Life, Escapades, Notions, Great people

Coming soon

2006-07-28T23:28:00.000-04:00

I'm currently creating my new blog site...

Watch for it soon....

Another episode

2006-07-18T00:28:00.000-04:00

Life is like a tv series... lots of loving and hurting to keep the story running, interesting. And like a tv series, life has its episodes.

Well, still life works in mysterious ways. And life continues on...

you have life
you feel in love
you make plans

you have fantasies
and none of them involved all of them ending in a blink of the eye

the world is full of its unexpected twists and turns
you get hurt, you get wounded

if you're lucky, you'll end up having a flashwound
something a bandaid will cover

but some wounds are deeper than they first appear
and require more than just a quick fix

with some wounds you have to rip off the band aid
let them breathe and give them time to heal

Theme park!!!

2006-05-23T21:18:00.000-04:00

It's like being onshore again. Thanks to my new friends from Accenture Manila who are now having the time of their lives in the land of dreams.

Meeting place - Oakwood. Hayy..very memorable apartment structure. I remember 2002 days ...it seemed like everlasting.

Stopover snack - Krispy kreme. Ten thousand calories but many times more the yumminess!

Venue - Six flags Great America

First ride - Superman - High: Imagine soaring through the sky like a super hero (or better yet clinging to Superman). Low: We had to wait like 1 hr in line. Maybe because the ride is new.

Favorite past-time 1- Picture-taking - They never get tired of taking pictures. Imagine, every one of them taking turns of having their pictures taken with a cartoon character that catches their attention.

Weather - Nice! It was sunny and warm (70's).

Favorite past-time 2 - Giving away $3 per try sa mga arcades just to have that cute stuff toy.

Favorite ride - The Raging Bull - Highs: The fastest (70 mph), tallest (200 ft) and longest (5k ft) roller coaster. Highly recommended. Don't leave this theme park without experiencing this super 2 thumbs-up ride. Lows: None. Even queueing up was relatively fast.

The day I said, Yes!

2006-05-15T18:37:00.000-04:00

'Twas a very cold Saturday afternoon
In the heart of a park in Cincinnati
Out of the blue, he popped the question
With a little white box, down with his knee
"Will you marry me?"

Caught by the big surprise and burst of feelings
Gave him a hug while looking at the ring
Wouldn't deny my cynical thoughts
Wouldn't deny my fears of giving myself
Still thinking, thinking of the perfect love

He says, nobody's perfect; that is so true
No relationship is perfect but there is compromise
There's not always happiness but challenges to pursue
There's not always sacrifices but achieving one's dreams

And... like an awakening
This is the day!
"Yes" to the man who brings the best and worst in me
"Yes" to the man who takes away all my fears
"Yes" to Vince, who is very much like me
"Yes" to the love that is meant for me

biking, shopping, etc

2006-05-07T18:01:00.000-04:00

Another fun weekend. Mark was so eager to have a bike ride and so he searched for a bike trail around our neighborhood. I think this is a great exercise. After all those wine and food, I really need to lose those calories as much as I can haha! I really envy those people who easily lose weight. You have a wonderful gift!

Before biking, we indulged ourselves again to have a lunch buffet. We found an eastern buffet for $5.84. They served chinese and some american food. Not bad. I was craving for chinese and I gave in to it. We had dimsum, dumplings, pancit canton, shrimp and crab meat, etc. Yummy! And I had to indulge with soft ice cream and brownies to cap it off. Haha! Gazillion calories again that I wished could go away by walking, biking and jogging for 5 miles...Yes we did that. It was fun! I thought of getting a bike myself soon. But not as sophisticated as Mark's bike. His was so sleek (yeah, it costs like 1 grand!), we had to take turns for picture-taking.

Of course, after all heart-pumping activities, we have to reward ourselves again with food. Yes! The fats and calories won't go away. We have to indulge to Hooters. It was my first time to eat oysters in the famous wings place. And Mark was sucking those oysters like no other. It really tasted so good, we have to put tabasco to make it even more heavenly! Yummy! We also had a nice and pretty server and we took pictures with her. We used Mark's camera (and di pa nya nabibigay sa kin ung pics, di ko tuloy ma post dito) because he wanted to show it off with his co-workers. It was funny, we had to take several shots with her and Mark because he's not satisfied. Mataba daw ung mukha nya sa pic. Haha!

And yes! Of course, I almost forgot. We had shopping. It's so tempting to buy stuff, I even don't have extra cash yet. But yes, bought 2 purses and a pair of walking shoes. Since I'm bringing food for lunch, had to buy a bag that could fit my box. And since I had to walk to and from the office, I had to buy a good comfortable shoes. Haha! I-justify ba ang pag-shopping?! The boys were too patient with me as I always asked them for advice on whether my choices were good enough or not. They even tried to block me upon entering B&BW. As if! Gusto rin naman nila mag-window shopping eh! Hehehe! I'll definitely go shopping again when I get my first paycheck. :-)

Hooked on House

2006-05-03T22:44:00.000-04:00

Who loves House??? MEEEE! Ian introduced me to this tv show when we were still staying at the guest house and I got addicted to it since then. We had a season 2 marathon and I was thrilled at every single episode. It's the next tv show that I got myself addicted to after CSI, which Jeff introduced me to it naman. Back in Manila, we were talking of tv shows and he mentioned CSI. And I asked him to lend me some dvds. The next day, boom! ang daming dvds ang pinahiram nya sa kin. Hanep din yung show na yon.

Anyways, we almost went to the 'hospital' where we thought they shoot the shows. The 'hospital' was supposed to be at New Jersey. And so I researched for the place only to find out, its actually a university where they had these exterior shots taken. Nakakatawa! So naive! Syempre, they were shooting at the Fox studio noh. hahaha! So funny. Anyways, I think their episodes are getting better every time. Galing ng episode kanina (actually 2 parts sya, Tuesday and today). Can't get enough of Dr. House. :-)

The link above showcases the show comprehensively enough.

wine, videoke and dvds

2006-05-01T20:19:00.000-04:00

It has been 2 weeks already since my first day of work. No pressure yet, still learning. It's good that the project is still starting. But, I can say that I miss my old company. Oh yeah! I have to admit. I like the interaction between peers and supervisors. Even if I spend long hours at work, endless changes in requirements and GDD issues, I still miss it. Sounds crazy, huh? But, oh well, life must go on.

For the weekend, Mark came to visit us again. He brought a dvd - Crash. It was a very good movie. Maski na hilo na ako non sa Corrs light, I still appreciated the movie. It made my eyes glued to it, wondering what will happen next. I think its clever. Good, good movie.

The next day, Ian craved for a buffet for lunch. Good thing, there's a nearby American eat-all-you-can resto in town. It was pretty cheap, $7, but the food was just ok, there were not much choices that I liked. Their menu may probably be better during breakfast hehe! But, nevertheless, nabusog pa rin ako.

After lunch, we went to Meijer to do our groceries. It's funny how we hopped to different grocery stores everytime - Walmart, Cub foods, Kroger. And no matter how many stuff I buy the last time, I still have a lot of stuff to buy again the next time.

The boys decided to have bbq again. This time, Ian bought a $7 bbq grill. Mark bought a $20 meat and I bought a $13 5-liter wine. Haha! Syempre, while bbqing at Ian's apartment, we started drinking also. The meat was great! It was tender and soft. And of course, we sang til after midnight. Good thing, the neighbors didn't knock the door. Naubusan na kami ng kanta. Ian should be getting a new chip for his magic mic. And I think after we end, there's 2-3 liters left on my wine. Ako lang yon ha, kasi Pabi drank the Corrs light that was left from Friday night. I miss drinking wine so much na lasing lasing talaga ako.

The next day, after going to mass, we went to an Indian buffet restaurant. It was ok, nothing special. Pero I was so hungry and ate a lot after having all those drink from last night. I'm usually hungry the next day after last night of drinking.

And dinner, Pabi still wanted to stay so we had dinner na lang at my place with leftovers bbqs and salad.

We watched Walk the line - another good movie. I love Reese.

Exporing my town

2006-04-22T22:19:00.000-04:00

It was my first weekend since I moved in to my apartment. Ian, who is also my officemate, started moving in to his apartment which is just below mine. How convenient!

Vince drove here again this weekend from Chicago. After doing groceries, we decided to have a small barbeque since the weather was nice. So Vince bought chicken fillets and kebabs. With the $3 bbq that we bought, it took us an hour or so to get the stuff done haha! At first, it seemed that it couldn't cook the food and Vince almost bought a $20 one. But, oh well, we just waited and it turned out ok.

Last Easter weekend, our good friend, Mark visited us too. He lives in Columbus, about an hour away from Miamisburg. He has a pick-up car and it helped us carry all those groceries and stuff that we have to buy for our apartments. We looked for a good bar nearby and we tried at Charley's which is a good restaurant naman. Though it was Good Friday, we drank beers pa rin but I stayed away from meat. Haha!

On Saturday, we went to the Dayton Mall hoping to find a good place to have lunch. Pero we ended up in their food court and ate Taco bell (miss ko na rin to). It was actually a big mall with lots of stores na gusto kong pasukin. Pero I wasn't really in the mood to go around kasi wala akong pera. Haha! They had this picture taking with the Easter bunny for the kids, too.

After the mall, Vince and I went to look for a coin laundry. Though, I have done this already with him in Chicago, I was actually having fun doing this kasi ang bilis talaga ng mga washers and dryers. Tapos ang galing pa maglaba ni Vince haha! Sanay na sanay!

At night, we just decided to order Donato's pizza and wings because we got tired from the getting stuff done with our apartments. We drank beers in our hotels (we were staying in our hotel pa back then) until early morning. Mark was drinking so fast, we couldn't keep up with him.

So ayun, Easter Sunday, we decided to attend the 1230 am mass at St. Henry's church. We weren't able to make the 11am mass and so while we still have time for the next mass, we had breafast first at Bob Evan's. I really like having breakfast sa restaurants kasi I like their breakfast menus. Last weekend Vince and I also went to have breakfast at Perkin's and had a hearty meal of omelette with french toast and hasbrowns. And this time at Bob's, I ordered for an omelette again and biscuit and gravy. So, see, puro kain talaga ako tapos inom pa. Ano ba to!

And after the Saturday bbq, Vince and I went to watch a movie. It was also near our place and at Best Buy where Vince got my tv and his new laptop (hmpfh! hehe!). I won't say what movie kasi walang kuwenta. Hahaha! But I had a few laughs pa rin. In any case, what I really wanted was just this big cherry coke, huge popcorn and nachos with cheese and jalapenos. So, that wraps up my exploration... of food and drinks haha!

Let there be light!

2006-04-20T22:41:00.000-04:00

It's my first night to move in to my new apartment. There are only few times when unpacking is fun and this is one of those times.

After 2 and a half hours of putting my things in their right places, I felt hungry. I didn't plan on cooking (besides there's really nothing to cook haha!) since I'm getting tired and so I just grabbed a pack of instant noodles that I bought from Manila (Nissin's ramen) for an easy satisfaction. As I was trying to toast a bagel (it couldn't fit in my toaster, imagine!), after the noodles were cooked, viola! Lights went out! At first I thought I broke the circuits of my apartment because of my cheap toaster. I should've chosen a more expensive one and that can fit a bagel. And so I hurried to my balcony and checked the neighbors. Lo and behold! All the lights were out in the whole apartment complex of Hidden Lakes. What a disaster! I heard people say that this is the first time they experienced it. People were out in the streets, tried to get hold of Mike, our maintenance guy, some drove off to eat out and drink, and me, all alone, soaked inside the apartment. What made it worse is I left my cellphone in my hotel and can only get it back until tomorrow. What a bummer! So, there I was, having a candle-light dinner, with noodles and untoasted bagels, in my newly rented dining table, with placemats from Greenhills (which I really like, btw). Never did I thought these scented candles would be my guiding lights in these darkest hours.

It's more than an hour or 2 now and there seems to be no signs yet. So much for my excitement of moving in. But come to think of it, I still feel excited! What can be more exciting than this? I'm all alone, no cellphone, no internet, no tv, but I'm here...in my new humble apartment! And I can fall asleep very well with lights out...but then...there came light!

Sweet Home Chicago

2006-04-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

Before finally going to Ohio for my first project, I was able to drop by at Chicago again. Everything happened so fast, passed the client interview, packed my stuff (I knew I needed a box, not to mention the 2 luggages that I have), flown out the next day.

I remembered I just visited Chicago last weekend to attend Vince's bball friend's wedding. We were late in the reception but we're still able to have dinner. I'm not sure if this was the first time I've attended in US. Apparently, if you want to give cash as a gift, your gauge is like the cost of having the dinner by yourselves (so mga $100).

We were also able to witness Chuck's and Jeanine's new house which I call a mansion. It's really huge!!! They just started moving in their furnitures and stuff. They have 2 living rooms, 1 with a fireplace, a dining room, an office room, a sleek kitchen with top and bottom ovens, 1 huge master bedroom with 2 walk-in closets, the master's bathroom has 2 sinks, a lovely bathtub with a big window pa, 3 guest rooms, a bonus room with a 50+ inch tv! and much more.

Don't leave Chicago without hanging out to a bar with your friends. We went to Saloon on a Saturday, an Asian night party. I met with some of my closest and old time friends Gwen, Lianne and Layla. Gwen's blogsite shows a group picture of us. We drank and danced for hours. It was really been a while since my last clubbing. I was also able to hangout with Enrico, Allan and Vince's sister Lia at a bar in Lincoln Park. It was so nice catching up with old friends.

Two of my favorite restaurants in Chicago are Singha (Thai) and Chipotle (Mexican). I loved Singha's beef basil beef and Chipotle's Burrito Bol (with spicy beef slices). I was also able to hang out with Tony, Vince's dad at Monk's before going to Ohio. It was also timely, Brent was in Chicago for work.

Also, before going to Ohio, Layla visited me at Vince's apartment. We had a good talk about her love life.

Hopefully, my next project will be in Chicago. Despite the cold weather and the wind, my heart will still remain here (besides from Manila, of course!). Well, it's just a 4 hour drive from Ohio anyways.

My last day in Matawan

2006-04-11T23:54:00.000-04:00

Finally, I got a client already from a month-long wait - interviews and worries. You couldn't imagine how worried and pressured I was. Definitely, moving in to a new country is difficult, yet, so exciting and worthwhile especially when you have 'families' around - Vince, the Carlos family and my housemates in Matawan.

We had dinner in TGIF. My boss had all smiles when he heard that I passed the client's interview and so he treated all of us for dinner. It was a fun evening. Had gotten to know more of everyone in my company (syempre, one month ba naman!). Everyone was supportive. I'm so excited working with a new company and living in my apartment in Ohio. I hope my housemates also get their projects soon.

Marce, Ian and boss Jit
With Dennis

Strolling in Matawan

2006-04-01T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today, me and my housemates, Ian and Dennis, decided to do some walking in our neighborhood. The weather is beautiful again. I can really feel the spring now. There's really not much we can do here because we don't have cars and we don't have money yet to rent one. Hahaha! Kawawa naman kami. But if you go around town, there are nice places to go to also like nicer and bigger shopping malls, theaters like in Menlo Park.

This is taken from the mall strip near our place. Konti lang ung shops. It's a 5-10 minute walk from our place.

In front of the guest house.

Sa may sala...

and kitchen...

These are the people I live and work with while waiting for our projects to come. This maybe the last weekend for the 3 of us together. We've been so anxious already to start living in US with our new jobs. Hopefully, we get our projects soon para maka-alis na kami sa bahay ni lolo :-)

Back to New Jersey

2006-03-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

After New York, we headed home to Cindy and Brent's apartment. They really have a nice house. I'm hoping someday I get to own my house too.

We went to a driving range in the afternoon. Vince is really fond of golf (and many other sports). They carried their golf clubs and we off we go to Willowbrook. It was actually snowing lightly when we were walking towards the place after parking but it was gone soon. It was cold but its a good thing they have heated areas. Here's a picture of Cindy taking her shot. Vince tried teaching me also. I was able to hit the balls several times but they didn't really go that far and high. I really think I'll not gonna like this sport. Well...so much for my golfing...

After golfing, we went to the cinema which is just close. Vince and I watched Failure to Launch, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and the hunk Matthew McConaughey. We enjoyed watching movies together because we like to get this big popcorn and nachos with cheese and share one big soda. It was an ok movie, but its more like I didn't like it. Ok, there were funny scenes and ang gwapo ni Matthew pero it was really predictable.

And then, we went to Hooters for dinner. I've been craving for their wings for the longest time! It was soo sarap! This was taken inside hooters - with Cindy.

More of NY please

2006-03-18T01:51:00.000-05:00

Of course, I'm not missing St Patrick's day. Friday after work, I went to the Aberdeen station and purchased a $10 train ticket to NY. I met up with Vince at the NY Penn station. He thought of buying green shirts and so we shopped in Manhattan. Ang laki ng Macy's, grabe! But of course, we didn't buy there. He bought me a pair of jeans, jammies and St Patrick's day shirts (but I didn't end up wearing them haha!).

Cindy, Brent and Vince were wearing green that night except me. We headed out to Mr. Dennehy's to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It was packed. Good thing we were able to find a table. We were also able to meet up with another cousin of the Carlos' - Lex. After dinner, we hopped to another bar, few blocks across the street from where we were. There was a band that played acoustic hip hop music. It was fun but you won't get seated if you don't order at least 2 drinks.

This is the view from Vince's apartment at 31st street. Yes, its the Empire State! Sweet! Vince stayed here for his 2-week stint in New York, and now its over. We checked out Saturday noon. It was really a nice apartment, fully loaded, new furnishings.

It was actually a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon (pero malamig pa rin) and so we headed out for more sight-seeing.

Pictures from Central Park. There was an ice-skating rink on the other side of the lake. Gusto sana namin, kaso next time na lang hehe!

This picture was taken inside FAO Schwartz. I missed the 'show' where the people who work there were playing the piano using their feet, just like Tom Hanks in the movie Big. Yes, they shot that scene here. :-)
This is a picture of St. La Salle (Animo!) inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. We went to St. Patrick's Cathedral to light a candle for Vivien's surgery.

A weekend in New York

2006-03-13T22:13:00.000-05:00

It was a very nice, sunny, warm (60's) first weekend in New York. I wanted to go out and wear my sandals and capris (it was actually still cold but what the heck!) Thus, off we (Vince and I) went to take a tour to the Ellis Island and Liberty (while Cindy and Brent are strolling around the city of Manhattan). It's my second or third time to visit NY but this will be the first time to take a boat tour plus the first time I'm visiting with Vince, so it was exciting. Before docking, we have to pass a security check. We were in a hurry because the boat was leaving very soon, I wasn't even able to put back my belt on until we were already inside. This pic was taken inside the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Background shows the luggages, containers, etc immigrants brought to the "land of dreams".

We have to wait for several minutes for the next boat to arrive that will bring us to the Liberty Island. But Vince and I didn't mind because we were enjoying the weather very much. It was good I remembered to bring my (cheap) shades.

I've never been this close to the statue and so Vince and I were like scrambling to take a picture with the best possible view that we could get (while riding the boat). Not bad, huh?

And this is a backdrop of Manhattan from the Liberty Island. Beautiful! We didn't go inside the statue anymore. Well, not really because Brent told us it stinks, but because it's already sold-out (buti na lang! haha!).

From the Liberty Island, the boat docked at the Battery Park, on the tip of Manhattan. I saw again familiar paintings and pictures of New York being sold along the streets, impersonators of different kinds like the Statue of Liberty. Even if it was already getting cold, walking along the streets of Manhattan and seeing those famous buildings and structures (like NYSE, Trump, etc) was really fun.

After all the walking, we hopped into one of the bars in Southport. We met up with Vince and Cindy's cousin and husband. We were quite surprised by the number of people in the area. Apparently, there was a pre-St Patrick's day celebration. No wonder people were wearing beads. It really took us time to have our orders. The place was packed and what made it worse was the service. But we enjoyed their nachos and beers. Thus, it was the first bar I went to in NY.

And then off we went to Time Square. I miss this street! It looks so much alive, busy, lots of people, parties, events going on. But, it seemed all the people in NY were there that night (or maybe every night).

All restaurants were also packed. We ended up in Planet Hollywood. I had tenders and a couple of Michelob Ultra (I missed this beer even if it tastes like water already). It was a light dinner for me and Vince (diet! diet!). Why? Because we were still hanging out to another bar afterwards. The night is still young and so are we. After all, we're in NY - the city that never sleeps! :-)

A new beginning

2006-02-11T23:23:00.000-05:00

Can't think of exact words to say of how I feel today, so I just picked out a song and here it goes...

BreakAway

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get on board a fast train
Travel on a jetplane, far away
And break away

[chorus]

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And break away
Out of the darkness and into the sun
I won't forget all the ones that I love
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And break away

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging round revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me
But, gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, break away

(I thought I posted this already, hindi pa pala...)

Regine's Reflections

2005-12-23T10:37:00.000-05:00

December 9 - Looking forward to this special day. It's been over a year since I last saw a Regine concert and with my excitement, Jule and I ended up sitting on the center third row of the Aliw Theater. Cool, huh? Of course! Minsan lang yan so, sulitin na, di ba. Sa sobrang excitement din, I even took the day off so I can have my 'errands' done and I can also go there early enough not to be caught in the traffic. Anyways, when we got inside the theater, I was really happy kasi ang lapit talaga namin sa stage. Who knows, I might be able to have a picture taken with her. :-)

The show started past 9. The crowd was going crazy, can't wait for the show to start. As usual, she was wearing elegant gowns. She sang songs from artists who had influenced her singing style. From Angela Bofil, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston (her rendition of Run to you was awesome) to Mariah Carey, Spice Girls, etc.

Singing Break it to me gently, Almost over you

Singing her songs songs, 'Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw', You've made me stronger, You are my song...also from Spice girls, Mariah Carey - Butterfly, Nobody can take your place...

With Ai-ai De las Alas as one of her guests. She was hilarious!!! (I like this gown Regine's wearing)

Singing Whitney Houston - Run to you, I have nothing....

Reflections, Thank you for the music...

Encore!

I've learned and liked a whole lot of songs just by listening to her. It's really a treat when she sings my favorite songs. It's amazing how her voice can move you. Can't wait to catch another show of hers again. A valentine's concert? Hmm...sounds good...let's see

What's in a parol?

2005-12-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

Today, we held our very first PeopleCare - great place to work major event, the parol-making contest. It is very special because I think it is the last event that I'm spearheading. It's quite surprising that all the projects in our 'department' are so enthusiastic and so competitive. Our project even spent until the wee hours in the morning trying to get our parol done - until the last drop of the glue stick runs out. Our project ended up on the second place though, but I have to admit, the grand prize winner is so deserving. I had no regrets losing to the deserving team. But, nevertheless, I even felt better when I saw how all the projects reacted to the contest. All the parols submitted were awesome, well-designed and well-presented (with powerpoint presentation, yung iba may singing pa, konting dance, stories, narrations, symbolism ng parol nila). I never thought how excited people are about the event and how talented they are. It is really a success and I'm proud to be a big part of it. It makes me think of how can I accomplish one of my long-time dreams though...to be a big part of the less-fortunate ones...feed the world...

Our parol (left), grand prize (right)

Other contestants:

Is it time?

2005-11-27T04:27:00.000-05:00

Cookie, Dianne and I went to visit our long-time friend, Love, in their house. It was the first time to see her after several months. It was good to see old time friends again.

The traffic going to QC from Makati on a Friday night was really terrible. Why do people want to go home instead of going to gimiks. It's a Friday night, people! "Why are they not normal like us?", Cookie asked. But then again, I have to thank the traffic also because we had a chance to catch up with things. This girl is getting married next year and so, ang lola ko, is busy for the prep. I couldn't imagine myself going gaga looking for a good deal of wedding gowns, church, reception, videos, souvenirs, etc.

The imagination got even stronger when we saw Love. I saw a different glow in her face - the bliss of motherhood. Bea was sleeping and so we have to be careful going inside bedroom. And there she was, Love's precious, so tiny and yet she brings enormous happiness to the family. We took pictures, of course, and chikahan time.

Love talked about her very memorable experience giving birth. She learned the real meaning of contractions. She had to do the c-section because she was having labor for 17 hours and the baby was already being strangled by the umbilical cord. (Can I just adopt my 4 children than having to go through these 4 times? Aarrggghh!!!)

We also talked about Cookie, how her wedding prep is going. Love was giving her advice from the photographer to having adult reception. I remembered before going to Love's house, I asked Cookie to stop by at Fernwood, a famous wedding place in QC. It was funny, they just live next door. No wonder she didn't want to hold their wedding there. Love said, rent for the place already costs P80K! Pero maganda naman kasi talaga.

I have to admit, I envy Cookie also, like Love. She seemed to be so settled now that she's getting married. She's always thinking of Pads, planning not only for herself. She's different now - imagine just drinking what, a couple of beers, while waiting for Pads. No matter how I tell her just to have a few more (well, I wasn't really that persistent), she didn't give in.

Suddenly, it dawned unto me when will I have those same feelings. Love having the joy of being a mother (not having cigs and alcohol for 9 months!) and Cookie thrilled with her wedding preparations (imagine how much money do we have to spend to have a very good memorabilia). I quickly brushed the ideas off my head. Maybe not yet. Someday...soon...

Our project's photo shoot

2005-11-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

Our project is being featured in our organization's first newsletter. I had to post these pics. These are the great people that I work with everyday, most of the time, more than 8 hours a week.

Sitting (L-R): Henry, Marce, Jeff, Jobu, Arjay and Jericho
Standing (L-R): Paul, Chucky (manager), Michelle, me, Kaytee, Carla, James, Cel, Roel, Jeric

More pics...the Core development team...

And the Interface team:

It was right timing because we also got a chance to wear jeans. Its the start of jeans day every Friday.

Thanks again to our ever-reliable friend, Juan, who took the pictures. (Paano na kami Juan pag wala ka? :-D Next post ko, dapat nasa pic ka na :-D)

On E-vat

2005-10-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

After so many debates, rallies and a TRO, Gloria still wins. It is said that her vat reform program, e-vat, intends to control the country's budget deficit.

I knew it's inevitable come Nov.1, and so I had a car check-up yesterday, replaced my more than 2-yr-old battery, had my hair trimmed and of course, got my tank full. I plan on commuting as often as I could or else all my salary will end up in paying gas and parking fees alone.

I hope our country will truly benefit from this in the long run and not the "modern-day vampires" or blood-sucking politicians.

Malt Liquor

2005-10-30T14:27:00.000-05:00

Did you think their only talent (aside from programming, consulting, and all those work stuff) is drinking buckets and buckets of beer till wee hours in the morning? Think again. These people can wow you by their awesome talents in music! Yes, oh yes! They can also play equally great even after drinking a keg of beer! Imagine?! From Side A to Guns n roses, name it, they play with character.

Introducing..the members of the band...Jericho, the drummer / guitarist / comedienne, Jeff who plays the bass, Ryan the guitarist / a.ka. Paolo Santos and Arfel, the vocalist. However, Arfel left early that evening, and so in the pics you will see Aldus, the ever-funny guy, doing the vocals. You will also see Oliver, Jericho's brother, playing the drums.

I attempted to create a collage...hmm..I hope this is ok...Juan, thanks so much for the pics!

Great people...they simply rock!

What's your sport?

2005-10-27T01:47:00.000-04:00

I'm sick today. I don't know what hit me. I was feeling cold and coughing deeply since last night. I thought playing badminton would push the bad stuff away. But, when I woke up this morning, it was hard to move an inch, felt cold again, felt worse.

Anyways, I've been playing badminton again. It's a great feeling getting back to a weekly exercise. It's been a while. I think it's really important that you have a buddy/ies who can join you just to 'force' you to keep up the interest. I really don't have any intentions in going up the ladder, just fun and friendly competition is good. But, who knows, wind may go to a different direction. But I envy those people who is really good at it. Sometimes it makes me think to go beyond and be a little serious about it. I've never been really that serious in any sports. I mean, I joined volleyball leagues, did practices, been on a table tennis training team in college. But all I thought was just to do them for fun and exercise. How about you? How sporty are you?

Visit to Manaog and Everybody's Cafe

2005-10-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

I signed up for a mural painting volunteer activity from our company weeks ago but a friend of mine, Jack Sy, invited me to go to Our Lady of Manaog in Pangasinan. (I can't remember if I've been there already with my family. My family and relatives came from the province of Pangasinan. I understand the Ilocano dialect but regretfully, I don’t speak fluently.) I wanted to do both, painting volunteer and go to Manaog, but I have to choose.

The meeting time was 330am Saturday and so I decided not to go home that Friday night anymore and just hang-out, kill time with other friends in Makati. And so to kill time, Michi, Jule and I went to watch a movie in Greenbelt. We were supposed to watch a Spanish film (this month, Makati is featuring Spanish films, only P30 I think), however, after a few minutes of researching and debate, we decided to watch a different film instead, because the Spanish film is about Spain government which we don’t have any knowledge of and don't know if we will have the patience to understand it too. And so we just decided to watch Deuce Bigalow (very different types, from serious to crap, haha!). The movie was entertaining at first but later on, it's beginning to get dragging and becoming very “green” for me. It was hilarious but I got tired of it. Actually, for me, the movie gives quite a bad impression to the people in Amsterdam, especially to those who haven’t gone there yet. But, I'm not going to dwell on that. Watch the movie if you are curious. After the movie, we went to hang-out in a nearby coffee shop and had a nice chit-chat. It was always good catching up with stories and updates with old-time friends. Michi is one of my closest friends in Accenture before. But even if we don’t talk now more often, we know we are still good friends. After that, my drinking buddies are in Gweilo's. Michi wanted to go home already and so Jule and I went to meet our friends in Gweilo’s.

It was time for us to go to our meeting place and Jericho was kind enough to drop us there. We met up in MSE and left around 4am Saturday. The drive just took around more than 3 hours from Makati to Manaog. Arnel, the driver, drove really fast. When we got there, we bought candles (P4/each) for our prayers. I had 10 candles, 10 wishes and prayers. After that, we went to their souvenir shop for religious articles while we wait for the next mass to begin. I bought a prayer book of Our Lady of Manaog and a pink rosary. After the mass, we went to line up to see and touch the back of Our Lady of Manaog. It was said that the image was miraculous.

Before leaving the church, we went outside the street to buy puto and stuff for pasalubong. Pangasinan is known for this food too. I bought 2 packs (P35/each) of puto and cornick. We weren't able to take many pictures, but I searched the internet and found some good pics of Manaog. For our first meal of the day, we went to a restaurant, called Bangsal, in Dagupan city. What does Bangsal means? Tep jokingly answered bangus and almusal but I wasn't sure if it was true. The town is also known for its bangus. Their food was good. We ordered sinigang na bangus, liempo, pinakbet (one of my fave Ilocano dishes), etc.

After 2 hours of drive from Dagupan, we dropped by at Everybody's cafe in Pampanga, Namee's family resto. It was very nice of her family to invite us there. Pam, one of Namee's sisters stayed to entertain us. The food was really, really great. We were just planning to have a merienda but looking at their food display, we decided to try their dishes with rice. It was funny because we tried different dishes made from different kinds of animals. We had fried crickets, tapang kalabaw, calderetang kambing, morcon (pork). O di ba? Ang daming hayop non! :) Our friend Namee is in US right now, pursuing studies in culinary. She's actually a good cook already, remembering our Chicago days, when she will cook different kinds of food with lots of herbs and spices.
We got back to Makati around 830pm. I felt tired already even if I spent most of the time sleeping in the van. Imagine, what we actually really did was eat, sleep, eat and then sleep again.
And you thought the day ends there, but no. I joined Jule go to Ailyn's bday party in a bar at Kalayaan. I really didn't feel partying so I just sat down, drank Sangria, while watching the people party. It was great to see old friends again like Fritzie and Ken.

So there goes my Saturday. More than 24-hours of enjoyable activities.

My 30th birthday

2005-10-09T11:11:00.000-04:00

We started celebrating my birthday with my brother and officemates on Saturday, the night before my birthday. But before that, I accompanied first my brother to Greenhills for his cellphone. He tried to get it fixed, and he ended up selling it. At least, he'll get to buy a better one in the future. I also have been contemplating, in ages, on buying a new phone but they don't have yet the one I like (Sony z800i) here in Manila. I was encouraging Rayms to buy W800i because it matches his style but he's not that comfy yet with other phones aside from Nokia.

We went to have dinner in Heaven and Eggs in G4 Makati. I've heard of the new place from an old friend and I decided to give it a try. Rayms is going to treat me that's why I'm excited also. I asked other friends to join us - Jule, Juan and Jeff. The place looked different. It was well-lighted, some of their chairs were like swings (like the one we sitted at) even the waiters and waitresses have small wings on their back (for the concept of being in heaven, I guess). But most of all, the food tastes very good too. Well, they better be because their prices are not that cheap :).

Where did we go afterwards to celebrate my birthday? Take just one guess. Haha! Gweilo's, of course. I don't know how many buckets of beers did we empty again. Jobu was making his infamous signs to people again including Chucky, Jericho was kissing all the girls, Cookie and Marce were dancing (yiheee!) and the most hilarious - Chucky and Jericho were lip singing in front of the stage with the spotlight, pretending they were the artists.

It was another fun-filled night, enjoyed with these special friends and of course, with my brother. Though, I wonder if this will be the last time that I will celebrate my birthday here in Manila because I'll be going to US soon. I'll surely miss these crazy guys.

The next day, my birthday, my mom woke me up and she said I have something. Vince gave me a teaddy bear and a rose. I was surprised because I thought he will not give me a gift again since he gave me a bunch of flowers last Friday already. It was so sweet of him.

And on that day, Rayms ordered for a bucket of KFC (one of my fave food chains haha!) and our family ate here at our house. In the afternoon, we have a block rosary. Our neighbors went here to pray and so we ordered for pancit palabok, pancit bihon, empanada, and puto. It was right-timing.

They say life begins at 40, but I say, life begins at 30. Thanks for Vince, Raymond and all my friends who made my birthday a memorable one.

My Pre-birthday celebration

2005-10-08T03:30:00.000-04:00

I had so much fun yesterday. Imagine, my office mates and friends spent time giving me a surprise for my birthday.

I came in late today. I was delighted to see a box of flowers from Vince when I got to my desk. He said in the flower card that faith, hope and his constant thinking of me are what keeps him giong each and every day. He's sooo sweet!!!

When me and some of my officemates went down to the smoking area, to my amazement, everybody else was there waiting and looking at me! The guys gave me white roses one by one while they are singing happy birthday, and the girls were giving me balloons. They gave me a blackforest cake with 3 candles on it. They also gave me this sort of huge bday card with everybody's messages. It was soo sweet. I knew Lhen was cooking up something. There's something missing though - I didn't bring my camera! Oh well...

Lunch time, we ate at Dusit Thani, my fave Thai restaurant in Manila. I was with my office mates, Jeff, Henry, Jericho, Juan, Kaytee, Michelle and KC. I ordered my fave soup - Tom Yum Kung and my fave dish - Beef basil. And after that, I bought gallons of ice cream to share it with the rest of my friends at work. We ate it during merienda with the blackforest cake that Juan and Jeff gave me.

Night came, and so thus the party. I was a bit sad at first because of the endless downpour of rain when we were sitted outside the bar and so we just transferred inside. Cookie, Pads, Lianne, Gob and the others came and the rest was history. I was so happy to see my friends are enjoying. I ordered blowjob shots for everyone. We were singing with OPM songs being played at the bar, dancing, laughing. It was hilarious. It was soo fun! They said "Astig ang birthday party mo, Leng," but, it was really them who made it Astig!

Old friends at Good Earth

2005-10-01T00:30:00.000-04:00

One of my girlfriends, Anna H, came back to town from Florida 2 weeks ago. We wanted to hang out again with her since it was already her last gimmick night in Manila. Who knows when we'll be seeing her again.

Sometimes it fascinates me why old friends just come together again during reunions. Or why most of the times, one only contacts an old friend when she or a common friend remembers it's their friend's birthday. I guess what's even more fascinating is when you all get together, even if you don't talk to each other everyday, you still feel the closeness, that special bond of friendship. I've tested this with my long-time friend Jule, who was 'in a medication' that night. I couldn't imagine myself hanging out with my friends drinking, and I'm not. Just the presence meant so much.

Anna is going back to her new home on Sunday with her husband Johnny. I'm glad that she took this opportunity to finally introduce in person the man of her dreams to her families and friends. Being close with Anna for years made me excited to finally meet the person who changed her interesting life. And after spending gimmick nights with the couple, I was rest assured that she finally met her Mr. Right.

It started to rain at Rockwell and people began going inside the small shaded area of the bar. It quite surprised me and my friend PJ that the place was swarmed with people now. Everyone seemed to have discovered and enjoyed the place because of the cheap prices of the drinks and food, not to mention its location.

Speaking of discoveries, I've discovered this drink called Jam Jar. Good earth's special concoction has vodka, tanduay rhum, pepsi, others I can't remember and a cherry. I got curious that I encouraged Dee, Nikko's girlfriend to try it. I was hesitant at first because I had several San Mig Light beers already. But due to my unconcealable interest, Nikko finally ordered one for me. Well, I didn't get disappointed. It was sweet but you still can taste the alcohol. Just right.

And so, after several buckets of beers, everyone called it a night except me and Jule (and I think Johnny too haha!). We continued sharing stories at the couples' apartment, chugging San Miguel Grande.

To Anna H and my long-time friends, Cheers!

Friends and love

2005-09-25T05:40:00.000-04:00

I've seen and experienced people falling in love from becoming friends. It's maybe one of the least things a friend could imagine towards his friend but it's possible. They say proximity leads to deeper relationship. The more you get to know him, the more you discover that you have lots of things in common and he has these characteristics that you want to have in a partner. Your ideal partner. But I seldom know of friends letting go of the feeling even if it's already mutual. Why would they let go of someone who they believe they would like to cherish and the feeling is the same? I came to the answer last Saturday. I had a conversation with a long-time friend of mine. I've known him and the girl for years. And in more ways than one, even if we don't communicate that often now, I thought I understood what happened between the two of them. I thought I knew what went wrong or right. I thought I knew their thoughts. I always think that he was still afraid of commitments that's why he doesn't have a girlfriend yet. I thought he was like other guys who still enjoys the benefits of bachelorhood. But he's serious and a deep person. He thought before and until now, that he cannot give what the girl needs at that time. He didn't want to pursue her because he knew he has nothing to offer. Other persons will only begin to think of this before getting married. I admire him not only because of his principles but of his courage in letting go of his special person. He was unselfish. Even if he didn't give in to love, I think he gave her more which is freedom to find someone who can give her more than love. Now, this girl has already found the man whom she shares her goals and dreams with forever. The man who is 'capable' of offering her not only love but a life that she's been dreaming of.

I have many thoughts that I would still like to write about this topic but I would like to end it with my own experience. I've been in a relationship with someone that I thought would give me love and life that I've been dreaming of. He gave me these but I knew there's something missing. There was still something wrong. I felt love but with conditions, life but without "freewill". I was limited to live my life depending on what he thought is right that led to losing my identity. Until I found myself falling in love with a friend. I didn't expect I could find some one who is like me in so many ways. I've been so blessed by God, that he led me to Vince, my best friend and true love. I wish we continue to share the same love, life and dreams for the rest of our lives.

Caring for the marine life

2005-09-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

It was a special Saturday today. It's the International Coastal Cleanup Day and our company participated in this event. Volunteers will remove trash and debris from Manila Bay. We started very early (at least for me) in the morning. We have to be there at 645 for the Manila Dragon team's instructions and will start with the clean up at 715am. It was hard for me to get up that morning since I slept 230am and considering I also didn't had enough sleep the night before. What really made me get up is the fact that I wanted to do something special, change the way I start my Saturdays (and end my Fridays) and make a sacrifice. And so I got up, made sure to have something before I leave, small piece of bread, and drove out. I got there just on-time. I saw my office friends, Roald, Ryan and Dianne waving at me from the bay's side. It's a bonus for me that these guys are volunteers also. Made the event more fun. Instructions were told, registered, got my free t-shirt, gave us tools and sacks, off we walked towards one side of the bay.

As expected, there were many trash, different kinds. But I'm not going to go to those details, I know it's gross as it is. We were so lucky the weather was awesome! After days of raining, the sun finally came out, right timing. I can't imagine what we could do if its raining. It wasn't that long when we started and then one by one, groups of people began to flock around and join us in our area. First, the men in uniform - the sea marine officials. They were carrying nets. This is very helpful in getting floating trash especially the styrofoams. And then, several groups of students from different schools, different communities from different cities...it was a party!

At 9am, we got tired, walked back to our tent, drank water, sat at the bay, saw old friends, relaxed, and I guess, reflected silently without being noticed. Small good deeds we don't even notice will go a long way. Sure, its a great way to start my weekend right!

About Katrina

2005-09-04T10:55:00.000-04:00

My dad usually tells me current events, what major news is happening around the globe because he watches the news on tv often. I think I've gotten my interest in the news from him, even listening to the am radio while driving. In any case, there was one day, I think Aug 31'st, something has caught my attention to veer towards the tv. I heard again hurricane Katrina from the tv. Before that, I didn't know that it was that dead serious. I mean, I thought that the impact will not be too big and that US already knows about it and so they must have evacuated the place if they have warned about it. I was really shocked on what I saw on tv. I told my dad, it's not like a US city that I'm seeing. The city that was built under the sea level was really a huge tragedy. It's like the city was submerged in a bowl.

I became curious and hungry for information about the aftermath and about New Orleans, Louisiana itself. I learned many things about it, from joyous days of Mardi Gras, jazz, Fats Domino, to hair-raising infos on graves that were put above the ground, not burried, hoodoos. I even watched The Skeleton Key (with my good friend Jeff) in Greenbelt last Saturday. What could be the reactions of the cast and crew of that movie after the tragedy that took place. They shot the film from March to May. From the movie, the landscape looks really ghostly specially the houses and the swamp.

Well, enough of those scary stuff, but it really amazes me why people still want to live there when they know it is very prone to flood, hurricanes, etc. There are so many pictures in the internet about the aftermath, the anarchy, the rescue operations. I wondered what was the reason that it took too long for the rescue team to get into the survivors. I mean, this is US. They have huge military forces and what not. Could this be a racial issue (according to African-American survivors), anarchy (according to press), wrath of God (according to al Qaeda) or political issue? I heard in CNN regarding Cuba sending doctors in Louisiana. They are still waiting for the green light to help the victims because the head says they still have to take care of the logistics first. They cannot accomodate help until they've fixed the logistics. I mean, what's a bigger deal than people dying on the streets?

I remember, there was this news or email that spread several months ago that there will be a terrible earthquake that would happen in Manila. The coastal waters will get very high that it will flood the city. This was a predication by a nun. And she said that the only thing that could prevent this from happening is through repentance of sins from God and by doing good deeds. I begin to think, what will I do if this ordeal happens to me, my family, my country. Will I get scared from dying? Will I be willing to lose all my belongings and evacuate? Am I prepared to die?

Our project's resort

2005-08-28T10:12:00.000-04:00

We had our “one of the last” team buildings this weekend in Kaiser. Last Friday, directly from work, we went to a resort in Laguna. This was the second time for me to go there. It is actually owned by the relatives of one of our team mates, Jericho. The resort has a swimming pool, karaoke / dining area, 2 big bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. We didn’t get all there at one time, others had to follow after 12mn because they’re night shift. Anyways, the party started to pick up around 10pm. We had like 4 cases of beers, and then 2 cases more followed. Girls had fun with the Franzia wine. Almost everybody was drinking, singing karaoke, dancing, others were just hanging out, laughing and swimming in the pool. Speaking of pool, I had a quite experience. I was standing by the pool, and suddenly, our team lead, Cel, pushed or hugged me and we jumped into the pool. I was surprised. Good thing I was already wearing my swimsuit under my t-shirt and summer pants. I got to put them on while I was still not high with the wine. Cel wasn’t contented. She pulled Cookie as well and they both jumped into the pool. Too bad though that Cookie didn't bring extra clothes and she was still in her rubber shoes and her cellphone was inside her pocket. It was really a “riot”! But you know what Cookie, you said you wanted to buy a new one right, only you didn't have a reason. Now, you have one! Happy shopping!

I was surprised at myself that I didn’t get to sleep that night. I was just hanging out with my team mates, trying to get to know them better, singing karaoke, taking pictures, laughing, smoking. And to sober down, I got contented sitting on the bench, playing cards, with my beer on my side. (The wine ran out very early in the evening. If I could’ve known sooner, I should have bought 2 boxes of Franzia. It was really funny because the first time we had our team building there, the girls weren’t that interested with the wine. So, I think, I finished like 90% of it!) And then suddenly, I saw the sun coming out from the skies. Some of the people were already coming out from the rooms, looking for breakfast. And so, it was another day of fun again.

I wasn't able to see most of the people leave that day because I was sleeping. Haha! Finally, I got tired and hit the bed. KC, Jericho, Jeff, Juan, Jobu and I stayed for another night in the resort. But I felt so tired that I slept all afternoon. By the time I woke up, it was almost dinner. The guys was very kind enough to prepare the food for us. They grilled liempo and tilapia. Jericho also cooked sinigang and adobong sitaw. Everything was a hit! Specially the sinigang na baboy. Yummy! After dinner, we just continued singing, playing cards, the others went swimming again. It was really a relaxing weekend.

Sunday, it was my chance to contribute something. I cooked fried and plain rice, washed some dishes, etc for our brunch while the boys went out to buy roasted chicken (it's like Andok's), soda, etc. After lunch, I finally was able to have a good swim, even just for an hour. At first, I got easily tired after 1 lap of whichever stroke, but I think I improved after several laps of trying. After an hour of my so-called exercise, it was time for me to take a shower and pack my stuff. It was time to go home again and work. It was kind of Jericho that he dropped us at our homes.

It will be another ordinary day of work tomorrow, but the weekend that passed had been extraordinary!

Si Raymond at Si Miguel

2005-08-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to hang-out with my brother today. It so happens that he went to Makati to buy a television to replace the old one. I'm so proud that my brother has already a job and is now helping the family.

It's been a long time since we last hung-out. My brother and I usually catch up on gimiks like this or when he rides with me to work. At first, I said to him, we'll just have a bucket of beer and then head home. But, he seemed to enjoy the taste of beer in Gweilo's. And then after a few minutes, a few of my project mates also followed. And so the 1 bucket of beer ended up to 5.

I can say my brother is not the shy-type of person, even if he just met the person first time. I don't know maybe because of the beer, but this is not the first time that he's been with my friends. He always joins in almost every conversation in the group, wants to contribute something either by sharing his thoughts, experiences or just by laughing with the jokes and stuff. Sometimes I see my traits in him. It's really amazing for me that we get closer everytime we hang-out. I get to know more about him everytime. Even if he's a lot younger than me, 8 years gap, he has already been through tough times and I see him mature and learn from past experiences.

I will be forever proud of him. I hope he finds his dream in life and live it. It's never too early to find your dreams...

WFH and errands

2005-08-22T11:03:00.000-04:00

It's Monday today but I decided to just work from home. I told myself to just lay back and relax since there are no meetings and not much work to do in the office. Well, not really much work. There are still work to do but i really don't have to be there physically to get the work done. I know its gonna be tough again on the next few days because of deadlines, end of month and stuff. But then again, I really didn't plan on staying the whole day to work. I also thought of doing other things, silly.

9AM - logged online to chat with my teammates on stuff they have to do, email
1130AM - took a shower
1230PM - decided to get my tv fix so I went to the repair shop. They told me if I could just come back. They close at 6.
1:15 - Went to SM, bought some tokens for my former team mates who just rolled-off
2:00 - went back home and logged online again. Of course I still wanted to appear that I was working hehehe
3:00 - email, chat, still pretending to work...
4:00 - email, chat, still pretending to work while watching Endless love Summer Scent for the nth time!
5:00 - decided to head out and pick up the tv. went to my fave hang-outplace and tried to shop but to my despair, my manager called. I tried to ignore but what the heck, I went to my car and called. But then thetalk was just brief and so I decided to go back and checked out stuff.But, I failed. It's either I don't have enough extra money or I'm so fatthe clothes don't fit me...arggghhh
6:15 - i decided to have a facial and foot spa instead in let's face it. whew!!! what a relief!
8:30 - went to buy dinner
9pm - went home

Saturday movie and frozen zombie

2005-08-21T04:14:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday and I have to pass by the office to do a few stuff. And so, since I'm on Makati already, I decided to call some friends and invited them if they fancy watching a movie. Jeff, Juan and I met at Figaro, Greenbelt3. We watched Wedding Crashers after going to Glorietta to grab some food for take out. It was a funny movie.

After watching, I called Jule and invited him to hang out. Jule is one of my long-time friends in Accenture. We have been friends through rough and good times. He's my friend through thick and thin. Well, after the drinking last night at Gweilo's, my taste buds are telling me no more beers for tonight. And so I thought of us going to Masas in Greenbelt2 and just have their famous frozen zombie on a pitcher(costs P295). Jule, Sergio (Recy's bf) and Cookie followed shortly but Sergio had to work and so he cannot stay for long.

Are Filipinos brave enough to approach a lady they fancy in a bar? For some reason, Juan decided to approach this girl who's sitting next to our table with her girl friends. The girl is pretty and seems to be nice but not the type who's "adventurous". He was able to overcome his fears, maybe with the help of alcohol at first, but he was able to pull it through. Although, he wasn't successful in getting the girl's number, the point is, he took the courage and did whatever he wanted.

When does one stop and say 'The search is over' (for Mr. or Ms. Right)? After all the questions on what does the group look for in a girl or guy physically, after all the pitchers of frozen zombies, this became one of the big questions of the night. Different thoughts and views, realizations and reactions. One will keep on looking for a better person until she decides who to love. As Cookie said, Love is a decision. The group agrees.

Everybody left Masas sleepy but happy and hungry. We grabbed some breakfast at a nearby McDonald's store and Juan was so generous to treat us. Maybe because he was happy that he was able to do the thing that he never imagined he could do. Or just simply, we had some good conversation which made us all feel good.

Counseling group, LDGL team and drinking buddies

2005-08-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

We had our counseling group lunch today in Sugi at Greenbelt2. Ms Maybs, our counselor, let us order what we wanted. The place offers authentic Japanese cuisine and the prices are much expensive than other Japanese restos. Salmon sashimi with 5 slices costs P335. I've always loved sashimi and so I ordered for a mixed sashimi bento. However, they didn't have the salmon so I ordered for a separate one. The salmon sashimi was a hit! It was so tasteful, fresh and thick.

It's always a nice feeling when you get to see again old acquaintances and friends. Like our old friend, Nikko. We shared what's been going on with ourselves, plans, love, career and stuff. Cookie, a fellow gehlpren, and I are happy for Nikko. He had a tough breakup with his previous girlfriend but now he found a new love. They are a great match! I wouldn't be surprised to hear wedding bells soon for this couple.

Left picture, from left, Nikko, Cookie, Bernard, Anne, Von, Mahar, JP, JR, Anna, Bojo, Oscean and me. Right pic, with Nikko and Cookie, 2 of my long-time friends in Accenture (> 5 years).

It was roll-off time on several Kaiser folks today. We had to ramp down because two teams (Cookie's and myself) is about to finish. We just had to share resources across teams. We had our last LDGL team meeting with them and it was sad that we have to let them go. We rolled-off 4 members in our team. Starting from left, Oj, Roel, Jericho, Marce, Lhen(sitting), Remy(in pink), Paul, Joy, Cathy and me. I hope they learned many new things from our project as well as gained long-time friends.

It's a Friday and so of course, my drinking buddies and I went out again to Gweilo's to have some fun. They are also from our Kaiser project. Our office building is just a few blocks away from Gweilo's so this place is our fave hang-out, not to mention the cheap prices of the food and beers too. 1 bucket of beer which has 6 bottles only cost P180, garlic peanuts P100. Not bad at all in Makati area, huh? Starting from left, Mace, Badong, Cookie, Henry, Me, Jericho, Jeff and Jobu. There were several people who still followed towards midnight and we sure closed the bar again.

KP-Manila folks

2005-08-07T07:20:00.000-04:00

Kaiser Permanente's Teambuilding

My project mates at Kaiser had our teambuilding at Rockwell. We had dinner first in Dencio's which is inside the Powerplant mall. We occupied 3-4 tables. There were more than 30 of us. The food was delicious especially their crispy pata. Though, their kare-kare was kinda weird. It tasted ok but it smelled burnt.

Some of the KP folks, from left, Pat (Coredev's manager), Cookie, Caloy, KC, Kaytee, Badong, Michelle, Nats, me, Jeric, Uly, Victor, Nats, Carlo, Joy, Cathy and Ever. I consider our project to be relatively young compared to others. We develop SW applications using Psoft HR and GL. Right now, we have 40 members, 2 managers, 3 STL's, 2 TL's, and then SSE's, SE's and JSE's. It seems we have a good team structure, but I had to admit, that most of the time we still get swamped with so much things to do and other responsibilities. But, oh well, life's a challenge. I wouldn't mind learning anyways.

After dinner, we went to play bowling, also located inside the mall. When we got there, there were 2 company tournaments and so we just have to wait for them to finish. The others started to bowl since there are 2 available lanes, the others went to play billiards and the others just started drinking, like me. When the tournament was over, the party began, we started to bowl. An hour or so later, they turned on the cosmic bowling and everybody was dancing. It was so fun. We had 6 teams, 4 -5 members each team and I think we were in 4th place. But it was all good and all laughter.

Some folks, Cookie, Pads, Jericho, Jeff and Carlo still wanted to continue the night and so we went to Good Earth Roasts. It's in the vicinity of Rockwell. It is a good place to hang out for beers and pulutan.

Vince's Bday

2005-08-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

My Babee's Bday

It's my babee's birthday today. Unluckily, we weren't together physically. Instead of me giving him a birthday gift, he sent me flowers. I hope on his next birthday, or on my next birthday, we'll be together finally, for good. Being in a long-distance relationship is really quite a ride. But definitely it takes both to make it work. As Vince told me during one of my birthdays that we're not together, the feeling is only fleeting. As he knows that we will never be away for our birthdays again.

My first blog

2005-07-31T11:48:00.000-04:00

What do you usually do on weekends without any gimiks? You do grocery, have a cup of coffee and hang-out at one of your favorite coffee shops, window shop, have a facial, refill tank, watch a bit of tv and surf the net. Well, that's what I did this weekend PLUS work, work at home. Isn't that boring? Work should not be in any of my agenda during weekends. Sometimes, I wonder why did I become an employee. I couldn't get out of the Rat Race. While I'm still finding out how can I get out of the rat race, I will just simply move on, allow the waves carry me to wherever, until I decide to stop and go to another shore.

This is my blog...escapades and notions of my life, with my great people....