Extras (Book 4), Scott Westerfeld
Friday, February 5, 2010 1:34 PM /
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Fame wasn't like beauty, where you had to wait till you were sixteen. Fame you could make yourself.
It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.
As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But that's just until she gets to kick a good story for herself.
This fourth entry in the Uglies series will keep Westerfeld’s “face rank,” to borrow his own invented slang, significantly above anonymous.
Labels: autobot, book, decepticon, feature, ken chua, lifestyle, literature, reading, review, sci-fi, scott westerfeld, what if
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
Specials (Book 3), Scott Westerfeld
Thursday, February 4, 2010 9:52 AM /
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Frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast.
They are elite forces called Special Circumstances, a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.
And now Tally Youngblood has become one.
Like the previous books Uglies and Pretties, Tally's entire personality shifts and changes constantly as she undergoes not just plastic surgery, but mental surgery. So be prepared for MPD tantrums.
Specials is a breathtakingly beautiful end to the Uglies trilogy. This should be made into a movie ala The Matrix or Aeon Flux.
The best parting lines: You see, freedom has a way of destroying things. So be careful with the world, or the next time we meet, it might get ugly.Labels: autobot, book, decepticon, feature, ken chua, lifestyle, literature, reading, review, sci-fi, scott westerfeld, what if
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
Pretties (Book 2), Scott Westerfeld
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 8:58 AM /
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So, there was this beautiful princess.
She was locked in a high tower, one whose smart walls had clever holes in them that could give her anything: food, a clique of fantastic friends, wonderful clothes. And, best of all, there was this mirror on the wall, so that the princess could look at her beautiful self all day long. The only problem with the tower was that there was no way out. The builders had forgotten to put in an elevator, or even a set of stairs. She was stuck up there.
One day, the princess realized that she was bored. The view from the tower—gentle hills, fields of white flowers, and a deep, dark forest—fascinated her. She started spending more time looking out the window than at her own reflection, as is often the case with troublesome girls. And it was pretty clear that no prince was showing up, or at least that he was really late.
So the only thing was to jump.
Tally Youngblood is back and now she's pretty, but (guess again. .) her mind is still very ugly.Labels: autobot, book, decepticon, feature, ken chua, lifestyle, literature, reading, review, sci-fi, scott westerfeld, what if
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
To The Flight CSR I Harrassed. .
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 9:28 AM /
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Anyway, my flight is confirmed. So, thank you.Labels: jumpy, ken chua, status
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
I Tackled The Minotaur and Passed The Test
Friday, January 29, 2010 10:19 PM /
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"So," she began looking at my resume, "you have the same name as my husband. I should be nice to you."
Great. She's married, I muttered.
"Tell me about yourself, Ken."
I told her about myself. Basic info first, then my exceptional qualities. The catch.
"Okay," she was writing notes. Must be listing down comments about moi.
"Anything else you want to talk about?" I asked.
"Tell me about your fave sport."
Uh-oh. Jeff was asked the same kind of question. And it's a tricky one. "She asked me about my sports hobby. Tapos pinadescribe sa 'kin kung anung mechanics! Step by step!" Jeff told me earlier. Unfortunately wala siyang fave sport, so he had to make up one - tennis.
"Actually, I'm not into sports stuffs. I'm more into the intellectual side."
"Is that so?"
"Yes!" I smiled confidently.
"Then tell me about your fave subject."
"My fave subject is.." the wheels in my mind was reeling fast. Quick! I need to impress this lady. But I couldn't say Math. What if she asked me something arithmetic or gave me a couple of problem sets? And I couldn't say my fave subject is English, coz that would be too obvious. Too natural.
"Literature," I managed to say at last, "I'm interested in Greek myths actually. I'm reading about Greek mythology these days, more complicated and more exciting than what they taught me in high school." I didn't tell her I was addicted to a children's book series entitled as Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
She was impressed. "So could you tell me about the story of a half horse, half man?"
"Of course. The Centaurs," I began, "were forces of nature like the dryads, they were mostly war-freak but only-"
"No, no." she cut off. "The half man, half horse."
"Right. Centaurs."
"No," she kept insisting I was telling her the wrong story,"the one inside the labyrinth."
"Oh. The Minotaur."
"Yes, Minotaur." she pronunce it as Mee-nah-tor. "Tell me about it."
"Well, the name Minotaur came from the word Minos, the King of Crete. But the King wasn't its father. The Minotaur was created because Poseidon, the god of the sea, gave the King of Crete a bull."
"A bull?"
"Yes, the Minotaur is half-man, half-bull. Although the sea god Poseidon also created the horses," I explained. "The bull was so beautiful that the King's wife got horny and fucked..I mean, made love with the bull. So the Minotaur was born. King Minos kept a scientist named Daedalus who invented the labyrinth. There they trapted the Minotaur because it liked eating people."
"That's great." She smiled.
"Thank you." I didn't know if she meant about my whole story or the part that the Minotaur liked eating people.
"So, Ken. You want to work in a call center?"
"Is that the only one available right now?"
"Yes."
"Well..okay."
"Why?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why do you want to work in a call center?"
A trick, I realized. If I tell her that's what she's offering me after all, that would be the end of it. I would sound desperate and pathetic. And I would likely fail this interview.
"I have many reasons why I want to work in a call center," I began, I also have many reasons why I don't want to work in a call center,"but mostly I would like to improve my interpersonal and technical skills since call centers are about communication and technology." Beat that Janina.
"What qualities do you think a call center agent must possess?"
"Well..he should be open, friendly. Socially adept in dealing with different situations," God, what am I babbling about? "Most importantly, he should be sensitive. Because he would be dealing with people, and not just the people he works with at the office, like his subordinates but also the company's clients. Call centers are BPO so most likely there would be people calling from abroad. He should always sympathize with what the customer's needs."
"You think you got that?"
"Of course!" I gave her a beaming smile. I couldn't say no, could I?
"Then you're in." She stood up and smiled.
"You mean..I passed?!" I can't believe this is happening!
"Yes, we'll be recommending you for the job. But you still have to take a series of tests."
"No problem!" I shook her hand, "Thank you, and I haven't gotten your name yet, Maam."
"Barbara. You can call me Barbs."
"Nice meeting you, Barbara."
I got out of the room and headed to my friends waiting in the lobby.
"Anung pinagusapan niyo?"
"Uh..The Minotaur."
"Was it hard?" they asked.
"Not really," I gave them a smile.
Labels: bouncy, career, chat, do-and-figure-it-out-yourself, ken chua, monsters
1 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
After two hours, I'll be having my very first application screening. But first I need to ask permission to our Project Manager, then go home at my bhouse, change clothes and print my resume.
Yea. This is it!
Anyway, thanks to Mais, she's a trainee on some recuitment company in Ortigas. She's our "feed".
Wish me luck, guys.
PS I got a good night sleep of nine hours just to feel normal and calm for the interview. I hope I wouldn't say and do something stupid.Labels: career, groupie, ken chua
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
Uglies (Book 1), Scott Westerfeld
Thursday, January 28, 2010 10:14 AM /
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In a world where everyone is movie-star-gorgeous, normal people are so not pretty. In short, they're ugly.
Set in a dystopian future where new technology ensures safety and luxury, weapons of any kind are largely illegal, and at the age of sixteen everyone undergoes a series of extreme surgeries to better conform to society's standards of beauty. The logic being that, since humans are preconditioned to respond to certain visual cues in each other already (big eyes are non-threatening, a clear complexion and good teeth indicate that a person is healthy), applying these beauty standards will reduce conflict and create a more harmonious society.
Since then, young girls and boys are told they are ugly by their parents and the government, they think they are too fat or skinny; they have big noses and squinty eyes.
Up until their 16th birthday they are considered an Ugly, go to ugly schools, live in ugly dorms, reside in Ugliville all the while dreaming that one day they will become pretty and get to live the good life in Pretty New Town. All they have to look forward to is that day when they turn sweet sixteen and get to shed their Ugly skins to be normal and pretty.
But what exactly lies in Pretty New Town that every Ugly finds divine?
Maybe that's because they have better stuff to do than kid tricks. Maybe having your own hovercar and new clothes is way cooler than the normal micofiber dorm jacket. Maybe partying all night is better than looking out the windows at the towers of New Pretty Town. Maybe when they do the operation - when they grind and stretch your bones to the right shape, peel off your face and rub all your skin away, and stick in plastic cheekbones so you look like everyone else - maybe after going through all that you just aren't very interesting anymore.
So when Tally's friend runs away to a place called The Smoke, where all the people who don't want to turn pretty go, our heroine is given a risky choice; she can find her friend and turn her in, or remain forever ugly. She also learns something about being pretty, and it is not very pretty at all.
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★ Featured Spin:★
The Last Great Star in Hollywood - Meg & Dia
Labels: autobot, book, decepticon, feature, ken chua, lifestyle, literature, reading, review, sci-fi, scott westerfeld, what if
2 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
The early January sky was charged with negative energy trapping every good vibe in its wake.
No, its not gonna rain, stupid. I'm just having a bad morning start. Because. .I haven't started my paperwork yesterday thinking I left the essay questions at the boarding house. As it turns out, dito lang pala sa office nakatambak under my pile of rubbish.
I only had four hours of sleep dahil inumpisahan kong bumabasa ng ibang sci-fi series. I'm posting a review later. .ahehhehe
Tapos di ako sinuklian kanina ni mamang driver. nang pababa na ako parang may sinabi siya, ewan ko kung tungkol sa akin. Late na ako dumating.
Di pa ko nakapag-almusal. my stomach feels like a vacant venus-trap.
Labels: bumpy, do-and-figure-it-out-yourself, ken chua
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
Starched Shirt..For Serious?
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 1:39 PM /
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I hope this is what the HR lady will ask during the post-internship interview.
The questions range from what I learned from my internship, to how can I improve the company's work flow process (if there's any), what professional qualities I have obtained from work, and also give some worst scenarios I've encountered.
The truth is. .konti lang ang natutunan ko. Really. X my sweet heart. Eventhough Conde keeps on telling me how lucky I am with my company since his (ABS Interactive) treats them real B-A-D, di pa rin ako satisfied sa natutunan ko, sa environment, oo siguro masasabi kong I like it here but when it comes to task and proj development, wala na ako. Also, one disadvantage here in this effin company is that I get to wear long-sleeves with tie.
Everyday f*ckin extra-ordinary-not day.
Mondays to Fridays, you would see me rushing past the streets of Makati early in the morning in that starched long sleeves, then at night doing laundry, frantically scrubbing the soaked sweat, dirt and grime away.
So it's just fitting that another justification popped up as an excuse: I.WANT.to.LEARN.MORE!
Puhleez, puhleeez. Puhleeez..teach me something useful to cram in my head! I need to have enough qualifying experience before I graduate since I'm didn't take my education here in Manila (because Kuya J told me that most people who graduated here has a higher chance of getting hired).
Presently I narrowed down my prospects to three companies - one is a BPO, another is a multinational international computer company, and the last one is into banking.
However, I'll have to cross out BPO since it is too mainstream. Or maybe I'll just move it on the bottom of my list. That leaves the Computer Company and the Banking Company.
My colleagues, Anna, Maydee and Sir Rain, convinced me to submit my resume to the HR. "Sana ma-assign ka sa aming dep," said Maydee, "dahil maraming projects na ipapagawa si Sir Tim this year."
Uh-oh.
I gulped a mouthful of my lunch before asking something. "Okay lang po ba ako maging colleague niyo, offically?"
"Siyempre naman," she laughed.
Hear that? They like me! Baka mataas ang grades ko sa evaluation..ahheheh
"Try ko po mag-apply. ." I said, distracted.
But I'm not sure I could spend my entire life wearing formal shirts for work.
My head hurts from just thinking about this, my nerves are like taut cables, I keep adjusting my tie and checking if the crease on my pants are still there, noting that I should buy Kiwi to polish my dull shoes. Good thing my shirt isn't rumpled yet.
Things To Do:
★ buy airplane tickets (TOP PRIORITY)
★ check if my boss has finished "grading" me thru the evaluation
★ do NOT look what's inside the evaluation envelope
★ bring home evaluation sheet + internship certificate
★ finish writing entries for OJT journal
★ forward attendance log for this Jan to HR (TOP PRIORITY)
★ finish the d*mn paperwork (TOP PRIORITY)
★ buy new chinos
★ grocery
★ refill drinking water
★ pack-up
★ hook up
★ haircut (LOW PRIORITY)
★ DL's Sol's fave tracks and pics
★ meet the green-eyed monster (VERY LOW PRIORITY)Labels: career, do-and-figure-it-out-yourself, grown-ups, ken chua, lifestyle, priority, what if
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
A Teacher's Visit
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 2:49 PM /
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Sana 'wag akong laglagin ni Anna.
Please Lord, maski i-criticize niya na lang ang tie ko or matakaw akong kumain but hindi lang tungkol sa performance ko. Ginagawa ko naman lahat ng mga projects na binibigay sa akin. Isa lang naman ang hindi ko natapos dahil nasira na ang application tool na ginagamit ko.huhu. Please don't let Anna say bad things about me. Tsaka bigyan Niyo rin ako ng mataas na grades for this evaluation. Thank you po.
Labels: career, jumpy, ken chua
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
Ken Chua would no longer go underground unless the notorious Martial Law II is declared. He is partly convinced that all his pent-up thoughts are spilled in this account. 
