Reminiscing Before I Sleep

It's 2:00 am right now but even if I am already very sleepy, nostalgic memories are overtaking me. I can't help but let out a heavy sigh as I remember all the people who made my life fun and interesting.

When I left the Philippines for Canada, I left a very important part of who I am, my pride and joy of being a nursing student. Sure the sleepless nights and stressful tests and projects where nerve wracking but at the end of the day I wouldn't choose any other way to live my life. I am still proud to be a nursing student but I wonder how the feeling of being a student nurse would be without the people (my colleagues... my friends) who have made me strong to endure the hardships of nursing.


You see these people in this picture? These are my group mates and we went through all sorts of hardships together. We fought, we cried, we laughed, we shared dreams, we said goodbyes...

And my friends... I miss my friends. These are the people who accepted me for who I am and decided to stick with me even if I was moody and a bit unreasonable. They said good bye but this doesn't mean that we won't see each other again...

My friends... who shared my interests and likes... who believed in my skills and in my abilities... who believed that I can be who ever I want to be... we painted beautiful memories...

And of course my beloved Missy, who I loved unconditionally even if she jumps and bites me at times... you will always be in my heart...I may have left big chunks of me in the Philippines that it's really unbearable and that I feel depressed and empty. But I brought with me something that will overcome my loss and loneliness... my will to finish what I started and the hope that someday I will come back to the Philippines and be reunited with the people who have helped verify my existence... because with out them... I would be nothing.

Locked Out of the House!

Seriously! Being locked out of your own freaking house is so infuriating that it's not even funny anymore (I wonder where I copied this sentence, hehehe). I hate it because it's not even my fault why I can't enter our apartment. My stupid brother left his keys at the house and then borrowed mine while I was at the mall looking for a job. I thought that it was already 5 pm so my mom would be at home already only to find out that my mom won't be coming home until 5:30 pm. Seriously, I am not going to let my stupid brother borrow my key again. Like he left it on his bed and maybe he didn't see it because of all the mess and clutter that he always makes. Seriously my day to day headache is my brother, sharing rooms with him is hell. We should have taken that three bedroom apartment rather than our two bedroom apartment.

Anyway I've managed to be not a bum today and I was able to drop off 5 resumes. I was going to work at the store that my friend is working but I had to walk so far to get there and it's already so cold. The temperature here is already below 0 degrees celcius and I feel my hands and head freezing everytime I go out so I decided to work at the stores at the mall near our house since the walking distance is lesser. I could ride my bike but I'm already so traumatized to do so because I have been almost hit by a car so many times. When I'm on a bike I'm considered to be another car that's why it's so frustrating having to try so hard to balance myself on the bike while waiting for my turn to cross the road.

Anyway, I really hope that I get a job at that sports store because there aren't many customers and just arranging stuff is kind my thing hehehe. I don't care if they pay me less than $9.50 an hour, just as long as the work isn't that hard and I'm not stressed out. I'm kind of demanding huh? Well, let's just see what turns out.

An Update on the Job Hunt

Well I could say that today's job hunt went pretty well... well not really.

I mean the only job hunting I did was search online through jobbank.gc.ca and monster.ca and although out of my resumes sent I think only 3% or less responded to my application and asked for an interview.

Although the job offers where good I realized that waking up really early in the morning and taking the bus to work was not my idea of fun.

Well call me lazy (I know) but I really did not want to work far from home with a salary that isn't worth the stress of traveling. Well after several weeks of being jobless I finally decided to apply once again to Safeway as either a cashier, store clerk, baker, or meat wrapper. I didn't really care if I earned around $9.50/hour (the same wage I got with Tim Hortons) because the work is not that stressful unlike Tim Hortons and the earliest time I have to go to work would be 9 am and the latest would be 9 pm or 7 pm.

I do know that working with Safeway means that I have to get into a Union and all but that's ok. It's also ok with me if I start as Part time and then slowly move to full time and move my way up. In Safeway the time slots for work are based on seniority or the time you worked for Safeway.

I'm actually not that confident that they would call me again since I didn't appear the last time I was called for an interview. I didn't show up since I already had a job at Tim Hortons.

But if they don't take me then I will go with Sobeys, which is nearer to my house. And if Sobeys do not take me then I have no choice but to go back to Tim Hortons. Well I think they still would take me in because my manager (actually she asked my co-worker to call me) just called this morning asking if I would want to work for them as a part-time employee. Well I would love to earn money but I really don't want to work in the morning because that's one of my reasons why I quit.

Well the job that I'm really aming for was the call center job at Convergys since it's very near and taking calls from customers (even if they are rude and annoying) isn't that hard because I don't really see them so all their hate I can just ignore since they are hating the company and not me. A call center did offer me a job but it was so far that I refused it. I went to Convergys but they were closed to the public so I didn't have the opportunity to submit my resume. I have to ask my brother's friend how his sister was able to apply.

But if Safeway does offer me a job, I'll have no second thoughts and I'll take it immediately.

***
Image credit goes to imagineeringezine.com

Shaman King

During the past few days of being jobless I have been keeping myself by watching some good Japanese Animation or anime. I was watching Shaman King, an anime series which I didn't have the chance to finish watching during high school because my life was dedicated to studying back then (ewe... how nerdy hehehe).

Anyway I'm almost finish watching Shaman King and what could I say? It's a great anime! Some people would say that anime are just for kids or it's nonesense but it does have some special messages like do what you must to achieve your goals, but never ever think that it's ok to step on anyone to reach your goals. I know, it's not that inspiring coming from me but watching Shaman King is inspiring for me and it fits the genre of the movies and games that I love watching and playing: fantasy & supernatural.

It is through watching anime that I am released from this world, worrying about nothing. But I do know that I need to face reality, such a troublesome fact.

So What's Up?

My job hunt has served to be futile (for the moment at least). Well I did only started sending my resume yesterday and I know that they might be waiting for more applicants before they contact me. But the thing that quite bothered me was when one possible employer e-mailed me and asked me if I was here on a work permit. It bothered me because I might be confusing possible employers with my resume that I am a contract worker or something, that is why on my next resumes that I e-mailed to possible employers I placed there on the more info part: Canadian Permanent Resident. That way they won't have second thoughts about my being able to legally work here in Canada.

Well tomorrow I planned that I won't be staying in the comforts of my home watching Shaman King (but staying at home and bum around isn't a bad idea either). So to make my day tomorrow productive, I plan on getting myself a Police Information Check. I will need this in my future jobs and in my college application.

Speaking of college applications, I'm glad that some progress has occurred with my MacEwan application. But I still have some documents that I need to submit but I'm wondering if I could just give them a photocopy because I'm also applying to University of Alberta and I might need those documents too.

Tomorrow is also going to be an important day because I've asked a friend back in the Philippines to check with our Registrar at Xavier University if she received my letter and what she needs (money of course) so that she can speed the process and send my documents to University of Alberta via international express mail.

Oh yeah, maybe I can squeeze going to MacEwan tomorrow and maybe cutting my hair. If I'm going to leave my house, it's best if I make use of my time wisely right?

I think that's all that has been happening to my now boring and dull life. Oh yeah my brother was fired for always being late and as usual he is still a narcissistic, ego-centered, selfish, irresponsible, brat.

Cheapest Text Books

When I was still back in the Philippines, living my life happily as a college student who didn't have to worry about money and expenses and only depended on my mom for money... well I actually did worry.

I'm even more worried more about expenses in college because if you think that college was expensive in the Philippines, wait until you try going to school here in Canada! My gad! I am still thinking how I would pay back the government for the student loan that I have to pay back. but at least finding cheap textbooks wouldn't be a problem.

Yup! I manage to cut down my college expenses by a very significant amount by buying at stores with the cheapest text books. I also buy used textbooks because even when they were used by someone else, the content is what matters the most. Especially in my field of study, books related to health and nursing are very very expensive!

That is why I have found CheapestTextBooks.com! I can find nursing books that are usually expensive at bargain prices and I get to spend the money I saved on text books on medical supplies that I need while I'm on duty at the hospital. Plus it's so easy to sell my used and old textbooks that I won't be needing anymore. I get to rid of junk, earn money, and help other future students all in one! How great is that?

Paul Dateh

Since I had no job, I was basically bumming around the house and then had one of my spontaneous ideas... why don't I listen to violin songs on the internet since I love the violin and I dream of playing the violin but I have absolutely no time (not to mention money) to learn the violin.

Well, I was on YouTube and I typed the keyword "violin" and old videos of old musicians but then I came to Paul Dateh's YouTube page and I was amazed. It was a mix of hiphop and classical violin. It's super great! My eardrums is sure loving Paul Dateh right now.

But to hear is to believe, Lol! So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the talented, the amazing, the spectacular PAUL DATEH! The voice, the writer, pianist, and violinist.

I Passed the Test!

You might be wondering what test I passed. Well it's definitely not the board exam that's for sure. I, ladies and gentlemen, am a proud passer of the Knowledge Test for the Alberta Class 7 Driver's License!

Yup! I took advantage of the week I was jobless and instead of becoming a couch potato or the common household bum, I was able to make use of my time into something productive.

But the truth is I actually bummed around the house all week. I only studied for the exam in like a day (a few hours really). And I barely passed the exam too. The test had 30 questions and the passing point was 25. And I got 25 of those very difficult and confusing questions right! One more wrong and I would have failed and my $8 examination fee would have gone to waste.

Well, guess I'll be waiting for my driver's license in the mail. In the mean time I have to find myself another job so that I can afford a driving school.

Breaking Free

When we turn on the TV, the headlines are always the same... it's either prices of consumer goods are rising, houses being foreclosed, or the most recent headliner: the Wall Street Crisis. Let's face it the economy is pretty bad right now and it's only going to be worst if consumers (that's us) become knee deep in debt.

But first of all let us talk about the reasons why we are in this current situation. Well let's just say that with oil prices hiking up and more jobs are lost because huge companies go into bankruptcy we can't help but use our credit cards. But on the other hand, even if the economy was good, we would still be using our credit cards. There's actually nothing wrong with the use of credit cards, in fact the use of credit cards is very handy and convenient. The only thing that we should know is that we shouldn't spend more than what we earn.

Unfortunately, their are thousands of people take up the habit of over-using their credit cards that they make late payments, minimum payments, or they don't pay at all because they don't have the funds. Therefore they end up being buried with debt as the interests pile up. And what does bad credit mean? Well you won't be approved for credit that's for sure. You can't get new mortgages and let's just say your life would be a living hell. You will work and work but the money you earn won't be enough to provide you a happy life because you can't pay your debts until you die.

But never lose hope because getting credit card debt help is not far away. Credit card counseling is a service provided to help you and your family break free from the chains of debt and continue to live and enjoy life.

Limketkai Center: The SHAME of Cagayan de Oro

Limketkai Center is said to be the "Pride of Cagayan de Oro City" but after what they have done to my friend, I don't think so!

It all happened when my friend was shopping at Limketkai Center when all of the sudden a crazed maniac security guard pointed a gun at my friend and accused my friend of stealing. If that scene is very uncomfortable, try being surrounded by a crowd of people staring down at you and shouting "kawatan!" or thief in English.

My friend was harrassed and humiliated in front of a crowd (it's a mall for crying out loud located in a not very big city). The character and public image of my friend was tarnished. If my friend really did steal anything then why didn't they find the object which they accused my friend of shoplifting? What, cat got their tounge?

Well they picked on the wrong person when Limketkai threw a public spectacle because they messed with the wrong person. My friend and my friend's family won't back down and won't be oppressed. Here starts the legal battle between the large business entity, Limketkai Center versus my friend.

My friend and my friend's family would have settled for an amicable settlement but Limketkai Center won't back down and instead of paying for damages they don't want to lose any money (typical of money-hungry companies). And guess what? Limketkai made the security guard lie and made up stupid stories to portray an image of my friend as a little kid who didn't listen to my friend's father and stole what ever they accused her of stealing. Limketkai even gave out the statement that if she was really innocent, why didn't she just flee the scene because she wasn't being detained anyway. Yeah right! You call a gun being pointed at you as not being detained? And besides, only the guilty would run away at the scene of the crime.

The security guard of limketkai has NO REMORSE at all and still believes that accusing people of shoplifting and humiliating them in froint of the public and threatening them with a deadly weapon is all fine and dandy.

I hate companies like LIMKETKAI CENTER who have no conscience or whatever! They should take the responsibility of their employee's mistake and make a public apology to my friend. But instead of doing what's right, they just decided to save the money and back up the claims of my friend.

If I were only in the Philippines right now, I would gather people and take this issue to the media and let everyone know how morally corrupt LIMKETKAI CENTER is and instead of being called the "Pride of Cagayan de Oro" it should be called "The SHAME of Cagayan de Oro".

The Dream... The Fantasy... The Wish...

In this world where everything is bland and repetitive... in this world full of hate and apathy... in this world where injustice and pain thrive...

I want to break free... I want to run... run fast to anywhere away from here.

Maybe this is why I love anime and role playing games because for those few minutes I get lost in a dream where I forget my responsibilities my worries and my fears. But who am I kidding? I don't really have any huge problems. I know that I am very fortunate to have this life and there are thousands more who are really suffering. But why? Why do I feel empty and deprived? Why do I have the need to be more than who I am now. Why do I want to be more than a human being?

Honestly just thinking of my future life makes me bored. Work to earn money, money to buy foods and some vanity stuff. and then work more for more money to spend. Is that what life really is? Is life just work plus money plus spending?

Maybe I'm missing one very important element in life... other people. Maybe it is the people around us that makes life worthwhile.

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Photo credits to *Yue-Iceseal

Shooting People is Fun

I live in a world that is bland and boring, nothing new or interesting ever happens. My job is a high-paced environment filled with agitated and grumpy people and the increasing oil prices and the bad economy are not doing any good in reducing my stress level either.

My friends and I have thought that if we don't do anything we will just simply go insane... that is why we have decided to shoot each other with paintballs . Yup! Who ever thought that shooting people would be such fun. Just think that you're friend is your boss or any one that makes your day such a mess and just gun that person down.

Having paintball parties once in a while is awesome! It's such a great way to vent and release all the stress and negativity from day to day life and just go berserk and shoot away. Just because I work in a serious boring environment doesn't mean that I can't have fun and be crazy during the weekends right?

I just love holding those cool spyder paintball guns and just have fun with my friends. I'm not much of a sports fan but paintball is an exception, it's just too extreme that I can't help but get myself dirty in the war field.

Garfield is this You?!

While I was searching for pictures that are related to being a food lover I encountered this picture of this huge (but very cute) cat. Woah! I never knew that Garfield did exist, well the kitty does resemble garfield.

What a HUGE house cat. It's surprising that even house pets are becoming obese and are having high risks of death from eating disorders.

It's weird how a good and comfortable life would have it's own share of negativity... ah the old rule of Ying and Yang... Without balance there is chaos.

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Photo credits to Telegraph.co.uk

For the Love of Food

It can't be denied. I love food! That's why I'm growing fatter and fatter each day. One thing I hate about Canada is that food is so affordable. One could afford to buy food for a week with just one day of pay from working. And people buy food here by the bulk because buying by bulk is way cheaper than buying by a piece.

Every day in our house is like a feast because we always have at least three kinds of dishes (or viand) and I am forced to east because I don't want to leave left-overs because left-overs just are just left in the freezer to become stale and inedible and food just go to waste.

I admit that I binge eat and I guess I have to get control over my hunger and impulses. I should remind me that food is just energy and it's not to be made a reward or a source of pleasure. But food is just too enjoyable to resist.

But at least now I exercise... well I just started today but I know that if I stick to my exercise routine and if I eat healthy and nutritious foods then I will be on the right track to success ei? Well, we will see.

Updating Drivers

For most people out there, they have absolutely no idea of what a driver is. Nope I'm not talking about a person that operates a car or any vehicle (or even animal) for that matter. I'm talking about device drivers, the computer programs that works together with the operating system so that the operating system can find and control the hardware (be it a keyboard, mouse, graphic cards, etc).

If you still don't get it and need a little bit more explaining, let's just say that the operating system (OS) is a person, the driver is the person's senses, and the hardware is a guitar. The person wants to play the guitar. But in order for the person to use the guitar, one must see the guitar, one must feel and touch the guitar, and hear what the sound the guitar is making. In other words without the person's senses, the guitar would be useless.

Sometimes you would experience some problems with your computer or you want your computer system up to date, this is why updating drivers is very important. But the thing is your computer have several hundreds of drivers and not every one of them is from the same manufacturer so does this mean that you have to go to each manufacturer's website to download an updated driver?

Wrong! Because you can actually get your drivers regularly checked and the needed drivers are automatically downloaded with a driver update management software! You can get a free driver scan with Uniblue. And if you like the driver scanner so much by Uniblue you can purchase it for a discounted price of $29.95 so that you can have the peace of mind that your computer won't slow down or crash because of updated drivers.

Paid To Go To School?!

I was watching the news on TV when I almost fell of my seat when I heard the plan that children here in Canada (especially children of the First Nation) will be paid to go to school! Like what? What an absolute rubbish idea. But this is not the first time this crazy idea was thought of, bribing kids to go to school was already discussed during the not so far past.

Paying kids to go to school here in Canada is such a stupid idea. Rather than making students develop some sense of responsibility and independence, the government is putting up the wrong image that the government will provide EVERYTHING for them! This is why there are already so many bums out there who just sit doing nothing and then expect to get help from the government for welfare.

The thing is students here in Canada are given FREE and of GOOD QUALITY education. Other students in third world countries would kill to get an opportunity to go to school and the students here are just taking that for granted.

Rather than using money (which could be used for other better cause) to encourage students to go back to school, why not show them the harsh reality and FACT that if they don't go to school their lives would be miserable and hard because they won't get a better future because they are uneducated.

I'm Officially Jobless!

Yup! Today is the first day that I'm finally free from the stress and extreme unhappiness that I get from my old job! I've finally resigned and this is the best thing that I have done for myself! I've actually applied to some jobs in the University of Alberta that is related to health care and the pay and time is pretty good.

There are a lot of better high paying jobs out there and resigning from my old job opens so many doors to better opportunities. But before I go out job hunting again I think I'm going to give myself a week's vacation so that I could finally have the time to study the driver's manual so that I can take the exam this week for my learner's permit! I promise myself that I will succeed! Hehehe.

Anyway this was suppose to be my last day of working but I didn't want to wake up 8 in the morning after working 3 to 11 pm. So you know what I did? I've made a deal with my co-worker that I'll buy her a pink 8GB iPod Nano if she works for me today. She hits two birds with one stone! She get paid more from her job and she gets a freebie, lucky her! Well I didn't pay that much for the Ipod. We agreed that I'll only pay $100 and she'll pay the remaining $78. I didn't pay much because I had a $45 gift check from the store that I bought the iPod from hehehe.

Yup that's what I did on my first day of being jobless. Spend money... but now I have no money hehehe. Having a credit card sometimes suck because when your paycheck comes it only goes to pay the bills. Think I'm not going to use my credit card in a VERY long while.

I Choose Money

Call me selfish or what ever you want but I just chose the practical way. You see I was going to be hired (I passed the exams and my supervisor liked me) as a customer service representative for an advertising company. I was going to go door to door to promote a child sponsorship program.

As honorable as the cause is, I still couldn't do it even if I was qualified to do the job because I thought to my self that the pay was too low for that kind of work. I mean walking around a neighborhood and knocking on every door to get someone to sponsor a kid? And the work place is too far from home too so it was best if I didn't accepted the job.

It would have been a great job but I guess that my main priority now is to earn money for my future needs. I don't want to rely on my mom for my financial needs that much. How can I help others if I can't help myself right?

Cosmetic Surgery: To Do or Not to Do

Cosmetic surgery has been a controversial topic for years now and like always, people are divided: people who are pro-cosmetic surgery and the people who are anti-cosmetic surgery. There are some people who approach cosmetic surgery in a religious and self-righteous way. They say that people should not have cosmetic surgeries like boob jobs because we are already perfect and we are beautiful as we are because this is the way that God wanted us to be.

But in my opinion, I approach this issue in a scientific way and practical way. What I mean by this statement is that I am for cosmetic surgery and I will want to have a surgery done to me like a liposuction. Many people have already done several cosmetic surgeries to their body and this is why they are now beautiful or even more beautiful than ever... who are they? The celebrities of course.

Some would say that they would prefer real "natural" beauty but they are being hypocritical about this when the people they idolize and even obsess about are products of cosmetic surgery. I am happy that cosmetic surgery is available because with this science we are able to correct any flaws that we may have in ourselves thus making our lives better. Because of cosmetic surgeries people who sometimes see themselves as ugly are given the chance to live life again to the fullest without being restrained by the thoughts that people will judge them and their physical flaws. With cosmetic surgery, people become more positive and happy as well as confident about themselves.

I'm Back! Well Sort of...

After being MIA (Missing in Action) for so many days I've finally returned to my little home in cyberspace to blog about stuff that has been happening to me lately. Well a lot of things have happened since I was last here and I kind of regret not being to blog each one of them after they happened. Now I have to recall what happened the past few weeks and make an entry about them.

Well for starters, I just realized how lazy I am. I'm amazed how quickly time passes by and how many hours I lose by being a couch potato. Yup I just lay there in the couch watching TV and time passes by and I never accomplish anything worthwhile unlike when I am blogging.

Anyway I guess I'd quit this ugly habit of mine of just lying on the couch watching TV. The TV and the couch are not my friend! I should really remember that.

Anyway I'll try to make it a habit to write a post in my blog at least once a day. That's not too hard to accomplish right?

Inner Strength

I hate seeing it when the person I love the most is vulnerable. I hate to see my mom being meek when she's in public. I hate it because I know that she will be an easy target for people who are nasty and who loves to bring down others.

There are times that I wish I could be able to provide everything our family needs so that my mom won't have to work or go outside the house. There are times when I wish my mom had a stronger character... I mean she should be more confident enough to be able to speak louder and be more aggressive with dealing with people.

But I know that my mom has a different kind of strength that is not shown physically. And this is her inner strength. I know that she had gone through a lot to get us where we are now that's why I will always respect her for that strength to overcome all to reach her goal. But she reaches her goal with out harming or stepping down on others, and this is very respectable.

But maybe it's not my mom who lacks strength at all... maybe it's me. She has learned to accept who she is. I know that I accept myself for who I am but the question is have I completely accepted myself? Maybe not. I have to be honest. I hate going out of the house because I sometimes feel insecure. I feel inferior to the white people and that I feel like I have to prove my worth all the time. I want to get through this problem of mine. Maybe it's just because I'm still young and I need a little bit more of experience... well... we'll see.

Scared of Changes

In this world... the only thing that doesn't change is the fact that everything changes... nothing lasts forever...

Even if I know this fact it still strikes fear into me. I'm afraid of what may happen. But then if I don't know anything nothing will happen to me... I won't move forward. Change can be good. It may be good or it may be bad but change must happen for the world to move forward.

I'm tired of working for Tim Hortons and I'm tired of earning just $9.50 an hour. That's why I looked and searched for jobs... and guess what? A potential employer has contacted me and I had scheduled an interview with them. If I am accepted and hired I may work on a fixed schedule as a customer service representative working Mondays to Fridays at 1:30 pm to 9:30 pm. And the best part about it is that I might actually earn $20 an hour (well as they claimed). I know that it's too good to be true so I'm going to be cautious.

I do have fears with this big move... like what do I do? How do I quit my current job without burning bridges if Ace 1 Advertising and Acquisitions hire me? How do I get to my job since it's very far away. Will there still be buses available at 10 pm? Will I like my new job? Will I even be accepted?

Anyway if I'm unhappy with my current job and if I want to preserve my dignity and sanity well I better grab any good opportunity that appears right?

I'm the Baker

Yup you heard me life. I'm officially the baker... well for today anyway. Yup I'm a trainee baker but I was able to do some solo work back in the kitchen.

I actually love being the baker because I don't have to serve any customers face to face. I don't like dealing with people... but then how can I be a nurse huh? But being a nurse is quite better than being a food store employee because most stupid people think that just because we are low earners we are uneducated.

Anyway on with my rantings. One thing that I don't like about baking is the cleaning part (aside from the going into the freezer to get stuff). Yup I hate cleaning the oven because the oven cleaner is so noxious and it's too bad that my employers don't even bother providing us with gloves and masks.

Anyway I told my manager that I couldn't work mornings anymore because I had a second part-time job as a call center agent (which of course is a lie). Good thing that it was my good manager that was working and not my bad manager who we Pinoys call Jessebel which I don't know why... maybe I'll ask tomorrow.

Well that's all for my updates today as a hard working person living out my life and slowly dying... I'm so dull sorry but that's plain old me. Simple and boring... peace out!

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Photo credits to ciaprochef.com

Identifying the Unknown

Do you hate it when there are unknown callers to your home? Well you do have the caller ID but then it's not that good because most annoying and sometimes harassing phone callers have the ability to cloak their names.

I had never experienced telemarketing this invasive way back home in the Philippines. Heck, we didn't have telemarketing in the Philippines calling and disturbing us in the comfort of our home. What's worst is if you answer the phone and you just hear a recording.

That is why it would be great to be able to trace a phone number and call up that caller saying I know who you are and where you live. Stop calling me or I'll take legal actions against you.

Yup you can have the power to know who called you even if their numbers are unlisted and you can be sure that it is 100% confidential. They won't know that you know who they are. With reverse phone lookups offered by phoneinfotracer.com you can trace a phone number and even know the exact location of the caller even if they are using a cellphone. Isn't that great? It's like having your own personal FBI agent tracing unknown callers for you.

Winter Hell

It's not yet winter but damn it's already so cold! The temperature here in Edmonton is now single digits. I can't bare to imagine how life will be where the temperature will be below 0.

I have wished before when I was back home in the Philippines that I can see and feel snow. But now I take it back and I don't ever want to get near any snow at all. I just want to stay at home during winter and I don't even want to set foot outside. Maybe I'll just order groceries online... but then if I don't work how can I afford it? Hmm... we should really get a car soon.

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Photo credits to FreeFoto.com

I Don't Want to Work Mornings

You know what? I have gone through hell and back when I was working 11 pm to 7 am and now they once again are giving me morning shifts (7 am to 3 pm). What's so bad about morning? Well I work from 3 pm to 11 pm then I go to work the next day at 7 am in the morning. It's ok if it was school I can deal with it but no, it's work where I am pushed to the limit being forced to work faster and where I have to serve some cranky customers who hadn't have their daily dose of caffeine.

I'm going to tell my manager again today that I don't want to work morning shifts. But this time I will work the 2 days she gave me without even asking my consent if I want to work morning (what am I? a slave?). I'll tell her that I can't work the weeks after because it will be in conflict with my second job (which I wished I had so I can quit this one).

If she gets mad and fires me then she's actually doing me a favor. Geez! I was hired to work at 3-11 and I am comfortable with that shift and I work great in this shift so leave me alone and let me do my job. Geez.

I'm a Triple P Blog of the Day

I never knew that I could get this far as a blogger... (OA ko naman hehehe). I only started blogging to express my feelings and my so called "creativenesss". I started with a free Blogger blog and ended up with my very own domain. And best of all I was able to meet great people such as fellow bloggers and of course Cheryl Brooks. I'm happy that some people can give way from their busy lives to be able to come visit my blog once in a while. It is because of these people that my blog now boasts a PR4 (which is temporary of course) which I had never achieved before.

And I didn't even know that I was a Triple P blog of the day for September 3, 2008. I was blog of the day too for my other blog.

But lately I have been MIA (Missing in Action as Ate Juliana taught me) so I'm afraid that my years of hard work will go down the drain. Anyway it was fun earning money from blogging and stuff but I'd still continue blogging even if it doesn't pay me anymore. I love ranting in cyberspace anyway hehehe.

Tsada Edmonton!

It was such a shame that I wasn't able to join the Kagay-anons here in Edmonton in celebrating our own little fiesta. Yup all people here from Cagayan de Oro City (Kagay-anons) gathered together and celebrated the feast of St. Agustine.

It's amazing that even if we are in Canada we still don't forget that we are Filipinos... but not just any Filipino... we are Kagay-anons! Proud to be! Hehehe.

If you're wondering why the theme of the fiesta is Tsada Edmonton well let's just say that it's somehow a spoof of Tsada Cagayan. Tsada meaning great or good. So basically Tsada Edmonton because we are Kagay-anons living in a beautiful and great city of edmonton in the wonderful country of Canada.

Computer Gone Berserk

I don't know what is happening to my computer. It has a powerful Quad processor and an incredible 6 GB RAM but it is slower than my laptop which only has a single Intel Celeron processor.

Oh well, at least I was able to do something for it like bringing it to the Geek Squad so that it will be fixed. Who wants a very slow computer right? Well I have done everything to fix the problem by myself including reformatting it and restoring the factory image but to no avail it is as slow as a snail.

I really hate it when technology fails... because i then feel helpless...

Well at least I still have my old and trusty laptop to keep myself company as my PC will be staying at the Geek Squad shop for a week or so. I just hope it gets fixed soon.

My Bike Was Stolen

One of the reasons that sparked my desire to quit was when my bike was stolen. Yup it was stolen and I blame Tim Hortons for it. It was because of them that I forgot my bike chain that's why it was stolen. Well I know that it was actually my fault for being so forgetful but Tim Hortons played a factor in the loss of my bike chain.

Anyway, what's stolen can't be reclaimed so I've bought a new bike since I really need it to go to work fast and effortless. Anyway, I was able to buy a new bike that is better than my old one in many ways for exactly the same price.

So this proves that some bad things do happen to make way for better things.

I Stayed...

Well, I did plan to make yesterday the official start of my jobless life but guess what? I'm still have my job because they still need me. They finally agreed to go with my demands of placing me back to the evening shift (3 pm to 11 pm) and I don't have to work night shift (11 pm to 7 am) when I threatened them that I was quitting.

Well I'm quite happy with this outcome really because I never really wanted to leave Tim Hortons because I was paid well. I should have also asked for a raise while we were bargaining for my employment.

Oh well. At least I have now learned to say NO and I am now able to protect my happiness and be selfish and mean once in a while. I will not be pushed around any longer. I have learned to say NO!

Angels on Earth

Some may think of angels as a transcendental being or those beings with white wings and who fights of evil and serves as God's messengers...

But to me, the real angels are the real human beings here on earth who help other people when they are in need. But one does not have to do extreme acts to be called an angel. By simply being courteous or nice to someone could make that person an angel.

Angels for me are people who makes each passing day worthwhile. These are the people who make the world a better place.

So who are the devils? Well the people who are opposite of the angels. They're rude, self-absorbed, selfish and destroy everything around them. They are infectious as they tend to make other people evil to as one will be evil to protect one's self from evil because if your good, these evil people will team up against you. It's a never ending vicious cycle... but we can really break this cycle. Be an angel... don't transfer your hate to other people and always be kind and patient to people. Being calm and forgiving makes things better rather than being hot headed and rude.

Hair Color? Black and Proud of It!

What is up with people these days but I've noticed the people I know here in Canada dyeing their hair. There's my co-workers at work Tina and Lindsey, my brother, my father...

Well I actually tried dyeing my hair red too but the hair dye my brother bought was only made to compliment one's natural hair color so obviously red didn't compliment my hair so instead of having a stunning red hair I still have my wonderfully black hair which I find great and I won't be dyeing my hair anytime soon.

For one reason i think that black is a very good hair color and I'm proud of being Asian so hiding that fact is beyond me. And besides I don't want myself to turn out like this in this STORY.

Roadmap to the Internet

I guess almost everyone in the world knows what the internet is and many are so hooked to the use of the internet that if one can't access the internet one would probably die of boredom or frustration. We do everything on the internet, not just for finding information, but also for entertainment, paying the bills, buying stuff online, or simply to communicate with the rest of the world.

As I said most of us knows what the internet is, but there are others who have absolutely no idea what the internet is. Well for starters, if you really want to know what the internet is you have to experience what the internet is so you need an internet service provider. There are actually so many types of internet service providers that offers DSL, dial up, and cable internet services.

But if you really want a super fast internet connection and that you are far flung from civilization that no local internet service providers can reach you, you better get a Satellite Internet Service Provider.

But of course, getting a satellite connection is not that affordable really that is why if your looking for great internet speeds at much more affordable prices, you can check out getisp.info. As the name shows, it's a great resource about finding cheap and reliable internet service providers plus it offers many great helpful articles like wireless security and avoiding online scams.

I know that to some the internet may be pretty intimidating (to think learning to use the computer is hard enough) but you don't have to worry because getisp.info is there to serve as your roadmap to the internet.

Finding My Happiness

My managers know that I hate working night shift (11 pm to 7 am) but they still made a schedule for m saying that I'll be working 11 pm to 7 am for 4 straight days!

I am quite unhappy with this situation and I know why this has happened to me... I don't know how to say NO! to people. That is why they take advantage of me. They think I'm the kind Filipino guy who they can boss around well they have another thing coming.

They must not know that I am not a contract worker and I can quit anytime I want. There are less stressful jobs out there and I am very unhappy with my job.

A saying goes once said that if you're unhappy with what you're doing then don't it. It's counterproductive to the job, it's counterproductive to yourself, and it's counterproductive to everyone else involved.

I believe that my employers are abusing me. Imagine, today they're sending me to another store location just like last week. But the thing is why only ME?! Why can't they send anyone else? Well the answer may be because others don't want to be sent to other stores and they refused. Well I will refuse too... I will say NO!

And if they don't respect me and my wants, and they don't give me my happiness back... I will QUIT! No regrets at all... just a sense of relief that my stress from my job is finally over.

Gaming a Waste of Time

As much as it hurts me to say this but I have found playing PC games and PS3 games a complete waste of time... well the thing is I actually don't have time to play games and stuff. This is pretty hard to believe from someone who don't study for midterm exams just to play gameboy games hehehe.

Oh well, maybe I'm just saying this because I'm frustrated that Playstation 3 can't play Playstation 2 games. I'm mad at Sony for being such a money hungry corporation. I know that their reason for not allowing the PS3 to play PS2 games is that it would cause their PS2 to be outdated and no one would buy them anymore and they didn't want this because they still have a surplus on PS2 consoles. I also hated it when I have to pay them to upgrade my Sony Ericsson media manager in order for me to transfer videos to my Sony Ericsson W960i. Like that is completely robing me of my money, of course I didn't pay them. I'd rathe buy a new phone like Nokia whose phones are more user friendly and they won't have to make me pay extra to transfer videos to my phone.

But my love for games has not completely vanished. As soon as I quit my job there will be plenty of time for me to play games hehehe.

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Picture credits to tikirobot.net

Why Can't I See My Website?!

Is it me or am I the only one who can't see my own freaking website? The whole world can see it but I can't! I can't open www.EdgarVincentBautista.com. But my friends can and so can my hosting company Technographx. But I can't seem to open my website as well as my web hosting company's website.

If anyone else in this world can't open my website please do tell me, that would really be such a help. Thanks!

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering, I can't access my control panel either. If any one can help me with this problem it would really be appreciated. I've tried flushing the DNS, tampered with the MTU, refreshed, cleared the cache, checked the security settings, but nothing seems to work.

Oh well this topic seems to be so redundant and I have kept saying that I will lose weight and exercise and all of that but I seem to get so many convenient excuses at my disposal like this one HERE.

Well I'm now here in Canada and my promise to lose weight in the Philippines seems to be forgotten. I actually did lose some weight back when I was in the Philippines but when I recently checked my waistline and weight, well you can guess what happened.

Hey! I work at a donut shop for crying out loud! It's so darn hard to fight the temptations. And to think that the food here is so cheap that we literally have a full fridge. I could have ice cream everyday and since we don't have time to cook we usually just order pizza at Pizza Hut or get some yummy food at the Filipino store. But they're not that healthy.

I can barely remember when I last had "pinakbet" or any food that has lots of veggies in it. Oh well guess I have to start counting calories right now... that won't be hard since everything I eat has labels on it...

This is one cons with everyone in the family is working, no one is left to cook food hehehe.

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock

If you haven't guessed what I will be writing about then you may have missed a lot from your childhood. I'm going to be writing about clocks, but not just about any ordinary old boring clocks, I'm going to write about grandfather clocks.

You see I've been over to a friend's house and I couldn't help but notice their grandfather clock. I was sitting alone in their living room (I forgot why I was waiting in the first place) and I couldn't help but notice their Howard Miller grandfather clock. Yup I asked where they bought their clock and I was amazed to find out that their clock was actually brand new. But I didn't notice this immediately because I couldn't help myself but appreciate the beautiful design and what I loved most about it is it's tick-tock sound and the sound it makes every hour.

I couldn't help myself but imagine the many stories and fairy tales that includes a grandfather clock. Who would have guessed that a grandfather clock could evoke so many memories of stories of fantasy. But I guess that grandfather clocks are not only merely for bringing up memories huh? Because a grandfather clock could be a great decorative item in my home that's for sure! I'm sure that our visitors would always notice the grandfather clock and this could be a great ice breaker and conversation starter.

I've never realized that I really like clocks this much. I just noticed that I'm a clock lover because I was the one who insisted of having clocks in every room of our house. Oh well, I might as well start collecting clocks starting with buying my very own grandfather clock!

Homework: Learn How to Drive

I've been dying to learn to drive for years. I was going to learn driving with a friend at a driving school but my mom said that it would be best to learn how to drive here because the rules and traffic signs were completely different. But guess what? Wrong assumption.

Sure rules and some signs are different but driving like learning when to shift gears and stuff and how to make a car move can be learned with out those fancy traffic rules and laws. Sure I could learn how to drive here but we don't have a car yet and enrolling in a driving school is pretty damn expensive. I should have learned how to drive back in the Philippines.

But anyway let's just take it slow. Since I know that my dad will never get his permit because he doesn't seem to care and relies that my mom will do everything for him, I will have to take things into my own hands.

I will study the Alberta Basic License Driver's Handbook, take the test, get a learners license, then in one year I could drive a car on my own... that is if we have a car by that time.

Male Breast Reduction

Yup you heard me right! Male breast reduction! Now why would any male in their right mind would want a surgical procedure that would reduce the size of their breasts when males have not much of a breast to remove in the first place?

Well you're partly wrong and right. All though males don't have big breasts like women do but when you're fat or obese you tend to have fat build up under your breasts thus having the impression that you have man boobs. The enlargement of the breasts is medically called gynecomastia and gaining a few weight is not the only cause for breasts to implode like that especially in the case of males.

Excessive weight training can cause the hypertrophy or excessive enlargement of the pectoralis muscles (chest muscles) or it could also be caused by hormonal imbalances, especially if a man has more female sex hormones in his system than male sex hormones.

But what ever the cause maybe male breast reduction is really needed as man boobs are not good to look at and this could greatly cause psychological problems for men.

So my dear students have you learned anything from my topic? If not well you can go directly to the source of this info. And if you need any surgical procedures of any nature and you want to know why you have to have such a procedure onlinesurgery.com is a great source of information.

Nasty People

I don't know why some people could be so nasty. Why can't people be more civilized and be more human when they deal with other people. What is it with people who live in western countries that they stop thinking of other people and be very selfish and only think about what they want every single day.

I have dealt with rude and disrespectful customers at my work and I showed them that they can't step on me. Don't they think that I'm just some poor Filipino contract worker who will take their crap because I'm afraid to lose my job. Because I will really take them on!

But there are also very nice customers who are kind, understanding, and patient so I'm not always on the guard putting up my I'll-Kill-You face. As I have gained experience with dealing with people I have learned not to displace my frustrations to my kind customers.

I've learned to treat people the way they treat me in a case-to-case basis. If you treat me with respect, I will respect you. if you don't, then go to hell, I won't take your crap.

Imagine a world where people will think of other people's feelings before their own... if they have feelings to begin with that is.

Web Hosting

A lot of people were asking me how I was able to make my own website. Well making a website and designing it and stuff is pretty darn simple. There are thousands of free website templates that anyone can download on the internet. But if you really want to make your very own personal website then the very first thing you must do is find the right web host!

But the thing is there are thousands of web hosts out there and it so hard to find the right one that is really worth your money. And as I have told my friends, I highly recommend web hosting choice.

Unlike any website that reviews and rates web hosting sites, web hosting choice is totally unique as it is a great resource for total newbies and beginners in the world of blogging and website building. So if you have no idea what a host is and you don't understand a thing I'm saying, well web hosting choice is definitely perfect for you! They will give you information to start out and help you find the right web hosting site for you and give you tips on how to check if a site is a scam or not.