back when i first decided to go back to freelancing, i had this half-formed idea that things would be different — as in i would have more time to go anywhere i want, whenever i want. hah! big, hairy deal.

these days, i no longer have to hurry to be at a certain place at a certain time, of course, yet my routine has essentially remained the the same. the bulk of my time is still spent on work. (yes, those deadlines! ugh.) and there’s only so much you can do even if you have resources and the willingness to do certain things.

anyways, these past few weeks i’ve done a few things that i would have hard-pressed to do if i hadn’t made the switch. one of them was watching my favorite stage musical (Cats!) with a bunch of friends. for some reason though, my largely fluid schedule has made me appreciate my past regimented routine, especially those parts that i like best. like the time we had our company outing at Momarco Resort a couple of years ago.

well, it wasn’t exactly an exemplary vacation spot, and the customer service wasn’t all that great either. still, it felt like one of the things that one would actually care to remember when you have all the time in the world. i still have the pictures at any rate, so i guess that helps.

season 8 of 24 (TV) is ongoing, but there is a growing speculation that this might be kiefer sutherland’s last TV appearance as Jack Bauer because Fox has just greenlighted its plan to make a film version (yes!) of this highly regarded series and the actor has already agreed to star in it.

anyway, here’s a bunch of japanese TV ads featuring jack bauer (hawking Calorie Mate) that put a huge smile on my face.

each segment lasts about 30 seconds long (i couldn’t help wishing they were longer) and reflects 24’s insane, frenetic pace and jack being his usual harried, roaring self.

and here’s another one with loads of schoolgirls inside a train…

heheh

as irrational and cranky as it sounds, i think i’m beginning to hate 2009 (it’s our annus horribilis, if you ask me). and i can’t wait until it’s over.

apart from the spate of deaths of high-profile figures both in and out of the country, we were basically battered by ondoy just when we thought we were starting to recover from the effects of global recession. and we had just barely gotten our breath back when — boom! — we got clobbered again, this time by pepeng.

it’s enough to make you wonder if there’s another one coming along (*knock on wood*). i know resilience is one of our strong points, but at this rate i wonder if we will have enough strength to survive another natural disaster of this scale…

on a more personal level, three of my office mates (who happen to be close friends,) have lost a parent this year due to illness. *sigh* hopefully, things will turn around soon.

as some of my exasperated friends would tell you, i am a fairly loquacious person. i am rarely at a loss for words when something strikes me as funny, weird or absurd. earlier this week, though, a trivial event left me fairly nonplussed.

anyways, this is how it happened:

after a few minutes of pacing (ground floor), i finally got into the elevator, along with a guy (let’s call him passenger A) who works in the same building. instead of going up though, we went down another floor — presumably, to pick another passenger (B) from the basement.

as the door opened to the basement lobby, there was this guy who stepped forward, then stopped and rocked on his heels, looked around, then glanced at us hesitatingly. finally, he blurted, “Going up?”

for a split second, passenger A and shared a startled look, then turned away hastily to hide our twitching lips. when the elevator door closed, i stole a quick glance at passenger B — he looked rather offended because we didn’t even answer his question.

hello?! obvious ba? at moments like this, what else can you say?