Big MaMarie... coz big girls laugh louder!

It's Been 16 months!

2010-06-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

The last time I posted anything was back in Feb 2009. It has been 1 year and 4 months since my last blog entry. Wow, this feels like a confessional box.

A LOT has happened in the past 16 months... and yet, i'm still as single as ever! Waah!

But, I'm older, wiser, less hair due to stress... wider, but not taller... got more gadgets... and more friends!

Just dropped by to say hello to my blog. Hope I get to update this more often. This is all FB's fault, I just got hooked! Hehehe!

till next time... hope it won't take another 16months.

PC CPR

2009-02-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

As if i'm not already stressed out with problems in the office and at home, my computer decided to conk out and die on me the other day. GRRR!!!!

Good thing all those years I spent in Technical support paid off and I was able to breathe new life into my computer by doing a full format and recovery. God bless FFR's!!!

I spent a total of 1 hour and 36 minutes to recuscitate my laptop, and VOILA!!! It's alive! It's Alive!!!

tendencies

2008-11-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

I knew I had criminal tendencies all along.

But what I never knew was that....

when my criminal instincts start to rear its ugly horns,

murder, surprisingly,

is not priority.

Lately, those instincts have been pushed to the limits

and yet I'm finding myself rather calm.

When left alone with my criminal instincts, my creativity blossoms

and when it does, it scares me.

Glory Days are here

2008-11-17T05:27:00.000-08:00

We had a slight problem last Saturday. We couldn't decide what to do with our team's prize money. Should we spend it all in one go? Should we use it for lunch or another Teambuilding trip? Should we go to this place or that place? How much exactly do we have?

It's the kind of problem that I like to have.

In the end, we decided to flex our gastric muscles and push the limits of our blood pressure. We ate lunch at Seaside in Metrowalk for 3 1/2 kilos of Shrimp Tempura and 3 kilos of Calamari. We stayed on till 3pm just talking, laughing and getting drunk. Grabe si Clyde, lalong dumadami yung kulot pag nalalasing.

And siyempre, puro picture taking kami at that time. More pictures are available here.

It was a great celebration, the money was used wisely. Paul couldn't have said it any better "Pinaghirapan natin to." They really deserve it!

We can truly say that we have gotten back the Glory Days!

Perfect team!

2008-11-13T02:19:00.000-08:00

It's official. The team won the Perfect Team Award for October!!!

For the whole month of October, the Aardvarks had perfect attendance, no absences at all!!! It's amazing! This is the second time that the team was able to pull it off. They still hold the record.

Congratulations Aardvarks!

Leap of Fun

2008-11-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Here I am having fun with the Hyenas in Pansol, Laguna last Tuesday. This was definitely one of the highlights, JUMPING INTO THE POOL!!!

Can you imagine how low the water level dropped after this jump?!!! Hehe!

TSUNAMI!!!!!!

Sarah and Jaypee

2008-10-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

I know it's kinda late na, coz this all happened last week. Pero I just wanna express how proud I am of my peeps. Two more people from my former team, got promoted again. Congratulations Mami Sarah for being a Coach track trainee and for Jaypee for being and SME track trainee. I'm so proud of you!

I wanna take credit, pero I can't. Hehe! They deserve the promotion coz they really worked very hard, (teka, mukhang di yata bagay kay Jaypee, hehe!). O well, tapos na mga petiks moments mo Jaypee, pero all the same, I'm so happy for you. At last, natupad na ang mga plano natin for you.

Mami Sarah, sometimes when I see you swamped with work, medyo nagi-guilty ako kasi parang lalo kang nahirapan... pero I know that you can handle all the workload, and I know that you'll be one of the best coaches in the company. You had it in you all along. I'm here to support you all the way!

Congrats again! Big Mama proud!

Glory days are near

2008-10-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm so proud of the Aardvarks! The past week alone, they have exceeded my expectations, they have proven that they are the new team to beat!

First, we had an awesome time in our first team building outing in Laguna. Everyone pitched in to make it a success. Walang arte arte, everyone was game. We laughed, danced, sang, ate, swam and laughed some more. It was the perfect opportunity to see teamwork at its best.

They also proved they still got the charm. They worked really hard to pull up their metrics and stats. Their CSAT scores were in low for the first 3 weeks of October. But on the 4th and 5th week, they kept their eyes on the prize and finished the month within goal. Their CSAT score went up through the roof and even got 93% for the 5th week of October. Galing galing!

After that, in the same week, the team won The Best Halloween Decorations. They defended their title and has been the champion 2 years in a row.

And finally, this team is the one of the last 2 contenders for the "Perfect Team Award" for October. We are trying to break our own record of being the only team who has perfect attendance for 1 whole month. 5 days to go, and we're so excited!

Haah! I can see that the Glory Days are so near! I'm so proud of you guys! Keep up the good work and remember to have fun!

lapnos

2008-10-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

After a sleepless, hectic and grueling week, I'm finally able to sit down and update my blog. SHAKS! I miss blogging. I miss my ka-bloggers. I miss sharing my mundane thoughts to the world. I miss the freedom to express my feelings, thoughts and creativity.

When everything is a whirl and frantic mess, God finds a way to get your attention and teach you a lesson. In my case, it was in the form of a LAPNOS. Yup! I have 3rd degree burns on my left leg. It literally forced me to 'sit down' and 'stay put'. So now, I have no choice but to relax, heal and on the upside, get back to blogging. Galing talaga!

It was either an act of God or katangahan ko na naman. I went grocery shopping last night with Tek, Kujo and Mommy in Hi-top. After shopping, they went ahead in the parking lot and passed by through the side entrance near Henny Penny. Since naiwan ako, I decided to go through the front. It was really crowded kasi daming cars passing by and motorcycles parked in front.

I miscalculated, forgot my body's dimensions, and tried to squeeze in between two motorcycles... feeling payat kasi. So walking sideways, my leg accidentally touched the searing hot engine of one of the motorcycles. Then I felt a sharp burning pain down one leg...when I bent over to take a look, a large patch of skin was dangling from the hot pink flesh. Grabe! It was sooo painful!!!!

I had to put a cold cream on it to prevent the flesh from dehydrating and getting infected. Right now I'm nursing it with petroleum jelly. This is a first for me. I've never had a major burn wound in my life. Not fun at all. Muntik na maging crispy pata yung paa ko.

As the old adage goes, 'every cloud has a silver lining', and I totally agree. This injury was a gift, really. I have time to heal and rest, time to update my blog, time to chat with my friends... and I get to have breakfast in bed! Hehehe!!

blog update

2008-10-16T02:17:00.000-07:00

I know I've been neglecting my blog lately. I just kinda lost momentum coz life just got too busy.

I'm not really complaining, I like to be busy. Especially if I'm doing things that are worthwhile.

I'm finally done with "The Project", YIPEE!!!! (that's for me to know and you to find out). Let's just say that it's something that's loooonnnggg overdue. I may have missed my deadline by 10 days but at least it's done now. I'm feeling good about that. Now it's time to synchronize swatches and make sure all efforts are according to plan.

In the meantime, it's time to get some rest and vacation. I've lots of trips lined up in the next few weeks.

Promise to keep my blog updated about that!

Happy Birthday Shei

2008-10-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

To the best B.I. ever!

Happy Birthday Coach Shei!

Embodyments

2008-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

The weekend Bazaar is back at the Big Tent at Don Antonio Drive. Some of the local residents usually showcase their RTW clothes, Crocs shoes and Gucci bag knockoffs, native handicrafts and of course lots and lots of food.

We usually go to the bazaar everytime they setup in the tent every other weekend. Since most of the clothes don't fit me, I usually end up buying food like California Maki rolls, Ilocos Empanada and other knicknacks. They sell toys, bags, dvds and jewelry.

One of my favorite booths is the spa product display from Embodyment. They have a wide variety of products ranging from foot scrubs to anti-aging creams, from aromatherapy oils and scents, to lip balms and body scrubs. I'm a fan of their organic body butter products and Tek is obsessed with their herbal soaps.

They supply to local spas and beauty salons either wholesale or retailers at VERY reasonable prices. You can get 5 of their herbal soaps for only P199 and a big tub of body butter for only P250. I bought one last month and the tub is still half full.

Here's a shout out to their very warm and friendly owners, Adeline and Leroy. I love your products, and they really work!

Embodyment Organic Essentials available at embodyment.oe@gmail.com and at http://embodyment.organic.googlepages.com/

Hope I can get more discounts next time! Hehe!

FGIF

2008-10-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

TGIF!

I've never really dwelled on what these 4 letters really mean before. But today, I finally understood why so many people use them.

Thank God It's Friday...

For one thing, I'm finally on a Mon-Fri schedule. So my last day falls on a Friday. This Friday, I spent the whole day cooped up in meeting, trainings and meeting report deadlines. What a relief! I'm glad the week is over.

The morning sky agreed with me and put on a dramatic light show in purple and pink hues. This is the view from the front lobby of the office.

By the end of the day, I was SOO ready to go home. I couldn't wait! Some of my teammates hitched a ride with me in the van, equally happy that the stressful week was over.

Again, TGIF.

not so nerdy

2008-10-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

KOTZ ZWEET! Here's looking at you with your new glasses.

The purple frames with crystal accents are so cute!!! Not so nerdy at all.

Halloween is near

2008-10-07T23:57:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year again.

Weird though.

Halloween is the most festive time of the year in the office. The whole floor is decked in cobwebs, bats and vines, everyone participates and simply tries to have fun.

For the past 3 years, all the teams have been so competitive in designing their stations with macabre and ghoulish decor. This year, we'll continue the tradition, only more challenging. We can't use paper. Hehe!

The Aardvarks need to defend their crown! And we're all pumped and ready to win!

Fuzzy again

2008-10-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Bakit ganoon? Ang galing.

Just when you think you're headed towards a deadend, suddenly the doors swing open and you see someone beating down the door.

Is it really an opportunity, or a distraction?
Is it a temptation or a new challenge?
Is it a test of your loyalty, or a test of your courage?

Wala lang. Ang galing.

Saturday Fun

2008-10-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Had a chance to bond with Tek again. She and Kyle fetched me at the office on Saturday morning and we went straight to Tiendesitas. We ate Three Sisters barbecue and tasted the Avocado cake from Lia's bakeshop. The barbecue was delicious, can't say the same thing for the cake. I finally met a cake I didn't like. Eeyukk!

Tek and I just strolled around Tiendesitas and bought a bunch of Sevilla products. 4 kilo Butung Pakwan for Mom and my favorite, a box of their famous Pastillas de Leche. Didn't have to worry about the milk contamination coz they produce it in San Miguel Bulacan made from carabao milk.

We crossed the street and headed to the Fun Ranch near Tiendesitas. It was my first time to visit the place. It was like a giant playground and amusement park in one.

Kyle went crazy! He was so excited and played non-stop for straight 3 hours! First he played at Active Fun which had slides and padded play area. He was the biggest kid there. His favorite was the Speed Racer go-cart ride. He was an excellent racer! Ayan, may ambition na siya finally. Before he used to say that when he grew up, he didn't wanna work. Now, he wants to be a Nascar racer.

Since super bangag nako sa antok, we left around 3pm and headed home. I slept until the 4am the next day. It was an awesome Saturday, it burned a hole in my wallet, lost my voice completely and left me with painful heels, but it was all worth it.

Groggy in training

2008-10-04T20:48:00.001-07:00

The coaches had training this week about a handheld device. It was short and sweet. Mas madami pa ang chikahan compared sa actual training.

This was the hands-on session last night with Ferdz, Donald, Ervin and Berns. Since some of the handheld units had cameras, I took some pictures of the peeps. Look at the groggy faces! Hehe! We can't help it, it was scheduled at 3am-6am!

To fight the sleep, I just played around with Coach Donald's wallet. I found lots of pictures of his family. So cute!

It's hard to remember much about training especially when you're fighting sleep and distracted by cute baby pictures. Hehe... lethal combination.

Fruits on Sandpaper

2008-10-04T20:33:00.001-07:00

Kyle had to submit a project to make an artwork of fruits in a bowl using sandpaper and craypass. Now that's fun!

I helped him with the drawing and he copied my work. Wala lang, I felt like a kid again. And using only 8 colors, it's not so bad.

Blog Tag Mania

2008-10-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Blog-tag has been started by Jeff Pulver as a game for a Virtual Cocktail Party. The purpose of the game is for your blog readers to know you better. Jeff Pulver's version only shares 5 things about himself that few of his friends know. Since the blog-tag has really gone a long way, the list of things that you can share with your blog readers have also been increased. If you think your blog readers need to know more than 5 things about you then you can always choose to have a higher number. Same rules still applies.

Here how it goes:

Share 8 things that your readers don’t know about you. Then at the end, tag 8 other bloggers to keep the fun going.

~ Each blogger must post these rules first.
~ Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
~ Bloggers who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
~ At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
~ Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog

1. I hate frogs.

I'm a classic batrachophobic, which means "someone with an illogical fear of amphibians". I'm afraid of frogs and I hate frogs. I don't see the reason why God created these ugly creatures. I can't even look at pictures or drawings of frogs. I hate Kerokeropi.

One time, while I was watching TV alone in my Mom's room, a frog jumped in and scared the hell out of me. I've never gone in my Mom's room ever since. I always call her to go out of her room if I need to talk to her.

2. I'm a Trekkie!

The geek gene in me is very strong. I love Star Trek, especially the Next Generation Series. I've always had a crush on Data and Spock. I have books, pins, posters, catalogues, memorabilia and recorded TV shows. Back in high school, my friend Leisel and I used to talk in Klingon language. Hehe!

3. Sunrise, sunset.

I love the sun. I worship it sometimes.
I know most people like Sunsets. But I like Sunrises more. The colors maybe less dramatic but Sunrises have special meanings for me. New beginnings, starting over, freshness and cleanliness, and most specially Hope.

4. Book smeller, Slow reader.

I love books, the physical things. I don't like reading online texts. I would rather that I smell the pages, feel the rough or smooth paper, touch the embossed letters of the cover, and look at the fine artistry involved in binding or printing the cover art.

I always buy books but about 40% of them I haven't finished reading. I'm such a slow reader! It takes me 3 weeks to finish a book in my regular pace. I want to consume it and enjoy it longer.

5. Dream Job

Most people would say that they have not done their dream jobs. I have. I'm not doing it now, but I got to experience it already.

My dream job was to be an Eco-tour coordinator for Lagen Island resort in El Nido, Palawan back when I was 23 years old. I got to dive, swim, travel, talk to foreign and local tourists, row kayaks around islands and lagoons, sail a yaught, live in a luxury resort and GET PAID for doing it!

I would love to do it again, but the fact that I got the chance to experience it in my lifetime is enough for me. I'm contented with that.

6. Archeologist, Egyptologist, Paleontologist.

Like I said, the geek gene is strong in me. These are professions that I wanted to have when I was a kid. I've always been interested in mummies, ancient civilizations, fossils, evolution and dinosaurs. I am a product of being exposed at an early age to the Discovery Channel. Indiana Jones was HOT!

7. Pet peeves and toothpastes.

My biggest pet peeve is having toothpaste tubes not properly rolled out or pinched at the middle.

I didn't realize it until my best friends told me about it. One time my friend Jay used the toothpaste in the bathroom and pinched the tube in the middle. I was so irritated. I scolded her about it and showed her how to pinch it from the end so that we don't waste it. Then I realized that I do that for all the bathrooms in the house.

8. Farty Libraries

This is a secret only a few people know about me. But I'm willing to share it to the world.

I fart in libraries... and in places where there are high shelves close to my body. I don't know why, or how it happens. Whenever I go to a bookstore or grocery where there are shelves as tall or taller than me, I always have the urge to fart. Maybe something in my childhood triggered it. I don't know.

Dear friends, when I say I'll buy books or go grocery shopping, I'll understand if you don't wanna join me from now on.

Not Today

2008-10-03T03:23:00.001-07:00

I failed to do something today.

Although I tried really, really hard. I just couldn't do it today.

I failed. I broke a promise to myself.

Just not today.

thoughts while waiting

2008-10-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

Today, I had to go to the PAL office in Cubao again, for the third time in 2 weeks.

Does anybody know how big of a hassle it is to go to AliMall? I can't park in their parking space coz the height clearance is only 4 feet tall. I can just imagine the roof of the van scraping the low ceilings of the spiral driveway.

When I do find a parking space across the mall, I had to run in heavy downpour to the PAL office coz for some raindance miracle, it's always raining when I go there.

Finally I'm in the PAL office, I get a number from the guard and I had to wait for the queue machine to flash my number. This time I got 82. Great! The last time I was here I got number 515. I waited 3 hours to be served last time. Maybe this time it would be faster.

Looking at the machine, the number was just at 27. But it stayed at 27 for 30mins. And since it was already 11:30 am, one of the agents took her bag, waved her long hair and punched out for lunch. They have six stations, but only 2 were open. This is going to be a looooonngg wait!

It got me thinking, what does PAL stand for anyway?

Plane Always Late
Please Avoid Loitering
Pila Always Long
Potah, Ang Layo ko pa

I was finally served at 1:20pm. My drool has dried and my butt has numbed. In fairness the agents were courtoues and helpful. But all the hassle and waiting has traumatized me to the point that whenever I pass through Cubao, I start to shudder. Then my thoughts would wander to the small Mall that started it all.

Mga Bisor

2008-10-01T06:42:00.001-07:00

I've been rummaging through my old files and found these. Old pictures of the coaches.

This was the breakfast that started it all, Winter and I treated the coaches for Breakfast for our birthday. Look closer, Sir Gene and Sir B were with us. Hay, I miss Sir B.

This was during the coaches team building in Bataan. Dito nagwala sila Alex and Vic sa videoke. This is also when Zweet, Jezer, Ervin and I swam in the beach until 2am.

"San na nga ba? San na nga ba? San na nga bang barkada ngayon?"... just can't get this song out of my head today. I miss the old gang.

pandesal breakfast

2008-09-30T02:40:00.000-07:00

I treated the coaches... correction, I was forced to treat the coaches this morning. Well, both Coach Ron and I had to treat the coaches. It was part of a deal. Even though I'm still disputing that my Gladiator Flats are not "slippers", but the thong design was the clincher...

Anyhoo, we had corned beef, scrambled eggs, hotdogs, herbed cream cheese and wheat pandesal for breakfast.

Parang dinaanan ng bagyo. I'm glad they liked it. I keep telling them I spiked the food with gayuma... hehe... sige, kain lang kayo, hehe.

Clarity

2008-09-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

Had a wake up call today... thanks to my best friends.

I thought that if you start to lose the passion, you need to go and find it somewhere else. Maybe that's true, depends on the situation.

How do you find it?

Start counting your blessings.

Stop, regroup and check your bearings... ACT!

Somehow, God put people on this earth to help you find your direction again.

Just as the old song goes, "I can see clearly now, the rain has gone... It's gonna be a bright, bright, sun shiny day!"

It's time to open more doors.

Lunch with Aardvarks

2008-09-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Had my first lunch gimmick with my new team. We ate tons of Japanese food at Yashinoya yday. I'm glad I had a chance to spend time with them and get to know each one a little bit more. After 2 weeks of non-stop hectic work, I really needed a break. We all did.

I waited for them at Powerbooks, they came in just in time. I was on the verge of buying the new Stephanie Meyer book when Gelai called out.

Ano ba ito, pares pares ba? I didn't know we were supposed to come with a partner! Gelai with his boytoy, Jamill with his girlfriend, Mikay brought Neil Chai, Neil! long time no see! Then Berna came with her sister, Nad came late but her girlfriend also joined after a few minutes. And of course the sweetest couple was there, Nina and Nerio were there also.

Ako lang walang bitbit na partner. Good thing Dayrit was there, so kaming dalawang bakla nalang nagpartner. Hehe!

I'm having so much fun with this team coz we all love the same things. We love to take our pictures, mga camera addicts din sila. Most of all, WE LOVE TO EAT!!! I can't wait to go out for our team building.

Thanks Aardvarks! Thanks for ending my stressful week on a high note.

Macky's birthday

2008-09-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Macky!

It's my best friend's birthday yesterday. Pero since she's 12 hours behind in Eastern Time Zone, I hope this greeting still came on time.

As my birthday gift to you, Macky, I will not reveal your true age when I announce your birthday to the world. Halatang walang budget for a fancy gift to be shipped all the way to Maryland. Hehe!

I wish you all the happiness in the world! Although you're on the opposite side of the world right now, I'm still hoping that you had a wonderful day.

Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!

Lyn's mom

2008-09-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

I just read about what happened to QS Lyn's mom from Erisa's post on her blogsite. Her mom suffered another stroke, this is her second one.

Lyn told me that her mom's still in the ICU and they're waiting for her to stabilize.

I hope she gets well soon.

Dream about a tree

2008-09-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

I had a dream about an uprooted tree. It crashed into my bedroom window while I was sleeping with Kyle at night. I can't remember which tree, I think it was an Avocado tree. I can still see its roots upheaving as the rest of the branches and leaves filled my room.

I scrambled to save my things and get Kyle out of the room. The first things I saved were my books and CD collection, afraid they might get wet.

What does this dream mean? Anyone care to share their thoughts or interpretations?

Past lives

2008-09-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

I remembered what a manghuhula told me years ago...

He was a friend of a friend, back in college. He claimed to be a psychic, can read Tarot cards, NOT gay, can interpret auras, and if he looks hard enough, can tell you your past life, and his name was Richie.

My friends were so enthralled. He said that one of them was a sea witch. The other one was a sea creature, like a dolphin... they actually met in their past life. Another friend was an old soul and she has at least 11 past lives, including a ruler of an ancient land.

He turned to me and started rolling his eyes. With a shake of his shoulder (similar to shaking after one pees) he tried to touch my aura and then blurted out "You have a young soul."

"This is only your third life. Your first life was an african girl, you died young and innocent. Then you were reincarnated into an animal, which was a higher level because animals have basic needs and are closer to God." (whatda?!)

"What? What animal?", I asked.

"As an animal, you bit someone and then after dying your punishment was to become a human again."

"Ano nga?!"

" A bulldog."

Ang manghuhula... translated in English - the "Guesser".

Playing with Geena's camera

2008-09-24T02:16:00.000-07:00

I've been testing Geena's camera feature for the past week. She comes with a 5.0 megapixel camera that rivals my old Cybershot T5. In daylight, she takes clear pictures without the flash. The focus was a little off coz I took this shot while in a moving van. So far the details are crisp.

Though I still need to practise taking pictures at arms length. Some people I know, like my best friend's sister, Lynne, can take pictures of herself perfectly centered using her cameraphone. In this one, I forgot that the light was behind us... hehe! Amateur!

Then I tested her torch light. Kyle was not very happy coz he hates the flash. In fairness, I tried it on myself and I started seeing black spots for over a minute after taking the picture.

When I reviewed the images in the phone, the colors were not so bright. I expected the red hues to jump out. Maybe it's the gray skies or the lack of light that caused it. But when I transfered it to the computer, the colors were better. Hmmm, not really wild about that.

I fiddled with Geena's camera at night, and so far I'm kinda disappointed coz the images are blurry and the torch is really blinding me. After pressing the shutter button, she takes 3 secs to focus and shoot.

Overall, Geena's camera is not bad, but it doesn't stand out either. The entire experience is FIDGETY.

Maybe I just need to play around and be more familiar with her. Get to know her better.

numb

2008-09-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

___***___

What do you do when you can't feel the passion anymore?

___***___

Birthday at Superbowl

2008-09-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

The MV1 choir met up at Superbowl in Trinoma yesterday to celebrate the 21st birthday of our newest member, Edaine. A few peeps couldn't come but we still had a great, and noisy, time at lunch.

We had a lot to eat, pancit, beef with oyster sauce, variety of dimsum, fried rice and shrimps. Yum!

We talked about my theory of "The Tunnel Curse" which seems like Edaine is the newest victim. Hay naku, we really need to get that "blockage" cleared out. Apple wants to test the theory by leaving the choir... ganun!

Anyway, we had Dairy Queen for dessert afterwards. Everyone ordered blizzards! Which is exactly what we SHOULDN'T be eating before singing at Mass at 6pm later. Mga pasaway talaga!

Had a great time bingeing with the choir again! Thanks Edaine for the wonderful lunch!

Happy Birthday Edaine!

Geena

2008-09-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Meet Geena. I hope she won't be as tempermental as my last phone.

Congrats to my gerls!

2008-09-20T13:53:00.001-07:00

I'm so proud of these two girls!

Congratulations BRYCE!

How many times have I said those two words? Last January, you won AGENT OF THE YEAR!

Now, I heard that you passed the BEAT Assessment. I had no doubts at all that you'll ace that. You're on your way to becoming a trainer or coach. Stay focused and keep up the good work!

Congratulations LUI!

You really deserve to get the Product Specialist position. All that hard work and determination finally paid off. Not to mention the sacrifice of getting low scores as an L5 (and all the petiks time) were all worth it. I'm very confident that you'll be a good and effective PS for your team, wag ka lang nila gugutumin. Wahehehe!

These pictures really show your real personalities.

All of Bryce's pictures, you can see (be blinded by) her forehead first, then you'll see her fingers do the peace sign... in every single picture!

Si Lui naman, people would not be fooled anymore, mas malupet pa sakin kumain yan! She's in her element in this picture, with food!

Big Mama proud, very proud of my gerls!

Sad Day

2008-09-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's a sad day in the office today.

Only because of a simple mistake in judgement, it made a HUGE impact on a lot of things...

One of them is losing 2 very good friends.

I understand what happened and why it had to happen.

I'm still sad.

Havin' Fun in the office

2008-09-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the night shift. It's noisier, busier, more chaotic and on certain days, more fun! Just like last night, we had a contest on designing our own headsets.

I put fake hair on my headset, with a magnetized Shamu whale sticking to it.

I don't know who won, but we sure had fun!

Coach Neil, bagay sa yo! Wahehehe!

I hate the printer

2008-09-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a lot of exercise in the night shift. My new station is on the exact opposite side of the building from the one and only printer in the office!!!

I had to walk around 60 meters to the printer, and I went there more than 5 times today.

If I don't lose weight doing this, I don't know what else will!

I hate going to the printer area now...

Team Aardvarks!

2008-09-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

I met my new team today. The Aardvarks! I'm sure I'll have so much fun working with this bunch.

I'm so excited to be a part of this reknowned team. We have one thing in common, we all love to go on team building outings!

Remember the following things:

Teamwork - work as one, support each other.
Work Excellence - do the best you can on every call
Respect - be professional, be there!
Find your Passion - find what motivates you
Have Fun! - smile!

Let's bring back the Glory Days! I know you can do it!

parting gifts

2008-09-14T01:44:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning, I just finished watching the movie, 'Oscar'. Now I'm vegging out in front of the computer listening to Jack Johnson's 'Banana Pancakes' - gifts from Tay Rael and Mar.

Tay, thanks so much for giving me this movie. I've been trying to look for this forever! You're the best pirate ever!

Mar, thanks for the cd! I love Jack Johnson, and this is my favorite among his albums. It definitely goes into my collection!

Thanks for the parting gifts, boys! I love them!

Big Mama happy!

Huling Hirit

2008-09-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

Huling hirit na. This is my last drinking stint with the scorpions as their coach. It was my first time to go to Tiendesitas (pathetic no?). Leche walang parking!

Thanks Coach Ron for joining us. Lupet mo pare, 3 different teams, 12 hours of drinking!

We just had 2 buckets of SML and 8 platters of deep fried pulutan. Hina high blood na kami ni Tay, namumula naman sila Jerome and Mar.

Sayang, di nakasama yung iba. We still had a good time though!

Nano colors

2008-09-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

The new iPod Nano-chromatic.

Now in rockin' rainbow colors!
With more storage 8GB ($149.00) and 16GB ($199.00)

Now I know what I want for Christmas!

last day on day shift

2008-09-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

goodbye daylight, goodbye morning traffic,
farewell to blogging and to piracy,
goodbye to my morning tropa, coach she, coach ron, coach jezer and coach zweet
goodbye to the cocks and crows.
i'll say goodbye to the sound of Lee's shouting and yelling.
goodbye morning shift... sniff!... i'll miss you.

jerome, i'll miss your noise
ge, i'll miss your questions
tay, i'll miss your mahiwagang bigote
rod, i'll miss your daily pizza request
mar, i'll miss your fossil watch (pwedeng arbor, remembrance?)
caz, i'll miss our comics conversation
elmer, i'll miss your spelling... quicking sound and hippotaus
julz, i'll miss your blog tutorials.
jovs, i'll miss your cool and calm advices.

i won't miss you guys punching my arm, though.

so long scorpions! it was a blast! you guys are the best!

Whew!

2008-09-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

I came in at 10am so that I can catch up on my work.

I started reading my emails and I only finished reading them at 2:00pm!

This is definitely NOT an ordinary day in the office.

Remember

2008-09-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Remembering 9/11

Enlarged liver (and everything else)

2008-09-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

After 2 days of constant stomach aches, 2 ultrasounds, tests on my body fluids and several poking (the doctor literally poked me in the stomache), the doctors finally have a diagnosis... well sort of.

They found out I have an enlarged liver. Well, I don't think that's the only part of my body that's "enlarged", so what's the big deal?

The pain might be caused by Acid Related Disease or the tenderness of the enlarged liver. But I'm still not done. They need to test my blood chemistry for the cause.

Anyway, the good news is I'm feeling better now. Not good as new, but better than 2 days before.

I'm off to work! Woohoo!

Frigid Freakin Zone

2008-09-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I drove my Mom to her mahjong session in Cainta. Along Katipunan Ave, I heard a fizzling sound from the van's motor. Then slowly the aircon blower started warming up. I thought the compressor's fanbelt broke. We felt like being inside a moving sauna.

Had the van checked out the next day at Frigid Zone near our place. They dismantled the compressor and found that all the bearings were shot and the whole compressor has already been damaged. The coils have overheated and it pretty much needs replacement now.

Replacing it with a brand new compatible compressor would cost P35,000!!!

WHATDAFA?!?!?!?! Is that for real?

Apparently so. The part alone costs P32,000 and labor costs P2,500, plus cleaning, freon, and so many aircon jargon that wooshed over my head.

This is when haggling really proved its usefulness. I haggled and begged and negotiated and pleaded till their owner got irritated. They finally agreed with P25,000 all-in.

Ka-ching!

It was still a hefty amount of money, but hey, I had no other choice.

They fixed it up overnight, and now the aircon is back, cooler than ever. It still smells of grease and oil, but at least it's working now.

There goes my budget for a new gadget... :(

I heard you were leaving

2008-09-10T05:07:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm stuck at home struck down by fever... I still heard the news.

I heard you were leaving. Shaks, the dreaded day has finally arrived. We're crossing the bridge now... what are we going to do without you?

I heard you'll just be moving to the next building, where you'll work with new people.

Lucky bastards!

I'm not really sure if I'm happy or sad today. Happy that you finally got the job you wanted. Sad that you're leaving your Sony family.

One thing is for sure... We'll all miss you Sir Johnny!!!

Good luck! Congratulations!

Sick

2008-09-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sick today.

I hate being sick.

Oktoberfest Tragedy

2008-09-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

I was cursing the Oktoberfest party last Friday night for causing such heavy traffic in the area. From the office window, we could see the erected tents along the corner of Julia Vargas and San Miguel ave which pretty much blocked all incoming traffic into the area.

I heard that many people were either late for work that night (call centers operate at night) or didn't come to work at all (maybe that's them under the tents).

My usual 40 min trip home extended to 1 hour 20mins. Grrr!

Today my mom told me that there was an incident during the Oktoberfest event. There was 1 dead and 20 others electrocuted after dismantling the tents after the Oktoberfest Party in Ortigas.

Read full story here.

I realize now that the cursing might have been too harsh...

O2

2008-09-06T03:47:00.000-07:00

Normally, people would be concerned, but I had a great time in the office clinic today. I got to try on a new "gadget".

They (powers that be) turn off the aircon every Saturday in the office. The sudden change in temperature and the dank, stale air felt very heavy. I started feeling pain in my chest, but no feeling at all on my left arm.

It must have been the eggs I ate for lunch. Or the strong Benguet coffee I had for breakfast. Whichever it was, I started to feel very woozy.

The nurse took my blood pressure through my wrist. The BP app's velcro couldn't fit my arms. But she still managed to get an accurate reading. 150/90. Shoot!

I took a pill and rested a bit. Then she hooked me up to the Oxygen tank, put a mask on my face and told me to sit still.

Cool!

I thought, hey, don't they have one of these in some hip L.A. club?

The oxygen smelled clean and fresh, with a tint of sweetness. It was my first time to try one of these medical gadgets. Again, cool!

The hissing sound of my breath was oddly familiar. I was instinctively expecting the gurgling sound of my exhale, looking for bubbles around my mask. It was similar to SCUBA diving, except that I was surrounded by white walls instead of coral ones.

After 20 mins of being hooked up to the tank, my head started to clear and I was feeling better. My arms were back and my blood pressures normal. That was fast!

Now that I think about it, was it really the oxygen, or was it the forced relaxed breathing that cured me? Hmmm...

Envy

2008-09-05T03:09:00.000-07:00

The agents nowadays are SOOO lucky! Nakakaingget.

When I was an agent, the only prizes and incentives we received were star-shaped plastic trophies with our names printed with typos in front or gift certificates from Sodexo worth 500 bucks. Sheesh!

In the last year alone, the agents received digicams, Bravia tvs, PSPs, boomboxes, Walkmans, Nike bags, Fossil watches, Lacoste shoes, and recently a laptop! For October, their incentive are 2 Sony Ericsson K770i cellphones.

Some agents even have the gall to complain that they're not "appreciated" for their work. Some would say that they're not compensated well.

Excuse me!

My gulay! If only they know how lucky they are!

Lethargic

2008-09-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

Lethargic

le·thar·gic [ le tha'arjik ], adjective/adverb
Definition:
1. tired: physically slow and mentally dull as a result of tiredness, disease, or drugs
2. causing lethargy: causing a state of physical slowness and mental dullness
3. synonyms: torpid, lazy, unmoving, sluggish, slow, indifferent, apathetic

- the feeling i have after consuming huge amounts of rice that would feed an army.

- the heaviness i feel when i get out of the pool after an hour of doing laps.

- how i feel after 9 hours of sleep.

- my mental state after reading anne rice novels.

- the numbness in my butt after being stuck in traffic in edsa for 3 hours.

- the way my mouth opens after looking at the team's running stats for September - 55%!

- the feeling after eating 3 mallow cookies, 3 slices of banana cake, 1 slice of chocolate cake and 2 tall cups of hot cocoa.

- the icky sensation during a hot, humid sunday afternoon.

- how i'm feeling right now...

lethargic ... i like the way my tongue touches the roof or my mouth and my teeth when i say this word, sensual and slow with a light click in the end

Silicone

2008-09-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

One of Mom's mahjong matrons gave me this.

Are you f---ng kidding me?

What will I use it for? I need support, not patches.

Anyone want it? I'll sell it to you for a cup of coffee, kahit galing pa sa pantry.

GRRR!

Be Kind Rewind

2008-09-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

This movie is sooo funny! Jack Black is hilarious!

This is a story of two guys who try to keep their VHS rental store in business after accidentally magnetizing, thus, destroying all the tapes in the store by SWEDING popular movies. They basically try to recreate the whole movie from scratch by using whatever they can get their hands on, hoping that the naive loyal customers won't notice the difference. Not only did they notice it, but they loved it. Demands for more sweded movies poured in and they become famous!

Although I wouldn't really say that creator Michael Gondry's concept was original, I remember watching a similar sketch from Nickelodeon's comedy show "All That" some years back. Amanda Bynes and Drake Bell played as Russian immigrant owners of a movie rental store that lent out movies that they re-shot or recreated themselves. But I'd have to give Gondry snaps for casting Jack Black in the movie. I can't imagine anyone else playing the role of the hyperactive paranoid Jerry other than him.

I would say that their website is unique and fun. You'd see how they magnetized and erased the internet and replace it with their own sweded version of google and the internet. Have a blast trying to swede yourself or your own website by clicking here.

Food for thought:
Sweding is so much more fun (and legal) that pirating!

Why "swede"?
Jerry (Jack Black's character) claimed that the VHS tapes were imported all the way from Sweden which justified the expensive rental fee. He invented the word "sweded" while arguing with a customer.

Why "Be Kind, Rewind"? my nephew asked.
This maybe lost on the younger generation. But for those who can still recall what Betamax and VHS tapes are, the answer may be more obvious. We normally see this phrase written on the box when we rent out these tapes, asking the customer to rewind it after watching so that it's ready to be rented out to the next customer.

sepia september morning

2008-09-02T03:16:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of September*. I've been awake since 4:00 am. Wala lang. Just couldn't sleep.

It's now 6:00am. I've been fiddling with my camera's Sepia feature. I realized that Sepia is the best way to capture the rays of the morning sun. I can see the way the light dances on the curtains and on the sofas.

Even my high school grad picture looks older, elegant, but older.

Note to self: Next time that you wake up early, grab the camera and take pictures OUTSIDE! Best time to go jogging too! Hehe!!!

*(Actual entry date is Sept 1, delayed posting due to router problems. That's another story.)

Books for Young (disturbed) Adults

2008-09-02T02:08:00.000-07:00

I could never pass up the chance to buy books on sale. It's such an addiction! Especially when you see Gaiman books sold at 20% off!!!

NBS had these 3 books for young adults in stock, happiness!

Coraline, which is rumored to be released as an animated movie in 2009 starring the voice of Dakota Fanning. It's a dark story of a girl who enters a mysterious doorway to another similar but eerie world.

Interworld is the story of Joey, who gets lost in his own house and into another dimension, where he finds himself in between the battling armies of Magic and Science.

M is for Magic is a collection of tales and childhood stories gone awry. Here we find the sister of Humpty Dumpty hiring a detective to investigate the untimely death of her brother. Expect the unexpected.

I can't wait to dive into the surreal worlds that Gaiman has conjured in these books.

Melanie and Billy

2008-09-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

Ate Melanie and Kuya Billy dropped by yesterday. They used to be Mommy's officemates in Baguio when she used to be the Regional Director of NTC-CAR. They took the night bus all the way from Baguio just to visit Mom and me. They had breakfast and then left to run some errands. It was a productive but tiring day.

After a few hours of rest, Mommy served them Crispy Pata for dinner, then Conti's Mango Bravo for dessert. I took a picture of the Crispy Pata on purpose. Inggitin daw si Kuya Onie! Wahehehe!!!

Grabe, walang tigil and kwentuhan and chismisan! We updated each other with the changes and happenings in our lives for the past 3 years. Lots of changes but then again, there are some things that never change... I won't mention nalang. Na-shock sila when they saw how big (literally) Kyle has grown!

We surfed through the friendster pictures of the people in Baguio, and their families. It was major nostalgia attack, we were laughing the whole time.

They left after dinner. It was really great to see them again.

Hay, I really missed them both. I miss everyone in NTC Baguio.

Hopefully next time, I'd be the one to visit them. November maybe?

Habhab in the Office

2008-09-02T00:58:00.000-07:00

Since the team had perfect FCR (first call resolution) for August, I promised them I'd feed them again. And since naghihirap nako sa kaka-treat sa kanila, I decided to buy pancit for the team.

This is not an ordinary pancit, of course kailangan special pa rin. We had Buddy's Pancit Lucban delivered. I first tasted this during the Pahiyas Festival last May when I traveled all the way to Lucban Quezon. This is the authentic pancit habhab!

It's a good thing they have a branch near the office, along Pearl Drive in Ortigas.

Look at the portions! Mura pa! There were 10 people who dove in but there are still lots of left-over. Mostly puro sayote ang natira. But it was yummy!

The scorpions were finally sated! Happiness!!!

Once again, good job guys! Let's keep our September stats afloat as well! Go Go Go!!!

Tabs, Opinions

2008-09-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Julz Ryu, my HTML guru, I now have Tabs on my blogsite.

Yipee!!! Thanks Julyo!

For those who gave their opinions on the gadget survey, thanks a lot! Love your comments, and even though you guys gave AWSOME advise... lalo yata ako na-TORN! Wahehe!

The survey has been added as a widget on the left side, everyone's still welcome to give his/her opinions.

Thanks! Thanks!

Opinions please

2008-08-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

Need your opinion.

I'm planning to buy a new gadget.

A) Should I get one right now while there are Sales signs sprouting in every mall to get rid of old stock?

B) Should I wait for the holidays sale?

C) Or should I wait till the Christmas season is over?

D) other opinions: ____ (please indicate)

I've already asked (bugged) a couple of people, but I'm still undecided.

August

2008-08-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of August. Time flew so fast.

Looking back, August was a blast. All the blogging really made it more special. The fact that I can share my day with the rest of the world (or maybe just within the office) made the trivial things more meaningful.

We're entering the BER months now... the holidays are coming up. Lots to blog about!

Can't wait!

Plum Appeal

2008-08-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

I tried out my new lipstick. Revlon Creme de la Chrome in Plum Appeal. It's thick, rich, has a shiny metallic look and leaves a nice stain on your snout, este pout. Hmmm... It tastes like berries too.

So how do I look?

The shade is definitely out of date... 90's look pa itish.

saturday morning traffic

2008-08-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday morning. Saturday!

There shouldn't be any traffic on Saturdays! Especially not within the subdivision area!

Whatdafa?!!

I can't believe I spent 20 minutes crawling along Don Antonio drive this morning... no accidents, no cars broke down, no film shooting, no demonstrations... just inexplicable traffic at 10 o'clock on a Saturday morning!

Leche, buti pa sa Edsa, it just took me 10mins to get to Ortigas.

GRRR!!!!

Kyle, new blogger

2008-08-29T22:07:00.001-07:00

My nephew insists I help him create his own blog. He wants to publish his pictures of his field trip and other activities.

I'm teaching him how to create and update his own blog.

You can check out Kyle's Adventures Blog.

That's him as a cowboy. Kamukha ko ba? Hehe, we're wearing the same shades.

Blogger na rin siya.

B.I. talaga si Tita Marie! hehe...

*(blogger influence)

Left out by Google

2008-08-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Have you googled yourself lately?

What does a person have to do to be in Google?

My best friend Jay today said "alam mo pala you can literally find anyone in the world in google".
True enough, I found her and Mak, my other best friend.

I found my mom, my sister, my brother, my best friend's mother and sister.

I found my friends and classmates in high school and college.

I found the obituary of my dead classmate Anouk in Wikipedia.

I found everyone.

I can't find me...

Good Omens

2008-08-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

At last, Jonas and Bebs returned my book.

I'm such a slow reader. I bought this book in October last year, but I'm still on chapter 3. So far 5 people have borrowed and read it since then.

I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, ever since I first read his famous comic novel, The Sandman. I've been collecting his books ever since. He naturally blurs the lines between fantasy, literature, mythology, dreams and reality, and the way he weaves words into imaginative stories have always fascinated me. Though most of his work seems have some dark Tim Burton-ish overtones, amazingly this novel does not.

You can easily tell you're reading a Gaiman book just by knowing the characters and the cultural references to mythology, biblical icons and rock and roll. But Pratchett's humor jumps out of the pages as well.

Chapter 3 palang yan hah! Hehe!

The back cover says:

There is a distinct hint of Armageddon in the air.

According to "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch" (recorded, thankfully, in 1655, "before" she blew up her entire village and all its inhabitants, who had gathered to watch her burn), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse are revving up their mighty hogs and hitting the road, and the world's last two remaining witch-finders are getting ready to fight the good fight, armed with awkwardly antiquated instructions and stick pins. Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. . . . Right. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan.

Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon -- each of whom has lived among Earth's mortals for many millennia and has grown rather fond of the lifestyle -- are not particularly looking forward to the coming Rapture. If Crowley and Aziraphale are going to stop it from happening, they've got to find and kill the Antichrist (which is a shame, as he's a really nice kid). There's just one glitch: someone seems to have misplaced him. . . .

First published in 1990, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's brilliantly dark and screamingly funny take on humankind's final judgment is back -- and just in time -- in a new hardcover edition (which includes an introduction by the authors, comments by each about the other, and answers to some still-burning questions about their wildly popular collaborative effort) that the devout and the damned alike will surely cherish until the end of all things.

More details

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
By Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
Published by William Morrow, 2006
ISBN 0060853964, 9780060853969
384 pages

Better deals

2008-08-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

Finally got my ticket for my Cebu-Bohol trip. Yehey! Weeks of procrastination has finally ended...

Supposed to avail of Dexter's free trip vouchers from HSBC. Well, basta libre, go ako! But the tax alone costs P4000+. Shaks!

The PAL agent offered me their Great Value Flights promo for only P2500+ for the exact same flight. This was definitely a better deal!

Woohoo!!!

Auntie Mame

2008-08-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

What a find!

Saw this book lying underneath old copies of Anne Rice and Maeve Binchy at Booksale in Ever Gotesco yday. It was in good condition, with a minor fold on the left side of the front cover. Bought it for P90 bucks!

I just love this book!

We never really know what wonderful treasures are lurking underneath our noses, we just have to stop for a minute and take a look!

Allan's photographs

2008-08-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

I was chatting with my cousin, Kuya Allan Penaranda the other day who shared his love of photography with me. He's literally been all over the world working on a cruise ship. He gave me permission to share some samples of his work as he travels along the Mediterranean and the Carribean. Thanks Kuya Allan!

Image of the gondolas bobbing along by the night lights of Venice, Italy.

Gondolas in Venice by day.

Santorini cliffside hotels and resorts. Hmmm, reminds me of the set of Mama Mia! the movie.

His cruise ship off the coast of Santorini in Greece, taken from pool deck of one of the hotels.

A black and white photo of an iguana taken at Orenjestad, Aruba.

I love his work! Composition is great, and his play of shutter speed and lighting really paid off in capturing the beauty of the places!

A Day With the Fishes

2008-08-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful day with the coaches, QS and trainers yesterday at the Manila Ocean Park. We were the first to arrive, good thing coz we had the best parking space! While waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive, I spent a good hour taking pictures of everyone by the welcome sign.

Bad trip lang, my camera ran out of battery juice so soon. We haven't even started the tour yet! I found out later that the battery compartment was just loose, thank goodness... so I ventured on.

Although, may mga Injans na hindi nakasama, I'm glad madami ring nakarating.

So finally we were complete. It was a good thing it was a cloudy morning, kaya we were all cool outside waiting by the steps. For the record, sila Lyn and Madz and last dumating at around 9:40 am!

So inside sobrang sabik sa camera mga tao! Even though the sign says No Flash Fotos, some people still had theirs on... including me. In fairness, my camera's flash turns on automatically, not my fault!

Here Coaches Ervin and Ron measure up against my 8-year old nephew Kyle, trying desperately to get a discount. Yeah, keep dreaming!

The underwater tunnel was great, I would say better than the one in Sentosa. Although not as long, it was brightly lit, there were more animals in the tank and they were more hyperactive. The rays were definetely putting on a show for us!

It's only 10:45am but we were all famished by the time we finished the tour. Actually, mas napagod ako chasing after the fish with my lens rather than walking inside the vast aquarium. E lecheng mga isda, ayaw tumigil for a pose!

We had buffet lunch at Tamayo's Ozeana Restaurant on the 2nd floor. Hard to miss, the exit pathway goes through the resto, teasing passersby with its beautifully laid buffet and flowing chocolate fountain. We stuffed ourselves with fresh salmon sashimi, sushi, siomai, roasted chicken and halo-halo.

Bakit tuwing lalapit ako sa buffet, nakatingin sila Ervin? Are they counting my trips to the buffet? Excuse me, I'm just getting a spoon! The nerve! Wahehe!

After dessert, we burped and belched and held in our stomachs while we were serenaded by 3 guitarists, to the tune of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". Walang may birthday, so we just dedicated the song to Coach Anne, who paid! Wuv you coachie! Chenks for the food!

Needless to say, we had a great time watching the fish, taking pictures of the fish, and of course, EATING the FISH!

*more pictures available here.

*coach sheryl also posted pictures from her camera on her multiply account, see here.

Fish Spa

2008-08-25T01:54:00.000-07:00

Kyle insists that I post this on my blog. This was his favorite part of the tour of the Manila Ocean Park.

Hundreds of tiny Doctor Fish (Garra rufa and Cyprinion macrostomus) nibble and tickle him as they feed on the dead skin cells of his feet and toes.

The fish spa cost P120 where you spend 20 mins sitting on the edge of a small pool filled with the tiny hungry fish. This includes a free small blue towel that doubles as a souvenir after wiping your wet feet.

Kyle couldn't keep still or quiet the entire time, to the delight of his "spa-mates".

Kyle, happy now? Let's go back next month! Next time, let's bring your Mama and cousin Borgie.

Tek!

2008-08-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to have the best sister in the world!

Happy Birthday Tek! Mwah!

Love you sis!

Yummy page

2008-08-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone enjoys the new look of my blogsite. GODIVA CHOCOLATES!

Thanks again to my blog guru, Coach Shei, I used the template from FinalSense.com to customize this. Good ol' copy-paste lang!

I've added page numbers below so that my fellow Ka-bloggers and other visitors can view old posts easily.

Still don't know squat about HTML editing. But at least the site looks YUMMY!

Eye

2008-08-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

direct, contentment, calm, peaceful, comfortable

discord, fear, anxiety, bewildered, stressed

How do you feel when you look at these eyes?

iPhone? ibroke

2008-08-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

The iPhone is finally here.

Globe has release the new iPhone 3G today. The 16GB Prepaid Kit will set you back P43,799.00. Their postpaid pricing doesn't look any better.

This is way expensive than what Steve Jobs announced early this year. He said that the iPhone would only cost $199 (around P9,000) maximum in any country. I guess Globe needed to cash in on the initial novelty of owning an iPhone before people start unlocking their Class-A models.

Ka-ching!

Big slice of cake

2008-08-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken last Tuesday. Took me a few days to finally post them, kasalanan ng lecheng blogger templates yun.

Anyhoo, ang sweet naman ni Coach Ron kasi pinagtabi niya ako ng Conti's cake na Choco Overload... 1/4 of the cake pa! kayang kayang ubusin!

The coaches had cake that morning during our regular All-Hands meeting every Tuesday. Thanks to Coach Ron who passed his OM interview in Pioneer and Coach Neil who wore jeans! Sharap!

Of course I shared the cake with other people, hello high blood!

What a way to start the work week! Look at Lyn, relax na relax lang!

Thanks again Coach Ron!!!

Underwater MP3 Player

2008-08-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

I've been obsessing about these gadgets lately. They're kinda expensive that's why I'm just looking. Dayrit said he saw this one in Speedo in Megamall. It's a Speedo Aquabeat Underwater MP3 player. I'm afraid to check it out, might not be able to control myself and burn a hole in my pocket.

It's soo boring to do laps in the pool kasi. With these underwater mp3 players, laps will be more fun, time will fly faster, and somehow the pool distance might seem shorter. I can match the beat of the latest Madonna song with my strokes.

No more talking and singing to myself. Kakahingal kaya kumanta and mag-swim at the same time. I tend to forget the lyrics after I take a deep breath. I'll finally run out of excuses not to exercise! Hehe!

This one is a DOLPHIN 1GB Waterproof MP3 Player from Nu Technology. This is the cheapest among the players I found at $89.95, but I think it's only available online.

Another player that boasts of exceptional sound quality is the Finis SwiMP3 v.2 Underwater MP3 Player. The waterproof earphones send vibrations directly to the small bones in your skull. Wow! Wow din and presyo niya! This baby will set you back $139.99 or so.

Haay, I feel like a kid outside a toy store with my face pressed against the glass, drooling over a shiny toy that I can't afford.

Givin' It Up

2008-08-21T02:20:00.000-07:00

Bought their CD this morning. Namintas pa ni Sir Johnny, pang matanda lang daw to. Excuse me! It's for hardcore Jazz fans and people with a sophisticated taste for music, blah, blah, blah!

Why spend for an audio cd when you can download it or share with your friends? Captain Sparrow is that you? Hay, classics like these are worth collecting talaga!

I can't wait to listen to them LIVE!

George Benson & Al Jarreau
"Givin' It Up" 2007
Tracks:
1. Breezin'
2. Mornin'
3. 'Long Come Tutu
4. God Bless the Child (featuring Jill Scott)
5. Summer Breeze
6. All I Am
7. Ordinary People
8. Let It Rain (featuring Patti Austin)
9. Givin' It Up For Love
10. Everytime You Go Away
11. Four
12. Don't Start No Schtuff
13. Bring It On Home To Me (featuring Paul McCartney)

No reset buttons

2008-08-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

Haay! I finally fixed my blog. I stayed up till 2am this morning trying to fix it. The fact that our wireless connection at home keeps dropping was no help either. Talagang when it rains, it pours!

It all started yesterday when I was trying to customize my blog. I was experimenting with a few online blogger templates. Shonga ko kasi, I tried copy-pasting their html scripts directly onto my layout, without backing up my existing template. Di pala pwede yung copy-paste pag templates! Wahehe! Jules was egging me on and ayun! the Layout tab went missing, there were "undefined" texts on every corner, and the fonts were all big and ugly. I lost all my widgets and I couldn't upload my TSUNAMI image.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any reset buttons on this thing. What I did to fix it was to create an entirely new blog site and saved a copy of the original template. Then I uploaded that to my old blog site. Et voila! C'est tres magnifique! After a few minor adjustments (and numerous cries for help from Coach Shei), the blog list is complete and everything is back to normal.

Mind you, this will definitely not stop me from zhushing up my site in the future! Now that I know how to backup and restore my templates, expect to see more experiments in the future. Though, I won't be listening to Jules anytime soon.

blog under de-construction...

2008-08-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

ANAK NG TUPAAAAHHHH!!!!!

I've been playing around with the theme of my blog tonight... and i think i went a bit too far. LECHE... where's the reset button on this thing?!?

to my ka-bloggers, i'm sorry, i'm still trying to figure out how to add you to my list again... the widgets are not working.

i can't even post my TSUNAMI picture anymore.. Waaaahhh!!!! :(

Al Jarreau and George Benson Concert

2008-08-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

Waaah!!! I wanna watch this concert!

I was trying to buy tickets online but it's giving me an error. O well, I'll just buy the tickets tomorrow. Serious Al Jarreau or any hardcore jazz/scat fans out there are welcome to join me. Just let me know! Ticket prices and details below.

It's gonna be a wonderful musical experience! Can't wait!

Venue: Araneta Coliseum
Event Date/Time: September 8, 2008 Monday at 8:00pm

Tickets available from Ticketnet or call 911-5555.

PATRON VIP (101,103) (Reserved Seating) P5775 --- Gulay, ang mahal naman!
PATRON VIP (101,103) (Reserved Seating) P5250
LOWER BOX (Reserved Seating) P4725
UPPER BOX A (Reserved Seating) P2625
UPPER BOX B (Free Seating) P998
GENERAL ADMISSION (Free Seating) P630

View in the Mirror

2008-08-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

I finally understand what photographers mean when they say that you should never leave the house without your camera. You never really know what to expect, when inspiration will hit you or where you'll find the most unusual image.

In my case, it was right in front of me. I took this photo when I was getting my hair done last week. The salon's mirrors stood in the middle of the room and were raised 2 feet from the floor. Customers would sit on opposite sides of the mirror. There was a lady in front of me having her nails done.

I usually get bored or sleepy when I go to the salon. But armed with my camera and an open eye, even the most mundane events turn into memorable ones.

Nice legs!

What I learned in MYLO training

2008-08-14T04:39:00.001-07:00

I attended MYLO training yesterday. We learned how to use this gadget for emailing, web browsing and chatting. It's a cool, expensive and if you're in a Wifi deadspot, useless toy. More info here.

Carlo also showed us how to transfer files from computer to the MYLO and vice versa. I have my usual classmates, Coach Ron, Zweet, Sheryl and Ervin. Lyn was my lab partner.

3 hours passed by and I only learned 1 thing... the meaning of CAMELTOE. Yup, I just found out yesterday. I like to think of it as "a visible major wedgie". Sorry, I won't be posting any images here, for those who still don't know, just Google it.

Elmer in Eat Bulaga!

2008-08-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Elmer "Billy Blanks" Almiral was in Eat Bulaga today.

Yup, he joined the game "Sa Pula, Sa Puti".

He's the one wearing the white bonnet. He was the only person in his team to get the question right. Tito Sotto didn't even finish his question.

Sorry, I still haven't figured out how to add flash player into my posts. Don't worry, that's my next project. You can also visit Jules' blogsite to check out the video or go directly to youtube here to watch.

Grabe ang saya! Elmer, baka ma-discover ka. Kelan ka papa-pizza?

How do you spell hippopotamus? LUPET!!!

Quicklaunch

2008-08-08T00:31:00.001-07:00

They re-imaged my computer in the office today. Perfect timing! Kung kelan naman ako naghahabol ng audits, training, skep and scrubbings.... GRRR!!!!

I lost my favorites, access to important files and most especially my QuickLaunch! I never knew that changing access to my taskbar would be a major pet peeve.

Haaay! Need food to relax....

Cute earring?

2008-08-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Judy sent me this picture from her cellphone. She said this was sent to her by their head nurse, taken at Veterans Medical Center on a camera phone by two students last week. See anything unusual? Is it a cute earring?

When you zoom in, what do you see?

She said that this kid died recently and has been haunting the hospital since.

Clan reunion

2008-08-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

I was rummaging through my old photo files last night and I stumbled upon these pictures. It was taken summer of last year during a clan reunion in Antipolo. It was the annual Ycasiano/Icasiano Clan Reunion where relatives on my mother's side would meet, eat food "Bulacan group style", introduce new members of the clan and update the family tree. The roots of this tree goes back to Spain, where the grandparents of my great grandfather, a Spanish PRAYLE in Baliuag, Bulacan, first settled in the Philippines during colonial times.

I never really paid much attention to all of their stories. Some distant cousin somewhere is in charge of watering that family tree, tracing which family branch was connected to which dead relative. There were a lot of important people in the group, senators, writers, doctors, teachers, you name, we've got it. Like I said, I just didn't pay attention.

However, there is one cousin that steals the spotlight every year. Richard Gomez. And last year was no exception. He was running for senator at the time and the party was perfect for his campaign. When he and wife Lucy arrived at the resort, the whole party stopped and everyone was eager to shake hands and take pictures of their famous relative. Everything was a blur after that.

I only remember taking pictures. I wanted to stay behind the camera, it was more fun that way. I was more interested in the chaos. I took pictures of the ones holding the camera, not the ones posing in front of it. Finally he came over to talk to my Mom. Tita Kaye, Ren, Karel and Tek were all starstruck. He and mom talked for a while.

We only had one conversation. Tek took the camera. While posing for a picture he said "Balita ko single ka pa? What's up with that?" THE NERVE!
I said "I haven't found any victims yet!" through my teeth, took the camera and left.
Hay naku, I don't understand what all the pressure's about? See my fake smile? didn't think so.

That's Lucy and Ate Pinky, formerly, Stella Suarez Junior, a Sexy star of the 80's and sister of Richard. Now Ate Pinky, she's a sweetheart, ever since she was taller than me, she was always nice to me. Now look at us! She used to be chubby too, now she's forcing me to follow her diet routine. She always said, if it worked on her, it should work for me too. Let's just see.

Anyhoo, they left after an hour and we continued with our party. Only this time, everyone's head was spinning from the onslaught of campaign posters, fans, flyers and banners of our wanna-be senator. Too bad he didn't win. He certainly has the charisma of a politician, and I can sense that he genuinely cares for people.

Our family tree is indeed full of important people. Everyone is. I don't think anybody is more important than the next one. There are just people who grab the spotlight and those who would rather stay behind it.

Now who could forget a reunion like that?

Mugshots

2008-08-01T02:23:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures for the next tarp. A police line-up of Sony's most wanted.

Paris, Lindsay and Nicole has one. I have one too.

My very own MUGSHOT!

Pizza time!

2008-07-31T02:36:00.000-07:00

We celebrated today with pizza and Pepsi. Congratulations Boys for being the best team for May and June! Keep up the good work.

4 boxes of pizza for 8 people! Lupet!

Jerome won Top Gun Agent for the month. Galing!

Hinahabol na ng mga agente ko ang waistline ko!

What's in a name?

2008-07-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

Saw this post from Bee's blogsite. I tried it out for myself and got this...

The website is (http://www.lovepm.com/zodiac/namesays/m.shtml)

Kinda creepy though, coz it hit close to home.

Chuck

2008-07-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching the complete season of Chuck, compliments of Jay who gave me a copy.

Reviews for this TV show have been mixed. Most forums that I've visited either really liked it or found it too formulaic.

When I saw the pilot episode on AXN, I thought it was just ok. Nothing jumped out as interesting. It was funny, yeah, i'll give it that. Thanks to great editing, the fight scenes were action packed, albeit lacked a little energy on the part of the actors. The plot was kinda generic, a computer nerd that involuntarily got involved in government spy activities and found himself falling in love with his protector, a blonde CIA spy while dodging bullets and saving the world from terrorists. Good thing, the plot thickens as we move towards the last few episodes of the season.

What kept me watching? The comedy. It was really funny and the characters grew on me. I especially loved the brother-sister bond that Chuck had with his sister, Ellie. It was a family type of relationship that we rarely see in TV shows lately. Much of this season focused on character development, showing us how Chuck manages to stay alive, keep his secret spy life from his sister while battling his emotions for Sarah.

In the end, I can say that I love this show. Zach Levi is so charming in a dorky kind of way and I can't wait to see what happens to Chuck in Season 2.

Tarp

2008-07-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

The new tarps are up. June Dream Team of the month.

Material Girl

2008-07-29T17:16:00.001-07:00

It's been a week since my last blog... wow, ano ito, confession?

I was browsing through my friends' blogsites and I saw Coach Anne's website. She had posted pictures of her cute pink laptop and Hello Kitty gadgets. I was inspired to post pictures of my own gadgets as well.

I never thought I'd be obsessed with "Gadgetry". I remember back in high school, the only gadget I had on was a beeper (ok, fine, it was college, I'm THAT old!) and the occasional walkman. Anyhoo, I was always interested in movies, music, tv, books and going out of town, go to the beach or go diving. Gadgets were for techy nerds and geeks, they were alien to me.

Somehow, by some weird twist of karma, I found myself working with one of the giant companies in electronics and gradually became engrossed with gadgets. I bought magazines, watched features on tv and browsed in the internet looking for the latest models. Even though they burn holes in my wallet and dented my credit card, I was hooked.

Here are some of the gadgets currently keeping my Material World interesting.

Among the first and oldest gadgets I own would be my cellphone. Let's face it, everyone has one and most people would say that they feel "naked" without it.

Now this model, the SE k700i is definitely a keeper. I've been tempted to upgrade several times. She (yeah she, not it) has a lot of features that I didn't know I needed in a phone, plus some more that I didn't know she had. I'm learning something new about her everyday. Just recently, I discovered how to use her as a remote control for my laptop using her bluetooth features. She's tempermental too! Whenever I talk about getting a new phone, she starts acting up and suddenly the joystick will stop working! I swear, she has an attitude!

This Dell Inspiron 1525 was a gift from my Auntie Cora from Houston. Mommy brought it home with her when she went to the US for a vacation this summer. It's running on Windows Vista Home Basic powered by Intel Celeron CPU 550 @ 2.00 GHz, 2GB Memory, 200 GB HDD storage, Wlan and instant AV mode. The only letdown was the Optical drive, built with only a combo CD/DVD-Rom drive, not an RW one.

It has a blue rubberized coating on the lid which is perfect because it won't slip out of my hands when I'm lugging it around the house. That's right, only in the house. I'm not brave enough to carry this baby out into the real world yet.

What I love most about it is its silver titanium bezel, it's dust-free, easy to clean and the keypad letters are very clear. It's a mahtee purtee gift! Thinks tita!

Now this iHome station was a dream come true! It too was a gift, this time from my cousin, Ate Boots. She gave this for Christmas when she and Auntie Lillian visited Manila last December. I hand-picked this particular model from apple.com. I've had the green Ipod Nano since October last year, but I couldn't enjoy my music the way I wanted to... LOUD! This iHome docking station is an all-in-one alarm clock, remote control, player and battery charger. And yes, it can get very LOUD!

Speaking of loud, don't take this little cutie for granted. This egg speaker can cause some serious ear problems when turned up to max! I bought this from Jaypee last month for a few hundred pesos. Don't you just love how cute it is! It comes in black, blue, red and white. It has an internal battery that charges when you plug it via USB to a computer or charger. If opens up to extend it's speakers for more volume. Since the iHome station is too big to bring to the beach or to the park, this little number is perfect!

This external harddrive was my latest purchase. It's a Western Digital Passport with 160 GB storage space and contains mostly my collection of music and movie files. Surprisingly though, it does not contain porn... yeah I know, ako pa! Hehe!

All these pictures were taken with my dependable Canon Ixus 75 digital camera. I have the silver model as shown here. Ever since my Sony Cybershot T5 camera conked out on me last year, I've been looking for a replacement camera that was just as stylish, sharp and feature-packed as the T5 without a price tag that would sting.

At first, I felt guilty for buying a non-Sony camera, but those feelings soon faded after I got to play with this beauty. It had features that gave me confidence to experiment with images the way a professional photographer would.

Was it really a coincidence that Macky bought the exact same model in the US? I never spoke about it to her until I saw her camera last month. Galing! Was it ESP? Maybe it was more of the fact that poeple buy Canon, it's always the better choice.

Not too shabby, don't you think?

And just like her royal highness, PopQueen Madonna, I am a Material Girl, living in a Material World!

Mama Mia!

2008-07-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Saw this movie with my sisters last weekend. Ate Irene's treat. It was great fun kasi kaming tatlo lang ang tao sa buong cinema. Don't ask where, basta.

I laughed so hard and the movie was so fun. Pierce Brosnan was soooo handsome, just don't look at him when he's singing. He looks constipated. His voice didn't sound good either. But, whatdahey, he's still so hot!

Merryl Streep was a pleasant surprise. I didn't know she could sing, dance or even jump that high! She surprised me the most when she sang "The Winner Takes It All" on top of the cliff, so full of emotions, so much energy! I didn't know Collin Firth had such a cool, breezy voice, I wish he sang more songs in the movie.

The setting was beautiful, Greece was so magnificent. The cliffs, the rocks, the blue sea, the sparkling sunset shots, the golden tanned bodies of the dancers... haaay! Happiness ang lola mo!

What I liked best about the movie was the music. All the words, the melody and songs were (SWAK) perfect for each scene! I was singing throughout most of the movie, to Tek's annoyance. Hehe!

If anyone is looking for a feel-good, romantic and fun movie to watch this weekend, try this out, non-Abba fans will still get their money's worth. For those looking for a good plot, fine acting, quality musical voice and thrills... keep looking.

More reviews from http://www.imdb.com/

Plot:

The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular '70s group ABBA.

20 year old Sophie (Seyfried) is preparing to marry her boyfriend Sky (Cooper) at her mother's hotel on an island in Greece. She seemingly has it all; a carefree life, loving boyfriend and happy friends but one thing has been missing all her life; a father.Her only wish now is to be given away by her dad at her wedding. By reading her mother's diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie then secretly invites all three men in a desperate bid to discover which of them is her father before the wedding bells start to chime!But not all goes to plan, old loves are re-kindled, new loves are formed and Sophie risks everything to discover the true identity of her father.

Featuring the songs of ABBA and based on the worlds number one musical comedy which has people dancing in the aisles every night, this movie is sure to be the hit of Summer 2008!

Trivia:
According to Variety the play's original producer and writer, "were broke when they first tried to put the show together and were even snubbed by the Swedish pop group whose music formed the basis for the show. They are now two of the wealthiest women in England."

Based on the hit ABBA single of the same name. Mamma Mia! first opened in London on April, 6th, 1999 at the Prince Edward theater. It had its North American debut at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre on May 23rd, 2000. The original Toronto cast then moved on to Mamma Mia!'s pre-Broadway tour starting in San Francisco, moving on to Los Angeles, then Chicago. It was while the original Toronto cast was performing in Chicago that Louise Pitre (Donna) and Tina Maddigan (Sophie) were invited to play their same roles in the original Broadway cast, which opened on October 18th, 2001 at the Winter Garden Theater, the former home of Cats. It now has toured in over 140 cities across America. As of April 2007, Mamma Mia has open run productions in: New York, London, Las Vegas, Madrid, Moscow, Stuttgart, Fukuoka (opens May 19th 07) Gothenburg (opening May 9th 07) Essen, also has an US tour and an International tour traveling to cities all over the globe. Mamma Mia! has also played in Melbourne, Australia and Utrecht, The Netherlands, and in Copenhagen and Horsens, Denmark.

Phyllida Lloyd also directed the original ‘Mamma Mia!’ Broadway Play.

‘Mamma Mia!’ was the first film to be shot on the new 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios following a fire after Casino Royale (2006) wrapped. The new 59,000 sq ft stage was used for song and dance numbers that could not be filmed in the sun in Greece.

Benny Andersson, former ABBA member and co-composer of the songs, calls Meryl Streep "a miracle". Meryl Streep came to Stockholm to do her vocal for the song "The Winner Takes it All". She finished it in one take.

Meryl Streep first saw the musical in October 2001 with her daughter Louisa and her daughter's friends in Manhattan.

Bill Nighy was announced to star in this project but was replaced.

Both writers of the original ABBA music, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, can be seen in cameos playing instruments.

According to Meryl Streep, Julie Walters injured herself whilst filming the "Dancing Queen" musical sequence (by tripping over some rocks on a cobbled street), but "soldiered on".

Mandy Moore, Amanda Bynes, Rachel McAdams, and Emmy Rossum were all considered for the part of Sophie.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene above the 'old goat's house' in which Donna is singing Mamma Mia, the amount of dust/dirt on the knees of her dungarees changes between shots.

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Donna is repairing the shutter with a cordless drill, there is not a bit in chuck, so there's no way it could "repair" the shutter. The empty chuck is visible in subsequent scenes with the same drill.

Continuity: Early during the film there is a scene when a tremor is felt and the dolphin mosaic cracks. Later during the bachelorette party, everyone is dancing around the dolphin and the crack is missing. Sometime later during the film Donna attempts to repair the crack in the mosaic.

Continuity: During the dancing scene on the beach, there is what appears to be a decanter and an ice bucket on the bar. These objects change position when the camera angle has changed.

Continuity: During the "Does your Mother Know" dance scene at the beach bar, a dancer in the background is suddenly wearing sunglasses in one shot, they are gone on the next shot of her, and then she's wearing them again.

Sisig and Beer for Breakfast

2008-07-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Had breakfast with my former team, the Laughing Hyenas. It was pure coincidence that I wore red that day, coz they had an agreement to wear red for the day.

This was breakfast at Gerry's grill in Strata. We clogged our veins with pork sisig, fried chicken, adobo flakes and chicharon and beer to wash it all down.

Hay, I miss them.

Horoscope

2008-07-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

HOROSCOPE FOR THE DAY:

"You can see what needs to be fixed in your life right now, and you are starting to come to the conclusion that things need to be radically changed if you are going to get to where you want to be -- but don't get scared, get empowered! You know you need to do it, and you know how to do it -- so do it! Sure, it might take more time than you thought, and it might cause some conflict in your life. But you will feel much happier once things are the way you want them to be."

That's it! Even the stars are conspiring to show me the way.

Coach Joel has left

2008-07-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'm removing the rose colored glasses and facing reality today. Coach Joel has resigned and left Sony. It's definitely a sad time for me in the office. He was one of the coaches whom I can both have decent conversations and nonsense chitchat with. I'll definitely miss my seatmate, my classmate in Coach 101, my destiny buddy (we were always groupmates in all activities no matter how much they randomize the grouping process), my friend. He's one of the coolest and most fashionable people in Sony.

Good luck in China, Coach Joel. I'm so proud of you and I'm praying for your success there!

We'll all miss you! sniff!

Black Balloons

2008-07-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to have black balloons for my debut, but back then (90's) black balloons did not exist, at least not in Manila's party stores. I guess the obsession for black balloons never really went away.

These are photographs by Andrea Galvani. I've always been a frustrated photographer, but these images are inspiring me to learn more about the art.

"Baby's black balloon makes her fly, I almost fell into that hole in your life..."

--- John Reznik

Street River

2008-07-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

"What the hell am I doing in Espanya today?"

I had to drive Mommy to PRC yesterday morning, during the downpour of Habagat. I litereally spent 2 hours along Quezon Avenue and Espana (how do you do the eNye letter?... alt+164....leche ayaw gumana!) trying to row, este, drive the van along UST. I could see the waves in the water when a bus passed by, hammering the side of the van.

Kids were swimming on the road and several URCHINS began to gather the around the cars. By urchins, I mean people who you thought were there to help out the stranded motorists, but in fact were cajoling them for money, offering to push the small cars through the water for P100. The nerve!

It's already 10:00am and I'll be late for work! If I had to spend another 30 mins there, I would have abandoned the van and swam all the way home. If I get stranded there, if the van conked out or if I were really late (which I hate), might as well get some evidence. So I took some pictures of the waves, the flood and the urchins on my phone camera as evidence.

I had to get out of there. Mommy said that the van could handle the flood, "Diesel ito, mataas tambucho!" whatever that means! After two Hail Marys and the fact that my bladder was bursting (had to pee so bad!), I mustered up the courage to step on the gas pedal, close my eyes and drive straight through the river street.
Mommy was right, the van chugged on forward and I made it through to PRC and Mendiola. I even managed to arrive in the office on time, dry and unscathed, and feeling rather invincible after that.

What an adventure!