Joyride

The first thing that I did is to submit a project proposal for upgrade of the computer peripherals. While waiting for the result of my project proposal, I was also scouting for a strategic site to where I can relocate the Internet station. Everyday, I experienced big losses. There were very few customers coming in - only Internet surfer. Majority of the customers are network gamers who would go out right away after knowing that we only had an outdated version of the network/online game they're looking for. My monthly gross income is not sufficient enough to cover with the monthly overheads. If only we were not occupying a space at the water purification building which is another sister company, I could have been already evicted for not paying the rental and electric bill. Anyhow, I could manage to pay for the Internet's leased line but nothing's left for my salary.
When it was time to hear a good news from my project proposal, I was told by my big boss that the Board of Directors didn't approve the proposal because of the big amount. More so, I was told into fashioning any other kind of solution on how to improve the business income without entailing much cost. My world had fallen apart. I know there was no other way.
True enough, the bosses expected me to bring result regardless of the standing of our equipment. There was too much pressure and no room was left for excuses. Understanding I had no other options left, I doubled my effort, like extending the business hour. The strategy helped somehow, but still not sufficient enough to pay for my salary.

I worked very hard yet it didn't make any difference. I slept very little. For the whole six months of the business operation that I was there, I never had any salary. I was already very much infuriated with my predicament. To add insult to injury, I heard rumors coming from the bosses that the business is losing because I didn't manage it very well.
I was feed up and barely after six months of business operations under my supervision, I recommended  business closure. At first, the recommendation was not considered by the board but when they saw how determine I was, and realizing they can't get anybody else to replace me, my recommendation was finally approved. 
This is an excerpt of one of my email communication to my boss:

On March 2007, my suffering came to an end. The Internet cafe was finally closed for business. All of the computers and any other equipment were given to Sun Hwa International Academy - that turned out to be one of the investor of the Internet cafe. Incidentally, the water purification processing plant was taken over by a new management (no longer under my big boss). That, in turn, complicated my life even more. I was suddenly out of place, and without giving me a few days as transition period, I was ordered to vacate from the place I stayed in. I was pressured but tried to comply. I understand my big boss has his moral obligation in me, so I presume he'd get me back for the mother company. But then I had to wait. At that time, he was out of the country for his Martial Arts activities.
I finally had to bid good bye to Antipolo, the place I started to love.

Hinulugang-Taktak

Yes, when I say Antipolo is the place I started to love, I meant it. For why can't I? I had been into this place for six months and found the place to be rich in natural attractions. Despite of the city's jam packed-traffic in the daytime caused by passenger tricycles and illegal underbone drag racing in the night time, Antipolo possesses most of the natural beauties that arouses keen interest of travel photography enthusiast like me. Its natural landform and existing vegetative covers make for very exciting scenic spots. Most of these natural attractions are in the higher evaluations of eastern and northern Antipolo, where the necessary infrastructure for tourism are not yet in place.
I was in a photography rampage around Antipolo a few months back but never ever visited the famous Hinulugang Taktak, a mountain spring resort which was made a National Park during the time of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. The last time I was here was in the summer of 2001 when I was a celebrator for my then 28th birthday. And in six-month time I stayed into its cradle which is Antipolo, I didn't have the chance to revisit this spot. Not again, as I promised myself to see this place one more time before departing from this city for good.
Hinulugang Taktak, by the way,  can be found in Taktak Road, Brgy. Dela Paz, Antipolo City. Its falls is a part of Antipolo's natural and cultural heritage. Legend has it that in the 15th century, there was a large bell that caused undue disturbance to townsfolk whenever it was rung at Angelus. The sound was so loud the people couldn't endure it and demanded the local priest that the bell should be rid out. So, the waterfalls that can be seen at present is said to be exactly the location where the large bell was being thrown away. "Hinulugang Taktak" means "the place where the bell was dropped." The place has since become a favorite spots for visitors and local tourists. (Source: http://www.mmldc.com/antipolo.html, http://www.bwf.org/bk/2k/05/24_01.html, http://antipolo.gov.ph/tourism.htm)
Antipolo is considerably a mere 20 kilometers from Manila. According to the account of one of my blogger and MIP friend, Dennis Villegas, people used to enjoy swimming on the clear waters of the Hinulugang Taktak, in fact, the occasion of doing such is very special for Pareng Dennis and his family. Today, those who wanted to swim could now only do so in a man-made pool within the resort (please see the 9th and 10th photo in this section). Only trash dumped by poultry farms and houses upstream could be seen floating on Taktak's polluted waters. The natural pool beneath the spring's waterfall, which used to be the resort's main attraction, has become its filthiest portion with tyres, styros, and plastics that floated everywhere. I had witnessed those in my own two eyes and I didn't have the nerve to post those photos here. According to one of the park's maintenance crew that I speak with, the condition is even worsened by heavy rainfall, during which they can even see live chickens being carried away by the sudden rush of mud-colored and trash-strewn waters.

Please see the photos below. It maybe take another time for me to be visiting the place again. I didn't bring with me my SLR, so what I got here are inferior quality of photographs taken using my Sony Ericsson K750i.

Hinulugang Taktak - not Hinulugan Taktak

The park's sign that welcomes everyone.

Hinulugang Taktak's waterfalls.

Garbage can be seen floating all over the place. Despite the considerable distance where I stood to take this photograph, I can still smell the foul odor of the water.

The man-made pool in the resort.

These are some of the wild flowers that can be seen inside the park. I had these flowers photographed in macro.

Cyber squatting, Faggotry and Laglagan Blues Unfolded

While I believed I still have a place in our main office, I proved myself wrong. An insider told me that there was a resistance from the accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier of my coming back to my original work. I was even told there were confrontations among the key persons in the company especially in the issues of our hijacked domain (I had written a separate article here). It was revealed that the accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier intentionally had to shut down our domain to give way to a website project he's giving to a newly promoted (and learner) web developer. I say newly promoted because the boy was formerly a sales clerk who was (informally) assigned to web developing task after graduating a two-year computer course. And the reason the big boss was real mad at me because the accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier told him I was not giving to them the "username and password of the website" - they meant FTP account information. I remember they called me up about it before the cyber squatting incident but told them I can only divulge to anybody technical information about the website before a written memorandum from the higher management. Of course, a different version of my statement was told to the big boss that made him fume in anger. Meanwhile, they found themselves inside a trap with nowhere to go - you can imagine a novice web developer and accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier without extensive knowledge in web developing. Finally, after our domain was hijacked, in the midst of controversy, they were able to register the .com domain in lieu of the .info domain that I pioneered. Furthermore, they make it appear to the top management it was part of their initiative to make it up with my "negligence." The confrontation was started when the HR & Assistant Manager uncovered this underground works of the accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier and his cohort.
As if it is not yet enough, there were few more thing which was uncovered, like the plot of this accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier to oust (laglag) every key person in the company using the capacity of the big boss to whom he influenced so much. It was revealed that my reassignment to a losing business, sweet-coated by the word "promotion," was already part of his plan. Next in his list to be ousted are the HR & Asst. Manager, the sales manager, and so on with all of the staff not in his favor. He had already his own people ready to take over vacated position as soon as he would succeed in his devious plan.
This accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier's "sales pitch" to the big boss was very simple. He accused me of just spending my time over the Internet if not reading newspaper the whole day instead of doing my duty. While it was true, that was a biased statement for there's nothing else I would do unless there should be a given project. The Asst. Manager was accused of not doing his job. That was a trick because beforehand, this accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier volunteered to do the tasks of the Asst. Manager if he's not around. Overall, this accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier had taken over the web developing, the hiring of personnel, the marketing, and the management of the sales people. The big boss, instead of being alarmed, was very much sold out of him that he was given the blanket authority to oversee the whole business operations and office administration.
The plan was set and everything was fine when the relationship of this accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier and his web developer turn sour. The boy was being bullied by this accountant when he's not giving in to his sexual advances. When the boy couldn't bear it all, he confessed everything to the Asst. Manager. Right then and there, the plot was spoiled with only one casualty - me.

Last Glimpse of Makati Skyline

I had to admit it. Everything's clear. My time with my company is over. I had to abandon my pad in Mandaluyong, a company-provided low-fee bachelor's pad. I shouldn't have wondered why two girls were allowed to stay in my unit while I was in the Antipolo work site.
It took me a total of two days sorting out my things. I did it in the daytime when the occupants go out to work. I was most particularly surprise to see my old techies that belong to the mid-1990's like those beepers found in the photo below.  Those gadgetries had their purpose ended and must be discarded together with VHS cassettes, and any other outdated paraphernalia. While I was trying to find ways to dispose all of those things without causing harm to the environment, I was very much pressured with my time table and other occupants in the condominium who started to complain for my mess. I was left with no choice but to burn away most of the things I don't necessarily needed. What was left for me are few clothing, a few pair of shoes, and computer peripherals. After giving my old clothing to garbage collectors, I cleaned up the pad not wanting to leave the mess to the present occupants. I was hoping they would be delighted to find more spaces for their belongings.

Pagers, beepers, old coins...These are just a few of the stuff I didn't need anymore.

Some of my things that I didn't need immediately, like cameras, computers, and the likes were distributed to Mae Ann and to my girlfriend for safekeeping. A tent was left in my friend who owns a printing press in Aurora Blvd. in Cubao. I only got with me a few clothings, my PDA, and my mobile phones to places I would have to go.

Job-Hunting, Hunger, Vagrancy, Summer Heat

I started my job-hunting right away. I roamed around Makati (as evident to this Makati Highrise I had photographed awhile back) to find my luck. I was very choosy in finding a job. Life is becoming so tough.

I never ever suggested anybody, even my girlfriend Jovy, that I didn't have a place to stay. The first day that I couldn't decide where to rest for the night, I was in my former company's shop in Harrison Plaza in Manila cooling myself down. The summer heat outside the mall was unbearable. When it was closing time, I asked the staff at the shop that I'd leave my things there and that I'd just return for it the following day. It was already night time and I found myself walking from Harrison Plaza to CCP Complex, Baywalk (in front of Rajah Sulayman Park), and finally Rizal Park. I sat down in one of the benches in Rizal Park but found out the place to be very much lighted. It was already past midnight and I was trying to find a place which is less-obtrusive. until I reached the street of Kalaw. Barely with only 700 pesos in my wallet that I raised from friends that I had visited the earlier, I know the amount would only last a single night if I'd go for a paid accommodation. I saw there were also a few people sleeping over the benches, as in, they really lie down into it. I finally decided to have my break in one of the benches there.

As I wake up in the morning, I saw that Jollibee-Kalaw is not very far from where I spend the night with. I proceed to the place to wash my face and ordered my breakfast. For an additional order of any pie, there would be a free newspaper. So I ordered pie just to get my own copy of Philippine Star for free. I'd kill the time by reading newspaper. By nine o'clock, I would ride a jeepney going to Harrison Plaza to where I left my things. There, I'd brush my teeth, charge my phone, and change clothing. Then, I'd go out to take my chance for the day.

A portion of the Jollibee-Kalaw where I most of the time eat my breakfast and wash my face when I was down and out.

If I remember it right, the highest peak of the summer heat was 34° Celsius. It was very hot walking under the heat of the sun looking for a job. In the afternoon, after a few job interviews, I would take a bus ride going to SM Mall of Asia. In the first day of wandering around the place, I took several photos in the outside using my mobile phone camera. My most favorite spot inside the SM Mall of Asia is their skating rink with the photo of Mt. Everest as the backdrop. Not only that I am fascinated with the backdrop. I also believe the skating rink is the coolest spot inside the mall.

There were times I would only eat Chowking halo-halo for lunch. I had three purpose of doing such. First, halo-halo is cheaper than the usual fare. Second, halo-halo can cool down my rising body temperature caused by the summer heat. Third, I would just like to sate my craving for halo-halo.
Dirty ice cream is cheaper alternative to suppress summer heat.

I was a drifter for more than a week. Sometimes, I would want to blog, but knowing I would only rant about my situation, I knew I never ever wanted to blog about this for the moment. Enough reason I had to be in silence for awhile...

Moving to Cavite

A polluted river in Noveleta, Cavite with a hanging bridge across.

In my days of living in the streets, I still gradually ran out of resources. I was not hired yet - I mean, I was just a bit choosy. In my eighth day of staying in nowhere, a friend called me up. He's an engineer (an engineer with several engineering licenses) based in Cavite. He is presently a part-owner of a newly-established international school in Trece Martirez City. He was asking of any possibility for me to be teaching in their school. He asked me to visit into his place so we can discuss the matter and so I did. The invitation was just very timely as holy week was fast approaching and I wouldn't want to be roasted in heat while drifting in the streets.

My friend received me in his house very warmly. He has a very nice house, got four cute children with his wife, a Japanese national, working in a Japanese firm in Cavite. He prepared one air-condition guest room for me to stay but I offer instead to camp in the front yard of his house. Since I intend to stay longer, I thought I wouldn't want to spend much of the electricity by using air-conditioner. So, I put up my tent outside the house. I was also given an extension wire for electrical source.

For the teaching job, I was offered a monthly salary of P7,000 if I'd start for work comes June. It was very disappointing to know that teaching  is the lowest-paying job in this country. I remembered way back in 1997, I was receiving a P6,000 monthly salary teaching in a private school in Dasmarinas, Cavite, while my first girlfriend (now an ex-girlfriend) was receiving more than that amount working as a regular sales clerk in SM Cubao. Well, I asked my friend I might bite off if they can raise the amount. I was told that the amount is the only starting salary they can give for newly-hired teachers and that they might grant an increase but cannot really promise about it. Thinking I wouldn't want to be tied up in a contract with a salary not enough for my monthly utilization, I naturally turned down the offer. I told him that I was looking for a job with monthly salary that should be higher as compared to my previous employment. He understood my point.

Meanwhile, I called up my girlfriend and told her I was already in Cavite and would be staying there for an undetermined length of time. It was only at that time I confided to her my staying in the streets in the past week. She exploded in tears upon knowing about what I went through. She also reminded me of my birthday to occur the following week and told me that we would have to celebrate it.

While I stayed in Cavite, I would sometimes go to Manila to report for job interviews. Most of my job applications were already done online. Since I was just using my friend's family computer to access the Internet, my time was just limited to checking email. Blogging, MIP, Multiply, and surfing was momentarily out of hand.

Children in Cavite, one lazy summer afternoon.

Kids suppressing the sizzling summer heat.

My tent. Guess the brand :)

My Birthday Celebration

Came my birthday and I was financially broke. My girlfriend called me up in the morning and insisted that we would meet. She promised she would foot the bill. So I left Cavite and met her in Cubao. We chose the place to avoid suspecting eyes. We wouldn't want our relationship to obliterate her from her work. Even when I am no longer working in his company, our relationship is definitely a no-no.

It was already getting dark when we roamed around Araneta Center until we ended up at Inasal Chicken Bacolod located across Araneta Coliseum. Even without a birthday cake to signify my birthday celebration, we still made the night very special with a simple dinner composed of a roasted chicken, a roasted chicken liver (which is a favorite), and buko juice. We were very happy. We didn't see each other for more than two weeks.

After dinner, we agreed to proceed to Gateway Mall for window shopping. While walking towards the mall, I was tempted to snap a photo of its splendid night beauty using my Sony Ericsson K750i.

Digital Karma

When the big boss arrived from abroad, he learned that the Board of Directors unseated him from his position in the company. The newly appointed General Manager is the HR & Asst. Manager that the accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier wanted to be kicked out. I felt pity with the big boss. I have nothing personal against him. He's my Martial Arts mentor for 15 years and we already went through a lot of thick and thin before he was influenced by another person to unknowingly turn against me. I'm saying unknowingly because by all his own belief he was thinking he was promoting me. He was not aware of the political manipulation being done by the cunning accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier. And why I am saying there's karma in there? It's because when I was assigned in a losing business where I was not receiving salary, he was saying unfulfilled promises towards me. Like settling down my monthly bills in lieu of my unrecieved allowances. But then, those turned out to be unfulfilled promises. In a span of few months, bills escalated with compounded interests. Busy that he was with any other activities, I was unintentionally left out by him to face my financial problems alone.
Now, it is the big boss' turn. He lost one of his biggest financial resources when he's no longer a General Manager. While he is still holding a second job as a college dean in a computer school in Cubao, I know his income from it is not even enough to pay for all of his luxuries in life. And to think he's having lots of monthly bills to be fixed, that's aside from a fuel-hungry sportscar he is going to feed. I didn't want all of these things to happen to him. Yet it was just automatic he is experiencing now what I had experienced ahead of time.

The accountant-at-the-same-time-cashier was totally devastated. After his plot was uncovered, everything the least he expected was happening against him. The assistant manager he wanted to be ousted now becomes his new boss. And then, he was forced to choose between accounting job and cashiering. When he was stripped off  of cashiering, he was investigated. As accountant and cashier, he was suspected to be manipulating financial documents that easily. Those who have benefited from his "generosity" in the past turn witness against his financial abuses. The poor boy he installed as web developer also testified he was given all the luxuries in exchange of sexual favors. The boy was forced to resign by the administration to avoid further scandal.

Business cards were found in this accountant's possession stating his position to be sales manager. It became obvious that he was also in the preparation of kicking out the legitimate sales manager during the period he was setting his plot. Now, while he was not being kicked out from the company, he didn't resign as well. It must be obvious that he's nowhere to go if he leaves the company. But, even then, he's in the middle of embarrassment. This young man is now the subject of ridicule from the people around him. If how long he can endure himself in that state, that is up to him to bear.

0922-844-JOVY

That's my girlfriend Jovy in the middle.

There is this young guy about the same age with my girlfriend who is seriously courting her despite of her telling him that she already got a boyfriend. They were introduced with each other, ironically, by one of my friend I considered close to me. He claims he's working in Unilever and he got his own company car. While my girlfriend made it known to him that she's presently in a relationship, the man would always invite her for a movie. While she is offended by such invitation of a person she didn't know that much yet, she would turn down his invitation yet treated him fairly.
The courtship started last year while I was away, running that hopeless business in Antipolo. The guy is relentless in his motivation even if my girlfriend enunciate that she's not entertaining any suitor because of her present boyfriend (who is me). There were instances he would intimidate her by playing himself a hero, by offering to send my girlfriend to her house when its raining. He would pass by to my girlfriend's workplace when it's raining and offer her a ride. If she would refuse, he would tell her he don't feel good. That they speak the same Cebuano dialect, caused her more difficulty in avoiding him. In the same instance, that they speak the same dialect, he uses it to intimidate her more. (Taga-Cebu siya, Bay Ynnad!)
That is not enough. Since my girlfriend is not going with all of her invitation, he uses other people closer to my girlfriend. For example, during my girlfriend's birthday last March, he invited my girlfriend and her friends for dinner as birthday treat, and he succeeded. That was the start of further excursions. While the biggest date I made with my girlfriend is the Baywalk Cruise, this man was able to bring my girlfriend together with selected friends to Metrowalk, SM Mall of Asia, Greenbelt, Marikina Riverbank, etc. Places I would want myself to bring my girlfriend there. He is cunningly using my girlfriend's friends influence. Since my girlfriend would show lack of interest, he would just tell her, "Saba diha, sige na gani ta ug pangadto. Nganong dili man karon?" (Stop it! We already always go out in the past, why not now?)
What is alarming to me is that the people I expected to support with my relationship with my girlfriend are the same people who are now encouraging my girlfriend to go with this persistent suitor, in effect, leaving me behind. They would tell my girlfriend she will have brighter future with this man who is already economically stable as compared to me who just recently lost my job. It is very disappointing to know they dump me out, a person they've known for quite long years, to a person they only knew for a few months, and didn't even know his background. There was only one friend (incidentally, my first model in the earlier MIP days) who advised her to remain true to me. Another one is just passive (In fairness, the companions of my girlfriend in the above photo have nothing to do with this).
While I would like to blame my friend who introduced my girlfriend and her now ardent suitor, I understand it is still finally between me and my girlfriend. My girlfriend is a principled-woman. She has her own disposition in life and cannot just be easily influenced by others in her decision making. In her present age of 28, is already mature enough. A one-man woman, she's righteous, and religious too. She's not much into worldly things. She's only got but one concern, that is, about our future. Based on this belief, I trusted my girlfriend more than ever.

Still, everything went smoothly between me and my girlfriend until unexpected crises came by. The first was last June 23. She discovered an edited phonecam photo of a girl in my phone. She personally knows the girl, a 23-year old single-mother who oftentimes would come to me to ask help for her school works. My girlfriend deleted the picture and warned me against seeing that photo again in my phone. While the photo of that girl in my phone was taken just for fun, I still took responsibility for my girlfriend's reaction about it and accepted it was all my fault.
Yet, It didn't end up there. I learned the lesson the hard way. In July 1, my girlfriend found again the same photo in my other phone. It was my first time seeing her fuming real mad and expressed dismay for what she discovered. She was in a bad mood the rest of the day. The following day, we had a serious talk and told me she already had decided for our relationship to call it quit. When I heard it from her, it was as if the whole world fell down on me. When I saw my girlfriend was very determine of what she said, I burst out in tears. I was very unprepared and I didn't realize those simple things in me could be very serious in her part and cause our relationship to fall apart. I know my partner would really carry out things once she decides for it, even if she would regret for it later. I cried and ask for apology to my humblest gesture I could do. Fortunately, she gave me a chance that she called my last chance. And she told me to just focus into looking for job than entertaining things that won't do anything good in our relationship.

We're back again into square one and I promised myself not to do the same craziness again - never again. The girl is still showing up to me every now and then but I already made myself very careful not to commit the same mistake again. I believe if I'd just behave well, I can make it with my girlfriend till the end. Yet, no matter how firm I am in my belief, I must admit it here in the blogosphere that I am very much insecure with my potential rival who would do anything to ruin my relationship with my girlfriend. Yes, I trusted my girlfriend, but I don't trust the guy.

We still have a long way to go and I wanted to tell my girlfriend that she means a lot to me. If you would like to help me tell her how much I love her, that's her contact number above.

Last Stand

Up until now, I'm still jobless. I have had passed examinations and job interviews in call centers I applied for, yet there was no guarantee I could get hired. I was just told they'd call me up but there was none. I also applied to several IT firms but got a problem with my credentials. While I am primarily looking for a job around greater Manila areas, I'm also open for job opportunities in the provinces and other key cities outside Manila. Some of my choices are the following: Angeles City (Clark), Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Bacolod. If you know of a job offering my skills would qualify, you may refer it to me. My resume is also available here for download.

I also would like to put it an emphasis that I bear no hatred against those who displeased me. I dont' want to waste my time and energy entertaining such faggotry. I still have my own life to fix. I want to regain a stable job and get back to travel and photography. I want peace and I want a peaceful family of my own together with my girlfriend. We plan to settle down next year.

And so long for now. I have to partially close this blog entry at this point.

Technorati Tag: Antipolo, Hinulugang-Taktak, Sony Ericsson K750i, Cybersquatting, Cavite