jungle fever

'junggul 'feevur' (n), severe form of malaria occuring in tropical regions.: slang term for interracial relations known as miscegenation; 1991 film by Spike Lee.

I'll let everyone lower their eyebrows right now and before anyone can shout to the heavens, this blog is NOT about any of the definitions above. The term just popped into my head because of the lead characters' job is an architect who at the beginning of the movie gets passed over for a partnership only because of his race. The scene where Flipper is walking out of the office pointing at the photos hanging on the wall shouting, "Mine, mine, mine,mine!" has stuck so vividly in my mind. This movie was the first one I saw that featured an Architect as the lead and it came out while I was in college which made it more significant.
I never imagined that I would be able to play out that scene after I graduated but that's what I'm going through right now. A few years ago dreamed that I'll be setting up my own practice after a few years and 7 years down the road, I'm only moved ahead a bit. Like any other line of work, it's very difficult to establish a practice and make a profit from the get-go. The most established firms took quite a long time and I rarely saw an architect become famous before the age of 40. I'm still ahead but not the spring chicken I am.
That being said, I'm gonna have to take a good look at what I'm doing at the moment and make the adjustments since the career blueprint I made way back isn't panning out as I would have hoped. I'm coming up on a fork on the road and whichever path I take will be a bumpy one, leading to a place I've never been before, somewhere beyond my comfort zone. I'm almost incoherent and restless the the same time.
Having jungle fever ain't quite so bad right now.

my week ahead.

It's a Monday and I'm at home blogging, instead of working. Well, not really,I was working a while ago and I'm just taking a break. I'm allowed to work at home when my boss is out of town. It's one of my perks. Ti's the second time that I'm cutting my work week by a day. hahaha. Saves me from commuting expenses ansd lunch. I'm trying to concentrate on work now and other plans I have for my future. I have so many things I want to do and I don't know where to start. Anyway, I'll begin by finishing all my deadlines. I was talking to a couple of former officemates last night and it seems that everyone I know is skipping town to work abroad. The same thought has already crossed my mind and I'm just waiting for a reply from my interview and I'll take it from there. It's probably the money why everyone is opting to work overseas. A lot of us work abroad to follow the money and maybe, I should start thinking that way too. I also believe that being unhitched has made me care less about money. That's the only reason I can think of right now.

It's really annoying sometimes when other people expect you to be something or somewhere "just because" you reach a certain point or status in your life.
"You're 35? Why aren't you married yet?"
"You're an Architect? Why aren't you working abroad?"

I know they mean well but never in my life that I did what's in or what everybody else's doing. I tried to but I later realized that it just isn't me. I do not always conform to the norm. Maybe, that's one of the reasons why I don't want to work abroad, 'coz I'd probably just get in trouble. I can be really stubborn most of the time. Aloof the rest of the way. I just pray that everyone else will like this stubborn and aloof version of me coz' that's what I am.

i think I've finally figured out why my blog isn't registering in my multiply page when I post in blogger. I think it stopped when i changed the theme to what I have now. Ah well, will just have to start posting on multiply for the moment.

Advanced Happy birthday to Vikkicar.

looking forward.

My work week blew by so fast this time. The reason probably is that I didn't report to the office last Monday and the bosses weren't in most of the week. I was also preoccupied by my deadlines so much that It left me so little time to rant about everything else. I just wish that the days could blow by me so fast that when I realize it, the year is halfway through already. I'm looking forward to our high school reunion in August. The preparations have started and sans any hitch, it will be held in Fontana in what was formerly Clark Air Base. I can't wait.

The year of the Earth Rat sneaked in yesterday without so much fanfare at the office. Didn't even receive a single box of tikoy (sob) and my bosses are all Chinese. They probably had enough of the sticky treat. The canteen at our building did give away some to it's lunch patrons. The bosses did treat the entire staff to pizza and soda yesterday. I'm looking forward to a fruitful (or eventful) year this time coz I, also was born under the Rat sign. So much as been said on TV and the dailies about my year-long fortune that now, I can't say what will happen in the next 12 months. I'm praying that everything will be O.K., everybody will be happy and no one will get hurt. Again, Kung hei fat choy!

I'm still undecided on whether or not I take a trip this Holy Week to Singapore. Though it isn't in my plans (yet) to work there, I still haven't heard about the job I was interviewed for last week. Whatever happens, happens. It was probably that missed cellphone call 2 days ago and it being a holiday, I probably won't hear from them this week anymore. Despite of this setback (or blessing), problems and shortcomings aside, there was strange calmness on how I handled work this week. Everything was clear and surprisingly, I was able to finish all my work (at the office, at least). I still am behind on some my personal projects but, I know I'll be able to finish them by Sunday, hopefully. One reason I can think of is that maybe, just maybe, everything is falling into place and settling down. After a tumultuous couple of months, things are certainly looking up. I'm just hoping this isn't the calm before the storm.

After celebrating the Chinese New Year, lovebirds all the world over is looking forward to Valentine's day this Friday. Like the past years, I'll be on my own. (huhuhu). I've always believed that I'll find (found?!) the perfect mate for me, If I can stay patient, but some people find me too idealistic that it may be difficult for me to eventually find one. Methinks that's just their opinion but I believe it. I believe than when I choose to love someone, SHE is the ideal one for me. Finding that one true love may not always come to all of us, but searching and not finding it doesn't make one's life unfulfilled. I'm also looking forward to finding it, or perhaps I have found it already.... I just pray that everything will turn out okay, eventually.

my week.

*I really should be blogging more like I did last year when i was in Iloilo. I could be telling more tales from the Dinagyang Festival. Suddenly, life in Manila became boring, routine. I'm not complaining though. There's a lot of things I'm very happy about and I guess the cliche is true, "lucky in life, unlucky in love and vice versa coz, i'm getting the itch again to work elsewhere. I still love what I do, I just wanna do my own thing now yet I'm still stuck in the same place after all my planning. I'm still hopeful nonetheless.
On my interview for a Singaporean Design firm the other day, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to ask how much the job pays. The person I was speaking to kept asking if I have anymore questions yet I just kept asking a different one. I know it's important but salary has never been much of an issue for me. Maybe when the times comes for me to settle down, i'll be more aware.

*One of my constant textmate nowadays is my niece Gellie. She's just learning to read yet the promise of a cellphone has encouraged her to learn faster. I eceive at least 5 texts from her daily. each message is written like a letter, with a heading and every syllable is accented. Not a day passes without her texting me or her Lola or just ringing us daily, before and after school. I know she just misses her Mom and we're trying our best keep her happy till she returns.

*I'm really buggered that my posts here has suddenly stopped appearing on my Multiply page. There's nothing much to show (or miss) but it's just irritating that i have to set it up again. Darn.

* Just saw "Cloverfield" earlier. It was entertaining but the film was just about 8o minutes long. I was a bit surprised that there weren't that many people inside the cinema since it was #1 in the U.S. box-office (i think). I think I recognized Megan Fox and Zoey Deschanel in the movie yet I'm not 100% sure cause the parts were uncredited (I think again). There would've been morepeople who watched if their faces are on the poster instead of a decapitated Miss Liberty.

*There's a portion in the show "Good Morning America' entitled my week in 3 words. Here's mine.

Feels like heaven.

(Pwede ring "ang corny 'ko.")