Enchanted Kingdom

It was really supposed to be Star City, but my nephews wanted to go to Enchanted Kingdom, so to EK we went yesterday afternoon after work. We met up in Waltermart Sta. Rosa then off we went.

Those boys have grown a lot! They’re like towers or something, much taller than me now, definitely. I gave them their day passes and told them to go wild, which they did. Not the bad kind of wild, but just to enjoy themselves in the park, ride all the rides as many times as they wanted. Erik definitely got the most out of the day pass, since he rode all the rides I think, and went multiple times on the Dodgem bump cars. Erwin had fun as well, I think, but he was definitely disappointed that the show in the 4D Discovery Theater was the same as it was 3 years ago.

There was this play put on by Trumpets though, and the wings of the angel in the play was really great. Of course she was wearing white with sort of silver sequins, but the wings were basically gold cloth, transparent, light, with gold sequins, that were sort of draped on two slender wires that came out of the back of her dress. It was nice and it gave this illusion of height and lightness and there was a lot of movement in those wings as her slightest movement translates into the wings floating. I have pictures, but they’re in my phone and I have yet to figure out how to transfer send them to the internet… could be that email function aye?

I didn’t get any souvenirs, though, except for the 4 squeaky toys I bought for the HR department. They didn’t have the color of the shirt in my size, so I didn’t bother with that.

I did get to ride the ATV ride, Exodus the Ride it’s called. It was way fun ^__^ but steep! It’s a separate fee for the ATV ride, 200 for 2 laps. The ATV was automatic so it was easier. I did get wet with the river crossing though, only because I think I may have pulled on the brake when I really should have pushed on the gas so I would zoom through the water. I would often let the ones in front of me – we were in queue during the whole trek, btw – go ahead and when I judged the distance to be adequate, I would push on the gas and away I go! I like it fast.

As much as I have prepared for and may want to have ridden in the Rio Grande Rapids, I didn’t get to ride it as I was tired already and it was cold. It’s still December, mind, and I don’t fancy getting sick just yet.

-o-o-o-

Hell, they can be so blatant about their snubbing, can’t they? I think it’s in bad taste and just plain rude.

Just take this morning. I came in and I said hello to Jen, and what did she do? She looked at me as if I was crazy for speaking to her. How rude is that? Then when I entered the office, I asked her and Tin if they knew where Donna was. Yup, they didn’t answer, just went about what they were doing, like no one had spoken.

Jeez, I knew they were crass, based on their language, but even crass people can have some sort of civility, right? Guess that’s one belief I can let go of. Crass equals rude, it would seem.

Let’s start, shall we?

From the farthest seat:

Zheena. From what I know of her, she’s either married or living with the father of her child. I know she’s living with the guy’s family at any rate. Most times, all I hear from her is something about money, her needing more of it or something like that. Yes, she has a child, but she also goes to gimmicks and shops like she was single.

Tin. Don’t know much about her, only that she has a boyfriend and it was her father’s van we used when we went on that eventful trip to Hundred Islands. She’s quiet, mostly, but can have a cutting tongue on her.

Gen. She’s a fashionista, they say. Okay, I admit it, she knows how to dress. It’s her propensity of calling people “bakla” that put me off her. Girl or guy, she calls “bakla” when she talks to them. Either that or “tanga”. I mean, I hear her call people by their proper names, but calling them those names? Eugh.

Evelyn. I thought she was nice and a friend. Turned out I was wrong. She’s the one I referred to the company because I met her while we were both applying at one MT company, and I thought, hey she’s a nice person to talk to. Sure.

Wela. Technically, I know her the longest compared to the first four, but it turns out that I know nothing about her. Well, maybe except that she has a tendency to be a hanger-on or something like that.

Arlene. Our very own princess and drama queen. She’s nice enough, but I don’t understand her.

Marco. Backstabbing boy. And I don’t trust him. Enough said.

Paula. She plays at being the nice one, but she’s not really, from what I have experienced. She can be manipulative and make “sumbong” to whoever she’s allied to at the moment. Don’t trust what she says about other people coz she’ll deny it to the high heavens. Always have a back up or a record of what she says about other people.

Michelle. Gods, she’s a bloody turncoat and I don’t understand her either. Refer to earlier rant.

Jen. Now, here’s the queen bitch. And she’s proud of it, too. She’ll use you until you’re not useful anymore and then treat you like you don’t exist. Case in point. Personally, I think she feels threatened or insecure or something to that effect. And the way she makes “pula” other people, it’s like she doesn’t have any flaws. One word: karma.

Those are the people on my shift. I once considered them friends once. Well, maybe saw them in a friendly light.

Not anymore. They’re a bunch of hypocrites and liars and traitors and I don’t know what else. If this week is any indication of the way they’re going to treat me, then by all means, go ahead and ignore me. I can ignore you all right back, that’s for damn sure. Just do your work and I’ll do mine. After all, that’s why we’re in this company, to work. We don’t have to be friends to be able to do our work. It would make for a nicer atmosphere, civil even, but if they are to blatantly be rude and ignore me, then gosh, go ahead.

If they’re hoping to run me out of this company… I don’t think so. I can be stubborn when I want to. Or I can just take a notice out on them, aye?

^__^

Into the New Year

It's just a few days before the new year is upon us. That means Media Noche, which I have no idea what I'll be making yet. Hopefully, I'll get to go out some time with family but I'm not holding my breath on that.

It's quite funny how they seem to ostracize me -- I mean, they really are, make no mistake about it -- I could just as soon be invisible to them. But like Cesar said, "Trabaho lang."

I can do that. I can work with them, just don't expect me to socialize with them too much considering all the bad-mouthing and tsismis they've already had about me. If she thinks that snubbing me is going to make me grovel for her attention, she's got another thing coming ^__^ And him...! ^__^

Yes, I can hold a grudge, but this coming new year, I think I'll have a resolution of...

Hmm... Can't seem to think of one ^__^

How about I get back to you on that. After all, I just wanted to test this new blog version.

Oh yeah, I took the exam for the internal vacancy for our department -- the Quality Assurance Associate. It really should depend on the qualifications on the applicant, but hey, I can't help but feel that that job has just about slipped through my fingers, what with how the supervisor is towards me ^__^

Christmas!

It really should be a happy enough holiday, but as usual, it was just another day, nothing special at all. Of course, I cooked Noche Buena, but what else did I do that day, erh, the night before and then the day itself.

I woke up, went to the grocery, watched TV, slept, cooked, ate, slept, woke up, reheated the leftovers, watched TV, and slept.

The sum of my holiday cheer.

Ever get the feeling that you’re being slowly but surely ostracized? Get used to it coz it’s true. You are being ostracized, there’s no maybe or anything about it.

Which is kinda weird, coz they’re technically subordinates.

*shrug*

What the hell, aye? For all I know, they’re all planning on moving to another company ^__^

I am so evil… ^___^

Dark printed knickers, that is

Ack.

Just had lunch with her and her new friends. And it was funny coz I was half-expecting not to be invited to go to lunch with them coz, heck, she should know by now that I know she's been talking about me with them behind my back. I'm guessing her thinking goes something like, "Bahala sya kung alam nya, problema na nya yun."

Hmm...

Enough about her.

Thanks, Joy, for the support *mwah!! lots and lots of time*

^__________________^

-o-o-o-

And now for my conundrum, a couple of people have given me Christmas gifts. Does this mean that I have to reciprocate? It's just one of those social things that I'm never quite sure of. Is this kinda like Valentines and White Day in Japan? Or can I just say thank you and that's it?

*sweatdrop*

Don't wear printed knickers with white pants

I think that ought to be obvious, but hey, if you want to attract attention, please, do so, by all means.

If she thinks that I don't know what she's doing, she's got another thing coming. Doesn't she know that she has a loud voice that could carry to my cubicle, even when she's on the other end... Unless of course, they start to whisper and murmur, and then I can't hear them anymore. Then again, I upped the volume of my music.

It's disconcerting, ain't it, to find out that you're being the topic of a conversation that's designed to make you look bad and stupid.

*alter ego: Oh please, she's just jealous of you.

Hah.

Let's hope so.

*alter ego: And bitter too, come to think of it.

Note to self: Never trust just anybody, especially when they say that they're trustworthy. Ain't life grand?

See, this is why university life is so simple. You meet people in classes, in your deparment, and then you go your separate ways after a semester. If anything, the people you deal with the most are your blockmates, but even then, that could change, especially when you do what I did which is switch majors and get held back by a year.

*alter ego: She's still prattling on about you... I can hear her...

Let her be. It's her prerogative to be mean, especially when she's not getting her own way.

Where was I?

University life. Yeah.

You can form friendships and associations, but it's so transient, especially when you measure time by semesters and not by school years. It's easy to loose touch with people and just be, even when you're in such a large campus with a lot of people milling around.

*alter ego: She's really something, ain't she?

Oh yeah.

*alter ego: You're not worried that she could read this and take this against you?

Not really. If she knows herself as well as she says she does, and if she knows me even a little bit, then she should know that I would have an entry here about it, aye?

And it's not like I have an issue with her (*alter ego: Kinda...) but not too much. If she's going to recant her offer to me because as she says, this is my first job and it would seem that I don't have a right to demand that the company she's moving to (and to which she invited me to join her in, by the way, let me just point that out that I did not ask her to take me along, thank you very much) match the salary that I am currently receiving. As she said, I don't have the work experience like the other girl she's asking to go with her to the other company.

*alter ego: If she's got a longer work experience than you, does that mean she's more qualified to ask for more money than you?

It would seem so.

*shrug*

I sense a disturbance in the force... wehehehe

She's always like that, if something doesn't go her way, she does something to the person that made it so, so that that person could feel her displeasure.

*alter ego: Kinda petty...

Kinda, but it's her prerogative, let's remember that.

*sigh*

I don't think she realizes my true intentions and how I really am. But then again, it's always been about her.

Sleep Deprived

Ack, and to think I was missing my college days when I was happy when I managed to get 4 hours of sleep, max, every other day, and on other days, 3 hours would be enough.

I hate to say it, but I think I'm getting spoiled with the 6- to 8-hour sleep that I always get nowadays. Of course, the reason that I've only had 2 hours of sleep last night was because I was doign a favor for my immediate supervisor -- hope she'll compensate me for that, but here's to baying at the moon people!

Gotta sleep.

Team Xmas Party later.

Ack.

Hundred Islands

Seems like it was so long ago, what with happened after. Anyway, today seems like the best time to put this trip down, so to speak, and I even have pictures!!



Let's start from the beginning. I was late, coming in to the office, for 31 minutes, coz I forgot to set the alarm the night before, silly me. And then after work, we all went to Jen's place so we could rest for a bit before we left. The plan was for us to leave at 1AM so we could get to pangasinan just after sunrise, or that was the plan.

All went well actually, until we got to Dau and the exit of NLEX. The van stalled.

*sniffles*

And smoke came billowing out of the engine.

Yeah well, so we put in water, waited for the smoke to go away and the engine to at least cool down a bit, coz we were all thinking the engine just got overheated.



Hah!

We were in Dau for roughly 13 hours!!



Long story short, we were stranded and only in the afternoon did we finally decide to just ditch the van and continue on by bus to pangasinan. We did have directions anyway on how to get to the resort, so that wasn't such a big deal. The big deal was the budget. Argh!

So, we got to the resort at around 9PM -- and man, was it quiet there, unlike here in Manila when the night is just coming alive by that time. Needless to say, we were exhausted so straight to bed we went and sleep, blessed sleep.




But what a sunrise... something that one just can't see in Manila very often, if at all, at that.




Breakfast before heading off to the islands...




Then, boat ride!!




We landed (naks!) on three islands so we could "frolick" around. First stop was Governor's island. I still have to read up on the hundred islands, history et al, but it was here that they went up to the top and according to the boatman, you could see the entire hundred islands from up there. I didn't go up, coz it was a hundred steps up and I didn't want to fall down. The steps were kinda small and narrow and I just didn't want to risk it. So, Jen and Gen and I went to the Pinoy Big Brother house in the island ^__^;;



Before you ask, no I don't watch the show and I have no plans to. I do know that Sam Milby came from that show.

Next came some sort of cave-like through and through passage through the island.



Am I going crazy with the pictures or what?

Then we went to the island beyond Quezon island -- where prices are astronomical! -- and we spent what time we had there, swimming (for those who could), treading water, sitting on the white sand and talking, and just having fun.



As most things in this world are wont to do, we had to end our fun and leave. But as always, there is the promise of the next time we go out of town, as a team.



Wonder where we'll end up next...

Hopefully, somewhere really nice and peaceful and quiet and serene ^__^