Not feeling it

✱ I don't know if I like it here. It's only been 3 months though. There's not much going on besides working and getting paid on time, which is great in itself. But the lack of things, events, or people to look forward to makes the experience pretty dull for me. I can't help compare but during this time of the year at White & Case we have something to look forward to almost every week starting November until January next year. 13th month, Christmas Basket, leave conversions, Holiday Ball, the suspenseful Thank You bonus message, salary increase and performance bonus discussion, and the tons of foods, events and eat-outs. It's super duper festive at White & Case and I miss it. I terribly miss it.

Here, the "big" Christmas party where over a thousand participants attended was held online, and the raffle prizes are so small like the grand prize was a 32 inch Android TV. I sound so ungrateful but I just wasn't excited about the prizes lol. But I did get picked in a raffle and won 1k GCash so not bad. Definitely not bad considering I think it's the first time ever that I got picked in a company raffle haha.

Yun lang, it just feels... sad. Our office looks drab, I don't like the seat sharing idea, I have no friends (yet), and my WTAX for the past two months has totaled to 130k already because of the tax annualization shit so besides not feeling the festivities I also feel so fucking poor right now. Fucking taxes eating my holiday spirit. That's it. I feel poor so I feel bad.

If anything, I thank God that despite the alarming tax deduction which I was not prepared for, what's left of my salary is enough to pay all our monthly liabilities.

✱ Last week one of our tail lights got busted so we had it replaced, was even stressing about it cos I thought it was gonna cost a fortune, turns out it's an easy thing to do by yourself. Then the following week one of our head lights got busted so we had that replaced too, thank God for YouTube lol. So apparently, our bulbs are all nearing their lifespan so we're gonna have to replace everything in one go so they all die at the same time and not hassle us. It's been 6 years so might as well!

✱ I was also sick the entire week. Started feeling bad on Sunday then it developed into a fever. Three days in and my temp peaked at 38.5C so I went to the ER to get checked. Tested negative on antigen so I'm just taking meds for the symptoms. I have sore throat, cough, and allergies. Sucks but I hope it's my annual Christmas fever so I'll be over it before the important weekends start... which is tomorrow! 

✱ I promised myself to read all day so how about getting into that right? Surrounded by Idiots making me me feel like an idiot. What a drag.

✱ Hope you're feeling better than I am!

Frkn migraine

I've been having frequent headaches recently. Normally it comes a week before my period, I'll have it for one whole day and it's hell, but now I have one almost everyday, at random times, and I'm still on my period. I notice I get headaches when I get up too late, or when I'm hungry, or thirsty. So I'll eat alright, have some coffee, and it'll be gone for a while, then it'll be back. Then I'll take some mefenamic, then wait for it to take effect, but I don't think it really works. I actually have a headache right now at this moment while typing this. And it sucks. Maybe it also happens when I eat too much? Is it my glasses? Hay Lord. The location of the pain is telling of a migraine; the first one in this photo:

Besides this fucking migraine I'm also battling some work induced anxiety lol. I'm feeling overwhelmed with my first task, everything here looks super advanced like I'm not properly equipped with anything they're expecting me to do. There's a freaking huuuuuge knowledge gap I need to fill in because huhuhu everything is so advanced nga. Makes me wonder how the heck I got this job when they're looking for an expert. I was very honest with my interviews naman where I said I've never done unattended robots and have never used orchestrator, all my UiPath experience are UI based and manually triggered and now I'm realizing how so freaking basic that is.

Haaay. I wanna say this too shall pass but I know it will not pass me by idly, I have to really work on this which is freaking scary because I don't know where to start??? I do feel like I know who to go to but I don't know what to tell them or ask them or what specifically do I need from them. I feel like I need a lot of hand-holding in order to do this one job but I also feel hopeful that once I get over this first task I will be in a much better mental state hahaha. For now I've started working on the documentation, trying to piece together the actual scope of the project and the manual steps for the as-is process, just to put something out there. I wanna blame myself for being so freaking shy and procrastinating on a lot of things that require talking to people. Half the stress I'm facing right now could've been eliminated if I went ahead and talked to people to get help. But no, I'm too scared to reach out! Oh well.

Life Lately

✱ Reading 

I've been stuck on Surrounded by Idiots for months but I don't want to quit it because it feels wrong lol. You know when you get a really boring books it takes ages for you to finish and it's frustrating because you can't skip to the next one without feeling weird that you abandoned a book 46% into it? But man, I'm three books behind my goal for 2022 Goodreads Challenge and I can't lose traction just because of a boring book. There has to be a way to overcome this. Yeah, I'm skimming it. That's it. 

✱ Watching

Nothing, at last! We finally finished She-Hulk: Attorney At Law this afternoon which was a relief hahaha. To be honest I didn't like the show. I can't say anything good about it. Oh wait I think I have one, it's *spoiler alert* Hulk's son.

Ever since episode one I've prepared myself for the worst and to be fair, episode after episode it keeps getting worse. Oh my God.

So what's wrong exactly?

• The script. It's so badly written, full of preachy woke agenda that doesn't add to the plot, if there's even one.
• The comedy is so forced it's so cringe.
• Wasted characters. Tatiana for one, I had a lot of expectations. She was the antagonist I was waiting for, or Mallory even, or better yet -- Nikki. I'll find that more convincing, women encounter more bitches than sons of bitches in real life, believe me.
• Ruined characters, most of them men, of course. They reduced every male character in the show to either wimps, incels, or idiots just to elevate the women in the show. To be honest, I would give it a pass because some are new characters I'm not familiar with so you can introduce them however you want.
• But to reduce already established characters like The Hulk, Wong, and Daredevil? They were made so uncharacteristic just to prevent them from stealing the spotlight.
• Very shallow plot. Which is kinda reflective of the whole modern-day feminist movement and the real weight of their agenda. Oops.
• No character development. I think the writers wanted to show how Jen struggled between her two identities and eventually learned to embrace them both. I was waiting for that to unfold. But it wasn't shown anywhere. She just said she can be both at the end, but again, there was no proof. Much like everything she complained about being a woman on episode 1, all but an echo. She has no arc.
• As a law comedy it already failed on a legal front, and it's not funny too. Now I don't know what to call it.
• Jen kept breaking the fourth wall to remind us it's her show, which was cute at first, but eventually became pathetic. Up to the last episode she's been trying to claim the show. Which is weird because it's already named after her. It's such a weirdly insecure act for someone who is so self-assured.

I guess, in true woke fashion, the series is trying to show who the real antagonists are, which is everyone who didn't like She-Hulk haha. Wow. I must admit, they've really mastered the art of victimhood. Congrats! They made it required watching, baited everyone into the anticipated cameos, and yet they couldn't just make it into a good show? They just really want to push the agenda so they can make sexists of everyone who disagree. They knew it sucked and thought it was a gotchu moment lol.

✱ Listening

To BP Valenzuela on YouTube music. 

✱ Thinking

About what day of the week to come to work.

I'm in the office right now and I kinda like the spot where I'm in; row's end beside the window. I haven't been able to sit where I used to (which is beside my teammate) ever since I started coming in at 3pm and even though there's no shortage of seats around here, I don't like the fact that I have to worry about not knowing where to sit as soon as I get to the floor. It gives me anxiety, you know. The same dread an outcast feels coming in to a cafeteria full of people. Which is why I'm considering coming in on Mondays or Fridays instead. I'm still not sure.

Generally, I want to avoid days where I have meetings because I prefer to take them at home. And the only days I have no regular meetings are Wednesdays and Fridays. The good thing about Wednesday is that I get to see one of my teammates cos he comes in Tues-Thurs. We have a short overlap where I can ask questions and stuff and kinda just show myself, and that's good. My husband also comes to his office on Wednesdays, so we get to leave the house together. It's pretty practical for us. On the day we both work in the office I don't have to prepare dinner so we can both eat out. The only downside to coming in on Wednesdays is that a lot of people also come to work on Wednesdays, as I have observed, and obviously I want to avoid them haha. 

Let's take a look at Friday. I haven't tried coming in on a Friday. I think less people come to the office on this day so I wouldn't have to worry about looking for a seat. But also, I have no teammate to personally bother lol, aaaand I think traffic is generally bad on this day. Especially when it falls on a payday. 

So yeah, I guess Wednesday is really the obvious choice. 

✱ Smelling

My breath pollute my face mask.

✱ Wishing

For some clarity at work. I have a task now, and I don't know what to do. I'm currently in the information gathering phase, which isn't looking so good because I don't have a clear plan. What I know is that I need to make an as-is process documentation to really understand what they do, get the right access to relevant sites so I can emulate what they do, learn how automations are developed and deployed here (what I'm currently stressing about), and finally develop and deploy everything properly. I think I know what to do but I don't have a template for it.

What I want to do properly though is maintain a Confluence site for all of the details of this project. I really wanna learn how to do things here properly, but I'm not even teammates with the people who can help me from a development standpoint. And in order to move forward I have to really reach out, and I suck at reaching out because I'm not really the proactive type huhu. This stresses me out so much.

Part of me wants to delay this until my new teammate comes in so we can tread together. I blame myself for asking for work too early lol I could have just enjoyed the months until my new teammate comes haha.

✱ Wearing

Blouse, denim leggings, and sneakers.

✱ Loving

♥ That I got to roam around High Street earlier. I reached the almost far end of the strip, where Fully Booked is.
♥ Got 50 off on my coffee at CBTL too. It's not as good though, their cafe latte, I don't recommend CBTL anymore. Muji's is better, and cheaper too.
♥ Had dinner at Salad Stop, ordered Oh Crab Lah wrap. Love it!

✱ Wanting

To get our house cleaned. I have "general cleaning" scheduled every month on my calendar but sometimes I forget until it comes to a point where I couldn't walk barefoot at home anymore because it's too dusty. We've always had a dust problem at home. With the amount of construction happening around our condo, it's a must to vacuum every single day otherwise we'd be dead of allergies.

There are five parts to getting the house really clean: CR cleaning, surface cleaning, floor cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. I cannot do everything in just one session. Good thing I scheduled for a deep cleaning tomorrow, they'll take care of the first three parts. Looking forward to having the house clean again! 

✱ Needing

Uhm, to really make some good progress at work. Please pray for me! 

✱ Feeling

My head hurt. I need to go home now.

Does Your Career Leave You Feeling Dissatisfied? Read This Guide Now

 It’s far too common for people to feel dissatisfied with their career, and the effect that this can have on your day to day quality of life as well as your general mental health is astounding. Being unhappy in the workplace is an issue that needs to be addressed, as you likely spend upwards of 40 hours each week at work - this is a huge chunk of your life to lose to misery and boredom.

Thankfully, there are lots of different solutions that you can explore to find greater satisfaction from your career. It doesn’t have to be difficult to find a good job and actually enjoy making money, as this guide contains some excellent recommendations that you can utilize to change direction today.

So, what are you waiting for? Read on to discover more.

Image Source - Pexels

Work From Home

One of the best ways to get rid of most of the hassle that comes with any average job is to work from home. Working from home means that you don’t have to be bothered by colleagues whom you do not get on with, nor do you need to go through the stress of having to get ready and travel to a workplace. When you choose to work from home you can expect so many benefits, and it can be a fun and relaxing experience if you take the right steps to meet your goals and stay focused. You can use the opportunity to cook yourself a fresh nutritious lunch rather than forcing yourself to eat a miserable, half-empty grocery store sandwich, and you can even choose to get dressed in your comfiest clothes rather than wearing a suit. There are so many job options that you can explore if you would like to work from home, including blogging, trading bonds, working in customer service, admin, and more.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone 

Another effective step that you can follow if you want to gain more satisfaction from your career is to step out of your comfort zone. It's more than possible that you have become your own worst enemy in the workplace, as lots of people accidentally hold themselves back through lack of confidence amongst other reasons. Deciding to take the plunge and step outside your comfort zone will be an exciting and invigorating experience that will certainly benefit your career, so it’s a good idea to try and build up the courage to break free from the same dull cycle. If you want to change industries to work on a whole new subject, then get out there and do it! If you’ve always dreamed of heading back to school to get a degree, then get out there and graduate! Outside your comfort zone is where the magic really happens, so you certainly won’t regret diving in at the deep end when your career shoots to superstardom as a result. 

With any luck, these informative ideas will help you to achieve career satisfaction in no time at all.

Everything material is immaterial

I wanted to share a lot of things that happened in the past couple of weeks but it feels too late now like all of the emotions I have at the time have gone already so I couldn't write about it blow by blow. But let me try...

On October 1, on the way to IKEA we got into a traffic accident involving an SUV. I was merging lanes, thought it gave way, then BAAAM!! Apparently not. We were already halfway into the lane when the car behind us slowly moved forward. It scraped our car from the driver's door and went on until our sidemirror folded. Ironically, it all happened so slowly. Yep. Slowly. It looked very intentional. Only a sad asshole would assert its way in that manner. But because it happened slowly we thought maybe the driver wasn't looking, was preoccupied with other things and didn't notice the car in front has already moved forward significantly. And us on the other hand, saw it as an opportunity to merge, one that the car behind generously provided us. But nope.

I spent the week after that gathering info from our insurance provider and demanding payment from the driver. We exchanged fb's and I asked for a very conservative 2.5k to cover the participation fee from our insurance provider. In which she responded, "what about my damage?". Wow, she clearly has one on the head. Lol at the audacity of this kid. I told her her damage is her fault. And it is. I shouldn't even care that she's wearing a mourning pin, is on the way to a funeral, when she carelessly inflicted damage on our vehicle. But that glaring black square on her white shirt was the first thing I noticed and admittedly when I saw that I didn't know what to do next. I offered my condolences but that's not really why my mind blanked out. I don't know. I was just shocked. And in my state of shock and confusion I forgot to get her number, the offending vehicle's plate, and its OR/CR. The only essential thing I got is a copy of her driver's license. The plate number we recovered through our dashcam. Damn.

Thankfully she was responsive on fb, but not at the rate I prefer considering the urgency at which I want to get over this with. She paid up, eventually, and all is good. But not after threatening her that it's either 2.5k or the insurance company will run after her for the full cost of repairs, and we'll have to put this on blotter so it will show up in her records. Considering her age which I got from her driver's license, if she starts looking for a job she won't get a police clearance. That should make for an easy choice.

Only God knows how the hell she didn't notice a car halfway merged in front of her. We weren't even cutting, if we were then the impact would be fast. She had all the time to slow down and pull to a stop and she didn't. Seems like she wasn't looking at all. Hay. I could only hope she learns from this. I mean, if you're not in the right headspace, being in mourning and shit, you shouldn't be driving. Don't be a danger to the people around you right?? Urgh.

After the incident we tried to salvage whatever good is left of our day by still going to IKEA to do what I had planned to do: buy some home decor and eat meatballs. I was only able to do the former because the line at the Swedish Restaurant was ridiculously long. I was happy with my purchase though. I got three Knoppangs and a Fejka. Still doesn't compensate for getting into a traffic accident. Urgh. Plus IKEA on a payday weekend is such a bad idea. It was so crowded and chaotic.

I still drove on the way home despite my trauma from the incident. I've always hated the route going to and from MOA. It always gets crazy the moment you enter EDSA extension. All types of vehicles are in one crazy riot: trucks, jeeps, buses, motorcycles, trykes, private cars, even pedicabs can you believe it argh.

On the way home we stopped by Poco Deli to get a late lunch when I realized my wedding ring is missing. Wow. That is strike two for the fucking first of October. Obviously I felt even more down. Could the other driver have taken it? Was there some hocus focus that happened earlier? Is her mourning pin fake? Lol

When we got home I just cried at my husband complaining about how bad this day was. He hugged me and comforted me all night. We were together the whole day but he wasn't as fazed as I was. He says today was a very interesting day and brought up very convincing points as he was consoling me:

1. Don't worry about the car because we've been meaning to have our bumper fixed anyway so let's just consider this incident as a final reminder to get the bumper fixed haha
2. Don't worry about the ring because we could have his melted and turned into two rings, we've been meaning to have his resized anyway cos it's gone loose now
3. You got your IKEA haul and we had a good lunch at Poco Deli, and we got to buy legit Vienna sausage lol

That was very enlightening for me. You know, that whole night I was just so disheartened all I did was come to my husband to cry and get a hug. It is very comforting getting a warm hug from someone you love. He made me realize that everything I worry about is material, and ultimately immaterial. Every dejected thing about this day shall pass. 

And it did.

It's been three weeks since the incident and everything's been sorted out. Actually, the next few days already felt like retribution. Like I mentioned above, the driver paid up. And aside from that, when I called insurance turns out we didn't have to pay for anything. It's our first claim for the policy period so participation fee is waived. The entire claiming process was also a breeze. We just had to bring the car to the auto shop for assessment and pay for notary of affidavit. We didn't even have to write the affidavit, they took care of everything. Yeah, including making up a story, if you get what I mean. Since we're not going after the offending driver anymore we had to file for self-damage claim. The owner and one of his guys was bouncing off ideas on what to put on the details of the affidavit, and in end we settled for a story which they assured us would get past through insurance. They told us not to worry, cos they know them all too well. This story works so let's stick with it. 

Guys. That experience was interesting, to say the least. We just met a Saul Goodman. And despite putting our integrity in question, we felt super relieved after. So this is how this works huh? This is how the world works?

Two weeks later we brought the car back so they can start with repairs. Here's to hoping they do a good job with it!

Finally, to put an end to all the stress I sustained from that unfortunate first of October, miraculously, my wedding ring turned up. Turns out I dropped it at Poco Deli! I never considered looking there because it was where I realized I lost it so naturally I would retrace my steps, Poco Deli not being in that trail. And by God, I wouldn't have asked there if the guard at Unimart hadn't told me to try checking with Poco Deli first while the admin officer is on break. I didn't really have any hope left in me that day, so whatever, even though I was convinced it isn't the place to look for, I have nothing to lose anyway so might as well. And then can you believe it, when I approached the counter and asked the crew if they found a ring when we dined here last Saturday, they heaved a confirmative "aaah", and lo and beaaahld, they actually have my ring! Oh my God! I was in such a good mood we had celebratory sushi at Dough and Grocer. Their assorted Aburi Oshi oshi is delicious!

I can't believe it. Everything was solved within the week. First we learned we didn't have to pay anything for participation and repairs, then the driver who hit us paid up, and finally I found my ring. I'm still reeling from how things turned around that quick, putting all my worries and tears in vain.

Thank God for my husband, he's been a great refuge in that trying week. He kept me sane. Even though we already both know what to do, which is to get the car fixed and accept that I lost my wedding ring, I was too focused on the process, anticipating the worst, that I lose sight of the goal. My husband, on the other hand knows that what we want to happen will eventually happen so why worry? 

Yeah I get his point, I just don't know if I'm capable of that haha.

Ahh, thank you Lord. ♥

If you've reached the end of this post, wow, thank you for enduring my rambling!!!

This week

Starting the weekend on a thankful note!

✱ It's our fifth year anniversary yesterday!

Welcomed it with buffalo wings and cheese tart! Will celebrate more (expensively lol) over the weekend hehe ♥

✱ I got my backpay this week! 💸

And it took less than a month wow. Usually backpays take three months minimum and an enraged follow up with HR lol. But yeah, thanks White & Case! You the best!

So where did my money go?

✓ Most of it went to replenishing our emergency funds and paying our insurance policies

✓ I was also able to fully pay my iphone omg can you imagine the bragging rights haha 

✓ Booked a staycation for our anniv ♥

✓ Bought new bed sheets (long overdue) and a taller shoe cabinet

✓ The rest I spent on Shopee on random stuff like a karaoke mic hihi, a tripod, collagen drink, an ipad case, some stickers, leather tape, etc. You know, stuff that's been sitting in my cart for ages. Then I went ahead and added some more bwahaha. We just can't leave our carts empty right?

✓ Oh yeah I saved some too haha. That's me pretending to be a responsible adult. 

I'm so excited to receive the items I checked out but I'm also worried they'll arrive over the weekend when we're not here! Our reception doesn't hold items anymore and charges 50/day for items unclaimed within 24 hours so that sucks.

✱ Completed mandatory trainings

I've completed all the mandatory trainings assigned to me during onboarding, so now I'm left with nothing to do. Again. Still don't have my admin account, let alone admin rights so I can at least begin installing stuff. Oh well. Every time I raise it to my teammates they're pretty lax about it and tell me it's fine, enjoy it while you can haha. Guess I'll do just that. 

✱ Decluttered a bunch of stuff

Feels great to free the house of clutter every once in a while. I gave away a lot of things, and it felt so good cos I get to reclaim a little bit of space in the house, you know so I could put in more things bwahaha.

✱ My knees are recovering yey

Same old injury that keeps plaguing me every now and then. I thought I've overcome the fear of straining my knees during badminton but seems like I need to condition myself more. I wear knee support on both of my knees now lol. This one doesn't seem so bad though, unlike before where I had to use crutches. The moment my knee clicked in pain, I sat down, put ointment, and did a couple of knee circles. Thank God it's not too bad and I'm still able to walk properly though I had to sleep with my leg raised on a pillow because the swelling is painful. I wasn't able to come to work Tuesday as scheduled because I couldn't walk around with a painful knee, much more ride an angkas. Thankfully, the following days are much better.

Hoping for a great weekend! ♥

What sucks

✱ Sucks that Kindle Cloud Reader doesn't permit reading of sideloaded books. Though who am I to complain haha. Maybe when I get super rich I wouldn't mind buying books directly from Amazon because what's wasting ~500 pesos on a potentially bad book right? I can just earn it lol. But right now, despite the little bit of hassle and the risk of getting badly digitized copies, I still prefer downloading through Z-lib. If Kinde Unlimited was truly unlimited I would have subscribed to it instead of downloading books one by one, but I know KU doesn't carry the same variety Kindle has so nevermind, plus at the rate at which I'm reading, I feel like paying $10 a month would be a waste. Although wait, if I average at least one book a month that would make the subscription fee worth it right? Considering a book is also around $10. Hmmm. Nope.

✱ I checked my Adsense earnings and found that my web and channel earnings have been segregated already which sucks cos it's gonna take longer to reach the withdrawal threshold now that they're split into separate accounts with separate thresholds. My web earnings is only around $10 and my Youtube is at $110, I wish I could combine them so I could reach threshold faster but oh well. My web earnings is probably gonna take another decade to reach threshold and youtube, uhm, if I get a steady amount of views despite my lack of new review content lately, maybe two years hahahuhu. Totally not looking forward to this anymore lol.

✱ Last week we went to Megamall to look for a monitor cos I just returned the ones I'm using back to White & Case. Thought I could buy them out, turns out they're not yet for lease return. And here I am excitedly looking for something exactly like what the office had provided me only to realize they were hella expensive lol. I thought monitors are cheap, like 3k cheap. Anyway. The one I used to work on is a Dell U2419H which is super great it's got like 5 USB ports, HDMI, DP, and can be mounted with a VESA plate. It's been the perfect monitor for my current setup where I alternate between my work laptop and personal computer everyday. Work laptop to HDMI, and my personal laptop to the DP. Which is why it's extremely important for me to get HDMI and DP, not HDMI and VGA like what most monitors have.

I tried to look for something similar online but couldn't find anything brand new. Added a bunch of models to my Shopee and Lazada cart hoping SM Cyberzone would have something on-hand that doesn't cost too much, unfortunately there were none that fit my specs requirements moreso my budget lol. I thought I'd get a good deal since it's 9.9 haha in the end I checked-out a BenQ (bengk? ben-q? hahaha) monitor from Lazada for a little over 6k (after promos and discounts) that checked all the boxes except for having USB ports for charging. So now I'm patiently waiting for it to get delivered. Last I checked it's been picked up already. I can't wait argh.

✱ My stomach has been hurting for two days now I don't know why. Last thing I ate before this was Behrouz' Chicken Biryani, and that was really good so if I may have caught something from that, well, no regrets lol. It's weird cos my tummy hurts but I don't feel like pooping haha it's uncomfortable but it doesn't hurt so much, maybe a 5/10. It sucks cos the pain level doesn't merit a sick leave, but the discomfort makes me want to just lie down the whole day. Hay.

✱ I smell like siomai

✱ Looks like my manager isn't coming in to the office today. Maybe I can squeeze in some reading time to get back on track with Surrounded by Idiots. I'm so close to not finishing it as it's not as interesting as I thought it would be. It's merely an elaboration of the four temperaments; sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, color coded into red, yellow, blue, and green respectively so it's easier to remember and attribute to people. So far it's been okay. Nothing mind-blowing. All I know is I'm most likely a combination of green and blue. Usually quiet, reserved, agreeable to a fault, with lots of inner turmoil lol. That's me pretty much. Still, I wanna get over this quickly so I can jump in to a novel. I need a story. This book is boring.

✱ My other blog, www.surfandperf.com is blocked in this machine (my work laptop) for being "suspicious" and I don't know why. I've already enabled https but it's still the same so I have no idea what's wrong. I may have to look at the add-ons and the bunch of js gibberish and remove anything remotely suspicious. Usually it's the outdated link references, but I wonder why even my empty blogs are restricted argh. I'm bummed because that's where all of my work notes are, in article format so it would suck big time to be denied access to it. Would be awkward to request for my own blog to be unblocked here haha. On the plus side, this one is accessible so I'm okay. At least I have an outlet.

✱ Hope I don't forget to bring home the samosas I kept in the ref earlier. Got them from Assad Mini Mart, just right behind the office. I would love to look around more inside but I couldn't risk smelling like masala when I get back to the office. The store smells very strongly of Indian spices and while that's heavenly for me, it may not be the case to the people around me haha. Sucks.

✱ I wonder when they'll credit my first paycheck. Is it on the day itself or a bit advanced? lol. Been refreshing the banking app ad nauseum and it's only the 13th hahaha. Well, it's already the 13th! Super spoiled at White & Case where they'd credit our paychecks at least two days early, sometimes even a week before, for unknown reasons. And on the rare times it falls on the dot, we all lose our minds haha.

One to ten

13:15

It's day 5 in my new job. I've met some of my teammates, attended some meetings, and submitted everything that's required of me hoping I didn't miss anything. I'm not doing much yet. Understandably. 

I'm the only one present in this lane (so far). One of my teammates is sick, the other is remote, and my manager only comes in once a week. I'm trying to make myself as comfortable as possible given the seat sharing policy in this office. It's hard. Not having a place of your own lol. Although our team has a designated area and I've been sticking around in this cube for the past few days, it's not like I own it and can personalize it according to my very specific workstation preferences haha. I couldn't even adjust the monitors because who knows if I still have this desk tomorrow? I was advised to get a locker so I did. Unfortunately it sits on a different floor because there are no vacant ones on this level.
 

17:49

I wanted to setup my new locker immediately so I walked to MC Depot earlier this afternoon to buy a padlock. Maps says it's only a 550m walk from here; mostly flat. Of course it didn't mention the numerous stoplights I have to wait for and the scorching midday BGC heat that threaten to burn through my darkest sins. It was so fucking hot. And I only walked for ten minutes! Maps says eight, but given my short legs therefore small strides, ten's about fair. 

Approaching the depot felt like nearing an oasis. I'm almost there, almost half the battle. It should be cold there. I stepped into the warehouse and thanked God for the shade. But where's the cold. Fucking hell. There's no airconditioning in this place. Fucking hell. Might as well get over this as quickly as possible. I was sweating profusely the whole time I was picking a lock (pun intended) and lining up at cashier. Thankfully there's an industrial fan by the counter that brought temporary relief to this agonizing quest. I thought MC Depot caters to a certain demographic, being at BGC lol, but it doesn't even have airconditioning. How anti-rich.

Should've bought a hanky. Beats me why I have to do this so early in my shift (see title). Should've done it now, in the afternoon, as the sun sets, where I wouldn't melt into a puddle of tinted sunscreen.

Well at least it's done now and I don't have to carry my headset, mouse, mechanical keyboard, and tumbler from now on every time I come to the office. Yey.

I wonder if I can go about my entire shift not talking to anyone. I have a seatmate now. The area is starting to fill up with people.

I'm worried about my backpay. I haven't received news on whether I can buy out the two monitors I was supposed to return on my last day. Our local IT says there's a high chance I can buy it out, but I haven't heard anything. If it can be bought out I should have received a salary deduction form already. Otherwise, they would've told me to return it. The longer this goes unsettled the longer it will take for my clearance to get routed to completion. Argh. And we're stinking poor already. 

I should get a banh mi. And Vietnamese coffee. Hope they accept card cos I'm so fucking poor right now.

19:03

They don't.

My laptop spacebar is doing an annoying squeaking sound. I kept my mechanical keyboard in favor of a more silent option because uhm I feel like my pretentious typing is gonna tick some people off. Who's this newbie who doesn't even have anything on her plate yet and yet types like she's resolving a P1 incident lol.

I badly want to go on an Ikea shopping spree. The mobile app is buggy and I can't add items to the cart. Somehow it gets deleted so it's no use using it as a wishlist of some sort. I want a taller shoe cabinet, frames, a fake plant, an uplighter, and a storage box. Also some meatballs.

Update on my monitors. I have to return them to the office. Damn. Here I thought I could buy them out. They were very good monitors. VESA compliant, has HDMI, DisplayPort, and tons of USB ports for charging. I'm looking online for similar monitors and they're so damn expensive. Should I bite into this second hand Dell monitor that's exactly what I need? It sells for only 5k but is probably hit and miss with the quality. Most reviews are good but I don't wanna risk ending up with a spotty screen as I'm gonna use it as my main monitor.

19:57

I just checked out a VESA mount and a laptop stand. 

20:31

I really don't know what to do. I think I could work from home tomorrow if none of my teammates are coming in to the office. At least I could get up early and try to go to Megamall to probably buy a new monitor. Now I'm excited. 

I shouldn't have completed the mandatory training yesterday. I should've chopped the modules to bits so I'm not left with absolutely nothing to do on a day where there are a lot of people around me (who are probably wondering if I'm an equal opportunity hire on account of my inability to speak [and socialize]). It's hard to pretend you're doing something productive. I've scrolled through the code of conduct, re-read the welcome email a hundred times, but I really can't do much without admin access. Once I get my admin access I can pretend to look busy again installing stuff and reading Confluence articles. 

21:15

Wow I think I can survive an entire shift without talking to anyone woah. You can tell by the length of this brain dump how badly this asocial animal needs an outlet. It's not like I didn't utter a single word in the past eight hours. I did talk, you know, to the guards. And the staff at Family Mart and Banh Mi Kitchen where I bought dinner. That counts as social interaction right? I'm not totally mute the entire day.

Clock is ticking and I can't fucking wait to get home and pack up my two monitors and drive them back to my old office. My old office. My beloved old office. Hay. Did I make the right choice moving here? 

We'll see on the payslip haha. But for now, let me regret leaving my beautiful motorized standing desk at White & Case. I miss my old office.

21:54

I've brought some of my stuff to my locker and also took a walk outside around the building. Just to pass time. And yet here I am still waiting to clock out. Just a few minutes more before I punch out of our timetracker that, according to my manager, nobody really checks cos we're on an honesty system around here. Still, I have to show some integrity right? At least on my first six months, kidding. Haha.

22:05

Hallelujah I'm going home!

Celebrating my unemployment

I don't really know how to write this post but I just have to say last week was one of the most memorable weeks of my life as I spent my last day at the firm "partying" with my officemates and spending the rest of the week in Baguio (our favorite place) to rest, mostly eat, in celebration of my unemployment haha.

Here's my Weekly Monotony!

✱ Last daaaayyy

August 23, 2022! Booked the lifestyle room and enjoyed the whole night just eating, singing, and occassionally attending to issues hahaha last day na nga eh may humahabol pa. I have the sweetest teammates, they really took note of my favorite foods and endeavored to have them available for our small salu-salo! I had planned to order Frankie's for everyone but the weather was so bad that day and most of the stores closed early. Even BPI closed early and I was supposed to run an errand with them argh. In the end I got wings from Buffalo Wild Wings haha sarap naman!

Anyway. Sobrang natouch ako. My friends got me cheesecake, Mama Lou's pizza, Amber's spaghetti and palabok, and mooore! Huhu sobrang daming food. Red and Henry gifted me a new phone case too huhu! And Camille got me SAMOSAS kami lang mahilig sa Indian food HAHAHA it was so good I hope more people would appreciate Indian food it's THE BEST!!!

White & Case will always have a special place in my heart. It's the first time I felt this comfortable in a company. Like I said, I could retire here. I really appreciate this day a lot, the effort it took for my friends to come in despite the stormy weather! The fooooood and the overall thoughfulness. I will never forget you guuuysss huhu. We're not complete in this pic but you're all in my heaaart hihi ♥

It was a delight having to experience our lifestyle room din! The Grand Videoke HD is the bomb! The sound system is perfect, we have mic stands, a big ass TV, there's even a PS5 but we just really want to sing hahahaha I love it! ♥

But all things must come to an end. After surrendering my stuff napaisip ako kung tama ba tong desisyon ko hahaha oh well, too late! HAHAHA

✱ Baguiooooooo

We love Baguio so much we keep coming back. The last time we went there we stayed a week at an AirBnb and tried to live "locally" as in not like a tourist. We bought groceries, I cooked every day, and worked like usual. In the afternoon before my shift starts we go out and explore, one spot a day, then come home right before it rains. Okay we did touristy stuff din pala haha. But everything worked within our schedule so it was perfect.

✱ Giraffe Boutique Hotel

This time is different. We booked at a hotel and just planned to eat all day everyday lol. At least I did. Jeckie went to an MMA gym haha. We've been eyeing The Manor at CJH but it just never went within our budget haha maybe next time. We stayed at Giraffe Boutique Hotel through a friend's reco and we loved it! I'll give it an 8/10.

We got a Superior Room that's 3.5k per night so not bad! It's beautiful, spacious, I love the colors. Just look at this ♥

I specifically requested for a room with a lot of windows but I didn't realize it meant getting the corner room that's right beside the road and the outdoor garden. You know what that means. Noise! Our first night was terrible because it was very noisy outside, if it's not the dogs barking, it's cats literally fucking around. And very early in the morning as the restaurant kitchen bustles I could've cried at the painful sound of cutleries clanking and of people talking and going about. We also had a cockroach incident. Could've soundproofed the room better but I don't really know what that entails. 

Besides the noise, privacy was also an issue. I requested for windows because I wanted better lighting and ventilation but I didn't realize we were facing a very busy part of the hotel and people kept walking past haha. In the end we had to keep the curtains down the entire time. So much for the view right.

But that's just on the first night. The succeeding nights were better, it's not always noisy and even when the curtains are drawn it's always cold hehe. So yeah, despite the noise and privacy issues, overall we stll had a great stay. Will write in detail on a separate blog post. :)

✱ Mangiamo Ristorante Baguio

I think the best part of the hotel is their restaurant, Mangiamo. It means "let's eat" in Italian ♥ 

If you are to stay in Baguio, you must try dining at Mangiamo. They serve delicious authentic Italian food that is so much worth every penny. Probably the best Italian we've tried. The chef is Italian too. I think we ate here two or three times. I recommend the following: 

• Mangiamo pizza - so freaking good, has truffle and ham, best pizza ever!!!
• Tagliatelle w/ truffle cream sauce - if you love truffle, this is a must!!! It's not on the menu but is usually on the board
• Mushroom soup - okay we love mushrooms. This is so legit, filled with wild mushrooms, not salty, not too creamy just pure mushroom soup goodness. 
• Caesar salad - if you love a garlicky caesar dressing this is lovely 
• Tiramisu - argh just typing it down makes me crave for it
• Apple pie ala mode - just the right serving! Perfect to cap off your meal 
• Prosciutto crudo e melone (parma ham and melon) - my goodness this is delicious! We loved prosciutto wraped mango when we we first tried one in Bora, but wow I love this melon one more! ♥

Now that I've started with the restaurant roll call, next up!

✱ Visco's

Everybody loves Visco's strawberry shortcake but have you tried their restaurant offerings? It's delicious!!! Especially their fried chicken. Reasonably priced too. 

I got the original fried chicken and Jeckie got the honey mustard one. We both enjoyed it. The chicken actually reminds me of Ellen's fried chicken in UPLB. And the gravy is buttery. Love it! ALSO, the ceasar salad on the side is delicious. Must try!

✱ Overtones Ito Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant 

Aaahh Jeckie's friend recommended this to us. Like Vizco's, you can find this along Session Rd., between Sizzling Plate and Pizza Volante. There's a small entrance there that's easy to miss because it's just a narrow entrance that leads to a flight of stairs. So don't miss it! 

I ordered Chirashidon, a favorite, and it's delicious! There's salmon, mackerel, octopus, UNI, tamago, crabsticks, etc., and lots of rice I couldn't finish. Besides the uni I also loved the squid wrapped nori. Super delicious! Jeckie got the wagyu sirloin. The cut was pretty thin so for medium rare it quickly turned to well done. So maybe next time get it rare? Teriyaki sauce is delicious! My iced mocha too!

There weren't a lot of people dining in so I'd say this one's a bit underrated. It's also a bit pricey for something along Session Rd. hehe

✱ Grumpy Joe

We though we're being careful with our restaurant choices so we went with one that's highly recommended by the internet. There was a line when we got there. We were 9th. We looked at the menu and everything looked promising...

... until my first order came. The corn chowder soup. It doesn't look too bad but the mound of grated cheese on top made me wonder, they use this type of cheese? I mean for a restaurant of this level I was hoping they'd opt for something more refined. Did we just fall into the hype?

Uhh yeah. Cos everything that was served after was underwhelming. The ony thing overwhelming is the serving size.

• Corn chowder soup - it was okay for 85 pesos but the mound of quickmelt was a bad precedent of what's to come
• Spicy buffalo wings - not spicy, not buffalo. Had we ordered barbecue glazed chicken wings we would've enjoyed this, but we didn't so it turned out disappointing. 
• Grumpy Joe special burger - oh this one will make you grumpy. So here's a burger, with a thin and dry patty, a pineapple slice that's thicker than said patty, ultra thin pickles, some cucumber slices, and caramelized onions siting right in the middle of the pineapple slice. There's also lettuce and a slice of fake cheese. Sauce? Maybe, I couldn't sense any. Did Joe make this when he's mad? Cos it shows. It's an abhorrent attempt at an aloha burger. Jollibee is laughing its ass out. The fries on the side however, tastes great! 
• Greek salad was so so, I don't get why this is marked a best seller
• Five cheese pizza - this was supposed to be a bestseller but the moment I tasted quickmelt cheesefood (apparently they use Eden) in there, I was defeated. I mean it tastes okay. But it's not 5 cheese delicious. Eden cheese isn't even real cheese. Yellowcab's 4 Cheese is much better. 

So much for the hype. I think this is okay for big families with kids in tow. Jeckie says it's elevated school canteen food. Harsh but totally apt. I think kids would love the food here. But foodies? Beware. 

✱ Oh My Gulay

Hmm. Located along Session Road at La Azotea Building, you have to climb 6 flights of stairs in order to get into the restaurant. It's on the 5th floor but there's another flight when you get to the restaurant entrance so yeah, siguradong gutom na gutom ka na pagdating mo sa taas haha. Obviously this is not for the physically challenged. The place is a visual feast. A museum slash nature sanctuary. It's like a mini Tam-awan Village! They serve vegetarian food so I know not to expect too much. 

We both got sisig. Which I regret. Jeckie seemed to love it. But to me it's just tastes like scrambled eggs. The sliders were disappointing too. Patty too dry. Remind us to stick to originally vegetarian dishes next time like eggplant lasagna, vegetables samosas, salads, humus, etc, and not converted meat dishes because I swear, they never come out as good.

I ordered pumpkin soup but it took too long to come out so I just cancelled it. I also ordered mango crepe but they gave out peach crepe so I had it remade. They must've rushed my order because the crepe was still hot when they served it. Consequently the mangoes got warm so it's not a good experience. They probably thought to compensate by drizzling extra chocolate syrup but heck they went overboard haha.

I'm not happy with this experience but I'm willing to try again, definitely with a different dish. 

✱ Lemon & Olives Greek Taverna

Finally got to try this! I'll tell you right now, this one's worth the hype unlike Grumpy Joe haha.

We ordered special lamb chops for two which came with L&O Salad, Poikilia, and lemon pilaf rice. Ordered hummus, plain yogurt drinks, and I got me some Turkish coffee (which I realized isn't my cup of tea lol).

Just looking at the photos already makes me wanna come back! 

• L&O Salad - absolutely delicious. Everything was balanced. I loved the peaches. It reminded me of Go Salad's Sweet Caroline except they use honey lemon vinagraitte instead of honey balsamic. It's sweet and tangy and my goodness I could eat this all day.
• Lamb chops - lamb is an acquired taste. I had to eat a lot of lamb dishes to realize how delicious it it. And this one is great.
• Hummus - simple, savory, creamy, garlicky, tangy. It's so balanced I love it.
• Poikilia - an appetizer plate. There's pita bites, sausages, and cheese sticks. I love this spread. Everything tastes good, specially the cheeese!!!

Aaaand that's it for my Baguio food diaries! I already wanna go back cos there's still so much we wanna try! Despite Grumpy Joe haha, I think this is still one of my favorite vacations! 

I'll be starting with my new job on Thursday so wish me luck! ♥

Today

I completed transitioning all my work items to my teammates. Whew. This is it. 

A couple of weeks ago I filed my resignation at the firm and now I'm down to my last two weeks here. I should be relatively free from now on seeing how I've finished handing over my work stuff to my teammates, but I still have to fix a couple of issues on one of my robots, and that's what I intend to do next week. After that I can relax. Well, after that AND after hearing some news from my new employer. 

You see, I'm kindof feeling anxious that it's been 10 days since I submited all of the requirements they asked for and I still haven't gotten any form of confirmation besides the autoresponder. The deadline they set for sending requirements is not until next week, so maybe I'm just worrying unnecessarily. Actually it's because I randomly saw a post earlier about rescinded job offers that got me thinking. Then again, this won't get me anywhere. Worst case scenario: they rescind. So I retract my resignation and get to keep my job at the firm (which pays well and has great benefits). Still sounds good right? 

But fudge I already bought a new phone and changed my number everywhere hahuhu.

Speaking of new phone. I bought an iPhone 13 Pro because of cinematic mode and didn't realize it was too heavy. And that I didn't need the additional macro lens. And that I would be cool with just the iPhone 13. Which is 30g lighter and costs 10k less. I'm having buyer's regret, mostly because my wrist is hurting from holding it and it's only been three weeks.

I should probably limit my screen time. Or get bigger hands yeah.

Today...

... is quite a good day! I vacuumed, made some coffee and resolved to get back to doing 10-min ab workouts daily. About a month ago I finished a 36 day streak, which is 6 days over my goal of just 30 days straight! And then we went to Boracay and I forgot about it. I'm proud that I was able to stick to something that long. I even documented my progress, or lack thereof, to prove something. And if anything, I've proven that 10 mins daily is not enough to lose weight hahaha. I didn't lose weight, didn't tone up like I expected, heck I didn't get abs. Of course 10 mins daily won't cut it. I remained fat, although for what it's worth, I didn't gain weight so that's a good thing! So yeah, I'm gonna continue with this just because it feels good to put some movement into my extremely sedentary life. Plus I really need to work on my core and basic mobilities cos I feel like my body is starting to rust, I can't even pick up something on the floor without my back complaining.

Here's to hoping for positive physical changes!

[Review] Part 2 of my Wink Laser Studio underarm whitening experience

Part 1 here: [Review] Part 1 of my Wink Laser Studio underarm whitening experience where I spent 12 sessions and figured it's not enough! 

As usual, this is an in-progess post! Will update this as I go along...

✱ Session 13: May 28, 2022 (Podium) 

I'm gonna start with session 13 since this is just a continuation. Here's a photo taken before the session, which means it's last session's result. Pretty pleased with how it's coming out so far hehe also because I have a better photo haha

✱ Session 14: June 25, 2022 (Podium) 

Not much has changed but it really has improved a lot.

The sessions now are more focused on the center part where it's still a bit dark. This area is usually the longest to treat because it's the part that folds and is exposed to more friction. In terms on UA habits, still the the same, Deonat tawas spray (aloe), and in the shower I wash it with Pond's facial wash, the pink variant. I think it's called Pond's Bright Beauty Serum Facial Foam now. The packaging used to be Pond's White Beauty Facial Foam. 

By the way, I thought I'd share something to encourage you about this freaking long UA whitening journey, so here's something I unearthed recently while I was cleaning my inbox... a photo of my UA four years ago, that's 2018 BEFORE I STARTED with SkinStation's Underarm Diode Laser Hair Removal... 

It's dark, hairy, rough, and itchy. So yeah, we've definitely come a long way haha. I can be patient wahaha!

✱ Session 15: July 23, 2022 (Podium)

Here you go! I feel like there's not much to say after 15 sessions so I'll just leave a photo here, which was taken the day after cos I forgot to take one before the session hehe.

✱ Session 16: August 20, 2022 (Podium)

Since we're only targetting the center area, the nurse told me we can shorten the gaps between sessions and do it every three 3 weeks. So that's what I'm gonna do.

✱ Session 17: September 10, 2022 (Podium)

I don't know but it kinda looks darker to me.

Actually, I'm not totally following the advice of the nurse to avoid physical activity/sweating within 48hrs. We play badminton every Sunday and my Wink sessions are always on a Saturday so it can't be helped. Anyway. Despite all that, I still think we've come a long way. It's just that I'm not seeing any significant progress lately. Could it be that my lifestyle is countering my progress? Hmm. 

✱ Session 18: October 2, 2022 (Podium)

I accidentally deleted my photos for this session but here's one taken five days later, I think that still counts hehe.

To be honest, I'm starting to lose trust in the process. It's just super slow now. Problem area remains the same, still mostly in the middle part where it creases. I don't know if it's ever going to lighten given my habits hehe. Sometimes I can't help but scratch it when it itches, I also don't wear sleeveless, and because I'm trying to be more active lately, I've been using Rexona when I workout because it's a good antiperspirant and deodorant. However, I'm afraid it's too strong for my skin, I remember using it when I was younger and I think it's the reason my armpits got darker. That and too much friction on my underarms from moving too much. But I don't wanna stink in the gym haha


✱ Session 19: October 29, 2022 (Podium)

Still the same, slow progress, if there's even any. Today's session was slightly more painful, I think they increased the intensity. Hopefully we get to the end of this journey cos I only have 5 sessions left and I'm not repurchasing if there's no visible progress between my 12th and 24th session.

I think I have to divert my attention to my face, I was looking at my progress photos and can't help notice my pimple scars huhu.

✱ Session 20: November 27, 2022 (Podium)

Really not impressed with the progress. Halos wala nang change. I'm thinking if it has something to do with my lifestyle already, because admittedly I don't follow the advise of no physical activity allowed within 48 hours (we play badminton every weekend), and I also keep wearing shirts with sleeves (I mean it's because I see no progress that I keep wearing the same shirts lol).

Definitely not repurchasing a package because of the very little effects I'm seeing at this point. I'm on my 20th session so it's kinda damning not to see anything I could consider a milestone. The effects are probably slower as you progress with the sessions because maybe I've hit a limit in terms of how much Revlite can lighten my underarms? I don't really know. 

There's something I noticed just now as well, seems like there's no dermatologist at Wink Podium? I have never talked to anyone who gave legit doctorly advise if you know what I mean. I wish I could actually get a consultation from a doctor, if they have one, and if it's part of the package. My initial assessment was done by one of the aestheticians who did the treatment and they don't really give any advise beyond what's written on their after-care cards. They won't even comment on your progress, they just know what to target based on the current condition of your skin. I guess they're not really allowed to say much cos they're not doctors.

So yeah, I'll probably try talking to a derma. There's Luminisce just across Wink and I'm hearing good reviews too. :) 

✱ Session 21: January 8, 2023 (Podium)

Ooooh, pretty good progress I see here. Just note that I didn't take this photo before my session, but rather a day after my session so it could be a combination of last month's progress plus this current session's tiny bit of progress? I do think it has more to do with this current session I had because I told the nurse to really focus on the middle area where it creases because it doesn't seem to be getting better.

You know what, I only have a few sessions left but I don't think I'm repurchasing with Wink. They increased their prices for 2023 and for such little progress per session it doesn't make practical sense. I think I'm only a few ways to go before I reach my kili-kili goals so I'm probably going to check out with SkinStation to finish this project haha.

✱ Session 22: February 4, 2023 (Podium)

Only two sessions left after this! There is progress, but you know, still not a lot and quite frankly I don't think it's worth getting a third package with them. I'll probably try SkinStation again after this.

✱ Session 23: February 25, 2023 (Podium)

Heyo! So kumusta naman tong kili-kili natin haha. I do think it's lightening a tiny bit but that because I'm using another product right now... V&M Natural's Ultrabomb and CPC+G oil.

I've used the same products five years ago then I stopped cos it wasn't always available. Then I tried it again this month cos it's easier to purchase online and yeah it still works! I started applying this religiously at night for more than a month now and the results are slow but they're showing and my UA is softer too.

I think after Wink I'll just stick with V&M. It works well on my face too hehe

✱ Last session: March 25, 2023 (Podium)

Here it is! My last progress photo. Like I said, I won't be getting any more packages with Wink. I think I've maxed out the effects of Revlite and yet my underarms are still not perfectly clear and smooth. Too bad. No one even offered me additional services or anything, no assessment or whatnot. Just goodbye and thank you in their usual spiels. The staff there are all friendly and nice but they're all too scripted like robots so I don't feel like they really care about your progress. Oh well!

Life lately

✱ Long overdue oil change!

Last weekend we had our long overdue oil change and PMS at Shell Dahlia. We're supposed to do it every 8 months or 10,000 km, whichever comes first daw. But well, it's been 15 months and the car has only been driven 2,000 km since. We usually go with the distance marker cos it looks more practical, but at our current rate it'll take us over 5 years to get the oil changed lol and that's something no one should ever do unless you enjoy riding an active road hazard.

The mechanic says everything looks good except for the AT fluid which needs changing. Have to buy this from Toyota directly so we'll get to that this weekend. It's the first time I heard of such fluid. Apparently it's used to lubricate the transmission component of the car to ensure smooth shifting from gear to gear.

We got the battery checked as well cos it's going 2 years and 10 months already and I feel like the headlights are starting to dim. The battery tester says it's at 62%, mechanic says it still a good number but if we're starting to observe some performance issues then it's probably time to change.

I did some Googling and it found that SOH (state of health) refers to the condition of the battery cells relative to its age, maybe like our phone battery health? SOC (state of charge) is the battery level relative to its capacity, so it's uhm 99% charged in a 62% capable battery. RES (resistance) - I don't really understand this but it says the lower the value of the internal resistance, the better the battery can discharge a high voltage load. Today I learned! Thanks to this Q&A.

✱ Maya and my first crypto purchase

So Paymaya recently rebranded into a neobank and it's offering 6% p.a. savings as its early access promo. Naturally I have to try. I pulled out a small amount from CIMB and transferred it to Maya. For CIMB to GCash to Paymaya, transfer fee is  ₱15 via InstaPay. Maya Bank is not listed yet so I have to move from Paymaya wallet to Maya bank account within the same app.

Since they also offer crypto on the platform, I tried that as well. Don't really know much about bitcoin so I just bought ₱500 worth. I mean it plumetted quickly cos I bought it on a downtrend lol but that's fine as I only intend to watch it fluctuate.

✱ Looking out 

You know I'm dreading RTO so much that I started handing out resumes to several companies through LinkedIn. I'm specifically avoiding consulting firms and agencies and so far I've gotten to three HR interviews. They all happened last week on Friday. It was a back-to-back-to-back interview begining 3pm and what can I say, I think it only made me more grateful for the firm lol. 

Company 1 has enough budget for my asking, offers permanent remote work, but I don't think I'm a good fit for the role. It's an automation testing role that uses technologies I'm familiar with but have never used within the scope of testing.

Company 2 has no budget for my asking, so they tried to encourage me by sharing their benefits. I was a bit hopeful about this company because the Jobstreet and Glassdoor reviews are good, and they're listed in Great Place to Work PH so those count for something right? But again, I don't think I'm a good fit because they wanted an automation tester with experience on Selenium and Cucumber so I'm definitely not the person they're looking for. Their max budget for the role is pretty much my current basic pay already so I decided not to pursue. The benefits are okay but not stellar compared to what I'm currently enjoying.

Company 3 is also a no-go. The position looks promising, very relevant to what I'm currently doing. The tools and technologies match, my years of experience check out, and it's a big company with a big infrastructure so it excited me how much I could learn from developing in such a scaled up environment. However, as much as I felt the fit, they couldn't possibly meet me at my asking price. Their budget is way below my current salary. And my asking, according to the HR is already on the executive level lol.

So yeah, after the call HR formally told me they'll keep me in the pool but would not pursue with my application. We talked for over 30 minutes, starting with a long primer on the history of the company, it's partners, subsidiaries, and parent conglomerate. It's actually the same company I worked with 10 years ago as a fresh grad haha, and back then the HR didn't give me this intro lol so I actually learned a lot haha.

It's kinda sad that none of the interviews worked out for me. It made me wonder if I'm actually overpaid or I'm just looking at the wrong companies lol. Actually no I'm not overpaid, some companies - specially local ones - just don't have the budget haha. Also, as my husband says, "better overpaid than underpaid".

It also gave me an insight at how blessed I am with the firm. In 5 years my pay has increased by 56% so I'm still on track as far as my personal standards go. My workload is manageable, my teammates are all great to work with, my manager is cool, and my office friends are a delight. I've become so comfortable I don't wanna leave. Also I don't wanna lose the iphone plan I literally can't afford it haha.

Okay that said I think I'm gonna give RTO a chance. Still actively responding to promising opportunities though, specially overseas ones!

✱ YouTube payout

Good news! I just got my second YouTube payout! I'm saying it's YouTube but it's actually Google Adsense so that's a combination of my blog and vlog earnings. The income ratio being 25% blog and 75% vlog so yeah it's mostly YouTube. I set my withdrawal threshold to $200 and I was able to reach it in six months! I know it's not that big, when I got in the Youtube Partner Program (aka monetized my channel) my first payout came nine months later. So this arriving three months early is a great thing! It means I'm still earning lol. It's fun to get paid doing stuff you enjoy no? lol