It’s taking way too effing long.

I’ve never been big on patience, but now it’s really wearing thin, what with me imagining every single thing I can do with a 2nd generation iPod Touch.

I know, I know.

It takes time.

It takes a lot of time.

It’s taking too much time, if you ask me.

Lord, just hand to me soon will You?

It’s an emotion normally devoted to human beings — or living things, at the very least — but unless you’ve had a Mac, I don’t think you’ll understand.  I had a Windows laptop named Paquito (aka Keets) for three years and it was more of a symbiotic relationship between us.  I kept him immaculate and he kept me happy.

And that was that.

I don’t want to sound like an ingrate but now that I have MacLovin, I can’t see why I stuck with Keets in the first place.  Switching has been the best thing that has ever happened to me (technologically speaking) and I don’t know why it took so long for me to take the plunge.

It wasn’t exactly easy.  I’ve been using Windows for so long that I actually was intimidated by my Mac.  In some ways I didn’t really explore my MacLovin much, thinking that it was better off that way.  Now, though, after roughly half a year, I finally have the courage to go ahead and just mess with everything.

It all started with the iTunes Library.  I kept my music out of the library for some reason, and it was only a month ago that I started migrating my stuff.  Now I’m totally crazy about cover art and it’ll take me at least another two weeks to get those Chinese songs in there.  I’m OC, so everything has to be properly labeled and in the correct albums.  It takes time, but I’m loving it.

And then I started fiddling with the videos section of iTunes.  While searching for a good program for conversion (iSquint is tops), I found dozens of software that I don’t necessarily need but still love.

It’s as if I’m just discovering my Mac for the first time.

I’m now venturing into customization — you can change everything from desktop themes to icons.  I know, I know, even Windows users can do this.  The only difference for me, actually, is that there never was any drive to do this on Windows.

With Windows, it was just a computer.  Everything works and that’s that.

With Mac, though, it’s a whole different experience.  You, as user, are completely involved and there’s a certain desire to make this beautiful machine uniquely yours.

I can’t explain it, and I’m being a total Mac fangirl gushing in this post, but yeah.

This is love.

PS: Other Mac fans out there can check these sites out for the tons of things you can do with your Mac (there’s always something new to discover):

http://www.myfirstmac.com/
http://www.macupdate.com/
http://osx.iusethis.com/

Get your head in the fucking game!

Hugs and Kisses,

Me

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their
names.

Starting time: 12:08 PM
Name: Krys, Choi, Kitty, Apple (yes, gag at the last two)
Sisters: 2, both evil
Brothers: none
Shoe size: 7
Height: 5′7″

Where do you live:
* Erap City
Favourite drinks:
*beer, coffee, tea, orange juice
Favourite breakfast:
* Sausage McMuffin with Egg and Hash Browns mmmm
Have you ever been on a plane?
* Yes
Swam in the ocean:
* Does dipping my toe in the ocean count?  If not, then no.
Fallen asleep at school:
*Always
Broken someone’s heart:
* I might have, though I’m not sure.  After all, none of them has ever sued me
Fell off your chair:
* Yes, unfortunately
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call:
* No
Saved e-mails:
* Always
What is your room like:
* A calculated mess
What’s right beside you:
* Chenny, the test computer
What is the last thing you ate:
* preserved plum
Ever had chicken pox:
* Yes and I have the horrible scars to prove it
Sore throat:
* Yes.
Stitches:
* Yes.
Broken nose:
* No.
Do you believe in love at first sight:
* No.
Like picnics:
* No, unless its in a synthetic park, with synthetic grass and no insects.
Who was/were the last person/people you danced with:
* Friends, I think.  Although if you really think about it, they were dancing and I was sort of just bobbing my head
Last who made you smile:
* My new Big Bang Theory Complete Season 1 DVD.
You last yelled at:
* I can’t really remember.  I don’t really yell that much.
Today, did you:
Talk to someone you like:
* Sure.
Kiss anyone:
* No.
Get sick:
* No.
Talk to an ex:
* No.
Miss someone:
* No.
Eat:
* A lot.

Best feeling in the world:
* Giddiness over something completely insignificant
Do you sleep with stuffed animals:
* Yes, and several pillows.
What’s under your bed:
* Dust bunnies.
Who do you really hate:
* Cristy Fermin and my ex-boss Lorna (they look alike so they’re interchangeable)

Random:
Is there a person who is on your mind now:
* Not really.
Do you have any siblings:
* Yes.  –>redundant question!  I just answered this a while ago.
Do you want children:
* Maybe, but only so I can name him Rohan (LOTR alert!).  I also have  this grand plan to marry a guy surnamed Lo so I can have kids named Jay, Jude, Ricky and Jigo.
Do you smile often:
* Umm, yeah
Do you like your hand-writing:
* of course
Are your toe nails painted:
* No.
Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in:
* My parents’ bed.  It’s nice and comfy.
What color shirt are you wearing now:
* Red.  It says Heineken.
What were you doing at 7:00 p.m. yesterday:
* Sleeping on the MRT
Are you a friendly person?
* Do I look like a friendly person? –> Exactly.
Do you have any pets:
* Pompee, the diva dog.
Where is the person you have feelings for right now?
* If you mean lust, then he’s in Hong Kong.
Did the last person you held hands with mean anything to you?
* No.
Do you sleep with the TV on?
* No.
What are you doing right now?
* Filling cyberspace with inane answers no one wants to read.
Have you ever crawled through a window?
* I can’t remember.
Can you handle the truth?
* Yes, I think.
Are you too forgiving?
* No.  I bear grudges.
Are you closer to your mother or father?
* My dad.
Who was the last person you cried in front of?
* I can’t remember.
How many people can you say you’ve really loved?
* I’m bad at math.
Do you still have pictures of you & your ex?
* Ex?
Have you ever cried because of something someone said to you?
* Yes.
If you’re having a bad day, who are you most likely to go to?
* My dog.
Are you loud or quiet most of the time?
* Loud with my friends, but generally quiet
Are you confident?
* I have God complex, what do you think?

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Attempting to survive high school
2. alternately making friends and alienating them
3. pursuing nerd pursuits like reading
4. generally sucking at science and math
5. channeling zafra-inspired angst

5 things on my to-do list:
1. Work
2. Read those pending books
3. Prepare for my comprehensive exams
4. Play Sims 2
5. Salivate over the iPod Touch 2G

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Nerds
2. Gobstopper
3. banana-q
4. camote-q
5. potato chips

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Buy the UN and become Empress of the World
2. Pay scientists to build my own Enterprise so I can go forth and conquer the universe
3. Buy Steve Jobs
4. Clean out the LV stores of all stocks and distribute them to the poor muahahahah!
5.Install neon lights outlining the Philippines just for the heck of it.

5 of my bad habits:
1. sloth
2. bitching at random strangers
3. cursing
4. murmuring to myself at odd times
5. occasional binge-ing

5 places I have lived in (or WILL live in):
1. Chinatown
2. San Juan
3. Hong Kong
4. (will hopefully live in) London!
5. (will hopefully live in) Macau!

5 jobs I’ve had:
1. research assistant
2. freelance translator
3. unfortunate pawn in the battle for office supremacy
4. corporate foot soldier
5. happy corporate foot soldier

not boyfriend material

Just in case I wasn’t clear enough the first time: vampires eat people.

They do.

They get you into some sort of trance, tilt your head back and suck the life out of your pathetic body.  End of story.

I find it incredibly weird that a novel about a pretty boy vampire and his love/prey has garnered so much attention from around the world.  Why, world, why?  Why would anyone want to read a hackneyed love story about some fanged dude who — for some “romantic” reason — has the will power not to eat his mortal girlfriend?

I underestimated the power of shrieking teenage girls, of course.

In any case, do remember that high-pitched high school girls are not always the best literary critics around, so be kind.

The first time I got wind of Twilight I was browsing MSN at work.  Some poor MSN writer had the gall to diss the novel and its characters, resulting in a massive avalanche of nasty comments from rabid high school girls and their equally unhinged mothers.

Twilight, according to its most devoted followers, is a beautiful love story, and anyone who thinks otherwise is a sad, pathetic loser (or ripped to shreds, depending on their hormonal mood swings).

Frankly, I did take the time to read through the novel, only I couldn’t get past a chapter without blood dripping out of my nose.  Cloying would be insufficient an adjective to describe the ghastly sweetness of this juvenile crap.  I must thank the Lord that all I had was the e-book, otherwise my entire desk would’ve been flooded with sticky, sugary adolescent drivel.

I don’t think there’s enough space on the interweb to detail every single thing I found ridiculous in this novel, so I’ll just go with two points.

First of all, the story is pretty much a rehash of old romance novels.  The heroine is a pretty, unassuming girl — perfect, except she’s incapable of walking two steps without falling down a flight of stairs.  She’s always diligent and kind, cleaning around the house and cooking meals for everyone.  Think Martha Stewart, but minus the jail time and wrinkles.  And bitchiness. 

So the heroine is perfect and intelligent and independent and strong, but she does require constant rescuing from a variety of admirers.  It’s the same goddamn song-and-dance every single time.  Strong, “independent” girl still needs a man to keep her alive.  Yay feminism!

More importantly, and I’m returning to my opening argument, how can vampires not eat people?  Now I’m not an expert on vampires, but I as far as I’m concerned, vampires don’t really have a lot of food options.  They’ve got a single food group to choose from.

Celery sticks?  I don’t think so.

Twilight presents what I like to think of as the sissy vampire, prone to cheesy moping and pointless brooding.  Rather than eat you up, the sissy vampire spends his time looking mysterious and reading emo poems.  He’ll never suck your blood; he’ll just bore you to death with all the “I’m an immortal and I have to eat people, boohoo” crap.

And if you really think about it, Edward’s being a real pedophile, hooking up with a teenage girl when he’s actually older than Hugh Hefner.  Creepy now, don’t you think?

There’s only one acceptable vampire relationship in my book, and it’s a bromance between two extremely beautiful vampires who share an apartment and adopt a tiny, vampire child-bitch.

Now that’s love.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that I was pretty much completely destroyed.

Torn into shreds, even.

I began my career with high hopes, thinking that surely someone with my intellect (ahem) would fare pretty well in the “real” world.  I knew I was smart, and I certainly was determined to get to the top.  The day after graduation, I was hell-bent on taking over the world.

Alas, poor stupid idealistic child.

The corporate world I found was pretty much hell on earth.  A boss I deemed too stupid to even shine my shoes ordered me to carry his querida’s luggage so they could hold hands while walking.  I, who graduated magna cum laude?

For shame!

And so I said goodbye.  I left the corporate world and sought solace in the only thing I could understand, control and excel in: the academe.

I went back to school three years ago.

Three years.

It’s been a long time since then, and though I still hate my ex-bosses with a vengeance, I’ve since returned to the corporate world.  I’m working 9-to-6 and it’s been pretty good this time.

I did continue my studies, though, and now I’m in the last leg.

This is the final lap, and it sure as hell won’t be easy.  I still have to get through a grueling comprehensive exam and a thesis, so everything’s still up in the air.

School hasn’t been easy.  I’m a bit tired, in fact.

But this, this is really is it.

Wish me luck.

Apparently, Ely Buendia listens to The Ramones — my favoritest punk rock band in the universe.

Granted a lot of people listen to The Ramones.

And yes, it’s not terribly exciting news that Ely listens to The Ramones, but for someone like me whose very existence is anchored on everything related to Ely Buendia, this is the most fantastic news ever (next only to news that he has seen the light and is now willing to marry me).

I like The Ramones.  He likes The Ramones.

Ergo…

…stay tuned.

(Or not.  “Stay tuned” just seemed like the appropriate thing to say.)

boohoo, can't afford it

Click here for the details.

And wipe that drool off your chin.

one of them will steal your underpants off you.

EA Games Associate Producer Lyndsay Pearson, on the latest features of the upcoming Sims 3:

“You can be a kleptomaniac, you can be evil, and actually, evil Sims will steal candy from babies,” she said with a laugh. “It will be a little toddler sitting there and then you get this special social to go steal candy from them; then they walk up to them and just like take it.”

Now there’s a game with me in mind. I like how she said it with a laugh.

Sims 3 in February 2009, and God knows when for the Mac version.

Can’t wait.

john lennon, 1940 - 1980

The world’s a lot less colorful without you.