sour and sweet--which one's which?

This music video,'Hibi no Neiro' (Tone of Everyday), by a band called Sour had me glued to my seat. Quite a creative effort by whoever thought of it, and quite a logistic effort by the fans of the band. Nicely done!
Via Neatorama.

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Just came back from watching Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

Verdict? The only thing that kept me from "rolling out" of the movie is my nostalgic fondness for the Autobots. (Hi, Optimus Prime! Hi, Bumblebee!)

The movie went overdrive where it should have been mellow--too much slapstick, too many cliches, too many robotic limbs and you can't figure out where one robot starts and where the other one begins. It sputtered where it should have accelerated--the CGI work on the first movie is somehow better than in Revenge of the Fallen.

Cue in Bumblebee playing "Wreck of the Day" from its speakers.

traffic advisory: crossroad ahead

Crossing the desert in Morocco--a vast expense where possibilities are endless, but also where getting lost is a risk.

I can't believe it's been more than a month since I last wrote in this blog. I know I should be more consistent in writing down what's happening with my life, for I know I'll cherish it when I click back on my old entries. But the past month has been a roller coaster that would rival even the rides in Six Flags.

Without further ado, meet the latest victim of the economic crisis.

It has been expected, but it's still quite shocking to be in the situation. And very, very emotionally draining. The thin thread of trust between the employer and the employee has been unravelled, and one tends to second guess everything the company does from now on. Ugh, another item on the growing list "Why I Do Not Like Corporate Life."

But onward and forward. Or something.

I may have something under my sleeves, but it is too soon to tell. And even then, I wonder if it's the right decision, or whether it'll end up with me living under a bridge after the next 1.5 years. I don't even know if the next step is "me" or if it's an act borne out of "what everyone says it's the right thing to do". Traffic advisory: another major crossroad ahead.

Generally and somewhat naively, I'm hopeful. I'm not an optimistic person to begin with, and I've been genetically programmed to worry...A LOT. But K's influence must have been rubbing off on me the past years, and I tend to find myself searching for silver linings these days.

One immediate silver lining of this whole redundancy circus, is that I suddenly find myself with so much time. (Why I Do Not Like Corporate Life item #3 is "too less time to do what one loves", which is related to item # 14 "shackled to the desk and deprived of sunlight", and so on and so forth.)

So I did one of the things I love--I bought a flight ticket home! :o) It was a last minute cheap deal, too--the cheapest flight I've ever booked. If this isn't dramatic enough, I get to rendezvous with my family in Hongkong first and go around the city for 4 days, before continuing on to my lovely home islands. Whew, what a silver lining!

It will be great to get away from it all, and focus on another much-anticipated event...the wedding! Oh, would you imagine the surprise of my modista when I walk into her boutique?! Oh-hooo, but perhaps not of joy, but of consternation. I can almost see her whipping out her measurement tape and admonishing me, "I said 'maintain', not 'gain'!!"

Oops. I've taken to chocolates to calm my nerves, what can I say? :o(

But anyway. Point is, if there's already a silver lining so early on, my reasoning assumes hopefully that there are more to come, although it's not obvious all the time. So yeah, I'm generally and naively hopeful.

where has my milk tooth gone?

Nope, the tooth fairy didn't get it.

They're actually in this blog, taking center stage as stars.

Check out My Mik Toof. So creative and cute!

I'm not sure where I got the link from anymore (maybe the tooth fairy?), so no link credit--sorry about that!

then we came to the end?

The sun's been playing peekaboo with us denizens of Bonn, but at least the weather's warm enough to take out the summer shoes I bought in the Philippines back in December 2008.

And I absolutely adore these Charles & Keith shoes I got. *heart*

You have no idea how many times I peeled back the protective tissue during wintertime to catch a glimpse of these babies, only to wrap them again and place the box back on my shoe rack. Parting is such sweet sorrow. (Drama.)

Now that I get to wear them, my heart and outfit is happy, but my feet are not. Ouch. I still need to break them in. I guess some sacrificial blood needs to be spillt.

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I am yet in another crossroad.

Things are not going too well in our company, and people are getting antsy. Rumors had it that there will be an announcement next Monday. Today, our heads were called to a meeting with HR. After a 30-minute absence, our bosses were seen to go back straight to their rooms.

It was quite funny, actually. Their footfalls were fast and efficient, and they spared no eye contact. My cubemate and I were deliberately whether we should tackle one of them and drag them into an abandoned conference room for interrogation.

And torture, if necessary. We merely have to force feed them canteen food, and we're sure they're going to capitulate.

Strangely enough, I am approaching this situation with the optimistic naivete of a child. Not because I don't believe I won't be sacked, but because I think whatever happens, there will be other opportunities out there. Other paths.

and the "toni" award goes to...

Okay, so it's not an award really, but it doesn't make it less nice! In fact, when I read it, butterflies were pleasantly fluttering about in my stomach. :o)

So thanks, Toni, for the wonderfully unexpected shout-out! (This is definitely a first.)

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P.S. I have to get back into the blogging groove. Not having an internet back home is throwing me out of whack. Plus, a crazy amount of stuff coming at an indefatigable rate to take care of.

Indefatigable means "tireless", and is brought to you by the book PopCo. It's my current before-bedtime and on-the-way-to-work read, and is a story that revolves around ciphers and code-breaking. I didn't know this before--I only picked up the book because the whole thing was painted in blue, even the sides/edges of the pages! :o)

a random conversation during lunch

Yup, I made in back to Bonn from Morocco.

My internet connection guy, however, did not make it to Bonn at all. So after 3 weeks of moving into my new apartment, I am still living in the Stone Age. (People living in Germany, do not...and I repeat...DO NOT use Congstar.)

On the other hand, while I can't make past chiseling my letters/mails into stone, I found out today that my Nepalese friend is living in the future.

"Look at my Nepalese driver's liscence, "he said, fishing out a card from his wallet during lunchtime. "It's issued on...", he prompted.

"30th of June...2064?" I blinked at the card. I blinked at him.

"Yeah, I had to pay the department issuing these licenses extra money so they'd put on the date the rest of the world uses. Can you believe it? I had to pay them extra!" he chortled.

"You come from the future!" I replied in an exaggerated gasp.

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Yeah, you're looking at the future."

K, who at this point was quietly focusing on his pizza, piped up in mock horror, "That's the future? Then there's nothing to live for anymore!"

Hold on, hold on. Before we start screaming Armaggedon, this is the point I tell you that according to my buddy, in Nepal, they use a different calendar system.

"Nepal follows a different calendar system than in the West. According to this system, 2003-2004 is Bikram Sambat 2060. The New Year begins in mid-April. Like the Julian system, there are 12 months, each month beginning around the middle of a Western month. Festival dates are, however, determined by lunar calendar."

-Nepal Homepage

So yes, the future still looks bright :o) (Just don't go about ordering a Congstar box for your internet connection.)

Morocco pictures, coming up!

salam alaikum

Just checking in from Morocco. Super *exclamation point*
(Typing on a French keyboard and can;t figure out half the symbols)

The people are so warm and friendly, that I can't help but be in a good mood all the time.

So good a mood, that I agreed to whole-day hikes, walks across the dessert, and no shopping whatsoever.

So good a mood, that I am getting along superbly with K's friends.
(Some new interesting blood helped a lot, too. One reminds me of Kenneth from 30 Rock. Hihihi.)

Can't wait to upload the pictures and share it with you, too.

'allo

I thought with the 4-day Easter break, I'd be able to update this old chum. But what was I busy doing instead?

Packing up and preparing to move to a new apartment. My own apartment. *wide-eyed* Time to pop the champagne!

I know this isn't the wisest thing to do in an economic crisis, but I can't stand my shared apartment anymore. I can't stand the skid marks, I can't stand the piles of dirty dishes, and I can't stand the sounds my 2 flatmates are making. :os

And I still can't update my blog tonight, because...

I'm flying to Morocco tomorrow! Tonight, one of Daniel's friends is picking me up, and we're driving to the Frankfurt Hahn Airport.

K is already traipsing around Morocco with 4 of his other friends since last Sunday.

Yes, siree. If you think it's a romantic getaway, it's not. K and I will be joined by FIFTEEN. OTHER. PEOPLE.

In total, we are seventeen wanderers. (All K's friends.) One more, and we'd be freaking 18 candles. Urg.

It'll be an adventure, in more ways than one :o) After 10 days in Morocco with 15 Germans, I should be fluent. FLUENT!

See you on the 2nd of May, where I'll be blogging (in German, kuno!) in my new apartment.

Oh crap, I won't have internet connection then.