Music Inventory

I went thru my old "baul" and discovered I have collected a roomful of casette tapes and vinyl records of music I grew up listening to. After 2 hours of inventory, I can now say that I've owned almost all of Duran Duran's albums in the 80s. Mostly in casette form. Aghast! (And yes, I admit those were the days I wore lavander eye liner, crimped my hair ala Boy George and pretended I was a Brit) A few vinyll records include, Rolling Stone's 'Tatoo You', a hand-me-down gift from a cousin. For some reason, I also have a copy of an Ikabod Buwit album. Ah, my music influences...hahaha. "Best of Blondie", "Lotus Eaters" and the "Xanadu" soundtrack. The first LP I bought for P20. Yes, watched the movie and folded my frilly skirts ala Olivia Newton John's alien-cowgirl look. ELO's contributions to the album were quite impressive as well. I used to borrow my cousin's records since I obviously could not afford them. We listened to Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones and The Pretenders. I figured she was trying to veer me away from disco and the emerging bubblegum pop music. Chrissie Hynde became one of my icons, it was quite unexplainable why I wanted to look like her & not Pat Benatar. I did buy maroon boots & wore it over my pants. Shagged & gelled my hair like I missed bath for 5 days.

I did own single 45s of Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" (don't ask), KC & the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way..", Devo's "Whip It"... (& danced to them as well).. Just like candy, I would write down the song titles and ask my dad to buy them.

The bulky & flimsy casettes were a mix of New Wave, punk, rock, R&B,..pop, dance.. Billy Idol, Duran Duran, Prince, Jackson 5, The Cure, Liz Phair, The Breeders, Coolio, ELO, Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, The Police, En Vogue, Janet Jackson, Enya, Frank Sinatra, Modern English, Maxwell, Pearl Jam, STP, Seal, Pet Shop Boys, REM, U2, Tori Amos, B52s, the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, Clueless soundtrack, Pret a Porter soundtrack, Moby, Fat Boy Slim, Gabrielle, Diane Reeves, Lisa Stansfield, Manhattan Transfer, Salt n Pepa, TLC, Depeche Mode, George Benson, OMD, Sheryll Crow, Veruca Salt, Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, The Clash, Nirvana, Erasure, Lords of the New church, The church, Eurythmics, Marc Almond, Style Council, Ella Fitzgerald, Stephen Duffy, George Benson, Yoyoma, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, Aztec Camera, EBTG, The Chameleons...and the list goes on of course. Quite a selection...

HOW TO RECRUIT THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB

HOW TO RECRUIT THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB?

Put about 100 bricks in some particular order in a closed room with an open window.Then send 2 or 3 candidates in the room and close the door. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours and then analyze the situation.

If they are counting the bricks, Put them in the accounts department.

If they are recounting them, Put them in auditing.

If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, Put them in engineering.

If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, Put them in planning.

If they are throwing the bricks at each other, Put them in operations.

If they are sleeping, Put them in reception.

If they have broken the bricks into pieces, Put them in information technology.

If they are sitting idle, Put them in human resources.

If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a brick has ! been moved, Put them in sales.

If they have already left for the day, Put them in marketing.

If they are staring out of the window, Put them on strategic planning.

And then last but not least...

If they are talking to each other and not a single brick has been moved, Congratulate them and put them in Top Management.

- Raibow Terton Jag Gy (HR Phils e-group)

To dye for...

I'm not really that vain. Although no matter how I try to be high-maintenance, there's still a certain sloppiness which makes me...well,... me.

Few weeks ago I noticed that my self-dyed hair has grown out and since I'm attending a wedding weeks from now, I've decided to buy another home hair-dye kit and this time a different color from what I normally use. Sunday afternoon, I prepared all my kikay paraphernalia & proceeded with the operation inside fort knox (my bathroom). The direction reads 25 minutes but for some reason I decided to leave it on for another 1o minutes, then another 5 minutes... After the rinse & tons of conditioner, I faced the mirror with unexplainable horror. My once tame dull hair is now mandarin orange. It looked horribly worse than a cheap dye from a bottle. More like self-inflicted bathroom chemical dye... and I wasn't exactly aiming for an 80's punk look...
My husband was shocked but like a true gentleman that he is, assured me that the hair was fine. Love him.

I called my "suki" hairdresser & after a queer-eye-for-the-straight-girl moment, he demanded that I see him immediately. Of course I ended up shelling out more cash but I do look better in it. Now maybe next time I'll try it with my brows.

Crash

"No such thing as bad luck". I assured my husband on our way home from work.

Flashback. Sunday, 6:10 p.m.
Hubby & I figured in a minor car accident on our way home from church. My beloved hubby Marc was all relaxed and singing old baduy 70's tunes when the owner-type jeep ahead of us suddenly stopped at an intersection. Hubby was jolted from his 70's tralaland, hit the breaks just when our hood hit the jeep's rear end. Now a stainless jeep exterior to a 2003 Altis is like comparing arctic iceberg with leche flan. So obviously the jeep was completely unscathed. I, on the other hand, was able to test the seatbelt's effective break-sensor capabilities. Hmm very impressive, while my hubby was rattling away his temper.

We decided not to charge fron the insurance and instead pay P1500 for our car's bumper alignment & hood repainting-adjustments.

Fastforward.
Last night, hubby on his way from office hit another car's rear end. This time the owner (woman driver with PMS) was furious. We ended up at the police station, now with cool heads, exchanging numbers & sharing Marlboros with the owners of the AUV.
Now is this pure bad luck?

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I don't want to judge my husband's driving skills. I think it's more than just driving. I have this theory...
Good driving is a combination of skill, patience and self-control. Skill, of course, the first step is to learn how to drive. After driving for 17 years, the act of driving itself comes natural like walking or running. You don't think about the gear shift or the clutch and looking at the rear view mirror becomes a natural reaction. Patience, because anger will get you nowhere. Road rage is a major killer. Self control? There's always an urge to push the pedal and go over that 100kmph limit. You don't really need to unless you're driving a Ferrari at F1 racing. Control that pride. You are not the king of the road.

My dad always say, "you'll die defending your right of way". You drive thru a major road and ignore the crossing traffic because you think it is your right of way. You are hit by a truck and suddenly your rights are burried in a grave.

2005...The year in review...

Every January issue magazine has a list of the most intriguing and memorable events of 2005. Personally, It was an exciting year. We moved in to a new office, hired new people, and maybe for the first time..my performance was appraised and I got a raise! But the most important part is that my efforts were appreciated.
Nah! That's not it...

This year also made me cringe and laugh with Tom Cruise's antics and unnatural behavior, Furious and panicked by the rollercoaster price of gasoline, Saddened by Punongbayan's death by chopper crash and overwhelmed by the return of 80's and bohemian fashion.

Here's a rundown...

1. BOHO LOOK
Everbody's going bohemian. The gypsy skirt paired with plain shirt, flat thongs, long stringy necklaces or dangly earrings were everywhere. Gold and silver flats and who would forget the white flats everyone bought at 5th Ave Robinsons Galleria. My mom's 70's necklaces and paisley runched skirt suddenly looked cool.

Catherine Malandrino skirt
2. THINK GREEN & PINK

Everything is green and pink and I'm not talking about Bayani Fernando & his mayor wife MCF. Lacoste shirts and imitations, girlscout green and shocking pink-fuschia leather bags, shoes and everything else.

Marc Jacobs bag

3. BALLERINA CHIC & ROMATICISM

From ballet flats in every color to frilly skirts and shirts. Ribbons and lace. Twinsets, knits and crochets. Although I do own a pair of ballet flats I have yet to find the courage to wear that tutu & frou-frou.

PEOPLE, EVENTS & EVERYTHING ELSE

1. WORLD PYRO OLYMPICS

So much rave about this event but I missed it. So why put it in my list? It's still worth mentioning. Considering that thousands flocked to the reclamation area sans 4 hours traffic just to see the less-than-10-minute spectacle.

2. TOM CRUISE AT OPRAH & LENO

What the f--- really... I mean, it was so unnatural. Like a soap opera and everything was scripted. I do like seeing spoiled celebs inlove like maybe Will Smith & Jada Pinkett or Brand & Angelina, but to see Tom going bonkers jumping up and down Oprah's couch was too much. It made me cringe to my bone. Now that Katie's preggers, I stand by the fact that it's all planned and packaged. Tommers, yes, you may hate me!

4. MAJOR BREAKUPS

Okay this is all about Brad & Jen. I guess every guy is looking for excitement, strong woman-of-the world, with substance & a purpose in life,..and yes a woman to bear his children.

3. HELLO GARCI!

'Hello Garci' was played repeatedly on radio, television and everybody's mobile phone. The scandal has prompted call for GMA's resignation and sparked the worst politcal crisis to hit RP in recent years. GMA denied but later apologized in somber mood to the outraged pinoys.

4. MR. PINATUBO

Dr. Raymundo Punongbayan became famous after the 1990 Luzon earthquake and Pinatubo eruption. He tried so hard to explain to the common pinoys the cause of volcanic activity and earth crust movement. I must admit he did made me panic after announcing that Marikina is lying over a faultline that cuts thru the Ateneo campus, Marikina River area down to Libis and Pasig.

Punongbayan while serving as a member of the Philippine National Red Cross Board of Governors died in a helicopter crash along with four members of Philvolcs and four air force crew members. They were out on a mission to assess the government's disaster preparedness operations and possible resettlements for people displaced by floods and landslides.


MY LIFE

1. NEW HIRES!

2005 I interviewd almost 75 candidates for different positions in a span of 2 months. Some of them had to wait for 4 more months before being hired officially by the company. I'm glad for the positive direction (I think) but I suddenly miss my old colleagues who were affected by previous re-structuring. They're irreplaceable.

2. ETHAN TURNS 1

We celebrated our son Ethan's 1st birthday at Jollibee Libis. It was the most tiring but the most memorable event since my wedding and his baptism party.

3. ETHAN MILESTONES

I was getting worried that Ethan hasn't started walking at 11 months. But after a few weeks from his 1st birthday, he made his made his first step. After a while he has started running and the list goes on. Counting 1-13, (though mostly in random order), singing the alphabet song, bahay kubo, happy birthday and old McDonald. He showed clear interest in music. Singing along with a microphone and dancing. Now my fear has shifted to his future in entertainment.

He has started communicating more clearly by saying things like "Ayaw!", "C'mon!" (when he wants to go out & play or leave the room), "Open" (obviously when he wants to open something),"Upo","Moon","Good Morning - How are you?","Hi","Thank You". It's surprising to hear him say out loud the things he would see around him. He's growing up real fast and we're proud of how he's turning out to be.

To Diet...

I don't believe in New Year resolutions, but this year I'm making an exception. I wouldn't really call it that way but now that I have a deadline, I have a strong motivation to control my over-eating tendencies and hopefully shed off a few pounds (and inches off my waist & hips). Which also means, I am also hoping to fit in my Medium size shirts and size 27 skirts.

I was so frustrated to find out that I wouldn't fit in that amazing top from Mango after having saved hard-earned cash... boohoo..

Yes..laugh out loud. Since I am now known for my voracious appetite, nobody believes I can diet.

Now to shell out P3200 bucks a month for gym membership is out of the question and the Atkins diet is like slow painful death. The Zone and South Beach diets are still far too difficult to maintain for a first-timer.

My diet plan is simple. First is to detox, Second, eat right i.e. eat less of everything (since I do eat too much of everything) and thirdly the most important of all, avoid sodas. This simple plan, for me is like hell. I would take anything with a Coke sign.

I have just started the 1st part of my program. Detox. The herbal tea that promised detoxification tasted like garden soil and the whole experience was comparable to my post natal prep enema. It drained out all waste, toxins including my energy for the whole day. There was a 48 hour feeling of running to the toilet. But it did get rid of excess flab from my bloated stomach.

Just to prove that I am capable of such a simple task, I did went thru a very strict low-sugar-low-carb diet. Never mind that I was at that time, 7 months pregnant. It was a diet of all wheat, fiber-rich food, fruits & meat. It was torture to my hormone-affected appetite. I turned away from my favorite instant grape juice, desserts and pastries, and P1.00 mini monay bread from our local panaderia. But my sugar level returned to normal in 2 weeks. Except my baby grew too large for a normal delivery.

The point being... if I could do that..I can do this..now...for a freaking wedding that I have to attend in 5 weeks...and yes..the top from Mango.