Inspiring pic from the PETA Theater. And no more is it more true than this month - I’ve got a lot of shows to catch!

Wonder Twins of Boac - done! Was able to catch this during the PETA night, a preview meant for PETA artists and friends. There was not much of a difference from the script read in last year’s Virgin Labfest Staged Readings and I’m not complaining - it’s wonderful and awesome how Shakespeare could be adapted to a not-so-modern setting. Maybe it’s time for me to try my hands at adapting something, just to see how it works out. 

Katy - done! Was lucky enough to catch the final show of Katy. It’s an old show and has that old-school charm. Ryan Cayabyab’s music for this show should be immortalized (or at least cd-fied!). Sadly, the direction did not work for me and there were times when I was conscious that there was a director giving each cast member a moment to shine - which meant for me that they did not contribute to moving the story forward but instead were there for cheap laughs.

They’re Playing Our Song - done! You can never go wrong with a Neil Simon play. Marvin Hamlisch’s and Carole Bayer Sager’s songs for this musical are so pop and entertaining, they can stand on their own. The sets were awesome, especially considering a basically two-man show. And the orchestra was superb, especially with this type of music. Nikki Gil did not quite work for me, maybe I was trying to recall how Lea Salonga did it - although I was not moved at all with I Still Believe In Love, not like in previous productions I’ve seen. Martinez sometimes fumbled his lines, maybe it’s because it’s the opening weekend (why am I defending them?) and can sometimes be caught not listening to his partner. And hence the chemistry suffered - given that this is a two-man show, that’s quite a danger.

February has not yet ended and I’m still looking forward to watching a few more shows:

Ibalong - a spectacle based on the pictures I’ve seen so far. Looking forward to what Carol Bello (Orosman at Zafira) has cooked up for this show - hopefully something as exciting as OZ but completely different. 

Red - A two-character full-length play, at least that’s how I remember it from the clips I’ve seen when this was nominated and won in the Tony Awards. Although the location is not quite the conventional theater used by the big players, I’m looking forward to watching this and seeing if I am ready for watching two people onstage for the full hour or so - if I’m ready to write one and if the audience is ready to sit through one.

All these will definitely contribute to what would hopefully be my next Virgin Labfest entry. Got my fingers crossed on this one - not as serious as Digital Divide, maybe closer to Kafatiran in terms of the format. Right now, it seems to click with those who read it during one Writers Bloc meeting but I have yet to see what it has to say. I can say what it’s about but as of now, I’ve yet to define what it really is about.

Everyone’s angry at Globe. I just don’t know quite how to say it. I was thinking “everyone’s mad at Globe” would be more appropriate but it does provide a different connotation - not that it’s any less true. But my point is, it seems the social media, at least my social network, seems to be up in arms against Globe these days. And I don’t blame them.

People who know me know that I used to work with Globe. After all, they gave me some form of award back in college - which led to free meals, hotel stays, local trips, and other activities, all of which meant the world to a young college senior desperate for some form of recognition or attention after five years of hard work and late nights. Hence, when graduation came, Globe went to my top three choices for my first job. And when my top choices didn’t quite push through as I had wanted, Globe was a safety net for me. It was a safety net with a deadline, which I had to use soon or face the uncertainty of waiting for better offers from my top two choices.

Back then I was assigned to Network Security, the three pillars of which are Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. Much of my time in Globe was used assessing projects under these three main aspects. 

It’s been five years since I last worked in Globe and since I last did an assessment on security. It pains me that it seems we have a security failure here - mostly on availability. So many times now I see my phone indicating a “No Service” message. Many times I experience slowdowns in my data transactions as I see my signal go from 3G to E to none at all. And don’t get me started on periods of message sending/reception failure and dropped calls, even in critical times.

I used to joke people when they come up to me with these complaints - “One behalf of Globe, I am sorry”. I no longer speak on Globe’s behalf. And in the past five years, I have slowly transitioned to the other side of the fence, a very slow transition considering the aggravation caused. 

And now I am facing a possible bill of close to 100k because of data roaming charges beyond my credit limit (I thought my credit limit was supposed to protect me from exorbitant charges!). Something tells me it’s going to be a quick transition to the extreme opposite side. It’s enough to drive me mad.

How many times have I said it? I miss blogging. And I’m back. For now.

Now that Multiply is closing, I got into thinking what else is there out in the world that carries bits of me - my memories, my thoughts, my stories. Well, I have my Livejournal blog, which, although it served me well before, is not so easy to navigate and link to as tumblr has been. Besides, tumblr seems to be the one more linked to the social networking sites.

So yeah, I guess I’m back to blogging. When I’m bored and while training my troops in Clash of Clans on my ipad, I’d probably be blogging more of my memories, thoughts, and stories. Instead of working and writing new masterpieces, yeah, I’ll be blogging.

Weird not to get ribs from a “Rib Shack” but when I asked for their specialty, they referred me to their Chop House steak, perhaps also because it was something that’s just right for one person. It’s a good meal, with steak that seared on the the outside but reddish (but cooked) on the inside. I specifically had Whiskey Steak with Onion Fritters - I can’t make out the “whiskey” part of it but it’s good, nuffsaid. This meal comes with honky tonk rice (which is basically some colored flavored rice topped with beans), seasonal veggies (buttered veggies), and half Texas garlic bread (essentially a think slab of bread which is surprisingly tasty). It’s definitely not fast food, maybe closer to the grill style of Cajun Red Rock or even Bubba Gump and the price is around the same. I forget the price range of these other places but for this one, for athe Whiskey steak meal and a glass of iced tea, I spent P324.61. I think that’s a bit too much for a regular yuppie lunch so this place is probabl better for a date or for something celebratory, much like Red Rock or Bubba Gump.

The place is cozy, very rustic and tries getting that cottage atmosphere. The servers are ladies with tight shirts and short jean shorts (fondly called, pardon my French, pekpek shorts). It doubles as a buffalo wings place (I forget the name) so the menu is quite confusing, with a rib/chops menu on one side and a wings/fries menu on the other.

Despite the restaurant feel of the place and the price, it surprisingly uses paper plates and plastic utensils, very much like the sets supplied in Yellow Cab. This is a major turn-off - at this price, I’m expecting something more comfortable to eat meat with, not something that’s like to break with a touch section of the meat.

This is my new Tuesday late lunch habit: food tripping in Makati. It’s a good schedule: I have a class in RCBC at 12:15 and will be around the city before 2pm. That’s a good time because all yuppies have finished their lunch already and there are no long lines or rushed orders to bother me. And of course, it’s also a leisurely walk to the other end of Ayala for a bus to my next class in Alabang. Almost a routine except for the fact that I’d be eating in different places everyday.

First vicitim: Faburrito. This one is one of those stores, pretty new, in The Columns, just across RCBC plaza. Just around New Bombay, Kopiroti, and Joey’s Pepperoni is a mexican food place, Faburrito. What drew mo to it is the foursquare entry, with a tip comparing it with Chipotle in the US (which I really really love!).

Some definite plusses: Very good customer service - this is the Starbucks of fastfood, they engage you in a friendly conversation and try to get your name. Very nice place - they’ve got nicely polished wooden tables and a very clean look overall. Healthy food - they pride themselves in having all-natural ingredients (no MSG, no preservatives). And there’s also a moral plus because 10% (if I remember correctly) of your bill (or is it their profit) goes to charity. I hope this is unaffected by the 10% discount you get when you check-in via foursquare. Also in the spirit of the milk tea fad, you had all the choices to make - what type of meat, what cream to put in, salsa, level of spice - so similar to the milk tea fad, if you don’t like it, it’s your fault and try another combination next time around.

Some minuses (if there’s such a word): Maybe a tad too healthy- to the point of being bland. I didn’t ask but looking around I didn’t see any condiments (and despite the good customer service, I was too shy to ask) to help add taste to my burrito. Maybe a touch of cilantro would do the trick - it’s organic! Anyway, it’s also a bit pricey, maybe very Chipotle in that sense as well. I got a beef burrito and a mint iced tea for about P300, already taking into account the discount for checking in.

All in all, it’s a good and happy place (very “Christian”, not my words, check the posters). But sometimes a little bit of dirt, or maybe that mess they make in Chipotle as they put everything you choose into your burrito, adds a bit of spice to make this place really Fab.

One of the ironies in the workplace I saw today was a string of emails replying to everyone not to reply to everyone. Let me clarify. There’s this one email sent to a distribution list of so many people with so many people not really interested in the topic and asking to be taken out of the distribution list. And they do this by replying to everyone else on the distribution list. Oh, and the topic that brought these people together in the first place to form the distribution list: security.

I actually don’t mind getting these, as long as the email subject remains the same so I can quickly sort and delete. It actually turns out to be a game for me: which region is the dumbest? Or rather, more gullible. Will there be a lot of hola’s in the email? Maybe weird characters and names with dotted u’s and o’s? Or maybe this will be dominated by Asians? It’s a guessing game and I score based on the response: 1 point responding to the email for its original intent, 2 points for saying “don’t reply to all”, 3 points if you’re a bit angry (and still replied to all).

What’s actually more exciting is waiting for anyone I know (whether in the same building, region, or someone I’ve worked with), who will actually respond to the email. If it’s someone I see in the office, he gets a free pat at the back of the head with a wall in front of him. If it’s someone from another region, he makes it to the list of people I can bully later on.

It’s died down now, although another thread seems to be forming, still with security as a topic. Even though a new game has begun, how I long for the days when spam was something delicious with bread or with rice.

I love my life. I am inspired by my own life. At thirty-something (hahaha) I’m doing things I never thought would be possible. Or rather, doing many things at the same time, which seems impossible at a glance.

A large part of it has to do with my job. Which one? The “dayjob”, which happens at night, and sometimes all day and night. But I’m not complaining. The current role I have allows me to be in command of my own time - which I believe everyone should be. More than time management, it’s about taking control and managing expectations. I must admit at times there’s a bit of slacking off, although blocking FB games in the office certainly helps reducing that. But with the bursts of energy and inspiration every now and then, I believe it all balances out. And then there are the reliable people all around - reliable to do their own work, to get things right, or if not, to know when to shout for help. And of course the great and happy conversations with them make the work less like work. I am in a great company with great company!

And I’ve started a new Les Mills program at the gym - first batch of instructors for the new program and it’s really very fun. People come as you are and come out a star - and me too, of course. It’s my first dance class (Body Attack is hardly a dance class) and it’s really very hip and and though there’s a lot of hip-swaying action, I’m not complaining. I take it as a time to let it all out! There’s more of that action coming up in the new release and it’s something to look forward to.

And of course the great work continues. There’s the pressure of creating a fitting follow-up to last year’s big hit (yes, I’m claiming it now hahaha). I’m not letting it bother me. After all, I was trained to work under pressure and I guess that’s when I work best. Time is running out though, so I really have to take some time to sit down and write. But hey, that’s another source of pressure that could help.

That’s all for now. Other great things are either too personal (hmmm…) or are still works in progress - and as people who know me, um, know, I don’t broadcast anything unless it’s a sure thing. And everything is pure happiness. I’m pursuing what makes me happy - not just pursuing, but doing it. More than something in the future, it’s something in the now.

I should have my own Coke commercial.

Once again my longing for peaceful relations has caused me to take it all in and be upset.

Somewhere deep inside me is a non-confrontational idiot who would rather sweep everything under the rug and move on. Better for me to take the blame and just shut up (and have everybody else shut up) than point fingers like everyone else, which stops everything from moving forward. So, despite what logical suggestions that were taken as direct orders, I take the blame. Despite leading questions that should have guided the assessment, I take the blame. Despite knowing something despite the lack of a formal announcement, I take the blame. Despite a closeness that would have facilitated communication, I take the blame. I’ll swallow it all and when I get full I’ll barf and breathe fire.

And now I’m upset. For allowing myself to take it all in, I shouldn’t be. But there are still words to be said and reasons to be uncovered, incapacities and stupidities to be acknowledged. I’d rather not talk lest I be accused of being mean. I’d rather swallow it all and let everyone have a merry Christmas.

I love having interviews. In one hour you try to get to know a person enough to see if you can take the chance and have them in the organization, your team, or maybe even your tighter circle.

And of course having someone new to talk to trying to impress you (or so I’d like to think) is interesting. Having to read through resumes trying to make them have their best feet forward is already quite fun.

The interviews I’ve had where I was the interviewee were all pretty light, at least the way I remembered them. Of course, we were talking serious stuff but the overall discussion was light. None of those superficial power-tripping interviews - leave that for the college orgs.

The interviews where I am the interviewer, I’d like to keep them light as well. No need to strike fear at this point - we have enough time for that when they do get hired.

Perhaps my only indulgence would be the non-work questions I have to put them in the mind-game mood. Let’s see what I can make out of the coming sessions.

Or so I stated in one of my tweets. Yes, I tweet now. Since apparently facebook has filled up with people I know but with people who know me in different ways. More or less the same thing goes with twitter but I guess the convenience of posting shoutouts from a smartphone is a big plus. And then there’s the fleeting nature of tweets - it’s quite an effort to dig through past tweets (at least from what I’ve seen) and even the chance to have some shoutouts get past you, which is really fine.

But there are some thoughts that although a shoutout or a tweet is enough for a release, there is a need or maybe a creative (and selfish) need to shout out in a more detailed manner. And hence, I’m back to blogging.

And I guess with all my other blogs floating around, I’ll be recovering this one at least for the personal stuff, musings, thoughts, ideas. And maybe another one I’ll be reviving once I get back into the theater-watching circuit. And then maybe shamelessly plug these in my tweets. Coming soon.