Wednesday, February 28, 2007

quarter life crisis

my officemate and partner in work were discussing about her friends' accomplishments and she confessed that she is somewhat feeling a little insecured about their achievements because she haven't reached the same level as her friends had. i told her that it might be a quarter life crisis.

i've got the following info about quarter life crisis
from wikipedia:

EMOTIONAL ASPECTS

Characteristics of this crisis are:

* feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at his/her academic/intellectual level
* frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
* confusion of identity
* insecurity regarding the near future
* insecurity regarding present accomplishments
* re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
* disappointment with one's job
* nostalgia for university or college life
* tendency to hold stronger opinions
* boredom with social interactions
* financially-rooted stress
* loneliness
* desire to have children
* a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you

These emotions and insecurities are not uncommon at this age, nor at any age in adult life. In the context of the quarter-life crisis, however, they occur shortly after a young person – usually an educated professional, in this context – enters the "real world". After entering adult life and coming to terms with its responsibilities, some individuals find themselves in a world of career stagnation and extreme insecurity. This can be after a first job or straight out of college/university. Whenever it is, the real world is tougher, more competitive and less forgiving than they imagined. Furthermore, the qualifications they have spent so much time and money earning are not likely to prepare them for this.

As the emotional ups-and-downs of adolescence and college life subside, many in the quarter-life crisis experience a "graying" of emotion. While emotional interactions may be intense in a high school or college environment – where everyone is roughly the same age and hormones are highly active – these interactions become subtler and more private in adult life. Nobody wants to admit to feeling like a 'loser'. This secrecy intensifies the problem.

Furthermore, a contributing factor to this crisis may be the difficulty in adapting to a workplace environment. In college, professors' expectations are clearly given and students receive frequent feedback on their performance in their courses. You progress year-to-year in higher education. By contrast, in a workplace environment, a person may be, for some time, completely unaware of a boss's displeasure with his performance, or of his colleagues' dislike for his personality. One does not automatically make progress. Office politics require interpersonal skills that are largely unnecessary for success in an educational setting. Emerging adults eventually learn these social skills, but this process – sometimes compared to learning another language – is often highly stressful.

FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL ASPECTS

A primary cause of the stress associated with the "quarter-life crisis" is financial in nature; most professions have become highly competitive in recent years. Positions of relative security – such as tenured positions at universities and "partner" status at law firms – have dwindled in number. This, combined with excessive downsizing, means that many people will never experience occupational security in their lives, and this is doubly unlikely in young adulthood. Generation X was the first generation to meet this uncertain "New Economy" en masse. There is also the problem of crippling student loans.

The era when a professional career meant a life of occupational security – thus allowing an individual to proceed to establish an "inner life" – is coming to a crashing end. Financial professionals are often expected to spend at least 80 hours per week in the office, and people in the legal, medical, educational, and managerial professions may average more than 60. In most cases, these long hours are de facto involuntary, reflecting economic and social insecurity. While these ills plague adults at all ages, their worst victims are ambitious, unestablished young adults.

In The Cheating Culture, David Callahan illustrates that these ills of excessive competition and insecurity do not always end once one becomes established – by being awarded tenure or "partner" status – and therefore the "quarter-life crisis" may actually extend beyond young adulthood. Some measure of financial security – which usually requires occupational security – is necessary for psychological development. Some have theorized that insecurity in the "New Economy" will place many in a state of, effectively, perpetual adolescence, and that the rampant and competitive consumerism of the 1990s and 2000s indicates that this is already taking place.

i know i went through this sometime in the 28 years of my life but i really did not dwell on it a lot. although, there are thoughts of insecurities to people a lot younger than i am who are quickly climbing the corporate ladder. but most of the time, i don't entertain them. for now, i am quite satisfied with my life and how life is treating me. i never dreamt of climbing the corporate ladder and be a big shot in the corporate world. all i wanted is to be known in the field i chose to excel and definitely it's not the corporate world. i am here working in a company for financial reasons and personal responsibilities. if i would be asked to leave it one day in exchange of an established career in my chosen field. i know that one day, i am going to reach that goal. in God's will and time. :)

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

happy birthday kuya and yen-yen!

it's my older brother and his daughter's birthday today. my brother turns 30 years old and my niece turns 3 years old. how time flies. i can still remember how my brother and i fought about petty things while playing. now, i rarely see him. the same with my niece. i doubt it if she still recognizes me. no matter what, i still wish them the best on their special day. :)

Monday, February 26, 2007

he's back!!!

i'm so glad he's back. my primetime nights won't be complete without hearing his voice. big brother is back! yahoo! :)



Sunday, February 25, 2007

in memoriam of EDSA people power 1


for more information regarding EDSA. please click here.

photos were taken from the internet.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

we are the champions


this year's pba season indeed had me on the edge of my seat. though, i was not able to watch all of the games of my ever favorite pba team since i was a kid. i am still glad i was able to watch the last few minutes before the moment of their glory. :) congratulations to barangay ginebra kings! mabuhay kayo! :)

i'm back!

i've been away from work for 4 days. it was coincidental though. i was allowed not to go to work because of the extra 8 hours i worked last monday. i filed a vacation leave for ash wednesday so i can devote that day in going to church. i got bored during the course of those 4 day vacation from work. i dunno why. it just felt weird. nothing special happened during my vacation. all i did was sleep. hahaha... i guess i am just making up for the times i didn't get enough sleep. hehehe... i just realized how i enjoy my current work and as much as possible stay... hehehe...

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

remembering the beatles

in memory of my favorite band ever. :) i remember waiting for their music videos on channel 5 (or channel 4?) during saturday afternoons. i was still in grade school when i got hooked to their music. it was my dad's and brother's fault. hahaha...






Monday, February 19, 2007

OT again

i thought i won't be able to write something here today. akala ko lang yun. hehehe... eto ako ngayon... OT ulit from 10pm to 6am tomorrow. i expect to do this again in the coming days. di ko nga lang alam kung hanggang kelan ko to matatagalan. things are getting really worst here at work. ayoko pa lang umalis kse nakikiramdam pa ako and i am still hoping that everything's going to be okay pa. i am actually torn. i know i can't find any job this relaxed anymore but how can i manage with a meager salary. haay... ang buhay nga naman parang life. :)

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Saturday, February 17, 2007

guess who :D

usapang camera ulet




i have been thinking about this for days already since the price of a nikon d40 was brought to my attention compared to a canon 350d. also, i noticed that the canon 350d is already out of stock and no longer offered in most photo/camera stores. after reading a lot about the pros and cons of which camera to choose, i have finally made up my mind and will go for a nikon d40. the reason, it produces great pictures using the kit lens plus the fact that it is affordable for a digital slr and will surely be very practical for a first time dslr user like me. so all i have to do is stretch my salary so i can save up and get this camera. wish me luck guys! :)

pig out day

at last, i can now blog. hehehe... i was waiting for the pics to be available before i write anything here. so here goes...



i had a n
ice time yesterday with abba and of course yoshie. abba, yoshie and i met up at shangrila plaza mall yesterday. abba picked me up sa dati naming tagpuan. hahaha... yeah, she usually picks me up at tikling whenever we have lakad and she brings her car. we arrived at shangrila at about 11:30am because traffic was horrible. a couple of friends were supposed to meet us up but only yoshie showed up at about 4pm. yeah, the meeting time was 11am. hehehe... abba and i ate at green tomato when we arrived because i was already starving. we ordered pasta, mozzarela and chicken fillet. those were supposed to be good for the three of us but since i was so hungry... we finished them all. hahaha... oo, inaamin ko marami ako nakain. i am guilty as charged. hahaha... the food was good. promise. it's all worth it. we even went back there because yoshie wanted to eat something when she arrived and would like to try the food in green tomato. and like me, she also liked the food. :)

while waiting for yoshie and our other friends who promised to come, abba and i covered the entire mall. yup, ginala namin ang buong shangrila. we saw basil valdez with i think his family and christian bautista who had a mini-concert for josh groban's album launch. i b
ought a new book. the inheritance trilogy book 1: eragon. i just got intrigued by it because of the movie. :)

because we got tired of walking, we decided to go to starbucks and eat some dessert. i was so stuffed with all we ate that i did not feel hungry up until this morning when i woke up. geez... gusto ko na ngang umiyak nung kumain si yosh sa green tomato and they want me to order. waahh!

i had fun sobra. lalo na siguro kung mas maaga dumating si yosh. hehehe...

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btw, congrats to the newest tita to two cute baby boy twins. (huh?! did i construct that correctly??!! it sounds weird. hahaha)

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

and the list grows longer

i've been reading the pinoy photography forum since yesterday. i just got curious about a couple of things. hehehe... i've got the latest price list of the things i would like to buy by the end of the year. here it goes:

canon eos 350d - 33k (price from hidalgo not sure though if it has local warranty)
canon 50mm f1.8 mkII lens - 4500 (price from hidalgo too)
transcend CF card 80x 2GB - 1900
extra rechargeable battery - 3000 (from muradito.com)
lens hood - not sure how much this is
58mm UV filter - 800+ (from photoworld manila which was til feb 6 only)
generic tripod - 900
total - 44100

whoa! all for the love of photography. hahaha...

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ilang araw na akong malas sa sign ups. kahapon 1 lang tapos ngaun mukhang ganun pa rin. hay... sana maka-91 ako by the end of the month. sayang din ung 4900. :)

happy heart's day!


happy valentine's to all! as always, i'll be spending this day at work at tulad pa rin ng mga lumipas na taon sa aking buhay... walang date. hehehe... at kahit na ganun pa man, honestly, i never felt empty or may kulang sa buhay ko. it's just a mental state... i think... siguro dahil never kong naramdaman na merong kulang sa buhay ko... maliban na lang sa salapi... hahaha... i'll end this post now because i dont want to sound that i am sweet lemonizing. i hope everyone enjoys this special day with their loved ones. :)

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

usapang camera

i've got excited about a couple of things today. i found out that there is a plan 888 landline phone plus dsl package from pldt in our area. the good thing about it... installation is free. so i searched about it on the net and to my dismay, it only offers 88kpbs. crap... second, i found out that the canon eos 350d priced dropped from 37k to 33k in hidalgo as of february 2007. i read about that in the pinoy photography forum. also, because of that forum, i had a dilemma again on which camera to buy because the nikon d40 kit costs only 27k compared to the canon 350d both are hidalgo prices. the nikon camera is a little feasible to buy because it costs a little closer to sony's point and shoot cameras. however, i would be investing a lot for a good lens that will complement the lens kit that comes with it. as i have read from the forum (pinoy photography), the best lens to complement the nikon d40 is the nikon 18-200 vr lens which costs a whopping 50-70k depending if its brandnew or not. whoa! that lens it really expensive! to think that your camera only costs 27k. tsk. tsk. tsk. i think i should go for a canon camera instead. according to another photography forum i read on a while ago, there is a good and affordable canon lens that will work well with the 350d, the canon 50mm f1.8 mkII and it costs about 4200-5k (that was last 2004). oh well... i think i should save first before i think of all of these. madali na lang naman bumili pag me pera ka na... hehehe...

Monday, February 12, 2007

something serious

this is the first time i am going to write my views about the politics here in the philippines. it's been years since i last meddled with political issues. maybe because i am not that updated anymore and most of my time was spent on work and sleeping. or maybe because i grew tired of it and tried to avoid the news as much as possible. usually, i just hear about the news from my mom and get shocked about it. just when i thought nothing can shock me anymore... hahaha...

politics have been so horrible for the past years. the people in power are suppressing and harassing those who are not with them... those who are not in their political parties... its just disheartening how cruel people can get just to serve their own political interests. their philosophy is if you are not with them, you are against them. as niccolo machiavelli said, the end does not justify the means. all their actions are not justifiable no matter where you look at them.

on may 14, the national elections is here again. two days from now that is valentine's day, the candidates running for public office will start courting the masses again with their empty promises. and as always, the most charismatic person who will capture the hearts of the masses will win the game.

it's been a common fact that politics here is a popularity game. the more popular you are, the more chances of seating in the public office. that's why most of the artistas are running for public office. i am not belittling the capabilities of those artistas in public service but i think they should consider other factors. this is not just about one's determination to serve but one's capability to do so. but of course, if they are capable, well and good. just don't waste the taxes the people are paying.

popular people without political experiences will once again be used by those people who have hidden motives and cannot seem to get a seat in the public office because the people do not want them. perfect examples are the late FPJ and now, manny pacquiao.

i pity those people who are letting these bastards use them. i hope they realize that and do something about it so they won't end up in the damps.

i hope the voting public would be more wise in selecting the guys who they will vote for. also, i hope they won't sell their votes. however,
i can't really blame them.

i am still hoping for a better politics in the Philippines. i just hope it's sooner than i expect it.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

old structures


old ruins
Originally uploaded by gianne11.
i've always been fascinated by old structures. luckily, i came with abba to the baptism of tatang's daughter. while waiting for tatang and her wife at the pasig church's parking lot. i saw this and grabbed the opportunity to take its picture.

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i took more pics of the bell tower but i still can't figure it out how to put it in here using my flickr account. as far as i know, i can only blog about one picture per post. hmmm...

for the entire copy of pics, please click here.

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last friday, abba went to my place and we cooked spaghetti. i was supposed to go to her place but when she had to go to the bank that day, she decided to come to my place instead. we were supposed to do our scheduled photoshoot. unfortunately, due to abba's excitedness, (is there such a word? hahaha...) she forgot her camera that will be our props for the photoshoot. hehehe... so we decided to cook instead and magkwentuhan. hahaha... i had fun cooking with her because i learned new things. like i didn't know that one can put coffee in the spaghetti sauce to neutralize the sourness of the sauce and the reason why chinese cooks do not saute the garlic first but instead put the onions first. hehehe... ibang level na talaga kme ni abba... cooking na ito at hindi na painting... hahaha...

Saturday, February 10, 2007

rush day

i woke up at about 9:45am today. i looked at my cellphone and saw a message from abba. abba's sms said that we were invited to the baptism of our ex-officemate, tatang, daughter in pasig. also, i have to come by hook or by crook and she'll meet me up at 7eleven taytay. so i rushed to take a bath and ate something to fill my stomach. pero knowing me, pag minamadali ako mas lalo akong nagtatagal so i reached taytay at about 11:30am and the baptism was at 11:15am. obviously, we were late and reached the pasig church at about 12:00nn. when we reached the church, the ceremony was just over and the peeps were only taking souvenir pics. we saw there camille and leif our batchmates and was introduced to some convergys people. too bad, i am bad with names so i can't remember their names anymore. sorry. after the picture taking, we proceeded to the reception. i had to leave as soon as i've eaten because i have work at 2pm. abba was so nice to drop me by kalayaan and from there i took a cab going to our office. (by the way, abba gave me 100 pesos for the cab. told her i will pay her on feb 16th.) i only had 10 mins to go and i'll be late. good thing there was no traffic. my taxi fare was just 72.50 and because manong driver was so nice and cooperative i did not ask for any change from the 100 peso bill i handed him. one more reason is im too in a hurry to ask for the change so i decided against it. i was really running towards the elevator. manong guard was cheering for me to run as fast as i cud. hehehe... good thing it is saturday and the elevator was fast. i made it by merely 30 seconds before 2:01pm. lucky break for me. :)

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this day made way for some photo opportunities too. will post the pictures soon. i just have to upload them in my flickr account. :)

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i missed yoshie on the reception because i had to leave sooner than the others. abba waited for her and i think they are still together as i am writing this post. :)

daimos




i forgot to include this cartoon when i went back to memory lane with the all the tv shows i used to watch as a kid. so i am making up for it. :)

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

i want these!!!




got these recipes from the net:

banoffee

ingredients:
1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust (or make your own crust for a pie abou
t 25cm across)
1 (400 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
3 bananas
300 ml cream
hot chocolate powder or cocoa, for dusting

procedure:
1. Place the UNopened can of condensed milk (don't open the can!) in a saucepan and cover with water.
2. Bring the water to the boil then reduce slightly and let the can boil covered for 2 1/2 or 3 hours (if you're patient enough to wait for 3 hours it is better).
3. IMPORTANT- Don't ever
let the saucepan boil dry.
4. Keep checking up on it and adding water if necessary.
5. Remove the can and wait a few minutes before opening it very carefully in the sink.
6. The condensed milk will look like creamy brown caramel.
7. Stir the caramel in the can with a fork to remove any lumps, then pour into your pie crust and let it cool, then refrigerate till cold.
8. Slice bananas thinly and lay them on top of the toffee filling.
9. Whip the cream and spread it over the bananas.
10. I usually just cover the bananas, but if you like more cream, spread it as thickly as you want.
11. Dust the cocoa or powdered drinking
chocolate on top for effect, using a sieve.
12. Serve in thin slices with coffee.


chocolate banoffee

Ingredients:

Base:
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp mixed spice
100g (4oz) butter, melted
250g (9oz) digestive biscuits, finely crushed

Filling:
100g (4oz) butter
50g (2oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) dark brown soft sugar
397g can Carnation Condensed Milk
1 tbsp black treacle
75g (3oz) dark chocolate, melted

Top:
4 small bananas
284ml carton double cream, lightly whipped
cocoa powder, to dust


Procedure:

Add the cocoa powder, mixed spice and melted butter to the crushed biscuits and blend well. Press the mixture into the base and partway up the sides of a 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed cake tin, then chill well.

To make the filling: place the butter and sugars into a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Add the condensed milk and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously to make a golden caramel. As soon as it comes to the boil, remove from the heat, then add the treacle and melted chocolate and mix thoroughly.

Spread the filling over the biscuit base and chill for about 1 hour 30 minutes, until firm.
To serve, slice the bananas, fold half of them into the whipped cream and spoon over the toffee base. Decorate with the remaining bananas and dust liberally with cocoa powder.



tiramisu

INGREDIENTS

* 3 egg yolks
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/8 cups mascarpone cheese
* 24 ladyfingers
* 1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
* 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, beat yolks with sugar and vanilla until smooth and light yellow. Fold mascarpone into yolk mixture. Set aside.
2. Dip ladyfingers briefly in coffee and arrange 12 of them in the bottom of an 8x8 inch dish. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Repeat with remaining cookies and mascarpone. Cover and chill 1 hour. Sprinkle with cocoa just before serving.

sleepy as always

i just returned to work today. i had to offset the extended hours that i worked last tuesday morning. i really can't manage to come to work after that 16 hours of work time i rendered. just imagine this, i left makati at past 6am last tuesday and reached home at 7:30am. i have to wake up by 10am to go to work so i can reach our office at 2pm. that means that i am only going to sleep for 2 hours which obviously i cannot manage. good thing, my sup was so nice to just offset the hours i worked on that day and let me have my time off yesterday. as always, my body clock has been ruined. i am still very sleepy although, i had 15 hours of sleep since i reached home yesterday. good thing, it is already my rest day tomorrow. will visit an old friend and see abba on friday for our photo shoot. :)

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

billy!!!!!

this is my most favorite music video of billy crawford. this is the song that really makes me groove. whatever i am doing once i hear this, my body bounces to the beat. funny... i really dunno why maybe because i like it a lot. hehehe...



Monday, February 05, 2007

double shift

once again, i am rendering overtime tonight. those people on the next shift did not show up so i ended up staying until the next 8 hours. yup, i don't have much of a choice. the good thing is i am not going to work tomorrow on my regular shift. i will be reporting back to work on wednesday. i asked them to just offset the hours i will work for tonight because i really can't manage to go to work on my scheduled shift. wish me luck. i hope i don't get sleepy. :)

nostalgia

since i found a site of my favorite shows when i was young, i really can't get enough of all of these. this time i compiled all the pics of the favorite cartoons i used to watch every friday nights and saturday mornings. it makes me nostalgic of those times. it makes me feel young again. :)