A day in the life…

And that, too, is my YM status.

It’s just so irritating that whenever I see my payslip at the end of the month, I have such a huge deduction from this withholding tax thing.

It just sucks because I feel that I get more deductions from this tax thing than others who earn more than I do (lest I be accused of snooping around my colleagues’ payslips, I’m telling you that I have a fairly good idea of how much they are earning based on assumptions only).

Worse, with my contribution to the government, I don’t see any positive changes.

Withholding tax sucks.

——–

I stand corrected…

I rescind my past statement regarding yesterday’s hostage "drama" about the kids experiencing trauma early in life.

Apparently, they were not traumatized at all. No wonder that kid I saw in the banner photo of the Inquirer was smiling.

They thought it was all a game.

The teachers were the ones who were traumatized.

Now the parents of these kids want Ducat and his companion released because they say they had good intentions for them and their kids’ future.

Still, the end does not justify the means. Endangering the life of someone for a just cause is not the way (regardless if the grenades and weapons were fakes, but still, the possibility…).

Unbelievably, such "drama" was all over the news around the world.

I found that kinda embarrassing.

Do people have to resort to acting rashly just for 15 minutes of fame?

Yesterday was a twisted show.

No, here in the Philippines, everyday is a twisted show.

Like the plug says, "Ito ang drama ng buhay mo." They could not have been so right about that.

It’s official… this is the US cover of the final Harry Potter Book, entitled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". The Harry Potter book seven Wiki site (which I’m not sure is a reliable source) gives an explanation why the title is called so:

Hallows is a word which has fallen into disuse in modern English
except as part of some names. It is popular to name churches after
saints, and there are a number of ‘Church of all Hallows’ in Britain,
as well as some schools. Similarly the holiday of Halloween is derived
from the same word. This usage of the word refers to saints, relics of
saints, or the places where saints have lived or their remains have
rested (making those places holy). Part of the mythology of hallows is
that the spirit of the saint remains in his relics, and may come to the
aid of those who seek it. Thus Christians, and those of other faiths,
would make pilgrimages to see holy relics or visit shrines hallowed by
the saints.

Rowling has chosen to use the word ‘deathly’ in the title,
rather than deadly. These two are similar in sound, and sometimes
confused in meaning, but are different. A ‘deathly hallow’ need not be
dangerous, but rather in some way is related to death.

Moreover, the word "hallows" is said to signify objects of power and importance, and is a symbolism of the four elements of creation: earth, fire, water, air. The "hallowed" objects, as the Wiki site suggests, would be the relics of the Hogwarts’ founders, the Horcruxes of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.

Deathly? Maybe because since Voldemort has seven Horcruxes, these must be the so-called "deathly hallows." Hmmm, too much speculation.

Good thing I’ve reserved the Book Seven at Fully Booked. I can’t wait to get my hands on it…

The countdown to July 21 begins…

DISCLAIMER: This is a blog, a repository of thoughts of the author. Whatever is written below is her opinion, and hers alone. No arguments, please.

——–

Just this noon, while my officemates and I were having lunch, one of our messengers turned on the TV, tuning in to the news.

Three men had taken hostage a bus filled with more than 30 children and some teachers.

According to the Inquirer website, the kids and their teachers were supposed to go to Tagaytay for a field trip. Suddenly, three men armed with a grenade, an Uzi and a .45 went in and took control of the situation.

As of this writing, the website reported that the hostage-takers will surrender just about now, 7PM.

Checking for updates, I learned a couple of things:

1. A hostage situation, such as this, taking place at this time is a time of opportunity for politicians-to-be. Bong Revilla, claiming to know the leader of the hostage-takers, negotiated for the release of some passengers… with a bit of success, as a student and two teachers were able to step out of the bus safely. Then what do you know, Manong Chabet, errr, Chavit Singson rushes to the scene and tries to negotiate, too. As quoted in the Inquirer, "It was not clear however what Singson’s connection was with Armando Ducat, Jr., the alleged leader of the three hostage-takers and why he had been allowed by the police to enter the vehicle."

Ah, sige, magpakitang-gilas kayo. Tapos mamaya puro photo-op at interview kayo. Talaga nga naman, kung may pagkakataong magpasikat, kukunin basta-basta. Kahit walang kinalaman whatsoever.

2. The leader of the hostage-takers give preposterous demands that is very unlikely in a hostage situation. Whereas the usual hostage-takers ask for ransom or something in exchange for the release of the hostages, Ducat asks for "support of the education of at least 145 school children of the Musmos Daycare and improved housing for them and their families." Moreover, he asks for the Filipino people to work with PGMA as she is fighting corruption so as to realize "our dream of progress for the country".

Which leads me and my officemates to think that this must be a staged hostage situation. Come on, if it were in a string similar to the Air Force One plot, like probably demanding the release of, uh, Satur Ocampo perhaps, then maybe it could be a bit believable. But demands of unity for progress achuchuchu? You’re casting huge clouds of doubt on my mind.

And yeah, this Ducat guy, who had once took hostage two priests for the reason he wasn’t paid his dues for doing church repairs, is running for councilor in Tondo this coming elections. And then all this…

One thing’s for sure, I pity the kids who had to go through this kind of trauma early in life.

Such a telenovela moment, this is. A casting coup of senatoriables and politicos, thousands of extras, and an engaging plot that leaves everyone at the edge of their seats.

Such is Philippine drama. Tulad nga ng sabi ng isang TV station, "Ito ang drama ng buhay mo."

Kasalanan ito ni Marimar.

This actually happened inside the elevator of our building. My officemates and I were going down to grab some snacks. Three call center people — one Pinay, a Pinoy and a foreigner — enter the elevator. Pinay talks to Pinoy. I listen.

This is an actual conversation.

Pinay: (after a lot of blahs) So, what are your plans?

Pinoy: Huh?

Pinay: (in a sort of condescending tone na hindi mo maintindihan kung nairita siya sa kausap niya dahil hindi siya naintindihan) Ano’ng plano mo?!

Pinoy: Ahh… (then speaks in English)

Lesson for the day: Kung kayang Tagalugin, mag-Tagalog na lang, diba? The foreigner seemed like he wasn’t listening anyway.

Not that I have anything against call center people (well, maybe I do since they’re really noisy and they hog the elevators and all… not to mention they speak English with slang even when it’s not needed). Just wanted to share.

After the poster comes the trailer. Cool, can’t wait to see this on the silverscreen.

Thanks to my friend Sharon for the link to the trailer. Had it posted on my profile… just that it’s too high def, a fifth of the right screen was cut out. Good thing Depp’s face fit the screen pretty well.

I’m no comic afficionado. I just read when I get the time — which would be relatively every end of the week for DC’s 52 from my boss’ desk — or when something interesting passes by or when my SO recommends stuff and I have time to check it out…

Interestingly, the past week has offered two big occasions for geeks and enthusiasts to rave about… or probably be sad about.

#1: Miller and Varley’s 300 comes to life. It’s the in-thing now. From pages to celluloid. The film was as cool as reading the graphic novel (torrents are such wonderful things) though there were some scenes added and some pages removed, but all in all the director made and almost-faithful adaptation that almost all the men in the cinema were so inspired and felt really macho after watching it.

Just one reminder to cinemaphiles: NEVER WATCH A FILM IN MEGAMALL. Not that I have anything against the movie house’s crew. It’s just that there are INCONSIDERATE PEOPLE who just can’t keep their voices down and who can’t keep their legs and feet on the floor. Nakakainis, nakakaistorbo sa ibang tao. It’s always been this way, and unfortunately there’s not so much that we can do about it. It’s better to watch in Galleria, in my opinion.

And yeah, despite seeing Gerard Butler, er, butt-naked and some Persian women in the nude, 300 is rated R-13.

#2: Captain America is dead. Marvel.com has released a "flash report" on the assassination of Steve Rogers as he was walking on the steps of a courthouse. A bullet to the shoulder, chest and stomach was all it took to bring down one of America’s superheroes. Well, technically, it was about time because if you think about it, Captain America’s supposed to be retired from working; he’s over 80. Ah well, let’s see what happens to Marvel’s current Civil War and how his friend-turned-rival Iron Man reacts to this.

You can check out the above website and see more updates. It gave the news a cool treatment, too. Imagine the Inquirer website, except that it’s the Daily Bugle. Interesting, really.

Hmm, enough geek speak for now. I’m getting to bed.

8:30 PM. Still in the office, waiting for my "sundo".

12 hours of work. This is all it takes for my brain to become like a balot: I feel like my gray matter is swimming in some sort of liquid, like that innocent little sisiw drowning itself in what my officemate says is chick pee (just ruins the picture, doesn’t it).

After dinner, I’m subjecting myself to more mental work.

And my brain turns from balot to crab and corn.

Mmm, yummy.