The Traveler's PoV

Much of my life has been spent in traveling, whether it be the daily routines of going to school/work or the once in a while journey to other places for vacation, conferences, functions or other matters. Whatever the purpose, the voyage will always be made of at least three parts: departure, journey, and then arrival.

The actual travel begins after departure and ends with an imminent arrival. For a constant traveler such as me, the fun begins after leaving the starting point; of course, the destination, for which the travel serves a purpose, will only come after the journey.

One of my idiosyncracies include reveling on the adventure that accompanies each voyage. I always try to find some fun while in transit even if actual physical movement is limited within the moving vehicle. Generally, I'd take the chance to reflect whenever I'm traveling alone; after all, there is no better way to while the time away than to let your thoughts soar. Many times I've gotten some inspiration for my short stories while I'm pondering on some mundane thoughts during my travels.

Because of this, I always regard the journey as important as the destination. For me, there is but a golden rule to traveling: "At least either the journey or the destination is worth the trip."

For several times, I'd find that the destination doesn't live up to its promise of fun. Nonetheless, I find contentment during transit especially if I'd have the chance to collect my thoughts and savor the moments while I was journeying.

It is with this point of view that held in my hands my copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." After all, I've read the epilogue a few days before I bought the book (I'm a spoiler-addict :P) so I know where the story will lead to, unlike during the time when I first read Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince. So for one, the magic with which JK Rowling wraps her books' endings is broken; there wasn't much thrill about how the story will end.

So I pored through the pages of Deathly Hallows knowing that all I was reading will lead to the expected ending. But as I've said, "the journey must be worth the trip." I just couldn't help but be moved by the words of the book and the plot with which the story unfolded. All I could say, the book is worth the read even if you know how it will end.

Sure, there's no more thrill. But the thrill aspect is easily overcome with the savory plot that left me wanting to read through and through. I finished the book in about 12hours; I stopped and rested for two hours after 6hours of reading, and then I went on again for another 6hours until I finished it. Unlike the former books, I just couldn't stop until I finished it.

Even now, a week after I've read it, I'm still going back to the chapters I love. Such is the passion ignited by a good read that can only be the Deathly Hallows.

Harry Po-natic

This blog hasn't been much active for the past week, and I think I won't be updating over the weekend. Harry Potter Day tomorrow! :P

Can't wait to get my copy, and once I have it I'll surely read through it and forget everything else (everyone at home knows that that means I'm gonna ignore their petitions for assistance in doing household chores while I'm poring through the pages of Potter) ^_^

Demagogy

I was poring through articles on Wikipedia just now when I came across this entry, Demagogy. I actually came across the term while reading about McCarthyism. Reading such historical articles just brings shivers down my spine, for history seems to be repeating itself (or at least, Philippine goverment officials are just using more than 50-year old tactics for their personal gain)

LATA: Creepy Creatures

If your office is located within the Ilanin Forest, you should really expect to see creepy creatures at the most unexpected spots and moments. Pictured here is an owlfly I chanced upon one fateful night while I was gonna do some test calls. The bizaare appearance really sparked my interest, and I spent a great deal of time researching what this bug was. I initially thought it was a dragonfly, then somebody suggested it might be an adult antlion. While researching about antlions, I found out that it was, indeed, an owlfly.

I wanted to post a gecko along with this owlfly, but I can't find the pictures I took of our resident/pet lizard :P

More creepy creatures when I manage to get some pictures ^_^

Priceless

It has been nearly two years since I was reviewing for the ECE Board exams, after taking which I have lost contact with some old friends. If I could help it, I'd try to meet up with them or drop by their place.

But then there's this friend of mine with whom I had some misunderstanding in the past; I haven't met him after taking the exams because he's always not available when I was in their neighborhood (and he doesn't really go to our not-so-regular get-togethers). Today, when I finally managed to find him in his place, he had that look on his face while saying, "Ang laki naman ng ipinayat mo..." which is so...

Priceless.

:P

Friday the 13th

Good luck! ^_^

And no, I'm not endorsing Timex watches. Not yet, anyway :P

Reflections of Society

I actually have a profound interest in sociology (and demography in some extent), and it really fascinates me how a certain group of people would frown upon something that another greatly welcome. I'm willing to bet that this is caused by, and is a manifestation of, my great desire to travel the world and behold its beauty with my own eyes.

Ok, enough of that sentimental wishful thinking mode. What I'm pointing out with this post is the fact that my interest in knowing more about other societies is largely being catered to by the books that I read as well as the movies and Japanese anime I watch.

There's just too much into literature that many people don't just seem to notice (I guess I'm counting Japanese anime and manga as literary). When I digest literature, I also try to learn more about the social norms and cons that are embedded into it. Sure, most of the time writers and animators are focusing on this matter especially when developing characters (it is one of those over-employed tools to make the readers understand what a certain protagonist/antagonist is going through), but there are times when they do not. In such instances, I find great satisfaction in scooping out (and snooping into) the very same society that the writer is in.

Simple examples include 'sneezing' in anime, which denotes that Japs also believe one sneezes when others are talking about him; the curse words that are carefully filtered on every Harry Potter book; the great American pride that is very much apparent in Transformers the movie; and the Filipinos' dedication to education and religion. I think I'll expound more on this some other time, I wanna sleep nao :P

LATA: Call of Duty

From a technical point of view, the responsibilities of team ACeS is basically more encompassing in scope than most communications engineers; we are of course in charge of a whole network and it is our duty to ensure that processes are carried out in optimum condition. :P

Our concerns range from radio as well as gateway access, switching and transmission (radio and gateway accesses being provided by the Garuda and I-4 satellites, switching via our MSCs and transmission via microwave, leased line and fiberoptics) all in a day's work, which is eight hours per day at the minimum. It is rather startling to note, from an outsider's point of view, that the gateway is most of the time undermanned.

It is customary that weekend shifts are carried out in a single-duty basis, and graveyard shifts are but lonely almost the whole week. There had been several occasions when even the single duty is compromised; I myself have been forced to re-schedule restdays just to accommodate sudden lack in manpower.

Only yesterday, the slight fever I had for the past days had gone a bit worse. Yet I had to man the graveyard shift; good thing that I was feeling better by the time my duty began.

I know each member of team ACeS is hoping for an increase in manpower; I'm pretty sure we'd welcome all the help we could. Only, there's this news: no news about additional personnel on site, even if our network will get bigger come the launching of Batavia.

Dreaming and the Dinner Dance

Almost a week has passed since I went to the Dinner Dance for the alumni of Wesleyan University – Philippines, and it is largely because of my laziness that I’m blogging about the event just now. Better late than never, so they say, anyway :P

First off, I didn’t have an idea that it was a dinner dance affair to begin with; I was invited by my former Managing Editor to come round the university grounds for an alumni homecoming and a chance to meet up with my former colleagues in the student paper. One of the first questions I asked him regarding the event was, “What should I wear?”

Jasper (Lolo Jasper, the managing editor when I was EiC) was succinct: strictly formal. Honestly, I didn’t give much thought about it anyway, and I proceeded to buy something that looks formal enough. Lo and behold! I was pretty much taken aback when I arrived, I didn’t bring my dancing shoes ^_^

Then came registration. If I was surprised that I was attending a rather formal dinner, my former mentors where even more surprised to see me! Actually, I was the only alumnus from the engineering department to attend (not counting those who proceeded to teach in the department after graduation) and I’d gladly bet that they (my teachers) weren’t expecting anyone to come. And to cap things off, they didn’t even ask me to pay the registration fee (but I guess they just forgot all about it) :)

So there I was, the lone alumni from the engineering department. My colleagues at Genre (the student paper), Jasper and Jenna, were emcees during the event so I was sitting alone until Joy and Aiza showed up. Nonetheless, I got to mingle with some more former instructors and I got round to catch up with the latest happenings on-campus.

Joy and Aiza came as dinner was about to be served, and we exchanged pleasantries and stories while eating (the food was really good ^_^). It dawned to me that everyone else is progressing in their respective careers: Joy is now an account executive, Aiza now holds office as Office of Student Affairs director, Jenna’s gone back to Law school (I’m still hoping that I get the chance, too), and Jasper’s raking in twice as much as my monthly salary.

Yeah, yeah, I’m feeling a bit bitter over my job as of the moment, for various reasons. Well, at least I’m not on the bottom list since Vernon (the former EiC before me) is yet to join us as alumni. (Jay, we hope and pray na matapos na ang pagma-major mo ng CE at PE, hehe)

After the dinner dance, wherein we ate everything they served (and we did EAT much) and never danced, we went to a local café and continued our talks about our lives and careers. Our discussions (and pretty much gossip-sharing, and in my case, listening ^_^) led to some business plans.

We all share a common view: entrepreneurship is the key, being an employee will never be enough. Until the early hours of the next day, our discussions progressed into how we’ll build a 5-storey commercial center with the following specs: the first floor will be for a café (we did enjoy our time at that café so we wanted our own ^_^), the second floor will house an internet shop (this is really my suggestion), the third floor will be for a nursery of some sort (they said it might work in Cabanatuan), the fourth floor will have a call center (so Jasper can start his own, harhar), and the fifth floor shall contain law offices for Jenna.

It might be a joke now, but who knows, right? At least my night was spent fruitfully; I got to meet up with old friends even if we work very much apart.

It’s really nice to have that chance to come together after a long time apart, and spend that time just fooling around with childish fantasies. Such moments are what make life a bit more colorful and fun, right? It is for moments such as these that make me wanna stay here, coz as they say, “Walang ganyan sa States.”

Right, Jom? (Btw, we are all looking forward to your homecoming. For sure, kumpleto kami lahat when you get back here ^_^)

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Note: Thanks to our sponsors (yeah, yeah, this is Aiza’s line but I’ll borrow it ^_^), Pepsi, unlimitxt, and Kyle’s. Of the three, Kyle’s lng ang totoo. Hehe.

LATA: Similarly Idiosyncratic

I’ve always known that my life here at ACeS had been much of a rollercoaster ride – it’s a series of ups and downs, spirals or straightforward journeys.

Just a few days ago, I’d rather stay at the office, working for at most 14days straight without any restday just because I love the office duty (and the ability to surf the net for free). Sad to say, that was the ups of the journey. Suddenly, my life is now spiraling downwards again.

One thing makes this day stand out is this: all of us junior engineers here seem to be experiencing an uphill slowdown in our own idiosyncratic ways. Three out of us six have love problems, I myself am having that lingering feeling of not being professionally satisfied, one is not having as much time as he would want to spend with his wife, and one missing his spiritual life. Jeez, it seems that we all experience the downward turn of life here at the office all at the same time.

The only bright prospect in the horizon is the fact that after the darkest hours comes the brightness of a new day. After the downwards spiral, the rollercoaster that we call ACeS life may well be going up again in its exhilarating way that leaves us breathless and yearning for more.

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I just hope that some good news (preferably in the form of a contest result :P) will come up towards the end of the month, or early next month. These days, I can only look to the future, hoping that the coming of a brand new day heralds some good tidings.

Too Sleepy for Comfort(?)

I feel so sleepy, and I don't know why. Perhaps I'm no longer used to doing these graveyard shifts, but whatever the reason is, I still need to perform my duties.

Just a few hours ago, I decided to resume my writing (and make that blog about the dinner dance) but I had to set aside my plans because I'm to sleepy to write anything.

I hope I get to get more sleep tomorrow, so I can go on with my plans.

Totally Random, Incidental Post (TRIP)

I just watched Transformers this afternoon, and I really loved it. I plan to watch re-runs of the film (on pirated DVD!) :P Nah, that's just an option since I'm going back to ACeS tomorrow, and I'd be having two straight weeks of duty. So that means I might not have time to watch the movie again on the big screen. Now, if the movie hasn't been too pro-American, I'd have rated it 10/10.

Anyway, a lesson I've got from the experience:

"Mom is not the best person to watch it with."

Harhar. Honest!

By the way, you might ask about the entry's title (and why I didn't name it with Xformers or something). This post is random, as in just random thoughts, like it is best to blog down things as they happen or else you might never get to write down about the dinner dance you went to the other night.

Owkay, I'd do that dinner dance affair a separate entry perhaps tomorrow. I wanna do it justice (and it deserves a full length entry that I should have posted yesterday).

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Note to myself: Transformers teh movie is for kids and kids at heart. Mom is neither of the two ^_^