Relax

In the last couple of weeks, I had (no kidding here) 2 key investigations, 3 business trips, 4 workshops and 5 work-related telecons. I must have missed the partridge-in-a-pear-tree to make the set complete; it probably got buried in my inbox somewhere.

But despite the work, I'm thankful for the opportunities to relax.

In my last business trip to Malaysia, Cris took me and Frat to one of his best-kept secret places to chill out: the SKYBAR. It's located on the top floor of Traders Hotel. Inside, it's got a relaxing atmosphere with the subdued lighting, soft music, a 25-m lap pool in the middle and a jacuzzi pool on one side. It also has a spa on its mezzanine. The place is open air, but overhead beams give the place a homey feel and make it appear enclosed. It's best feature though is the spectacular view of the Petronas Twin Towers overlooking KLCC park -- the place has glass walls on the side facing Malaysia's most-known building.

Anyway, we got seats by the windows and Frat treated as to two rounds of 'Tiger Towers' -- it's just Tiger beer in very, VERY tall glasses -- and unlimited wasabi-peanuts. We chatted a lot --- it's actually my first time to have an open chat with 'adults'. We talked about regional economies, leadership at the workplace and future options (career and marriage --- Cris was evading the latter topic). I was surprised to find myself finishing my two glasses ahead of Cris and Frat, hehe. Maybe it's because of those peanuts.

Last Saturday it was the 2nd Chairman's Cup for Badminton, held at The Zone in Makati. I just got back from Malaysia then. My problem everytime I return from a business trip, my biological clock is all messed up because I always fall asleep on the plane, no matter how long or short the flight is. The day before the tournament, I had insomnia.

In the elimination games, I and my partner won our first game fairly easy (me: awake for 26 hours straight). An hour later, our second game ended in a draw --- we could have won it except that my mental state was already bad and I was playing the game purely on instinct; hell, I had a lot of unforced errors on my serve. Fortunately, we had a 90-minute wait for our last elimination game. I took that chance to sleep underneath one of the bleachers (and skipped lunch). When I woke up for our third game, I felt totally great (thanks to those power napping tips!).

Anyway, we qualified for the finals. The finals game in our level was an exciting match-up. Unfortunately, our opponents had a series of mishaps during the game (one of them got hit on the face by his partner which resulted to a minor cut on his forehead, and later on, his partner got leg cramps twice). We won the championship trophy after 3 sets. =)



We celebrated later that night at Sherwin's house. Geland poured some brandy for everyone (mostly to me, Jourdan and Ferdie, but Ferdie had to leave early) and poured again and poured again. When we adjourned, all of us were drunk but Jourdan was worst. Hahaha... his speech was slurred and was walking like a drunk Englishman so Geland had to escort him home.

On Friday, my best friend booked appointments for him and me at a spa along Roxas Boulevard (Senko -- it's a very decent place, in case you're about to ask). He thinks that both of us could use a break and could use the time to discuss with me his hesitations on his next big step forward (changing careers). He told me that he needed me in my most relaxed state when I dish out my advice.

And what else makes me relax?

- Alone-time at Starbucks
- Emails from my parents and sisters. Even if there's a nagging tone in their messages, reading through them makes me feel nostalgic and homesick hehehe.
- Receiving happy xthday messages daily. You know who you are. =)
- my Xbox360
- long phone chats with MJ, or Ube, or Tin
- browsing through Lissa's blog

Happy Wednesday to all! =)