Shrine in the Ether

It's pathetic...I don't seem to have anything interesting to say or even rant about...

The past week had seen nothing but the usual cascade of non-events...no surprises there...right now, I'm just pragmatic...There's just no point in hoping for something to happen and continuously get disappointed in the process...

Just a run-down of the non-events that happened in the last several days:

I e-mailed an officemate to ask about practice skeds for the X-mas party presentation which, as you know, I'm rather half-hearted about but have to act like as if I care...

Anyway, so this guy did answer my query but then started sounding all sleazy...for instance, when I jokingly, but half-truthfully asked whether it would be possible to just use a stand-in to perform on my behalf, he replied that people need to see my 'beauty' and that I must 'dazzle' them with it...right...

So, I stopped replying after that sleazeball answer, hell, I don't even know who he is! All I know was that he is supposed to be the group's leader...crap!

Later that day, a guy who looks no less than 37 years old stopped me by the corridor to tell me I looked good and that he liked what I'm wearing, o-kaaaay...he then introduced himself and I recognized him as our "sleazeball leader"...that's it, I freaked out right then and left faster than Superman could have...

Geez...why do I always seem to attract sleazy, Jograd dela Torre types? Still, I'm confident my luck can still somehow change...

So one night, while working late, another dude with a 'cool' vibe approached me to make small talk...nothing telling except to say that it's late, I should go home and that I shouldn't work too hard...now, ain't that sweet?

He even tried to seem genuinely interested in what I was doing, pretending to listen while I explained what I was working on...the guy was downright funny and was kind of interesting...only, the gods are not about to give me a break just yet...albeit funny and sweet, this dude is not the least bit good-looking, at least not in the classic sense...and when even classic beauties hardly ever pass in my own book well, you do the math...

At this point, I'm ready to give up on any hopes of ever snagging a cutie with a great personality...it's either they look good enough to eat but have the personality of a T-Rex, or have Conan O'Brien's traits and sadly, with exactly the same physical attributes...sigh...

Think I should maybe start considering a sex change to improve my chances seeing that there are more beautiful women than men?

Talk about kitschy, at its very worst...

Everyone in the office cannot seem to wait for Christmas that the management actually decided to hold it on December 3...What? I'm still practically in my Elvira costume but anyway...


whaaatttt??? it's Christmas already???

So, they divided all of us into groups and demanded that each team comes up with some sort of production number to present during the party...Jeez...this is just so reminiscent of That's Entertainment...

I've been forced to perform in office Christmas parties before but somehow, I've always managed to avoid looking like a fool convincing co-workers that dancing to the tune of Willie Revillame's latest novelty song is not the way to go...we did a fashion show once with which we won the grand prize and I didn't have to look like a pathetic American Idol reject...

yes, he cut a record...but that doesn't exactly make him cool...

But it seems like my fate is sealed this time...

Earlier, I went to our first meeting to brainstorm about what will be our group's presentation and this guy insisted on doing an interpretation of that hideous, hideous song, "Hindi ako Bakla"...he so enthusiastically shared how he visualizes the presentation complete with nightmarish visions of Belle Star Dancers in leotards and ornate headdresses for costumes...

The group's leader, who happens to be my boss, cut him mid-explanation to say that she prefers for us to do something 'classy'...sigh of relief...finally, someone with the sense to make out that not everyone is cut up for the sausage roll cum live turkey look...my blood pressure has barely lowered a few points however when she voiced out her idea...a vaudeville type musical a la Moulin Rouge or Chicago!

Aaaaaaargh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kurashitte kudasai!

Now, I loved Moulin Rouge but no way can a small time office production be as svelte and theatrical...we'll surely look like escapees from a certain institution in Mandaluyong City...

The boss announced that our next meeting would be on Wednesday to finalize costume design (!) and choreography (!!)...

"Break a leg, everyone..." she said cheerfully.

Now that's an idea...hmmm...

I just wrapped up reading the third installment of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic Series, "Ties the Knot", and it didn't disappoint...it was soo funny that I could hardly suppress my guffaws while flipping through the book in the office...no, I'm not shirking at work and it's not illegal...my immediate superior actually gave us the go signal to read or do other "chores", as she called them, should we find ourselves without anything much to do...


highly recommended!

it had been a fairly slow day today so I had time to read...while literally shooting water up one nostril upon coming to the part where the heroine, Becky prayed to every god she knows, including ganesh to solve her dilemmas (okay, I'll stop right here and won't ruin it for you...), Ms. Bitch of Eastwick went past my work area, stopped long enough to read the title of the book I was reading and in her usual annoying manner said, "I hate the girl in that book...", brows furrowed in an expression tailored to spite me, I guess...

Whereas I would have let it pass as I usually did, I just had to retort this time so I said, "Really? If she were real, we'd be bestfriends!", and in a giddy voice at that..."She's really quite cool unlike some people I know..." I added while looking directly at her...she just stared and left without another peep...

Perfect!

This is lame but I just have to say it...

etc has finally re-voiced that pathetic Bailey's tie-up plug they air...it annoys me to death to hear it but it seems like Bailey's is a major sponsor of one of my current fave programs the Simple Life so there's no escaping from it...

What can be so annoying you ask? Well, etc's female voice talent read the word "infectious" as in-fek' chu-wus...go figure...since last night however, the talent finally managed to pronounce the word correctly...what a relief!

It feels kind of unreal to write on my LJ after more than a couple of weeks of hardly even visiting this site...well, finally I have the chance to update my erm, fans (indulge me for a bit, por favor...=D) because I owe it to you even when I have nothing important to say...hahaha...

Yesterday, I met up with a couple of girlfriends (one of whom just flew in from Beijing and who I haven't seen for at least a couple of years...) and talked about, among other things, our "boy troubles" over fried seafood spaghetti and pandan iced tea.

It never ceases to amaze me how we never seem to get tired of talking about practically the same thing week in, week out...obssession is like a curse that continues to engulf us and despite our better judgment, inhibits us from moving on....I guess you can never really fully recover from rejection...haha...which reminds me...

I just realized from our conversation that I have been, in fact, rejected not just once, but twice by the same guy! Aaaargh!!! I know, it's pathetic to still be paranoid about it as most people would contend it's really a non-issue but knowing the Leo that I am, my ego cannot fully absorb the blow...

And so, the hunt continues and with only 7 weeks to go till the end of the year, and without a prospect in the offing, I guess I should start planning on weaseling out of the stupid bet I signed up for in my torpor...

Now on to other things...

While having lunch in the office dining area last week, I noticed a guy, apparently an office mate (there are way too many of them for me to recognize them all...) with an awed expression about his face, staring me up and down like I were an iconic apparition...he then approached me to say that he thought I was Jasmine Trias, yep, the American Idol (or Pinoy Idol?) who according to him he went to see in a concert just the week before...

Oh, and I thought it's because of my savvy, trendy fashion sense but anyway...

my doppelganger?

This isn't the first time I've gotten such a comment and have actually been getting it a lot lately (especially after she came to do a series of events...) and weirdly enough, from total strangers who actually take the time to stop and tell me I look like Jasmine...in case you're wondering, no, I don't walk around with a flower tucked behind my ear, heck, we don't even have the same hair! Mine is waaay shorter and choppier if you care to know, and save for one pic of her that I saw somewhere in the net where she looked well, a teeny bit like me, I don't see much resemblance between myself and Ms. Trias no matter how hard I look...

But then again, I look like a lot of people, I guess...people always appproach me saying that we've met somewhere although I cannot seem to remember even after wracking my brain a hundred times over...hmmmm...I hope I'm not schizoprenic or something...is it possible that I've actually met all these people without my conscious mind knowing?

Eerie...

etc has finally rounded up their ten finalists for their Face-Off VJ search...yep, the same search I've gotten a personal invite to try out for but decided not to pursue thinking that I wouldn't have anything against supermodel types with their uniquitous American twang that seems to be favored by most, if not all, TV execs...

Looking at the girls who made it in the top ten though, I can't help but wonder if I made the wrong decision...the girls seem normal enough, not plastic perfect or uberly famous and are quite quirky and well, cool...not to say that I would have been a finalist but I should maybe, have at least tried...

Oh well, I've always thought I'd do better behind-the-scenes rather than on-screen anyway although I've always wanted to host a talk show that will rival Oprah...haha...

On the work front...

Remember the bitchy girl at work I talked about in the past? She turned out to be just that, a major bitch, but in sheep's clothing...she acts all sweet and harmless but under that wooly disguise is a wolf ready to pounce...

=

I tried to be friendly with her when she returned from work after taking a week off thinking that I might have judged her wrongly the first time (see "Bickering is not...")...I vowed after all to not judge anyone so hastily again and to try and get to know them first before making any decisions about their "friend potential" (see "If You Want to Be...")...well, she just made really vile comments throughout our chat, all apparently tailored to make me seem, and feel, inferior...and although I had half a mind to spew invectives and likewise play her game, I uncharacteristically decided to just quietly get out of her way and made a mental note of not talking to her, other than work matters, of course, ever again.

Wanna know just exactly how wickedly insecure the girl is? When I said I seem to attract Jograd dela Torre types to answer her question of why I do not have a boyfriend, she quipped, "Well, you're only as good as the people you attract..." Whada?!! In the middle of our conversation, I mentioned that I've always wanted to conceptualize and direct commercials to which she reacted by making a face while getting her notepad and pen saying, "Excuse me, I'd rather go back to my writing..." There's more but these two examples should be telling enough...

Lastly...

I seem to have repaired my friendship with Mr. Sandman...Whoopee!!!

I now can sleep as early as 12mn and happy to get rid of my Louis Vuittons which by now have shrunk to the size of Benetton make-up hardcases...although I wonder why I keep on dreaming (maybe twice or thrice now...) of walking into a dark room and finding a human eyeball, complete with lids and lashes, veins and bits of blood around it (just imagine how gross that is...), moving inside a jar submerged in clear gel-like liquid...

I did look it up in my dream dictionary but aside from saying that this dream is indicative of a looming threat, the interpretation still leaves me more or less in the dark as to which kind of threat I should be wary of...Must be Ms. Bitch at work...but anyway, I'm just happy to be getting 7hrs of sleep a night nowadays...

And finally...okay, I said lastly earlier but I just remembered I have something else to share...

I just finished reading the book "Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging" by Louise Rennison, the first book in a series highly recommended by a friend and it had been a totally laugh out loud experience...I find myself laughing loudly in the office to the chagrin of my stiff, corporate type, co-workers...they must think I'm crazy...Needless to say, I'm sold and will definitely be buying the three (or four?) other books in the series...you might want to check them out yourself, I assure you, they won't disappoint...

Also, try to catch the movie "Before Sunset" while you can...if you liked the first one but found that it left you wanting for more, the second installment offers some kind of closure albeit still leaves you hanging...it's safe to assume that a third one should be in the works pretty soon (erm, maybe not...it took a decade for the second movie to be produced...) although I wonder what they would call it this time..."Before Dusk" maybe? or "Before Dawn"?

Whatever...Richard Linklater's flair for writing such powerfully affective dialogues and Ethan Hawke's and Julie Delpy's almost unreal skills to make every scene seem quite authentic are such joys to behold...

definitely a gem of a masterpiece...

Two thumbs and two big toes up! Haha...

That's it for today then...TTFN...