corporate acronyms

my first telecon with this company was held yesterday at 9am philippine time, 5pm seattle time. it was ok, after some introductions, we discussed the upcoming projects to be done here. then, after the telecon, scott, sir kit, james and i have a wrapping-up meeting, where we also talked about some of the common acronyms used here. WSI which is used largely means Web System Interface, though I always referred to this as GUI or graphical user interface before. Scott used to work at Intel and they have their TLA database where TLA stands for Three-Letter Acronym. then, they also have GOST meetings and SNAFU situations. For the meaning of these terms? just ask me privately :p

i need...

• foot stool (spell check)
  
• a small pillow
• walkman / diskman hopefully which can be powered by electricity as well as battery
  

all to be used here in the office. any kind-hearted souls there? :D

Birthday, 'service incentive' leaves sought for all workers

A MEASURE seeking to grant a birthday leave and five-day "service incentive leave" both with pay every year for all employees has been filed at the House of Representatives.
Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez's House Bill 4994 or "An act granting a birthday leave with pay, amending for that purpose Chapter III Article 95 Presidential Decree 442 otherwise known as 'The Labor Code of the Philippines,' and for other proposes" recognizes the right of every employee to have a "birthday leave and service incentive leave with pay."

Suarez said his proposal was mandatory for all government and private workers.

Under the proposed measure, "Every employee who has rendered at least one year of service shall be entitled to a birthday leave and yearly service incentive of five days, both with pay."

However, "workers who are already enjoying these benefits and those employed in establishments regularly employing less than 10 employees or in establishments exempted from granting these benefits by the Secretary of Labor after considering the viability of their financial condition are not covered by the proposed legislation," according to the proposed measure.

Suarez said he filed the bill "to afford laborers a chance for rest and recreation on their birthdays to rejuvenate themselves and to spend their time with their respective families."

"Its main thrust is to give the members of the labor force the gift of a day's pay, not simply as a mere concession or act of grace from the employer but as a matter of legal right granted by the State," he said.

the first week of january 2006

i have many things planned this week before i start working on the 9th.

i want to:

• go and watched spellbound
• have a beauty-day bonding with my mom
• meet my lolah abby

i need to:

• to go to the dentist for my brace adjustment
  

its already midweek and i had accomplished only one of my wants and still needs to schedule my need.. oh well..

i also wanted to watched the following metro manila filmfest entries:

• mulawin
• enteng kabisote 2
• exodus
  

but till now i haven't watched any yet.

i really have to buy a dvd player so that we can just rent or buy tapes for movies we missed watching on theaters.

Spellbound!

yesterday was a spellbound night! my mom and i went and watched Spellbound at its 6pm show in the Araneta Coliseum. the show was great, and we had a good time. the part i liked best is the levitations done by the majestix, jackson rayne's comic magic trick, and the grace and agility of the human design. i think we'd be watching more of magic shows now that i can afford it :)

Are you better off single?

my score is 15.. i think im just a hopeless romantic *sigh*

the resolution that was

based from my new year's resolution for 2005, ano na nga ba ang naaccomplish ko?


* engage in fitness activities (exercise, sports) -- kulang pa.. had engaged in around 2-4 activities, pero i need to put more time and maybe find some sports buddy to play with.
* babawasan ko na kalat sa room ko (ang hirap ata nun) -- di pa rin nagawa.. so i think i have to try harder this year
* enhance my artistic side (meron ba ako nun?) -- wala pa rin, hehhee
* set my priorities and choose my friends more carefully -- done with success, and this is a good habit :D

for this year? di na siguro muna.. i just hope na this year e more of sports activities for me :D

happy 2006

finally, i had pushed myself to change my blog's skin, which is very much long overdue. new year lang pala hinihintay nito e, hehehe

anyways, yesterday, we were quite busy with preparations for the media noche. we had our year-end prayer at 4pm in the locale. after that, we watched the parade of the different groups in the nearby barangays which is very much nakakaaliw

i had my last day at work last dec. 29 and my boss sadly bade me goodbye. me? well, frankly, i will miss the atmosphere, but its time to move on, and i hope its for the best.

last dec. 28, i took a day off from work. my mom and i went to sm southmall and bought tickets for the January 3 show of Spellbound then went malling afterwards

turn over time

turn over time started last wednesday, dec 21. kapatid din pala yung papalit sa akin, from signal village. kahapon e wala na akong ginagawa and was planning not to go to work next week, dahil mahirap magpatay ng oras ng walang pc, syempre, walang net, pero buraot ang boss ko at gusto nya pa akong pumasok till dec 29. dapat magamit ko pc nya or ng iba next week at mahirap magpatay ng oras ng walang net..

which superhero are you?

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 80% Robin 75% Green Lantern 75% The Flash 70% Spider-Man 65% Wonder Woman 55% Supergirl 55% Hulk 50% Iron Man 40% Catwoman 25% Batman 20%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

employee questionaire

how long have you been employed? i started working as soon as i graduated, may of 1997
your most hated employer: not really hate, but disliked. its xorand. but whatever happened before has taught me a lot, including to be strong and not get intimated :)
any decisions you've made in your career that you regret? whatever the consequences of my decisions, i didnt regret it coz i learned a lot along the way :)
your most loved employer: LST in ortigas and my current client, UMC (Nissan). i wouldn't have moved to a new employer had it not been for employee benefits which i cant get here. otherwise, the environment is ok.

i am hoping and praying that my new job / company / employer will turn out ok and i can stay there and have a new legacy :)

movie reviews

last friday, i took the day off from work. my mom and i eventually went to Festival Mall and watched Chicken Little. i had no plans of watching the said movie, had i not heard from the news that a Filipino was behind the making of these cartoon movie (see story below). anyway, i find the movie a good watch, specially if you're looking to find a good laugh, and it also has its own moral story.

afterwards, i proceeded to watch Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. after three weeks of showing in local theaters, i have second thoughts of watching this movie due to feedbacks i am getting from those who had already watched it. but since my mom knows that i was waiting for the movie a long time, she persuaded me to go ahead and watch it. after watching it, i find Chicken Little more okay than HP. maybe because i wasn't expecting anything from Chicken Little and had high hopes on HP. I miss the melodramatic scenes in HP which was in the book. The movie was very much fast-paced, and still consumes around 3hrs of viewing. anyway, i'll be waiting for two movies next year, x-men and superman :)

from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=23455
Ralph Fernan: The big Pinoy behind 'Chicken Little'
By DENNIS LADAW

Walt Disney’s newest animated feature "Chicken Little" is making waves at the American box office, as grosses hit nearly $120 million since it first opened three weeks ago.

A very loose adaptation of the venerable children’s story, Chicken Little is bound to be as popular as the other Disney characters. This quirky new character is the archetype 98-ounce weakling, yet children will soon be posing for pictures with his six-foot-tall mascot in Disney’s theme parks around the world.

Nobody could be prouder of this little hero than Philippine-born Ralph Fernan, who was responsible for animating both the title character and his father, Buck Cluck. It was up to Fernan to give life to these two lead chickens. He clearly had the most challenging task of giving the film its heart.

"As you have probably noticed, there are many scenes between Chicken Little and his father," the 40-something Fernan told Life & Times via phone patch. "So as animator, I had to build a rapport between father and son and make it look realistic."

Many of the scenes between the older chicken and his tiny son are tender and actually human, and they comprise the best moments of this otherwise rapidly paced CGI movie. Yet Fernan refused to take the entire credit. He attributes the success of the film to a lot of contributors, from the gifted voice talents, the art directors and the overall director Mark Dindal.

With all the talented animators and art directors working on the film, it seems that director Dindal would have little else to do, but Fernan said that on the contrary, he was the central guiding force of the whole production.

"True, we all had our duties but it was Mark who set the tone and direction of the film. He’d advise us in certain scenes and describe their purpose. How the characters should react to certain situations, how the action ought to be depicted and he more or less choreographed entire scenes," he explained.

It was Dindal who also coached the voice talents, which included major stars like Steve Zahn, Patrick Stewart, Don Knotts and Joan Cusack.

From UE’s pride to Disney’s gem

Fernan was born in Manila and is a Fine Arts graduate of the University of the East. Although he majored in painting, he found himself working on animation. "My first stint with animation was when I was hired by the local studio of Hanna-Barbera," he said.

"That was in the eighties, not long after I finished college. You can say that it was at Hanna-Barbera where I got my formal training, where I learned the ropes."

Most children are familiar with many of Hanna-Barbera’s beloved characters -- from Scooby-Doo and Yogi Bear to The Flintstones and Josie and the Pussycats.

Fernan was assistant editor of the Hanna-Barbera’s feature-length cartoon Once Upon A Forest (1993), which featured the voice talents of Michael Crawford and Ben Vereen.

Sadly, however, the company was compelled to shut down its Manila studio due to financial difficulties.

As with most of the talented Filipino animators, Fernan decided to seek his fortunes in other countries. There were fewer opportunities for animators in the Philippines, he explained. While others found employment in Australia, Fernan and a few others tried their luck in the United States. Fernan has so far been the most fortunate Filipino animator. He found work at Burbank Studios and was animator for the features of Turner Pictures and Warner Brothers. Among his credits are the highly acclaimed Iron Giant (1999) and Stuart Little 2 (2003).

Not long after, he was hired by Walt Disney and was immediately assigned to Chicken Little. "We started to work on Chicken Little two years ago. It all began with storyboarding and scripts which were continuously revised," Fernan recalled.

Fernan noted there are several Filipinos working in Disney, both in the production and administration’s departments. "We’re all so proud to be part of this great company. I’ve met Roy Disney, the son of Walt Disney. He looks a lot like his father!" he said.

For Disney, Chicken Little was a major gamble that paid off. It was the first CGI film, the studio produced on its own. (Pixar produced most of its CGI productions.) The studio first adapted Chicken Little for the screen in 1943 using traditional animation.

"Of course, traditional animation will always have its advantages, but with CGI, the work is faster and easier. I would like to work on conventional animation again," he said.

Fernan resides with his wife and son in Altadena, California. While he’s enjoying his work in Disney, he said he hopes the animation industry in the Philippines would eventually get off the ground. "Then perhaps the talent wouldn’t have to migrate to other countries," he said.

13 ways to relieve stress

Stress Reliever #1
Wife : You always carry my photo in your handbag to the office. Why?
Hubby : When there is a problem, no matter how impossible, I look at your picture and the problem disappears.
Wife : You see, how miraculous and powerful I am for you?
Hubby : Yes, I see your picture and say to myself, "What other problem can there be greater than this one?"

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 2
Girl: When we get married, I want to share all your worries, troubles and lighten your burden.
Boy: It's very kind of you, darling, But I don't have any worries or troubles.
Girl: Well that's because we aren't married yet.

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 3
Son: Mom, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he told me to give up my seat to a lady.
Mom: Well, you have done the right thing.
Son: But mum, I was sitting on daddy's lap.

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 4
Wife to husband: "What's your excuse for coming home at this time of the night?"
Husband to wife: "Golfing with friends, my dear."
Wife to husband: "What? At 2 am?!"
Husband to wife: "Yes, We used night clubs."

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 5
Father to son after exam: "let me see your report card."
Son: "My friend just borrowed it. He wants to scare his parents."

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 6
A teacher asked her class for sentences using the word "beans"..
"My father grows beans," said one student.
"My father cooks beans," said another.
Then little Johnny spoke up: "We are all human beans."

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 7
Interviewer to Millionaire: "To whom do you owe your success as a millionaire to?"
Millionaire: "I owe everything to my wife."
Interviewer: "Wow, she must be some woman. What wer e you before you married her?"
Millionaire: "A Billionaire"

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 8
Girl to her boyfriend: One kiss and I'll be yours forever.
The guy replies: Thanks for the warning.

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 9
A husband was asked: Do you talk to your wife after sex?
He replied: Depends, if I can find a phone.

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 10
Man to wife on wedding night: Are you sure I'm the first man yo u are sleeping with?
Wife replied: Of course honey, I stayed awake with all the others!

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 11
Why did they stop printing PAMELA ANDERSON stamps in the U.S. ?
Answer: Because people started licking the wrong side.

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 12
A wife asked her husband: What do you like most in me - my pretty face or my sexy body?
He looked at her from head to toe and replied: I like your sense of humour.

________________________________________________________________________
Stress Reliever # 13
Doctor to his lady patient: You look terribly weak and exhausted! Are you having your meals three times a day as I have advised?
Lady replied: Doctor, I thought you said three males a day.

Makita Kang Muli

Makita Kang Muli

Sugarfree

Bawat sandali ng aking buhay
Pagmamahal mo ang aking taglay
San man mapadpad ng hangin
Hindi magbabago aking pagtingin
Pangako natin sa Maykapal
Na tayo lamang sa habang buhay
Maghintay

Ipaglalaban ko ang ating pag-ibig
Maghintay ka lamang, Ako’y darating
Pagka’t sa isang taong mahal mo ng buong puso
Lahat ay gagawin makita kang muli,
Makita kang muli

Puso’y nagdurusa nangungulila
Iniisip ka ‘pag nag-iisa
Inaalala mga sandali
Nang tayo ay magkapiling
Ikaw ang gabay sa aking tuwina
Ang aking ilaw sa gabing mapanglaw
Tanging ikaw

Ipaglalaban ko ang ating pag-ibig
Maghintay ka lamang, ako’y darating
Pagka’t sa isang taong mahal mo ng buong puso
Lahat ay gagawin
Makita kang muli, makita kang muli
Makita kang muli

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2005,WHEN

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2005,WHEN....

1. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
2. You have a list of 10 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
3. You e-mail the person who lives in the house next door.
4. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and
family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
5. You've sat at the same desk for four years and
worked for three Different companies.
6. You learn about your redundancy on the 10 o'clock news.
7. Your boss doesn't have the ability to do your job.
8. You pull up in your own driveway and use
your mobile phone to see if anyone is home
to help you carry in the groceries.
10. Leaving the house without your mobile phone,
which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years
of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn
around to go and get it.
11. You get up in the morning and go on line
before getting your coffee.
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are
going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that
there wasn't a #9 on this list.

AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING at yourself. Go on, forward this to your friends....you know you want to!

sing-song

there's this song and i dont know why i remember everytime i hear this line.. "just hold your hand and praaay... yeyey.." specially the yeyey part *lol*

~~~~~~~

i'll start turnover procedures come dec 22, or after office hours days before that. my kapalit has arrived, 3yrs in php programming. hopefully, everything will turn out ok, for me and everyone else

20 days to go

20 working days to go before this year ends. i have 20 days to finish all the things, including turnover of my workload to a new programmer. glad that my boss had already accepted the fact that i'll be leaving and is back in his good mood again. i admit that i'll miss this company, but i really have to move on

habulan

almost a month has passed since i had updated my blog. i wish to change my blog's skin but i think that can wait, for now.

anyways, sobrang maraming nangyari sa akin for the past days. i have told my boss that i can no longer accept another extension contract since i'll be moving on to a new company which has offered me a regular position, not to mention a higher rate. dun na nagsimula ang problema. i have 2 more months before my contract nung malaman nya e tuliro na sya. so imagine kung ano na lang ang kinikilos nya ngayong 1 month na lang ang natitira. he's very much grumpy nowadays. di na nya ako kinakausap, which is, for me okay dahil bawas nangungulit at mas marami akong nagagawa. at di ko na nadidinig ang nakakairitang line nya na "mataas kasi ang presyo mo" or "masyadong kang mahal" at "di ka namin kaya".

since i started working, i never begged for any company to hire me or keep me in their workforce. pero bakit may mga times ngayon na parang utang na loob ko pa sa kanila na hinire nila ako? parang gusto nilang palabasin na wala akong utang na loob at aalis na ako ngayon. i mean, my contract will end on january 3rd, at wala akong viniolate sa contract na yun. tatapusin ko yun kahit di ko na feel. and im doing all the docs in preparation sa susunod na hahawak ng project.

the ceo of my agency, which happens to be his elder sister is also very much affected. at yung pagkaapekto nya sa situation e sana wag makaapekto sa relationship namin, as frends. i mean, yes, we're not that close, but during the course of our employer-employee relationship, we had bonded a frendship. anyway, kung maaapektuhan, e wala akong magagawa, blood is thicker than water, ika nga. but still, alam nya kung ano ang kalakaran sa agency, and therefore should not blame me.

she has asked me na kausapin ang boss ko (her bro) and to assure him na magiging ok ang takbo ng project kahit di na ako ang humahawak. ayaw pa daw nya kasing kausapin yun dahil wala syang maibigay na solusyon sa problema. parang, teka.. obligasyon ko pa ba yun? di naman ako siguro sisigawan nito, tulad ng ginagawa nya sa ate nya di ba? masyado kasi syang na-i-stress na sya daw nagrecommend sa agency ng ate nya at kung mabibitin ang project e sya ang masisisi at ikasisira ng record nya at pwede nyang ikatanggal. san ang justification sa iniisip nyang ito? ewan ko. pano ko sya kakausapin? ewan ko rin. parang mahirap atang kumausap sa taong sa tingin ko e sarado na ang pag-iisip.

for now, kelangang matapos ko ang lahat ng pwedeng tapusin. para kung may maiwan mang
mga bugs e hindi na sya show stopper.

2 phone calls

yesterday, i was on my way to cubao when i received a phone call from a friend.. haay naku.. na-depress lang ako after our conversation.. parang lalong lumiliit ang percentage ng matinong guys around..

kaninang umaga, i received a phone call na nagpangiti naman sa akin..

well.. tulad ng news.. phone calls can make or break someone's day..

missing someone...

im missing the long talks and bantering we used to share.. i know that you're busy.. that both our scheds wouldn't meet for sometime now.. but im glad na kahit pano, nagkakausap pa rin tayo.. pero miss pa rin kita..