Friday, November 21, 2003

Unemployed at 21

Dean, Nikki and Jason were trying to find me an occupation I could apply for once I graduate but me being the skilless and lazy person that I am (not to mention not wanting to take advantage and abuse my parents/relatives [actually it's all about wanting nothing to do with them... except I live and eat under their roof] because of all the politics involved [and in Chinese culture, one favor done automatically means you're in a perpetual debt where each of you continually does favors for each other, which becomes a real problem in my case]).

So a few months from now, I will officially be unemployed and in need of a job. Maybe if any of you has this big company or knows someone in need of an, uh, glorified secratary, just point them my way.

But honestly, it's not as bleak as it sounds. One of the privileges of actually not being stuck in poverty is that one still has choice as to which jobs to take. If I was starving, I'd take any job on. But me being me, I think I'll always have the call center to fall back upon as a worse-case scenario. And it's not like I don't have an impending job once I actually graduate...

At the Printers

I managed to take a tour of a friend's printer, which is within walking distance (at least for me... I can hardly imagine other people taking the walks I have, such as the MRT station to Rockwell Powerplant Mall [because honestly, it is really OUT OF THE WAY unless you have a car]). So amidst Jerry Yan ads and other magazine photos, perhaps what intrigued me was the fact at how pests and vermins can cause a whole lot of trouble in the sensitive machines of the printers.

Take for example the common house fly (in the case of the Philippines, mosquitos, and these things are rampant unlike other countries in the West). It entered one of the plates so the design of a certain publication all had the design of a small mosquito somewhere in its pages. While it probably would have made a great logo, one single fly can cause that much catastrophe (the plates had to be redone, naturally). So now they have this device that emits this sound which keeps the flies away.

Unfortunately, said device is scattered around the work place and it scared a rat. The rat hid inside one of the printers and slowly started chewing off the main cord. The printer went offline for a whole week and you can imagine telling your employers at how you can't print because of a single rat.

On a side note, while at the printer, I realized one thing: as much as I love reading books, magazines really are my thing. I mean it's easier to read without the investment in time. I can take it with me to the bathroom and don't have to worry about the magazine being messed up (since they're sturdier than books and more glossy). Before I was reading books (i.e. grade school), I was reading all these piles of video game magazines (i.e. Gamepro), and then later shifted to gaming in general (i.e. Inquest), and finally into anime/manga (i.e. Animerica). Ever since college, I haven't really kept a subscription, although there are a few Dragon magazines lying in my room ever since I got back into RPGs.

He Remembers!

Accompanying the guest speaker to the lounge for the ACP (Alternative Class Program) I attended yesterday, I ran into Danton. Elbert re-introduced us to him and apparently, he remembers me ("hindi ba naging studyante kita, Charlie?"). Which is actually surprising... (Well, obviously he remembers Elbert, but that's forgivable since Elbert's gay and if anyone basks in the limelight more than me, it's Elbert [the Tim Yap of comics!]).

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Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Stalking Manila

I honestly want a title change. Shadows of a Stalker is one of those forced alliteration titles, at least it sounds so to me. As if I'll change the layout anytime soon... my link list isn't even updated.

Beadle

What does the word mean? Where did it come from? Me studying in a Jesuit school for the past seventeen years, I thought it was an actual word...

Write-Up

This isn't appearing in the yearbook but rather the one I used for the program in one of our fund-raising activities:

Charles claims he's a stalker; it's not his fault other people don't believe him. All he gets is as laugh, and sometimes, their phone number.

Gifts

Nothing pleases me more than getting something people find difficult to obtain. Just mailed a present to a friend abroad (I guess she'll find out three weeks from now) and of course, while I would want to get her a book, she has better access to those than us Filipinos residing in the Philippines (except, perhaps, a British book which for some strange reason is available here and not there).

So I got her something related to anime/manga, since obtaining authentic Japanese stuff is easier (and sometimes cheaper) here than for someone a continent away.

Of course mailing it is a whole new story, especially considering I don't know how to operate in a post office (which brings me to my next point).

Drone Work part 2

I'm anti-social (not in psychological terms where you go on a homicidal spree). I don't really get along with people who don't share the same interests as me and the last "social party" I was in was two years ago in a friend's debut (and the only debut I ever got invited to). Heck, even ordering out makes me nervous. So obviously, some jobs aren't really for me. Such as...

Secratary - Well, most people use secrataries to set up their appointments, call this person or that, and general information gathering. While I don't mind the encoding part of the job, the fact that I have to call other people/companies bothers me. Especially when the other side doesn't exist (anyone who's tried to call up Philippine Airlines should know what I mean). And when you can't contact somebody, people tend to blame it on you. Or they shoot the messenger, which happens to be you too.

Manual Labor - I'm not a weakling. But there are obviously some jobs which my body can't handle. I don't mind the heat, I don't mind perspiring, but I really don't want to dirty myself, especially considering I frequently have colds and I have to wipe dust off my eyes (I don't even read the newspaper because it's printed in newsprint). And let's face it, manual labor usually keeps your hands preoccupied, and in one of the most dirtiest of places.

P.S.

What's a danag?

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Monday, November 17, 2003

Back from the Dead

School's officially "begun", although I did get a free cut during my 3-hour class last night (which isn't really surprising since it's Krip).

Haven't blog/blog-hopped as of late, but I hear Ateneo's wireless Internet is now operational. Now if only I knew someone who had a laptop with a LAN card...

Justice League

A week ago, my friend was raving about a certain Justice League episode in the US. And wouldn't you know it, they showed it last Sunday.

Probably the second alternate world in their universe, but this one sports a trigger-happy Superman who went on a lobotomizing spree (with his heat-vision) and even did the whole Arkham Asylum (Joker was the receptionist, and Poison Ivy was... docile).

And their take on the "real" Superman is far from the boyscout-type.

Drone Work

Graduation is impending and unlike certain people, I'm not averse to "drone work" (but just because I'm not averse does not mean I want it as a career), as long as it pays well. Of course not all drone work is equal and there are some things I favor.

Encoding - I type fast and doing so is brainless. There's little (if any) socializing, which is just fine with me. And the worst error I could make is typos, which could always been caught by editing.

Scanning - More favorable than encoding, being paid to scan loads of stuff is perfectly fine with me since I get to read while the computer is busy scanning the files.

Storeclerk - This is actually conditional. If it's a "regular" storeclerk, I'd rather pass (since it involves me socializing with other people and appearing pleasant all the time). But as long as it revolves around my hobbies (books, anime/manga, games), I'm fine since I get to meet people with similar-minded interests as well as get to enjoy msyelf (and familiarize myself).

Then again, it's not like somebody would pay me a decent entry-level five figure salary for doing those stuff.

(Up next, drone work I don't like.)

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To Those Who Will Bug Me About C3

---------------------------
Best Independent ComicBook
---------------------------

1. Submissions may be in any size, in color or in black and white,
just as long as they are in comic book format. They must be self-
published (not associated with a major publisher).

2. Two copies are required for submission.

3. E-mail submissions will not be accepted.

4. Please include the following information:
a. Full name
b. Address
c. Age
d. Gender
e. School / Place of work (Optional)
f. Contact numbers

5. Deadline for submission is December 10, 2003.

*A booth will be provided for those participants who will be selling
indies at the event.

----------------
Best Short Film
----------------

1. Open to individuals of all ages, male or female.

2. Subject must be anime, comic book, or pop culture-related. (You
can do a music video or even spoof scenes from Lord of the Rings ---
just make sure the content falls under the PG13 rating!)

3. Length of short film must not exceed 7 minutes.

4. Shorts may be in VCD, DVD, CD, .avi, mini dv, VHS, or any other
video format popularly in use.

5. Contestants may get their entries back during the event on
December 13-14, 2003.

6. Deadline for submission is December 10, 2003.

-------------
Best Costume
-------------

1. Open to individuals of all ages, male or female.

2. The cosplay is open category, no genre restrictions, although we
do recommend you come dressed as any anime, comic book, or game
character!

3. Registration will be held at the event hall on December 13-14,
2003, from 10:00 a.m.to 3:00 p.m.. Contestants are requested to
bring with them a picture of their chosen character in the exact
same outfit they are wearing. Contestants must also indicate if they
will be cosplaying as a group.

4. Contestants will be given no more than one minute to perform on
stage. Lucky contestants who make it to the Final Round will be
given more stage time.

5. First, second and third placers will receive cash prizes and gift
items. The best Culture Crash and Ragnarok-inspired costumes will
also receive special prizes.

6. Since judges of past cosplay events will be participating, new
costumes will be highly appreciated though not required.

--------------------------
Character Drawing Contest
--------------------------

1. There will be two categories: 15 and below/16 and up.

2. Submissions should not be larger than 8.5" x11".

3. Render the character in an action pose.

4. E-mail submissions will be accepted at
c3contests@culturecrash.com with subject heading: C3 CON. Files must
not exceed 300KB.

5. Please include the following information with your entry:
a. Full name
b. Address
c. Age
d. Gender
e. School/Place of work (Optional)
f. Contact numbers
g. Your character`s name and other important information

6. Deadline for submission is December 10, 2003.

--------------------
Battle of the Bands
--------------------

1. Open to all professional/non-professional bands.

2. The contest will be held on December 13, 2003. Bands will be
given a maximum of 7 minutes to perform any anime/j-pop/j-rock/game-
related song of their choice.

3. Interested bands may register by sending the following
information:
a. Band name
b. Members` names
c. Song to be performed
d. Contact information through e-mail at c3contest@culturecrash.com,
or by calling Mildred at 633-8277 to 79 or Ces at 475-2003 on or
before December 10, 2003.

4. Bands without any stage experience must send the above
information along with a demo tape.

5. First, second and third placers will be given cash prizes plus
the chance to perform again on December 14, 2003.

-------------------------------
Best Choreographed Fight Scene
-------------------------------

1. Contestants below 18 years of age must have written consent from
a legally aged guardian.

2. The use of costumes is not required but is recommended.

3. No sharp objects may be used during the fight scenes.

4. Fight scene may last from a minimum of 30 seconds to a maximum of
3 minutes.

5. Please let us know in advance if you will be participating in
this event by e-mailing us at c3contests@culturecrash.com or calling
Mildred at 633-8277 to 79 or Ces at 475-2003 on or before December
10, 2003. Please include the following details:
a. Names and ages of all participants
b. Length of fight scene
c. Equipment / props to be used
d. Contact information

*Special note: If underage, we highly suggest having a legally aged,
responsible person to supervise your practice session.

*****

SUBMISSIONS!!!
Send entries to the Short Film, Character Drawing, and Independent
Comic Book contests at:

a. Culture Crash Comics/JC Palabay Ent., Inc. 67 Gen. Ordonez St.
Marikina Heights, Marikina City 1811

b. Any Comic Quest or Comic Alley branch (just make sure submission
is enclosed in an envelope labeled `C3 CON CONTEST ENTRY').

PRIZES!!!
FIRST PLACE:
Php 5,000.00 plus Premium Gift Items!
SECOND PLACE:
Php 3,000.00 plus Gift Items!
THIRD PLACE:
Php 2,000.00 plus Gift Items!

*Gifts will be finalized along with the list of sponsors.

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Be Careful What You Wish For...

When people around me wish for things they don't mean (such as, ummm, wanting a stalker), I usually revert to the (cliche) saying above. And last Friday, my grade school friend came to class which was a free cut so I told him to check his yearbook page. The lazy person that he is (I know a lot of lazy people, myself included), he told me that he hopes there's something wrong with his yearbook page so that him going there has a purpose.

And wouldn't you know it, there was no picture (either formal or creative).

Moral lesson is that when you're around me, fate starts to conspire in a way that's almost poetic.

Byebye Powerbooks

It seems that the main branch of Powerbooks in PB Arnaiz has finally relocated to a mall, namely Greenbelt 3.

When I first saw the construction going on at Greenbelt 3, I thought it was ridiculous since you have three branches, each no farther than a kilometer away. Well, since I guess it's now down to two in the same area, the new branch is a closer walk from the MRT (but not that much).

Sale!

When Megamall has a sale, cars halt at the traffic in the Ortigas area. Apparently, the same isn't true (it's still heavy traffic but not anything more than usual) when it comes to Glorietta since it was their sale last Friday. Maybe it's the target market...

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