Minsan may isang gamu-gamo!

Minsan naisipan ni MD na tumakbo para pumayat. Naghihimutok na kasi ang mga damit niya sa laki ng tiyan niya.

MD: Sino'ng nagsabing tumataba ako? Lumiliit ang mga damit ko noh!

 

Okay, fine! Tumatakbo pala siya kasi gusto lang niya. Tingin niya mukha siyang sosyal kapag nagja-jogging siya.

MD: Das better!

 

Habang siya ay tumatakbo sa kahabaan ng Bagtikan, napansin niya ang isang Penguin na na nagmumukmok sa isang tabi. Dahil sa likas na mabuting tao at busilak ang loob (at gwapo) si MD, kanya itong nilapitan.

MD: Penguin, bakit mukha kang malungkot? May maitutulong ba ako sa'yo?

Penguin: I dunno, MD. I've always wanted to like make mukmok in one corner and like cry and cry galore. But I know naman na wala akong mapapala if I do that. I feel so crushed right now. As in! Promise!

 

Naramdaman ni MD ang poot ng loob na nararamdaman ni Penguin. Napaisip siya ng mataimtim.

Ano nga naman ang pwede niyang sabihin kay Penguin upang mapagaan ang loob ng kaibigan niya?

Huminga siya ng malalim at dahan-dahang sinabi:

 

MD: Ano'ng drama yan? Wala pang award giving body ang nagbibigay ng award sa mga sa emo! Bumangon ka nga't tumingin sa paligid mo? Hindi lang ikaw ang may problema. Imulat mo ang mga mata mo at alamin ang problema ng ibang tao. Baka mahiya ka sa problemang binibitbit ng ibang tao at maisip mo katiting lang yang dinadala mo. At ano naman ang mapapala mo sa pagmumukmok? Malulutas ba ang problema mo? Natulungan na ba nito ang lumalalang pagtaas ng presyo ng bubble gum?

 

Biglang tumingala si Penguin.

MD: (bulong sa sarili) ayos ka talaga MD! Galing mo magbigay ng advice! Kung subukan mo kayang maging motivational speaker? Hindi mo lang matutulungan ang mga taong nalulumbay, kikita ka pa ng limpak limpak na salapi!

Naisip rin ni MD na kapag tumawa si Penguin, napasaya na niya kahit papaano ang kaibigan. Ngunit kung hindi tumalab, iiwanan na lang niya itong magmukmok hanggang sa tubuan ng kabute na kanya namang iha-harvest pagdating ng tamang panahon at ibebenta sa Ongpin. Win-win situation kumbaga para sa kanya.

Penguin: Hayop ka! Mas may concern ka pa sa presyo ng bubble gum kaysa sa akin!

 

Yun lamang po.

 

Thank you so much!

Help!

Help me! I think I've gone stupid!

I'm running out of things to post. Way the go genius! Who told me to create a blog all about running?

Hindi porket may running shoes ka na at nagtatakbo ka na ay pwede ka nang gumawa ng blog about running. Ikaw na ang sporty, health conscious at fit!

You've overrated yourself once again, MD! (Yeah, right! Talk to yourself! That's one way to draw readers! Good job, Einstein!) Baka nakakalimutan mong isa ka ring ningas kugon! Gung-gong!

They say, if you run out of things to write about, the best way to go is just write. Write the way you think. It's like brain diarrhea. Just let it all out and you are bound to write something interesting.

So here goes…

My retainers have yet again bruised my tongue. I only wear my retainers at night. That way I could still talk normally and practice speaking properly without the unnecessary lisp and saying words with letter "S" as "sh". My journey to a perfect smile has been extended as I am advised to wear these retainers for two more years. I would say it's more painful than having braces. When you have your braces, you only experience pain for 3 days after having your brackets adjusted to tighten or whatever. When you have retainers, you experience pain every time you put them on and take them out. Most especially when you don't regularly wear them as you are advised like I do.

It's such a hassle too. It's like having dentures without the false teeth. After brushing your teeth at night, you also need to brush the acrylic base just so you don't get the bacteria-infested saliva you've left on it when you removed it to eat. One more thing is you can't eat with it. Chances are you either get food stuck on the roof of your mouth or you break it.

I should be sleeping now. But in my pursuit to post another article, here I am trying to force a brain diarrhea.

Hopefully I'd be able to post a fresh article tomorrow when I get home from work.

 

Till next time,

 

Tootles!

Thank you so much

Running differently

I don't think I'd be running again anytime soon. My shift won't allow me to, or at least I'd like to think my shift won't allow me to (I'm making up excuses).

I'm on my first day of training. First two days were dedicated to orientation (that, I think, is as far as the information could share with you about work).

You all remember your first days. Be it at school, work, big brother house etc. We all dread that first day. I remember my mother would always have to send me to school on first days from Prep School till my Senior year. Yes, I'm a mama's boy.

From the awkwardness to the very uncomfortable "Introduce yourself" in front of the class, I dread every single day the school year would start. The fear of the unknown really, I guess, is innate of us – to most of us to say the least.

It's all about the first impressions. They say first impressions last. That would be true to those who didn't give any effort to get to know the person.

It's very easy for us to judge a person by the way they speak, talk, walk, dress, look, and even smell. I know that for a fact because I'm also one of those people who judge someone by how they initially seem to be. You ever had experienced someone asking you about someone then you and your stupid mouth would say bad things you think that person is and then it turns out the person you are talking to is a close friend of that person you've bad mouthed? Then you start reverse vomiting but it's useless coz you've already hurt the person's feelings.

From John Mayer's song, Oh, it's another social casualty… Score one more for me… How could I forget mama said, "Think before speaking"?

And that's the problem about words, once it's out, you can never take it back. True enough think before speaking. But in this case, prevention would be to avoid prejudice. That's basically is the root of discrimination. There's a reason people are like the way they are. One of my favorite movies, Crash, talked about how people makes other people miserable because another person has made them miserable. You can't just say he's arrogant because he is just that. He may come off too strong to some because he grew up of a family that was never proud of him. He may have turned into giving this impression so he would have a sense of achievement.

We live in a diverse world. As the movie said, "Moving at the speed of light, we are bound to collide with each other". And unless we learn to not just tolerate, but accept each other's difference, our miscellany is off to unending arguments with each other.

Share love… Give love… Spread love…

 

Till next time

Thank you so much,

MD

Sa wakas! (plus things I wrote down my notebook)

Yoohooo! First time after a long time, I get to feel once again to impatiently wait for the weekend! Not that I've not looked forward to spending the weekend with Nani. I actually love weekends with Nani. Pero tagal ko na rin kasing umaambag sa unemployment rate ng bansa eh. For more than a month, wala akong ibang ginawa kundi tumunganga sa harap ng TV or PC. Too long that I was able to buy a Villa in Farmville and upgraded my farm to 24x24. Kulang na lang patulan ko na rin ang Friends for Sale. At least ngayon, isa na ako sa mga taong atat na atat mag-day off.

Nga pala, I was asking you last post whether or not I should wear a necktie. Well, my instinct served me right, coz the first day of induction was the time we had our pictures taken for our access cards. Kagalang-galang tuloy ang dating ko sa ID ko! Sorry na lang sa mga pumasok na naka-tshirt. Kasi naman, sinabihan na ngang Business Casual, pinilit pa ring isuot yung mga Team Pacquiao shirts nila. Ano tuloy natulong sa inyo ni Pekyaw?

Next week, training starts 1pm. Patay! Nanggagalit na haring araw ang mang-aasar sa akin nun for 2 weeks! Kamusta naman ang pagka-nog-nog ko nyan! Buti na lang naimbento na ang sunblock at sunscreen (ano nga ba pinagkaiba nila?)

I'm not supposed to tell you what happened during the induction as my contract said. But I'll tell you what I've been doing to avoid snoozing inside the class.

Quiz ito:

Encircle the letter of the correct answer. (Choose all that applies)

1. Take down notes
   
2. Draw circles on the blank areas of the notebook
   
3. Write down the lyrics of my LSS ("I'll Cover You" from the Musical "Rent")
   
4. Draw hands with thumbs and fingers making out the letter "W" and write down and underline the word "Whatev…" below
   
5. Draw a labyrinth (this is fun, promise)
   
6. Practice my signature
   
7. Squiggly lines to check if my pen still has ink
   
8. Draw a hand with the index finger and the thumb in the shape of a "L"
   
9. Grocery list
   

Right minus wrong

 

I'm off to sleep na.

 

Till next time…

 

 

Thank you so much,

MD

Bagong takbo

Tomorrow, I'll be running wearing a different pair of shoes. Syempre, hindi naman talaga ako tatakbo. Start na ng bago kong work bukas.

A girl named, Cherry called me the other day. Sabi, may "Induction" daw. I don't know what induction exactly means. Maybe it's a new word for orientation. In-artehan lang nila. Sabi, I should be wearing business casual clothes tomorrow. I don't know what business casual exactly means.

Should I wear a tie?

Nagne-necktie lang ako dati kasi kailangan sa work. I shouldn't be wearing clothes that make me look like everyone. Sabi kasi, when I got promoted as TL, my clothes should speak of what I've achieved. Sabi ko naman, "Weh?" Naka-nectie ka nga, aanga-anga ka naman. Wag na lang, 'di ba?

I'm nervous.

Malaki ring pride ang nilunok ko nung tinanggap ko itong trabahong ito. Kung hindi lang nagsara ang account at wala nang ibang malipatang post sa company, hindi ako mag-aapply sa iba.

I was promoted a year ago. Kabadong-kabado pa ako nun. Pa'no, financial account ang pinanggalingan ko. Wala akong ibang alam kundi APR, Credit Limit, Introductory Rate, Annual Fee, Balance Transfers etc. Kahit nakapikit, kaya kong mag-calls nun. Naging Floor Support pa ako. Salamat sa mga tulong para madisiplina ako, nawala ang mga attendance at performance violations ko. Kahit nakapikit din, kaya ko sumagot ng mga supcalls. Eh sa napuntahan ko nung na-promote ako… Technical. Malay ko ba sa pag-configure ng Wireless Connection? Malay ko bas a pag-setup ng email account sa Outlook at MacMail?Alam ko lang, mag open ng internet explorer tapos kapag walang internet, matutulog na lang ako. First day was hell! Puro supcall! Wala naman akong alam. Nakakahiya. Hanggang sa unti-unti, inalam ko kung pa'no gumagana ang lahat. Hanggant sa minahal ko na rin ang account. Pero, kahit gaano kahirap ang pinagdaanan, na-pullout pa rin ang account. Pakshet talaga!

Ang masama, nag-apply ako sa ibang company, hindi raw enough yung 1 year experience ko as TL to work for them in the same position.

Wala naman akong problema sa pagiging agent ulit. Nakakapanghinayang lang yung halos ilang taon na pinaghirapan ko noon para magpa-bibo at magpakitang gilas para ma-recognize at ma-promote.

Should I tell the training room that I was a TL? Baka isipin nila nagyayabang ako or I'm a complete failure.

Buti na lang, business casual pa rin ang dress code. Nag-eenjoy kasi ako sa ganito. You feel good for the least, wearing a tie. It makes you feel like you've achieved something. Business casual kasi sa dating company ko means you have to wear something like a long-sleeved shirt, slacks and leather shoes – something that you'd look good when you talk to clients.

Kinakabahan talaga ako. Sabi kasi sa akin, it's not an easy account/process. I just answered, "I'm no stranger to a very hard account" (tapos biglang smile kunwari confident).

Bahala na. Sabi lang sa akin, I should be myself. Tama nga naman. Wala ka nga namang mararating kung puro pagpapanggap ka lang.

It's about time na rin na mag-start na ako magtrabaho. Nagalaw ko na ang savings ko.

I'm back to being normal again.

Busy na naman ako ulit!

Basta, wish me luck!

Thank you so much!    

First run

9pm, Monday

I stared at the big orange plastic bag with an orange box inside marked with an iconic check trademark for long. Why on earth was I convinced to buy these?

I, for one, am not an athlete. I don't even engage in to sports. The closest thing I got into sports was high school intramurals. I was snuck into the juniors' volleyball team. WTF?! Although this game doesn't require me running for a long time, hitting the ball with my arm is not very easy for me. I have really weak bones. When I was younger, on my elementary days, I broke my left arm while playing Luksong Baka on 5^th grade and my right wrist bone when I fell down while playing on the school ground. This has left me with a huge phobia on being so active. I remember my mother telling me that I should study hard just so when I grow up, I would get a job that would not require lifting heavy weights (I guess, my mom did not anticipate call centers).

Mondays are assigned for cleaning our place. While waiting for the productive spirit to get in to my system, I decided to take the shoes off the box and stack it on to the shoe rack along with our other shoes. After getting a whiff of fresh rubber, I gave the new pair another look. This doesn't look bad at all – good to be exact. I'm not a fashion expert at all, but I really like the way the shoes looks. The trademark check on the sides, another small check mark sophisticatedly placed on the tip and that piece of fabric placed on top and the back of the shoes that lights up when another light source hits it… it's mesmerizing.

It made me think, it would be such a waste if I don't use it. I no longer wear snickers when I go to the mall. I either wear slippers or a pair of loafers (it's really comfy). So I started texting, and here are my exact words:

"Hi Charm! May problem ako. I bought a new pair of running shoes. The problem is I don't have anyone to jog with. Could you join me before you go to work?"

If you're asking - Yes, I text in full English words. I don't abbreviate.

Charm used to be my agent from my previous company. We both left due to an unfortunate turn of event. But after discovering that she just live near our place, I frequented her place while we were off job hunting.

She agreed to join my crazy plan. I told her I'll be at her place at around 4am. She said she'll be up by then.

3:30am, Tuesday

I got off and changed into (this is ridiculous) my board shorts, a white printed tee and then wore my running shoes. I stuffed my bag with a towel and a spare shirt in case I would need to change. I was told to leave my phone, wallet and anything important that I would think of bringing but I just threw everything into my bag including a pack of cigarettes. I told Charm we won't be smoking but in case we both changed our minds, I would light a cigarette while telling her this is a bad idea.

On my way to her place, I passed by the building where we used to work. I thought I just hope that no one sees me wearing this ridiculous set of clothes. Well, if someone asks, I'd just tell them I'm off to an outing or something.

Walking through Exportbank Drive, (if you're familiar with this place, you'll know that this is not a very well lit street) I was bothered how empty the street was. I almost forgot that the eateries where we used to eat were already removed and were turned into a parking lot. At the edge of my sight, I saw a homeless woman. Being the paranoid scumbag that I am, crazy thoughts started playing in my mind. I shouldn't have brought my phone with me… I'm a dead meat, I thought. I started running - casually, of course to avoid catching anyone's attention.

I stopped running when I reached Washington Street. I figured I'd look stupid running with a bag. After two blocks, I reached Charm's place (in one piece) – barely catching my breath and covered with sweat. As usual, Charm hasn't changed into her running clothes so sat on her bed while she changed into her short shorts and tank tops.

4am

We started walking to the circular street a block away from their place and agreed to briskly walk around the circle twice and then we'll start running for 15 minutes. We were chatting as we briskly walk around. As we walk, I can see people standing by the sari-sari stores staring at us. I told her, they might have been thinking, "what in the world are these two thinking?" We started running after two rounds of brisk walk – still chatting and to no surprise, after two rounds of jogging, Charm said, she's already tired!

I gave in. But in one condition, I told her, we should jog our way to McDonald's.

 

I therefore conclude that the first run is a complete failure.

But it definitely kicked off my interest to run.

Plus we perspired like pigs. I wonder how many calories we've lost on that run. Oh, yeah, we ate a lot, so that definitely is a failed run!

 

Till next time…

Thank you so much!

Yes, I’m running (for wellness)

One weekend at the mall, right before our usual movie weekend, we went to Nike Park to "window" shop for shoes. We've been to the shop before, after several weekends of finding nothing new, or interesting on the shelf, I thought this is again one of those fruitless hunt for a new pair of shoes. While browsing into the shoes mounted on to wall shelves, I walked in to a wall labeled "Running". I've seen shoes here before, they're the ones that look either mesh-y or they have those strips of fabric that lights up when hit by a light source.

Before I continue, allow me to flashback on to several months ago. We went up north to Ilocos. I was at first excited because we'll go to Pagudpod, plus I've never been there. We took the bus and, man, it was a really long 8-hour ride. It would've been a huge pain if not for the fact that the places we were passing through were places I've only seen on maps. What got me really excited was when we were told that we'll be staying over our friend's grandmother's house. She said that they have meals in between meals! True enough, when we got there, we were served with the best longganisa (sausage) I've tasted. We stayed for 3 days and I made sure to eat all the Ilocos longganisa I could get my hands into (we even ate the longganisa pizza). My point, after that trip, I gained so much weight (I'm actually going to spell out "weight" as "wait", darn idiot!). So much that I started having fats where there no fats have gone into. I've these love handles that my pants started to not fit. I moved two belt holes up. To top it all off, I started eating Quarter Pounder Meals (large fries and coke) everyday for lunch at the office. Need I say, the situation had gotten out of control?

I first started with the sit-ups and crunches. Well, it doesn't really work for two reasons: one, it's hard to do; second, you get lazy after maybe a week of doing this. Then I started dieting. I left my everyday Quarter-Pounder Meal and turned to KFC's Garden Fresh Salads (alternating between Caesar's Salad Dressing and Asian). I also lessened my everyday rice intake (from 2 heaping cups to 1). Well, I stopped gaining weight (I think), for one. But that's pretty much it. My pants won't fit anymore and I have to wear a Large-sized shirt just so my tummy won't show. Until one day, I was told one magic word – "Cardio". I started browsing the web for articles about weight loss and they all suggested the same thing: Run! So there I am, motivated to lose these love handles.

I started walking to work. It worked! I lost an inch. But due to some unavoidable turn of events, I could no longer walk to work. Well, that turned all of my plans to lose weight down the drain. I found another alternative: Get into a gym! But I've some trust issues against me so that's gonna have to be my plan B.

Going back to the walls of running shoes, I was given this pair of shoes on sale (I'm pretty concerned about the price). After much convincing, I decided to purchase a pair of running shoes. I wasn't at all enthusiastic about it. But when I realized I could just run around the block, my goal to lose these flabs came to light. An idea sparked and so I started contacting my friend, Charm. It was a Monday and I know she has to go to work by 7am so I told her I would drop by her place and we'll jog at 4am.

Well, I'll tell you all about our jog tomorrow. As for now, let this be for the record, I'll jog at least twice a week for 25 mins straight, twice in a day.

I need your suggestions and help to meet this goal.

Thank you so much!