I saw dead people
Posted on | January 21, 2012 | No Comments
I think this cannot wait November when normally stories about the paranormal can be heard all over. I have been holding on to telling all about these weird personal experiences and today must be the right time. Having worked in a semiconductor manufacturing company for several years, I cannot be considered as someone new to the world of graveyard shift. I’ve been there, done that but never in my entire life working during these unholy hours have I felt something so eerie.
The latest one happened just this week. Everything seems to be SSDD at work when past 1 AM, out of my peripheral vision I noticed someone standing nearby our workstation. I glanced the second time to check and yes I really think that I saw a bulky and dark figure but some remaining skepticism I have had me brush the whole thing off right after telling my colleague about it. The next night, however, I learned that another one from our group saw the same thing on the same exact spot. Ti abi.
But that is not the first time when I felt strange things happening around me. Believe it or not, other freaky experiences occurred even during broad daylight.
Several months ago, we were required to render overtimes and for a week I personally picked the post-shift slot to avoid driving through rush hour traffic. For two hours after 9 in the morning, I’d be left alone inside the totally silent production floor – no incoming calls, no chatty agents. During these times, it’s just me, the hum of my CPU, and the tapping sound of my keyboard. But not all the time.
There have been a number of instances when I have heard the distinct sound of someone dragging his (or her) shoes on the carpeted floor near the area where I work. I have even witnessed an ergonomic chair swivel as if an invisible agent just left in a hurry.
In another occasion, I was alone in the restroom brushing my teeth when all of a sudden the faucet right beside me dispensed water twice in a row like someone just passed their hands in front of the fixture’s electronic sensor.
On top of all these, ghostly manifestations can also be felt regularly in the only area in our office that remains dim most of the day – our sleeping quarters. In fact, I think I have gotten used to the creepy sensation that I can now stay there even while all alone occupying one of the rather comfortable Lazy Boy recliners. Or maybe it is my usual sleepy state during my lunch and end of shift periods that make me so willing to share space with whoever is there – visible or invisible.
So right now, while I have not really seen dead people (yet), I am beginning to think that there are other beings beyond our understanding that co-exist with us – at work, at home, or even inside our car while we drive. I know such thought of having them around may be freaky, however rather than losing our sanity thinking about it, we should start accepting the fact and open our eyes on the purpose of their existence. Besides, at the very least, won’t we live a boring life without these ghost stories? Do you have one?
***
Mood: 2/10 Honks! (The cable TV god granted my request. It’s now just me, wifey and HBO. Marcus is out for a sleepover.)
To SOPA OR not to SOPA
Posted on | January 17, 2012 | No Comments
These four intriguing letters seem to be the recent buzz in social media and the internet as a whole but to be honest, other than knowing that SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act, I haven’t had that much knowledge why it’s getting the attention of more and more people. From my half-baked understanding SOPA is meant to put some sort of control over online content and exchanges and the proliferation of materials that some authorities think violate the intellectual property rights of people who claim ownership on things such as music, software, and books just to name a few. And based on this alone, as expected of me, I may be leaning on the side of those who support SOPA. So far, I’m yet to see someone on my Twitter timeline who has the same opinion as mine – other than the very people who want this implemented.
Today, Wikipedia.org joins the growing number of people who are against SOPA (and the complementary PIPA or Protect Intellectual Property Act bill) – in a couple of hours it will black out its whole website to protest SOPA. Recently, there have been strong calls for subscribers to pull out of GoDaddy.com (which incidentally is my domain host) after it declared its support to the controversial bills.
So where do I stand in this issue? Anyone who has been lurking/reading my blog posts probably knows the answer. I am anti-piracy. I try hard to be one even if it has costs me to miss on learning new software, catching up on new movies, and possessing a copy of the latest hit music. And yes, my advocacy and commitment to this has made people, especially my friends, scratch their heads in disbelief.
But perhaps people who are against SOPA and PIPA have a valid reason behind their outcry and so I think I will have to step back a bit and learn what these are before I declare a hundred percent support to whatever I believe in (or will believe in next). In the next few weeks I’ll try to absorb as much knowledge as possible and see if there’s a rational explanation why one will have the right to use (AND SHARE) something that is not his (or hers) or something that he did not pay for. Let’s see.
***
Mood: 4/10 Honks! (I think I’m having fever. Good reason for grammatical errors.)
Knock, knock!
Posted on | January 16, 2012 | 4 Comments
Contrary to my goal, again, I’m failing in my goal to fill my need to write more posts and Marcus has a lot to do with it. For wifey and me, parenting lately has been a lot crazier than before. Don’t get me wrong, despite nerve-wracking moments with an active 3-year old we seem to spend more enjoyable times as we witness his rapid development and antics that come along with it. Nowadays, our one and only boy….
…has become more articulate than ever. Other than saying our names clearer, he can now say Manny Pacquiao.
…can recognize Toyotas and Pajeros and other car brands. He can just spot Hondas before. (When he was more than a year old, he screams whenever he sees wheels.)
…has transitioned from nursery rhymes to more mature music. He used to just like GTO from the movie RV and lately he surprised me when he showed to me that he can dance to Top Gun’s Danger Zone and Mighty Wings. He also goes ballistic when he hears Party Anthem and Moves Like Jagger.
…continues to impress us with his pace in learning to use cellphones, computers and home theater. (Thankfully, he has not figured out why his favorite cartoon show doesn’t appear however he press the TV’s channel button. Yes, I locked it.)
…seems to start understanding that littering trash will result to flood and that whenever he sees some of the Sendong video footage, he’ll look for his clothes and tell us to donate them. (This one makes us feel so proud.)
Well, this is just a knock knock and I have to cut this short because sooner or later, he’ll be up and ready again to keep our day busy…and stressful…and fun. Parenting is exciting, isn’t it?
This is what he calls "head pedal." (Photo by Jing taken somewhere in Bacolod.)
***
Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Thankful to be home.)
Parenting rest days
Posted on | January 4, 2012 | No Comments
This must be the longest time I will be away from both wifey and kiddo. Yesterday, after just staying overnight coming from a quick holiday vacation in Bacolod, I sent Marcus to Batangas to meet his mom. For five straight days they will be there while I get to stay home alone due to work. It’s my parenting rest day and I’m quite excited (at the same time anxious that Sunday comes soon).
I actually have plans in mind how to stay occupied and productive while at home — like cleaning up the mess that have been left behind due to the hectic schedule during the past few days before 2011 ended and doing things that I’ve been wanting to do and get over with. Well today I think I made a pretty good progress with the video editing which I’m doing for a colleague. Once I get to finalize this one, I’ll proceed with compiling videos of Marcus which have been left untouched ever since we started recording them since he arrived. Writing more sound blog post is of course on queue.
Sounds like a plan, right?
***
Speaking of plans, I have yet to make my first entry on my first ever Starbucks planner but I’m already eyeing something to write on its December 1, 2012 space: “Do not patronize Starbucks planner again.” Ti abi.
***
Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Called wifey and Marcus awhile ago. Kiddo, does sound good over the phone already. He does talk better than before.)
Sisters Come and Go
Posted on | December 27, 2011 | No Comments
In a sudden twist of confusing fate, my wife and I found ourselves facing two different events — one sister comes, one sister goes. While I rejoice that once again I get to spend at least some time with my younger sister during this holiday vacation, wifey and her family meanwhile will say their final goodbye to their eldest sister who passed away after a long battle with cancer. Sigh.
Welcome home sis, farewell ate Aida.
***
Incidentally, flip calendar’s page of the day reads:
“Life is so temporary; it can end any time I don’t want to look back on my life some day and see waste…I want fruit that will remain.” — Dave Hannah
***
Mood: 6/10 Honks! (Home with Marcus, saving my sanity as well as food inside the ref which we bought before the bad news came yesterday.)
Christmas 2011 Greetings from Marcuscanblog.com
Posted on | December 23, 2011 | No Comments
Happy are those who will still celebrate without anything for they will do it just like how it was first celebrated — pure and simple.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
From,
Marcus…and his dad and mom.
(GIF credit: http://www.fg-a.com/christmas.htm)
How Godaddy.com users can upgrade their WordPress site
Posted on | December 20, 2011 | No Comments
Been doing this twice this year and every now and then I’d forget how to do it and so I have finally decided to document each steps I have made to get that new WordPress version on this blog. (Again, this applies only to Godaddy.com users who availed its domain and hosting products.)
Backing up your database
1. Log in to Godaddy.com
2. Go to Hosting Control Center. Select Databases tab then click on MySQL from among the options. (Take note of IP Address — from Server section — and admin user name as these details will be used to log in to the FTP client. By the way, port is usually 21.)
3. Choose database name and then click on Manage via phpMyAdmin link.
4. Enter login credentials.
5. Select Export tab.
6. Follow the steps from WordPress’ Backing Up Your Database(<<<click) page.
If everything goes right, you are now ready to perform the manual update.
Performing the Manual Update
7. Using an FTP application (I use Filezilla), perform the upgrade by carefully following WordPress’ Manual Update(<<<click) procedure.
Note: Upgrade duration will depend on several factors including network connection but based on experience I was able to do mine in less than an hour.
Hope these simple steps will help. Good luck!
***
Mood: 2/10 Honks! (And so this is Christmas of an employed person.)
Got my Starbucks planner
Posted on | December 14, 2011 | No Comments
“A journey towards a thousand-peso planner starts with a single Americano.” — Marcus’ dad.
What meant to be a two thousand-peso worth of expenses for my first ever Starbucks planner was cut short when the coffee shop itself started giving away this most-coveted item for less than the required number of coffee purchases. Instead of 23 cups of coffee, I got my planner only after my 15th cup and this is because Starbucks is now celebrating its birthday here in the Philippines.
- Here is one of the laser etch marks on the wood material of the planner. Nice, right?
And if you don’t know it yet, you still have until midnight tonight to claim your Starbucks planner even with just 14 stickers. So what are you waiting for, start lining up to your nearest Starbucks shop and get that item that may help you organize your life in 2012 (well, that’s the plan).
Happy 14th birthday Starbucks!
***
Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Got home early today. Surprised that traffic is light.)
CSI: Child Scene Investigation
Posted on | December 10, 2011 | 2 Comments
I can’t seem to find a better way to describe how it is now at home but CSI. Things have been happening lately that wifey and I have been like characters in this popular TV show (just on the chubby side). We’re the crime detectives and we’ll, who else would fill in the perfect role of the villain? Yes, Marcus. But of course he can dispute that and turn the tables and make us appear as the bad guys (really bad guys) but for now, since I’m the author of this story, I am hero. Wifey, heroine.
Among the many parenting experiences that have happened in fast-paced and confusing fashion occurred this week.
One late night, wifey discovered one of our precious displays, a Zelda snow globe crystal, already shattered into pieces on the floor. Last known (intact) location was on top of our TV shelf. So there goes wifey, after a few seconds of uttering the self-calming huzzah, fixed the mess as usual. But wait…there’s more to it she soon sensed.
- The victim….
Beside where poor Zelda the Bulldog spilled his water and fake snow, sits another puzzle piece – the furry monkey. At first, this crazy looking toy seems to be just one of those toys randomly left by Marcus on the floor. But no, wifey smelled something is fishy: spilled water plus furry monkey. Yes, there’s something wrong (or perfect) with the combination.
- ….the accomplice…
And yes eventually, wifey found out that furry monkey was an attempt by Marcus to absorb and clean up the mess he made with the poor snow globe crystal. (How on earth he figured that out is just amazing. Or should I say scary?)
Almost perfect Marcus, almost. Better luck next time but we’re watching…closer this time. That’s the plan.
***
- …and the mastermind under surveillance.
Some head scratching and pondering on how to monitor Marcus made me remember the Homesafe camera I stored a long time ago. So now, it is mounted inside our house and hopefully will help us with our Child Scene Investigation. Isn’t parenting life exciting?
***
Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Sleepy. The “villain” woke up early. I wonder what he’s up to.)
Birthday “celebrant” or “celebrator”?
Posted on | December 9, 2011 | No Comments
I just realized that besides the upcoming hectic holidays, this past few days have been all about birthdays and birthdays to come. This week, a colleague handed to me an invitation to attend her son’s birthday party and one detail on the invitation card struck me — the word celebrator.
I don’t know if it’s just me but celebrator made me uneasy — actually, it was my first time reading it — and being a self-declared “grammar tanod” I searched the internet and guess what I found? Celebrator seems to be the right word when one is referring to someone who is celebrating his or her birthday. Surprised? Read more by clicking this link: which is correct—birthday “celebrant” or “celebrator”?.
***
Celebrator...er, celebrant...with colleagues.
This year seems to be one of the most interesting birthdays I ever had. After three years of employment hiatus, I once again had my birthday at work and it was celebrated in two separate occasions. On our first day of the week, my colleagues prepared a simple yet meaningful surprise with a lovely muffin cake (courtesy of Kat) which they hurriedly assembled while I am taking my 15-minute break and it made me end up with not just free coffee from the vendo machine but as well as soft banana muffins for my midnight snack.
The next day after, wifey pushed through with her plan to prepare food for me to be brought to work — I hate bringing food containers, utensils and large bags so it was my first time to do it – and so once again our company’s little pantry was filled with beaming Trade Tape agents ever eager to take a well-deserved break and savor free food.
***
I took a leave on my birthday (my first time to skip call center work since I started five months ago) and celebrated it the usual way we’ve been doing it for years since I got married and eventually with Marcus — in the Mall.
First stop was MOA’s cinema where we got to watch the spectacular The Adventures of Tin Tin while seated on new recliner seats which without Marcus acting like the Snowy (dog character in the movie) we wouldn’t have discovered to be already available in this mall’s cinema 1. The recliners are comfy but the action-packed movie prevented me from dozing off.
Food for this significant day was also as remarkable as we used the Burgoo discount coupon which wifey got from her favorite shopping website — Dealgrocer.com. For the price of just P600, we got to avail a worthy belly-busting package of nachos, seafood jambalaya, and juicy pork steak. The seafood jambalaya alone was fulfilling enough so we had the rest to go.
Wifey stuffed her first home-baked cake with candles. Count it and you'll know my age.
***
Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Today is also the birthday of a friend in Bacolod — Melv’s the Sniper. Hope he’ll still have fun despite the recent death of their father.)
Tags: Bhong's food > birthday > Burgoo > call center > Convergys > dealgrocer.com > grammar > grammar police > MOA
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