Keeping the Gates
Jun/090
Last week, I received a good number of “friends/follow requests” from people I know elsewhere. The thing is, one of these requests came from a drama king/queen (I’m not saying more) who, days after making the request, had the temerity to flame me and to even ask other people to gang up on me (online. Epic fail.) Another came from a friend of a friend who appeared to have just signed up for an account but hasn’t done anything meaningful to his/her account. (In other words, it looked like this person meant to watch my posts.) The others came from people who I don’t even know at all.
Needless to say, all those requests were rejected.
The thing is, since these people aren’t notified that I’ve rejected their requests, they may choose to re-add me to their contacts list hoping that I overlooked their requests. (So let me say that again in big bold letters, NO, NO, NO, don’t even bother adding me up to your accounts.) So, rather than keep some people hoping if they’ll ever make it to my social networking list/s, here’s a list of what to expect:
- Friendster is fair game. I’m more liberal here. Even if I barely know you, I don’t care, you can add me up. But who cares about Friendster anymore? The only reason I’m keeping my Friendster account is because of some friends who haven’t figured out Facebook or Multiply.
- Multiply is also fair game. But keep in mind that it’s more restrictive than Friendster.
- Facebook is hands off. Either I add you up/approve your request, or I don’t.
- Twitter is also hands off.
- Expect better luck if you’re:
- a relative;
- a former classmate; or
- a former officemate.
There are other criteria, but I won’t disclose them so as not to give the wrong ideas.
- Don’t even bother sending me invites to some new social networking website that the rest of us haven’t even heard of. Just don’t, I would definitely mark the email as spam.
If you’re already on my Facebook or Twitter list…good for you 
If you’re not…fat chance 
And one more thing: no, I’m not providing the links to or email address of my social networking accounts. I’m not in the mood to spoonfeed. Go figure that out yourself.
The Road Ahead
Jun/090
In the middle of my work, I came across three things that will keep my hands busy in the coming days. And these upcoming projects got me excited.
The first item is work-related. Since I don’t want to disclose the details of this side project (besides, I find that it bores other people, so why blog about it?), all I can say is this: it will be a worthy addition to my portfolio, especially since it will be my first real-world application of this particular skill. I’m now reviewing the materials I need for this side project.
Second, I will be working on perhaps the most ambitious collaboration I’ll ever undertake. This collaboration will involve a lot of, uh, revisions and rewritings, but it will guarantee that my creative juices will keep flowing in the coming weeks. This also means, more side projects that I can include on my non-work portfolio.
The third item is a little more personal, but it also involves something creative. (And musical, to be exact.) This other item is in for the long shot (I estimate it will take me at least 4 years to accomplish this objective), but once I finish this project, it will provide me more leverage and more credibility in this chosen endeavour; it will no longer become an avocation, but something more than that. (And, yes, I will have documents to prove that…if this other project succeeds)
For those who are reading from the BP Boards…no, the music tutorials/lectures are NOT one of them. But they are definitely in my long-term plans for this website. I’ll post an additional announcement if/when something’s in the air.
I deliberately omitted a lot of details so as not to undermine my efforts. When something concrete comes up, I might—and let me stress, might—post updates here. And probably share some of my output here.
Sorry, I’m not entertaining guesses
Sunny day
Jun/090
Sunny Sky (via Flickr)
After the non-storm—the storm warning signals were a dud—the glow of a warm morning sun.
It’s a beautiful morning. Go out and bask in the sunlight, people 
Tayong Dalawa and Hollywood Names
Jun/092
I don’t know if I’m the only person who has noticed this.
While watching Tayong Dalawa, I realized that one of its writers might have been a fan of classic 1950s/1960s movies.
The evidence? Interestingly, all the leading female characters were apparently named after famous Hollywood actresses:
NBI Wants to Interrogate Website (Not Its Owner :P )
Jun/096
Computer Network (Wikipedia)
I still crack up whenever I see this headline again and again:
Read that again. It says “website”. Not “website owners” or “webmasters” or “computer users”. It says “website”.
The news report then begins like this:
REVIEW: My Fake American Accent
Jun/091
Promo poster for My Fake American Accent
My Fake American Accent (2008)
Dirty Kitchen Productions
Director: Ned Trespeces
Writer: Ned Trespeces, Onnah Valera
Starring: Mailes Kanapi, Jonathan Neri, Martin de la Paz, Cherry Mae Canton, Miro Valera and Tracy Abad
Screening at Robinsons Galeria (IndieCine Cinema 
until June 23, 2009
When a movie about call center agents made by ex-call center agents gets screened, what’s an ex-call center agent got to do? Naturally, watch it, if only for old times’ sake. Having long retired from the trenches, I got interested after spotting My Fake American Accent on the movie listings. You don’t often get to see movies set in call centers, and this one promised to be unique.
True to its promise, Accent does begin with a newbie agent’s first day at work, memorizing his spiels while doing push-ups and between tooth brushes. The rest of the movie then details the stories of the other members of his team mates, including his team leader (Miss Seva), whose is motivated by her desire to become the next operations manager. This motivation, pit against each team member’s situation, drives the impetus for most of the story’s conflict; each character has to contend with both his/her own personal dilemma and their team leader’s micromanagement (for example, two characters had to endure a 20-hour shift).
In the Beginning
Jun/093
Kids in Classroom (flickr.com)
Classes have started for barely a month. It was a warm June afternoon, lunch break just ended, and the class were busy having good chats before the next classes start, punctuated by the percussive footsteps of some students hurrying to get back to their classrooms in time.
The English teacher walked right in, and the class was in order. After the mandatory prayers, the students took to their seats. “Today,” the teacher said, “we’re going to write an essay.”
The chatter fell silent at the mention of the word “essay”. After all, when you’re dealing with the teacher who handled the school paper for more than a decade the mere mention of the word evokes a images of a death sentence. “And because you’re in high school now,” the teacher continued, “this won’t be the same as your grade school ‘formal theme’. You won’t be copying your teacher’s sample essay; you will make your own.” Sensing the students’ apprehensions, he said, “I won’t make it hard for you. You will be writing your thoughts on a topic you all know about.”
Homecoming
Jun/097
Pen, ink and paper. Not mine, though (Flickr.com)
AS WITH MOST BLOGS, I’M starting out with a “mandatory” first-post, one that explains the initial purpose, objective and direction of having this blog. Starting this blog was something that I’ve long desired, but was unable to accomplish given the nature of my work. My web hosting account had been only a repository of some personal files; now, I’ve decided that this must change.