7-12. The verse shockingly talks about 'The Great Flood' and Noah's ark. It might be purely coincidental, yes. I'll leave it to you to decide. I also found this Yahoo! article that I thought I might share:

Link: 'Genesis 8:7-12 and 8-7-12: A mere coincidence'

For donations:

Philippines: Manila Flooding 2012 Where to Donate, Emergency Numbers and Relief Centers

There was a pang of guilt in me when I started writing this post last Wednesday, for I only saw it in the television how bad the flood was. I, and some other colleagues, braved the heavy rain and still went to work that night of August 7 -- despite the Presidential decree cancelling work for all public and private offices, including BPO. Don't ask me why and how, but we do have work that night. In all fairness to our company and to other BPO's, they provided shuttle service, food, clothing and of course they had to pay us a little extra for showing up. And they had to, unless they will be reported to DOLE (Dept. of Labor and Employment).

My mom told me to "stay indoors and don't go to work!" However, I thought since there was no flood in my area, sure I'll go. And only a handful of us made it to the office. I didn't mind the extra tasks that I had to do, for it was kind of my way of helping out my colleagues who were stranded and stuck in the flood.

I've no idea how to conclude this, really.

When Mother Nature gets pissed, it's pretty bad for all of us.

What will happen, happens.

We just need to be ready when it does.

"Constant vigilance"

- Alastor Moody

Make a wish, Harry!

Harry's 11th bday cake

I want to share a funny coincidence.

The other day at the office, my computer got locked out for no apparent reason and I had to reset my password.

"Not again!" I thought.

I couldn't think of anything. I was running out of cool Anime characters' name to use.

Then it popped out, "mischief managed!"

I.T. guy goes, "Harry Potter?"

I said, "Yeah" and we both laughed.

He's obviously a fan as well. What was the coincidence then?

It was July 31 that night, Harry Potter's birthday.

According to the book, Harry was "Born as the seventh month dies."

Funny.

Potterfans, where you guys at?

The Dark Knight Rises - a late review

Posted on July 31, 2012 via Wordpress

Hang on, this will not be a straight-up review but more of a
blog-slash-review instead.

Why?

First of all, I know this is kind of late. Secondly, it’s not easy to make a
review of a film with this magnitude. Say one negative comment and avid fans
will terrorize you.

Side story: I saw the film last July 21, so this is kind of a back track.

We all agree the movie was great, yeah? They say it was epic; best Batman
movie ever; Nolan should direct every action hero film – In short, it’s
gotten generally positive reviews.

And I agree. I enjoyed it immensely. It has all the elements that you’ll be
looking for in a good movie: superb action scenes, touch of drama,
bit of comedy, love story, struggle, triumph, everything.

It was a bit too long, yes. But I thought the story was well-written that it
was forgivable. The casting was good too. Tom, Joseph, Gary and Anne
stood out. Oh, and Marion of course. She’s always great in every film, love
her.

In short, you’d have to be crazy not to see it. It’s a good conclusion
to The Dark Knight series. What more could a Batman fan ask for? Nothing.
Nolan gave us everything.

I’m sure we all noticed that almost the entire Inception cast was there. In the
cinema I was like “Tom? Joseph? Marion? Cillian? Inception?” Then I remember
that Nolan directed it too! Why not get the actors you’re already familiar
with, right? I’d do that too if I was the director.

And I’ve also read that Nolan initially wanted The Riddler to be the antagonist of this last film, but opted for Bane instead. Good choice there since Bane was like the ultimate enemy — brains and power combined. Plus, he wanted Leo to play Riddler? Woah! that would’ve been like Inception part 2. LOL

Now let’s talk about what we didn’t like about the film, shall we? This is a
critique after all 

*drum-roll*

I personally think that some of the dialogues were a bit lengthy. C’mon, Alfred had like what? 3 long and teary moments? I like his character but I felt that they had to squeeze in a LOT into his lines – seal the loop holes.  I get that they had to establish how much he loves Bruce; how he wanted him to live and surrender the cape etc. And how come he almost didn’t say anything
in the old Batman films and now suddenly become so talkative?

(Just my opinion, don’t get mad at me)

Moving on to Robin, he has so many unnecessary and lengthy lines as well! And not to mention way too many close-ups! (I know Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a good looking chap, but…) Yeah, yeah they had to establish his story too so the next
Batman movie (if there will ever be) can pick up from it. But some parts were boring…

Bane was great. However the story of him and the prison-with-no-escape was a bit
dragging. Do they really have to show it over and over again? (We’re not dumb, we get it, it’s hard to escape from that prison)

Bruce’s recovery was a bit of a drag too (sigh…) The underground prison scenes where they tell the story of Ra’s al Ghul was a bit forced. (or maybe it’s just me?)

And those police were trapped underground for 3 months? (Okayyyy…) If I were trapped underground for 3 months I would probably have removed my badge, cap, uniform and be walking around on my underwear. I’m not even kidding. ( This scene was way fictional)

Anne was a delight to see since she’s so gorgeous, that’s given. Safe performance. (Or maybe Michelle Pfeiffer was just so damn creepy  in that cat suit it hard to forget?)

*Let’s shift the gear now 

On the lighter side…

I think Batman’s motorcycle and flying car was beyond cool. I also like the
humor between Catwoman and Batman. Since there were very little humor in the
entire film.

“So that’s what it feels like” at the rooftop was hella funny.

Over-all verdict?

I would still give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. The movie started in a slow pace,
but the plot thickened towards the end. They could have edited it better, and
deleted unnecessary scenes. But nevertheless, it just may be the perfect ending for
our caped-crusader, our Dark Knight. Gotham has finally accepted Batman as the hero
that he truly is and he in return, he’s been able to live a normal and happy
life.

 :)

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

watched TDKR when it was raining heavily outside. I was so dressed-down :)

Infosys 5th yr Anniversary

Stagefright anyone?

Who has it?

Me.

And we probably all do, somehow.

Going back to my school days, I’ve always had a rough time reporting in front of the class. For some reason when I start to speak, I forget everything. Mental block.

I was kind of like this when I was in college:

“Ah… Hmm… Well… As you can see… You know… Yeah… Moving on…”

A lot of fillers. And I act stupid all the time. Defense mechanism I suppose. I tend too goof-around a lot and deliberately make a fool out of myself to mask the nervousness.

Aaaah… I really wanted to do well you know? Make the class think that I know more than they think I do. But the prof is not so easily fooled by my antics “Oh, she’s just shy.” Gee, thanks sir for seeing right-through me and breaking my disguise as a class clown.

So much for that. But once we grow older, public speaking is inevitable. You would have to somehow, sometime say something in front of people — office, church perhaps, group meetings, what have you. You need to suck it up and start talking. No time for shyness and clowning around. (Okay maybe a bit of the latter)

To cut our story short, I have been able to conquer my fear of the stage (I guess); and of the mic; and of the crowd.

Whenever I see it, I get excited. There is still a tad nervousness that creeps in, but just the right amount. They say “nerves is energy, yield it.”

Just yesterday I co-hosted a company party/event and I must say I did have a lot of fun.

I did mess up a couple of words/lines here and there, but I received generally good feedback. Haha. I asked my friends:

“Did I look stupid?”

“No you were great.”

“You really are my friends!”

And the organizer goes “Ysah from now on you’ll be hosting every show!” Me deep inside: “Noooooooo! I over-did my cute T_T” Haha

(Do I get paid for this? Over-time perhaps?)

Jut Kidding. I  did get 2 rounds of food though, plus take-out. And USB card-reader from Globe, one of our sponsors.

Honestly, the day before the event, I was more concerned of my outfit than my to-be-performance. I was like “What am I gonna wear???”

Girls…

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Happy Thanksgiving 0:)

Posted on July 22, 2012

Today is a Sunday, my favorite day of the week.

Why? No work, every family member is in the house, proper meals, and of course, worship service.

And today is no ordinary Sunday. It’s Thanksgiving day.

I know it might not make sense to everyone, but for the members of the Church of Christ it does. Ever since I was a kid, it has been this way. Twice a year we will celebrate Thanksgiving – mid year and end of year.

When I was a kid it might have been just an occassion that me and my parents dress-up for. But as I grew older, it made more sense. More meaning.

I just feel very blessed, believe it or not. I mean, life’s not perfect. It never is, never was, never will be. But see, amidst all imperfections of it, trials and hardships, I’m still here. Still breathing, still able to have dinner with my family, with friends that care for me. Life ain’t bad mate. It’s good s’matter of fact.

*i think I sound so serious right now

My point is, there are so many things to be thankful for.

Happiness. Success. Peace of mind. Things that money can’t buy.

I guess I’m just really happy right now. My mind and heart is in the right place. And I got the very wish I’ve been praying for for years. (hint, hint)

I’m writing this post with a huge smile on my face. (and my lhasa apso sleeping on my chest btw)

And oh…

Happy 98th Anniversary to the Church of Christ. Regards to the brethren all around the world.

^_^

Amazing Day, 29th of June

Posted on July 20, 2012 via Wordpress

(This has been sitting on my phone drafts for 3 weeks LOL)

Several good things happened today, Friday. In no particular order – just gonna lay them out 

I’ve found my Sbux planner which I thought have disappeared from the face of the earth! I’ve searched for months man. And my room ain’t big at all. I dunno how it just, all of a sudden, miraculously re-appeared.

“Accio planner!”

My last posts in it were like from February… T_T
Truly sad, so many amazing things happened since. I would have loved to have written them down.

One more amazing thing that happened today was that I have discovered the wonders of a book sale. Yeah, you heard it right mates, BOOK SALE. (Ysa you crazy girl, never heard/ saw a book sale before?) (Course I have, duh)

Anywho… Back to the sale…

I saw a copy of Time Traveler’s wife for only 180php! I was tempted to get it, but ended up not having to. I’ve read it; and it’s not like it’s rare or anything. Well, we saw a bunch of good ones. I had to restrain myself from getting 10 books!

\(^O^)/

In the end I got a UK copy of Northern Lights (Golden Compass in American) with a sketch of Lyra on the cover. I have read it yeah, but see this copy is rare. And it’s only for 110php. Pretty cool deal if you ask me.

*I have read Sutle Knife as well, I have a copy at home. I’m yet to read Amber Spy-glass, but I’m sooo lazy these days.

Also I found a very old-looking copy of Two Towers, w/ the pages stained gold-yellow at the side. (I probably better post a pic). Plus, it’s only for 37php. You heard it right. Unbelievable. And my friend got a Stephen King for himself. I haven’t read one book from him though, maybe this is a good time to start. 

What else? What other amazing thing that happened today? Mmmm… Oh I know.

It was a payday Friday and I got to indulge myself w/ all the Japanese food that I want. I forever love ebi tempura and hot miso soup  

One last thing, it was my parents’ 32nd wedding anniversary yesterday! They celebrated it tonight and had a dinner w/ my sister, Audrey. Too bad I couldn’t go cause of work. But, I did meet them during break at Highstreet and had donuts and coffee for dessert. Ah, perfect day.

Tired but happy. A day well spent with loved-ones.
What more could a girl ask for? 

Bad mood Monday

Posted on July 17, 2012 via Wordpress 

I was feeling down today, to say the least. Sicky-sicky since last night. Runny nose, tummy ache, and… Okay no further details.

Early morn I was already pissed off. I failed to wake up and attend a church thing. I was mad at myself. Smmmmhhhhh.

I tried to elevate my mood by cooking lunch for dad and my sister -fish and veggies. It did change my mood a bit. But then my head started to throb, it’s prolly due to my up-and-coming-colds. Least to say I was not in the mood again. Smh.

Afternoon came and it was Wafer’s bathing and grooming time. Now this definitely changed my mood since our good friend came over and helped us. I call her Wafer’s official groomer 

I tried to sleep for a couple more hours before going to work at night. I have no idea what’s wrong with me today, I couldn’t sleep. I was beginning to accept that it will be a groggy Monday night shift at work. What a way to start my week.

And then, I was supposed to meet someone (special?) before heading to work. I made an effort to be cute and all, dressed up an hour early for work. And guess what? I suddenly didn’t get any replies.

No calls, no Sms, no BBMs. My head started hurting again. Literally. Colds and disappointment combined. I might’ve looked like this >:/

Breath in, breath out.

I would like to blame it on my hormones, yeah. But still, this day shall not end with a bad note.

So I picked my self up, went and got a latte and my favorite sandwich, and greeted everyone in the office with a huge smile. Some even complimented my make-up and outfit. (If you only knew I’m making a huge effort to smile and talk right now)…

I got an explanation why my date stoop me up: he fell asleep. How great  )))

Lesson: However bad your day started, you can always choose how it ends.

‘Til next post. Cheers.

Me today...

Woah, May is about to end.

How fast does time fly? Really.

Yikes. Seems like it was New Year, then it was my Bday last March, and now it’s almost mid-2012.

I dunno about you, but I felt that my life took a 360 degree turn.

Things happen. Unexpected. Changes. Good or bad. Good and bad.

I guess all I can say is that my heart and my mind is in a better place now.

I’m happy. Finally again.

But as we all know, everything in this life is temporary as life itself.

Everything can change in a snap. Boom, you’re sad again.

But I can’t worry about that now. For reality is finally better than my dreams.

And I’ve finally learned how to let go of any form of control.

Who knows? This might really be it.

A Visit to Liliw

Posted on April 8, 2012

Saturday morning, Apr 7 we drove to Liliw, Laguna. It’s my mom’s hometown.

As much as I would like to be my-usual-energetic-self, I was really tired. I came from an 8-hour night shift see. Nevertheless, I was excited to go there since it’s been what, 2 yrs? I miss the place. More so the people.

So we’re on our way, traffic ain’t so bad, we even stopped somewhere to get food – Krispy Kremes donuts, we were playing music in the car, chatting, everybody happy.

And then we ran into car troubles — clutch is broken, and somewhere in Los Banos we stopped in the middle of the road. Five people, including the Buko Pie and Espasol vendor had to push our car to the side.

To cut my story short, my dad figured it would take a while for the car to be fixed, and it’s scorching hot. We need to somehow clear out since Kuya mechanic has to fix it.

Where to go? To the nearest mall of course! We waited, ate and shopped just to kill time until our Tito Jun picked us up. My dad had to stay w/ the car until it gets fixed, poor him. But what chpice does he have? Good thing is when we arrived at my Lolo’s house, my dad got there roughly an hour later. So it didn’t take that long for them to finish fixing it anyway.

The food at my Lolo’s house was divine! I miss the freshness of the fish, even the rice tastes somehow different. I ate away until I couldn’t eat anymore. Also, the air is cooler, fresher,and so different from the Manila ambiance.

I wanted to say that the was peaceful, but it’s not. And it’s because my cousins from my mom’s side are there, and so are some other relatives. So it’s like 15 people talking at the same time. It’s chaos to say the least. But really, really fun.

All my attempts to get some sleep failed.

I was getting messages from my friends to get them Buko Pie, slippers (since Liliw does this Tsinelas Festival) and all sorts. I made a mental note that I will get them later in the day.

By afternoon I gave in. I was fast asleep on the couch and they went to the shoes/slippers’ shops w/o me. I mean, shoe shopping is REALLY my thing, but I had to pass since I was too groggy to even get up.

They came back, woke me up and told me that there were a lot of people shopping. Just like how crowded the malls are here in Manila. And that there were a lot of foreigners around, Americans, Koreans and a lot more. It’s really nice that the tourism in Liliw is booming. Just about time, cause it is a lovely place.

After the pictures are taken, food trays emptied, bellies doubled in size, we said our goodbyes. For it might take another 1, or maybe even 2 yrs before we get to see each other again.

It was a brief, and yet a very nice visit. Come to think of it, I did grow up in Liliw. Spend like my first 4 yrs of life there. It’s a home apart from Makati. And so it will be for the rest of my life 

Cheers to all Liliwenos out there 

Gelene, Camille, Ian, Audrey, Darrah and myself

Sunday meet-ups :P

Random meet-ups on Sunday nights. Especially if its payday :) Cheers!


cutie friendship bracelets

at Greenhills :)


w/ Bern Liz and cutie Zaira


Joel's Bday :)

Bumped into Adam at Shangri-La

Tiendesitas





with college friends Bern, Ron, Joel and Bheng :)

my 2012 list

Wishlist/ Resolutions/ Goal-list whatever you want to cal it :)

So 2011 has ended, a new year begins. Let me list some of my plans/wishes/goals for this new year.

In no particular order...


*Learn how to Drive

For the longest time, my folks has been telling me to enroll in a driving school. Dad even volunteers to teach me how to drive himself. Truth is, I'm scarrrred :D I don't want to be responsible for taking a life of a kid or a dog or sumthing. But I gotta conquer my fear this year!!!! AJA Ysah!


*Enroll in a Fashion School

So I've been checking SoFA lately (School of fashion and the Arts) but it's so damn expensive! I kinda want to send myself to fashion school but I'm afraid my budget won't permit it. Sucks really. But we'll see what happens. Anywho, SoFA is not the only one, there are many other schoold out there! Mom, helpppp :) Fashion Design is so kick-ass!


*Study another language

Wow, this has been on my goal list for two freaking years already. Nihonggo of course! So yeah, maybe this year finally :)


*Avoid Cursing/Swearing

I know, swearing is sweet. Damn right it is! :) But really, I gotta clean up my act this year. Act like the lady that I should be. Not swearing/cussing/cursing anymore. I know it's achievable. But it's gonna be freaking hardddd!!! LOL


*Update my Gadgets

I will definitely get the 4th generation Itouch, the one with dual camera. 8 gig or 16 gig doesn't matter. And I heard there is a 5th gen coming soon, so i also gotta check on that. My BB needs updating as well. I wanted to get the BB Bold 9900, type and touch seems nice. Only kinda expensive though T_T. If I can afford it, I'll buy a BB Playbook this year. Or maybe not, I bet I can't afford it HAHA. Who wants to buy my PSP 3000? :P

*Travel

I've been around the country pretty much. I want to check out other Asians countries this year for sure. Maybe HK or SG or Malaysia. Wow, daming budget! Kaya nga wish eh? :)

*Lovelife

I think it's about time to finally, officially, and properly date someone. Application forms available on the link below. Equal-opportunity employer :) Kidding. It will come when it will, no rush :D Ang magaganda hindi atat :)

*Church duty

I want to get another church duty aside from being a choir member. I gotta let out my creative juices and put them to good use. 0:)

*Tardiness/Being late

I dunno about this one :) HAHA


Happy New Year !!!!