Better Than Coffee

... leaving a message on my voicemail just to greet me a "Happy Wednesday!". =D

Happy Wednesday everyone!

MISS KO NANG MAG-ERSOP

haaaaaay... kaka-miss ng makipag-ratratan with strangers and friends. Kelan kaya ako uli makakalaro?

Doing a "Good" Deed

I only did it because you're a good friend of mine, and not for any other reason. =)

Sometimes, I'm puzzled why some people would think that the good deeds I do are because of other reasons aside from the one I mentioned. Why would they want to view things complicatedly rather than see it in a plain and simple context?

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Out of topic: SABADO NIGHT

I'm really old. Spent Saturday night with Emer (24), Jake (22) and Mac (21) for a gimik. Emer suggested that we go to SAGUIJO to catch live performances of some indie bands (support local music!). Goodness!!! People there were mostly college students! Felt out of place for about a minute.

We intended to bar-hop that night, but since the Makati scene is not really lively that night, the only suggestion that I came up with was R E D B O X . Hahaha!! Imagine four engineering guys in a videoke room until 4 am.

Boldyak Wala!

Hahahahahay... hindi ako naboldyak kanina when I presented an hour ago to the Big Boss in her office. Many questions thrown, but I either answered them satisfactorily OR was able to evade-and-counter the questions. Wahoooo!!!

Ganito pala ang feeling ng daga na nakatakas sa mga pusa.

? / Feeling Radioactive

If somebody came up to me now and asked how I'm feeling, I'd answer that I currently feel radioactive.

In chemistry, a substance exhibits radioactivity if it cycles back and forth between an excited state and a ground state while periodically decaying down in its own atomic composition. Only a few substances are naturally radioactive but in theory, all substances (with the exception of hydrogen, which cannot be decayed further) can be induced to display radioactivity by applying enough excitation or conversely forcing it to decay.

So what induced me to feel radioactive today? My end-of-year Goals and Performance Appraisal (GPA) discussion with my supervisor.

To sum it up, the discussion made me feel good, then disappointed, then great, then disappointed again. And so on and so forth.

My supervisor's appraisal of my 2006 performance was excellent. Yay... excitement! But, and to quote him, "due to the needs of the business and your specialized skillbase, we cannot afford to release you." Ground. "However, as soon as we have developed or identified your replacement we will nominate you for movement to SGS." Slight excitement. "By the way, don't be surprised if your colleague is moved out earlier than you; it doesn't mean that she's better than you. It's because you're important to the refinery now." Decay.

Crap. I think I need a drink tonight.

Climb: Taal

I went trekking yesterday (Saturday) with Geland at Taal Volcano Island. It wasn't really a planned climb, but since I had to meet up with my parents this weekend and they were going to Talisay anyway, I recruited Gel to go trekking.

It's been 14 years since I last climbed Taal Volcano (back in my boy scout days). I remember it to be a dusty (volcanic ash blown around by the wind), hot and a thirsty adventure back then. It still is.

We arrived at Taal's shores at noontime. Donning on bandanas to prevent "dush" (dust+ash) inhalation, we hiked along the tourist trail. There were a lot of Koreans that day, but all of them were on horseback. The tourist trail is an easy trek of about an hour at a moderate pace. It would have been shorter by about 15 minutes if we didn't need to avoid the horses now and then.

We had a 10-minute break at the rim of the volcano's crest and drank from chilled coconuts to refresh ourselves.

Now starts the adventure part.

Going down the crater to reach the crater lake will cost us 2500 pesos if we availed of a guide. Since Geland is the adventurous-type, we decided to gung-ho it sans guide. We searched around for a probable trail, found one and followed it. We had to manage a couple of steep slopes, walk along a portion of the rim (a steep drop both sides) and soon found ourselves in another reststop. Took us about 25-minutes, but the loose ash+soil made the trek a bit tiring.

Catching our breath at the reststop and planning our next route, a group of people were approaching us from another trail. And lo: there was Billy Joe Crawford. Boka talaga ni Geland, and he was quickly engaged in a casual conversation with him. Look for their picture at my smugmug (Geland: "Stippy, picture please!"). Click.

There's a bamboo gate at the reststop which is chained and locked. Apparently, it's the shortest route to get down to the lake. Luckily, Billy Joe and his companion were planning on going down to the lake and so the gate was opened. Yahooo!

The descent to the crater lake is 400 STEEP STEPS. Going down was manageable.

At the lake, we rested a bit, took pictures, waded in the sulfur-smelling water and chatted a bit with Billy Joe. Soon, we had to climb up back to the rest-station.

Climbing up was physically demanding. I take pride in being a physically fit person, and I think that Geland is in a better shape than me if not at par, but we had to stop four times to catch our breaths. When we got back to the reststop on top, we were more than glad to rest and raise our legs on the bamboo benches.

We took a different trail to return to our starting point. We passed by a barrio and appreciated it's idyllic ambiance.

Back at Talisay, we had lunch (time: 430 pm) and wolfed down inihaw na tilapia and sinigang na hipon. Busog!

Every step of the trek was worth it. Despite the muscle fatigue (guess what time I woke up the following day), I had fun, felt proud and enjoyed everything.

Pictures here.

Thanks to Tito Carlito and Tita Virgie for hosting us. Lunch was superb!

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Getting to Taal

From South Luzon Expressway, take Batangas exit and go towards STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road). At STAR, exit at Sambat going towards Talisay/Tagaytay.

After Barangay Quiling, you'll come across a fork in the road with plenty of "Boat Rentals" signs and billboards (the path at the right will bring you to Tagaytay). Just stop there and wait for one of the barkers to approach you, hehehe. Or if you want referrals to my Tito Carlito (who runs a boat service to Taal volcano island), send me a message.

Boat ride to Taal volcano island from Talisay is about 20 minutes. Cost is 1500-3500 pesos, depending on your nationality.

At the island, the registration fee (sanctioned by Department of Tourism) is 50 pesos per head.

Horses are available for rental at 500-800 pesos each. Or you can be cheap and adventurous like us and just go hiking.

At the crater rim (top of the tourist trail), fresh chilled coconuts are for sale at 30 pesos each (or 1 USD).

I Hate Oil Movements Duty!

It's now been 25 hours since I last took a bath.

The nature of my work requires me to render supervisory and coordination roles of the Oil Movements area of the refinery where I work in every 7 weeks, for a duration of one week. The tasks involve preparing all the daily instructions for the refinery to ensure supply and availability of fuel products across the nation, addressing any emerging items for critical maintenance and managing abnormal refinery situations related to production. The Oil Movements area is composed of more than 70 tanks (about 3 BILLION liters of hydrocarbon) and all the pumps and piping systems needed to transfer, blend and deliver them. And some paperwork.

That is a short description of an Oil Movements Duty officer. The OM Duty Officer is expected to be able to address any emerging issues ANY time of the day, no matter how ungodly the hour is.

Unfortunately for me, on my first day of OM Duty for 2007, there are a lot of emerging items. So many items need to be addressed last night and today that I was late for the 7 am meeting today, skipped lunch and any trace of freshness from my anatomy is nil. I was planning on going swimming or visit the gym early this afternoon but I had to forego that too.

Still, I did try to cook a decent meal for dinner today and relax a bit while doing it (heck no!...cooking under limited time is actually stressful, I found out. and it's not easy doing it if you have duty calls every 5 minutes or so). Thank goodness for technology that I was able to chop tomatoes and onions while having my mobile phone on 'speakerphone' mode to talk to whoever needs to be talked too in the production/supply chain. Thank goodness too that my sense of smell was sharp enough to notice that my beef stew was beginning to get burnt while I was on the radio talking to the operations supervisor and I was still able to salvage the stew. And thank goodness that Jake and Anne found my cooking tolerable despite my crazy cooking conditions, task-wise (buti na lang masarap yung appetizer ko, hahaha).

I'm beginning to think that for all the hardships for rendering Oil Movements Duty, do we get enough incentives to continue on with this kind of work? One incentive was removed recently (duty meals -- bachelor duty officers are entitled to company-paid meals during the weekend) and I seriously think that THAT was a bad and inconsiderate move by management. I see that and the responsibilities for an OM Duty Officer as unfair.

Now don't get me wrong. I recognize that the world is not fair (otherwise, we won't build character). But for starters, I would like to be on the NOT-receiving end of the 'unfair concept' occassionally. It makes living more tolerable, like sugar in bitter tea.

Now that I'm done ranting and released my tension somewhat, I can now go home and take a decent bath. All phone calls will have to wait.

Getting some decent sleep is another thing.

I hate oil movements duty, and I'd like to own a shirt which says just that.

+ 2007 Is The Year...

... that I will cut down on yosi (hopefully, social smoking na lang)
... no more Coke for me, just Coke light (minimize high fructose corn syrup sugar intake)
... gain one inch on my shoulder width
... lose one inch from my waist
... gain half-an-inch on my arms
... play airsoft at least twice this year
... spend less, save more
... run and finish a marathon (idol ko si roms and papa gabs!)
... climb at least 2 mountains
... travel smarter
... more volunteer work
... ballroom dance
... introduce mj to roms, and vice versa (ahihihi...)
... master REFSIM
... retire from PS2-gaming (but NOT from XBOX360-gaming)
... be more healthy
... perfect attendance in Mass (I missed two Sunday masses last year, urk)
... be more tolerant of others' mistakes
... act more, complain less (except in special circumstances)
... gain one more friend

What's 2007 gonna be for you?

Five Hundred Twentyfive Thousand Six Hundred

Today is the last working day for the year. Since yesterday, I've been outlining my self-appraisal of my performance for 2006 which I'll be discussing with my supervisor early next year. It's essentially a whats-good-whats-not list of my assignments, projects, tasks and extracurricular activities for an oil giant. Ultimately, it becomes a basis for comparison of how I fared the previous years against the present year.

And this got me thinking. On a personal level, how did I perform? Am I in a better place than I was last year?

There's a song that goes, how do you measure a year in life?

in daylights, in sunsets
Some posts back, 2005 was a good year for me for career and health. I thought that nothing could top the ecstasy I had in 2005. But 2006 was eventful for my career, health, family and friends. Of course the year had its share of hardships and failures but the sheer number of achievements I've done and seen this year were truly gratifying.

in midnights, in cups of coffee
Coffee is my new therapy. Even if only for a short moment, being alone with a cup of good coffee relaxes me. And coffee bars have become one of my social venues: reunions with old friends, monthly Saturday-night sessions with my fishygroups, and plenty of 'almost-dates' (that is, as if we're "almost dating"). And yes, those coffee socials reach well-past midnight.

in inches, in miles
This year, I was traveling on vacation or on business all over the place. Malaysia in February, Bora in April, Laiya in May, Singapore in June, Australia in July, Davao in August, and successive trips to Malaysia and Singapore starting September. Saw a lot of places and did a few things for the first time (like drifting in the white water rapids -- damn, that almost killed me, and climbing Sydney Harbor bridge).

in laughter
Old friends stayed, new ones came. Some crazy gimmicks and antics were done. It's a good thing that the men in white coats haven't come yet to take me and my friends away.

in strife
The country needs a lot of help. In my personal capacity, I tried to do my part. I spent a whole day painting roofs for a GK Village. I donated almost all of my children's encyclopedias (which I earned in 5th grade by successively winning a TV quiz show on ch2) to various orphanages. I went treeplanting and beach cleaning. On a more ambitious project, I sponsored a Nairobian orphan under the Wold Vision program.

in the truth that he learned
This year was all about decisions -- how to decide, when to decide. Should I resign? Should I apply abroad? Should I stay and wait? Should I speak up? I learned that I should command my life, and not let the events command me. I learned that options can be seen as either opportunities or burdens. I learned that decisions make a person. The small ones build or break character, the big ones give life direction.

in times that he cried
I cried twice this year. One was due to a physical injury: I fractured my little finger while playing badminton. Never did I realize that such a small body part can cause me to cringe in pain. Hell, I almost fainted.

Oh yeah, and I saw my best friend cry. Even giants have a soft side.

in bridges he burned
Personally, I wouldn't want to burn bridges. But if that is what it takes for all of us to move on to new chapters in life, so be it.

in the way that he dies
The second time is for the death of the father of a cousin-slash-good friend. I cried for his loss, but I cried more for his situation.

There. That's a rough, disjointed lyric-by-lyric account of my year. It was a big year; it was a crazy year. Overall, it was a good year. If I do the whole time-series analysis: yes, I am in a better place. Yes, I did achieve my objectives. And most of all, I am happier. I've never felt more blessed, accomplished, connected, inspired, challenged, and most importantly, loved. Measure in love, indeed.

To my loves: Mom and Pops, my siblings, Quito, Maqui, MJ, Chard, Tin, Ube, Chie, RG, Lissa, Roms, Kaye, Julie, Jackie, Emer, Geland, Janice, Carmela, Cris. Chito. College friends. High school friends. Airsoft friends. Badminton friends. Bachelors group. And everyone else I cannot categorize, but nonetheless remember. God.

Thank you for rocking my five-hundred-twentyfive-thousand-six-hundred.

Why there is Christmas

Christmas, for me, is a good excuse to show appreciation and thanks to the people who have contributed to my personal well-being --- a healthy sanity level, physical well being, a reasonable E.Q., and managing matters of the heart. =D This is actually the basis of my annual Christmas shopping and gift-giving list for non-family members. I admit that when it comes to saying 'thanks' sincerely (even if the recipient perfectly does not expect it), I'm a perfect chicken.

Coming from where I am, I find this the best Christmas message I've received among my peers.

"Days coming and going and the lack of immediate intimacy don't have to change how we have been, how we are and how we will be for each other. Thanks for everything everybody.

Apir!"






Pao is my second cousin and incidentally was my classmate from kindergarten to fourth year high school. He's such a good boy that if my mom can have her way, she'd officially announce that she is his unofficial ninang.

This year, Pao survived a break-up (11 years of going steady), his father (uncle Tommy) had 2 degenerative stroke attacks and finally surrendered a month ago, he was unemployed for a time and still managed to find means to keep his core family (mom and sis and nephew) live decently. In his times of need, even without asking me to, I'd dip into my funds and readily aid him. His cause is worthy and sincere; in fact, it's both heroic and admirable.

Christmas is about giving thanks. And this is the most sincere one I've seen. =)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Blooper

Last night, Mac (one of our trainee-interns) invited me for drinks at Jake's/Bryan's place. So over holdem-style poker, I, Emer, Mac, Jake and Bryan finished a liter of Chivas.

At certain points of the game, Geland will send me an SMS to update me on his whereabouts (he borrowed my car three days ago and was returning it late last night).

We adjourned the drinks at around 230am. As I'm already sleepy (and consciously drunk), I drafted an SMS for Geland: "Pogi, tulog na ko. Iwan mo na lang ung car keys sa candle holder sa labas ng bq ko."

Well, it seems that Geland didn't get my message because when I woke up I had the following messages on my phone:

304am, from Geland: Gcing ka pa pre?
336am, from Geland: I left ur keys sa lalim ng floor mat. Lasheng ka na hehehe. Nyt. And thnx u sbra.

Puzzled on why would I get those messages on my phone, I reviewed my 'Sent Items' and found out that I sent out my 230am SMS to a girl-friend of mine instead of Geland. Wahahaha!

1002am, to girl-friend: Wahahaha... I think I missent u a msg dis morning. Hehehehe. Hapi thursday!
1009am, from girl-friend: yep, for a while i was flattered you called me pogi. mwehehe. happy thursday!


Hahaha. That bit of light humor ought to give me a good start for today.

Vote Vote Vote

Aaaarggsss... time for me to downgrade my otherwise 'reserved-quiet-geeky' look for another ham.

I have this dance performance on the 'Bagets' theme tomorrow and I sort of ransacked my closet yesterday trying to mix-and-match.

So which one is it gonna be?

A. B. C. D.