Hongkong log

Our group was able to make a few hours' tour of Hongkong for a quick round of shopping last Sep.24. Hongkong has a touch of Singapore but not as quite. The latter is cleaner. Of course, Singapore doesn't have Disneyland so I have to give points to HK for that. Plus the airfare from Manila is reasonable.

This album is powered by
BubbleShare
- Add to my blog

Guangzhou log

I can describe Guangzhou as an old city with a sprinkle of the new. Rich in history, we were able to visit a museum housing the mausoleum of the Nanyue King, the Sun Yat Sen park, and the Chen Academy.

During the Guangzhou trip, I was able to discover a fancy feature on my digicam: digital macro. It's good if you want to take semi-professional-looking pics of flowers, plants, and stuff.

After lunch we went to do some street-shopping. For us men, shopping for clothes is just one ordinary task that needs to be done seldomly. That was why we ended up browsing the stores and not actually BUYING something. This was good for our pockets but not for our tour-guide, who I think was tired of walking around several blocks since she mistakenly wore high heels for the day.

Shenzhen Zoo

Shenzhen Log

It's 3am here in Shenzhen, China and I'm still not sleepy after a KTV session with my co-managers and staff. With the free broadband internet access in my hotel, why should I sleep early? Further, my trusty digicam has 40+ blanks left so I had to transfer the 90+ pics that I've taken so far to my laptop to free up space. My trip still has Guangzhou and Hongkong before I head back to the missus and my boy Sunday evening so more picture-taking is expected.

So how do I find Shenzhen? Pretty good, actually. The city itself is streaming with well-laid wide roads and impressive buildings. The smog is iminent from morning 'til evening which just goes to show how China has undergone an industrial revolution to make it one of the most formidable business investments in the 21st century.

The sights we went to (and I recommend that you see) were The Cultural Village, The Window of the World, and the City Center were bargaining a la Petaling Street is the norm. Below are some pics I've taken including pics of the hotel we stayed in.

B3, our guide, called in to say that we check-out of the hotel at 10am before we proceed to Guangzhou, our next destination, where sight-seeing and shopping is the order of the day.

The Charm Of Tagaytay

Tagaytay is one of those places that I just can't get tired of. The cold weather, the accessibility from Manila via Sta. Rosa Road, and of course the picturesque view of Taal volcano are what makes Tagaytay, well, so Tagaytay.

I remember my first trip there was in high school, when my section went to Tagaytay for a spiritual retreat (which eventually was done once a year). When we reach the top I would lean towards the bus windows to get a view of Taal lake and its volcano and just gaze in amazement. Nature trip, ika nga.

I even had one of my birthdays there. My closest friends and I rented one of those nipa huts by the highway and drank the night away with tequila and beer. It was one of my most memorable birthdays since I've never had my friends have a drinking birthday session with me, in Tagaytay at that.

I guess all those visits to Tagaytay made me dream to build a resthouse there someday. It was, and still is, one of my long-term goals. So in the meantime that I'm still thinking about it, sa Taal Vista Hotel na muna kami ---which was where we were last weekend.

I have to say congratulations to the operators of the Taal Vista Hotel for they've done an excellent job renovating the place. The missus and I liked it so much that we may make it one of our regular destinations for overnight, over-the-weekend vacations. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wishes a relaxing stay in Tagaytay.

Will I ever have my dream resthouse in Tagaytay? I don't know for sure. The missus is suggesting a place near the beach, or just go to Taal Vista. I'll never know really.

It seems that I've been drawn by Tagaytay's charm and there's no letting go.

Out of Office

Here's a glimpse of my business trip destination tomorrow.

Btw, the flight's via Hongkong. (wink wink)

True Faith: Eto Hits...Acoustic

"Hello....how have you been....who've you've been seeing this past few weekends?"

I was pleasantly surprised when Chad, one of our engineers christened as the office DJ, played the whole True Faith acoustic album one afternoon. I'm a True Faith fan but I never got word of this 2004 album of theirs, maybe since I was abroad at that time.

Medwin Marfil's relaxing vocals and his bandmates' acoustic guitars eased through my ears so much so that I reminisced the late 1990s when me and my mountain bike would pedal through the Severina subdivisions on late afternoons, with a borrowed walkman plugged into True Fafith's Memories Are Cheap album. I can consider those bike rides my solitude moments. True Faith music and just breezing along the quiet streets lined by those humongous mansions in Marcelo Phase 5, ah yes, that was solitude indeed.

Well me and the missus will be going up to Tagaytay for the weekend. The drive up to Taal Vista will be comfier with my boy in tow.

Of course, True Faith will be along for the trip. I was able to copy the album from Chad with my mp3 drive.

"...just like Mathis singin'....on a low down Sunday afternoon..."

How Lucky We Are

I heard a sad story the other day when AM, one of the maids here, left permanently.

With all the maids that have made their way to my family's home since I was a kid, this is one of those "aalis na po ako" stories that I may never forget.

AM decided to go when she heard that her aunt, who's taking care of her father, passed away. She had some sort of disease that had the doctor no choice but to amputate both her legs to prevent the disease from spreading. I guess after the doc amputated the remaining leg, she couldn't bare to see another day.

AM has a monthly salary of 3,000 pesos. She sends 2,000/month back home for her family's spending while the remaining 1,000 she keeps for her life savings.

According to B, they never saw AM spend a single centavo of that 1,000. When B and the other maid go out to buy meryenda, AM would not join. She would simply eat whatever food is portioned for the household help, nothing else.

B even said that the slippers that she uses were so old that the soles of her feet are already kissing the ground since the slippers were so worn out. She never wanted to spend her savings.

But then her aunt died and she wanted to go see her for the last time. She had planned to go back with her sister who also works as a maid here in Manila.

But then, going back by sea is cheap but it will take them 3 days for the trip. She might not be home in time to see her aunt. Thus she and her sis decided to take the plane, a faster but costly route.

To shoulder the airfare, she had no choice but to use up her savings to fly back. Her 1,000/month savings, all gone.

The Last Straw

Badminton, as you know, is the sporting craze nowadays here in Manila. Courts are popping up like mushrooms all around, and many people have taken up the sport ---much to the dismay of the missus.

Ten years ago, badminton was just like any other neglected sport here. But the missus and her friends were regular shuttlers, meeting weekly at Camp Aguinaldo to play. But ever since the sport picked up its popularity, she lost the energy to play.

Why you ask? Let me put it by this example:

Imagine you bought an album of your favorite artist/band. Some of the songs are already getting their regular airplay in the radio-stations, while there are some songs that are still unknown to the listening public.

You then find one particular song that hasn't been aired. You listen to it, and you love it ---more than the other songs, including the ones getting airplay. You christen it as THE song that you like most in the album and best of it all is that only you, and the other people who bought the album, are the only ones who get to listen and enjoy that song.

Then, after two weeks buying the album, you turn on the radio. Suddenly, you hear a familiar intro.

It's THE song that you love, and it's now being played on air!

Now everyone hears it. Everybody now knows it. It not only gets airtime on the radio, but you'll see it on TV, with the ultimate insult of some lame-ass forgotten hearthrob actor/actress trying to sing it on a non-favorite Sunday noontime show ---out of tune.

Your song, for all terms and purposes, has been mutilated.

Now use that analogy to the missus on badminton, you'll understand why.

She was ok with me starting to pickup the sport (Before, I didn't like badminton AT ALL). But then her dismay began to pickup when the basketball-clad guys hitting the shuttles came, then came the Sexbomb Dancers on the cover of Inquirer-Badminton magazine, then came Boy Abunda being interviewed in a weekly Badminton show.

Then, well, the last straw came:


Yes, that's good ol' Ronald McDonald hitting a shuttle.

Good thing football isn't that popular here.

Yet?

Oh please no.

GaryV

The missus and I went out last Thursday to watch "GaryV @ 23" at the Music Museum. This was our 3rd time to watch him live and, once again, he didn't dissapoint.

The crowd got excited everytime he'd walk towards the seats. This was where most of the fans would cry out, "Gary here!" to grab his attention so that they can have the opportunity to touch, hug, and even kiss him. The damatans were particularly the kilig-est of the bunch.

There was this old lady on our row who I assumed to be a die-hard fan. It was halfway thru the show that Gary then jumped to the aisle where she was and started walking. She, overcome with excitement, threw both arms in the air with hands signaling Gary to come on over. Kulang na lang eh sumigaw sya ng "Too! Too!" as if calling her favorite pet. Sad to say Gary didn't reach her and had to walk back up the stage. Later on there was another old-lady who was brave enough to walk towards the edge of the stage and Gary obliged by taking pics with her and kissing her on the cheek. Our old-lady then signaled his now embarassed husband to take her picture with Gary since she wanted to do the same. Unfortunately for her (and fortunately for the husband), the plan didn't pull through.

Seeing that Gary didn't reach their area (which was near the missus), a group of middle-aged women were crying out for Gary to come over. I was just smiling at how these women wanted to be near him. Good thing the missus wasn't like this, I thought.

Suddenly, I was surprised to hear a faint cry "Dito naman!" from my left side.

It was the missus.

Well Gary did walk her aisle but he was 3-5 rows short of her. Oh well, at least she got to enjoy the concert, as always.



Hmmm...maybe next year she'll request me to get the front-center seats. Hehe.

Motivation

I saw this coming down from the 29th floor.


Now that's something to aim for.

The Missus Missing Palmville

The missus has been missing our condo in Palmville for quite sometime now. The odds of us going back there is slim so we might as well reminisce with this video clip I took before I left Malaysia for good.

Sporting Options

One of the things I like being back home is the numerous sporting options for the week. Here's what I have so far:

Badminton. There's 3 groups that I can join for this, 2 of which are from my ex-colleagues from Globe, and the 3rd are with my collegemates. I've started playing with the latter group every Sunday at Libis. The playing fee is cheap (P75/head for play-all-you-can) although the shuttlecocks are still pricey. If I only remembered to buy a bunch before I left Malaysia (sigh).

Basketball. I've started last Monday with my collegemates. It was an off-night for me since the last time I played was early this year. Rusty on the 3-pointers but I think with constant practice I'll be in shooting-form next time.

Football. Last but not least, my favorite sport. I used to play regularly every Saturday afternoon with my highschool's alumni football club. I hope they're still there since I want to play again. Hopefully tomorrow I get to go and play.

Golf. Naaah, just kidding. Maybe 5 or 10 years from now. Who knows?

Since I still need to help with the baby I have to limit myself to at most, 2 activities a week. It's just a matter of prioritizing which one to go for.

Of course laziness-level is a determining factor if I go or not. Last night I forced myself to workout with the missus' walker-equipment. I opened the garage cabinet, saw the walker, and looked at it for the longest time.

Nakakatamad buhatin.

So I closed the cabinet, went back up the house and just passed the time on the laptop....with the missus' sauna belt of course.

Tinamad eh.

Please?

The Chinese engineer is at it again with his "exemplary" writing skills.

Here's his latest email:

"...engineer helped us to do it.I will please Mark to add it again."

Hmmm....

Lucas @ 6 weeks

The word CUTE doesn't even begin to describe this shot that I took this morning.

More pics here.

Leave A Tender Moment Alone

I was going to do some surfing with our laptop when I chanced upon these two fuzzy "animals" having a tender moment.


Nope, I didn't place them there on purpose.

Spooky.

King Cobra

Just one of the reasons why Eat Bulaga is unbeatable.

Being Frank

This was an email sent by one of our Pinoy engineers to one of the Chinese vendor-engineers:

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

But you need to be clear and describe exactly why the platform is rejecting a normal message.

IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE COMMUNICATE VIA EMAIL. I AM SORRY BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR ENGLISH BY PHONE. ALWAYS, THERE IS A LOT OF INTERFERENCE.

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

Note that a lot of people were copied in this email. Kawawa naman yung Intsik. Kaso eh di daw talaga maintindihan yung English eh. Biglang-bawi na lang yung noypi nung dinagdagan nya ng “interference” sa huli.

I think the interference that he was referring to is the accent. Hehe.

The Pregnant Man

Is this for real?

S.M.

Yes, I've started working again. It's a big leap from my previous one in terms of position so I just can't help but double-click on my name on the email recipient-list every now and then just to see my title, just to be sure that I'm not dreaming.

An S.M. at 32?

Not too shabby. ;-)

Sarrrrrap

Fatherhood

It's been a week since I've arrived from KL and I just have to say that being with the missus and my son has been overwhelmingly fantastic.

Changing his diapers, feeding him, burping him, and cuddling him to sleep have been such arduous but rewarding tasks ---for the missus. I have to admit that since I arrived I've, pardon the pun, been sleeping like a baby all night, unaware of Lucas' demands for milk and diaper-change. The missus was kind enough to let me catch my Zzzs while she wakes up for almost 2-3 times a night to heed my son's call.

I've only started to learn the above tasks for the past 3 days now. Even my 11 year telecom working experience meant nothing when it came to such a simple task as changing diapers. At first glance it looked simple. But when I tried it on Lucas it wasn't as easy as it looked. A certified engineer slash board-passer doesn't know how to put a diaper? That's right folks. But at my 2nd attempt I was successful. Now I can say it's definitely a cinch, as long as he's not crying, hehe.

Who would've thought that such a simple piece of compiled cotton can hold an enormous amount of pee and sh*t! How times have changed. I find it really amazing ---and smelly.

But besides the smells and the occasional cries, I can now agree to what most of my friends say. That it is such a wonderful feeling to have a child. Just holding him in my arms while he tries to visualize this other pair of eyes looking at him, singing to him a tirade of light-rock oldies such as "Father and Son" with missed lyrics is such an amazing, A-M-A-Z-I-N-G feeling.

Priceless.

Jesus, St. Jude, and I (The Conclusion)

"There was another passenger earlier who was rejected by Immigration since she had no clearance-letter. I’m afraid I cannot book you on this flight.”

Several images crossed my mind the moment I heard this:

I could be checking-in at the Pan Pacific Hotel nearby the airport, wait for Monday and hopefully things get sorted out with Immigration;

OR

I try the airport-immigration and when they find that I’ve no clearance-letter, they shove me into the immigration office, get interrogated, and possibly jailed for trying to leave the country without their clearance.

But then I thought, I’m a Filipino. We are known to be more astig than the locals wherever we may be. “Unahan lang sa sindak yan,” a colleague in Singapore once told me. So, I took a deep breath and said to the lady at the check-in counter:

“NO! That letter is not needed! Immigration has already rescheduled my visa-expiry to an earlier date so that means they have checked and found nothing pending from my end.”

She paused, lifted her landline, and called to whom I assumed to be her manager. She then covered the mouthpiece and told me,

“Here’s what you can do. I will book you BUT I will not check-in your baggages for an hour. That will be enough time for me to assume that immigration has ok’ed you to travel.”

I agreed. I would have to proceed immediately to immigration which meant skipping my intended McDo breakfast meal (darn).

On my way to the escalator leading down to immigration, I was getting worried. “What if I get rejected and sent back? I would have to stay here over the weekend?” I told myself.

In that moment, I remembered St. Jude.

It was on the previous night when I was packing all the rest of our stuff from the condo that I came upon a stampita of St. Jude. At the back it said something like, Patron of Lost Causes. I never gave that much notice as I put it in one of my baggages until now. This seems to be classified as a lost cause, so why not try?

So as I was walking, I called on St. Jude to intercede for this no hope situation. “I sure hope he’s listening,” I thought.

The immigration-queue was fairly light. Not too many passengers traveling at lunch time since most of the flights are in the morning. I was in a queue with around 10 people with a tourist-couple at the front, seemingly unaware that one of the immigration officers was calling them to his counter so that the queue could move.

Seeing that the officer failed in calling the couple, I called the attention of the couple and pointed them to the waiting officer. They looked and went. The officer gave me a “thank you” look. Finally! The queue was moving and my fate was about to be determined.

Since there were 3 counters serving the queue, the choice of going to a particular officer was random. Then my turn came, and I was lucky to be put into where the tourist-couple went earlier.

I showed him my passport and browsed through the pages. “Don’t look at my visa!” I shouted to him in my mind, hoping he’ll hear. He found the visa-page of course. Then, as he was about to ask me something which I assumed to be asking for my immigration-letter, a female-colleague of his passed by and greeted him who seemed to have asked when he’ll finish his shift. This somehow lost his train of thought. He totally forgot about what he was supposed to ask and with his right hand, grabbed the immigration stamp.

THUD.

A stamp on the immigration card.

THUD.

A stamp on my passport.

He signed on both stamps and handed me my passport. I was free to travel.

I thanked the officer and, in tradition to my Dad’s PR skills, I asked him how long has he been working on his shift.

“12 hours,” he said, his eyes showing bags wanting to release sand-dust of sleep.

“I think you better go home. Get some rest.”

“Yes I will. Tired already lah.”

I said goodbye to him and passed the immigration counters. It felt like a big burden has been lifted. Never have I been so relieved to have passed by airport-immigration in my entire life!

These past two weeks have been hell alright. Malaysia must’ve been going to miss me so much that she pulled all the stops to make me stay. Of course, Manila is where I want to be.

There was one final issue 2 hours before my flight: I had 400 ringgit worth of notes in my wallet that had to be left behind, and a hungry stomach that needed to be fed.

Next stop: Duty-free shopping and Sbarro’s.

Jesus, St. Jude, and I

The past two weeks have been hectic for me. It seems that there was a connivance in the heavens to play a practical joke on me, which wanted to scare me with the thought that I may not go home.

Episode #1.

I had already found a buyer to whom I will sell my trusty car through an officemate's recommendation. My heart sank though as I checked our apartment-mailbox the next day when I found 2 police-summons sent to my old residence indicated that MY car was involved in an accident last March and that the other party is claiming for damages.

This was preposterous of course, as I told the missus on the phone that we were never at the mentioned area at that date/time. And besides, there was not a scratch on my car which indicated my innocence. Anyway, together with an officemate slash police-by-night officer, I went to the KL police station to find out what's going on. It turns out that the "intelligent" police-officer at the scene of the accident had written down the correct license plate of the offending party on his report (3687) but f*cked up when he transfered the car details to the computer-system to issue the summon (3867 ---my car). May I add that the offending vehicle indicated in his original report showed "BUS" as its description. Although my mother's brother and father are certified pro-drivers of the Martinez Bus Company that runs from Manila to Ilocos Sur, I have NEVER driven a bus in my life!

My car was cleared of course, but as you know there was a 50-ringgit "under the table" fee to speed things up. Darn it! Ako na nga naabala ako pa nagbayad. Siya dapat yung nagbayad sakin eh.

Episode #2.

I had an orbibike exercise machine that needed to be disposed since shipping it to Manila may cost more than the original value of the machine itself. So I sold it to another officemate at a dead-cheap price (80% loss on my part, in fact). Since the machine could not fit in her car I volunteered to deliver the thing to her place which I absolutely had NO IDEA how to go to. So she made a sketch on a piece of A4 and I went.

It was night and it was dark. Road signs were barely noticeable that I missed the exit to her place. I saw the sign too late but I stopped on the highway, and, seeing that there were absolutely no cars behind me I hit the gear to "R" and backed up at 80kmh to the exit lane with my hazard lights on. I thought I made the great escape when I was back on the right track when 2 motorcycle-clad police-officers chased me and pulled me over.

"Give me your license"

"Sorry sir it was dark and I got scared that I might get lost! (showing the map-sketch) I wanted to exit at this lane but I passed it."

(officer looks at the sketch, and, realizing that moi speak no Malay) "OK follow me I'll take you here."

"Here" was not I assumed to be. "Here" was the POLICE STATION.

"Sh*t!!! T*ngina ano na naman ang ginawa mo?!?!?! P*tang*na namaaaan!" I said to my idiot self as I followed the police officer to the station. I was already picturing myself behind bars crying for mercy like that old OFW commercial:

"IBALIK NYO NA AKO SA PILIPINAS!!!"

At the police station, four uniformed officers stood outside the entrance and met up with me. I showed them my Malaysian driving license which incidentally was inserted in my LTO casing that included my Philippine license.

"Youuu Filipino?"

"Yes."

"This is Malaysia. You're driving in Philippines cannot be done here."

"Sorry sir it was dark and I got scared that I may get lost....(excuses excuses excuses...)"

"No! I will give you police-summon!"

I realized that if he gave me a summon, I might not be able to sell my car. At that moment, I remembered my Dad.

Dad is a living example of how to use PR skills to your advantage. One shining example is how he had helped me get my 1st POEA Exit Pass. I was flying off to Malaysia in a few days but the govt. will not allow me fly without an Exit Pass. This usually takes 1-2 weeks. With my Dad and his PR skills, it took me 1 day. No he didn't know anyone at POEA. He just had the guts to enter the restricted areas and talk to the officer-in-charge and somehow found a way to speed up my application.

So with that in mind, I said to the police officers in a Malaysian accent:

"No no no don't give me summon! Maybe we can discuss this. (excuses excuses...afraid of the dark....excuses blah blah blah...boring the officers...blah blah blah...)"

When suddenly one of the four retorted, "OK go back (home)."

"Huh?" I said.

"Go back. We only give you warning. Go back."

"Jumping Jupiters Batman," I thought. It worked! I had managed to escape a summon and possible fine that I would've had trouble selling the car. As those Christian Ministers on Sunday TV would say, "Thank You Je-sus!"

Episode #3.

It was Friday 9am. I was at the KL airport excited to go home but at the same time partly sad leaving Malaysia. Three and a half years here man. Going back to Manila to start all over is like going to another foreign country and readjusting. All these thoughts were in mind as I passed my passport and plane ticket to the lady behind the Malaysia-Airlines check-in counter.

"Do you have a return ticket to KL?"

"No. I'm going back to Manila for good."

"Where is your immigration clearance letter?"

"My what?"

"Your immigration clearance letter?"

"Sorry I don't have that."

"Then I cannot book you."


(Itutuloy)

My farewell email

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

Hi,

Today is my last day working for M and my last day here in Malaysia.

I am forever grateful for having met and worked with you for the past three and a half years.

AK will be taking over as Head of CNO-IN/VASP so do contact him if you need any assistance.

I wish you all the best in your endeavors.

Thank you very much.

Best regards.

RGP

“Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is.” ---Erich Fromm

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

Nanay Ko Yan

From today's issue of the PDI Metro Section:

------------------------------------------------------

Protest rally greets new PNU president
Failure to meet standards cited
By Tina Santos
Inquirer
Last updated 00:23am (Mla time) 06/28/2006

Published on Page A21 of the June 28, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

SEVERAL faculty members and students of the state-run Philippine Normal University (PNU) yesterday held a rally to voice their displeasure over the appointment of lawyer Lutgardo Barbo as their new president, saying he had failed to meet some of the minimum standards set for the post.

Students, teachers and administrative staffers wore black shirts as they held a rally and noise barrage inside the PNU campus on Taft Avenue, Manila to question the decision of the eight-member Board of Regents (BOR), the university’s highest policy-making body. Black pieces of cloth and a streamer with the message “No to politics, yes to merit” were hung from one of the buildings.

The BOR had chosen Barbo, a former governor of Eastern Samar, over four other nominees—Dr. Esther Ogena, Dr. Twila Punsalan, Dr. Rosa Maria Llanes and Dr. Carolina Danao. The protesters claimed that Barbo’s name should not have been included in the final list of three candidates submitted by the search committee.

“We were surprised to find out that he got the position when in fact, he ranked last among the five candidates,” said Felice Yeban, a Department of Social Sciences professor. “He does not even have a minimum of five years of administrative experience in teacher education or related fields,” she added.

The Inquirer tried but failed to reach Barbo for comment.

-----------------------------------------------

Evening KL Drive

I was driving from KL to meet my futsal friends who were giving me a farewell dinner. Since they knew that I was a self-proclaimed Bah Kuh Teh connosieur, they took me to a BKT shop in Old Klang Road. It was not as great as the one that me and the missus go for every Sunday but the setup was nice since there were veggies and mushroom sidings that came with the meat. Ang difference lang naman eh yung sabaw di kasing-lapot nung nasa Klang. Evertything else was ok.

Since traffic was very tight during the rush hour, I managed to scramble for my cam-phone and take pictures of some of the KL sites that I've frequented (yup traffic was that jammed).

I think when I look at these pics months from now I'll just sigh and say, "Been there, done that."


This album is powered by
BubbleShare
- Add to my blog

Last Hurrah for Futsal

Last weekend was Malaysia's futsal farewell to me. I joined a team for the Company's futsal tournament, a one-day league last Saturday. It was in sync with the current FIFA World Cup so the organizers decided to give the team names based from the current countries in the said Cup. My team was Mexico.

Our team was a bunch of misfits but we were able to pull through: we played 6 games in the round-robin where we had 1 draw and 5 wins....by the enemy. Seeing the other teams play I knew that we had no chance. So I just forgot about being competitive and just focused on having fun and let all my teammates play. Even after every hurting loss, I was able to end up with a smile and shrug it off. "All for fun," was all I kept saying to myself.

Needless to say that we went there not for the trophy, but for the laughs. As for me I was able to score a glorious free-kick from the halfway line, passing a two-man wall and the suprised goalkeeper ---although we still lost that particular game 3-1.

Anyway I still had my regular Sunday futsal so the next day I was at it again, enjoying "The Beautiful Game" for those 2 hours. But as end-time neared, I knew that this *could* be my last futsal game (I've seen the futsal court in Club680 in Libis but the missus mentioned that his friend's friend has difficulty in getting a quorum).

When I get back to Manila I'll surprise my old football club in DB-Makati. Yes, the prized left-midfielder is back to play with Malaysian experience to boot.

Play on.

Manang

You've read about it, heard scary stories, and watched it in Pinoy horror films. Below could be the closest proof of their existence ---pics taken in Sual, Pangasinan using night vision by an emailer called Edwin Cura (click the pics to zoom).

Not just a mug

Well I couldn’t figure out the riddle that my team gave since I was too busy handing-over some work. It turns out they were referring to CHILI’S at Midvalley Megamall (yeah I know, you too would not have guessed it. I guess my team is better off as engineers rather than riddlers).

All of my 5 staff members came. They treated me to a nice dinner (I ordered the beef-ribs and chicken combo ---bochog).

After eating I was surprised they handed me a gift, which turned out to be for Lucas. It was a set of floating bath-tub toys and a rattle. Lucas (and I) will definitely enjoy it.

I had a feeling that they were also going to give me a gift so after setting aside the toys, I started laughing, “OK OK give me MYYYYY gift!!! YAHOOO! Come on gimme gimme!!! HEEHEE YAHOOO!”

Everyone was dumb-founded. “How did he know?” they all must’ve asked. Actually when we entered Chili’s one of my staff was already there sitting by the waiting area. He failed to hide one of those shopping paper bags so I somehow knew that it was for me.

So much to their disappointment that they weren’t able to surprise me this time, they handed me the paper bag. It’s labeled “Royal Selangor,” a shop known for its pewters. After several layers of packaging, here’s what I got:


A pewter mug. It's reminiscent of those used by kings of old or what you see in such films as LOTR. Note that Royal Selangor products do not come cheap.

But what touched me was that they’ve put an engraving on the mug with the words WORLD’S BEST BOSS and underneath it they put in all their names. Needless to say that I was close to being teary-eyed. I was touched. They would’ve given me a ceramic or plastic mug but that engraving meant more to me. It meant that I’ve done well here as a manager according to not one, but all of my staff.

So I gave my short-speech to them, wishing them all the best in their careers and their personal lives. After which, we capped the night by playing cosmic bowling which unfortunately I only scored 104 which meant I am light-years away from being World’s Best Bowler.

Dinner riddle

My staff have been so kind to give me a farewell dinner tonight as I've only over a week until I fly back to Manila. However, they have been cheeky not to reveal to me the venue for tonight's dinner directly but by a riddle.

I have to solve the riddle below in order to find out the venue for tonight. Well if I don't solve it, they'll end up having dinner just by themselves and it's going to be their fault, not mine. Hehe.

Well it is whr Microsoft came from
Some spices involved as well
Thr are many of this dine in this country
But the one we all gonna be is at the famous spree & dine, situated,
Center of an elongated lowland between ranges of hills..

Regurgitate

WARNING: I almost threw-up watching this one.

Great Shot!

Yup, the missus and I are finally one of those people who'll put all of their kid's pics on their blogs, cellphone wallpaper, laptop wallpaper, friendster profiles, YM display image, and so on and so on. I guess that's one of the joys of parenthood, a.k.a. the 'hood. You will never grow tired of looking at your kid every second of the day, moreover if you're thousands of miles away like me.

Here's a great shot taken by my sis. It's by the window of the missus' hospital-room while I was letting God's morning sun touch him.

New Kid In Town

As of June-16 7:34pm, the missus and I are officially parents. This 3.019kg bundle of joy called Lucas Elijah entered the world screaming and crying as the ob-gyn pulled him out of the missus' womb. Since we checked-in at the Asian Hospital in poshy Filinvest-Alabang, the husband was allowed in the op-room so I was privileged to be THE first relative to lay eyes on him. As the missus was welling with tears as she heard Lucas' cries, needless to say that I followed him with my trusty Canon 7megapix digicam from the missus to the glass-bassinet as the in-house pediatrician checked, measured, and weighed him for the tale-of-the-tape. Full video coverage, syempre.

It shouldn't be surprising that after being toweled dry, Lucas was as handsome as his father (wink wink). The missus points out the nose, the eye-sags, and the thick-hair as the features he inherited from me, while I can see the missus in Lucas' brown eyes.

Around 3am the next day the missus and I together with my sis were visited by him for a try at breastfeeding. Since there is still no breastmilk generated by the missus immediately after birth, you can imagine Lucas' frustration when he tries to suck but didn't get the intended output. His view on this issue? Cry, of course. Amazingly when he cries I would carry him from the missus and rock him gently from side to side and, voila, he stops crying. Di pa ako kumakanta nun ha.

We benefited greatly from his "every 3-4 hour" visits since we get to see (and smell!) him often. He smells like vanilla with a touch of pinipig (really!). No artificial flavoring, ika nga. Just all-natural baby smell.

My sis, armed with a film-type pro-camera, 2 digicams, 1 videocam, and 3 cam-phones could not help but just click and shoot away during these visits even as Lucas squints everytime he feels a flash coming on despite his eyes being closed. He may have a future in male modeling, hehe.

From the missus' family to mine, he is everybody's apple-of-the-eye. Ang pogi pogi't cuuuuuuuuuuuute daw. You only need to look at the parents, of course, as to why that is so. Hehe.

We were hoping to bring him home last Sunday but unfortunately he had a brief breath-holding episode ---5 seconds to be exact (I guess he was practicing deep meditation when the nurse spotted him). The pediatrician ran some tests and found that he may be suspect for some sort of infection. Thus he has to stay at the hospital for 5 more days (actually, 4 days left, and counting) with antibiotics injected to him twice a day (poor guy). He will be tested again on Friday morning so I hope it's negative so that he can go home to see his room (which has been recently renovated btw, sparklingly). Me and the missus had tears running on our faces as we said goodnight to our boy, and left for home.

I had to leave for Malaysia too so this morning I went by myself to the hospital to see him. He was just about to be injected for his morning medicine but I requested the nurses to postpone for a while as I needed to see and talk to him.

You may think I'm crazy but alone on that parent-area in the nursery with him, I was really talking to him: telling him how pogi he is, asking him to be strong and hopefully get out of this hospital by Friday, telling him to stop courting all the other baby girls in the nursery since there are more girls outside, and that airconditioning should not be a problem since his room in QC is equipped with it. Ahh yes, I also sang to him the chorus of "I'll Be" amidst the tears running on my face. It was really painful leaving him there. Well, hopefully he goes out by Friday so that he can see all his relatives (or vice-versa).

I took the video below using my N70 just before I left the hospital today for the airport. Like the missus, he likes it when I stroke his head gently as it relaxes him. Touch-therapy I guess. You can't help but agree, he's damn cute.

Leaving on a high note

It was not surprising that the news of my resignation had spread to the whole Company in over a week. Thanks to the tsismosos and tsismosas, it found its way to every person that I've worked with for the past 3.5 years. This has proved that office rumours spread faster than bird flu.

It's really amazing that every now and then I'd get a text-message or a phone-call asking, "Is it true that you are leaving us?" To which I would respond to a humble YES, citing family, with population soon to be increased to 3, as my main reason for going back to Manila. Yes when family is put into the picture (or the resignation letter in this case), the Company has no other choice but to accept their loss.

I am very flattered by the comments that I've received such as:

"Oh man why do you have to leave? How are we going to do this/that now?"

"I'm very sad that you're leaving. You're definitely one of the best people in this project."

"You're a very good manager. This team will be lost without you."

The best so far was from my boss' boss, who commented during the monthly meeting in front of all the other managers and senior managers:

"R and S are leaving soon. These are the good guys. I hope they will reconsider and stay with us."

I am very humbled by their comments, knowing that I've done well in this Company. Leaving this place knowing that I've left at the top of my game has made me feel content. Hopefully I will be able to leave the same impression on my next challenge, wherever/whatever it may be.

I guess this was how Michael Jordan felt during his 1st retirement.

Pampagana

Mmmmmm ang sarraaap!

Family Photo

I'm looking at this pic and I'm thinking, "Hmmm....kami rin kaya magpakuha ng ganito?" ;-)

Baby-shopping

Last Saturday night, I was able to buy a new pair of football shoes: a pair of Nike Mystic TFs (turf). I was apprehensive on buying the white-colored pair since the missus always comments mukhang pang-doktor whenever I hold a white basketball/football shoe when I go window shopping. But then the missus isn't here and this will be my farewell gift to myself before I leave Malaysia so I just said "Who cares?" and signaled the salesman that I'm making the purchase. I was able to break it in since I had a futsal game last night with my Chinese buddies. I didn't score a goal but the new shoes felt good compared to my old Umbros since the grip to the turf was better. Of course that goes without saying that I felt more pogi when I was wearing them.

After the game I proceeded to Pyramid for dinner. Seeing that the Chicken Buffet restaurant was full, I proceeded to Sushi King and ordered the usuals: komoro bento set, soft-shell crab temaki, and then a pair of fresh salmon and tuna-mayo maki from the kaiten. Busog as usual.

I then decided to stroll around the mall to remove whatever added calories I've eaten. My feet then brought me to a baby shop called Annaku ("my child" in Malay). I felt a different high as I was browsing thru the store ---everything was just soooo little and sooo cute! It was then that I called up the missus and asked her if Lucas still needs anything. Lucas' wardrobe so far only has white shirts so I picked up 2 blue Disney shirts that were just sooo teeny-tiny cuuuute! I've added two infant Disney socks with Mickey Mouse's face on it. Lucas will definitely look pogi (and absolutely CUUUUTE) on these.



This album is powered by
BubbleShare
- Add to my blog

Better Than Ronaldhino

Well tonight's the opening ceremonies of the FIFA World Cup. This is going to be THE very first time that I'm going to watch the opening ceremonies so I'm going to savour every minute of it.

Since the games in Germany will be shown live, i.e. late mornings here, then puyatan ito. But I don't care. It comes every 4 years so I'll get the Sour Cream n Onion Pringles and Coke-Light ready.

Btw, this video is absolutely funny.

Crazy isn't it?

Evolution of Dance

I got this from my sis. See if you can recall how many you used to do.

The Owa Dialect

You need to be well-versed with the Owa dialect if you're in a conversation with my mother-in-law. The word Owa was derived from the missus' niece when she was just learning to speak ---she tried to call her Lola but Owa came out instead. Thus the nick stuck with her 'til this day.

The Owa dialect is simply elongating a normal word with skee's, ong's, and what not's to make the sentence or phrase end with a comfortable tone at the end. It's very addictive mind you.

With the help of the missus, here's the Owa dialect as we know it today:

Okoy = O.K.

Basket = Baket. (example, "Ay basket???")

Goletstralaletskee = Let's Go

Of coursetamente = Of course

Ay shockdabolskee = ay shocks

Tongtong/Tongtongitis = short for "tongtong kulangot pastingbulala," or simply, it means skinny.

Bruhitik = Bruha

Doodle = also means skinny, derived from "yatpa-doodle-doo"

Plongkay = a girl having her 1st menstruation too early

Liliaskee = Lilia

Marioksee = Mario

Taweki = Rowena (don't ask me how it go to Taweki)

Boying = Boy

Mikotut = Miko

Patringgogo = Patricia

Cleopatrick = Clay

Lucas Pakaskas = her "coming soon" grandson

and my favorites:

Tiburcia = Tomboy sya. Tibo sya. Tiburcia.

Dulcisima Plandeskoy = Dulce Flandez, one of her loyal house-helpers.

Markong Debakongkong = Mark, her nephew.

Korek ka dyan!

Has anyone tried Yahoo-Messenger's Philippine Audibles? Kung hindi boses bading eh boses ni Kuya Bodjie!

Paging YM developers, gawa naman kayo ng maayos na audibles kase:



"Sori, strik ang parents ko!"

Free Photo Booth

I watch The Tonight Show with Jay Leno whenever I can. I find the show very entertaining since he always comes up with different skits/pranks that just makes me laugh out loud.

The Free Photo Booth prank has been going on for quite sometime on his show, with the booth installed in Universal Pictures. Jay Leno has been making this prank for several episodes already so when I saw that it was coming up on this particular episode I just stopped blogging and watched.

I was surprised to see the latest episode coz two of the victims looked to be Filipinos, especially the 2nd one when his accent gave it away.

Click here to play the video.

I can't wait for the next episode.

Cendol

Unless you haven't been to Malaysia, you will not know what cendol (pronounced chen-dol) is. If you happen to take a holiday here, you HAVE to taste cendol, specifically this particular one from Subang Jaya. The missus and I absolutely LOVE this tasty dessert, especially after our Sunday Bah-Kuteh (a Chinese pork dish) which makes it a truly power combo meal. Along with Rojak (another delicious dish), you'll always expect a long queue from people of all walks of life ---whether you're driving a Proton or an Alfa Romeo.



What we've assessed to be the main ingredients are sticky sweet rice, kidney beans, covered with ground ice. It is then poured with a delectable helping of arnibal and then topped with coconut+condensed milk with chewy green thingies.



As it is handed to you, you sit down by the sidewalk and mix it with a spoon. And then, under the summer beach-like weather, you take your first sip.

Saraaaaaap!

WorldCup 2006 Predictions

Here's my prediction for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Final 16 teams:

GroupA - Germany, Ecuador
GroupB - Sweden, England
GroupC - Argentina, Netherlands
GroupD - Mexico, Portugal
GroupE - Italy, USA
GroupF - Brazil, Japan
GroupG - France, Switzerland
GroupH - Spain, Ukraine

Did you know that as of May '06 among the 205 member teams of FIFA, the Philippines is waaaay at the bottom with a ranking of 191?!

*sigh*

So did he or didn't he?

Here's that much talked-about Schumi incident at the recent Monaco F1 Grand Prix.

Beauty and the Geek

The 1st episode of this show just aired on Star-world this evening. I found it interestingly funny so I might be watching this every week.


I could relate with the nerds in this series since my collegemates call our batch Tropang Norks, a cross between a nerd and a dork. I, for one, remember that my route that time was from house to school to house. The only social gatherings I went to were those soirees that the chickboys in our batch would arrange with schools like St. Scho, CHS and St. Paul Manila. Faces? Club Dredd? Mars? Nope, never been there. Yup, my college life was that exciting.

From those soirees I can remember:

1. We would actually send a scout team to assess the group of girls requesting for the soiree (Yes, you read that right. Requesting. Soirees were actually a graduation-requirement for some schools like St. Paul that they seek out all-boys schools such as ours. I can recall we had to pace the requests to avoid overlapping of schedules. Just gives more evidence to the theory that there are more women than men on the earth). Well anyway, the scout-team's job was to assess whether the ganda-to-pangit or mabait-to-mataray ratio is manageable. There was this group from St. Scho who had a spokesperson which we found to be too hard to handle. We would've continued if the 1st ratio was good but.... ;-)

2. Singing "Pare Ko" in front of a group of Paulinians with an acoustic guitar on one hand and a group of norks on the other trying desperately to sing in unison

3. Having a soiree penpal who turned out to be a non-Catholic and crumpled the stampitas that our Theology teacher asked us to give to them.

4. My 'kada BN "forced" by her not so good-looking drunk partner: she kissed him with her Reycard Duet lips. He was teary-eyed immediately after that harrowing experience.

5. My 'kada RS always having the most beautiful partner since he was the organizer.

6. On the soiree with St. Paul, a nun was actually watching us all throughout the event. She even did a 10-minute lecture on purity. Great, that will keep the soiree-ball rolling.

7. My 'kada OH making sure the girls never leave the venue without them giving him their home contact number and address which he keeps in a teeny-tiny piece of blue paper that he puts in his wallet for easier access for those who require a photocopy.

8. Having my 1st taste of gimik when after one soiree, we proceeded to Greenhills where I saw tons of teens by their cars waiting for the next super surround-sound vehicle to make its way to Goodah for some lugaw.

Ahhh yes, those were the days.

Gravity

Z has been writing a lot of songs lately. But placing the tunes must've been an arduous task for him that he sent me one of his compos for me to work on.

So, on a Saturday afternoon, I came up with this.

Z's lyrics, as below:

"Gravity"

the delicate hair
which covers your skin
brushed against mine
stirring me within

i caught a whiff
a scent so heavenly
as you tossed your hair
so sweet, so comely

i felt your body
as you slowly breathe
rhythmic succession
you i shared it with

something about you
which draws me near
i gravitate towards you
inevitably i fear

Ob-Gyn Report

Here's the missus' Ob-Gyn report from last Thursday.

-------------------------------------

FETAL AND OBSTETRICAL ULTRASONOGRAPHY

Within the gravid uterus is a single fetus in cephalic presentation, with good cardiac and somatic activities. It has a biparietal diameter of 91.6mm compatible with 35 weeks and 1 days, the OFD of 114mm, and a head circumference of 323.4mm.

The femoral length of 68.9mm compatible with 35 weeks and 3 days, and an abdominal circumference of 288.4mm compatible with 32 weeks and 6 days age of gestation.

There is strong and regular cardiac activity with a heart rate of 149 beats per minute. Somatic movement is appreciated. There is no gross fetal abnormalilty. The fetus appears to be a boy.

The placenta is located posterior with grade II features, and without encroachment of the internal cervical os. There is adequate amount of amniotic fluid – 1.30cm.

Estimated fetal weight – 2412 grams.
Expected date of delivery: 25 June 2006

CONCLUSION:

Single live intrauterine pregnancy in cephalic presentation, with mean gestational age of 35 weeks and 4 days based on BPD, HC, FL and AC. Placenta, posterior, grade II. Normohydramnio. Sonographic estimated fetal weight appropriate for age of gestation. Good fetal well-being.

--------------------------------------

So, naintindihan mo ha?

Bus Uncle

It's the biggest hit on youtube.com these days. Read the news-story first here before watching the video.

On Faith

So you're not watching DVC huh? Me neither but for a different reason.

Actually, I'm just postponing my personal screening of it since the missus would like to watch it with me. I've read the book so just the thought of watching the characters come to life on the screen excites me. Thus the missus would like to see how excited I will be as each scene unfolds, like a kid watching Ice Age 2 (Well, I think I was like a kid when we watched Ice Age 2. Eyes wide open, jaw-dropped and laughing hard as the next guy. Hehe).

Soon, I can be one of those who'd say, "Ay, mas maganda yung libro" as what most said about those Harry Potter and Jack Ryan films.

Yes I'm one of the rare few who has 20/20 vision because I haven't been reading novels as often as you. It's just that I was intrigued by DVC when I heard about it, so I read it. A page-turner indeed (I believe I have made a blog on it previously).

So until the DVD pirated copy circulates, I won't be watching it. But betyorbotomdolar that I'll be watching it.

So how about you? Why haven't you watched it? It's just fiction dude, or as PBB had popularized, it's just fiction dod. Relaaaax....wachamuvi.

Oh, so you're afraid that all of Dan Brown's ideas may shake your beliefs? Like these fellas from a pic I found in the Inquirer?


I'll let Matthew end today's blog:

"....You of little faith...why did you doubt?" ---Matthew 14:31

Part of the 'hood

Well, this is it. The missus and I will soon be part of that illustrious club that is called parenthood. She went shopping yesterday for baby stuff. I also did mine. Here's my very first contribution to the 'hood:


Maybe when he's 2 or 3 I'll buy him this if he inherits my football skills (it's the exact design as the latest Adidas F50+ series, only smaller & cuter).

Oyani....kalderetahhh...

Sa mga kababata ko, do you remember what you were watching after school when you were in elementary?

Voltes 5? Yes.

Daimos? Tama ka dun (my favorite btw).

Ano pa?

Here, let me refresh your memory:








At syempre:

Buhay Banda

One of my staff used to be the drummer for Naked Breed, a popular rock band here. I guess he misses that life when he decided to join the corporate workforce. Here's one of their live gigs:



Haaaay kakainggit. I missed the days I was playing for Microwaveable Popcorn. They've changed their name now to Mr. Brosnan. JA, our drummer, invited me to their concert next Saturday night at Singapore. I think I'll come over for the weekend to watch them play.

Being left out

Imagine yourself walking into the office on a Monday morning to find out that all your work-buddies, the guys you always go out with during lunch break all these years, are gone. This is because they realized that staying in the same company for soooo many years has not helped in lifting their careers. And, more importantly, that they have been invited to work for another company, except you. One by one, they have all decided to jump ship. Unfortunately, you had been left out like a kid who's not been invited to your rich neighbor's birthday party. They're all there on the greener side of the fence while you are left to continue the same boring work with your ultra-scrutinizing boss flying around like a vulture on a dying camel.

I feel that such is the dreadful scenario that AD is feeling right now. He has not communicated this to me verbally, but, I've sensed it for having known him all these years. He showed me a Jobstreet-ad that he said he wanted to apply. He even popped another window showing his CV, and then another window showing his cover letter. All for show perhaps? Just so he can say to the world that, "Hey! I am leaving this piece of shit too!"

It's quite sad actually. The thought of being left out seems too much for him to bear that he is trying hard to hide his depression.

In all my working years, I've learned that a person is only successful in job-hopping if he keeps his mouth shut about it. Spreading the word to all your colleagues that you hate your boss, this place, and you are going to this so-so company is just another way of letting out steam. All bark and no bite. I'm fairly certain that he will do nothing about it since he's afraid to move out of his comfort zone or, to put it more bluntly, no one has invited him to greener pastures.

I can remember 2 such cases in my previous work. A he and a she, they were always complaining about their sad state and said they are going to move to this or that company, or even work abroad.

As you may have guessed, they are still there, still wallowing.

I hope AD won't be the unfortunate 3rd.

My recent Manila trip in 46 words

chicken with noodles * Jollibee burger steak * Bacolod Chicken Inasal * pandesal with vienna sausage * bulalo * burger machine sansrival * rufos tapsilog * hito * tahong * roast pork * truffles chocolate * gyu yakinikudon * tempura * sashimi * blueberries and cream crepe * roast pork * halabos na hipon * fish with rice * BK black pepper beef meal

Dama Master

Talk about coming from behind.

Henry

Thierry Henry (pronounced as "ohn-ree") is hands-down one of the world's best football strikers today. He's the driving force of Arsenal (mah favorite football club), worrying the opposing team's defenses using his speed and deadly accuracy of the ball. A top striker and scorer, he's a definite asset to the club. He's been with Arsenal for quite some years already so the issue has been whether or not he will renew his contract with the club for a couple more years. He has kept mum on the subject, not giving the slightest hint if he will stay or go to Barcelona FC or another club. If Arsenal win the Champions League on the 17th, there could be a chance that he'll stay....or go.

Such is the fate of professional athletes, be it in football, basketball, etc. Age (and money, of course) is a deciding factor that makes players seek out other offers for a longer contract elsewhere. At age 27 or 28 most players who are in good form will already ask for a longer contract so that they are secured for the next couple of years even if they encounter injury. For if they wait 'til age 34, 32 or even 30, they might just end up in the lower leagues or worse, retiring prematurely.

I think most of that is going thru Henry's thoughts lately. If he moves, the Arsenal fans will definitely going to miss him for he has been greatly associated with the team for sometime. Of course the reverse is true. He will definitely miss playing in the English Premier League as well.

In a way, I find myself in the same situation as these football players every year as my contract ends. Not knowing if I'm going to be renewed, I am always on my toes to perform well and prove to my bosses that I'm deserving to stay here, my home for over 3 years now. Since I'm still here, I guess they like my work.

When the time comes for me to leave, I'm going to miss every inch of Malaysia that I've been in, every bite/sip of Malaysian food that my mouth has tasted, and especially the warm, friendly people that I've come across. I'm sure that my colleagues at work will definitely miss me too, for I know that they know that I've done well.

And just like Henry, I'm going to keep mum until the very last minute.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Here's a video I sent to one of the Bugoys as a birthday-greeting. I managed to find the full version on Google.

Enjoy!

Sit-ups: the right way

During those times na ginaganahan ako mag-exercise (which is like once or never a week), it seems that I've been doing sit-ups the wrong way.

This video from webmd.com shows the right way.

Of course proper diet should also be taken into account. I've yet to incorporate this that's why I look as pregnant as the missus.