The Gazette – The Official Student Publication of Cavite State University

If an airconditioned mini grocery store opens in our neighborhood or near your town / downtown / uptown (whatever), there would be 3 most likely possibilities.

It would be a regular 9 to 9 (or 10) pm shop, a 7eleven (or some unknowns), or a store built by some small players. Family business, I suppose.

Among these three, 7eleven’s where I oftenly purchase goodies. Of course, my mom goes to those groceries because she has the bucks to afford so I’m the poor proletariat who frequently goes out-of-town too early or returns home too late. I’m the gooey who peeks out for open sari-sari stores for mini bites to munch on because typically, err, I wake up like Juan Tamad.

Why are these stores convenient?

1. People would agree to me that their first reason why commuters enter conveniece stores is because they want to make pabarya or cashing out or coining out big amounts of money for small expenditures. Small expenditures like buying cigarettes, candies, cellphone prepaid loads, tricycle or jeepney fares, and so on. Of couse, when my mom hands me out my allowance, expect that it would be 5-hundreds or thousands–fresh from the bank. For my own convenience, I usually purchase iced green teas or sparkling mineral waters while those red capped people on the counter frenzied by digging in their registers for 20, 50, or 100 peso bills. I’m so mean.

2. I don’t know how but a lot of Filipinos are transposed to our traditional Filipino time. I am always late. Late waking and brushing myself up while forgetting to feed the worms in my stomach. It’s good to know that at last–for 48 years–Indang, Cavite where my so-called Cavite State University is located, finally has a franchise of 7eleven for our own convenience. I love baked macs and hotdogs and micro breakfast meals. I was happy when they offered freebies to micro meals, like ice teas and stuff.
   Actually, we have this municipality-proclaimed 24-hr store–sari-sari store, that is– which offers typical Filipino items in retail prices. I used to go there because I can take a closer look at the sari-sari store owner’s interiors. They’s f*ckin’ rich, but a sari-sari store.

3. For Fresh-air! These stores are open to everybody. So whenever you are waiting for someone and you don’t want too many people to buzz you off with a hybrid of aromas from a variety of fast-food meals in Jollibee or McDo, 24/7 stores fit you with their offerings of some stainless-steel tables and chairs. Not to mention if the security guard is a hunkie or the saleslady is a hottie. ^_^Of course, don’t let the staff to notice your objective. Buy yourself Mentos or a bottled green tea.
4. Of course, when I’m so freakin’ late going home (because my employer-slash-director who lately had a blind item for his brash loud-mouthed character… har-har), I buy food. Not in closed Jollibees. Not in McDo’s. Not in Greenwiches (all of which are located in Dasma Bayan [downtown]) but in 7eleven’s.
5. Very appropriate for cramming people of the Philippines. When I need items in a hurry while sari-sari stores are still closed, 24/7 stores are just right for me. School supplies, tissue papers, drinks, and of course, energy drinks. I swallow a bottle or two of Bacchus or Red Bull everytime I feel insane of not sleeping for loads of work.
6. Diversionary tactic. If you want to hide, or just want to show you a busy doing other stuff, let your friends or colleagues see you entering one of these stores and pretend that you are looking for something. That would be convenient in case you don’t want to enter fast-food chains.

   And my last (but can still add up)…

7. Books and mags. Food. Toiletries. School supplies. Kitchen cleaning materials.

My very own comic series. Canvas.

Isn’t it cool?

My own comic series about a girl who’s not supposed to live in year 2006. Now, she is being dwelled by cute guys– a university president’s son, a snubbish flutist PhySci teacher, some caped guards, and a thousand miles.

Oh well, hope it’ll not turn-out to be another sci-fi novel rip-off. ^_^ But I guess if people have read so much sci-fi stories, they might have clues to which lit work would have been my primary source.

Duh? I’m not fond of hifalutin literature. I love stereotypical Koreanovelas, Lord of the Rings, animes, and other usual stuff.

Details about my comic series (published in The Gazette) soon (that is, if we have something to publish ^_^)

Oh BTW, what’s “alimpungatan” in English?

Categories:Personalan, Eskwelahan
Tags: Canvas

I’ve posted this before. And I’ve posted it again. Why?

Golly. Manny Pacquiao is an ad spammer. And he proves it once more.

You can see him clinching on your stinky smelly feet. You can see him punching your head and muscle pains off. You can see him inviting people to smack themselves to booze and festivity. You can see him on your bloodstream. You can see him digesting your fried chicken or tuna flakes inside your stomach. You can see him drinking milk and eating ice cream. You can see him wear his own sport apparel.

Now, he can force you to gulp a doze of hyperacidic tabs for a vinegar fortified with iron.

If you’re a Filipino, you know exactly what I’m talking about…

You can see him here, there, yon, and everywhere.

He now endorses:

1. San Miguel Beer (whoah. among the chosen “highly-paid” few)

Alaxan (Ibuprofen|Paracetamol) tablets

1. Circulan 41 capsules
2. Magnolia milk
3. Magnolia ice cream
4. McDonalds
5. Darlington socks
6. Dolly tuna
7. PM Sports Apparel, and even (worse),
8. Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Now,
9. Datu Puti Suka (vinegar)

Jesus Christ ^_^;;

He’s printed on posters, on leaflets, on banners, on tarpaulines, on billboards, pictures, on life-size full-body photoboards, on newspapers, inside clocks, on junk food wrappers, on your cellphones, on your cd covers, in your mp3 players, on your pirated cd covers, on dvds, in cinemas, on tv…

And in my blog.

Ok. He’s popular. He’s a heroic icon. He’s a star. No, he’s a celebrity. He’s a superstar!

After winning that non-title Morales match preceeding with several triumphant matches, he has become an institution in the history of boxing, and of course, Philippine Sports. He established a distinct “Pacman” on the slates. No Tyson. No Velasco. Just Pacman.

People are just elated because of his popularity and his victory. People admire him, idolizing him, praise him, worship him (OMG… I’m overdoing it ^_^). ABS-CBN starts to pirate him and use him to promote their low-rated TV shows. He’s so overwhelming, even Lito Camo composed a song for him. Oh bother. So nakakatawa (funny). What an effort of ABS-CBN.

Now, he’s being abused by several advertisers, capitalist companies, and traditional politicians.

In the Philippines, no Filipino wouldn’t recognize the names and faces of Kris Aquino (former Pres. Cory Aquino’s daughter), Sharon Cuneta (the richest and highest paid actress whose husband’s a senator), Vilma Santos (the most popular and the most awarded actress whose husband’s a congressman), Angel Locsin (most popular sexy teen heroine actress) and of course, the Pacman.

Maybe such is the routine of too much popularity and prominence in the mainstream media. If you’re famous, of fame which crosses the boundaries of the rich and the poor (and not so rich and poor), you’ll be bombarded with lots of proposals, invitations, sponsorships, guestings, and the like. For fans even like the celebrities would idolize. Capitalists will, as the demand of the consumers is concerned, utilize it and abuse it, ’till all the juices are extracted from deep within their bone cavities. Now, they’re doing it to Pacman.

Hope he won’t fade out like Rod Navarrete. Hope he maintains his humility.

Does he?

Tag: Manny Pacquiao

Oh golly. I got smacked. Actually, I was kicked. ^_^

I appreciate italk2much‘s efforts of lambasting my blog. Huhuhu. Plasticity at my best.

It was kind of them to say nice things about my blog. One is that I was the ugliest creature they have ever seen in the entire cosmos, that I had the stupidest sidebars, that I had the unintelligble non-English poetry and prose and so on and so fort. Geez, it’s so nice of them. They are so friendly. Hope someone would smack their website’s cheesy layout and bust their tried hard schmucking blast offs to stupid bloggers like me. Isn’t it so nice?

I was hoping for real REAL smacking comments. But I guess some of these god-damned pretentious smacking personas really tried to make sense of proving their smacking prowess but then unearthly out of place, out of this world, and maybe, just to make fun of themselves. Well, they became famous because of that. Hehehe…

As they say, I have to do my best to improve my blog. Maybe because of being idle, I wasn’t able to supply sensible posts for the past few weeks, perhaps? Or it’s the reality that I’m losing my grip to reality for all the things that has happened to me. That would be a long story. Probably in that point, I absorbed their smacking. Since I’m a newbie blogger, I guess their smack is or would probably be constructive. Jesus Christ. ^_^ How is it hard for me to take it seriously? Because they are not serious?

But thanks to italk2much for talking too much anyway. I’m happy that they find time to patiently browse my site.

Yet it just reminds me of what has happened to my comrades about their reading of my precious blog, particularly about their hand-washing.

I was so disappointed, again for the nth time, for hearing that they were shot personally by my post and that it has questioned their benefactors’ integrity, for teaching them how to be what they are right now—that I have judged their character simply with my post. That is, for playing safe in times that our publication should demonstrate and tangibly practice its principle and essence of ‘serving the people’. Serving the people, by being coward?

I was so disappointed, again for the nth time, for their understatements that I was so shallow and so disrespectful for my post. Literally, I was vulgar. But does that really make sense? I should respect their decision ‘daw’? And what I did is ‘disrespectful’? Disrespectful for disclosing my frustrations online that I had co-staffers in our publication with the perspective similar to Mike Defensor? Haven’t they realized my ‘freedom of expression’? Or they were just ashamed that people would realize that they are disrespectful to my fellow comrades who participated wholly in the CvSU heckling incident, to the youth organizations similar to ours with the same advocacies, and to the rest of the people connected and related to our field? Or simply to Ate Tere? Ashamed that people would read their cowardice? Their playing safe? Fill in the blanks.

And then, they are condemning me for what I did.

Simple phrases.

I stand corrected. I did nothing wrong. I am not ashamed of my stand about the incident.
What about them?

Jesus. I haven’t given them the layout. Each time I entered their office and upload the files in my CD, my CDs always jam. Never failed to always fail reading. Did it in our first meeting with the cutesy Tweety bird CD now without my awareness of its apparent whereabouts. Second when these people called for an ‘important’ meeting using a CD which I bought for 10 pesos, but then when I slammed in on the drive, it stopped responding. Everytime I upload the layout files, my files jam. Not once, but twice.

Isn’t it ‘divine intervention’? That ‘someone’ doesn’t want me to upload the files to our pub’s PC? That ‘someone’ doesn’t want me to give them our magazine layout that contains none what our mag supposed to contain—our stand about the heckling incident? That mag that was begged to be encoded with a ‘both-sided, super objective, over-the-counter’ news analysis? Ok, both sides. Then afterwards, what?

They promised me to mail that news to me so I can edit it right away. Zzzz…

I have finished my freakin’ layout. Ready to be uploaded. But now, our family struggles for money even for a 70 peso jeepney fare. Crawling for fetish poverty. Geez.

Categories: Personalan, Kompyuteran

Oh great. I’ve been drastically idle for the past few weeks of not blogging.

No wonder I’ve had a generous amount of no-serious readership aside from a few boo-boos of those whom-who-must-be-named. Plus understatements. Plus lowered pinoytoblogs rank. From 280 down to 355th. Bikoy must be right ^_^. Har-har.

Moving on…

————-

It was so difficult for me to be in the corporate world, at a young age, or perhaps composed with no corporate ‘experience’. You know, I’ve got a dose of shouts, rants, grumbles, and more sermons from people, respected people I suppose, who has to be respected because they are in the position to do so regardless of their brash character, their unearthly staff treatment, or I guess they have the experience to execute such. So that was the real world. World out of professors lazied by our university’s delayed and pumped-out lower salaries.

My work as a P.A. culturally shocked me. So this is what they call the corporate world, eh?

How I got employed? On of our profs referred me to Direk Gil Portes. I don’t know the whole story, but I was glad Ma’am Joyce Ilagan texted my name to Direk.

———

First day, my mom and I nearly got lost. I am unfortunately a GI. Geographically idiot, that is. My mom can scramble herself asking directions where and where while I’m the anxious one if we’ll be getting late for work, or an interview I thought. Geez, my mom really loved me so much, she too woke up early just to accompany me in the place called ‘Crossing’. I pondered–what the hell is Crossing? Intersection? There are a hell lot of intersections in Manila. Or it’s a place full of pedestrian lanes with millions of people crossing. Or exaggeratingly a haven of pedestrian ‘lines’ as part of architectural design where man is superior and vehicles cannot dare make ‘bundol’ you. But after arriving (actually we hitched off at SM Megamall, hehe), we were nearly hit by a bus. Crap. Goodbye airconditioning.

Thank you Jasper bus. (Oh, that bus named Jasper with fonts very similar to the kiddie ghost flick ^_^).

And then the long walk. SM Megamall was not opened yet. Oh, I forgot, it was my first time to step on that tremendous squared shoemart. I tempted to enter, but to no avail it’s too early. How big is SM Megamall?

We asked zillions of people. But we ended up our skin cooked to perfection while walking 10 kilometers. My deodorant stopped protecting. Kikoy kit to the rescue.

And then we arrived 30 minutes earlier than Direk’s schedule.

I arrived with a lot of questions in my mind.

The office (where Direk directed me to go to) doesn’t seem to look more ‘cinematic’ than expected. No cameras, no clappers, no lights, no wires on the floor. It was simply an office, a typical office similar to supermarkets and at that time, I felt like I entered an office of someone else.

There are other employers dressed like salesladies. Beautiful ladies. But they are snobbish. Or maybe they are just doing their work not relative to ours. I waited and waited, read a newspaper, and slept. Imagine how long I waited why I slept that easily.

And then he came. Two hours later.

Direk Gil Portes is two hours late. So much for the ‘always on time’ by our professor ^_^. I’ve ruined mom’s efforts of ironing my polo because of crouching.

————

I honestly wasn’t aware of my work.

P.A. or Production Assistant is strenuous. Just like how they define it, a PA is multi-functional and multi-tasking. We do everything what our boss used to do because they insist that we assist them. When they need coffee, we make timpla. When they need someone to summarize their script, we encode for an hour. When they have to call someone, they give us the phone. If they have their cellphones crashed, we lend them ours, not realizing the prepaid load inside. They said, o well, PA stands for Personal Alalay/Alipin. I believe them.

I was even confused about the real work of a PA. Maybe because it basically assesses that PAs have a lot of work to do without questioning where and what course they have graduated.

And I thought Direk Portes called us because of Ate Tere (Maria Teresa Pangilinan). Kudos, Ate Tere!

You know, when I was working, I don’t know if my qualifications submitted to them was really that necessary. I was referred by our professor because Direk seeked for a ‘computer geek’ in our university who’ll accept 500 pesos a day salary despite the fact that I might work 15 hours or more. That was the deal between Direk, my prof, and me. But then when I sat near the desktop, Direk (and his financial officer) even thought I don’t know how to boot-up a PC, and had my hands on his receipts to be liquidated. And they though I knew them already, so they didn’t orient me. Mathematics, in short. I am kinda purol na in Math.

So much for their unlikely underestimated expectation of a promdi student from Cavite State University, eh? ^_^ Har-har.

I was always on time. If the call time is 9 am, I’m 5 to 2 minutes earlier. That was how I used to work. But everytime I come too early in the office while some snobbish officemates were looking at me, I felt quite disappointed. You know, I’m as early as my newly-bought (and newly-freed ^_^) Lovebirds chirp in their cages, and then this ‘always on time’ arrives 2 to 3 hours late. I don’t know what to say.

So that was the corporate world, eh? I think he is demonstrating one of a million examples of his unprofessionalism.

And I was influenced with his tardiness.

—————–

In the corporate world, as they say, people have no mercy. IF you’re late, you’re reprimaded. People will be disgusted with the character you are showing. No attempts for uneducated retribution but a fiascoed rumbles in your head.

Unlike in our school where excuses are excused, outside, you’ll not be dealing with friends or enemies. You’ll be facing people who’ll judge you according to your performance in their offices and not to the achievements printed in your resumes.

And that was what I’ve learned.

I have a lot of things to tell you about my 2-week experience as a PA of Direk Portes. But I guess I’ll only share you the most superficial ones.

And here are some tips if you’re a PA:

1. Always come early. Your boss will not complain about you. And in case he injects quotes like “You’re so early but you haven’t done anything…”, just reply with “Sir, you haven’t told me what to do. Maybe you can suggest me one now.” And if he demands his position as the greatest person ever born in the world, just smirk and do as he asks. Do something else so that he’ll not buzz you off with his animalistc antics in the office.
2. Be friendly. But…
3. If your boss arrives late, just smile and lower your voice. If you are brave enough, smirk. That will inform (and educate) him well.
4. If your boss gives you errands, do it fast. Iniatives are necessary. And if he’s not satisfied, just look at his face as if you’re that cute cat in Shrek 2. Bonus if you’re biologically younger than him, just like in my case.
5. If your boss tells you a story, just ride his bus. And if you can’t stand it because you’ve realized he’s making it up and he objectively wanted to make you stupid, just don’t respond. If you’re in a car, sleep. Pretend that you are doing something very important. It will be more effective if your PC is turned on. Just make your typing louder even if you’re not typing anything. It’ll piss him off and stop him to blab about his childhood years. ^_^
6. If your boss makes a mistake, and he habitually forces himself to blame everything to you, even the simplest ones, just prevaricate. Or simply just sigh.
7. If your boss told you to do something and you know he knows that you don’t know how to do it, just simply do what he asks you to do. And then later, if he scolds you that you didn’t do what he asked you to do and he insists that you know what to do already with rants like “you don’t know how to follow simple instructions?”, or “you’re illogical!” or “what school are you from?”, just shut up and cross your brows and simply say “I don’t know how to do it.” If he replies “Why don’t you know it–aren’t you in college yet?”, just say “Sir, I’m a Mass Comm student still, and we were never taught how to liquidate receipts. I asked you to teach me, but you are very busy.”, then lower your head. Be the underdog. If he insists, tell him to teach you how to do it. ^_^
8. If an artista comes to your office, just smile. Pretend that you don’t fantasize them, fanaticize them, idolize them, or love their damned gorgeous body. Just do your work.
9. If an unknown artista comes to your office, well, don’t let them overrule you, unless they are very friendly. Yes, there are very friendly artistas, and there some bratinellas and feeling sikat (famous). If they are kind, talk to them and accompany them in case they need assistance. Show them the real ‘friendly’ side of you. But if you’re dealing with THs (trying-hards), make a 10 meter distance off them. If you can’t, sound yourself intimidating, as if you are very educated. But don’t make yourself look pretentious.
10. Dress up like an educated person. Fashion up with outfits similar to theirs. Or if you want, wear eyeglasses and hold a clipboard or a foreign language book. It will make you more bossy.
11. Show off. Impress your boss. But if your boss or the opportunity doesn’t give you a clue how to show-off, just do your job efficiently.
12. If he shouts “P.I” at you for no reason, look at him, cross your brows quickly, and do your work. Question his behavior. Imply with your actions that you are never been vulgarized by people. Otherwise, do you task and make him not complain about you.
13. Stay friendly. Be empathic. Be innocent. Let them be the teacher. But if there’s something questionable, just do some suggestions. If they didn’t like it or maybe you’ve made a wrong suggestion, just say “Ah… (I see)” while nodding your head pretentiously like a news reported interviewing a public school principal ^_^.

Well, that’s it for now.

Categories: Personalan
Tags: Gil Portes, Working Student,
Part-time Job

Yes. I was idle for almost a week. Spent most of the days with the ‘gang’. It’s my first time to participate in a rally. Really. And I’ve realized, it’s really a tough job.

I’ve realized how these people feel when they are barricaded with these military forces–yes, these shitted military forces who were aggressive and ‘drunk’. Yes again, they negotiated barbarically while their faces red with booze. Bull shit. I’ve realized how it’s so freakin’ nervous when seconds later these shitted military forces, specifically this shitted Fernando Air Base Camp in Lipa city, will be blowing you with a firetruck water gun.

I’ve realized how it feels to eat ‘food’. Yes. Honestly, I’m not used to what the poor people eat everyday due to their low-waged budget. I had stomach mishaps. Thank God our professor toot-toot was there and he treated us with Kare-kare. Wonder how I look while gormadizing my lunch after 2 days of eating what I not used to munch on…

There are a lot of things that I realized, and thank God I realized it for good.

Slowly it makes me a more mature individual. Not bad for a 17 year older, eh? ^_^

Category: Pulitikahan, Personalan