A Quickie Christmas

Question: How does one manage to survive Christmas celebrations for 48-hours straight?

Answer: Celebrate it with numerous relatives and friends who haven't seen you for more than 10 years.

Just about everybody whom my parents and siblings knew in the New York/New Jersey area dropped by at my great-aunt's place and among other things, got to either shake hands, pinch my cheeks, pat my head or slap my bottom like a kid.

(to be continued)

Surprise Gift: a 'bad' post

This is a 'bad' post. 'Bad', as we all know, is the opposite of 'good'. Hence, this post is not going to be one of my usual tributes to a particular person or a narrative of a good thing I've done.

This is going to be about a 'bad' thing I did last night.

After some significant peer and holiday pressure, I conceded to attend our gang's Christmas party. I would be a liar if I say that I'm not in the mood to interact with the group --- the season has it's own magic which at least dampens some ill wills and grudges. Besides, Christmas is the only season that I really enjoy, particularly because of the gift-giving part to people I treasure. I feel privileged to be able to give gifts to such people, and thus I don't expect them to reciprocate.

I keep two sets of Christmas lists: the 'obligated' and the 'treasured'. The first list is quite lengthy with names of business contacts, casual acquaintances, some of my godchildren, cousins and aunts and uncles, and a selection of people who expect a handout from me this Christmas. The second list is short -- a favorite godson, parents and siblings, a few friends and a cherished godfather.

Buying and giving gifts to the names on the first list is a chore for me. But doing the same for the names on the second list is done with care.

Anyway, the 'bad' thing that I did last night is that I have to give a gift to someone that I'm obligated to (read: Kris Kringle). It so happens that the recipient of my gift is the singular person in our group that I wouldn't like to be with. His greatest fault is that he's a verbal bully, and in more than one situation I've found myself to be the object of ridicule in a crowd because of some smart remarks from him. Truth be told, nobody wants to be embarassed in public, right?

Last night at the party, in full view of all the other guests, I "playfully" shoved my 'gift' to his torso. My gift was 750 pesos worth of local coins inside a thick frosted mug. I'd say that the box weighed about 3 pounds at least.

Now, imagine someone coming up to you and without expecting it, he punches you in the chest with a 3-lb steel ball in his hand. You'd be sure of two things: pain and surprise.

And that's what I did last night: punch someone under the guise of (obligated) Christmas gift-giving.

It was a nice feeling. What I got in return was priceless: a feeling of satisfaction.

Ironically, I can feel that this is gonna be a Merry Christmas for me.

December Weekend Warrior, post #1

All these things happened in less than 24 hours, from 0900H Saturday to 0400H Sunday.

1. The Malarayat Company Party

On Saturday morning, I drove from Batangas City to Lipa City's Mt. Malarayat Country Club for the annual company party. Traffic was very bad, but the party was worse.

Malarayat is a good venue for golf tournaments, reunions and teambuilding exercises. It is NOT a good venue for company parties attended by more than 5000 employees and guests.

The vast property was a disadvantage to all the attendees. The activity venues were all scattered about, and it's a 20-minute walk from one venue to another. There were vans going about to shuttle the people around. If there were five thousand people who want to go from one place to another and there were only ten vans available, think of the waiting time you have to endure just to get a ride.

The program was lame.

There weren't any 'big' activities.

You can't relax, specially if you have kids in tow.

There are so many other things about the party that were unsatisfactory that I could point out, but to keep this post short, I concluded that this year's company party is the worst one I've attended so far.

And to think I endured walking and standing for 5+ hours there.

Beer count: zero


2. The EB Block and Ampons Christmas Party

Leaving Malarayat Country Club at 430 in the afternoon, I arrived at Tom's place in Cubao at around 930pm. (Had to pass by our house first to shower and change, then a quick stop at a Teriyaki Boy restaurant to buy some tempura...)

After 12 years of knowing each other, our college gang had a Christmas/Reunion Party on Saturday night at Tom's house in New Manila. Food was great -- tempura platter, fried chicken, pansit palabok, grilled spareribs, chocolate cake, mango pudding, nachos, wine and beer. I haven't seen a lot of the gang for the longest time.

Funny thing about the party is that about half of us turned up wearing black. Hehe. Anyway, black is formal.

JP, our batch's resident geek (not me, by the way) made a 10-minute AVP of our batch. It was a heart-warming AVP --- watching ourselves develop from totoys and inengs into the current cast of yuppies (young urban professionals) and yupas (young urban parents). JP spent a lot of time soliciting and scanning old photos for the AVP.

Now that was a Christmas feeling.

Beer count: 3
Time: 2340 H


3. Mike's Apartment, SAGUIJO

Quito and I had to leave the party earlier than usual (around 12 midnight) to catch his cousin Mikey play at SAGUIJO. Meeting up with a couple of other friends, we went to the place and cheered Mikey and his band (Mike's Apartment) at their debut performance in SAGUIJO. The venue wasn't brimming with people -- there were just
enough patrons in the place to consider it 'fully seated, standing room only'.

Beer count: 5
Time: 0145 H


4. ARUBA, Metrowalk

After Mikey's performance, Quito and I decided to bring a couple of our friends to Aruba at Metrowalk for some talk-time and more beers.

Can't remember everything that transpired there, because I was already drunk. Hahaha...

Beer count: 8
Time: 0320 AM

5. RUFO's, Makati

After bringing our friends to their respective houses (Quito was driving, we carpooled), Quito and I decided to end the 'night' at Rufo's over tapsilogs. Good idea with me (since I emptied my stomach's contents earlier, hehe).

I can vaguely recall what we were talking about then, but I do remember that both of us really sounded like a couple of drunks.

Beer count: 8
Time: 0359 H


Oooofff... got a terrible hangover when I woke up later.
I think I'm getting too old for this kind of escapades.

POSTSCRIPTS
Belated happy birthday greetings to Nikko (Dec 3rd) , Bettina (Dec 4th) , Geland (Dec 9th) and Tinters (Dec 10th) .

Kelan ang blow-out? Hahaha.

I wonder how my next December weekend is gonna be?

Porn Porn Porn!

Repeating the word 'porn' three times in a row in a Sesame Street-like video production must really have left quite an impression on the audience and judges.

Yesterday, our team clinched the Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award for our 4-minute music video entry to our company's Code of Conduct youTube-clone competition. Based on "The Internet is For Porn" segment of the Brodway musical "AVENUE Q", I and a small group of peers created a music video featuring hand-made puppets arguing on the use of the internet in the workplace (definitely should not be used for porn!).

The cost: 4 days of pre-and-post production, mostly in-house talent and video/audio editing skills, and puppet materials costing a little over five hundred pesos.

The prize: one glass trophy and sixty thousand pesos worth of gift certificates.

Hahaha... Tubong lugaw. I really feel sorry for the other teams which spent between 20 to 40 grand for their entries.

The cast:



At left: Biskwit Mamaw, the porn-addict monster. Top-left: Emp-One and Ging-ging puppets. Top-right: Emp-two and Ning-ning puppets.

Even Trillanes Can't Stop Me

... from taking a vacation this long weekend.

Got great photos at my first visit to Camsur Watersports Complex.

NEVER LET GO
Shutter priority
1/50s,panning
White balance: cloudy

Two days at the CWC resort wasn't long enough to convince me that I will take up wakeboarding as a leisure sport (hahaha... I gave up trying to stand on the wakeboard -- after two attempts only), but the resort is a great place for a hobbyist photographer.

Inspired Daw

For some reason, I played "too well" in my first game at yesterday's bowling tournament here in our office. Imagine me scoring my last 5 frames with perfect pinfalls, and getting a score of 30+ points above my average.

Much to the amusement of all my teammates and spectators, they concluded that my nearly-perfect game was because of the timely appearance of a female colleague.

Inspired daw kasi ako.

Well, all the shouts and cheers were nice to hear. I'd say that THAT was a good moment. Yung bowling ha. Baka batukan ko kayo kung ibang moment ang naisip nyo.

=D

Good luck, Donna!

Wishing you luck on your K.L. assignment. Sana magkita tayo dun in the future as colleagues (hehehe...).

O ha, one of the rare moments na kumakanta ako in public.

"...in this kaleidoscope world.."

Weekend Wees!!

1.

For the third year in-a-row, I and my partner emerged as champions in our division of the 3rd Chairman's Badminton Cup held last Saturday at THE ZONE. (Yabang!) Hahaha. I had some problems with my net play, suppossedly my 'comfort zone' in badminton, throughout the tournament --- about 90% of my soft shots were a hairline short of crossing the net. Realizing that my attempts to make drop shots and hairpins were costing our team some points, I had to revert to playing the shuttle using lobs and smashes.

It involved a lot of running and jumping around on my part. Almost sprained my ankle once because of a poor landing on one of my hops. The finals game was around mid-afternoon. Heat building up on my head had to be managed with cold towels to prevent a heat stroke (?) on my part.

Anyway, I got another trophy to add to my collection! =)


2.

That night, immediately after the tournament, I had a quick shower and went to Mall of Asia to see BEOWULF at the IMAX theater with Tin, Marijo and Buddy. Free IMAX passes care of my brother.

Two comments: (1) BEOWULF (the movie) makes you reminisce of a certain Austin Powers movie because Beowulf (the character) has no regard for his appearance with-and-without clothes, and (2) Angelina Jolie is eye-candy-spectacular in her role as a mother temptress.

The movie made good use of 3D-effects for the IMAX screening.

3. Had to wake up early on Sunday morning and drive to The FORT for the URBANATHLON. After claiming my race kit, I donned my new outdoor running shoes and Oakleys and found myself in the middle of about 250 urban warriors participating in the race. Wasn't able to see Chie or Pancho at the starting line though.

I was physically challenged with the obstacles involving the pick-up trucks, hurdles and the wall. Because of my badminton games the previous day, my calf muscles were still sore and could only give me a minimal boost whenever I needed to jump.

Twice during the race, my legs buckled. On one instance, one of the first-aiders asked me if I needed first-aid. I told them I'm still okay.

It was a very hot race --- the air was very humid because of the rainshowers early in the morning.

Anyway, my official time was 1 hour, 22 minutes and 18 seconds. I learned later on that Chie clocked around 1 hour 19 minutes while Pancho finished the race in 1 hour 24 min. Great achievements for us since we were able to finish the race in under one-and-a-half hours.

Ouch... my aching body. Anyway, it's been fun! Really played hard this weekend.

Enumeration

Hmmm... the week so far:

1) I've allergy attacks the whole day, most probably because of pollen. Too many flowers in the compound.

2) What's the English of 'paltos'? Anyway, I've a paltos at my right big toe. My indoor shoes were suddenly too big for me when I used them last night, because Geland forced his feet (size 11 daw, yabang... haha) to fit in them earlier this week.

3) Two beers = second wind. Working fervently late the other night, I encountered a mental block at around 10 in the evening. I couldn't write sensibly for my report anymore. Fortunately, Bai asked if I wanted to join him for drinks and I did. After two beers, I was on a roll for work.

Pathetic work-life balance.

4) Abstinence = 1, bachelors = 0.

5) Good luck to Donna for her overseas assignment! Go, 'day! :)

6) Having nothing but telecons for your whole working day is one thing I don't want to find myself in in the future.

The week's been a bit stressful, pero oks lang. Worked hard this week, so I'll be playing harder this weekend!

Happy weekend!

One Week to Urbanathlon

Inspired by my acquaintances Carmela (budding triathlete) and Roms (marathon runner), plus peer pressure from Chie, and more of personally challenging myself, I registered late last night for the Men's Health & Fitness URBANATHLON.



The URBANATHLON is a 10-kilometer race to be held on Sunday at the FORT. It's not your ordinary run -- participants need to conquer seven obstacles along the route.

I think I can manage the obstacles except for this one -- the wall. I can do it if I have the wall to myself, but if you're with 400+ other runners it's gonna be like a scene from that Japanese game show "Takeshi's Castle".

Obstacles include a commando crawl, pylon hurdles, a tire maze and a minefield among others. Those who've done bivouac training definitely have an advantage. My aim of joining the race is just to really finish it within regulation time.

Anyway, this event has gotten me excited. I've been re-training myself for the run since last week.

I'm definitely gonna be an urban warrior this weekend. The Chairman's Badminton Cup is on Saturday, and the Urbanathlon is on the following day.

Papabugbog na naman ako ng katawan. Hahahaha. Sana matapos ko yung race. =)

Sexagenarian Sex

Overheard this conversation between two female senior citizens while I was waiting in line earlier at an ATM machine in a nearby mall:

A: "Ang convenient talaga nung ginawa ng GSIS dito sa pensyon natin. Sa ATM na lang natin kukunin."

B: "(changes the topic)Mare, effective ba talaga ang Viagra?"

A: "Bakit mo naman natanong yan? Wag mong sabihin... u-hummmm... (sabay ngiti)"

B: "Pa'no kasi, si mister eh gusto kagabi. Kaso ayun, mas malaki pa yata ang pastillas de leche kesa dun sa kanya. Sabi niya, bibili daw sya ng Viagra pag nakuha nya pensyon nya."

Hahahaha... and they talk about it so openly as if they were casted for "Sex in the City".

Missing Points

1.

During lunch today, one of my new female colleagues at work kidded me. “Stip, libre mo naman ako ng lunch.”

Hehe. Hindi ako umimik.

What would seem as apathy or coldness to her is actually because it brought to mind how a past peer would chide me to make libre to her, among other favors.

“Istipen, manlilibre ka uli sa amin ng lunch?”

“Starbucks? Samahan kita pero libre mo ko ng kofi?.”

“Stip, pwedeng pasabay pabalik ng Batangas please?”

“Stip, kelan ka uli magpapa-dinner?”

“Stip, anong oras ka mag-gym? Sabay ako ha!”

Of course, I’d brightly say “Sure ba!” to all of the above anytime, everytime. With the way she delivers those lines, it’s hard to say ‘no’. (In the first place, I find it hard to say ‘No’ to mostly everything).

It’s perfectly fine with me to treat friends once in a while, more so if they are fun and amusing.

...sigh... na-miss ko bigla kanina si Jackie.

If we do meet again in the future, the first thing I’d do is treat her to a cup of coffee.

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

2.

I miss the rain.

Sana umulan na uli. It makes me calm, clears my head and makes me think of nice memories.

A Funny Horror Story

It's about time that I share this horrific but funny incident. Sorry Kits, hehe.

Remember that some years back, the most terrifying movie would be RINGU? It was the original Japanese version of the movie re-made by Hollywood as "The Ring".

Anyway, it was a very stormy Friday night. I took the risk of driving to Manila as soon as I got off from work at Batangas. Because of the heavy rains, the South Luzon Expressway was flooded so I decided to pass time at Alabang Town Center.

At the mall, my best friend Quito chanced upon me at Starbucks. We get to meet about once every couple of months as I'm already employed while he was still technically 'bumming' around. He just came from the liquor store to re-stock his and his mom's respective liquor stash --- whiskey for him and brandy for her.

He and his mom were planning on drinking that night (he's got the coolest mom that I ever know). To make the story short, he invited me to wait the storm at their house nearby and join them for drinks.

We arrived at Quito's house shortly. His mom hasn't seen me in a while, and in-between generous pours of hard liquor, she'd grill me on my work and if the company is treating me well (her husband used to work for the company that I am working for now, and she has some hinanakit about it). The rains and winds were becoming stronger, and because of the amount of whiskey I've downed so far, Quito's mom offered me to spend the night there. A quick call to my mom was done and it was settled.

Quito suggested that we go watch "RINGU", which he just borrowed earlier that day from one of their neighbors. Both of us are horror movie buffs. After changing into my pangtulog and setting up the movie, we watched it with the lights out. I was on the couch, Quito was on a La-Z boy while his mom seated herself on a rocking chair. Quito's mom brought out blankets for the 3 of us. The blowing wind and pouring rain added a bit of spookiness to the situation. Occasionally, one of us would let out their own version of a scream, jump off from our seat or cringe inwards. It's a really scary movie.

His mom adjourned at around 11 pm, about halfway into the movie. She found the movie too scary and begged off.

Remember that the last scene was that of a dried-up well where Sadako comes crawling out, and transcends the TV dimension and crawls out of the TV itself? At that point, I and Quito were already kidding each other who gets to turn off the TV and VCD player when the movie's done. After some persuasion and logical arguments (Quito was closer to the TV), Quito had to do it.

The player is located below the TV --- when you want to switch it off, your face will be just in front of the TV. When the movie ended (with some residual scaredy-cat feeling in the house), Quito got up reluctantly to turn off the TV and the VCD player. I kidded that "Hala, malapit ka sa TV. Kukunin ka ni Sadako bwahahaha."

"F*ck you, man. Unless Sadako calls at sinagot ko yung phone, that won't happen man, he replied.

At the point where the VCD tray was dispensing out the CD, the phone rang.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Kits.

The phone was still ringing.

On the third ring, Quito dashed to the couch where I was sitting and jumped on me. Major ouch.

At that point, Quito's mom came out of her room with the intent to answer the phone. When we saw that she was about to pick up the phone, Quito and I both shouted "WAAAAAGGG!!!".

Nagulat siya. She goes, "Why shouldn't I answer the phone? And Kits, bakit mo dinadaganan si Stiff?!"

Since we couldn't explain it, she picked up the phone despite our pleadings not to answer it.

"Hello? Ahh... Dinjo. He's here. Andito rin si Stiff.... yes, you can come over. They started drinking earlier..." A few more words, and Quito's ma put down the phone.

"Quito, Dinjo's coming over daw. May dala daw siyang bagong horror movie na Japanese, nood daw kayo."

At that point, the two of us were already laughing.

Hahaha.

Happy halloween, everyone!

7 Reasons Why I Wouldn't Take the Blue Pill

1. The blue pill doesn’t interest me. I’ve already taken a blue pill before and I didn’t like the experience.

2. The blue pill is a one-way ticket to the Waste Lands where there will be nothing to amuse nor distract me, and no one to palaver with. I will surely degenerate into a zombie.

3. The blue pill dissolves your environment into a cubicle. That is not the environment I want.

4. The blue pill rescinds the spotlight and leaves you in the shadows.

5. The blue pill comes with chains and shackles.

6. My 5 senses prefer the red pill. There is no sensory benefit with the blue pill except for what I think will be a bitter taste.

7. I think it’s time for me to be selfish. Even heroes choose their challenges. I will not take the blue pill because it is forced on me.

Weekend Warrior: Masskara 2007

As a greenhorn photography hobbyist, I took advantage of the cheap flights being offered by Air Philippines to Bacolod to go and see the city's Masskara Festival. So I filed a 5-day leave, booked my flights and 'hotel', and stepped on Bacolod soil-and-cement for the first time last Thursday.

First impression sight-wise: Bacolod isn't that much different from the Southern Cebu area. Lots of open spaces, wide streets and pleasant people. The weather's a bit sombre with grey clouds looming above the whole city. From the airport, I and Geland (who joined me on this trip) made our way to the pension house we're booked at.

SALTIMBOCA Pension House at 15th and Lacson Streets is a great deal. For 600/php a night, we got a clean airconditioned room with two beds. And the pension house is one of the few with it's own jacuzzi and 'lounging' pool ('lounging' -- no good for laps). No TV too. That's okay since this is a budget trip. Toilet and shower facilities are shared with the other 4 rooms in the unit. The staff are very friendly and accommodating.

As we arrived on a Thursday, there wasn't much to do yet so we visited St. John's Cathedral near the central market plaza. At Lacson Street, flag a jeepney with a sign saying it's bound for "Bata". Fare is at 7 pesos.

St. John's Cathedral is one of the major landmarks of Bacolod City, along with the Central Market Plaza and the newly constructed SM Bacolod (at the reclamation area). Outside the church, vendors selling Masskara souvenirs are all around. The decorative masks cost from 30 pesos to 250 pesos each, depending on the size and the design intricacy.

Inside the cathedral is a very familiar image of a man giving instruction and guidance to a couple of children. You'll find a larger version of it along Taft Avenue in Manila. It's an image of St. John Baptist de la Salle.

That day was also the day of the school dance competition for the 2007 Masskara festival, but unfortunately I wasn't able to catch it.

The following day was Friday, with two event highlights. First is the city parade in commemoration of the city's Charter Day. Second is the first "Elektrik Masskara" event organized by the festival committee.

The city parade was done in the early afternoon along Lacson Street. Schoolchildren clad in band uniforms, high school cadets marching, a convoy of vehicles giving away freebies from various sponsors, big bikers, vintage vehicles, and of course movie stars (dunno the names, but I overheard from the onlookers that it was Zardo and Lastikman). No Philippine festival parade would be complete without the presence of at least one TV or movie personality.



Later at night, select dance troupes of Bacolod paraded and danced for the Elektrik Masskara event. Dancing to various R&B, hiphop and folk music, the performers literally wowed the crowd and photographers with their dance choreography and colorful costumes. Some used light sticks for props and most were wearing masks creatively lighted with LEDs.

Saturday was a hectic day. Got to meet up with Buddy and Tin (toting their babies -- a brand new Nikon DSLR and their old reliable Fuji Finepix). Geland decided that we go visit the nearby town of Silay for a view of the old houses in the area.

The town of Silay is a 10-peso jeepney ride away from Bacolod City. It's about a 35 minute trip, passing through several sugarcane fields. The key attraction of Silay is the Bahay Negrense, the ancestral house of the Gaston family. The Gaston's are of German descent whose forefather was the pioneering sugarcane miller in the province. Local folklore say that the Gaston family has been the subject of several witchhunts and ostracism in the old times because the natives believed that they were bampiras. The portrait of the Gaston patriarch seems to serve as proof of this tale because he does look like Bram Stoker's Dracula.




We returned to Bacolod City after lunch so I can catch the Masskara baranggay competition at the Central Market Plaza. There were more than 20 entries, each of which performed the year's Masskara medley. It was difficult to obtain a good view of the dance competition, so I settled with mingling with the baranggay dancers at their waiting areas. It was a motley of costumes, masks, children and tourists! The colors that you see and capture there makes you want to snap pictures away endlessly.

At night, it was the street party along Lacson Street, Bacolod City's main avenue slash business district. Four large stages are set-up at various landmarks along the street, with each stage featuring its own performer. At this point, Sam and her very pretty sister Stef met up with me and they gave me a bar tour of Bacolod. Bacolod City's "place-to-be-seen" is Sorrento, their version of probably Eastwood. With five upscale bars and a coffee shop, the rich, pretty, good-looking and VIPs seem to congregate at this place. The three of us lounged a little, drank a bit, talked anything about Bacolod and looked at the people.


Sunday was our last day. Geland and I took an Oceanjet ferry to Iloilo. Flights going to Manila are 2000+ pesos cheaper if you take it from Iloilo, hence the side trip.

We only had enough time to make one stop at Iloilo City --- to hear mass at the city's JARO Cathedral, one of their more prominent landmarks.

This is getting to be a long post, and I haven't talked about the food yet!

It's hard to say that the trip was relaxing. I've been going from one place to another like on some sort of race, with no real time to relax. But the sights and the pictures I got were worth the hardship.

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

Bacolod tidbits:

1. Elementary schoolchildren do not need to pay jeepney fare. They get to ride for free.
2. The proper way to eat chicken inasal and rice is sans spoon-and-fork. Eat with your hands as the locals do.
3. The reclamation area is now where SM Bacolod stands.
4. Bacolod's elite dresses up to the part. When they go malling, they're dressed as if they're going to a fashion party. That's how they advertise their social status. (This explains why most of my Bacolod-friends do dress fashionably...)
5. All the ladies I've talked to in Bacolod were always smiling. City of Smiles indeed.

Abstinence

Last Wednesday night, I started to abstain on two things: smoking and "B-Nights". The reasons for abstaining from each are different though.

About every 6 months, I completely abstain from nicotine consumption for a week or more. I can recite several benefits of smoking, but everything is meaningless once you go beyond the 4-sticks-a-day limit. I read somewhere that smoking 5 sticks of cigarettes a day puts you at the same cancer risk as a one-pack-a-day smoker.

The nicotine abstinence is a personal test --- am I already dependent on the nicotine high in order to relax (or de-stress) and think clearly? Have I developed an uncontrollable nicotine craving since the last time I abstained?

A lot of things happened in the last 6 months for me that may have aggravated my smoking habit --- an increased degree of difficulty at work, new learning curves, less exercise (I completely stopped from going to the gym since February) and beer-drinking nights.

Save for second-hand smoke, I've been nicotine-free for the last 4 days. No major worries (or withdrawal symptoms) so far.

My decision to abstain from B-nights (gatherings of the bachelors' group in our workplace) was unfortunately triggered by two words. Stephen panis. I didn't like the sound of that. That actually caused my vision to dim last Wednesday (rage, what else?), but I managed to hold my bearing. I really wanted to drop everything there and then. Mob-dynamics aside, I'd really like to find out who started it.

I wanted to bash somebody's face with my camera and throw in a couple of punches but fortunately, I was able to control my temper. I wouldn't mind if a 50-grand Canon camera gets whacked. I think the momentary satisfaction of releasing my rage on somebody I detested at that time is a good deal for a voided warranty.

B-nights, I'll be abstaining for I don't know how long.

Could be a tipping point.

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

Out-of-topic Postscripts:

1. MASSKARA at Bacolod is okay. Pictures to be posted soon.
2. Sis treated the whole family to dinner at CPK Alabang Town Center tonight.
3. Thanks to Sam and Stef for the bar tour of Bacolod.
4. For the second time, my release window was not made available to me for an assignment I'm applying for at work. Boo-hooo. Curses!

Loving Bohol

Wish you were there. =)

A great way to spend the long weekend --
soaking in the sun,
walking along the beach,
enjoying the views,
savoring the local cuisine,
drinking to your heart's content
and laughing heartily among strangers and friends.

HAIL HAIL HAIL!

I'm proud to be from this school.

At a Crossroad

This morning, one of my office colleagues -- Bai -- forwarded to me a broadcast for a career opportunity with another group in our organization. I suddenly found myself at a crossroad, standing there and gawking at three possibilities.

If I take the first route, I decide to stick with my current job --- a lot of number crunching and technical report writing. There's the occasional preparation of high-level presentation materials. All the activities in this route shall eventually lead to a 300-million-dollar project for my company. What's bad about this route is that it's already boring to me. Imagine yourself driving along a very beautiful farmland. At first, one feels energized with the landscape. But if the scenery stays the same for the next 300 miles or so, one gets bored of it.

The second route is an unchartered road. Nobody knows what you'll find there. If there are monsters or bogpits that can trap you, you can die on this road. There are rumors though that somewhere along it is the proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. If ever that I'll be trodding on this road, I need all the good luck charms and guardian angels I can muster. I have two further options on WHEN to take this road: either (1) I wait until someone calls me forth, gives me a map and a packhorse with all sorts of supplies to journey down the road, or (2) I lose all sense of practicality, gather my guts and take the first step blindly.

The third route has a clear sign, saying "This Way to the Kingdom of S and D, and we'd like to have you there!". It's a well-used road with several journeymen plying it, ask directions from and have one-or-two grafs with. The problem with this road is that it's downhill all-the-way, a relatively easy journey. Settling at the Kingdom of S and D will not be a problem for me or my short-term career wants. But what if in the future I need (or wish?) to leave the Kingdom of S and D to pursue other wants? Nobody knows for sure if that the King of S and D fancies you, he'll let you take your leave. Then it's going to be an uphill climb for me again in order to return to the crossroads.

I really need to be careful in deciding which road to take. I've already made the mistake of taking the BLUE PILL before. (The BLUE PILL will be my next post).

GREEN-WHITE-FIGHT!

"2 is greater than 3" -- Franz Pumaren, head coach for DLSU Green Archers, after winning over Ateneo in yesterday's game.

If there's one thing that can quickly kindle my La Sallian pride, it's an Ateneo-La Salle UAAP game. Even if I have to be content with watching it from my televesion set (it's really a great challenge just to get hold of those tickets), I get this feeling of ecstasy every time an Archer does a nice jump shot or makes a good steal. Hell, you'd see me shouting at the TV set cheering my alma mater on.

Yup, I'm not cheering solely for the basketball team. I'm cheering for my alma mater.

And when the team wins, it's the whole University that wins -- the students, faculty, alumni and even the support staff (janitorial, security, concessionaires, etc.).

I also believe that as far as most La Sallians are concerned, last night was THE championship game. Although DLSU still needs to face undefeated University of the East this week, it doesn't matter much for the community. If DLSU wins against UE, it's just icing on the cake. If we lose, I don't think it'll sting us much.

photo courtesy of ARCHERPRIDE.COM

Now what did Coach Franz really mean when he remarked that "2 is greater than 3"?

A member of my alumni group couldn't have answered it better:

[1] Winning 2 games that really matters is greater than 3 games
[2] DLSU Men's Basketball team's current 2nd place standing in UAAP 70 is greater than Ateneo's 3rd place
[3] DLSU's No. 2 Philippine University ranking in the educational survey is greater than Ateneo's number 3.
[4] All of the above. =)

Bill Sison writes that this rivalry "is a passion that will never die out".

"When you leave an Atenean and a La Sallian in a room together, one will always think that he is number one, and the other is number two. They simply refuse to lose to each other. It's as simple as that."

Hail!

It's FRIDAY!!!

Although I have a substantial number of tasks that I CAN do at work today, I don't feel like doing them. Those things are due next week but I'm confident that I can breeze through them on Monday.

My mind seems to wander today. Thoughts of the beach, the sun, video games, sweating it out in some outdoor activity, food-tripping, playing with kids, flowers and hanging out with family and friends have been invading my mind since I woke up today.

It's a Friday-high for me, and I'm feeling todash. Despite La Salle losing to Ateneo AGAIN yesterday.

Now for some Friday announcements:

1) Happy, happy Friday-birthday to Ube!
2) Happy-happy-happy birthday to Nikki!
3) Congratulations to Eloi and John for their baby. I'm visiting tomorrow.
4) Hurrah... my PS3 games from Hongkong are now at Baclaran -- Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Sweet.
5) On Sunday, I will most probably drop by at The Yard to take photos. Sorry teammates, but my gun's not working --- I checked the wiring and everything, but it just won't fire.
6) Two weeks from now, I will be at Bohol.
7) Three weeks from now, I will be at Bacolod.

Hahahaha! Whooop!

okay, back to work na. =)

Shake Your Bonbon

This is definitely something that I'll talk about to my future kids and grandkiddies.




Photos taken from the SCiP on Dancing event last Friday, courtesy of Tintoot. =)

Coming Soon: Stip's Comeback Game

Haven't shouted "Lock-and-load!" in a long, long time. I miss playing with these babies.


Photo courtesy of Jigsaw from last Saturday's "comeback game" of Team RBG and Team Zero at THE YARD gamesite.

Light and Dark

I had an awesome opportunity to practice my camera skills at last night's DIVERSIFY fashion show at Makati Sports Club.

When Is a Door Not a Door?

When it's ajar.

Brown Men Can Jump

Pictures from the semifinals game of our company's inter-group basketball league. I got a good opportunity to test out my action photography skills.












Yellow team won by the way.

Weekend Warrior: Sightseeing at Liliw

After the climb to Nagcarlan, Geland took charge of our itinerary for the following day. From Calauan, we took a jeepney to Liliw.

We spent the night at a local resort, Batis ng Liliw. The room was a bit pricey but we didn't have any other option that night. I was also fatigued from the climb earlier that day, so I didn't argue much on where we stay as long as there's a decent bed.

Liliw is, according to local references, the tsinelas capital of the country.

Liliw's church is an awesome landmark. Because the town is a bit small and tight, the church isn't visible from afar. What makes it a great sight is that the church looks clean (fresh?) inside and out. The brick facade is a great contrast to the sky. It's a great place to take photos!

After hearing the 8 am mass (awesome choir and great church service!), we walked along the town's main street to do some window shopping. The main street is lined up with stores selling slippers of all sizes, shapes and colors. A lot of local tourists were at the town, buying slippers here and there. Santol and lansones fruits were also sold along the street (cheap!), and we bought a few kilos of each.

One of the town's secrets is ARABELLA'S, a nice little Italian restaurant. They serve excellent pasta and pizza. Geland and I got lasagna, fettucine, a kesong puti pizza, and chocolate milkshakes! Wahoo, food trip! And what's great about it is that the price is very affordable. Just 295 pesos for all of that!

After lunch, we packed our stuff and took a jeepney to Nagcarlan's underground cemetery. It was our rotten luck that the cemetery is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so we had to be content with taking photos from the outside.

After the photo ops, we took a couple of bus rides to get back to Batangas.

Have I mentioned that the commute is also an adventure for me? Hehehe. Haven't done that much commuting in a long, long time.

The weekend has been a great break from the stresses of work. Breathe nature, see local life. =)

Weekend Warrior: Climbing Mt. Nagcarlan

I received an invitation a couple of weeks ago for a daytrip climb at Mt. Nagcarlan in Laguna from some of my mountaineer friends and I readily accepted it. The climb was last Saturday (Aug 25th). Geland, one of my colleagues, joined me and since we were already in the vicinity, he suggested that we do some sightseeing at the nearby towns of Nagcarlan and Liliw after the mountain trek.

The two of us left Batangas at four-thirty in the morning of Saturday and took a bus to Calamba. A couple of jeepney rides and 2-1/2 hours later, we were at the town of Calauan to meet up with the rest of the climbers.

Mt. Nagcarlan is a little under 700 meters in elevation and is a level 1 climb. However, the trails were muddy and slippery because of the rainy season. That and the lack of a breeze made the ascent quite difficult for our group. Also, I've gained about 6 pounds since my last climb activity -- I could feel my 'extra weight' making its toll on my physical condition.

We started from the jump-off point at around 730 in the morning. The first half hour was a relatively easy hike, afterwhich the slope gradually increased. An hour later, we encountered our first major problem: someone in the group was forced to abandon the climb because he was feeling dizzy. After some discussion, the group decided to leave him at a waystation and come back for him later in the afternoon when we descend.

The next two hours of hiking was pretty hard and challenging. Firstly, the slope was becoming more steep and the trail was becoming more slippery. Secondly, the pace that we were trying to maintain is a challenging one. We had to take 4 breaks during the ascent to allow some members of the group to regain their breaths.

As for myself, I had one predicament during the climb: I didn't expect that the sun would be out that day. I thought that it would be cloudy at best, rainy at worst, so I only brought 3 liters of fluids for my personal consumption. By the time we reached the summit, I've nearly emptied my Camelbak. Good thing that other members of the group had water to spare.

We reached the summit at 1130 am. We got a great view of the 7 lakes that Laguna is very famous for. A wooden cross marks the summit and we decided to have lunch there.



Going down, all of us had to brace our footing to prevent slipping and sliding down the trail. I slipped four times (haha!) and landed squarely on my butt once. Ouch. We passed by the waystation where we left one of our group behind, and he was okay.

I enjoyed the climb. Even with the aching legs, sunburnt shoulders and scratches on my arms. =)

[pictures to follow]