the prodigal son

2010-03-21T06:33:00.002-04:00

i noticed that i hardly blogged these past months and it's probably because of my work. i already feel the effects of a shifting schedule. as a matter of fact, i always plan to do things on weekends but then lack of sleep through the week just overpowers everything.

years ago i gave in to the cool idea of having an intangible space as an outlet to share who i am as a person - the real me that is. you know, things i love to do - traveling to different places, being a foodie, trying out new sports, random ideas, special events in my life, special people, random people or just about anything i like to do outside of my work. but here i am today having that odd feeling that i haven't dug deep into myself to know myself. sometimes i need to write about me to know more about me. you know what i mean? probably not. i'm just babbling..

basta from now on i will find time to widen this space. i need to know who i am nowadays :)

gun ban exemption

2010-03-21T05:26:00.005-04:00

got this idea from Mo's blog. and yeah, i know a guy friend who was violated by this act. and take note, it happened inside our office's restroom.

seriously. this is one of those unspoken rules amongst guys which should be upheld at all times. so whoever violates or even tries to, ought to be shot. in the balls. twice.

booboo

2009-08-06T12:58:00.005-04:00

i read from online forums that there were serious errors in the news coverage of president Cory's funeral. i actually did witness two occasions when a news anchor mistakenly said the incumbent's name rather than the former president in reference to the funeral. one thing that stood out though is from today's edition (August 6, 2009) of the Manila Bulletin in one of its captions. i immediately went to scourge for a copy and i got the last from 7/11 across our office. indeed, at the back page of the main section i found this:

funny as hell :D don't know what PGMA's reaction will be hehe. as for the newspaper editor, is this enough for him to get in trouble or be axed? let's see.

had this been the headline, i don't know if people will mourn or rejoice hahaha :P

final farewell

2009-08-05T05:26:00.026-04:00

a couple of times i planned to attend the public viewing of Tita Cory's wake in Manila Cathedral but untimely work demands prevented me to. i heard from the news coverage her cortege would be passing by Osmeña highway so i thought this would be my last opportunity to sort of pay my respects to our former president so i felt compelled to go. i sneaked out from the office, camera strapped on my neck, and went with my friend, Mark Kano.

in no time we found ourselves along the Buendia flyover. it was raining hard but surprisingly scores of people turned out to bid their final farewell. everyone was patiently waiting under the bad weather. and in observance of Cory's favorite hue, some people were clad in yellow shirts, jackets, others with yellow ribbons, umbrellas and balloons. i wonder if someone brought with them those giant yellow foam Laban signs - you remember those, back from the 80's people power? :)

i actually climbed atop a fire truck to have a better view. below are some of my shutter peeks.

freedom of expressions

the sight was amazing. a truly historic moment. i saw children who were not even born during the EDSA people power revolution nor her presidency but their parents brought them along to witness an event which they might not able to comprehend for now but someday will fully understand.

the media wagon

the sea of Filipino people

president Cory's coffin draped with the Philippine flag

sea of people along Osmeña high way

some of the Cojuangco and Aquino family and relatives expressing their gratitude towards the people

some of her presidential decisions might have been incorrect as to some may seem but part of her legacy is the transition of our government from the dictatorship to democracy.

i hope her passing does not just leave confetti on our roads or bring us as a nation to just mourn. i hope her example models us to be better individuals. enough with the "proud to be pinoy" as it can be overused. Filipino pride is not a mere birth right. it is earned.

people's passion for democracy might have died down but believe me the embers are still there. and it takes an event like this, the passing of a former front runner, to fan the flames again. the spirit stays alive. i felt it. let's carry on. let's make a difference. she has shown us the way. sacrificed her family and personal life even. now that she's gone it is simply up to us to follow her path.

Salamat at paalam President Cory

2009-08-05T00:33:00.006-04:00

we have been witnesses during the past days of the outpouring of love, support and respect for our former president Cory. admired by us Filipinos, and international dignitaries as well, for her humility, simplicity and utmost integrity and honesty in governance Tita Cory is now being showered with so much love by the very people she fought democry for. the same people who entrusted her our nation once. the very people whom his husband Ninoy worthily died for.

as i watched today the final mass held at the Manila Cathedral, the attendance of families, friends, former government officials pro and critics alike, foreign delegations, rich and poor, well known and ordinary are all testament to how her life made an impact to everyone. her faith and trust in the Filipino people never wavered. despite numerous attempts to put her down during her presidency, she courageously fought and withstood with honor. it's typical of us pinoys to love people who loved us first and that's what we are witnessing here.

her passing all of a sudden awakened that feeling of being democratic in each of us. that feeling of giving back to our nation. that feeling of caring for our children's future by ensuring we will not be ruled by darkness again. i hope everyone would take into heart her and Ninoy's sacrifices.

on a personal note i feel the Aquino family's pain. my nanay went through the same medical condition and we were witness to her physical pain. those of us who left behind had to endure the emotional pain afterward. no one said it'd be easy but you get strength from the people around you. this overcomes whatever mourning death brings.

we've seen and heard personal accounts from friends and families of how Cory became their loving friend, caring mother, great adviser, companion, courageous leader, one who encourages in return, a simple person who also eats cup noodles, a faithful servant of the Lord and a humble person. if there's one thing every Filipino should be grateful for, i think it's how we should love our families while they're still with us. yes it may be true that there's not really enough time to spend with someone you love but why don't we just cherish whatever time is given to us.

paalam po President Cory. you're now in a better place. after all your sacrifices for us, it's now time to reunite with your Creator. and Ninoy :)

maraming salamat po. masarap palang maging Pilipino.

"malay ko sayo"

2009-07-31T02:58:00.008-04:00

this is a late post but hey.

about 3 weeks ago, Jaja, as part of her birthday celebration treated us to a Korean hmmm delight, i would say. Jaja is a teammate (office) and is known to many as a fan girl of everything Korean (or lahat yata ng singkit ang mata). she speaks Korean, writes a little Korean, talks about Korean crushes, watches those Korean youtube videos after work, has Korean bangs, eats Korean and maybe sleeps like Korean - if there is such a thing.

i don't exactly remember the last time i ate Korean food so that last time would have probably been forgettable. i didn't know what to expect in other words. so off we go to the K-town (go figure) somewhere in Makati Ave near Rockwell area on a Saturday morning just about lunch time.

so this is the place (i know, that is forgettable haha). it doesn't resemble a lot like a restaurant and because it isn't. it's more of a residence turned into a karinderia-like setting. being an observer, what i always look out for in these foreign food outlets/restaurants is if their local countrymen patronize them. as soon as we enter, the place is filled with - you guessed it right - Koreans. kami lang ang pinoy. the place is also owned and operated by Koreans. so it must be good and authentic.

btw, K's have these weird greetings that sound like "malay ko sayo!" haha so i greet back with "malay ko rin sa inyo" and then bow as a sign of respect. i don't know, maybe it's just me :P

so all we did was sit around the table then their crew, which btw are all Filipinas, served what Jaja ordered for everyone. let the pictures tell you what they are because i don't even know what i stuffed in my mouth hehe :P

each table had its own grill cooktop and someone cooked for us.

yummy! and healthy take note :) merong rice dyan pero konti lang.

some close up shots. they had this super hot hot hot soup which i liked very much pero di ko naisip picture-ran. daig ng matakaw ang camera hehe.

burp! ooppss :P

oh, this is our miserable attempt to imitate a Korean poster guy. and of course, we miserably failed :P

a very pleasant experience indeed and i was surprised myself. i am excited for the next one actually. not only were Korean food masarap (or baka depende din sa kakainan) they're very healthy too. no wonder makikinis ang kutis nila. subukan ko kaya kumain ng kimchi araw araw. hehe magkakasakit naman ata ako ng almoranas :P

we drove all the way back to Greenbelt 3 to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth. that's another story and may require another post.

o Jaja, kelan na ulit? "malay ko sayo!" bow.

2009-07-07T15:55:00.010-04:00

i am watching the live feed of the Michael Jackson memorial service and boy i lost it at the end part when Michael's daughter Paris talked and thanked his daddy. "ever since i was born daddy has been the best father that you can ever imagine... and i just wanted to say i love him so much..." my tears just welled up hearing this girl. *sniff sniff* such short but powerful speech. she essentially got the most compelling and moving words of the entire service. she channeled the same emotion as i did when my own mother died. *sigh*

before Paris' speech, it was one of his brothers speaking, Marlon if i remember it right. i enjoyed hearing his story about Michael having to disguise (with some fake hair and no slip-ons) and went to a local store. when Marlon found him he called for him and said, "Michael what are you doing here?" to which MJ responded, "how did you know it was me?" haha i love that part :) Marlon responded, "because you're my brother. i know you." oh such a sweet brotherly love.

some of the highlights of the program included John Mayer's instrumental rendition of Human Nature (awesome!!), Brooke Shields' telling of the crazy little things they did together when MJ was being himself, Magic Johnson's story about how surprised he is Michael actually loves Kentucky Fried Chicken which he brought to one of their meetings, and some other personal accounts of people who knew MJ. the artists performances of course; Mariah Carey, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, his brother Jermaine and others. a really special service for a special artist.

if you haven't seen these, then youtube is your friend.

welcome to this world JJ!

2009-07-05T03:54:00.009-04:00

he has arrived :)

Sarah, my brother's girlfriend, gave birth to a healthy baby boy on July 3 at 7:15PM. at mabigat, dahil 7.5 lbs hehe. my brother, whom i call Boyong (i suggest you skip the question why), is still in the US and is waiting for his new passport to be released (yes, he's now a certified US citizen) before he can go home. probably in a month. my sister told me how anxious Boyong was the minute he got news that Sarah was already in the hospital. pagkaka-describe pa ni ate, "hala ganyan pala si Boyong pag natataranta. di mo makausap at lakad ng lakad ng mabilis pabalik balik" hehehe. i would understand. that's just joy welling up coupled with the anxiety that he can't be at her side during this delicate process. though he missed the moment (the first sight, the first touch, hearing the first cry) i believe he's just as joyful hearing the news that JJ was born. oh, did i tell you his name yet? it's Jordan John. Jordan, obviously because Boyong and i are great fans of MJ (i mean his airness, not the king of pop). and John because of John the Baptist. and dahil daw si Jesus was baptized in the river of Jordan. ganon?! hmmm.. OK. makes sense. sige pwede na nga ikaw naman ang bida ngayon :)

it was funny my tatay called him "gi-gi" (that PLDT caller ID commercial before, it comes to mind). "GG?!? ano yan, galunggong?! tatay, it's JJ. let me repeat. J... J... got it?" :P everybody in the family is just so happy and excited. our family has seen only the first 4 pictures of the baby and here's one:

look at how cute he is! awww... :) at ang puti puti puti!

the mother and the baby are still in the province. i hope to see you very soon JJ and we'll play cuddle cuddle haha. call me uncle timmy! ku-tsiku-tsiku-tsiku :D

gone too soon

2009-06-25T19:11:00.009-04:00

Michael Jackson: 1958 - 2009

Michael Jackson died about an hour ago in UCLA hospital due to cardiac arrest. yes, the Elvis Presley of my generation has passed away. CNN reports that he fell into a coma for some minutes before expiring. he's 50.

i'm sure for a lot of us of the same generation, we have lost one of the greatest artists and musical legend of our time. that high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. the glove. white socks. the crotch-grabbing dance moves. moonwalk (my goodness all my life i tried imitating this but i just can't). tight military jackets and the aviator glasses. who could ever forget? my all-time favorites would include "Billie Jean", "Thriller", "Man in the Mirror", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Heal the World".

he was actually preparing for a series of big concerts which start next month in UK until April of next year. i won't even call it a comeback. we haven't seen him in major performances for years now and i'd love to see him again performing on the big stage.

talented and troubled as he is, he transcends millions of hearts and souls through his music and i believe that is what he will be remembered for. timeless. universal. even beyond words.

rest in peace peter pan!

where hypocrisy happens

2009-04-22T20:24:00.013-04:00

for us avid basketball fans, it's the time of the year when we determine "where amazing happens". it's the NBA playoffs! and this is what i go gaga over with for the past few days (aside from a little betting on the side hehe). but when games are over, i scourge the web for, you know, other daily hot topics, mapa-tv patrol man or cnn. and this is what i came up upon last Monday. watch for yourselves..

if you're a blogger and gay, you probably have chanced upon Perez Hilton's blog one way or the other (go google, i don't wanna link it here). if you're just gay, then probably you've heard his name before. if you're Piolo Pascual, then that's a different story.

i am not a gay blogger (this i'm sure), and certainly not gay (this.. uhmm.. i still have to convice myself), but i know this guy. err gay. i know him but not in an intimate way of course. he started this already blown out of proportion controversy by asking Miss California Carrie Prejean if she thinks other US states should follow suit in allowing same-sex marriage, after Vermont. it seems that Hilton was none too pleased that Prejean chose to actually be honest and give her personal opinion on the sensitive issue. she did not even say she hates gay people or that gay people are scum of this earth yet he ripped her in his blog afterwards and even made a video blog, whining, bitching and sounding downright bitter (go search youtube).

wth, never ask a question when you're unprepared for the answer! it's plain stupid. isn't the whole point of asking a question is to get someone's true feelings? rather than all the superficial "world peace" and plastic answers we're all used to hear.

she opposes it and that's OK. that's here personal opinion. what if Miss California answered "yeah i support gay marriage"? would Perez then praise her and call her an open-minded and great person rather than calling her "half a brain" in his video blog? would she then be celebrated on gay-focused blogs, websites and magazines? see, that's the price of having to straight talk nowadays.

i've followed keenly the US presidential election last year and President Obama and VP Joe Biden (then candidates) both share the same belief: that marriage is between a man and a woman. add Hilary and Bill Clinton to the list. these are American liberals who happen to have the same belief as Ms. Prejean yet they are praised for their opinions. or let's put it the other way around. Ms. Prejean, who is a beauty pageant, happens to share the same belief and opinion as these liberals but she is being shred to pieces. where hypocrisy happens. really.

personally, i don't understand what all this deal is about gays getting married. if i may say so, marriage i believe is a responsibility, not a selfish pleasure, to raise up a family with your children borne of you both. gays can't have kids thus they can't marry. simple. end of story.

at the end of the day, we all have to be true to ourselves. anyone who is in favor or against an issue should not be condemned. tha day we condemn folks for speaking honestly is the day we become hypocrites.

now back to the NBA...

2009-04-14T13:49:00.005-04:00

hearing a bad news is one thing. but if it's about someone you know is even more sad.

last night as i was preparing for work, i received a call from a friend who told me Carter, the newest member of my technical team (from work) figured out in a vehicular accident in SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). good thing he and his 2 kids (aged 4 and 3) were OK. what's worse however is that his wife died. i was suddenly overcame by shock and sadness to the point that i wasn't able to put my mind into everything i tried doing.

a couple so young. full of promises. how suddenly can life be taken away from anyone. *sigh*

today together as a team we offered a time to pray for Carter and his kids' fast recovery and strength to overcome this challenge of great proportion.

a moment of silence for Carter's wife. may her soul rest in peace.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - The Philippines

2009-03-07T15:23:00.021-05:00

October of last year, my country was visited by one of the most renowned chef and intrepid world traveler, Anthony Bourdain. if you are a cable TV subscriber, you'd probably chanced upon his name or show. he's the host of the Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure program: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. not the bald guy who has an appetite for the bizzare. si Andrew Zimmern naman yun, host ng Bizzare Foods of the same channel (matter of fact, AZ's first show was about the Phillipines - balut, Palawan worms - pero that'd be a different story). beside his documentary of the country/place he goes to, he is known but may not be appreciated by all for his unpretentious remarks on their food. known for being an unrepentant drinker and smoker (but has stopped since the birth of his youngest daughter on 2007) Anthony gained the respect of many by his gut level honesty whether on the place, culture, chefs (including the chefs kuno), the people and of course the food. no wonder he has a cult following.

his visit to our country started from an enthusiastic video of a Fil-Am Augusto Elefano, encouraging Anthony to discover the Philippines, just as he himself was trying to accomplish. he's a typical Fil-Am. grew up in the United States pero had little or knows as much as the culture as his parents taught him. ika nga nila sa US, "Am-Fil yan hindi Fil-Am." i believe the online video was a finalist entry to a Travel Channel's contest in relation to Anthony's show. next thing we knew, AB is in Manila for a visit!

his arrival and i guess the jitters of everybody's expectation from him is reflected in his blog entry pressure drop.

his visit brought him to places around the country. as i've rummaged thru the web, they were blogged and documented by these lucky folks: ManilaStreetWalker and MarketMan.

Binondo (even tried the turo turo, haha :D galing!),
Cubao Dampa (photo grabbed from Anton Diaz's blog)

Pampanga (can't find photos of his visit)

Cebu (lunch's full menu, another entry) - that's the same bulad and danggit store we went to last week at the Taboan market in Cebu (sayang di ko natanong yung may ari)

according to Ivan Man Dy a.k.a. ManilaStreetWalker, some of the places he's supposed to visit around Manila which were taken out of the list were Quiapo, Salcedo weekend market, and a pares-mami joint. read his entry in The Daily Inquirer.

and his verdict? AB puts our pork at the top of the Hierarchy of Pork. yeah, ours is the best in the world! :D i'm sure you're drooling for some sisig and lechon now :P

i'm a big fan of this guy and can't wait for this episode to be aired here in Manila (it was shown in the US last Feb 16th and it's already downloadable from iTunes). tagal nga eh. i haven't seen it yet and if he gives an honest opinion about our country whether good or bad, i'll still respect the guy. as long as it is said on a good faith and unbiased. anyway who has eaten our lechon and said something bad about Pilipinas? huh? hahaha :P

here's a teaser video of that episode for y'all!

"It tastes like candy ..."

2009-03-06T18:52:00.006-05:00

a moment of silence for the master rapper, a fellow urban patriot, photographer, an idol.

(grabbed from his multiply site)

the master rapper is now with the Master. rest in peace yo!

p.s.
when i heard the news, i remember the first time i saw him in person. performing live at the Ali Mall (Cubao) food court. 1994 i think. was one of those awed fans :)

McBimbo

2009-01-17T05:51:00.005-05:00

brought a lot of memories both happy and sad *sniff sniff*

love ko toh. pramis.

oh the bittersweetness of your first love. i think i need some fries...

and if there's one thing this tv commercial legitimized: geeks don't get the girl! hehe but they get the gold! haha :P

OT: i can't help but notice. yung choco fudge sundae nung lalaki was filled to the brim, bakit pag ako umo-order hindi puno?! waaaaa :P

2008-12-24T12:22:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone.. i hope we stay happy always. cheers! :)

charise on the O show

2008-09-13T21:10:00.012-04:00

if you haven't seen Charise's latest guesting on Oprah show then you're missing a lot baby. "World's Most Talented Girl" the Sept. 9th Oprah show is one full hour episode on Charice, highlighting her life from a small town girl competing in singing/talent shows to becoming an international singing sensation. and who doesn't watch Oprah in America? come on!

as a Filipino, i am just as proud as everyone is on what she has accomplished so far. Filipinos really possess world-class talents, di lang tayo nabibigyan ng break especially on Hollywood where being good enough won't entitle you a ticket in. kelangan you have to be damn good amazing. sensational to say the least. just listen to how Oprah was blown away by this little girl's talent. no other than legendary David Foster was tapped to develop and bring out the best in her.

the first time i saw this episode (the day after it was shown on tv) i literally had goosebumps all over. her voice, the emotion on her singing voice is soul-stirring. i was even teary-eyed when she sang Celine Dion's most famous hit. i'll let you watch yourself and see what i mean. here are some of the highlights. click "watch in high quality" para mas malinaw talaga.

part 1
Oprah - "nothing is more fun for me than helping to make somebody's dream come true especially when this somebody is a gifted young person who really really really wants it and really really really deserves it.."
- "..a girl with an incredible sets of pipes."

Michael Buble - "no matter how good i am you kicked my butt.."

part 2
who among our Filipino singers has had duets with world-class singers like Andrea Bocelli or was even invited personally?

Charise - "..we left my dad and after that i never saw him and i don't wanna see him. i'm just singing now for my mom.."

part 3
David Foster - "it's the extraordinary gift and she seems to really get how to take care of it, preserve it and cherish it, which is really the important thing.."

part 4
if you won't be moved by this performance, go get a heart-checkup!

part 5
no other than Celine Dion!

well, dreams do come true. if you noticed she goes by just her firstname nowadays. i heard that's because her dad was mad at how he was portrayed in her daughter's life in all the shows she'd guested in. eh kasalanan naman talaga ng erpats niya. good thing for Charise she didn't give up easily or else she might not have been living these days to see her dreams coming to realization. way to go! Filipinos swell with pride i assure you that :) keep it up!

ella ella, eh eh eh..

2008-09-13T12:46:00.005-04:00

it was all wet all week here in Manila. typhoon Marce hit the region, or actually almost the entire of the country, that left most of us soaked in the rain going to and fro the office, stranded in traffic, pass by flooded streets, restricted to inside our houses or maybe rediscovered that you really are sleepyhead :P para sakin, it's all of the above hehe. but there's one particular thing i discovered that had me blogging tonight (it's 1AM local time).

if you knew me better, ako yung isa sa mga tao na hindi talaga nagdadala ng payong :). it's on my hell-i'm-a-guy-i-don't-do-these-things list :P yung prinsipyo ba na di bale nang mabasa ako sa ulan wag lang ako makita ng iba na nagdadala ng payong haha. parang hindi kasi manly hehe. often i ask my sister to accompany me sa sakayan ng taxi o jeep. bago ako sumakay binabalik ko sa kanya yung payong and she brings that back home so pagpasok ko ng office wala talaga akong dala. hindi naman ako nababasa madalas or ng sobra so it wasn't really a big of a deal. but not until this week. i was converted from being one of those anti into a, believe or not, firm believer. 'twas a complete turnaround. you probably are thinking what triggered my melioration.

Monday. regular day for me. woke up at around 7PM to get ready for work. i called this ihaw-ihaw nearby and ordered something for our dinner. 20 minutes passed and my friend and i decided to get our food dun sa kainan. pero it was already raining hard that time. so we brought umbrellas and nagulat kami kasi baha na pala sa street namin at medyo tumataas na ang tubig. we really had no choice pero sumuong sa baha just to get our food. sa sobrang lakas ng ulan at kakahintay eventually nakatulog ako at hatinggabi na nakapasok hehe.

Tuesday. galing ako sa bahay i was going somewhere in Makati. i was hesitant pero i still brought an umbrella kasi sobrang dilim ng langit. and then umulan ng walang humpay na pagkalakas lakas sa loob ata ng tatlumpu't limang minuto na sinabayan ng walang puknat na malakas na ihip ng hangin. sakto pa na wala talagang masakyan nung mga oras na yun kasi baha daw ang mga dadaanan so walang nangahas bumiyahe. putik nung finally nakasakay na ako ng bus, dun ko na-realize na kalahati pala ng katawan ko, mula baywang pababa eh basang basa sa ulan. parang kanta lang ng aegis noh?! at doon ko na rin na-realize na pwede naman pala kaming maging magkaibigan ng payong. if i clung in to my pride that time, siguro na-ospistal na ko dahil sa hypothermia sa sobrang exposed sa ulan for a prolonged period tapos sobrang lamig pa ng tubig. at heto pa ang mas matindi. pagdaan ko ng Mantrade sa EDSA, kung alam niyo yung lagusan ng sasakyan sa ilalim nun (Pasong Tamo) hindi talaga madaraan ng sasakyan kasi puno ng tubig! tama po. the last time na nakita kong napuno ng tubig yun eh 1st year college pa lang ata ako nun. so mga 1996. after 12 years saka naulit. bakit ko naaalala ika niyo? eh yun yung gabi na naglakad ako mula sa pinapasukan kong kolehiyo pauwi ng bahay at madaling araw na ko dumating sa amin :P

fast forward to Friday. i had an appointment in the heart of the business district in Makati. i was not in my usual self, ibig sabihin naka-slacks ako, long sleeves and black leather shoes. so di naman poging pogi, medyo pogi lang naman hehe. i decided i'll bring an umbrella with me and lucky enough umulan ulit pero hindi na ako gaanong nahirapan maglakad o sumakay. but i still titter on the thought :P

this stormy week made me realize it wasn't really bad at all. to bring and be seen by others. ang mas nakakahiya eh yung meh payong ka tapos summer haha. so the next time we chance upon each other you might see me holding that long stick and just be shocked as i am. it's not a lance and you won't find any thoroughbred nearby. it's called an umbrella but hey i still think it's manly. and who knows? baka pasukubin pa kita :P

redemption

2008-08-24T20:21:00.002-04:00

USA Redeem team has finally redeemed their lost glory. having failed to win the global tournament in 8 years, they brought their A+ game against the Spaniards who also brought their A+ game. yan ang championship game! 4 point lang lamang ng US going into the last 2 minutes. sobrang ganda talaga ng game. D-Wade was phenomenal sa 1st half then Kobe Bryant took over nung 2nd half. don't be mislead by the final score, this was really a hard-fought game until the final minute. in the end the "Star Spangled Banner" was played on the medal ceremony.

it just showed how far the rest of the world has grown in the game of basketball. but as of now order has been restored. USA reclaims its position in the pinnacle of international basketball. U! S! A! U! S! A!

murphy's law and jose rizal

2008-08-23T07:58:00.012-04:00

life ain't supposed to be hard, right? no. but we can sit back and wait for that golden opportunity to just come by us, di ba? maybe. or how about this.. hard work and perseverance will definitely pay off later. yes. hopefully yes.

at my age it is a point where i seem so determined to really put my life in a direction where i wanted to see myself years from now. know what i mean? i could have done this on my earlier years but i wasn't that matured back then. "ubos ubos biyaya bukas nakatunganga" principle lang ako dati eh. not that i didn't enjoy those times mind you, i freakin' loved those moments :P pero siyempre times change. and so should i grow up. eto na yung mga stages na you're concerned about your future, not that you can control it but at least you direct it into a direction where you wish and dream it to be.

it's been almost two months since my friend and i decided to put up our printing business. and boy little did we expect we're in for the ride of our lives! investing into something, whether a relationship, career, bank account, business, house and lot man yan, is really challenging. it requires your time, dedication, your wildest thoughts, strength, talent (you're blessed if you have one), and money (if you weren't blessed with the former i hoped you're blessed with this one - pag wala pa din eh kawawang bata ka na hehe).

the company is actually a brainchild of my good friend Randy. he's been with the advertising business for 3 years and had, in my personal assessment, quite a handful of experience. printing was one of his previous jobs that company. he was fortunate enough start a partnership with a foreigner last year for the same business and they were doing good for some months. pero sabi nga sa murphy's law, "whatever can go wrong will go wrong". true enough this Korean guy went back to his motherland and pulled out all his machines and literally my friend's living. wala na siyang ibang kabuhayan but that tapos nawala pa. so to make the story short after sleepless nights and deep thoughts he decided to move on. with the little that he had left he hoped to start again. pano ako pumasok sa eksena 'ka nyo? eh we chanced upon each other one Sunday afternoon around June tapos kinuwento niya ang nangyari (ayang lahat ng isinulat ko sa paragraph na toh). Randy and i have been close like brothers through many years so trusting the guy and his vision did not come hard. so with the work experience that he has at yung konti kong perang naitabi sa bangko we decided to setup the business. ako pa naman yung tao na pag hindi natakot sa isang challenge eh it's not challenging enough. eh dito medyo tinamaan din ako ng takot so alam ko i'm up for something great. so off we go. we bought a large format printer, 44-inch, from his contact and a cold laminator naman na 60-inch from Hidalgo. tapos may dalawa kaming pc sa place niya and yung ibang former clients niya still had him do some printing jobs. so medyo naging okay ang simula namin. and to think the money that we invested is so little compared to those who had this same business. so siyempre i-expect mo rin na palabas muna lahat ng pera in the first 2 to 3 months and that's where we're struggling right now. good for me i still have my day job at least my salary is still enough to feed myself and my two siblings. lagi ko ngang binibiro na double job ako ngayon :P hehe.

on the course of these two months, we've experienced discouragements, frustrations, fatigue, shortage of money, and everything else we did not expect to happen. ewan ko ba, parang nananadya ang panahon. eto ha, Randy has his family (nanay at mga kapatid niya) living in San Andres bukid. two weeks before we started this business eh nadamay sa malaking sunog yung bahay nila. good thing is that 2nd floor lang ang nasunog. if that will not dampen your spirits eh mutant ka siguro.. sa ganitong business kasi dito sa atin eh 3rd party ink ang gamit kasi napakamahal ng original ink (P5K plus for a 220mL!!). when one of the 8 inks ran out, we had no choice but to purchase the original kasi wala pa kaming nahanap na supplier at that time ng 3rd party ink for our printer. eh may pending work for a client so it was so critical. kahit mabigat sa bulsa we had to come up with the moolah. and we had to buy it in Quezon city during a stormy Sunday noon kasi half day lang pala yung seller.. there is this system that you need to purchase para ma-convert mo yung printer mo into a continuous ink supply system o CISS. and for the printer model that we have, nahirapan kaming maghanap dito sa Manila. most of it kasi eh galing sa Shenzhen, China or sa UK. Randy does most of the research and he contacts immediately kung meron mag offer. we were ecstatic when he found one in Marikina, so tinawagan and ni-confirm na meron daw sila. so pinuntahan niya sa pusod ng Marikina, bumabagyo pa that time, bought the device and went back home. alam mo yung parang on fire ka tapos nabuhusan ka ng malamig na tubig? mali pala yung device and clearly the seller did not know what he's selling @&#$%!( nakakainis diba? what frustrated us more is that konti na nga lang yung pera namin (so we really were very careful in shelling out cash), napagod na yung kaibigan ko tapos we were 2 weeks delayed na i think on some of our deliverables that time. the morning after we went back to Marikina together para balikan yung nagbenta. coming from my night shift schedule i barely slept. kada upo ko sa jeep, sa mrt o fx kinuha kong tsansa para matulog. pagdating namin dun yung pinangako nilang meron eh wala naman pala talaga. pero at least binalik yung pera namin. kung made-describe ko lang ang naramdaman namin that time isusulat ko dito kaso hindi ko ma-describe. parang right there and then, our high hopes that this business will turn out very well could have really dashed out of the door. to be honest napaisip na ko nun, "ano ba tong pinasok ko?" "is this really gonna work?" i even thought of going to China myself para lang bumili eh. kaso bigla kong naisip wala pala akong pamasahe hehe. i think for about 15 minutes Randy and i did not utter words. ikinain na lang namin yung problema namin sa Jollibee (that's around 11AM na) and naisubo ko na yung huling butil ng kanin nung meh nagsalita na sa amin. sa totoo lang gusto ko ng umiyak nun nahiya lang ako puro bata yung mga nasa katabi naming table. isipin pa nila na boyfriend ko si Randy at nakikipag break siya sakin :P "papi, wag mo kong iwan.." hahaha :P

but you know what? little did we expect that there was still a glimmer of light we're about to see that day din. my friend started to flicker through the pages of his planner. it had some numbers of contacts he gathered from the internet. he called about 3 and i overheard him saying, "saan po ang office niyo sir puntahan po namin kayo... ah sa Malinta exit?.. andito pa po kami dulo ng Marikina pakiantay po kami..." before i can even ask a question we were on our feet again. pagod pero adventure talaga. to cut the story short, nagkaligaw ligaw kami, naubusan sya ng load, naubusan naman ako ng battery at muntik na rin kaming maubusan ng bait. wag kayong tumawa pero muntik na talaga. after about 2 hours we located the place and the consolation of all these unlucky things? the guy (sir Anthony) whom we met for the first time accomodated us like we have been friends for eons. cool guy, very approachable at napaka down to earth din. he gave us tips more than our weary minds can even remember. so for more than an hour kinausap niya kami and gave us more than what we need. di nga lang namin nabili yung CISS kasi one set dapat ang bilhin eh kulang ang pera namin. still he offered a cartridge with original ink that is about half the price compared sa labas. not bad huh. at least we went home after an adventurous day with a reason to smile a bit.

actually madami pa kaming problema ngayon. recently lang nagkasakit yung dalawang anak ni Randy, monthly bills, payment for the media, house rent, kakainin sa araw araw among other things. the thing that is most challenging for me eh yung maubusan ulit ng pera. there was one day when i only had P7.50 in my pocket and a whopping P62 in my atm account eh siyempre di ko naman ma-withdraw yun. that was like 4 days before my next salary so just imagine the worries. i literally had to flip thru my memory bank kung sino yung mga may utang sakin and i starting texting them. today, i only have P500, 5 days bago mag sweldo ulit. wuuuhhaaaa *sigh*.. hindi ko akalain mararanasan ko ulit toh after so many years. kumbaga since i started working eh i seldom had this problem. it is literally stepping out of my considerable comfort zone and put myself on the sacrifice line alongside my friend so to speak but this is exactly what i should expect the moment i agreed. pero i was born and raised in a poor family so these things are not new to me. there were even worse back then. pero really there's no other way than to move forward eh. it's either you stop or keep walking. Randy even joked one time na sana may video camera kami and na-document lahat namin ang mga paghihirap namin. yung mga misadventures namin. parang Ariel and Maverick lang ba. para when we look back we can just laugh at ourselves and appreciate better what we have in life.

it's been tough and it's getting tougher. but it's all good. it's all good..

post scriptum:

bumibili kami ng gamot ng anak niya kanina sa drug store, sinuklian siya ng tig beinte pesos, tinignan niya sabay sabi, "ngayon ko lang na-appreciate si Manuel Quezon." sagot ko, "dude, mas i-appreciate mo dapat si Jose Rizal dahil pag wala si Pepe, hindi mabubuo si Ka Manuel" :D

printing business

2008-08-08T23:50:00.005-04:00

as Chinese regard number 8 to be lucky, i'd like to ride on that belief and advertise today (08-08-08) the business my good friend and i put up. it's small but it's large hehe. it's large format printing. we print just about everything you need into virtually any media you prefer:

photo paper
backlit
canvass
banner cloth
clear sticker, floor sticker (and other sticker-based media)
blinds
streamers

(in the meantime, we focus mainly on indoor printing. but we also accept outdoor prints if needed)

we offer other services which include:

standee (sintra PVC board, carton, or other types)
murals
backdrops
framing
vehicle wraps

i'll post some pics of the tools we've already invested in and some of the things we did for our budding network of clients. parang ang dami na eh noh haha.

we're not getting any younger so things like this come up to mind. eh ayoko namang maging employee forever na umaasa lang lagi sa swelduhan hehe. tsaka for the future na rin. i'm not Chinese pero hopefully we get lucky with this endeavor. wag na kayo magpa print sa iba ha. sakin na lang :P contact me thru email or cellphone number below my avatar (right side). salamat po!

2008-07-20T16:38:00.001-04:00

my computer clock reads 4:29AM Manila time and i am still awake. don't even ask why. it's getting frustrating nowadays. i should be in deep sleep by this time. which leads me to really ponder on why am i still here. do i still love what i do? what keeps me from leaving? or a better question should be, am i ready to move on?

when something pushes me to the edge, i don't easily give up. not without a fight. i put up a challenge. pero feeling ko lately i'm trying to move a mountain without much progress. so when exactly do you say enough is enough? all i can say is that this is not good anymore. ain't healthy either..

iba ka talaga Pacman!

2008-06-30T13:15:00.010-04:00

walanjo, hindi talaga ako maka-get over dito! nakaka-inggit hahaha :P

Manny Pacquiao kasama ang Boston Celtics team pagkatapos ng laban niya. at nakikipag diskusyon pa si Pacman keh Garnett habang naka-akbay ang lolo mo. parang hindi nahirapan mag english parang nagta-tagalog lang haha. ayus talaga!

gusto ko rin nun! makapagpa-kodak man lang kay Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce o Ray Allen. idol ko rin yang mga yan eh lalo na si KG. pero si pacman, napaka swerte. lahat andun. kumpleto yung Big 3. astig! meh iba pang mga players.

Kevin Garnett, "he's great man.. huge man.. that's what it is... i'm a huge Pacman fan, that's why we're here.."

Manny Pacquiao, "yeah! yeah! my dream is come true!"

wahahaha! ako, my dream IS not come true yet wehehe :P

idol ka talaga Pacman! mabuhay ka!

Manny Pacquiao makes history

2008-06-29T00:48:00.009-04:00

(photo taken from ESPN.com)

galing talaga ng idol nating si Manny "pacman" Pacquiao. a total destruction of David Diaz from the starting bell until knocking out the Mexican face-first to the mat on the 9th. he is now the new WBC 135-pound lightweight champion. not only did he do it in an phenomenal fashion, it was awesome to say the least!

at any weight, in any ring, our boy is convincingly phenomenal. he was at his best the entire fight. and i think this was one of the best fights of his career. he has now become the first Asian, and Filipino, to hold titles in 4 different weight class.

eto mga statements ni David Diaz:

"Manny was too fast..."
"I could deal with his power but not his speed. I got tricked by his speed. I gave it my all. His speed is what sealed it for me. His speed was uncontrollable..."

about his cut on his right eyebrow:

"It didn't bother me," he said. "But I thought he had a knife. It's like he was hitting me with a blade. I thought [Pacquiao trainer] Freddie [Roach] was in there hitting me too..."

about the left hook to the jaw that ended the fight:

"I didn't see it coming... he is f*cking good." hahaha :P

sabi naman ni Pacman, "i feel very comfortable in 135. i am very strong!" wehehe :)

konting sidenote. eto pa matindi sa idol natin. inimbitahan sila Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to watch his fight and boy they did. they even went directly to his dugout after the fight and had a photo op. galing diba? hindi nagpapakua ng picture si Manny kahit kanino dito sa mga artista o pulitiko, sila ang nagpapa picture sa kanya. pero eto si Pacman, nagpakuha sa mga idols niya from his favorite team, Boston Celtics. ayus!

congrats Manny. mabuhay ka! pinagkaisa mo na naman ang bansang Pilipinas!

2008-06-22T05:34:00.012-04:00

i don't know exactly why but rain brings out so many emotions in people. more often than not melancholy. low in spirits. or blue. well maybe because when we were kids we are restricted to go out and play with friends once the heavenly hosts take their bath (at least that's what my parents told me. that is after San Pedro and God played bowling one on one. yun naman daw yung dahilan bakit kumukulog :P hehe. at pag kumidlat, we don't know exactly who but someone just had a perfect strike and heavenly cameras start to click. silly eh hehe). i once believed as a child that it robs you out of a chance to be happy running outside with your friends playing patintero, teks, taguan, tumbang preso or luksong baka. kaya nga siguro ganon. at pag bumagyo, walang pasok (yey!) pero wala nga rin lang baon (ay sad).

that was then. now it's different. it now means a time to relax, extra hour to ponder on things (okay, okay, i meant sleep), of course be home with my family, and a time to expand this web space (until now i don't know what i am writing about actually). i was also browsing the internet of headlines i missed for this week. i don't have my HD TV with me now but very soon we'll be reunited. aside from the Boston Celtics winning the NBA '08 championship (this i didn't miss watching :) wuhooo! panalo ako ng P500 keh Jod hehe), there's really not much news to uplift someone's spirit..

the green tradition
though i was rooting for another team at the start of the '07-'08 season of the NBA, the Boston Celtics had been my team come playoffs time. i always side with a defensive team rather than an offensive one. i personally liked Kevin Garnett's chances of finally having his own ring when he was traded to Boston. along with P2 (Paul Pierce) and Ray Allen (whom they call as the "candyman" since his stroke is so sweeeet) they more than just capture their 17th title Wednesday morning Manila time, they played their finest game of the season and crushed the spirits of their longtime nemesis, the L.A. Lakers. final score, Boston 131, Los Angeles, 92. nope, your math isn't wrong. 39 points it is. that was obliteration. no other word. obliteration. Kobe Bryant and company, with their lack of intensity in putting up a fight that night, looked like they wanted to catch a flight back home during halftime.. to the C's, continue on with the green tradition. let's play some nasty defense. de-fense! de-fense!

the raw emotion of KG summed up a perfect night for every Celtics fan. (image taken from ESPN.com)

jungle hell
i don't know how to describe the feeling and i don't desire to be there first hand to be able to illustrate. but that's as far as Ces Drilon described her 10-day ordeal with her captors in Indanan, Sulu. what was supposed to be an agreed interview with an Abu Sayaff commander turned into a kidnap for ransom. together with her 2 cameramen and a professor from that province, they were held hostage for P20 million. but here's the twist: Ces' family chose a lady vice governor of that province to be the third party in the negotiations but the rebel group chose a town mayor. so negotiations happened and thru the direct help of senator Loren Legarda all the hostages were released. (thru some research, i found out that senator Legarda was the same person who negotiated for the release of a 2002 hostage of some journalist and tourists, here at the same town, of probably the same group. rightly so the ABS-CBN honchos chose the lady senator to mediate since she already has the "connections" so to speak). but that's not the twist. at the end of the ordeal, it turned out that the mayor was believed to be the one who staged everything. at least that's what the PNP is looking at right now. together with his son, they're being interrogated. hala, eh dahil pala tatakbo ng pagka governor ata this coming August election kaya nangailangan ng pera. tsk tsk tsk. yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko, mga pulitiko talaga. akala mo parang tupang nagmamagandang loob tumulong, siya din pala ang lobo na lalapa sayo. oh well, let the law extend its hand on the perpetrators and bring them to justice. as for Ces, i think she learned her lesson:

"It taught me that the story is not everything. Before kasi I was always in hot pursuit of a story without thinking of my own safety... Maybe there are other stories I can pursue without taking too many risks. That’s how I will draw the line now..."

one of this cameramen meanwhile said something very good about humanity throughout this ordeal.

"..if there is evil around you, there will always be good too.."

Frank's fury
as i write this, Metro Manila is being pounded by a typhoon. kanina malakas ang hangin ngayon ulan naman. what saddens me though is that another passenger ship is reported to have sunken in the Visayas region, several kilometers off Sibuyan island in Romblon. the ship en route from Manila to Cebu was carrying more than 700 passengers. first question that came to mind is why the ship has been allowed to set sail with a typhoon approaching? haven't we learned our lessons?? nakakainis naman tong mga nasa maritime institutions natin. ilang beses na bang may nangyaring ganyan at bakit hindi pa rin nila na-anticipate. i sympathize for the victims' families. i believe many of these passengers opted for a cheaper fare going home kaya nag-barko sila tapos magiging biktima lang sila ng kapabayaan ng mga otoridad. nakakagalit!! bakit di natin pagsama samahin ang mga tiwaling opisyal ng ahensya ng gobyerno na namamahala sa paglalayag ng mga pampasaherong barko, isama na natin ang mga may ari ng mga barkong lagi na lang sangkot sa mga mass murder sa dagat na parang walang pakialam pagkatapos ng mga ganitong trahedya, isakay natin lahat sila sa isang butas na barko at palautin sa dagat habang bumabagyo. tignan ko lang kung hindi magbalahaw ang mga yan at magmakaawa ng saklolo. pero hindi na dapat umabot sa ganon. kailangan ng suspindihin, panagutin at bigyan ng mabigat na parusa ang mga nagkasala para hindi na maulit ang mga ganitong mass murder sa sinuman nating mga kababayan..

one ship crew, who is among the four survivors as of this moment, recounted that the sea was really rough and waves as tall as mountains were pounding the ship which later developed a hole in its hull. water started to fill in then after about 15 terrifying minutes lang the ship was already underneath the sea. ang bilis at sobrang nakakatakot tsk tsk. what's sad about this is that four lifeless bodies have been washed ashore and the fate of the rest of the passengers and crew is still unknown. what's even more disheartening is that there are at least 45 children listed in the ship's manifest. so sad. thru his sunday speech at the Vatican, Pope Benedict in Rome sympathized upon learning of the tragedy. whenever i hear death of children in whatever way, my heart breaks.. so so sad :(

rescuers were prevented by bad weather for a search and rescue mission. but according to later reports, they already boarded the coast guard ship and estimated to arrive at the scene Sunday afternoon. i hope they find survivors. there may not be many, but i hope there are. God bless these people.

the man they call "Daboy"

2008-06-07T14:37:00.007-04:00

honestly, i hardly get inspired by two types of people here in our country: politicians and actors. there are too few politicians (am not even sure if there is even one left) in our country who serve as genuinely as what they have taken oath to. a young public servant may look promising at the onset but once he dips into the murky waters of politics, even the meekest of the lambs turns into a vicious wolf wanting and thirsting for more. greed is blinding. it even makes one forget his very first priority which is serving the people. and all sorts of lies, deception and hypocrisy follow. &(#^*$@^ ang laki na ng tax ko ngayon tapos kukurakutin niyo lang! (alis na nga ako sa paragraph na toh naha-high blood na naman ako eh..)

problem with actors (male and female alike) on the other hand is that they are paid to portray a role which does not necessarily reflect their true being. an actor may play Robin Hood on films but in real life does not even have the slightest compassion on others. or someone who is kontrabida but is the exact opposite off camera. my point is that, they're paid to do what they do and it's easy for them to put on that disguise once the director shouts "action!", and difficult for us to look beyond that portrayal. that mask. that disguise. more so look for heroes amongst them. ika nga, heroes in show business are generally found in fantasy productions on big and small screens.

there are however, once in a while, real heroes who come out of the latter. actors who inspire me beyond their portrayal. whose courage on life's battles is moving you can't just help but admire and take your hat off to.

Rudy Fernandez, i truly believe, is one of them..

Saturday morning at around 2AM, i was having lunch (that term is correct for night-shifters, mind you) with friends Teejay and Irish and we inadvertently talked about Rudy Fernandez' condition, as we have heard from our local news and showbiz programs. we even shared how we have admired his wife Lorna on handling the difficult situation. the conversation went on to us having to share our personal difficult times when my nanay died and Irish' father passed away. the agony, pain, and loneliness after losing someone you dearly love.. back at the office at around 7AM, Irish hurried into my desk and informed me, "sir Art, patay na daw si Rudy Fernandez. nag text si Cherry.. eh di ba pinag uusapan lang natin kanina.." upon checking the Daily Inquirer online and PEP, it was confirmed.. in the afternoon, i was watching Startalk cover the first day of Rudy's burial. the amount of people, friends and loved ones alike, who flocked the chapel testifies how he, as a person, became friends to everybody. it was even mentioned by one of this sons that according to Rudy himself, he'd like everybody from all walks of life who'd want to view him for the last time come to his burial. wala dapat piliin o pigilan.. nakaka-inspire din yung kanyang tunay na kabiyak, si Lorna Tolentino, who showed us her own courage in the face of the unknown. bilib din ako sa'yo ma'am.

more than how Rudy faired courageously with his battle with the big-C, i think he really is a good person and that's what inspires me most. hearing his family and friends' accounts, i was moved. how he always acted as the peacemaker in their barkada. how he fairly treats everyone around him. how meek and bait he was sa family according to his eldest sister. and more importantly how he raised up his family, his sons. dyan magre-reflect kung ano ka talaga. sa sarili mong pamilya. aside from Mark Anthony, who went thru his dark past but has since successfully recovered, his two sons with Lorna Tolentino are living testimony of how responsible he was as a father, husband and friend to them.

so long Daboy. you've fought a good fight. you're in a better place now. rest in peace brother.

pause

2008-05-11T11:34:00.007-04:00

though i had a lot of topics to blog about these past months, i had been very busy (actually i don't wanna start this piece by that line. it's just damn stressful. i'm sick and tired of being too busy, but how else do i have to put it. sugarcoat? now that really sucks). i just did not have the drive to visit this page, login and begin writing - typing for that matter. like how much i've been wanting to upgrade my SLR camera and really start getting serious about this interesting (read: ex-pen-sive) and fulfilling hobby. or how itching i've been to feel the summer's warmth at the beach (it's been 7 looonnnggg months for goodness sake!). or at least go somewhere new this year. an adventure that'll leave me breathless. a visit to Vietnam. be enchanted by Siquijor. how about romancing at the lovely Santorini island. actually the first two i will be visiting this year. hopefully the third within my lifetime. *sigh* so many places to see.. so little time.. and moolah!! wehehe :)

today is different. i started it very early to watch live NBA games and then headed to Baclaran to buy flowers for nanay. it's mother's day and i hope you guys have done something special for your moms: cooking her favorite breakfast. buying her favorite showbiz magazine. or simple a kiss to the forehead and a tight hug. at around 9AM i was already preparing kasi ninong ako sa isang binyag. i realized at the seminar that being a godparent is a great responsibility to your inaanak. you become a second parent to the child. it's not just being a financial liability as some of us have been accustomed to. more importantly i realized that i should take part not just in his physical or financial needs but more so on his emotional, spiritual and social needs. ganon pala yun. ngayon ko lang lahat na-realize kung kelan siyam na ata inaanak ko hehehe. right after the baptism was a sumptuous buffet waiting for us here at our place. magkakapitbahay lang kasi kami :) hay naku, bondat pagkatapos.

then i started to receive greetings of sorts. i realized unga pala hehe. so i bought myself a cake and ate it, myself haha. i just thanked God for all the wonderful things and not things He has given me. those intangible ones. and thanks to all you peeps. to my loved ones and friends.

i napped for about 45 minutes and we headed to the cemetery to visit nanay. i was surprised to see lots of people there. parang November 1 atmosphere as in madami talagang dumalaw. most of them turned it into a family affair. nag picnic sila, some flew kites and the children ran around. the only thing that forced people to leave was the heavy rains. it was great to revisit since it's been a while. six years have passed and we've somehow learned to live life on our own.

we wrapped up our day by having dinner together with my kapatids and pinsans catching up on a few things. i'm glad to have paused and appreciate the people i have in my life. thank you. thank you..

happy 8

2008-03-01T11:33:00.011-05:00

(this is how busy i have been. 1 entry every quarter hehe)

contrary to the mustiness of this web space, i'm still alive mind you :) matter of fact is that i accomplished a milestone today. March 1st marks my eighth year in this company. you read it right folks eight long - or should i say short - years. for the most part, things were enjoyable despite lots of hard work. at the end of the day you look back and appreciate everything, from your two cents to accomplishments of mammoth proportions. now, here i am and everything seems different. the then sweet idea of staying and building a solid career here is starting to turn sour.

will i continue to be proud? i don't know. i have no idea what's ahead or if ever i'm gonna reach that 10. all i know is now and that i have good music to keep me sane..

" Rise up this mornin'
Smiled with the risin' sun
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true
Sayin' "This is my message to you-ou-ou:"

Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."
Singin': "Don't worry don't worry 'bout a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!" "

- Bob Marley (Three Little Birds)

goodbye 2007

2007-12-31T12:13:00.000-05:00

before this year ends it's just right to look back and remember all the lesson the year of the fire boar has showed me. for all the blessings. the hurts. the scars. the laughters. lahat yan baon ko sa pagsalubong sa bagong mga hamon sa susunod na taon..

to my family, thanks for sticking together despite and in spite of. i love you all :)

to my friends, thanks for all the times shared. though for some 'times shared' meant chatting only thru ym since physical distance forbids us to see each other to catch up or even during gimik nights. to the newly found, looking forward to a lifetime friendship. and to those who abandoned me, uhm well, you'll realize your action later. malalaki na kayo at alam niyo na ginawa niyo hehe.

looking forward to a new and better year. live a life that matters.. that cares.. that loves. happy new year everyone!

tara at mag-wakeboarding na lang tayo buong 2008! :D

happy holidays!

2007-12-25T23:21:00.000-05:00

a short stop to greet everyone a merry christmas and a happy new year! never forget that Jesus Christ is the reason for this season.. may this coming year bring us all love, peace, happiness and more blessings.

keep on bloggin'! ;)

Davao City

2007-11-04T10:29:00.001-05:00

after basking the thrill of being in Zamboanga city for nearly four days, i bid goodbye to my adoptive family and headed for Davao city. the supposedly one day stop turned into just a couple of hours since airline flights were fully booked so i had to take the next day flight tapos chance passenger pa ako.. during the flight, i can't help but be amazed at how remarkably vast the mountain ranges in Mindanao are. kaya hindi na ako magtataka kung bakit madaming rebelde ang kumukuta doon. it's sad but reds, tulisans, some runaway groups and terrorists alike have taken advantage of these natural wonders for their selfish causes.. at one point the passengers curiously peeked at the windows when the flight captain thru the PA system informed us that we're passing by the country's highest peak, Mt. Apo. yan ang isa ko pang gustong magawa, makaakyat sa tuktok ng Apo.. 'twas a short flight, around 45 minutes lang ata, with a nice sunny morning weather.

i can't remember the last time i was in Davao but i tell you, this is one huge developing city in our country. aba eh yung bagong international airport pa lang nila parang mas maganda pa sa NAIA terminal ng Manila. mas malamig natitiyak ko yun. mas maganda yung baggage claim area. they even give you this small sheet to write any complaint you may have against taxi drivers at diretso yun sa Mayor's office. sabi pa nga madukutan or manakawan ka i-report mo lang and malaki ang chance maibabalik sayo ang nawala mong kagamitan. kaya marami ang takot gumawa ng kabulastugan. what Mayor Duterte might have done and has been doing to organize the city and discipline its people, i think that is what our country needs collectively.. a fellow flight passenger told me as well that it is strictly prohibited to smoke cigarettes at any public place in the city na sarado or kulob (i.e. offices, public vehicles). at least that's a problem i don't have to worry about.. from the airport i went straight to the city's bus terminal to look for a bus going to Cagayan de Oro. mala-amazing race nga. i went here clueless of where i was headed to. kumbaga walang rekado, binudburan ko lang ng konting lakas ng loob :) basta tanong tanong lang ako ng mga directions from people i chanced upon with sa airport, sa eroplano at sa daan. and then comes the agony. never did i realize that Davao to Cagayan is almost seven hours of leg-numbing and butt-numbing bus ride. 297 kilometers lang (mas malayo pa actually ang Baguio-Manila trip) but they probably have to observe a sort of "trip timetable" so hindi kailangang madaliin ang biyahe. mas okay na yun kasi almost half of the entire trip eh puro bangin ang nakikita ko.. we had four stops pero sobrang nakakainip. hindi pa ako nakatulog buong biyahe kasi paranoid ako that a fellow passenger might grab my bag while i was asleep. eh dala ko pa naman yung laptop at digital SLR ko. pag nagkataon yari haha. kaya mapapansin niyo i don't have any picture to post kasi nawalan ako ng lakas ng loob maglabas ng kamera sa mismong biyahe hehe.

but i hope to be back in Davao someday. i know my two-hour experience of this wonderful city doesn't give any justice to what it has to offer to tourists, foreign and locals alike. and i know for sure just like in all the other places i've been to it'll be a blast exploring Davao.

next stop: Cagayan de Oro..

Zamboanga City

2007-10-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

**update[10/29]: i still have to collate the pics and post them here..
**update[11/03]: a clear indication of how busy work has been lately: i had to wait for the weekend before i can even edit this entry to post pics. whew! layout inspired by superbianca's blog.
**update[11/04]: done.

finally i am able to blog.....

ever had that emotional swing between the nervous anticipation of the unfamiliar and giddy excitement of what lies ahead? i guess that best depicts what i felt when a few months back i was invited by a very good friend to attend and witness his wedding, nowhere else than in this place dubbed as Asia's Latin City. as a matter of fact i bought my plane ticket roughly 40 hours before the flight itself considering the invitation came about 7 months ago. there were more than a couple of times i admit i planned on pretending to be very sick or may lakad akong iba na mas importante on the wedding week itself to merit myself an excuse of staying here in Manila. eh kasi ba naman pag sinabi mong Mindanao, particularly in Zamboanga and Cotabato (which happens to be my birth place), ang unang pumapasok sa isip ko eh magulo. i developed the habit of looking out for news about that city and more than twice may nabasa akong bombings hehe. at the end i guess i was overcome by just the thought of getting through the thrill and excitement of going to Zambo. or wait. maybe i have moles in my feet which according to Filipino pamahiin meant layas, a gypsy. never settling, spurred on by a yearning for far away places with strange sounding names. sandale tignan ko.. wahaha meron nga! i never paid attention to it before but yes i do have moles, one on each feet. now i know why insisted on going :D

anyway, my stay wasn't bad after all. i was apprehensive at first but not really scared. the people's hospitality will actually lessen your fears. Zamboanga is like an open city that brought together the tribal groups (the most famous of which are the Badjaos), the Muslims and the Christians living together in its community. most of the people have their motorcycles or scooter kaya bumalik yung kaba ko. eh kasi uso yung drive-by shooters and bombers hehe. pero buti na lang walang masamang nangyari... Fort Pilar, a Spanish military fort built in 1635 which has meter-thick walls, houses 500 years of colonial history in its museum - from the Spanish settlement, to chapters of British, Dutch, American, Japanese and finally Filipino control. the best recuerdo of la presencia de España in Zamboanga. first time i had to take off my sandals when entering a museum :) taking photographs is not allowed but as stubborn as i am, i insisted on using my camera outside the watch of the prowling eyes of the security guards hehe.

inside our 4x4 vehicle; mayor's office; Christian altar beside Fort Pilar. people come here for various reasons, some grateful, some needing, some to find solace and still others like me to witness.

the city is probably best known for the vinta, a traditional boat which has a sail with assorted vertical colors that represents the colorful history and culture of the Muslim community.

though i was a week late for their Fiesta Pilar where they showcase vinta races, i got a personal glimpse of these wonderful sails. they're actually all over the place. by the beach, inside a museum (where picture taking is prohibited tsk tigas talaga ng ulo), at the museum entrance and even at street lamp posts.

food, food, food! :P @ the mano a mano restaurant; @ the butterfly farm; Zambo dusk somewhere a mountaintop overlooking the city

devotees @ Fort Pilar; with the Quintinios; me :)

Chavacano is the dominant dialect which resounds, and adapted, much like the Spanish language. Bisaya and Muslim vernaculars are also spoken in certain communities. and did you know that this city was once regarded as the world's largest area-wise? interesting huh :)

some Chavacano words i learned:
sabroso - (tagalog) masarap - (english) delicious - hehe anything about food comes first :)
gracias - (tag) salamat - (eng) thank you - you gotta learn how to be polite or else hehe :P
kwidaw - (tag) walang anuman - (eng) you're welcome
ta ama iyo contigo - (tag) mahal kita - (eng) - i love you
ta ama tamen iyo - (tag) mahal din kita - (eng) - i love you too
adelante - (tag) sulong - (eng.) forward - adelante Zamboanga! :)
mareng - (tag) bakla, bading - (eng.) gay - haha and mind you there are lots of them there :P

Zamboanga City is situated at the southern tip of the Zamboanga peninsula so it's geographically near Basilan island, which became infamous for being the Abu Sayaff terrorists' base camp. i promised the newly weds as a gift that i'll do them a free photo shoot in the Great Santa Cruz island, known to locals as the "pink island", a 20-minute motor boat ride from the city. pag nasa malayo ka eh medyo pink talaga ang kulay ng buhangin. but that's not the thrill yet. since it's probably just an hour boat ride to Basilan the proximity is considered risky particularly for foreign and local tourists like myself. yung Dos Palmas nga sa Palawan nangidnap yung mga terorista eh malayo na yun, eto pa kayang malapit hehe. i love my dear life so off we still went :P lalo nga lang akong kinabahan nung kailangang magpa-register sa Department of Tourism and a soldier from the Philippine Marines has to accompany us during our trip, stay with us on the island, up until we get back to Zambo. first time kong ma-experience na in-escort-an ng sundalo habang nagre-relax sa isang isla. they also have a small (PM) detachment and some CAFGUs (Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit) who patrol the island. every now and then we heard military planes hovering. na-tense ako lalo haha. even so we still had a great time despite the jittery feelings. the pictures bear witness.

aahhh. a guerdon for a month-long stress from work.

other pics...

8 tourists, 1 Marine soldier and a boat; pristine waters of Sta. Cruz island; ritual for first timers :)

jump shots with the group. the sun was perfect for a photo shoot!

op kors op kors. ehem hehe :P

to the Quintinios, thank you very much for the warm hospitality. i never felt even once during my stay that i wasn't welcomed. you treated me like i was your own family. muchos gracias.. isang comment lang, ang gagaling kumanta ng angkan niyo. malamang nung nagsabog ang diyos ng talento sa pagkanta gising kayo lahat kaya nabiyayaan kayo. natitiyak ko, tulog ako nun! :)

to Jon and Seng, congratulations. may your union be until your last breaths. continually love each other and may God be the center of your relationship. hold on to each other's hand in all circumstances so that your bond will tighten as you go on with life together. at salamat sa pag-imbita.

as for me, i continue to be a gypsy. next destination: Davao and Cagayan de Oro..

pops!

2007-10-18T11:04:00.000-04:00

wanna give a shout out to my tatay who's turning 70 years old tomorrow. you're the best! happy birthday. mahal kita itay!

... o cge, balik biyahe ulit.

short stop

2007-10-17T22:42:00.000-04:00

my 2nd day in zambo. deprived of sleep but still enjoying. safely enjoying that is :) my good friend's wedding is today so expecting another hectic day. will be in Davao the day after tomorrow then CDO the next.. just stole some time. ok, have to go.

hiatus

2007-10-15T00:03:00.000-04:00

i'll be somewhere in Cebu, Zamboanga City, Davao and Cagayan de Oro starting tomorrow. i have to do a prenup photoshoot for a good friend, be at his wedding the following day, visit some friends, kindle anew my love for my birth land, bank on some adventures, relax, go off-line for some time and deviate from my usual routine. i hope to be traveling safe and sound. and to be back alive (the last time i went to Mindanao i figured in an NDE, i hope not this time though). follow me thru my location tracker at the right side of this page. be back in Manila next week..

will to win

2007-10-07T13:54:00.000-04:00

red

i believe every Filipino (who cares to be one, that is) is swelling with national pride as Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao pounded out a convincing 12-round unanimous decision win over "The Baby Face Assassin" Marco Antonio Barrera just hours ago. in the usual manner, our kababayans preferred to stay home and watch the highly anticipated bout. for those who had extra moolah, P600 for pay-per-view coverage on SM cinemas or watching over some bottles of beer, food and laughter at sports bar was sulit. others congregated on basketball gyms or halls wherein a wide silver screen is setup by their local governments. ako, i preferred watching it with some of my officemates. kahit sa TV lang basta sama sama at may pagkain pwede na hehe.. as fiery red as the Team Pacquiao's new jacket (mainly sponsored by Nike) was was both boxers' goals of proving their point on top of the ring. Manny rides with the pride of the Filipinos all throughout the world while Barrera was on for personal vendetta and vow of putting up an entirely different stand from their first encounter years ago. considering this was his last fight of a glorious 17-year ring career, i think his game plan all along was primarily to not win but to not be KO'd, thus keeping his pride intact..

after being pummeled by Pacman's flurry combination and was almost knocked down on the 11th round, Barrera threw a cheat shop that caught Manny right on the jaw which sent our hero reeling on the ropes. referee Tony Weeks called a brief timeout and deducts a point from the Mexican. i think he did that (gamble a point) to take a breather himself. otherwise he could have suffered the same fate as that of Erik Morales in the hands of our pambansang kamao: devastation.

and when the war between heroes of their respective countries was over, two of the judges scored it an identical 118-109 while the third judge had it at 115-112, all unanimously for Pacquiao.

side notes: another pinoy pug, Michael Farinas, staged a KO win over his Mexican opponent in the 2nd round. i hope he'll be given the same attention as Manny when he comes back.. zero crime rate in Metro Manila and even on some provinces. true. that is during the Pacquiao-Barrera fight time.. as gentleman as he is, Manny, during the post-fight press conference acknowledged his opponent as "still a good fighter." he even went on to raising Barrera's hands in the air and bonded with his family, acts of a true sportsman.. i think Kyla sang our national anthem very well. natawa pa ako dun sa isang na-interview kung anong masasabi niya sa pagkakakanta ni Kyla, he said "magaling. kumpleto." haha :D .. yung interview kay Manny magaling din. walang interpreter. diretsong ingles. when asked if he was hurt he said, "not really hurt." ayus!! iba ka talaga Manny, iba ka! hehehe :D

green

from suspension to being champions: De La Salle Green Archers won over University of the East Red Warriors to bag the 70th UAAP men's basketball championship. 73-64. what a comeback. that's will to win. sweet! congratulations.

crying

2007-09-30T15:13:00.000-04:00

it's exactly 3:13 Monday morning, Manila time. but no, i am not crying as the title suggests. just writing. i'm trying to sleep but i guess the sugar boost from that Red Ribbon cake forbids me to. anyway..

i heard speeches and read articles in the past pointing out that Filipinos are characteristically emotional. more profoundly, that is, mababaw daw ang kaligayahan natin at sa kabilang banda mababaw din ang luha. and this i believed. for the former i admit i am included in its statistics. i delight in very simple things. i find joy in elementary matters. i exhibit childlike credulity even. but i'd like to tackle on about the latter. crying.

about 12 hours ago was the tip-off for the deciding game between the country's college hoops bitter rivals Ateneo and La Salle to decide which team moves to the finals of the 70th UAAP basketball tournament. if this were a boxing match, it will be the 12th and final round (siyempre wala naman kasing overtime sa boksing eh) that is why i wasn't surprised that a sellout crown of over 23,000 flocked the Araneta Coliseum (that is a gate-attendance record i believe). and as expected it was a slugfest from the opening buzzer until the final minutes. La Salle lead most of the way, thanks to their ever reliable guards JV Casio, TY Tang and Cholo Villanueva plus forward Rico Maierhofer. Ateneo on the other hand launched rallies in between behind their big men Nonoy Baclao and Ford Arao, and shooting guard Chris Tiu. the Taft-based Archers detonated timely bombs and doused cold water on their rivals everytime the Katipunan-based Eagles are on fire rallying for a comeback. after the war smoke settled in, the last men standing were those with green banners which drew cheers, standing ovation and applause from those in the arena. the Green Archers are pronounced victors and is advancing to the Finals this coming week against University of the East Warriors. they deserved it. congratulations!

but i'm not to talk more of that game. it hurts, besides the fact that it meant P200-less from my wallet hehe.

right after every game of this relevance i have always observed how these teams absorb the aftermath. on one side you see the jubilation and cheers amongst the victors. the high and low "5s", the "triumphant hugs" (there is another type. later..), the jubilant screams, the "no. 1" or "V" (for victory) hand signals, and the pride that overwhelms them while singing their alma mater's anthem. on the other hand is a scene of how an unsuccessful squad absorbs the loss. long faces, despair, disappointment for a failed attempt, the "comforting hugs" from fellow 'losers' (no pun intended), and crying. a lot of crying. and i'm referring to the men who are known to be physical juggernauts on court. yes, they do cry. we do cry.

while the cameras were there to catch these players' (and yes again, they're men) break down, i was sent into flashbacks via my own episodes of this process of crying, which according to WordWeb is (noun, 1. the process of shedding tears usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds). not that there are too many of them in my life. i can only recall a few excluding those inflicted by pain like pinalo ka ng sinturon ng tatay mo hanggang sa mahati ang sinturon sa tatlo OR hinataw ka ng kaserola sa ulo ng nanay mo OR nahiwa ang kamay mo ng kutsilyo dahil na rin sa katangahan mo OR dahil sa black eye mo dahil nag away kayo ng kuya mo at nasapak ka niya OR nabangga ka ng motorsiklo dahil ulit sa katangahan. well i would be surprised if you tell me na hindi ka umiyak nung bata ka sa ganyang mga kadahilanan. and those i mentioned are personal experiences mind you. if you're reading my previous entries you'd argue, "eh 3 posts earlier lang sabi mo umiyak ka." i object your argument. that is just shedding two or three tears, and was not accompanied by inarticulate sounds hehe. so it's not counted :P

my most memorable emotional breakdown (besides nung tinuli ako) was when i was told that i won't graduate of high school because together with my mga napakabait na mga barkada had one of our senior teachers break down into crying herself. i don't recall exactly what we did but as badly behaved juveniles it was, i would bet, something of great magnitude hehe. and its effect on me was also of that nature. it meant being booted out of the scholarship program i'm in, being a laughingstock at school, revelation to my parents of who i really am (how bad i had become) at school, and palo na naman sa magulang. isang sinturon na naman ang mahahati sa tatlo :) it was as if my heart immediately dropped into my colon. i spent almost half an hour in a bathroom stall to regroup and pull myself together. frankly, i had grown accustomed to working hard and achieving what i want so failing like this, compounded by the cheapness of how it came about, is plainly unacceptable. crushing albeit stupid to put it bluntly. and so i cried.. and there are other similar few (emphasis: few) crying experiences i ought to not reveal.

i need not be part of a school's basketball team that competed in UAAP (except inter-college department) to understand these bawls. i had my share. it is human nature so i am not ashamed. and witnessing earlier the Ateneo Blue Eagles' inability to control their inner infant, i wasn't ashamed for them. i wasn't ashamed because the big men cried like a sixth-grade girl who's been told that she will have to wait another year to get her ears pierced. in fact, i am proud of them crying. because it showed that they cared enough to cry.

that exemplifies the school spirit. which i suppose is why people, like me, like college basketball. they are focused only on one thing. they only cared about winning that game. even those who have already graduated twenty, thirty or even fifty plus years ago from their respective schools still exude that spirit. every season. on and on until one team is left. a winner. a conqueror.

ONE BIG FIGHT!

o pa'no, UE versus La Salle sa finals. UE ako, P200 ulit ;P anyone?

mayabang ako

2007-09-25T10:39:00.000-04:00

ipagyayabang ko na ako ay Pilipino. kahit kailan. kahit saan..

i got one finally. woven by a kid from Aplaya. product number: 11852

card reads:

Ang abaka ay isa sa pinaka-matibay na katutubong hibla. Ang munting abaka ay isa sa pangunahing industriya ng Pilipinas kasama ng asukal at tabako. Tulad ng katangian ng abaka, ang Pilipino ay malakas at matatag.

Sa paggamit ng abakang ito, tayo ay nagkakaisa sa pagpapahiwatig na tayo ay Pilipino. Tulungan po natin ang ating bayan sa pamamagitan ng pagtangkilik ng mga sariling atin. Sino pa ang tutulong sa Pilipino kung hindi Pilipino rin!

2007-09-25T01:03:00.000-04:00

just got home. tired. got a glimpse of Wowowee and i must say, Valerie Concepcion is one hot lady *wink* :D

ok, gotta sleep now..

Kristina Cassandra

2007-09-23T10:41:00.000-04:00

i'm currently watching "KC From Paris to Pinas" documentary special in ABS-CBN. i've been raring to watch it since i saw the teaser two weeks ago that i made sure i turn down any invitations (date, movie, dinner, basketball or anything) from anyone come Sunday night. i even had a reminder in my celphone just to not forget. what's funny is that i had it last week when in fact it should have been today hehe. excited ;P

once i saw KC doing the show's intro near the Eiffel tower, it suddenly brought back memories of when i once visited the city of love, the city of lights, the most romantic city in the world or however you may refer to it. perhaps everyone's experience is entirely different kaya iba iba rin ang tawag nila. ayus talaga when you're visiting any place with people who actually live there. i was lucky to be accompanied by a French friend, Olivier, who happens to be a city tour guide. he willingly took time off to be my personal tour guide (at libre pa hehe ;P). places like Jardin Palais de Royale, Notre Dame Cathedral, Luvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, Place de la Bastille, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysses, were among those featured. and how Paris changes come night time. talagang romantic. sabi nga rin nila na French daw ang pinaka romantic na language sa buong mundo. the way na pagbigkas mo pa lang eh romatic na :)

anyway, the part of the show that moved me was KC's relationship with aling Leslie, a kababayan who works as domestic helper in Paris but unfortunately is a TNT (colloquial term for tago-nang-tago). that showed a lot of how she was raised by her family: mayroong pakikipagkapwa tao. we know their (TNT) stories: staying covert due to lack of legal papers, relegated to do the "dirty" jobs, forced to accept jobs even with lower pays, has to face uncertainties everyday, and most of all their emotional sufferings being away from their families. they both benefited from that relationship. KC being away from her mom treated aling Leslie as her own and on the other hand aling Leslie being away with her children treated KC as her daughter. the emotional void was somehow filled in temporarily. kinuwento pa niya how she asked aling Leslie to be her date nung mother's day. the mother was reluctant at first but later on agreed. simple things na you would really appreciate from someone, who in our terms, eh sikat na tao.. the part where they bid their goodbyes before KC left Paris was heart-breaking for them both i would imagine (okay okay dito ako naluha ng konti. konti lang naman). KC mentioned the possibility meeting up with aling Leslie's children when back in Manila. and you know what, she went the extra mile and really took time to keep that promise. kind-hearted indeed..

Laurence Ligier, a French woman who founded a center in Iloilo for abused girls, became one of KC's bestfriends while in Paris. she speaks Ilonggo and Hiligaynon after living here for 15 years. when KC was back in Manila, she came over for them to visit Chameleon center in Iloilo. i've been to centers like that wherein victims of (sexual, physical, emotional, psychological) abuse are housed and you can't help but stop and stare at your own life. you'll suddenly realize how blessed you are compared to them. your discontent and displeasure of life will definitely take a backseat once you hear their stories. besides i admire how the volunteers dedicate their own lives for these children even if they're not in any way related. it's a noble thing to do i bow my head in applaud.. the children staged a mini presentation for their visitors. KC in turn rendered a song, "Sundo" by Imago. inspiring indeed..

KC lived and studied in Paris for 4 years. i was there for only 3 days but the experience as she said, no matter how long or short, is truly pleasurable and "treasure-able". if time permits and so is my budget, i'd like to revisit it in the not so distant future. i know i'll be back there someday. i vividly remember i promised myself, as i was on top of Eiffel tower, that i'd be with that someone i love. but for now, it'll remain as a promise..

the two-hour special was awesome! that is actually an understatement. i hope you guys saw it as well (it'll be on YouTube in no time for sure). before watching my expectations were only to be reminded and awed by the city of Paris and its grandeur as i once was mesmerized. little did i know that it was KC herself that i admired more after. her being down to earth, friendly, that Filipino pride, maturity, positive outlook in life and gratitude of what she has experienced gave eveyone a glimpse of that real person in her. coming from a clan of well-known celebrities and being surrounded by their fame, one can choose to just sit back and ride with it. but she chose to be different. she chose to create her own path. she chose to be an unknown in a foreign land to know herself. she chose to make a difference. and that's what makes her KC.

a real beauty inside out. i'm a fan :)

2007-09-22T23:39:00.000-04:00

nothing much to do today so i'm editing some portions of my blog. added some then took some.. i'd still stick with black, which exemplifies my personality. mysterious (unpredictable maybe?). deep. simple. silent. classic.. i plan to add more pictures, esp when i run out of words, and edit the sidebars from time to time..

so please feel free to read and see through me. violent reactions are welcome.

random thoughts

2007-09-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

- 97 days na lang pala before Christmas. are you feeling it already? so far i don't. hot weather, toxicity from work, lack of sleep,

- now, time for some kindergarten song. children, altogether now..

"A-B-ZTE-FG..." don't worry i'm not suffering from Alzheimer's disease or memory loss. it's actually the title of Senator Ping Lacson's article in this morning's paper which i found interesting. he talked about Joey DeVencia testimony at the blue ribbon committee hearing yesterday. names have been dropped. meetings have been revealed. special menu for the day: First Gentleman Mike Arroyo being that "mystery man" who threatened Joey to back off from the ZTE national broadband deal. haha sabit na naman si mang Mike! :D ayun at sumibat papuntang Europe nung Tuesday.. tsk tsk i wonder who's next..

"... now-i-know-my-Z-T-E. this-will-bring-down-G-M-A!"

- sports: San Beda Red Lions won NCAA's Finals game 1 against San Juan de Letran Knights. bawi na lang Arriba sa susunod na game :)

sa UAAP, well Ateneo has to beat UST on Sunday then beat LaSalle twice to meet up with UE at the Finals. daunting task ahead huh? ganon eh. nagpatalo kasi ng 1 point arrgggh!

Russia humiliated powerhouse Spain by 1 point at the Euro basketball finals. ayus! Jon Robert Holden, that American guy playing for Russia's national team, stripped Pau Gasol of the ball and buried a jumpshot at the other end of the court. Gasol's attempt with 2 seconds left rimmed off. so ayun. talo ang Spain sa harap ng mga kababayan nila.. Holden versus Jason Kidd sa 2008 Olympics? pwede! :)

- etceteras: Ara Mina will sing our national anthem at Pacquiao's fight against Barrera?? whaatt?!? are you guys kidding me?! round girl pwede pa siguro but to sing, duh? come on let's be honest here. sige na nga may album ka but i don't think that qualifies you to perform at such stage. kung ako sayo, ako na mismo ang mahihiya at mag back out.. hell, who chose you in the first place btw?

okay, back to work..

si shaider, fuuma le-ar, ang time space warp, vavilos at ang panty ni annie

2007-09-15T23:38:00.000-04:00

i'm bored so pardon this non-sense article (or is it?) pati na rin yung title. no gimmick on saturday night so i decided to go home and just watch TV or one from my archived downloaded movies. while chunking on some Yellow Cab pizza, i turned on the boob tube to browse local channels when i chanced upon channel 7's trailer for their newly-created (but adapted) series entitled "Zaido Pulis Pangkalawakan" featuring Dennis Trillo and two other guys. it's the modernized adaptation of my once favorite Shaider series by Japanese Toei productions. i fondly remember as a kid that whatever i was doing it suddenly comes to a stop pag oras na ng palabas. channel 2 pa ata nun kung di ako nagkakamali. kumbaga, Shaider muna then everything else comes after. naalala ko may TV set na kami nun bili ng ate ko sa Quiapo hehe, black and white with that matching transparent "blue screen" na pantakip sa TV screen, pangharang daw ng radiation.

hindi maipagkakaila na karamihan ng mga kabataang tulad ko na namulat sa panahon ng 80's ay minsang na-adik sa palabas na ito. kung babae ka, malamang crush mo si Alexis (ang bidang lalaki) na isang archaeologist na naging pulis pangkalawakan. kung lalaki ka naman, aba eh ano pa nga bang inaabangan mo kundi ang pagtalon ni Annie para masilayan mo yung panty niya hahaha :D talagang tutok sa TV eh tsk tsk hehe..

(photo grabbed from Wikipedia)

buti na lang may youtube. eto i-click mo at balikan ang nakaraan... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LSq15lACVs

siyempre may iba pa namang mga karakter na nagpakulay sa pakikipaglaban ng ating mga bida. sa kabilang banda sinong makakalimot kay Fuuma Le-ar, yung panginoon ng mga kalaban. siya yung malaking ulo sa pader na may parang pula sa noo (ewan ko kung third eye niya yun o bukol lang). si Babaylan Ida, naalala niyo? siya yung babaeng nakaputi na may linyang, "Time Space Warp... ngayon din!" yan na marahil ang pinakasikat na linya sa buong serye na hanggang nayon eh alam na alam mo kung paano eksaktong sabihin :) eh si Drigo? yung lalaking kalaban na nakaitim at may itim din na lipstick hehe. kumbaga, field operative siya ni Fuuma.. yung mga gamit nila sa pakikipaglaban. ang Vavilos na robot ni Shaider. BlueHawk, yung kanyang motorsiklo.

then it came to me, where are they now? not the characters they're portraying but the real people themselves. much to my surprise are these appalling facts i discovered with mr. google's assistance..

Hiroshi Tsuburaya (Alexis) died of liver cancer at the age of 40 on July 24, 2004. how an abrupt sad ending.. Naomi Morinaga (Annie) became a J-porn actress. now she's showing more than her underwear tsk tsk.. did you know that Babaylan Ida in real life is a real transvestite? putik, kaya pala ang lalim ng boses niya pag sinasabi niya yung "Time Space Warp.. ngayon din!" akala ko babaeng malalim lang ang boses haha. at tama ba ang narinig kong si Paolo Ballesteros daw ang gaganap ng papel niya sa bagong series? hehe parang sakto ah ;P

their portrayal somehow convinced me as a kid that they're almost supernatural beings. only to be brought back to reality that they indeed are humans after all. aren't we all? oh well..

ang hindi ko maalala, nagkatuluyan nga ba sina Alexis at Annie? kayo, natatandaan niyo pa ba?

para sa mga inglesero, o eto i-click niyo... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uchuu_Keiji_Shaider

all together now.. UM-ZHIGI-ZHIGI-WAKA-ZHIGI-UUUWAA! :D

guilty

2007-09-12T13:33:00.000-04:00

and so the verdict was handed down. i was expecting no less than a guilty charge for both of Erap's cases. well, with some sort of tweak by the hand of fill-in-the-blank (nature/someone/some groups/something(?)), Erap was found guilty only in relation with his plunder case but is not guilty on that other case of perjury. unfortunately Jinggoy and that other guy, Serapio, were acquitted. politically motivated or not the verdict is, "what you reap is what you sow" ika nga.

good thing his supporters did not cause harm today, and i hope they stop from now on. it doesn't do us any good, much less to our economy. okay, sa imahe na rin nating mga pinoy. it's a normal thing to upstage your ideas and thoughts but it's different when you cause harm and chaos in the process of insisting to convey those ideas. tsaka tama na naman, pagod na rin ang taumbayan. didn't you notice most people just went on with their normal daily routines. i'm sure most of us were glued in to our boob tubes to witness the promulgation but after that, tuloy ulit ang buhay. ganon lang naman. you win some then you lose some..

personally, i think the government should give our former president the pardon. come on, he's over 70 years old. let him enjoy his remaining years. BUT, but with the condition that he returns to the government what he allegedly, or now guiltily, took from it during his term. the money he got with the use of his power and authority. i'm pertaining to that commission from Bell Corp, jueteng payola, among others. and then let's all live peacefully. as one nation..

oopps but before that fantasy, sana ma-convict din ang mga Marcoses, si FVR, the Arroyo's, pati si Chavit Singson, Jocjoc Bolante, isama na natin si Abalos, lahat ng mga tax evaders, at lahat ng mga politikong dumambong at patuloy na nandarambong sa kaban ng bayan. usigin sana kayo ng mga kunsensya niyo! yun eh kung may natitira pa..

and to all of Erap's friends (esp those movie personalities na napanood ko sa balita kagabi) please naman. don't rant on TV that your friend is innocent. he was given a trial, everything went thru the due process of the law, the defense' side was heard and so is the prosecution's, which lead to this verdict (which btw i really hope is based on the merits presented by each side). so at the end of the day and you find your friend on the wrong end of the deal, don't try to vindicate him by insisting your views on national telecast which are merely based on your personal knowledge of the accused if not, just friendship. be mature guys! respect the law. in any case, a motion for reconsideration is still to be filed within 15 days. if at all rejected then an appeal would still be filed to the Supreme Court.. the most sensible and mature comment i heard was that of Boots Anson Roa, on which she said that, "that's the law. we have to respect it. but on the level of my family's relationship with the Estradas, nothing has changed.." not her exact words but something to that context. o di ba, mas fair?

a deposed president sentenced to reclusion perpetua due to our politics' cancer: corruption.. now that's a good one. i hope many more will be tried and convicted. abangan ang mga susunod na kabanata..

great escape

2007-09-08T15:28:00.000-04:00

[update]
- i'll try to upload other pics later. time for some sleep

[updates]
- uploaded the "behind the scenes". still working on the others.
- panalo Ateneo ng 2 points! wuhoo ;P one big fight!

[updates]
- uploaded the bohol pics
- my skin (shoulder and back) are peeling off from the sunburn ;P

[final update]
done!

it's 3 in the morning. reminds me of Matchbox 20's song..

the past few weeks offered more than a few topics to blog about. sa showbiz pa lang madami na: the alleged Wowowie scandal which resulted to a (yet again) Joey De Leon vs. Willie Revillame word war. sorry Willie but i'm so PRO-Vic-and-Joey eh :D hindi naman dahil sa mas malinis si Joey sayo Willie but he's at least wiser. who's apologizing now? man don't let yourself look good by making other people look bad.. si Camille Prats daw dyontis?! well at least according to a Chikka Minute report.. si Pokwang napagkamalang si Lucy Liu daw nung nasa Hong Kong. huuwaaatt?? in fairness medyo hawig huh haha.. sa ibang paksa, who'd forget about Malu Fernandez' insensitive article in a magazine which fueled so much hatred amongst our OFW kababayans. di na ko mag-comment. she doesn't deserve to have a space here in my blog anyway.. Cris Mendez, that graduating UP student who allegedly died of hazing rites.. hmm ano pa ba? in sports. Team USA's championship. KB24 coming to Manila. 2nd round matchup of Ateneo and LaSalle tomorrow este mamaya na pala hehe.. actually i don't have to look farther to have something to blog about. i can just tinker with my heart and write about so much stuff. but i'd like to pass on to that. to have an escape from the norm is better. something that is great in essence. thus the title.

for like many people, i live in a mass of humanity in a city. that corresponds to higher paying jobs (compared to rural areas of course), more opportunities, bigger and better movie theaters, faster internet connection, 24-hour shops/food stalls, closer to being so-and-so "hi-tech", among others. but city-living somehow requires you to trade off other essential things: better and longer sleep, more quality time with loved ones, quiet living, affinity with mother nature (ahh fresh air!), and allow me to mention, peace of mind. so to escape, i seek the opposite: a place where there are only few people and away from the stressful city life.

last weekend i found myself, together with some folks from work, just in the right place (Bantayan island in Cebu) at the right time (low season). except for a minor freak accident on the road, i guess the back-breaking almost four-hour bus ride from Mandaue city to Hagnaya port and an hour ferry ride to the island just added more crave to our already excited selves. whoever said that Bantayan island is "Boracay 20 years ago" is indeed a keen observer. pristine white sand, clear waters, clean and green, less commercialized, ahh the preserved tranquility. with just the right amount of sunlight and lots of time on our hands we let our sun-starved bodies enjoy every moment. the downside of working on graveyard shift? you're deprived of the sun! :) except for a handful of foreign and local tourists (my count stopped at 11) the beach was all ours, and that's the best part of it! eating was a slow affair, in an empty restaurant overlooking the beach. saan ka pa? it rained during our breakfast but that's fine. it is during this rainy season that locals hunker indoors and foreigners stay away making it ideal for an escape. we could laugh and talk freely while marveling nature's beauty or even stay up late worrying about nothing. or maybe how to get tanned evenly. that previous statement was merely intended for the girls i'd suppose, right boys? yeah right!! :P

and so there was i. been a while that i had this time to just relax and free my mind of so much thinking. i was engrossed in the moods of the sea and the sky i just sat in the terrace of our beach front room, sometimes standing by the shoreline with bare feet in the sand staring aimlessly on the horizon. ahh, de-stressing. and unknowingly someone took my picture during the bliss (see below pic).

vacations like these rouse the amateur photographer kuno in me but since i stupidly did not prepare my camera gears i was left with no other choice but to not bring Iya along. how can it function without batteries? stupid esse!? so i gladly volunteered to be the group's photographer at most times. that explains why there's not much with me on it. mind you, to 'gladly' volunteer is fundamentally difficult since i'm a Canon user and i had to use Nikon digital SLRs. don't get me wrong guys, those gadgets are a beauty but tsk tsk those complicated menus and controls, whew! haha :P *showing the peace sign* but i hate to admit, that experience left me now with just one barrier to finally buy one from the dark side hehe. you guessed it right, moola :D i am now a believer. but that's another blog story..

i'm out for words, i'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. besides choosing a few from a quite a number and creating a mosaic takes much time and an hour has passed since my first sentence..

L-R, by columns (credits go to Sherwin, Manny, Kakai, AJ and temyong for the pics):
1. the group, hereon refered to as "THEM"; 2. @ Mactan airport; 3. ferry to Bantayan; 4. breakfast
5. breakfast @ Tiffany's?; 6. sand writing by Kakai; 7. flags; 8. the girls
9. THEM @ Bantayan ; 10. breakfast table; 11. shoreline; 12. cottage
13. beach walk 14. girls, sandbar (background); 15. the girls again; 16. who else?

on our 3rd day we banked on a side trip to Bohol. again i volunteered to be the group's photographer, tour guide (my 4th time in this wonderful place) and spur. pictures will show you the group had a great time..

L-R, by columns (credits go to Sherwin, Manny, and temyong for the pics):
1. THEM, off to Bohol; 2. THEM @ Tagbilaran port; 3. THEM @ the blood compact site; 4. "itaas mo!"
5. "greenhills"; 6. THEM @ chocolate hills; 7. the girls; 8. setup shot
9. higante sa burol; 10. for the sake of a good photograph :) 11. jump shot; 12. AJ
13. come fly with me; 14. double float; 15. landing; 16. THEM @ the hanging bridge
17. hands off; 18. buffet @ Loboc river cruise; 19. Loboc river; 20. THEM during the cruise
21. tarsiers; 22. Manny with Prony the python; 23. eagle (sayang hindi blue hehe); 24. Panglao island

some behind the scenes and legit stolen shots..

L-R, by columns (credits go to Sherwin, Manny, AJ and temyong for the pics):
1. @ Bantayan; 2. the Spaniards trying out Greenwich's Tropicool; 3. @ Bohol; 4. setup shot; 5. @ Bantayan
6. mini pictorial; 7. jump shot; 8. stolen; 9. @ Loboc river; 10. akala ko lang naman. cge na mali na ko :P

three reasons why i do things like these: one, my stress level has reached its peak; two, just to satisfy that need to get away; OR i am terribly sad. i guess a little of everything had its share as to why i escaped..

at the end of our four-day vacation i think everybody enjoyed and really had a great time. planning this trip months back with goals of us being and doing things together beyond our toxic working schedule and of course to bond with each other. i personally felt those goals were met. it's a great feeling to be a part of other people's joy, di ba? once you see them happy it uplifts your spirit..

as for me, still blue..

2007-08-31T17:15:00.000-04:00

needing a break to free my mind..

2007-08-27T11:04:00.000-04:00

when it comes down to having the choice of being right or protecting you, i'll be wrong every single time..

2007-08-27T10:11:00.000-04:00

sigh. things hasn't been well lately. i rarely go to office to report for work. you know, just stay at home, stay online the entire day, sleep, check out online forums, eat, listen to music, play some hoops, sleep again, then wake up at the thought of trying to get out of confusion for things i'd do next. it's gray. really really gray..

anyway, as of this writing, i'm coming up with a complaint letter addressed to PLDT folks (copying DTI representatives) about my DSL connection. (got a tip from an online forum who to address the email to so it gets noticed!) it's just sooo slow you can sit and watch your nails grow while waiting for sites to completely load. i just want my money's worth you bloodsucking corporate rats! mahirap manood ng FIBA Americas championship online at this very slow rate huh! kaya all you folks out there, be ready!

tsk tsk haay buhay. things that get you mad..

letting out

2007-07-16T15:27:00.000-04:00

ever had that feeling when you just wanna get away and scream your lungs out because of frustrations? or grab anything beside you and throw it up onto the wall? or punch someone who gets in your way and break his nose? or better yet lock yourself up in the room and cry like a baby? well i did not do any of them, the last one much less. i'm supposed to be tough.. instead, i got myself a gun, a 9mm pistol that is, loaded it with bullets, poked it into my head and shattered my brains out?? not yet or else this would never have been written. i went into an indoor shooting range and got myself a hundred rounds, just enough (when not using ear plugs) to impair my hearing, pound my chest and hopefully numb my heart and mind of any thought that might dare bother me.. when i walked into the room leading to the range, i heard shots and boy i admit was i scared. i never heard gunshots in years, maybe seven. after about 10 shots my heartbeat was normal again. from then on everything went from being a thriller to uhmm normal..

focus.. my grip evidently shows how frustrated i am.. video is on my celphone..

after a hundred rounds and pesos, i was left with a bullet-riddled target (which btw i posted in my cabinet door), adrenalin still pumped into my system, frustrations flushed out but then in no time i was back to reality..

upon leaving the shooting range, i thought to myself that indeed when holding or possessing a firearm one is not only to possess a good marksmanship skills. firstly you should be on your right mind (i failed), be proficient (i failed) and requires so much discipline (i badly failed). at one point i did fire 6 bullets rapidly because i felt i was "into the groove." and it's bad. dangerous to bluntly describe it. no wonder copious gun-related accidents occur even on a simple traffic altercation sadly because of lack of discipline on the gun owner's part.. and so i left with my sanity back to its place, at least for the moment. i roamed the mall afterwards and ate at greenbelt 3. who knows next time you'll see me shooting with a rifle? not at anybody but at outdoor shooting ranges. greater frustrations on the way??

2007-06-18T20:01:00.000-04:00

that walk going home..

..i miss that. i'll see you next month.

2007-05-11T13:18:00.000-04:00

just lucky to be alive today..

last entry (.?)

2007-05-07T03:06:00.000-04:00

i'll be setting out today to meet up with God so i should be gone in a few days. no mails or internet. no connection. i need to talk to Him, wanting to consult some things... i hope to be back. alive if He allows it. else, you guessed it right, this might turn out to be my last entry..

post scriptum:
everything i did and had been doing, all that i said and uttered, they came nowhere else but from my heart.

did you

2007-05-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

would you say everything you could
do the things that you thought you would
did it ever occur to you that this could be your final day
did you go where you wanted to go
learn about what you wanted to know
did you ever really give something back instead of always taking it

did you find what you're looking for
did you get your foot in the door
can you look at yourself and feel proud of all the things you've done
did you inspire the ones that you knew
make a difference to those who knew you
did you finally figure out what it is that makes us who we are today

don't waste another day
you never know when you'll get one
don't waste another day
to do anything you haven't done

did you always give it your best
is there anything you regret
if you could have another shot at it all would you do it just the same
was it all that you thought it could be
are you the person you thought you would be
or did it feel like you were spinning your wheels instead of moving forward everyday

don't waste another day
you never know when you'll get one
don't waste another day
to do anything you haven't done

2007-05-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

been a while i haven't pressed that shutter. i did this morning and the first capture turned out something like this..

taken from my desk.

frustrating

2007-05-01T10:51:00.000-04:00

nothing is more frustrating to cap April than the Dallas Mavericks faulting out of their first round series with the Golden State Warriors. i mean it's already 3-1 and game 5 is a few hours from now. being a Maverick fan, i am not even sure if i'd watch the game later. give credit to the Warriors man, they're playing inspired basketball. they're playing their hearts out, considering being the severe underdogs. and Dirk's not being a leader. it's just frustrating to hear him talking about how the opponents has taken him out of his game. he's likely to be the league's MVP this year and he's not living up to it. come on, you need to stop sounding like a beaten man and start to be a leader at this crucial moment! now im having second thoughts if i'd don your jersey if i play some hoops..

2007-04-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

farewell Julia Campbell. thank you.

2007-04-18T12:20:00.000-04:00

i just can't let the day pass by without expressing my disgust over the news that Julia Campbell, the US Peace Corps Volunteer from New York, who was reported missing last week was found dead on a shallow grave in the mountains of Banaue. according to the news, she was last seen hiking alone on April 8 near Batad, which approximately is 1.5 kilometers east of Banaue town. being no stranger to adventurous exploits, though it might not have been the smartest move (exposing herself to imminent danger), you can't blame her for trusting us, the same people whom she learned to appreciate and love and dedicated her last two years of life upon, to not hurt her. the same people, from our own race, whom she started serving almost two years ago in expense of her American life. if it was really our kababayan's who did it, it'd be really sickening in the strongest possible terms. sadly, the evil is so rampant in our world today :(

see, this woman gave up her life for the sake of helping others, who apparently were us, Filipinos. when i heard in the news about her disappearance, i started to research about her volunteering and i was blown away by this woman's heart (you can read her personal blog here: juliainthephilippines). but hearing that tragic incident that ended her life, oh man was i disgusted. should there be people who needs to be grateful, it definitely should have been us. and what, pay her back with this? she's the perfect epitome of "giving and not expecting in return" as she contributed and had nothing to expect in return. a perfect stranger who helped this nation become a better country in her own ways. not unlike these damned and crooked politicians, who can't even lift a finger to help others unless there is media around to show off their fake deeds. sorry, i'm gonna puke..

she was weeks short of finishing her two-year commitment of volunteer work (teaching English at public schools in Sorsogon and Albay) and head back to New York this June. what i loved about her is that she willingly embraced our culture and can even speak Tagalog fluently, as her blog suggests. but her life abruptly came to its end. words are not enough to express what i feel about the incident..

i am very sorry for your loss Julia. you have touched lives of many of my fellow countrymen. though i wasn't one of them, i felt your love towards my people through your deeds. may you rest in peace..

virginia tech campus tragedy

2007-04-17T19:21:00.000-04:00

they saw their bloodied classmates gasping for air. whose bodies were ripped through with bullets from the shooter's gun. some died in their own arms. they saw the flash of the shooter's stare. they were lucky a bullet didn't struck them either out of misfire or just because the shooter passed them by. they are the survivors...

for the past couple of days, i've hooked myself on Fox News while at work keeping myself abreast with the campus massacre that happened yesterday, April 16, at Virginia Polytechnic University, which turned out to be the worst school shooting in the history of the US. sadly, one of their own, a 23-yeard old senior English major student (of South Korean decent) rammed in through classrooms and began shooting fellow students and professors. at the end of it all, 33 were dead and scores were wounded.. makes me wonder how was he able to carry out this bloody carnage in his own campus. how troubled was he inside? what lead him to do this? could the murders have been prevented? and perhaps the biggest question which may not be answered for years, is WHY..

i know you guys would agree that these acts of killing innocent people, children and adults alike, are unacceptable and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms..

my heart goes out to the victims, to their families, to their entire community. may they find stength and resilience from the loving God, their loved ones, their families and those who offer their support. i am not in any way related to these people but somehow i felt their pain. i share their sorrow.. not much really i could say but cite a passage from the bible which says "let us repay evil with good." a moment of silence for them...

he says. she says.

2007-04-16T22:01:00.001-04:00

she says: all of a sudden he became silent. cold. he hardly speaks to anyone. he seeks attention, which he does always, but fairly enough time seems not enough at all. i don't know how to speak to him much less start a conversation. he goes to bed without that good night kiss. the laughters that echo the room, gone. that captivating stare he throws at you during a romantic dinner, absent. the heat of the night has vanished.. what happened to my dear? where art thou, my beloved?

he says: i lost in a sports tournament...

white rabbit

2007-04-13T10:24:00.000-04:00

it just happens. things you never expect. you wake up one day and everything seems different. it's just inevitable. things you never have control over..

family time

2007-04-09T16:35:00.000-04:00

i stole some time from work to write this...

just to be able to get out of town is quite an accomplishment for me the past 2 years. that's the disadvantage of having to work during nighttime and follow US holidays rather than ours. so last holy week, you guessed it right, i was working. but last weekend, my kapatids and i were able to go out for a bit and enjoy the company of each other, along with some of our cousins from Mindanao. we went to Laguna and Tagaytay.

**the last time i remember spending holy week on the road was 2004 when my friends and i went northward (from Manila to Nueva Ecija, to La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur to Ilocos Norte, until Pagudpud then head back) with only "Lonely Planet" in hand, a van to ride on during the roadtrip, enthusiasm and excitement to fuel us, and cameras to preserve memories. really good ones. now, it's all but memories *sniff*

my kuya boyong and i had a great time together catching up. he now lives in the US together with my other siblings and si erpats. i'm glad the family shares a special bond now, though the price to pay was (i believe) nanay's life *sniff*

here are some of the pics on the latter part of the day, our trip to Tagaytay:

lunchtime, salo-salo together. (l to r) temyong,
boyong, Vivian, (Jeffrey's wife, i forgot her name), their daughter (being breastfed), Brian, Jeffrey, tetet, Samuel, Johnny

let's pause for a while.. allow me to take you back 23 years before. look at how stiff we were back then haha. that's me and kuya boyong taken @ Cebu (circa 1984)

look at us now, notice how gay we have become?
oh my goodness, hindi dapat makita ni erpats toh haha kundi ipapakain niya kami sa pating (as he had always warned us when we were kids pag naging bakla daw kami wahahaha)

happy faces :D good times!!!
mga contestant ng that's my boy at little miss philippines ;p.

matatandang bumalik sa kanilang pagkabata *bow*

(l to r) temyong, Samuel, boyong, tetet. apat pa lang sa anim yan.

boyong with our nephew, Brian

it's a sin, a mortal one, to leave Tagaytay/Laguna area without bringing home some sweets for your loved ones (buko pie, pastillas, espasol, pulvoron, sweet tamarind, etc). where else but from Collette's. napakadami nilang stores you don't have to worry because you wouldn't be driving another 5 minutes before you see another one along the highway :)

we capped off our trip by having a sumptous dinner @ LZM restaurant, they serve the best lutong bahay in town. i should know. don't ask why though.

though Tagaytay reminds me of someone dear from the past (esp when i see those Korean kids roaming around), i opted not to be emotional and rather enjoy the time with my family and relatives. these moments and the people i was with are the two main reasons why i still do what i do and keep on doing it.

aba siyempre dapat meh picture ako, at ako lang mag isa. hindi lang dahil sarili kong blog toh kundi wala lang akong pakner dito ;p.

pagnilay nilayan natin (part 2)

2007-04-06T15:59:00.000-04:00

eto mga kaibigan, due to insistent public demand, eh inilista ko pa ang iba kong mga katanungan. marapat na simulan ko ulit patungkol sa aking sarili :)

24. bakit lahat ng pangalan ng mga kapatid ko eh Americanized samantalang ang sa akin ay.. uhmm.. kakaiba? at kung alam niyo, bakit kayo natatawa??

25. nung nasa elementarya pa lamang ako, bakit ang pisara ay tinatawag na blackboard samantalang ang tunay na kulay nito ay berde?

26. kailangan bang kape lamang ang dapat inumin kapag nag-coffeebreak? hindi pwedeng softdrinks o juice? (narinig ko lang yan sa dati kong kaklase nung high school).

27. bakit ang mga building hindi naglalagay ng 13th floor? samantalang alam naman nating lahat na ang 14th floor nila eh pang labintatlo talaga yun. pinaglololoko lang ba nila ang mga sarili nila?

28. bakit kaming mga Bisaya (taas noo) ang letrang 'e' ay kapag binigkas nagiging 'i', ang 'i' ay nagiging 'e'? ang 'o' nagiging 'u', ang 'u' nagiging 'o'. halimbawa:

UltraEdit - pag binigkas 'OltraIdet'
Basketball - 'Baskitbul'
Windows Explorer - 'Wenduws Ixplurir'
Keypad - 'Kepad'
Monitor - 'Munetur'

29. hindi ito katanungan, gusto ko lang banggitin. na sa aming mga Bisaya, ang isang salitang ingles ay nagkakaroon ng maraming kahulugan. halimbawa: FACE, pronounced as pis.
- mukha. "you have a beautiful pis."
- kapayapaan. "no to war. yes to pis."
- kung saan ka nakatahan. "anong pis nga kayo sa subdivision nakatira?"
- kamao. "Morales' body was pounded by Pacquaiao's pis the entire round."

kitam. isang salita pa lang yan eh apat na kaagad ang kahulugan sa amin.

30. bakit sa pinoy mas patok ang mga brand names?
- COLGATE (bibili sa tindahan, "pabili po ng colgate, yung pepsodent ha").
- ADIDAS (sa probinsiya ng nanay ko sa Samar, tawag yan sa lahat ng rubber shoes, kahit Nike pa yan, Grosby, Kaypee o Mighty Kid).
- PAL (sa barbecue-han, pakpak ng manok. ala Philippine Airlines).
- WALKMAN (sa barcbecue-han pa rin, tenga ng baboy).

tutal nasa barbecue-han na rin lang tayo, eto pa ang ibang tawag sa mga pagkain dun:
- ADIDAS (paa ng manok)
- KURBATA (leeg ng manok)
- NECKTIE (leeg ng manok at thigh part)
- HELMET (ulo ng manok)
- IUD (ano pa, intestines o mas kilalang isaw)
- BETAMAX (dugo ng manok. yung maliliit na parisukat, parang bala ng betamax!)

31. pinakabastos bang cartoon character si winnie the pooh? eh hindi man lang siya magsuot ng salawal.

32. si Mike Enriquez, bakit ba talaga kasi ganon siya magsalita???? at halos hindi siya humihinto, hindi ba niya nakikita ang kudlit sa binabasa niyang idiot board? mukhang kailangan niya ng breathing exercise. subukan niyo toh:

"mgakapuso,kahitmalamigangpanahonaypatuloynanagiinitangmgatsikanaihahatidsainyongkinapipitagansalaranganngpaghahatidngshowbizbalita,sipiaguanio.pia,pasok!!"
"captainbarbellnapo!!!"

33. bakit ang mga pinoy masyadong malisyoso? nang minsang nagpunta kami ng Zambales, inalok kaming grupo ng mga taga doon upang kumain. sa aming pagtanong kung anong specialty nila nung araw na yun, ang sagot, "binolbol". nagtawanan ang mga kasama ko. eh lugaw po yun! hallleerrr?!?!

34. bakit ang pinoy pag tumuro eh gamit ang nguso? ganon ba tayo katamad iangat ang mga bisig natin?

35. ano ang dahilan ng pagtilaok ng mga tandang? kasi yung mga manok ng kapitbahay namin kahit hapon (natutulog ako) tumitilaok eh. hindi lang sa bukang liwayway nila ginagawa yun, magpasagayon ay hindi dahil nakikita na nila yung araw kaya sila tumitilaok.

36. bakit ang mga batang amerikano ang gagaling mag ingles? bata pa sila nun ha. ako nung bata, onti lang alam ko eh.

37. bakit hindi nagkatuluyan si ate Shena at kuya Bodjie, mga karakter noon sa Batibot?

38. buhay pa ba si manang bola? gusto ko kasing magpahula. itatanong ko lang kung sina papa Sam at si papa Piolo ang magkakatuluyan.

39. bakit ang pinoy masyadong mapamahiin? isang halimbawa: bawal daw magpakuha ng litrato na tatlo lang kayo at matitigok daw yung isa. eh sina Tito, Vic at Joey matagal nang nagpapakuha na tatlo lang sila. ang Apo Hiking Society. ang tatlong gwapings. wala namang nangyari sa kanila. ang tatlong itlog (ay patay na pala lahat yun).

40. bakit sa mga kababayan nating mga Ilonggo, ang toyo tawag nila patis? at inyong pakatandaan, wala silang patis doon. totoo po yan mga kaibigan.

41. bakit ang "soup number five" sa Binondo ganon ang tawag? eh ano yung soup number one hanggang four? meron pa bang pang-anim? nung huli akong um-order, yung panglima lang talaga ang meron sila eh.

42. bakit ang mga kababayan nating Kapampangan, pag ang salita may 'h' nawawala? pag walang 'h' nadadagdagan? subukan niyo ito:

"hang baay hay aapay-apay sa hiip ng anging hamian."

kitam?

43. Kapampangan din ba ang mga magulang ng mga taong kilala ko na ganito ang mga pangalan? Jhimmy. Rhuvie. Rhyan. Ghina. Dhanny. Ehric. Pathrick. Ambeth. Bernadeth. Pinakbeth. parang pagkain yung huli ah.

44. pumunta naman tayo sa pelikulang pilipino. yung mga aksyon movies. bakit pag naghahabulan sa bandang dulo ng pelikula, nagsisimula sa kalsada, tapos mauuwi sa isang malaking bodega? napansin niyo yun? balikan niyo ang mga pelikula nila Lito Lapid, FPJ, Cesar Montano at Tony Ferrer. tapos ang mga pulis saka lang darating pag tapos na yung barilan. bakit ganon?

45. bakit umabot ng limang taon ang soap opera na Mara Clara? at patuloy din namang pinanood ng taumbayan? eh napakadali namang makita nung diary. nasa ibabaw lang nung TV! tsk tsk. lahat ata tayo nagago nung palabas na yun ah. kailan ko lang napagtanto.

46. bading ba talaga si Sam Milby? hmmm. pakisagot nga ako brofish! eh si Eric Santos?

47. eh si Mike Enriquez, kailan niya babaguhin kung paano siya magsalita?? wag na lang. mukhang malalaos siya pag binago niya :)

48. ano ba talaga ang unang araw, Lunes o Linggo?

49. alin talaga ang nauna, itlog o manok?

50. bakit ang pinoy ang hilig magbaligtad ng mga salita at yun ang gagawing pangalan ng kanilang mga anak? halimbawa na lang:

DRANREB - Bernard (yung dating taga That's Entertainment. Belleza ang apelyido)
ROMA - Amor (salitang Espanyol na nangangahulagang "love" sa Ingles)
ANA - Ana (kahit balibaligtarin mo yan ganon pa rin)
PULA-PULA - Lapu-Lapu (alam niyo bang "Pula-Pula" talaga ang pangalan ng ating unang pambansang bayani? ito ay salitang Tausug na ang ibig sabihin sa tagalog ay "mamula-mulang balat". ang mga mananakop na Kastila lamang ang nagbansag sa kanya ng pangalang "Lapu-Lapu"). iyan po ay isang katotohanan mga kaibigan na lingid sa kaalaman ng karamihan sa atin.

51. bakit pag meh nakita kang humikab, kahit malayo siya sayo eh nahihikab ka na rin? kahit hindi ka inaantok. subukan mong humikab ngayon (kahit kunwari lang) at ipakita mo sa kasama mo. tiyak mapapahikab din yun haha :)

52. maaari bang humatsing nang nakadilat ang mga mata? lahat kasi ng taong nakikita kong humahatsing (kabilang na ako doon) ay nakapikit.

o, happy weekend na mga katoto! salamat sa pagbasa sa mga walang kwentang pag-iisip ko :)

pagnilay nilayan natin

2007-04-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

ilan lamang sa mga katanungan sa aking buhay na magpasa-hanggang ngayon ay nananatiling mga katanungan at patuloy na naghahanap ng kanilang kasagutan:

1. bakit ako lamang ang pinalad na hindi naging mapusyaw ang kulay ng balat sa lahat sa aming magkakapatid? ako'y pang apat sa anim. ito ba'y nangangahulugang saka lang natanggap ng nanay ko ang hitsura ng tatay ko nung ako na yung ginagawa nila?

2. bakit ang langaw na lumilipad sa loob ng dyip ay hindi naiiwan gayong ito'y parang nakatigil lamang sa ere?

3. ang elepante pag namatay ay nilalanggam, ngunit totoo bang ang langgam pag namatay ay ini-elepante?

4. totoo bang kailangang matulog sa hapon para lumaki? kung totoo yun, anong nangyari kina mahal, mura, dagul at weng-weng, bakit sila maliliit? dahil ba sila'y ulila (walang nagpalaki) o nung sila'y mga bata pa ay hindi nakinig sa kanilang mga magulang (naalala ko ang mahigpit nilang paalala, "matulog ka ngayong hapon para lumaki ka!")? buti na lang ako'y may mga magulang. at ako'y nakinig, natutulog ako dati sa hapon.

5. eh si presidente gloria? subalit siya nama'y may mga magulang. marahil ay marami siyang bulate sa tiyan nung bata kaya nawalan ng sustansiya. at ayaw magpa-purga.

6. bakit si joker aroyo "joker" ang pangalan gayong napakaseryoso naman niyang tao? nakita niyo na ba siyang nagbiro?

7. tama ba namang ang dati nating arsobispo, ang puno ng simbahang katolika sa pilipinas ay "sin" ang apelyido? hindi ba kasalanan ito sa paningin ng Diyos at sa pandinig ng mga amerikano?

8. bakit ang pinoy mahilig mag-alok ng pagkain ("kain tayo") ngunit pag ika'y umupo para makikain na ay masama na ang tingin sayo? o pag ika'y mas minalas malas ay lalayas pa sa harap mo at dala ang pagkaing inalok niya?

9. bakit pag ginupit mo ang kuko mo sa paa (lalo na yung sa pinakamalaking daliri) bago mo itapon ay inaamoy mo pa kahit wari mong ito'y may hindi kaaya ayang amoy? wag niyong sabihing hindi niyo ito ginawa kahit minsan.

10. eh bakit pag yung kuko sa paa na ng iba ang ginupit at ipaamoy sa'yo eh ayaw mo na? at parang nandidiri ka pa pag nakita mo silang inamoy nila?

11. bakit sa inuman, ang unang nalalasing sa grupo ay yung unang maririnig mo na nagpupumilit, "hindi ako lasing."

12. bakit sa kantang "bohemian rhapsody" ng The Queen ay hindi ko mahanap sa mga letra niya ang kanyang titulo? bakit hindi na lang kasi "mama" ang naging titulo nung kantang yun? "mama, just killed the man..." o diba?

13. bakit ang lalaki, habang tumatanda, mas pabata ng pabata ang gustong babae? yun din kaya ang dahilan ng mga matrona?

14. bakit ang lalaki, bago o habang umiihi ay dumudura muna?

15. bakit ang aso bago humiga ay lumalakad muna ng paikot?

16. ang mga langgam ba ang pinakatsismosong mga insekto? pansinin ninyo pag sila'y nagkakasalubong, pakiwari mo'y nagbubulungan muna ng tsismis bago tumuloy sa patutunguhan.

17. bakit si mike enriquez ganon magsalita? ah basta, panoorin niyo na lang siya sa 24 oras! proud kaya ang mga taga-lasalle sa kanya? yung mga ka-batch niya siguro oo. eh tanungin kaya natin yung mga kabataan ng lasalle ngayon. yung mga pa-sosyal.

18. bakit ang mga pinoy ay sadyang matitigas ang ulo? kung ano ang siyang pinagbabawal ay kating kati nating gawin. tulad na lang ng pagtawid sa edsa o expressway. may nakalagay na ngang karatula na "bawal tumawid. nakamamatay."

19. bakit matigas ang ulo? eto pa. nung minsang may nakasalubong akong tao na sa kanyang damit ay may nakasulat sa harapan na "anong tinitingin tingin mo?", hindi ko pinahalata na binasa ko. pero nung lumampas na siya sakin, pinilit ko pa ring tignan baka may nakasulat sa likod. mayroon nga, "o, titingin pa eh!!"

20. bakit natsi-tsismis si papa Piolo Pascual na bading?

21. bakit nung mga bata tayo (o kami) ang larong sipa, pwedeng gamitan ng tuhod o kamay (sa may bandang siko)? eh bakit pag sinipa ako ng tatay ko, paa lang talaga ang gamit niya?

22. bakit yung isang kaklase kong lalaki nung grade 4, ang bilis niya magsulat pero pag pinabasa mo na sa kanya hindi niya mabasa ang sarili niyang sulat? buong taon ganon siya.

23. si erap, bakit hanggang ngayon eh nagsusuot pa rin siya nung wrist band niyang malapad? totoo bang hanggang ngayon eh hindi niya pa rin matandaan kung saan ang kaliwa o kanan niya kaya kailangan niya ng palatandaan?

at marami pang iba. aking ibabahagi sa ibang pagkakataon.

panghuling tanong. bakit ako nagsusulat dito samantalang marami akong trabahong nag-aantay? kaya nga sa susunod na yung iba eh!

lucky unlucky

2007-04-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

*sigh* another accident. why am i so prone to it lately? :-S

ooopps i did it again

2007-04-03T18:56:00.000-04:00

yes.. i am a commuter as most of us are. i experience first hand what most of us experience everyday. traffic. heat exhaustion. tsumansing at ma-tsansingan ng mga bading na nagkukunwaring maton. the privilege of being able to share your stinky body odor to everyone and in return willingly inhale theirs (and in no time you realize you all smell the same) - haha you know what i'm talking about - MRT during rush hours! good thing is di pa naman ako nadudukutan o naho-holdap, which i don't wish to experience btw.

anyway, yesterday a funny thing happened while i was riding a jeepney going home. it has been a twice-a-week routine for us officemates to play basketball after our shift, on tuesdays and fridays. so yesterday from 6:30 - 9AM we played some hoops as if we're preparing to compete against China for the FIBA World Championships hehe. in other words, buhos talaga ang laro. and for people who play 2 and a half hours straight basketball (btw, did i mention we came from a 9-hour shift the night before with little sleep or none at all), that's tiring man. as in lawit-dila mo hanggang baba. eh nayaya pa ako to play badminton afterwards, for an extra hour. i chugged 6 gatorades all in all! bottomline, i was dead tired going home. lunch time, heat, exhaustion, traffic, PUJ ride: those are deadly combinations i tell you. i was there sitting and trying to fight off my drowsiness when all of a sudden everything went black. and silent........

next thing i know, i woke up amidst a jampacked jeep. my right hand was gripping the bar (yung kapitan sa meh bandang bubong ng jeep) so at least i know matino akong nakatulog. but here's the thing. i realized my head was resting face down on somebody else's shoulder! and you guessed it right, that somebody is a guy!!! hindi si ate guy, kundi lalake!! *@#&!^#@ naka-office attire naman, disente, pero putik, lalake!! and as with the past experiences, hindi man lang niya ako ginising or nag react man lang. parang nag enjoy pa ang mokong na nakasalampak ako sa balikat niya. com'on bro, i could have appreciated it more when you hit me in the face before my head even touched your body. with all the might i had left, i tried to stave off again my drowsiness. but then again, i am not Spartan King Leonidas. my mind is willing, but my body? oh so weak. and tired. buti na lang, naunang bumaba yung taong yun sakin. coz i've been waiting for him to do so kasi di ako makatingala sa hiya. by the time i did, i realized most of the people are staring at me. bakit naman kasi yung nag imbento ng jeepney eh ginawang harapan yung mga upuan? mali eh! maling mali!! di ba niya naisip yung mga commuters na katulad ko? na madaling makatulog? tsk tsk..

anyway, my brother was pushing me the other week to buy my own ride. he saw this mazda3 advertisement sa glorietta ata. P70,000 downpayment and monthly of xxx pesosesosesoses. kaya naman sana but the thing is, madali nga akong makatulog sa sasakyan. eh pasahero pa lang ako niyan, what more pag ako na ang may hawak ng steering wheel. so, for now, i'll stick with commuting and just be excited for my next "jeepney adventure" hehe. who knows, baka makatabi na ako ng isang papable next time! ay, chorva!!

post scriptum:

why would i need a new ride when i still have my current. personalized pa ;p.

i still have a heartbeat

2007-04-02T11:20:00.000-04:00

except for a couple of times (when my friend obray sent that gay review of the movie 300, and brofish showed the top-10-commercials thing) i haven't really visited/read any blog entry for over a month now. much less, write an entry of my own. funny thing is, when i tried today i forgot even my own blog's url haha, i thought it was blogsome (na-create ko na yun pero di pa lang na-update hehe). and what font to use. alam ko basta dapat maliit. blame it on my ever not-so-busy work. blame it on OFS and DELPHI. blame it on month of March, which by far is the busiest this year. blame it on me, i lost interest..

i don't have anything in particular to write about, i just found some idle time so i'd like to create an entry for the sake of having one after a long lull. lemme count from 1 to 9 then write about things that come up to mind first. ayus toh hehe..

one. (1) yesterday. month of April. contrary to being the world's Fools day, everything i am writing here are facts. true. no pretense. (2) there's one person who occupies my mind lately. and i'm totally devoted. (3) one month. i'm giving myself this period to finally come up with some decisions. life-changing ones.

two. (1) there are actually two people i encountered in my entire life who told me i'm gay (except for my brothers, we call each other gay/bakla/guy-lover). that's the thing, why are there only two!? how could you people not know, com'on. am i that not convincing at all? ;p. oh well.. (2) i've been to two countries last February - Singapore and Malaysia. i had good memories with friends in each of them. and i'd like to revisit in the not so distant future. some pictures..

@ St. James Power Station, HarbourFront SG

the following pictures sum up our KL trip:

took this shot while inside the taxi. obviously i was on the wrong side. it's a reflection of the Petronas tower from another building's glass window. i liked the outcome (best viewed large)

it's difficult to capture the entire twin towers into one picture unless you have a superwide angle lens (say, 16mm). i took this shot, camera handheld, with an 18mm lens.. i must say it's been a while that i have not been awed by a man-made structure. last time i recall, it was Paris/Eiffel tower amazement for me on 2003. by the time i saw Petronas up close, it brought back that feeling :D awesome!!

with rona

a group picture at last :) limitation caused by not having a tripod. (L-R) me, rona, katz, b1

three. (1) my audience. there are three people who read this blog: i, me and myself. they are so many i could shout out a secret here and the world will not even know. and care. it will remain a secret. want one? go back to #1. (2) the average text messages i receive each day. based from last week, it's actually 17 / 7 = 2.4285 so i just ramped up the value to the nearest whole digit haha. but don't pity me for receiving few messages because i'm not fond of celphones anyway. i pity those who can't seem to live a day without using their celphones, eh baka you'll go crazy and might end up in the NP ward of the Makati Med.

four. (1) movies i watched last month: a girl boy something something (i dozed off i forgot the title), music and lyrics, 300 (ohhlala, abs galore! see, i told you i'm gay), and because i said so. four in a month, i'd say that's a feat for me. i do watch movies but i can't really call myself a moviegoer if in its context is defined as someone who frequents moviehouses more than the number of showers he takes in a week. of course, i watch blockbusters like spiderman, marvel/dc comics series, pirates of the carribean. who would not want those btw? (2) four. that's how many consecutive games KB24 scored 50 or more points last March. how often that does happen? the last time someone accomplished that, 45 years and 3 months ago. December of 1961 to be exact, by Wilt Chamberlain. his Airness, Michael Jordan, has his streak of reaching the half-century scoring but only for 3 games. so is Kobe deserving to be lined up with Wilt and Jordan? i guess not yet. those 2 are legends, man. they are immortals. you mention their names, and their overall dominance of the game come into discussion. though i think Kobe is on the right track. but not yet. not now..

five. (1) things i want to buy out of my recent bonus. camera flash, 2 new lenses, and an ipod. all these though need to wait as we've decided as a family to go out and have a week-long vacation somewhere outside the country. and being the generous brother/son i am, i offered to buy plane tickets for my erpat and 2 siblings plus myself. (2) i almost forgot. last saturday our beloved ECSC department celelbrated its 5th year anniversary at the Hyatt Hotel in Pedro Gil. of course, i had the rare chance of suiting up for a rare event like this. i don't have copies of the pictures yet kasi sabi ni donj hindi pa daw siya bayad haha bawal pa daw i-share. part of the programme was the TLs sharing their team's inception, brief history, members and functions. we actually didn't know we'll have that speech, not until the emcee (who btw is our star of the night, ma'am weng bayhon wuhooo!) announced it hehe. everyone was joking, "parang humilab yung tiyan ko sa dessert pare, kelangan ko atang lumabas.." haha. but we staved off our stage frights and it turned out well, with the presentation to cap it off (all diligently and patiently created by rona). i love this team. kudos to all of us!! (including those who were part of our team, who are now enjoying their post-GXS era) lucky you hehe joke :D

six. actually there are six things i wanted to buy with my bonus hehe. oakley or ray band dark glasses. wala na kasi yung last ko, nasira na. but then again, it has to wait *sigh*

seven. the years i've been enslaved by my current employer. March 1st to be exact. i was supposed to write a long entry about this last month but then it just didn't happen. bottom line, i am lucky to be working for this company. this is where i've honed my skills - topping the Counter Strike game everytime (okay, sometimes next to kamote_09 hehe), being able to gather the best 3 Starcraft players from our team (ayala side) and compete against other employees (dela rosa side) for a 4on4 game during lunch time when Counter Strike was being banned in the office, being able to convince (aka fool) people that i am good at everything (or most that) i do, learned the craft of having AIDS in the next level, that is placing my hands on the keyboard while staring at the monitor as if doing something when in fact im actually taking a nap, learned the importance of Alt+Tab keyboard shortcuts, and making people laugh with my silly jokes. wehehe. seriously though, i'm grateful. because of work assignments, i was able to go places where as a child i've only dreamt of. i was able to provide for my family's needs and mine. most importantly, i've got to work with great people and met dear friends along the way. cheers!! :D

eight. that's how many bouncers i saw in the Embassy bar at The Fort last saturday. they have these red shirts which says in bold prints: "DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD" hehe. the bar has been infamous for fights amongst drunk and rich people. that's not my point though. why was i able to count these big-bodied men? haha man-hunt ;p. that's what you end up with when you go to places which aren't really "yours", so to speak.

nine. i can't think of anything related to this number..... ah, nine o'clock PM i got to meet brofish's parents. i had a great time talking to them. plus, i got the HDD i ordered from Singapore! :) i can now get a copy of the TV series (may plural form ba toh?) i've been raring to watch (24, prison break, doctor house, heroes, mara clara, marimar... ay uso pa ba yun?). the only problem i have is if i'd be able to watch them right away hehe.

re-reading what i've written here, i guess i wasn't able to drive any specific point except that i was convincing people that i'm gay hahaha. bahala na kayo!

post scriptum

i've beaten my previous record of 71 points at the basketball game @ g4 timezone (yung nasa meh bandang harap). the moment we stepped in, i was in competitive mode. and there were actually people who flocked the area when my friends and i competed. i had 75, 85 and 90 points, beat that! hehe. much to my surprise, people were clapping and i responded by facing them and then *bow*

don't write me off

2007-02-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

it's never been easy for me
to find words to go along with a melody.
but this time there's actually something on my mind,
so please forgive these few brief awkward lines.

since i met you, my whole life has changed,
it's not just my furniture you've rearranged.
i was living in the past but somehow you've brought me back
and i haven't felt like this since before Frankie said, "Relax"

and though i know, based on my track record,
i might not seem like the safest bet.
all i'm asking you, is don't write me off just yet.

for years i've been telling myself the same old story,
that i'm happy to live off my so called former glories.
but you've given me a reason to take another chance.
now i need you, despite the fact that you've killed all my plants.

and though i know, i've already blown more chances
than anyone should ever get.
all i'm asking you, is don't write me off just yet.
don't write me off just yet.

*** how i wish i could play the piano.

way back into love

2007-02-26T01:34:00.000-05:00

i've been living with a shadow overhead
i've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
i've been lonely for so long
trapped in the past, i just can't seem to move on

i've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
just in case i ever need 'em again someday
i've been setting aside time
to clear a little space in the corners of my mind

all i want to do is find a way back into love
i can't make it true without a way back into love
Oh oh oh

i've been watching but the stars refuse to shine
i've been searching but i just don't see the signs
i know that it's out there
there's got to be something for my soul somewhere

i've been looking for someone to shed some light
not somebody just to get me through the night
i could use some direction
and i'm open to your suggestions

all i want to do is find a way back into love
i can't make it through without a way back into love
and if i open my heart again
i guess i'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

there are moments when i don't know if it's real
or if anybody feels the way i feel
i need inspiration
not just another negotiation

all i want to do is find a way back into love
i can't make it through without a way back into love
and if i open my heart to you
i'm hoping you'll show me what to do
and if you help me to start again
you know that i'll be there for you in the end

*** best depicts what i feel. that is why. oo ikaw nga yun. nasaan ka man ngayon!

lost

2007-02-21T11:55:00.000-05:00

in my pursuit to be away from the city i live in, i decided to take some days off from work and trekked southward. just like Forrest Gump i jogged and jogged, walked, trekked, walked and trekked some more. i passed by mountains, valleys, brooks, and jungles until i was stopped by a signage indicating i really have gone far.

not that very far isn't it mate?

i decided to head back home instead and not continue the journey. now i'm back to where i started and happy to be able to write this entry. i will try the northward track next time and see where the journey brings me :)

frustrated

2007-02-20T19:10:00.000-05:00

"my guitar is not a thing. it is an extension of myself. it is who i am." - Joan Jett

"music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without." - Confucius

taken by sir tipoy. salamat :)

..

2007-02-19T12:54:00.000-05:00

fresh starts only happen when old situations are finally put to rest. it may be difficult to let this come to a conclusion, but it's necessary if you want to move on with your life. breathe. learn to accept reality..

balloons, safari and long travel

2007-02-12T14:06:00.000-05:00

good thing my excitement to be with Iya and be able to take good pictures of hot air balloons overcame my indolence last saturday. together with some folks from the office (some of whom i wasn't able to get to know though we were in one Isuzu Crosswind the whole day hehe) we headed last saturday, Feb 11, to Clark Air Field in Pampanga for the 11th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. we left Manila at 3:30AM and were encamped at around quarter before six. the huge crowd and cool (as in cold!) morning breeze added to the excitement. though it's not my first time to see and be near those huge hydrogen-floated balloons (first encounter was a summer time in Germany years back) fascination were still evident in my eyes the moment i saw 'em all. believe me this was not because i barely had sleep since friday :) i was transfixed for a moment, oblivious to the busy people around. my original plan though was to try that thrilling 2-hour ride and be awed with the aerial view of everything down under while elevating but nowhere in an enclosed cabin. and to think from time to time that ignition thing on top of your head firing away to supply hydrogen into the balloon, magugulat ka at kakabahan talaga hehe. ayus diba :) did i mention btw that it'll cost you P7,500+ (that's what i heard from last year) para sumakay. price for me is not an issue. the fun, excitement and rush you'll experience are what's priceless. here are some of the pictures i took..

makulay ang buhay!

to compensate my limitation of having only a wide angle lens and a fence that distanced us from the balloons, i searched for a good spot to get at least a good view of the field. where else but on top of a military tank :) as soon as i was on top, i stood transfixed at the sight! no wonder i hadn't had many shots taken hehe. stolen shot (opo, sa maniwala kayo o hindi) by Leo :)

i bet this guy has the same fascination as mine. to his eyes, a great thing is unfolding at that very instant.. pwede ko atang ipadala sa Toyota company ito para sa ad nila :) i personally liked the outcome of this pic, yung depth of field kitang kita. naks! best viewed large.

they come in different colors, sizes, shapes and designs..

a giant cat on the loose

eventually, every balloon was airborne after 2 hours so we decided to leave Clark Air Field and had breakfast somewhere in Mabalacat. basta the restaurant we dined in noticeably was packed with two groups of people: first, americans. i guess they're retired servicemen who were deployed in Clark or Subic for some time and opted to stay here in PI after retirement (**update: kaya naman pala, i've just read from sir tipoy's entry that the resto was VFW, as in Veterans of Foreign War :) i did not bother look for the name since gutom na ko nun sobra eh hehe); second, Filipina girls who seemed to be, you know. back in the days, Clark has its own red light district which is situated just outside the military base. to be honest, i don't wanna say bad things about them or look them down as if they're iniquitous but it's sad that poverty and its harsh reality apparently is manifested amongst our not so well off kababayans. tsk tsk.. anyway, we decided to stop by zoobic safari in SBMA as part of the photography SIG (special interest group) trip. boy it wasn't fun at all going there from Clark kasi it took us more than 3 hours of travel time. mantakin mo ba namang halos kadulu-duluhan na pala ng SBMA yun at kulang pa ng mga signages ang daanan. ako na nga bumangka sa kwentuhan mapa-politics, showbiz with matching patawa eh halos maubos na yung kwento ko at matuyo na ang laway ko eh di pa rin kami umabot. malayo talaga! we damn made sure we screamed out loud the moment we read the Zoobic Safari signage hehe.

pictures to follow!

i don't think i can upload them today because in half an hour, i'll be leaving for vacation. see you guys next week!!!! B).

reunited

2007-02-09T11:56:00.000-05:00

i realized since the accident about 3 months ago, i lied low on my out of town trips and adventures. and since photography is a hobby, pictures have been few and far between lately. other than that, work and personal priorities have overtaken my schedule. as a result i missed Iya and our times together. she was scathed during the accident, deep scratches appear at the left side of her body. imagine she was thrown out of the vehicle's window and i found her lying on the ground covered with dirt. at least now she's well and i guess fired up to get going again. in a couple of hours, i'll be leaving the office with some of the photographers (aka hobbyists) to witness the hot air balloon festival at Clark Air Field. i'm excited. i know Iya is too..

btw, Iya is my Canon 350D camera :)

sino ang mas malakas ang tama: gin o beer?

2007-02-08T16:06:00.000-05:00

enough with the anticipation people. Ginebra is back to the Finals - a title showdown with their sister company San Miguel. this series promises to be very interesting, considering these:

a) coach Jong Uichico steered San Miguel to 6 titles before being shipped to Ginebra last off-season for "no reason(??)"
b) Rommel Adducul will be facing off his former team, lagot ka sa sangkatutak na kantiyaw ng mga taga-barangay hehe
c) San Miguel will be playing against their former coach
d) Mark Caguioa and Danny Seigle are toe-to-toe in their duel for the best player of the conference award
e) Rudy Hatfield, at the start of the season promised fans that Caguioa will receive the BPC award and Ginebra will emerge as the champions. in short, it's all over before it even started. in short, only 4 wins separate that promise from becoming a reality (langya ka Rudy siguraduhin mo lang)

but at the end of the day, only one fact will remain: ang magkapatid na Cojuangco pa rin ang kampiyon hehe. tiba-tiba na naman sina Danding at Henry! hoy, magpakain naman kayo!!!

anyway, this morning they started to release tickets for games 1 and 2 and to my disappointment all seats in the patron (courtside, ringside) and lower box section are already occupied. eh i was there around 10:30AM. the past week i've been raring pa naman to watch at least a game of the finals series since i will be on vacation starting middle of next week. pagbalik ko tapos na yun. bad trip!

:( :)

2007-02-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

i'm happy. though a bit sad. worried i guess.. *sigh*

ang barangay, bow.

2007-01-31T08:55:00.000-05:00

2 - 2 na! it's all even :) actually i'm talking about the Ginebra - Talk n' Text semifinal matchup in the PBA hehe..

you know me, ever since i started watching local basketball (circa 1985), Ginebra na 'ko. actually it was still Anejo Rhum that time pero Jaworski-led na yung La Tondena franchise. eh si Jawo pa madami talagang followers yan, mostly masa. napaka-charismatic. though nawalan lang ako ng amor sa kanya when he ran for senator in 1998 i think. come on BigJ, you're not born to serve that way. feeling ko he took advantage of his fame, being the Living Legend of the PBA, to grab a seat in the Senate.. i remember the early days when we watched PBA sa Ultra, grabe ang mga fans ng Ginebra. literally from all sorts and walks of life: may naka maayos na damit, long sleeves and kurbata, merong mga naka-tshirts lang, and yes, you wouldn't believe that there are those who just wear sando and slippers inside the coliseum! pero mga nasa bleachers area na yun. sila ang nagpapa-simula ng chants na "Ja-wors-kiii, Ja-wors-kiii" at "Gi-neb-braaa, Gi-neb-braaa" and the rest of the people will chant along. you might actually think they're crazy but if you're inside the venue, believe me you will actually be carried away by their overflowing enthusiasm, rooted simply from their following. kakatuwa nga. naalala ko nung una akong napa-chant, it felt like heaven haha. masarap ang feeling ;p. on the not-so-good side though, sila rin nagpa-umpisa nung mga batuhan ng barya pag hindi nagustuhan ang tawag ng mga referees (obviously against the masa team). oh man, how many times did it happen before. yun nga lang sa mga ganong games, swerte ang janitors sa court kasi pupulutin niya lahat ng mga baryang inihagis ng barangay hehe :D there was a time too that the coliseum administrator were forced to put a barrier (they call it chicken wire i think) between one viewing section and another. paano ba naman, yung mga nagbayad lang ng murang tickets tumatalon papuntang section na medyo mahal (maabilidad talaga ang pinoy diba? haha). eh how can you stop a handful of people nang ganon ganon lang? it's nearly impossible doing that. baka pag pinigil mo sila mabanatan ka pa at makuha pa yung damit mo, pero iiwan naman nila yung sando at tsinelas nila sayo eh hehe..

though it is undeniable, and a fact, that Ginebra brings the crowd to PBA games kahit saan pa mang venue yan. laging jampacked. which translates of course to money (kaching kaching!) para sa first commercial-based pro league in Asia. and i'm proud to say i've been to their games wherein naging record crowd attendance kami hehe. like last Sunday, there were almost 18,000 in attendance, eh Araneta Coliseum has roughly 12-13K seating capacity only. madami dyan nakatayo throughout the game and believe me they don't mind. i've had my share of that experience before and, yes, i did not mind.. basta the crowd is incomparable to games may Ginebra man o wala (Mr. Commisioner, don't ever deny that). sa dami ng fans, they are actually called "Barangay Ginebra", "Barangay Big Dome", and the sixth man of the Gin Kings :) i think what contributed mainly on how they have a huge following is the never-say-die attitude of the team, even nung Jaworski era pa. their players before are not the cream of the crop, mind you, (unlike now) but that feeling of being an underdog amongst the giants, man, that's what pinoys want diba? ganyan ang feeling natin minsan esp when we're abroad but no matter how underdog we feel we still held our heads high and show them we've got something inside us to be proud of. and fight we do. yan ang spirit. yan ang barangay..

sabi nila dati, ang pinoy daw kahit walang pera, maghahanda at maghahanda yan pag Pasko at birthday. kahit nga mangutang pa basta may mailagay sa hapag kainan. i think pwede nang idagdag dyan sa listahan pag may laro ang Ginebra. lumalabas ang pera ng mga tao (at least for us who follow local basketball). makikita mo sa crowd attendance eh..

anyway, back to the on-going series, yes it's all even. down to best of three series na toh. i was disappointed with their back-to-back loss nung games 2 and 3. victory was at hand nung game 2, pero nung last 1.1 seconds nakatira pa si Cardona ng 3-point shot. ayun talo tuloy. Mark "The Spark" Caguiao, man he's leading this team to where they need to be. he's all business! if i'm not mistaken he's averaging 27 points a game in this semifinal series. and tonight, he bagged 35 points. 3 in the last 4 games he breaks the 30-point barrier. he's currently the scoring leader sa conference na toh.. when it comes to work ethics, Rudy Hatfield is the man. things you do on court which are not tallied on statsheets are his expertise (hussle, transition defense, intensity), aside from rebounding and offense. he leads all players in rebounding, lalo na sa offensive end.. how about JayJay Helterbrand dishing out an avegae of 16 assists per game in their last 4 outings. that's like Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns!

after the game, i immediately planned on watching game 6 sa Sunday but then i realized first game pala sila so pass muna.. kitakits na lang sa finals hehe ;p.

yep, that's me on the court. literally ;p.

with my kuya yoyong.. temyong at yoyong, ang saya diba? ;p.

hindi naman halatang die-hard Ginebra fans kami ng kuya ko hehe. this is during one of their games last year against DeadBull este RedBull. wala lang naman, we just got 2 of the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) officials' seats, as in literally on the court :) wala, malakas eh hehe. hindi sya gaanong malapit noh? ;p. pwede nga akong gumawa ng eksena habang naglalaro sila para ma-focus ako ng camera at lumabas sa TV hahaha. sigurado dadamputin din ako ng security so i opted not to ;p.

spending time with friends.. priceless.

2007-01-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

this week in particular was very stressful at work. we experienced a "squall" in terms of workload coming in (client requests, investigation of translation errors, and things if i ever mention most of you will have no idea about). something must have knocked these clients' heads off lately, would you believe most of their requests came in with either Major or Moderate severity! eh, that's bad news for my team since konti na nga lang kami and some of them were sick pa. oh well, i'm just glad this week is almost over and that i was able to hang out (and relax a bit) last saturday night. i was with aileen and katz at Greenbelt 3. eto na yung pangako ko :) we dined together, had fun playing (and sweat it out competing) in timezone hehe, watched a feel-good movie and killed some time chatting. i'll let the pictures do the talking..

@ the GoodEarth, while awaiting for our food

kathy and aileen

@GB3 Timezone, competing with aileen on the air hockey game (sayang wala yung sa basketball game)

@GB3 Timezone, goofing around with katz

@GB3 Cinema, after watching Night at the Museum. madami tao nun, naglabasan na nung time na yan :)

being in company with good friends really mean a lot. eto yung mga moments na priceless, times you would really treasure. sayang din kasi i had other plans sana before we headed to GB. pero oks lang, dahil may next time pa naman diba :) and besides, i really really enjoyed the night. thanks for your time and friendship. this entry is dedicated to you both :)

simpleng kaligayahan

2007-01-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

as they say, happy moments could be attained even with the simplest of means. sadly, i feel like advertising has changed the face of happiness through the years: billboards showing children hugging their toys, that ad which a celebrity got her desired figure/sexiness, or that telecom ad wherein the models show off their expensive celphones whilst putting on that *fake* smile. somehow people nowadays are made to believe that happiness comes at a very high price. but of course for people (me included) who grew up barely surviving the daily challenge (3 meals a day that is), we think otherwise. playing patintero at the street under the moonlight with the other kids sure made us happy. it costs us our frail body's energy but hey, not a penny is spent to be able to participate. on my way to sleep i'll remember with satisfaction that i gave my best in the game though i smell sweaty. pero mas maamoy, mas malakas ang feeling of satisfaction haha.. how about tumbang preso. puhunan? just bring your own pair of slippers, lata ng gatas (yung sa Alaska okay yun!) and voila, the group can start the game often coupled with yelling and a lot of trash talking (yeah, i like that part). pagalingan pa kayo sa mga peyk mub (fake move) haha. at kung sino ang matatawag na balagoong at the end of the game! how about watching TV together with your siblings. okay, okay, sumisilip sa bintana ng kapitbahay para manood ng TV with your siblings ;p. you know, these things do not require you to spend much but definitely will bring much joy to the heart. that, my friends, is happiness at its simplest state for me..

so why am i writing about this? because i felt it this morning. in our world today, the race to make life easier is turning out to be very stressful. you work to earn a living. and in my case, having to work on a night-shift schedule gives stress a great chance to play a major role in my everyday life. i get busy with making a life the pursuit of happiness seems to become a lesser priority... a good friend told me once that she'd like to try to ride the PNR train. yes, that very old train running parallel to SLEX. how can you miss that eh though you can't see the train, you will definitely hear it even from afar. kahit mga 1 kilometer pa rinig mo na yung busina niya hehe. she asked me to accompany her and honestly at first i was hesitant. not that i do not want to because i remember we rode the PNR many times before (with my tatay and kuya). but that was what, 10 years ago? eventually i nodded yes (do i have a choice really?). and besides, going out of your comfort zone sometimes for a friend gives you that good feeling inside. so i checked out the train's schedule 2 days prior to our "trial ride". and today, we actually went there, took some pictures of the railway and us, rode the train from Buendia to Alabang, took some more pictures (and videos i won't dare share hehe) and headed back home with nothing but happiness, satisfaction, much much laughter, and joy in our hearts. ang sarap ng feeling! :D

it all started @ Buendia..

Rona and that ever contagious excitement :)

sino 'tong kasama mo?

there's not much peeps inside that's why..

cge tawa lang habang umaalog alog ang tren, mahangin ba sa labas? hehe

finally, Alabang!

how much was it? murang mura lang but loads of fun await you. P12/pax my friends (Buendia-Alabang). it's evident in the pictures that we had a great great time. so if you're up for a cheap, exciting, shaky, maalikabok, and okay, adventurous ride na rin, try out the PNR for once. we enjoyed the trip. i hope you do too.. more than that, it made me happy. as in simpleng kaligayahan. and what better way than to spend it with a friend. makes your happiness complete and fulfilling..

all weird

2007-01-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

i'm being weird these past days, or dysfunctional maybe (oh well, story of my life!). weird feelings. correction, dysfunctional feelings. weird temper (hindi ata ako nagalit over the weekend, so weird nga). weird dreams. speaking of which, i had a couple of nung weekend. Like last Saturday morning (btw, i work at night, sleep during the day. yes, a vampire)... in my dream Manila was hit by a major earthquake and nasa office daw ako that time. i saw the other building of RCBC (we're situated in tower 2) badly damaged: windows shattered, papers and office stuffs flying in the air. and what's even surprising is that there are cars sucked out of the building, imagine above 30th floor eh may parking?! i'm not sure though if the building we're in was also damaged by the quake. this still is so vivid in my mind.

here's another. last night i dreamed about a wedding. uhmm okay, my own wedding :D nothing to be excited about because i really don't have plans yet, definitely none this year. why was it weird? firstly, i saw the bride's face. from what i've heard you're not suppose to see your bride in dreams (tama nga ba), sabi nila mahirap makita or sa succeeding dreams pa daw dapat yun. or that you'll need so much will power to be able to see her. eh ako nakita ko na kaagad. i guess it's not important for you readers (are there?) to know who she is. apparently i know her very well. mabibilang ko lang sa daliri ang nagbabasa ng blog ko, sabihin ko na kaya? ;p. does it mean subconsciously that i really want being with her pero di ko lang napapansin? i don't know pero if there's one thing that dream tells me, stong-willed pala ako hehe ;p. what makes it weirder is that i tried postponing it, i think hours before the event, kasi nga i realized na i haven't invited my friends pala. well there are three who attended, a friend from the office, a barkada from college and a kababata. again i won't mention their names, baka magtampo ang mga hindi kasama eh hehe. tatatlo lang ba ang kaibigan ko? does that mean something or what. marami naman akong kaibigan ah. or maybe i am warned of being too occupied with too many activities i tend to forget the people around me. that sounds very me *guilty*.

can someone please tell me these are just symptoms of sleeping deficiency syndrome, if there is such a thing. for the past three days, uhmm, 3 plus 2 plus 7 (see i can't even remember elementary math dahil sa puyat). 12 hours for 3 days hmmm kulang pa rin eh noh? that's 12 hours short of a normal beauty rest, assuming kaya ko yung typical 8-hour a day sleep. am i too stressed these days (i think so). or maybe i should just change my folding bed. sabagay luma na rin eh. or maybe i am being abducted by aliens while i am asleep. oh nooo!

senti

2007-01-20T15:05:00.000-05:00

it's past 3AM and obviously i'm still awake. just got home after hanging out with friends, we dined at Rockwell then headed to 6750 Starbucks to chit chat. 'twas a great night i'd say though i only had about 3 hours of sleep. yatpu ulit tsk tsk. would you believe, i set my celphone alarm to 5PM pero hindi ako nagising waaaahh. next thing i know i woke up at 7PM eh we were supposed to meet at 7PM din hehe. dang, it has always been and i think will be my problem. mantika kasi ako kung matulog *kamot ulo*. pag meh apoy sa tabi ko, sunog na yung kalahati siguro ng katawan ko bago pa ako magising.. anyway, i feel a bit sentimental when i got home. eh pano naabutan ko yung isang teleserye (re-run i think since it's already past midnight) sa channel 2 and i decided to watch it because Sports Unlimited comes right after pa. mind you, i don't really watch these shows pero crush ko kasi ang chinita na bidang babae, so how can i resist? hehe. the 15-minute part i saw somehow moved me. starting from the part wherein the chinita girl cried running away from his love interest, eh mantakin mo ba namang tumawid sa isang busy street so talagang mababangga ka inday. eh bus pa yun, so siguradong tepok diba? she was survived by her family and, of course, a lot of friends who were all at her funeral. bigla ko na-miss si ermats =(.. but i was moved by the scene when the guy knelt and prayed at the church. that he was contrite about not doing everything for the girl when she was still alive, that he started asking God to bring back time (tingin ko yun ang sabi niya di ko na narinig hehe). simple at cliche ang scene diba but because i was exactly in his place before, though my love interest did not die of a car accident, i felt his pain. ouch i need a valium!! i let our relationship slip away, only realizing when it was already gone. how stupid was i to let that someone i was hoping to be with my whole life go. my god, what happened to me?!? she's gone and it's all over and i should have let go by now. i know i did pero i take it hard on myself pa rin..

oh well, so much for that. why am i like this? am i gonna die soon? oh Lord wag naman po sana please please! or is this just a sign of getting older and get to face real life? basta, this year i would want to concern myself with making life better. and doing whatever i can for everybody. okay, okay, not for everyone, just for loved ones and friends lang muna :)

anyway, trip ko mga striped long sleeves lately and i saw one in Esprit (Power Plant Mall) which i fell in love with the moment na nakita ko siya. i'm planning to buy it tomorrow. why not kanina? kasi baka mamaya infatuation lang hahaha. pampalubag loob lang hehe ;p.

o, wala nang palabas sa TV. mag-a-alas kwatro na pala hehe. meme na ;p.

i like :)

2007-01-11T00:58:00.000-05:00

i was supposed to blog this the other day but didn't have the strength kasi i was throwing up for almost 5 hours, yes my stomach literally ejected everything i ate and drank. i may have eaten something that poisoned me that Tuesday night. pero i'm much better now. bed rest lang.. oh well, just wanted to show you guys an Adidas shirt (with T-Mac on it, Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets) i received as a Christmas present. kasi suot ko nung Tuesday di ko naman na-picture-an yung sarili ko hehe. next time :) here it is:

thanks Rons :)

PLDT myDSL sucks!!

2007-01-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

pangako ko sa sarili ko babawasan ko na ang init ng ulo. it's just the second week of the year and i've already broken this promise twice. eh sino ba naman ang hindi iinit ang ulo?

i feel sick today so i opted to stay sa bahay and get some rest. but since i have some pending deliverables for 2 clients, i tried logging in thru my DSL connection to get it done only to be really dismayed about the poor connection we bitter subscribers are still experiencing. di man lang ako maka-login thru VPN connection. imagine, their website, which btw is very poorly done/layouted, still has this advisory from Dec 27th. eh anong taon na wala pa rin ba silang panibagong update?!?!?

"PLDT myDSL Advisory"December 27, 2006

We Regret your DSL service may encounter intermittent service degradation. The strong earthquake in Taiwan caused major fiber breaks in the internationl cable facilities reducing our bandwidth capacities.

The international consortia operating these facilities have dispatched cable ships to undertake needed repairs. We are also working on augmenting via alternate routes now. Please bear with us.

it has been 13 days, eh i can't even stand to be disconnected nga for a freakin' hour. i am just ranting about that Taiwan quake after effect. i have not even written about their service in general since i subscribed. oh, aatakihin lang tayo sa puso sabay sabay!

i read from certain forums that PLDT doesn't give you any rebate eh i shouldn't even be paying them this month in the first place! @)(*#*&!^# kakainis talaga! sigh, but what can i do. i can call their customer service helpdesk anytime and rant every possible way i can think of but for what? to put me on hold for an hour and hear nothing but alibis? sayang lang sa oras. i have so much more important things to do but of course hindi ko maalis ang pagkayamot because i'm a paying customer who expects the best service from them. it's just too horrible. too horrible damn it!

http://www.petitiononline.com/pldtdsl/petition.html

time for reflection

2007-01-01T23:06:00.000-05:00

just like every thing in this world, we have seen year 2006 come to its end. if we go around and ask people how their year had been, in all likelihood we will get negative answers. i will not be surprised when indeed last year we've seen our people experience a beating of many sorts. it was 2006 when a number of natural calamities ravaged us and left millions of properties lost, scores of families homeless, their hopes shattered and even their loved ones lifeless. who would forget "Reming" and "Milenyo" which literally crippled almost the entire of Luzon for days. the typhoons' destruction was so vast until now they're still visible on some buildings and houses, particularly in the provinces. and how can a proud pinoy (present!) feel good when another political storm is rearing its ugly head in the political landscape? critics, political opponents, opposition congressmen backed by some militant groups filed several petitions for GMA's impeachment (second in as many years) but was booted out in the Lower House by mere technicalities. politicians bashing each other on national TV. political bickerings like these are fast becoming a "thing of the ordinary" for us Filipinos we have learned to just ignore them. remember the war in Hezbollah, coup d'etat by the Philippine Marines, Ultra stampede, among others. they all happened last year. i haven't even mentioned our own personal, individual struggles and pain! wooossaaaahh...

and yet we are reminded that amidst the troubles, we were still given countless blessings (later on that). i am proud how Filipinos' optimism seem so boundless, that even endless political bickerings, calamities, predictions of doom and even the worst news cannot dampen that. a common thing among us is that despite and despite, we still believe that things will eventually get better.. going back to the blessings, me being able to write this blog entry means i am still alive, in its literal context mind you :D (you might wanna read a previous entry to comprehend that last sentence). my family, though separated by physical distance, has been healthy and safe. i am still employed, which is very important since i provide for my other two siblings, though i complain of my sched most of the time :) and countless others i won't have much space to write about.. but because i had spent most of my waking hours sitting in front of my laptop pondering on how to solve technical issues (read: WORK), 2006 has passed me like a blur, a mere dot on the horizon. in spite of that the lazy person in me has managed to find time to get out whenever my work sched permits (believe me there are hardly any).. there were many firsts last year for me. first time to be back in Samar (my mother's province) after 16 years though for a sad reason, our Lolo's burial. first time to set my foot on Cebu grounds after 21 years and first time to go back to Mindanao after 23 years. first time in Boracay, Bohol, Camiguin and Cagayan de Oro all in 2006! how about first time to be hospitalized since i was 3 years old hehe, which i don't wish for a next trip in my lifetime.. see if you can take this: first time i heard from someone that her first impression of me was that i am gay!! abah, nalokah ang lolo mo huh! of all people, ako pa?!?! may gaotie na nga ako at rocker ang gusto kong dating, bading pa rin daw?? grabe na itech! ika nga ni pareng Mikee, ang shoorraayyy!! ;p. okay lang, i can actually live with that. my tatay used to call me bakla in high school when he sees me sporting a long hair-do ;p. he has a thing for the army cut (guys out there you know what i'm telling ya, the two-by-three haircut sa barbershop hehe) that he wants us boys in the family to have that. oh well, so much for the bakla thing. for the record, i am not! (mukhang guilty! haha) ;p.

new year in its classical context is regarded as a time for preparation. but i believe it is also a time to look into ourselves and evaluate how the previous year has been and how we can be better in the next. in that regard, allow me to regale you with some areas of my life i think i've learned and needs to improve on:

personal. hmm first on the list is that kelangan ko bawasan ang kayabangan ko :D i get in trouble most of the time because of that feeling of self-respect and personal worth, satisfaction of my own achievements. when these things start to creep in into my system, ayun na nagiging isa't kalahating mayabang na ako. and i've asked a handful of people of what i need to change and this tops their lists too, so di na ko kokontra hehe.. next is something that goes hand in hand with the first. if you know me better, then you'll agree na yung init ng ulo ko is kelangan ko din bawasan hehe. i think it runs in the family, my nanay hailing from Samar (Waray) might be the reason. peace nanay! wag niyo ko multuhin haha.. next is that i need to be sober when it comes to alcohol consumption. i remember years ago when i said i'm not gonna drink anymore because of health reasons but the challenge seemed to have outmatched my promise. i think the keyword there is discipline.. whatelse? ahh, when people treat me unjustly me for any reason, i find it very hard or i don't initiate at all to make peace with them (mayabang talaga eh noh). sometimes umaabot pa sa time na the big fella upstairs reminds me to let go of my pride. sana i could learn to not look at whose fault is it but start to be humble and initiate. haayy hirap *kamot ulo*.. during our recent team building i remember my beloved team (NOL and RTS) when asked on what i need to improve on, lahat sila sabi "pumasok daw ako ng maaga at wag mali-late" hehe.. okay noted. err i'll try ;p. (if you have suggestions, ilagay niyo lang sa comment section at idadagdag ko dito. promise i won't get back at you ;p.)

*enjoying the Boracay sand, taken on Sept. 3

faith. this is where i think i messed up bad this year. again. though i have failed miserably in my duties as a believer, i know God still believes in me. indeed, God became man because God believes in us. He sees beauty where we can only find ugliness, hope where we can only find despair. perhaps, He became man to tell us that despite our foibles and squabbles, He still beholds us as the crowning glory of His creation. we should have more confidence then. i should have more confidence then :) may i be reminded always that He is to be glorified in every success i attain, in every failure that He wants me to learn from it, in every problem that He wants me to depend on Him, in a deep challenge that it is okay to admit that i am afraid and that i need Him at my side.

family. i love my family no question about it. i've learned to sacrifice even my own time and satisfaction just for them. but inspite of that i still think i haven't been a good kuya to my younger brother Samuel. there are times when we get into a fight which i realize later that i should have been more patient para di na nangyari. i ignore him when i come home tired from work. i think God allowed him to be how he is for us (his siblings) to learn to love people unconditionally. bawi ako sayo.. as for my kuya, medyo ganon din. i often ignore him when we are on the phone kasi ba naman parang bata na tanong nang tanong ng kahit ano hehehe. eh mahal tumawag overseas. pero of course when he confides of his personal problems i make sure i listen. i remember our fights (sapakan lang nung mga bata pa pero nung lumaon may hawak na kaming tig-isang kutsilyo. Waray eh ;p.) when we were young and i believe those "bonding moments" (for lack of a better term) binded us firmly.. my two sisters, i'm happy they're in good terms after nanay's death.. nanay, i miss her so much. iba pa rin talaga ang mother's love. so for those who still have their mothers with them, always love them dearly.. to Michael, well i hope you finish your studies. that's the only thing people can't take away from you. try to stretch those muscles sometimes. wag puro nood ng TV ha. kumbaga sa tagalog, wag kang batugan okay? but of course you know i love you bro!.. and to my tatay, you're the best in the world! kahit sa pamilya eh tayo lang ang magka-kulay, okay lang. i've learned things from you which i am proud of today. sayo ko rin namana ang talino at pagkakaroon ng abilidad sa buhay. thank you for those times of discipline regardless of how you imposed them hehe (sinturon, walis, pingot, palo at kahit ano pa yun). just wanted to quote this,

"If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it... No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

i love y'all!

friends. i'd say i have fairly made good friends with people this year which i am happy about. worthy of mentioning is that a handful of them are from the office. one-two punch dyan is BFFs (palitan na nga natin toh, it's so gay) Rona and Brian. i honestly don't know how we clicked, though i don't like you both wala akong nagawa, as if i had a choice ;p. in our failures and successes sa trabaho man o sa buhay, it'd be great to share them with each other. eto lang ang makita kong mga pics natin eh, nakakapagod maghanap..
*aboard Cebu Pacific, off to CDO on Nov. 23

*that mafia look.

of course, my beloved (extended/nuclear) teams NOL, RTS, Gateway and Techniques. our times together couldn't be that happier. just look at our Boracay trip picture, don't we all look ecstatic? ay kayo lang pala ang nandyan ;p. sana magsama sama pa tayo ng matagal.
*taken @ Boracay on Sept. 3

*jumpshot at the Willy's Rock, Boracay, taken on Sept. 5

out-of-office friends Mikee, Rose and Obray thank you as well for the great times we've shared last year. i wouldn't forget our first encounter, that Manila-Banaue-Sagada roadtrip wherein Mark, Lems and i were betting on whether Obray is the boypren of Mikee hahaha joke lang ;p. kidding aside, you guys are so cool. kain ulit tayo sa Dampa pero dahan dahan sa oysters ha! wehehe ;p here's to the good times!

*taken @ Tagbilaran, Bohol on the 4th of July

*taken @ Malapascua, Cebu on July 1

to katz and aileen, haha humabol pa. you guys are cool and fun to be with. salamat sa pagkakataon na maging kaibigan niyo. hope we can spend more time together, hang out or gimik minsan. kayo taya ;p. si katz kasi, laging puno ang booking. hirap magpa-sched ;p. peace! here's to a lasting friendship :)

*taken @ Tiananmen Bar, Makati Ave. on December 9

and lastly to the 11 people i was with when that fatal accident happened. i believe everything happens for a reason and for whatever purpose it is only God knows. good things have come out of that incident though, one is that i have felt a special bond amongst ourselves. another is that we have put to rest any ill feelings we have had towards one another, if there are any (guilty ata ako dito ah, o ako ang may sala?). i am grateful we all survived.

*taken @ Divisoria, CDO on Nov. 26

*one for all, all for one.

*life goes on :)

i wouldn't know what the coming year has to offer but one thing i'll try to do is making the conscious effort to live my life a day at a time and savor every moment with it. what do i wish to see? hmmm simple lang. good health for me, my family and closest friends. lots of love and make more friends. yun lang po :)

may God bless us all this 2007 and may this be a fruitful and meaningful year! on a final note, let me leave you with an old Italian wish..

"Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto." go figure out :D

happy new year again everyone! cheers to the good times!!!

happy new year everyone!

2006-12-31T15:35:00.000-05:00

i am personally grateful i have survived 2006 :) though it was rough, 'twas still good. i'm hoping to be see a better me this new year.. sana *cross fingers* sana *cross fingers* :D

motto for 2007: livestrong!

God bless us all!

y

2006-12-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

as to why am i ksp lately eh hindi ko rin alam :-S

'tis the season of love

2006-12-25T11:59:00.000-05:00

i am equally guilty among those who treated Christmas as one of those occasions that just must pass and be celebrated. i would understand, though still not an excuse for them, that some hardly felt it at all due to poverty, hunger and strife. i've realized that my lame reason of being too much occupied with work and family/personal matters had simply led me to not appreciate the deep meaning of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. and that is the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ into this world, through Mary, which eventually led to his crucifixion for the forgiveness of mankind's sins. John 3:16 simply puts God's reason, "...that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have eternal life."

maybe too many traditions and the repeated celebration of Christmas years and years after Jesus' birth have somewhat blurred the meaning of it all. but i think every year is a high time for us to return to the basics. LOVE is the reason why we have Christmas so it leaves us no reason to not love one another in return. we should cease complaining of what we don't have, let's start counting our blessings instead.. Merry Christmas everyone! :D

eins, zwei, drei

2006-12-22T09:52:00.000-05:00

3 days before Christmas but i honestly am not into it yet. but at least i had reconciled with some of the people i wasn't in good terms with this year :) makes you feel lighter inside. isa na lang ata ang natitira hehe.. haven't gone to malls or tiangge to buy gifts for my family and friends. next week na rin lang siguro pag may sweldo na ulit. buti na lang money doesn't really matter when you try to make people happy. spending time with them nga lang would mean a lot..

by next week, i'd like to have a reflection of my life in 2006 which i usually do come this time of the year. sana mai-post ko din dito sa blog ko. but for now, i should get ready..

...

2006-12-18T21:13:00.000-05:00

please promise you won't fall in love with me...

one of those days..

2006-12-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

from what i remember throughout the year there were very few times i got sick or at least stayed home because i'm not feeling well. i am living with my ate at bunso namin sa magkakapatid and yes, we tend to everyone's needs (i support our family financially, ate ko naman ang cook and si Samuel, siya ang nakikinig lang ng music araw araw hehe) but there are certain times you wish you can just relax and be pampered by people around you. recently, after the accident i stayed home for more than a week and boy, bukod sa na-bore ako because i barely could use the keyboard with my sore left hand eh nag self-pity lang ata ako most of the time. it's one of my weaknesses i guess, which apparently i need to overcome. it's those times you wish someone takes care of you. doesn't matter who that is as long as may nag-aalaga. two people i miss, my nanay who i remember cooks for me and attends to my needs kahit may lagnat lang ako. and of course my girlfriend beside me (oh when can i get over you, you know who you are)...

and today i feel so sick :( where are they? nanay is not around though i don't wish for her to be here at this moment hehe ;p God bless her soul! oh well, i guess i just have to stop feeling sorry for myself. itulog ko na nga lang toh and i have a wedding to attend to tomorrow morning. haaaayyy..

random thoughts

2006-12-07T16:44:00.000-05:00

if only i could write songs then i would already have thousands today. moods, feelings, stereotypes. naku madami ako niyan...

being a team leader poses a challenge not just on resolving technical issues but more so on the part wherein you have to be fair with everyone. two things i make sure: first, that no one feels any favoritism from my part and second, that a relationship established would not just be on professional terms but something that goes beyond workplaces. don't get me wrong, i mean to be friends/barkada with everybody at least.

after almost seven years with my current employer, i've established different kinds of friendships with different kinds of people. some short-lived (obviously short stint lang sila sa company eh), some purely business, some colorful (nakagalit, nakabati, nakatampuhan, nakabati ulit hehe), others profound (goes beyond mabo-boteng usapan and the billiard table, we became part of each others' lives. naging ninong na nga ako ng mga anak nila eh), and still others i'd say would last a lifetime (there's my BFFs Rona and Brian. ay corny!.. likewise with the other 11 who figured out in a vehicular accident recently and together we survived).

and for almost seven years, i have seen friends come and go. oh well, that's life and the only constant thing we have is change. every day we encounter changes which could affect us directly and thus drag us a bit into either the bright or dull side of life, or indirectly which still ripples through our emotions.. for this year alone, four of my team members left and i'm proud to admit that i am affected each time. why? simply because we have made that connection, that bond, which when you not see them as often as before seems to bring void within. dang, i am easily attached to people and i know in a similar manner this puts me in a more difficult position to leave..

oh well, life goes on. so long friends and when we cross paths again in the not so distant future let's pause for a moment and reminisce of those good times. chao!

or maybe i'm still shaken up with the recent accident i've been through. i think i need to see a psychiatrist...

another chance..

2006-11-30T03:22:00.000-05:00

arrggghh i had to rewrite this whole thing, patapos na ko nang biglang nag blue screen of death ang aking OS. oh Windows, you are such a crap!!! :D

==========================================================

very rarely do i post on my blog site now but i felt compelled to do so because of an important thing that happened in my life six days ago. a dreadful day which i am thankful for. you might pick up something valuable as i did so please read on..

for me, zen is to have long vacations whenever time permits or at least leave the fast-paced city life once in 3 months. having been to Cebu and Bohol last July, Boracay on September, i (together with my officemates) decided to check out Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin island down south last week (November 23 - 27). except for Don who hails from CDO, Rona whose mom is from Camiguin and sir Bong who's been to the island, the rest of us (12 peeps) are first timers so that makes the trip even more exciting. straight from our night shift sched, we headed to our early morning flight to CDO which was fairly smooth and as we touched down we met Rona's mother shortly then headed straight to the island. after almost 5 hours of travel, a sumptous brunch was awaiting at Rona's house. one whole lechong baboy! a dip in a cold spring after that and we're off to Mantigue island for an overnight stay. i'd say the first day and night was fun-filled and nothing but worry-free adventures.

no one had the slightest idea that November 24, 2006 had something different in store for us. more "adventures"? for lack of better terms maybe, but i'd say it's more of a lesson. a lifetime lesson. the day started normal with coffee and chitchats about what happened the previous night. i literally toured the island with Iya and took pictures of the sunrise and the local folks who gathered seaweeds at dawntime. at around 7:30AM we headed back to Camiguin aboard two motorboats. the moment i stepped on the boat and waves started to have its presence felt i know we're in for a scary ride. imagine this, we're headed northward and the wind was eastward which caused the waves to hit us on the left side. i sat at the front middle portion of the boat and instructed the others to balance our weight against the tide. believe me thrice our boat almost turned over and twice the front portion dipped into the sea water. in anticipation of the worse thing to happen, i just prayed and requested one thing, "Lord, wag naman po dito sa dagat..." after almost 40 minutes of that scary ride we reached Camiguin and boy was i glad it's over. as we headed back to Rona's house the fear subsided and everybody was energetic once again. nalunod na naman kami sa kasiyahan. little did we know that someone up there is reminding us to take life at a slower pace. wag padalos dalos at hinay hinay lang kumbaga. after our brunch the next destination was White island but we decided to stop by Katibawasan falls since it's within our way naman. aboard a multicab (combination of a bigger tricycle and a smaller jeepney) we headed to the falls and since it's up on a mountain most of the way was uphill. at some point of the journey i know na hindi talaga kaya ng sasakyan namin considering 13 kami lahat including the driver. my bestfriend Rona and i were seated at the front. barely one kilometer to our destination we had to pass by a very steep uphill road and off we went, however midway di na kinaya ng engine and we stalled. everyone was about to go out of the vehicle but then the handbreak snapped and the scary downhill started (at paatras pa kami). despite being so nervous our driver tried to maneuver the multicab to have at least a lesser impact but it was futile since uncontrollable na talaga. what scared me most was when i looked out of the window (remember i was seated at the front) and my eyes caught the sight of the cliff at the right side. i thought, "this could be it..." presence of mind na lang siguro, my left hand held on sa pinto then yung kanang kamay ko tinukod ko sa bandang bubungan ng sasakyan. i felt Rona held on at my left and everybody braced for impact. we were very close to have fallen in the cliff (twice ata) buti na lang nakabig ng drayber ang manibela. mabilis ang mga pangyayari. four to six seconds and then bang... the multicab crashed onto its right side and thankfully everyone got out without any major injuries. sir Bong, Aller, ma'am Velle, sir Don, Katz and i had cuts and bruises on our limbs but it was Tuni whom everyone was really concerned with. besides the bruises on his arm and back i think his head hit the pavement which caused him to unconciously lose his memory for a bit. good thing is that results were negative and nothing serious had happened. eventually we spent the rest of the day at the Camiguin General Hospital and had our itinerant vacation cancelled. the next day we headed back to CDO with nothing but gratitude to God, memories of Camiguin island and yes, the promise of returning to conquer the island once again, God willing :)

so why am i still thankful despite what happened? firstly because i was given another chance to continue on with this life. as my ym status reads, this time music is much sweeter, colors more vivid and life more beautiful. secondly, i came to realize that no matter how we try to control our time the Supreme Being up there is still the director, which i should be reminded of always.

accounting what happened sure ain't easy especially that the people involved are all dear to you. i do hope as well that together we can get over what happened.. more than my deep wounds, swollen cheek and scars i think the bond that had us together during that incident will be treasured for the rest of my life. all 12 of us have a special bond now since together we were able to have almost died and together we have survived..

let me end my post with a prayer, if you may..

Lord i thank you personally for this wonderful chance which i know i'm not worthy of. i'm grateful that no one was hurt badly. i pray that the scars would remind me to trust you always and will serve as a gentle reminder that you are in control of everything including our lives; where we will go, how we will live and when we will see you. please guide us always and may we serve this chance you've given for your great purpose. in Christ's name that i pray. Amen..

tonight i wanna cry

2006-08-14T18:26:00.000-04:00

alone in this house again tonight
i got the TV on, the sound turned down and a bottle of wine
there's pictures of you and i on the walls around me
the way that it was and could have been surrounds me
i'll never get over you walkin' away

well i've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
and i thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self-control
but i'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
to hell with my pride
let it fall like rain, from my eyes
tonight I wanna cry...

would it help if i turned a sad song on
"All by Myself" would sure hit me hard, now that you're gone
or maybe unfold some old yellow lost love letters
it's gonna hurt bad before it gets better
but i'll never get over you by hidin' this way

cause i've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
and i thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self-control
but i'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
to hell with my pride
let it fall like rain, from my eyes
tonight I wanna cry...

my flickr page

2006-08-07T13:38:00.000-04:00

June flew fast i hardly noticed. but July flew even faster! geezz ganito na pala pag busy ka masyado di mo na napapansin ang oras. well, since it's taking up a lot of time to post yung mga pics ko dito, pakitignan niyo na lang sa flickr account ko: http://www.flickr.com/photos/temyong

or you could click on any picture shown in my flickr badge at the sidebar's bottom of this blog page. enjoy! :)

awakening from silence

2006-07-08T07:49:00.000-04:00

whoa! that was more than a month of silence. a lot of things have happened since: the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Mi-a-mi Heat (it costed me P500); Brazil lost in the World Cup semis; my hair grew longer now i badly need a haircut; my skin is now tanner after spending some days in Cebu and Bohol :) i still have to do a bit of post processing on some of the pictures before i will post it here. soon..

and yet again, another week has passed..

2006-05-27T13:35:00.000-04:00

another week has passed. how time flies by so fast! i barely even noticed. it had nothing to offer much this time but more work. at least the latter part was a bit fulfilling. yesternight, together with a work colleague who celebrated his birthday, we treated our officemates to a little kainan in the office. we had pancit malabon, beef stroganoff with kanin, siomai, pichi pichi, puto, some desserts and soda. i even brought a six-liter red wine por da boys. later that night we headed to Saguijo Bar + Cafe at San Antonio Village in Makati for some more alcohol. take note we have work that time huh ;p oh i so love Fridays wherein production issues are so rare. well, since it was Saguijo's second year anniversary, they showcased a handful of good bands, of which my favorites were Imago and Sandwich (sayang di sila dumating hindi ko tuloy narinig ang Sugod ng live). it's evident how everybody loves Imago, everyone was singing along to their song Akap! "...sabihin sa kin lahat ng lihim mo. iingatan ko..." other bands like Soapdish and Pedicab also had their way to put on a good show. btw, we saw some celebrities hanging out that night: Anne Curtis, Danica Sotto and her boyfriend. there might have been others we didn't notice since we're busy looking out at the ladies :)

i went home this morning holding on to my aching head. i think there my heart was pumping blood which has too much alcohol in it hehe. just had enough time to take off my shoes and then i dozed off directly sa sala haha. i was awakened by the alarm i set and the four-hour sleep seemed so short. parang kakapikit ko pa lang. i was still tired to get up so i had to drag my body to the bathroom. actually sa labas na ko ng bahay namin naligo para mas malamig ang tubig. i was invited by my good friend koolitz to a photoshoot. man, i'm beginning to love my new hobby. kahit may pagka mahal ang mga gamit, nothing compares to the satisfaction it brings especially when at the end of a shoot you see that shots taken were fabulous. i'm still a newbie but with experienced people around me, i know criticisms would be handy which would lead to quick improvements. adding to that satisfaction is, you know, meeting a lot of people and new friends.

this was taken by a fellow photog while i was scanning the pictures i took myself. parang tunay hahaha. i will post some of the pics nung model namin later in my flickr account..

antok na talaga ako..

a shot from the past

2006-05-22T18:39:00.000-04:00

i don't exactly know why but the recent days have caused me to be loony (adj. informal or slang for mentally irregular). i watched two movies in as many days last weekend. that's insane on my part. why? i'm a promdi kid and growing up we were not used to watch movies in cinema houses or even on TV. simply because we can't afford to. if my memory still is not failing me, the first movie i watched together with my kuya was a Tito, Vic and Joey film Shoot That Ball. we actually sneaked out of the house without my tatay's permission knowing the dire consequences of this suicidal act. after watching the movie with my cousins and some other relatives, we headed home just the way we left: go back unnoticed. however we were still about a hundred and fifty meters away from our apartment gate, which we used to live in and still fabricating our alibis that it was actually our Uncle Datun that persuaded us to go with the assurance of his words "ako ang bahala sa tatay niyo!" only to realize that the blurred figure we see from afar is our dear tatay, waiting impatiently holding a meter-length stick maybe as thick as half of an inch. what's worse it that our uncle is nowhere in sight for our defense. it's funny (back then believe me it wasn't, we were trembling) how we already cried knowing we had little chance to escape hahaha. where will i go? i think i was in third grade then so just imagine the juvenility of my mind. anyway, back to the story. i remember our tatay berating us as we head to our area in the apartment stressing that giving in to things like that (movies, sugal, or anything that you spend your money into that he thinks in worthless) would eventually destroy us and our character later in life. we cried harder and louder. but that didn't move him a bit. he needs to discipline us that night. he needs to make sure the pain reminds us throughout our lifetime of that discipline he instills. and he actually did. he made us lie (face) down on a chair and started whipping us with the stick, me first and then kuya. the rest was a sore puwet and history.

i better understand my tatay now than before. it was partly brought about i think by his lifetime which mainly was earning a living in a (very) hard way. btw, he was the eldest among the boys in their family. more often than not i hear from him that at a young age he was exposed to do farm tasks like tending carabaos, plowing the fields, harvesting and threshing palay, and others that a grown up should actually be doing. or at least someone whose body can already take the toll of these heavy tasks. when their father died, he was compelled to make sure his younger siblings finish school. so he had to give up his own schooling just to work for them. mind you, he was a top student from primary to secondary level. if he has gone to college he would have passed it with flying colors. in some way i got my wit from him, no kidding :) going back to the story. he entered into being a construction worker. coupled with this tiring job is the loneliness he had to bear since it meant going away from his family. i imagine going through years of hard labor and at the end of each day you just have enough money to put food on your plate will make you come into realization the value and worth of every centavo. they say, "ang perang pinaghirapan, hindi basta basta ginagastos." which in fact is very true. so he brought this philosophy, or should i say discipline, along until he had his own family. he was in a construction project then i think in Samar as an electrician when he and nanay met. he also became a fisherman since our lolo (mother side) had fishing boats before. he taught us how to work hard and of course not neglect the people who helped us one way or the other through circumstances. and as i have said earlier he was profoundly against gambling, spending money on unimportant things like satisfying your vices, etc. and yes that includes watching movies. "you can always do something more important with your time, something that would benefit your mind" was his always reminder. that was why. he stressed importance on education more than anything else. if there's one thing nobody can take from you, it was it. education.

but the above is actually not the reason why i'm gloomy. we're just having some family problems which made him lonely. i guess i've never seen him so lonely and lost than when nanay passed away about four years ago. throughout his life, tatay always finds a way to give his family a good welfare. there are times he thinks he's a failure on his son/daughter when he doesn't see his personal plans materialize in him/her. as a son trying to comprehend where he's coming from and feeling his pain, i gently remind him, "hindi lahat ng gusto natin sa isang tao eh susundin niya. there are times when he wants what he wants and he'll actually do it." it was a family decision to have him migrate and live in the U.S. to just enjoy life after so many years of hardship. he's turning 70 this year. though like that, he never fails to prioritize his family's welfare among other things. we're six siblings and the youngest is 19 but he still treats us as kids, not kids as childhood kids but you know the loving father that he is he just wants to make sure we make the right decisions in our own lives. and at times it pains me to hear him comment "failure ata ako sa kapatid mo eh." feeling his pain, i always reassure him that it is not the way he thinks it is. there are just things in life that we do not have control over and we need to learn to let go. acceptance. knowing when to hold on and when to let go (in a good way).

an emotional person as i am, matters like this break my heart. aww.. look at me, getting gushy and shit. see this is what i don't like about me. im sooo emotional. i'm supposed to be tough!.. well, i hope some day when i have a family of my own, God would give me the courage to change things i can, accept those that i can't and have the wisdom to know their difference.

to my tatay, it's not the end of things when we fail to see our expectations on those we dearly love. let go and let God. i'll treat you to a movie when i go back to L.A. don't worry, nobody will spank us in the puwet. we'll just enjoy and be kids once again. i love you..

b2b2b and a little bit of history

2006-05-20T16:18:00.000-04:00

not business-to-business-to-bankruptcy wehehe ;).

the successful Filipino ascent to Mt. Everest is something that swells national pride in the same way as when Manny Pacquiao KO’ed Erik Morales a few months ago.

Friday, May 19 at about 1:20PM Manila time, Romi Garduce has added yet another accomplishment to his impressive resume: reaching the summit of Mt. Everest. this capped a weeklong attempt for our pinoy mountaineers making it a triple-treat. no other than Sir Edmund Hillary himself of New Zealand, the second man (technically, yes. i'll tell you more about this later) to climb the top of the world's highest mountain, conveyed his congratulatory remarks to all three for their historical feat:

“I have nothing but the greatest respect for the [Filipino] expedition, for the determination and the will to battle on and go to the summit,” Hillary, now 87, said in an interview yesterday with GMA 7.
“My heartiest congratulations to Leo, Romi and Erwin for their success in getting to the top. Very good luck to them. They must have been strong and determined,” he said.

ayus diba? i'm proud to be pinoy!

i did a bit of research and lots of reading and realized that Romi indeed is the Philippines' most accomplished mountaineer. he has scaled many mountains from before including Aconcagua in South America, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Russia and Cho-Oyu in the Himalayan range - all peaks ranging from 18,500 and above. to date he has already scaled four of the Seven Summits, or the highest peaks in each continent. mountaineers who have scaled all seven are considered world-class. as if that was still not enough of an impression, Garduce has climbed and trekked on 15 other mountain ranges around the world - a feat unmatched by any other Filipino mountaineer. way to go idol!

as i had blogged the other day, ABS-CBN again (well, there’s nothing new about this) ignored the achievement Romi has achieved yesterday. while GMA-7 openly congratulated, acknowledged and even covered the ascent of Oracion and Emata, both backed-up by their rival network, EBS-CBN (pronounced as ebs-C-B-N) didn’t even lift a finger to cover or at least announce Romi’s achievement. as pinoy rickey has put it in his blog, shameless. are they afraid their sponsors would cut a portion of the profit when Romi’s recent accomplishment, let alone his face on TV, appear on their obviously biased news program? i expect, at the least, from them the modesty of not trying to brag as if they were responsible for the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition (FPMEE) team’s feat. wala naman silang ginawa gaano kundi mag-kober lang nung event. they only served as the media. simply put, a means of communicating widely to the public what has transpired on a particular event. quoting pinoy rickey, “This is similar to how ABS-CBN and Gloria tried to capitalize on Manny Pacquiao as if they were responsible for his win.” come on, balanced and un-biased news programming, will yah?

touching base with a little bit of history and trivia, did you know that on May 29, 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, made the first successful attempt to scale the roof of the world. unlike what we have seen the last week, there were no TV networks that covered that event. thus, no biased reporting. no satellite phones yet. totally no communication. the news was suppressed for another four days to add spice to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (since New Zealand is a British colony). kung mataas ang iyong IQ, o cge pwede na rin kahit katamtaman lang, maitatanong mo sa sarili mo kung sino ba sa kanilang dalawa ang talagang nauna? just like the recent claim of a fourth Filipino climber, Dale Abenojar, who said through his wife that he actually made it first before Leo Oracion did. when you ask Mr. Google, Hillary who headed the expedition naturally claimed to be first but technically it was his guide, Tenzing, who presumably went ahead, set up the ropes and pulled Sir Edmund up, ought to get the credit. but when asked the same question, Tenzing in characteristic Asian politeness answered that they ascended “as a team.” thus, Hillary had to wait till Tenzing’s death in 1986 to restate the claim that he was the first.

so what does it have to do with us pinoys? aside from the fact that they have proved that it was humanly possible to reach the top of Mt. Everest some 50+ years ago, did you know that Tenzing’s daughter Nima actually lived in the Philippines. like her famous father she eventually became an accomplished mountaineer herself yet when love called she married the least athletic of persons in the late graphic artist and book designer Noli Galang. di ko alam kung saan sila ikinasal but it was Prince Peter of Greece who took the role of giving her hand to her Filipino husband when she got married since her father was not around. something that we can grin and be proud about. iba talaga ang bangis ng pinoy tsk tsk ;p.

see, a little more research could have added a little more spice to last week’s events. it’s sad nobody among the newsroom people knew this bit of info..

tulog na ulit. tapos na ang Walang Tulugan with Master Showman ;).

highs and lows in life

2006-05-18T12:10:00.000-04:00

nothing much today. i'm sleepy at work. kapoy. the effects of lack of sleep maybe. ok i'm bored..

low:
i was surprised (a grade lesser than shocked) to find a message in my yahoo mailbox yesterday coming from a very dear friend: who i haven't heard anything about in eight months already; who is now residing abroad; whom once i hoped and imagined will be my companion for life; but eventually caused my heart and world to stop for some time. without getting much into the details i realized upon reading her message that i still wasn't resolved of how things ended up between us. that i had been and continuously blaming the circumstances (and partly myself). no wonder i had a hard time moving on. i still have those extra baggages within me until now. i need to be free. i want to be free. how else but to deal with them head-on: say what needs to be said, do what needs to be done, if it makes me feel any better then scream out loud, mend and then really move on. i do not intend to wallow on these things for long i still have more to accomplish. enough is enough. but if there's any consolation, it led me to focus on other things i like doing and discover some aspects of my life i haven't uncovered before. i know in the end i'll be a better man..

high:
Erwin "Pastor" Emata conquered Mt. Everest summit earlier today, barely twenty four hours after Leo Oracion. another glorious day for the Filipinos! something to be proud of, wherever you may be in the world. i am doubly proud :). tomorrow, Romi "Garduch" Garduce is expected to repeat the feat as he starts his climb from camp 4 later today. aside from having to achieve his personal conquest of the highest peak, this will also set yet another record for Filipinos. three climbers in as many days was able to do it.

i liked what FPMEE leader Art Valdez said, which resonated the spirit of a true mountaineer: "The Philippine expedition to Everest in 2006 will not be complete if Romi will not make it to the summit and back safely. All Filipino mountaineers should be able to accomplish their objectives. We would like Filipinos to be in good safe hands." yan ang tunay na diwa ng pagiging isang mountaineer. walang bahid ng kumpetensya bagkus ang kapakanan ng sarili at ng iba ang nasa sa isip. karangalan sa bayan bago ang sa sarili.

these historical feats only but more prove that no obstacle is unsurmountable for us Filipinos. angat ang Pinoy! mabuhay tayong lahat!!

mt. everest, the climbers and this ridiculous tv network

2006-05-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

for a typical day, i usually wake up at 6:30PM, watch news for about forty five minutes then prepare for yet another graveyard shift (starts at 8PM). but today was different. i barely had sleep during daytime. i was excited. not because Dallas Mavericks leads their series against the San Antonio Spurs. i guess that helped a bit but not quite. why? because my sister welcomed me home with the news that any hour from that moment one of the Filipino mountaineers attempting to reach the summit of Mt. Everest will be able to finally reach it. of course, makabayan as i am, i felt proud. at long last, may Filipino flag na rin na maiwawagayway sa tuktok ng mundo na magpapatunay na kaya rin ng Pinoy!

come 5:30PM here in Manila (3:30PM Nepal time) Heracleo "Leo" Oracion became the first Filipino to reach the 29,035-foot-high mountain top. in a country where no mountain reaches 10,000 feet and the only ice is inside freezers, Leo is being hailed as a hero, together with the other climbers (Garduce, Emata and Abenojar). tomorrow it's Erwin "Pastor" Emata's turn to aim what his fellow mountaineer has accomplished. meanwhile, the day after tomorrow, it'll be Romeo "Garduch" Garduce's turn. make us proud gentlemen! may the Lord be with you each step of the way.

what i didn't like while watching the news programs (24 Oras and TV Patrol) though is the evident partiality ABS-CBN had in its coverage of this historical feat. it is known to all that both giant networks, ABS-CBN and GMA, televised the groups' preparations from the start until their recent accomplishments. Leo, who is part of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition team, sponsored by the Lopezes, Lucio Tan, Fidel Ramos among others is identified with, of course, channel 2. but for the sake of balanced programming, 24 Oras expressed their share of pride on his feat. they even confirmed that Leo has indeed reached the summit. in addition, there were reports of their families as they too were glued on the TV for updates as they happen. knowing that Pastor Emata is still with the "other side", they did not hesitate in showing photos of him, his family, his attempt to climb tomorrow and how the Filipino people collectively is be proud of him. i mean, that is balanced programming! aba paglipat ko sa TV Patrol, the climber identified with channel 7 wasn't even mentioned. naitanong pa ni Ted Failon, "kamusta naman yung ibang kababayan natin tulad nila Dale at Romy Garduce?" i was surpised at Abner Mercado's response, "si Dale wala tayong balita kasi sa kabilang side siya umaakyat (Tibet side). si Garduce, tatlong araw ang lamang natin sa kaniya." i nearly threw the remote control at him. ridiculous! this attempt to climb the highest mountain in the world wasn't in the first place a race. in case he doesn't know, which clearly resonated through his comments that he doesn't, climbers adhere to a certain code of ethics: that mountaineers don't race against each other but just their own self. their own limits. wasn't Mr. Mercado aware that there are already public criticism from some sections of the local mountaineering community that the TV networks' sponsorship of the groups' climb, which prompted them to climb way ahead of their previously set schedules, could get the three climbers killed? this is not for their network's glory. phew! this is not even considered the personal glory of Leo Oracion! this is for the whole Filipino people. for ALL of us..

it's sad how institutions today infuse competition to people included in such events, which primarily had goals of instilling self-discipline into one's self and testing personal limits. for what? to boost their market profit? to highlight their share of the event? which later eventually lead to envy and sadly to our (Filipino's) disgrace. please stop such acts.. upon saluting Leo, Erwin, Romy and Dale, i salute GMA-7's continued pursuit of balanced news programming. walang kinikilingan. walang pino-protektahan. serbisyong totoo lamang.

mind you, i'm not a solid Kapuso viewer. all i'm after are programs that show no biases. just my two cents for the day..

to do and to go

2006-05-16T13:47:00.000-04:00

i have so many things to blog about lately but just don't find the time in between production issues, aka work, to do it. that's how toxic my work is and i'm beginning to hate it. the toxicity and not the work itself, mind you. eh bakit ko naman kamumuhian ang trabaho ko eh this is where i get almost 90% of my income (10% pa lang ang raket) kaya kaakibat ng pagdada-dakdak ko at reklamo is to make sure gihapon no production issue is at pending status at the end of the day. period. reklamo comes after. or saka na lang pag 90% na yung raket ko :D.

i don't know what's with year two thousand and six that it brought a lot of cravings within me to try and do more things that are new to my adventure-laden system. coupled with going to places i haven't been to in the past. i'm not speaking about Paris, New York, L.A., the great Europe, mental institutions or even the solitary-confines-after-an-emotional-breakdown places. on one occasion or another i've been to those places, some of which i have enjoyed my stay, especially the latter ones haha ;). these are what i'm talking about:

to do:
1. karting - this is rather easy since i live near The Fort
2. surfing - not the net. yep, on the beach! i don't know i just had the sudden urge of riding a surf board and
3. bungee jumping off Macau tower - this is rather expensive. imagine one jump off the tower's 233m aboveground outer rim costs $868 (plus photo and DVD of "your jump"). but this is one hell of a test of your adrenaline rush :). saka na toh pag mayaman na ko..
4. sky diving - this is cheaper from what i've heard. siguro mga ten thousand pesos lang. saka na rin pag mayaman na ko..
5. blog more often - i think this is doable this time. or is it?
6. photography - i bought my first DSLR already, had been practicing whenever i find time, contemplating on whether i have enough money to buy a wide-angle lens. so this should rather appear in my has-been-partially-done list. but seriously i'd like to be a professional photographer.
7. diving - oh i love to see the underworld! sunod na lang pag dato na ko..
8. go to the gym - heheh this has been in my list every year but the excitement fades too soon. this year. this year :). i'm a surfer wannabe so my body should compensate my sport haha feeling!
9. sleeping - this is mainly the reason why item# 8 is always nullified hahaha ;p. i don't know if i'm sick pero this past couple of months there had been numerous times i woke up only to find plenty of laway drooling from my mouth hehe. do you really think i should see a doctor?
10. swimming - either on the pool or on the beach basta i wanna be a very good swimmer. it's never too late.
11. swim some more
12. badminton - for a change, i wanna learn how to play this sport. i'm one of those who critique this sport before because i felt this is very queened, but hey, most of the ladies flock into a badminton court rather than a basketball court. if there are, they're probably the amazonas of our time hehe just kidding ;p. peace y'all. i think it's high time to be matching up with the ladies ;p.
13. reaching the Everest summit - yes people! after Romy "Garduch" Garduce, there is "Temyong" hehe. too ambitious?! who knows..
14. manalo sa lotto - is this being planned or what? i guess this is more of a stroke of luck.
15. magpatayo ng bahay - pag dato na ko.
16. meet up with Iya Villania and Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu - haaayyyyy
17. vacation in the U.S. - mainly because i miss my family. hoping to be there again this year.

to go:
1. Batanes - tops my destinations list for 2007. i heard from others that there is only a 3-month (or is it 4-month) window time within a year for people to visit this haven on the north coast of Luzon. therefore this trip needs to be solidly planned. alam niyo bang nagtatabi na ko ng five hundred pesos kada sweldo for my budget? come February next year pwede na! just do the math. sometimes at the onset, you only need excitement and the rest will follow :).
2. Malapascua Island, Cebu - as of this writing, it has already been 21+ years since i last stepped on the island of Cebu. but come July 1st that record will be history. i have, along with some friendly friends, already bought a plane ticket to Cebu for a 5-day vacation. what a better way to gratify my becoming-a-beach-person persona than to visit this islet in the north coast of Cebu. according to a website "...it has a blindingly white bounty beach. time stands still as soon as you step into this 'Pacific Island Dream'...." enough. i just hope it really lives up to my expectations.
3. Bohol - Chocolate hills, Loboc river, Panglao island, other beaches, tarsiers. just some of the things worth looking forward to in this island. hopefully it can be squeezed into our July itinerary.
4. Siquijor - a friend suggested this infamous island has white sand beaches that will shove Boracay into the bottom of the world-class list of beaches in the PI. mala-pulburon na buhangin.
5. Camiguin - i'd love to see this island as well. a work colleague has their house situated in the island so i should be persuading her right now to schedule a trip there.
6. Siargao island - their is an affinity between surfers and this tear-drop shaped island in northeast Mindanao, which hosts one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and home of wave surfing. that includes a surfer-wannabe like me. pag marunong na ko sigurado puntahan ko toh..
7. Amanpulo - am i dreaming or what? hoy gising! naglalaway ka na naman!
8. Palawan - kahit saan doon. Coron, Dos Palmas, Crocodile farm. basta hindilang ako maki-kidnap ng Abu Sayaf.

some of these i may see happen this year. some maybe in due time. some may continue to be in this list. and for some, budget is what stands between the eager me and it being achieved. but heck, libreng mangarap hoy! let's see what happens. excited na 'ko!!

see i told you i don't have the extra time to blog. now i'm sleepy..

fresh start and my nanay

2006-05-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

and yet again, a new blog for a new year. this is already what.. my 4th? 5th? hehe ;p. well, 2 days ago i turned 27 and felt one of the things i need a fresh start with is my web journal. promise this would be the last. or will it? ok, then this will be the longest ;p. btw, i have added a ton of things on my things-to-do list which i would like to discuss through my next entries..

in the meantime, i want to greet all moms a happy mother's day! truly, mothers are to be honored for the love and care they shower during their lifetime. i miss my nanay. how she gets mad at us siblings (haha, matitigas kasi ang mga ulo). how she laughs. and take note, how loud (i'm certain i got both qualities from her). i miss being woked up by clanging kalderos and kawali sa kusina while she prepares our breakfast meals. i miss hers and tatay's talks about how they met; what came up before and after that ;p. my nanay even knows my tatay's last girlfriend before they met each other haha. and how she teases us that tatay should have opted to marry that other woman instead and at that time we'd all be in living in Canada.. i can't help but marvel when i realize the enormous sacrifices she had to go through in giving birth to six children, raising up two girls and four boys. it is undeniable that no one can love you like your own mother does..

though now that she's already with the Lord, i still love her much in her presence as now in her absence. i miss you but never a day passed by that you were not here in my heart. happy mother's day nanay! you're the best in the world :)

kaya mga dudes, love your parents while they're here. make it a habit to create a moment to just express how much we appreciate and love them. totoo talaga yung kasabihan na we never realize the value of someone/thing unless they're gone.. just a friendly advice :).