Ang Pakikipagsapalaran ni Enrico Paclibares

maki-BIDA ka naman

2009-03-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Nung bata pa ako, pinangarap ko ang maging isang superhero. Nung medyo lumaki-laki na ako, napagtanto kong wala palang taong lumilipad o taong nakakagawa ng apoy at yelo o taong nagiging imbinsibol. Kaya naman pag-aartista na lang ang hinangad ko. Pero kung magiging artista man ako, syempre gusto ko ako 'yung BIDA.

Kanina lang, nilapitan ako ng kapatid ko at sinabing pwede nang matupad ang pangarap ko. Wow, makakapag-artista na ako. Yahu! Asa! Hindi pag-aartista syempre pero pagiging BIDA.

Sa sabado, Marso 21, gaganapin ang Marcha laban sa droga. Tinatayang isang milyong katao ang dadalo sa Grand Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA) March na pangungunahan ng no less than Her Excellency Madaam President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (finally, makikita ko na si GMA!).

Layunin ng programang ito na ipaalam sa buong mundo na ang Pilipinas bilang isang nasyon ay kontra sa droga. At hindi lang 'yan. Nilalayon din ng programang ito na maitala ang Pilipinas bilang pinakaunang nasyon na magsasagawa ng pinkamalaking marcha laban sa droga. Guiness World Record lang naman ang tinatarget nila.

Let's make some noise. Nagiging casual na lang sa ibang tao ang pagda-drugs. Kailangan nating buhayin ang kaisipan ng ating mga kabataan, kababayan at ka-earthling na masama ang drugs. Sabi nga ni father sa homily nung Sunday, it's sad to know that people are slowly becoming tolerant to bad things. Na kapag may gumagawa ng masama, wala na tayong reaksyon dahil parang normal na lamang ito. Wag naman ganun, so stand up and be heard (or be seen). May magagawa pa tayo.

Kaya ano pang hinihintay mo. Join ka na! Be part of history. At pag naitala ang kaganapang ito sa Guiness World Record, pwede mo nang sabihin sa mga anak mo na naging parte ka ng momentous event na 'to.

Kung ikaw naman ay hindi makakadalo pero nagbabalak na gumala at dumaan sa Roxas Boulevard, kailangan mong malaman na isasara ang daan simula Buendia hanggang Padre Burgos simula 9AM onwards.

Btw, ang mga partisipantes ng Grand BIDA March ay magkakaroon ng libreng sakay sa MRT at LRT. O di ba, sosyal! Hehe.

Kung sasama kayo, sabihan niyo ako. Para naman may friendly-friends ako dun. Hehe. Hope to see you guys there!

photo taken from PAGCOR's site

For more info, check pagcor's site: Grand BIDA March eyes Guinness World Record

Up & Down

2009-02-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

Stand-up for Down's
For the past few weeks, i've been feeling down or, should i say, tired because of the pressure of getting our deliverables done in time for our monthly release. After working 16-18 hours daily (office and home), i think i've collected a lot of pals and bags. Pim-pals at Eye-bags. Mukha na nga akong racoon e. Hehe.

So one time while I was busy working at the office, i received an email from our company's outreach program group. It was an invitation to join the Happy Walk. Hmmm, parang Fun Run lang ito. I opened the email, read the content and signed-up. 100 participants lang daw ang target pero kahit pang 347 na ako, go-go-go pa rin. Good thing I did kasi nag-confirm sila na pwede ako mag-join. Great! I invited Chyng and good thing she also said yes.

7am we had to be at Megamall for the registration. On my way to Megamall, nakita ko na marami nang tao sa Mega Bldg A entrance. At maraming naka-yellow. Hmmm, lucky me dahil naka-yellow din ako. As usual na-late ako, 15 minutes to be exact, and Chyng was already waiting sa Ortigas MRT station. We headed straight to the Mega Bldg A entrance to register. On our way, sabi ko kay Chyng, "Yellow ang color ng mga participants na may Down Syndrome. Ang swerte ko. I belong." Well, it's not the exact words, pero parang ganun na rin. When we got there, tama nga ako.

Picture taking muna bago mag-walk. Fresh pa kami rito. Haha

10am pa ang start ng Happy Walk but the Opening Remarks started at 8am. There was a short introduction of the event, slide show ng last year's Happy Walk, roll-call ng mga participating companies and sponsors at syempre di mawawala ang entertainment. To keep the DS folks entertained, umindak ang pinakasikat na bubuyog ng bansa. Sino pa ba kundi si Jollibee. Niyakap niya nga ako e. Inisip ko na lang, ginawa niya yun dahil alam niyang mahilig ako sa chickenjoy at hindi dahil naka-yellow ako. Hehe. It was a touching moment for Chyng. She had goosebumps nung makita niya na sobrang saya ng mga DS folks while dancing with Jollibee. Nakakatuwa kasi genuine happiness yung nakikita mo sa kanila.

Magaling gumiling si Jollibee. Napasaya niya ang mga Down na kids and adults. Criteria kaya sa pag-apply ng Jollibee mascot na dapat magaling mag-shake ng booty?

Before the Happy Walk started, naki-mingle muna kami sa mga tao. Picture-picture. At ang pinakapaborito ko sa lahat si Mysie. Natuwa kasi ako dahil pumayag siyang magpabuhat sakin. May instant connection. Hehe.

Ang cute na si Mysie. Sarap niya buhatin dahil hindi makulit at magulo.

Si Mysie uli kasama ang daddy niya. Nagpe-prepare na sila for the Happy Walk.

By 10am, nag-converge na ang mga tao at the back of Mega A for the Happy Walk. It was estimated that 3K people joined the activity. It was indeed a happy walk. Bukod sa pagbubuhat ng tarpaulin at pagkuha ng pictures ng mga tao at ortigas skyline, i saw the happy faces of the DS folks. It's an activity that they were able to share with their loved ones and other people. I met some friends and project mates along the way. Nakaka-relate tuloy ako sa kanila. Hehe.

Leaders of the pack. They may not exactly know that the event was for them. But I'm sure that they had a great time. Dapat lang, kasi araw nila 'yun :9
Grabbed this picture from an officemate's album. Irene, sasabihin ko naman sa'yo pag nagkita uli tayo. Hehe. Thanks!

What do you get from joining these activities? My bestfriend asked nung ni-meet namin sila after mag-mass. I paused for a few seconds and answered. There is nothing much that i gain from joining, in terms of freebies or other material stuff (pero pwede rin kung meron, hehe). It's more of the experience and the awareness. And probably, self-fulfillment. A lot of us wish that we can do something to contribute in the betterment of our country including the special sectors. It doesn't have to be grand. Sometimes you just need 20 pesos, 4 hours of your time and walk a couple of blocks to make a difference.

What have i learned from the experience? I found out that February is the National Down Syndrome Consciousness Month in the Philippines. It is the most common genetic disorder affecting one in every 800 children in our country. It is a genetic condition caused by extra genetic material. It got its name from the British doctor, John Langdon Down. And most of all, people with down syndrome can live normal lives as possible, learn self-care tasks, read/write and acquire livelihood skills given the proper medical attention and support.

Sana next year maka-participate pa rin kami. Hope you can join too :9

Upside Down
After the Happy Walk in Megamall, we headed straight to Banapple for lunch. See Chyng's latest entry for amazing shots of the cozy place and delicious food.

Then deretso naman kami sa Greenbelt for coffee and mass. Syempre picture taking muna bago mag-coffee. I found one picture very interesting.

The Others. Parang creepy yung picture. Yung shadow na nasa right, parang may red eyes pa, gawa ng japanese coi

It looks weird seeing the picture upside down pero makes me think of something really important in life. Sometimes we have to look at ourselves or in situations the other way around. Minsan kasi we are too focused on what we believe in that we refuse to acknowledge our shortcomings or mistakes. We might be surprised, meron naman talgang point ang ibang tao sa mga sinasabi nila, especially people who are very close to us and only want the best for us.

Up, Up and Away
'Away' as in malayo, hindi 'Away' as in fight. Hehe.

Last Saturday, gumising din ako nang maaga. Destination? Hidalgo. I've been itching to go there kasi gusto ko bumili ng CPOL (circular polarizing filter). I read from several forums na maganda ang effect ng filter na yun para sa day shots. Mas nag-standout ang mga clouds. Great for landscape pictures at syempre para sa beach. Nakow, Panglao Island, here we come! :9

Here are some sample shots using the CPOL. Next project ko ang tripod at 50mm Nikkor f1.8 lens. Gusto ko rin ma-explore ang bokeh shots kasi.

Greenbelt at a glance. Medyo blurry. Mukhang miniature replica ng GB park.

High Rise. Mukhang drawing lang. Kamukha ng mga poster ng soon t0 rise buildings.

Postcard from Saudi. Ayaw maniwala ng pamangkin ni Chyng na totoong picture 'to at hindi in-edit para lagyan ng building sa likod.

It feels good to write again . Hehe. A lot of ups and downs for the early part of this year. Pero gaya ng roller coaster, let's just enjoy the ride. Thank you Lord! :9

shoot me

2009-02-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

As Chyng mentioned in her recent post, nag photo-date kami nung sunday. Kakaibang bonding moment na siguradong mauulit. Thanks Aina sa pagpapahiram ng camera.

in the eyes of a child

This boy reminds me of Santino in May Bukas Pa. Parang kausap niya diyan si "Bro". Natuwa ako sa expression ng bata. Sayang nga lang, walang masyadong interesting details sa background. Di bale, next time. Hehe.

deep slumber

Sobrang dami yata ng nakuha kong shot kay bosing. Buti na lang tulog siya kaya nakuhanan ko siya in different angles/setting.

missing pair - i'm worthless without you

I just wanted to highlight this detail in the picture. Nawawala kasi yung isang tsinelas. Nasa ulo o ilalim yata ng cap ni bosing.

yellow bay

I adjusted the contrast of this picture to get a silhoutte, then adjusted the red and yellow color balance for a more dramatic feel. Pwede na di ba?

baguio beans

the promise of tomorrow

the spanish conquistadores

Parang scene lang sa pagdating nila Magellan sa Pilipinas. I used the Red-Filter effects sa Nikon D60.

el de barge

Click on the image to see the larger version. May fireworks kasi sa likod. Masyado na kasi kami malayo kaya medyo parang kabute na lang sila. Bukod sa sunsets, favorite ko ang night shots gaya nito.

rainbow night

I love the reflection of buildings with different colors. Gusto ko ma-master ito. Hehe. Sana makakuha kami ng magandang night shots sa Cebu.

my favorite subject

You should have seen her pictures using Jo... ay... Vincent, maraming magandang shots. Hindi ko na siya maasar ngayon na ako na lang lagi nagpi-picture. Ang dilemma namin ngayon, wala kami picture together. Next time magdala ng tripod. Haha.

the one that got away but i managed to get back

2009-01-28T06:58:00.000-08:00

"In your life, you’ll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There’s the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you’re with …and the one that got away."

There's also the one that got away but you managed to get back.

More than fifty days with Wanten
Wanten was a simple girl. She was pretty pero medyo heavy. Okay, she was fat, but despite of her physical appearance, she never failed to make me feel good. Iba talga siguro pag siya yung una. Although hindi kami mayaman, natulungan ko siya magpa-slim. She was even more beutiful nung pumayat siya. I knew she was happy kasi hindi na siya tinutukso sa weight issue niya. Dahil dun, she was more willing to experiment with new looks. Minsan ako na bumibili ng damit at accessories niya. Haha. But to set it straight, she was not materialistic at hindi naman ako shallow guy na tumitingin lang sa itsura. Siguro naman it's not a crime to help Wanten look better if that would make them feel better.

Lagi kami sabay umuuwi from work. Naglalaro pa kami pag bored na bored na. Parang bata lang. Haha. Kulitan lagi. Palabiro ako and i didn't know na nasasaktan ko pala siya pag kasama ko ang mga kaibigan ko at nalalaglag ko siya. Then one day nung pauwi na kami, bumaba ako sa FX. Hindi siya bumaba. Hindi ko na rin siya nakita kahit kailan. I tried calling her but she would never answer my calls. Hanggang sa hindi ko na siya ma-contact.

Alice in Wonderhands
Nakilala ko si Alice sa pamamagitan ni kuya. Pagmamay-ari talga siya ni kuya. I borrowed her for a while kasi i needed someone i can talk to lalo na pag pagod ako galing sa work. Sad part sa story namin ni Alice, i lost her and never got the chance to return her back.

One night, we were on our way to Makati to meet my college friends. Magkausap pa kami ni Alice sa buong byahe. I never noticed anything wrong until nung bumaba ako sa bus, she was gone. She was gone forever. Someone took her away. Hindi ko man lang namalayan na unti-unti na pala siyang nawawala. Sobrang lungkot ko. So i decided to go home. I went home broken hearted. I realized na hindi ko pala siya masyado inaalagaan at nakita ko lang ang halaga niya nung wala na siya.

One week affair with Seph
Nakakahiya man sabihin, pero matagal ko nang crush si Seph. But i knew he was someone i will never have. Until i got lucky. Nanalo ako ng malaki-laking pera at nakuha ko rin siya. Pera lang pala ang katapat niya. Hehe. I can't really say that we had a relationship kasi one week pa lang kami nagkasama. But he would sing to me everyday at ako ang favorite subject ng camera niya. I really felt special.

It's not hard for me to trust people. Lalo na if i'm in a place na secure ako. I trusted too much na hindi ko napansin na i was taking Seph for granted na pala. Gaya ng ginawa ko kay Alice. Minsan aalis ako na hindi ko siya sinasama. Feeling ko kasi pagbalik ko nandiyan pa rin siya. Then one fateful lunchbreak, wala na siya. Nawalang parang bula. It's as if he never existed. Nung mawala siya, tinangay niya rin lahat ng masasayang alaala ng 1 week na magkasama kami. I felt bad pero wala na ako magagawa. Kasalanan ko naman kasi.

Cali kapatid ni Shandy
Cali ang tawag ko sa kanya kasi kapatid siya ni Shandy. E ano ngayon kung corny? Yun ang gusto ko itawag sa kanya kaya walang pakialamanan. Hehe. She was the longest i ever had. Almost 2 years din kami nagkasama. There was never a day na hindi kami magkausap. Akala ko nga habambuhay na. Sa lahat ng nakilala ko, she was probably the best i ever had. O sige, parang magkapantay sila ni Lui, pero Cali was stonger kasi.

Cali's loss was probably the most tragic one. Kung yung mga nauna nawala silently, Cali was forcibly taken away from me. Naranasan kong matutukan ng patalim. Pumayag si Cali sumama and kahit labag sa loob ko pinabayaan kong kunin siya ng iba. Ang asshole ko no? Pero i had no choice. Pag namatay rin ako, kukunin pa rin siya. But i owe her my life. Kung nasaan man siya ngayon, i hope inaalagaan siya mabuti at mas minamahal siya ngayon.

Happy Ha-Lui-een
Nakilala ko si Lui nung Halloween kaya ganun ang naisip kong itawag sa kanya. Cute si Lui. Magaling kumanta. Matalino. At gaya ni Seph, favorite subject din niya ako mapa-camera or video. Madalas din kami magsayaw. Alam niya na isa yun sa mga kinaa-adikan ko e. Nung nagre-review ako para sa certification ko, kasa-kasama ko siya lagi every sunday sa starbucks.

Lui was ever dependable. Pag nalulungkot ako nandiyan siya. Pag wala akong makausap nandiyan din siya. He never ran out of interesting things na pwede namin gawin. Kaya lang napabayaan ko siya. I think he got jealous nung nakilala ko si Rizal. Rizal was more sophisticated. Mukhang mayaman at mas magaling kay Lui in some ways. Mas magaling kumanta. Mas magaling kumuha ng picture. I wasn't surprised nung hindi na nagpakita si Lui sakin. I wasn't expecting it but it was less painful. Sa dami ba naman ng mga nawala sakin in the past, na-master ko na siguro ang pag let go.

Sophie's Mate
Sa lahat ng mga nagdaan sa palad ko (naks!), si Sophie ang pinakapinagselosan ni Chyng. Pano ba naman kasama ko lagi sa work si Sophie. Tapos mapa-fri-date or satur-date tinatawagan pa rin ako. Kaagaw sa oras kumbaga. Minsan nga nagbibiro si Chyng na sana mawala na si Sophie. Sabi ko masama yun. Natawa lang siya.

Sa totoo, hindi ko naman gusto si Sophie but i have to work with her. Siya lang din naman maasahan ko pag nag-alisan na yung mga tao sa office or pag weekend and i have to check with the status of work activities.

Kahapon, natupad ang wish ni Chyng. Nawala si Sophie. Dahil sa ka-busyhan ko sa trabaho, hindi ko man lang napansin na wala na pala siya. Buti na lang may nagmagandang loob na tulungan siya.

Okay, cellphone si Sophie at siya ang Nokia 5070 na support phone namin sa office. Si Wanten (5110 na nahulog sa fx), Alice (1100 na dinukot sa bulsa ko), Seph (6130i na ninenok sa office), Cali (1600 na kinuha ng holdaper sa bus) at Lui (K610i na nahulog sa taxi) ay lahat cellphone din at hindi tao. Pinauso kasi nila Chyng na dapat may pangalan ang cellphone.

Yeah, ako na siguro ang pinaka hindi maingat na tao sa mundo. Dahil in a span of 11 years na meron akong cellphone, 6 na ang naiwala ko.

Actually, the purpose of writing this entry is not to tell you about the relationship i had with my mobile phones. Maybe sort of ganun nga. But i wanted to let people know that there are still good souls na willing magbalik ng mga nawawalang cellphone. Lalo na ngayon na maraming nawawalan ng trabaho at kailangang kailangan ng pera, nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos na meron pa ring mga taong mabuti ang kalooban.

Joseth ang name ng girl na nakapulot kay Sophie at kanina niya binalik yung support phone (at tao si Joseth). She never asked for anything in return. 1st good deed na ginawa sa akin for the year. May God bless her!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

2008-12-31T08:23:00.000-08:00

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou - Happy new year everyone! Hope this will be a much better year for all of us. This has been another year full of blessings. Thank you Lord for all the good things (and even the bad things) that happened to my life. Thank you for my loving family, gf, friends, relatives, officemates and every good soul that have made my life meaningful.

I am not fond of making new year's resolutions, so i browsed google for interesting new year's resolutions and i found one from kids but this was done for 2006. But anyway, they're nice and simeple and we can probably apply these resolutions as well.

"To be a lot more focused on the little things in life.".....Brittany (13)

"To stop making dumb resolutions I cant keep."....Sam
"To not complain so much about the winter weather."....Wendy
"To eat healthy."....Rachel (11)
"Dance more, sing less."....Gayle (16)
"To be more cheerful."....Nikhila (8)
"Do all my work."....Monique (11)
"Work harder, sleep more often, don't talk as much."....Carlos (12)
"Do more housework."....Quincy (12)
"To be nice to others."....Prophetess (11)

"My new year's resolution is to play more sports!"....Casey (14)
"Study more, be more helpful to my Mom, and more responsible..."....Marcus (12)

Go go go! Sa pagtupad ng ating new year's resolutions.

A Letter to Chyng

2008-12-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, we met at a coffee shop for our usual Fri-date. I promised to be there by 10PM but i arrived 30 minutes late. You smiled when you saw me. We hugged and you kissed me on my left cheek.

You looked more beautiful on your white jacket and i loved the scent of your perfume as i always do but i never said anything about it. You told me i looked radiant and loved the shirt i was wearing and i just smiled.

While we were talking, we held hands. You caressed mine but i tried to stop you. I wanted to feel your hands were part of mine but you wanted to make me feel how much you missed me.

Two hours later, we walked towards your office and before you went inside the building, we hugged each other once again. I kissed you on your right cheek. You said i love you but i just smiled back.

Last June, i told you that I love you. A week later you said you love me too and i told you that i love you even more. Six months later, you greeted me on our 1/2 anniversary and said you were very happy with how the relationship is going. I told you i was happy too but forgot to greet you on that special day.

You told me how bad you felt that i've forgotten our half year milestone. I said sorry but i still tried to justify my mistake by telling you that what mattered most was how i always made you feel.

As i write you this letter, i can't help but feel ashamed of how lousy i am as your boyfriend. I feel that i have become too complacent or contented of doing only as much. I have close friends who openly express how much they love their girlfriend or wife and i have always admired them for doing that. I just can't figure it out why i never emulated them.

I've been thinking of these things for quite a while now but after what happened on our 1/2 anniversary and after reading princessvan's blog about her bf, i asked myself if i'm really doing my share in our relationship.

Last night, i prayed to God. I asked him to make me a better person. I asked him to make me a person more deserving of your love. I hope that he will grant my prayer and i will strive do my part.

I don't want to make any promises but i will do my very best to make you happy.

I have been asked many times why I love you and I have given many answers before. Apart from those reasons, i have come to realize another thing why i love you.

I love you not because i will never find anyone else like you but i love you because i've already found you.

See you later :9

The day i lost my voice

2008-11-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've been a total slacker the past few weeks. Kahit andami kong pwedeng isulat, my hands can't convert my thoughts into words. Somehow i feel that this blogsite has lost it's voice. I feel that i've lost my voice.

I can come up with a lot of reasons to justify my katamaran. But to be honest, i've been just busy thinking of serious stuff. I'm not going to talk about what's keeping my mind overexercised. But i came up with a list of situations that made me run out of words to say.

When you commit the same mistakes that other people have done before. And after giving words of wisdom and words of self-righteousness in the past, you begin to doubt yourself if you have the right to give advice again. Somehow you lose confidence in yourself.

Practice what you preach ika nga. But being human beings that we are, we're bound to make mistakes. Kahit naiisip ko yan, i still can't forgive myself sometimes. It takes a long time to trust myself again. But i do hope that the people i've talked to before will give me chance to correct my mistakes.

May naalala akong homily before. Sabi ng pari, when people give you words of advice, don't look at the person but listen to what they are saying. Syempre maisip natin, ang kapal naman ng mukha nyang sabihan ako ng ganun, e sya nga... In a way, i'm hoping that people will practice this mantra, pero syempre, i exert extra effort not to commit the same mistakes again.

When you're torn between choosing another person's welfare or your own welfare. Would you speak up if it will give the other person the peace of mind but in doing so, you're telling them something that you wish not to tell others because it is a very sensitive issue? And by telling them, you also put yourself or the people very important to you on a negative light.

Sino ba ang dapat mong protektahan? Would you rather be selfish or not? Unfortunately, I don't have the answer. This is a very tough choice to make. But whatever you decide on, be ready with the consequences. I've made wrong decisions before and they still haunt me sometimes. Pero gaya ng item #1, move on and make the right choice next time.

When you're entrusted with information that you promised not to tell anyone but you know a very close person is involved and deserves to know.

Minsan mas gugustuhin kong wala na lang akong alam. Ambigat kse minsan sa pakiramdam. It's flattering that people trust you. Kya lang pag mga sikretong may sabit, you become an accesory to the crime. It also breaks my heart pag alam kong may naa-agrabyado na.

Ang sinasabi ko na lang, malaki ka na. You know what you're doing. And if i were in your shoes i would rather stop. But i can't help but feel for the other person, sana alam nya or sna malaman na rin nya.

When things that you say are always rejected or made fun of. You start to feel that you never make sense or your ideas are invaluable.

I am guilty of this from time to time. Pero victim din ako nito most of the time. There are times na nafeel ko na wag na talga magsalita but in doing so you make them feel that it's okay. Work in progress ito. Somehow i'm learning to speak up and stand up for what i believe in.

Saka okay lang naman magbiro, kaya lang kung paulit-ulit at pag ikaw lagi ang target, hindi na masaya.

When people you trust slip and tell others the secrets you've entrusted them.

Well, mahirap to kasi sila na yung mga taong pinagkakatiwalaan mo. Sino pa ang pagsasabihan mo? You can either keep your secrets to yourself or risk telling them and hope that they will keep it next time. Ganun talga. Minsan ang hirap din kasi dalhin ng mga bagay na pinagkakatiwala natin sa iba. We can't blame them if they need to tell another person dahil pati sila nabibigatan na rin sa problema mo.

When people are in deep pain and anguish and no matter how much you want to make them feel better, no words can ease the hurt they're feeling.

Baka nga kailangan talga natin tumahimik lang. Sometimes people tell you their problems but they don't need to hear anything from you. They just need someone na makikinig sa kanila. Or maybe sometimes they really need to hear from you. Kaya pag nangyayari 'to, i can't help but think of something to tell them that will make them feel better. Pinagdarasal ko talga na maisip ko ang mga tamang salita.

Pag wala na talga, mag-a-ala-clown na lang ako para makalimot sila.

When you constantly joke about things and people no longer believe you even if you're saying the truth. And no matter how genuine you are, they can no longer feel the sincerity in every word you say.

Trademark ko na yata 'to. Sa bahay, sa office, sa mga kaibigan at gf ko. Mahirap na sila papaniwalain kasi mahilig ako magbiro. My officemates know that i'm telling the truth pag pare-pareho ang sinabi ko sa kanilang lahat. To the people who are close to me, i think they know by now that i constantly joke about a lot of things pero binabawi ko agad. Kaya pag ang isang bagay, hindi ko binawi agad, malamang totoo na 'yun.

Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin ma-figure out why i keep joking about a lot of things. Kung malaman mo, sabihin mo naman sa'kin o. Hehe.

Note: Naisip ko pala, baka wala pa talgang boses ang blogsite ko. Maybe it's still trying to find its voice. Baka hindi naman nawala. Sadyang wala pa talgang boses. Ambigat pakinggan. Hehe. Hope to write something happy or makulit soon :9

multiply life by the power of two

2008-10-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

the past weeks have been very busy. busy with work, with family days, gf dates, gala with friends, gimik with officemates at kung anu-ano pa. i don't know, but it seems i don't have enough time to write. or i haven't found my writing mood. or probably, i'm only trying to find a valid reason to justify my katamaran sa paggawa ng entry.

ningas kugon ba ko? am i the type of person who always want to try something new? 'yung sobrang hyped sa umpisa, but if i find something new to do, 'yun naman ang gagawin ko tapos makakalimutan na 'yung isa. i can't help but think i am. nakakalungkot naman kung ganun.

last year, sumali ako sa outdoor club ng company namin. after climbing 3 bundoks (Tarak Ridge, Mt. Batulao & Mt. Tapulao), hindi na ako nakasama uli. i missed the last training climb (Mt. Pulag pa naman yun), kaya trainee pa rin ako ngayon. last year, after maki-overnight sa makati shang dahil naka-check-in yung barkada namin dun, i decided to buy a skateboard. matagal ko nang gusto matuto mag-skateboard at sa walang ka-plano-planong araw bumili ako. pag-uwi ko ng bahay, nag-try ako mag-skate. nung mag-badminton kami kinabukasan, dinala ko rin siya. at pagkatapos nun, nag-stay na siya sa ilalim ng kama ko. last year, bumili rin ako ng dance pad para sa PS2 (yeah, matagal na ang dance pad. e ano magagawa ko kung nung time lang ako nahilig mag-dance revo). ilang linggo rin kami nag dance dance sa bahay. pero gaya ng mga ibang kinahiligan, hindi na ako nakaka-dance dance sa bahay ngayon. and now i decided to blog, tapos ngayon, antagal ko nang hindi nagpo-post ng bagong entry.

after the sunrise in Mt. Tapulao

nakakalungkot minsan isipin na parang ang bilis ko magsawa. wala akong alam sa psychology, but i think yung ugali na yun might be showing something about my personality. ganun din kaya ang ugali ko pati sa relasyon sa pamilya, gf at mga kaibigan ko?

let me defend myself, hehe. being self-righteous once again or being a person who tries to find something positive in things, here are the reasons why i think i shouldn't be worried about trying new stuff then stopping just to do another:

i think it's normal for people to try new things. kapag may bagong restaurant, bagong shop, bagong style ng damit, bagong gadget, di ba sinusubukan din natin. at kung hindi natin nagustuhan, hindi na rin natin babalikan o gagawin uli.

at least i know that i tried. kung hindi ko man natuloy yun, at least hindi ko pinalampas ang pagkakataon na gawin siya. as much as possible, ayoko ng mga what-ifs sa buhay.

i'm after the experience. at syempre kasama na dun ang relationship na na-nurture while doing it. sa 3 bundok na inakyat ko, i was able to experience great things. yung makita mo ang sunrise sa peak ng bundok, iba ang view sa taas ng bundok. i was able to appreciate more God's gift to His people. sa mga dance revo days namin, nakapag-bond naman kami ng pamilya ko. hindi lang mga kapatid ko ang nag-try, pati si mama at papa nakisali din.

i want to prove to myself that i am capable of doing things. hindi naman siguro para yumabang tayo, but i guess it's more of building our self confidence. no matter how small or insignificant these may be to other people, i still see them as milestones in my life. that i was able accomplish something in life.

when you love what you do, you'll keep doing it. naniniwala ako na kung hindi ko man nagagawa ngayon yung mga dating kinahiligan ko, darating yung time na gagawin ko pa rin siya uli. they don't just die away. they just give you a chance to experience other great things. hindi sila selfish e. gaya last week, nag-jogging at nag-skateboard na uli ako. hehe

marami pa ako naiisip na dahilan to justify my interest in doing new things. ang mahalaga lang naman, for as long as you don't harm yourself or other people in the process, okay lang yun.

para naman ma-update kayo sa mga pinagkakaabalahan ko ngayon. eto ang sneak-peek:

muling pagbuhay sa multiply account ko by uploading pics. may pagka-emo yata ang mga text na nilalagay ko sa pics. baka alter ego ko yun. haha. i still have to learn pa kasi how to capture emotion or tell a story sa mga pictures. kaya nilagyan ko na lang ng text, para kahit papano may damdamin naman yung picture. hehe. for more trying hard pics: enricodl.multiply.com

run enrico run. i signed-up for 3 race events. Isuzu hallooween fun-run 5K (Oct 31), VSO Bahaginan 5k (Nov 4) & Unicef Marathon 10K (Nov 23). Yes, 10K yung sa 23. Excited na ako. I might have to let go of my bad habits, gaya pagpupuyat (na ginagawa ko ngayon, huhu) at kung anu-ano pa. I really hope na maka-practice ako at matapos yung 10K na race. wish me luck :9

Note: I have made a new entry. Yey! So i guess, tapos na ang break sa pagsulat. Hehe :9

I'mPossible is Everything Adidas King of the Road 2008

2008-10-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

"Impossible is nothing", sabi ni Adidas.
Pero ang sabi sa akin ng Adidas King of the Road 2008 5K Run, "I'm Possible".

Two weeks ago my team and I signed up for the Adidas KOTR 5K Run. Nung makuha namin yung singlet, parang gusto na namin tumakbo. Ibang klase kasing teambuilding to e. Hehe. We waited for almost 10 days i guess. And today, tatakbo na kami.

Waking up very early has become an impossible task for me since my body clock has become accustomed to sleeping late and waking up a bit late. But today, i woke up at 4am without giving my parents a hard time. Excited e.

We left the house at around 4:40am and drove to Bonifacio Global City. Yes "WE" and not "I". Dahil hindi pa ako marunong mag-drive at bilang kasama si mama at papa sa 1st marathon na sasalihan ko. Very supportive indeed.

After magkaligaw-ligaw, we arrived at 28th street around 5:10am. Medyo effort kumuha ng mapag-parking-an dahil marami nang dumating. Nakadagdag sa kaba dahil baka tumakbo na ang mga tao, naghahanap pa rin kami ng parking space.

Pagdating ko sa assembly area, nagre-ready na ang 21K runners dahil 5:30 ang start ng race nila. At exactly 5:30am, i heard a gunshot, hudyat ito ng pagtakbo ng mga 21K runners. After 30 minutes, 10K runners naman. And 10 minutes later, kami na.

Have i prepared enough? Engerts ka ba enrico? Syempre hindi. Dahil hindi ako nag-train. Walang jogging or treadmill. I relied solely on my walkathon moments from the mrt station to our building. Actually, ang mas naisip ko, kaya ko bang tapusin 'to? I was excited but i was also anxious na baka hindi ko matapos. Baka ma-trauma ako nun. But anyway, there was no turning back. The announcer was already doing the countdown for the 5K runners. This is it.

This week has been really stressful because of the millions of deliverables at work and other stuff. I'm really glad that we signed up for Adidas KOTR 2008. It was really worth it. Habang tumatakbo ako, parang nakalimutan ko lahat ng pagod ko sa work. Lahat ng issues na nangyari nung nagdaang linggo nawala. Ang iniisip ko kasi, parang nagka-cramps na ang binti at hita ko. Kung makakahinga pa ba ako dahil sa hingal. Magpagulong-gulong na lang kaya ako hanggang umabot ng finish line. But seriously, it was a good way to relieve stress and take my mind off work. I was just thinking of one thing kasi and that's finishing the race.

My lovely team mates. Bilib ako sa kanila dahil natapos nila ang race

There were moments na huminto ako sa pagtakbo. Lakad lakad lang. Pero everytime na may nauuna sa akin, iniisip ko na kung kaya pa nila, kaya ko rin. Yung iba kasing nag-o-overtake sa akin, 7 years old pa lang yata. San ka pa? Kaya 5-10 seconds lang ang walking moments, takbo na uli.

Several meters away from the finish line, narinig ko na yung music. Alam ko nangagaling yun sa assembly area. Tumaas lahat ng balahibo ko. Malapit na ako. Ganun pala yung feeling. When you know you're almost there, it will give you the adrenalin rush to push yourself further. At nung pagliko ko, ayan na siya. Si Finish Line.

Ang sarap ng feeling. Ang dami kasing nanonood. Yung iba nag-aabang sa kakilala nila para ma-picture-an. Feeling mo tuloy sikat ka. Haha. Pero sa totoo, it felt good knowing that you've accomplished something. I may have not finished first but 30 minutes and 39 seconds is not bad. Yung officemate ko kasi na nag-5K race last week, it took her 37 minutes. I used it as my target and i think i did farely well.

Seeing many excited people before the start of the race, runnning habang hinahabol mo ang paghinga mo, seeing the Finish Line from afar and crossing the Finish Line are just some of the great moments from the reace. I'm looking forward to joining another race. The Animo Run probably in November pero i think i would be participating in another run earlier than that. Hopefully, i will beat my 30:59 record.

I once again realized that if you have a certain goal and you strongly desire to reach it, kaya siya. You can do it, you just have to believe in yourself. At syempre, mag-train (para hindi ka sobrang hingalin). Just like in any other task, may it be a hobby or work, you can accomplish anything for as long as you put your mind and body into it. Equip yourself para maging mas madali ang journey mo sa pagtupad ng pangarap mo.

We are our greatest competition. Sometimes our mind will tell us that we can't do this. Just give up. But take it as a challenge. Try. At pag nahihirapan ka na, try harder. Sometimes we'll be surprised, kaya naman pala natin at minsan nagawa pa natin more than is expected.

Note: Just a few tips when joining a race (i'm not an expert, nabasa ko lang din ang mga to)
1. Jog or get on a treadmill to build your endurance
2. Hydrate your body 48 hours before the race. We should be drinking lots of water 1 or 2 days before the race. Kung the day itself kasi, baka ma-bloat ka lang. Mahirap na.
3. Carbo-load the day before the race. If you can wake up 2 or 3 hours before the race, try to eat something light. Sabi nga sa nabasa ko, toast or bread would do. Wag na yung mamamantika ha. Bananas are also good.
4. Prepare your running stuff before you sleep. Para hindi ka na ma-stress sa paghanap sa umaga.
5. Know how to get to the race area. Mahirap magkaligaw-ligaw. Baka kasi pagdating mo, tapos na yung race.
6. Be at the race area at least 30 minutes before the race. Para makawiwi ka before tumakbo at maka-warm-up and stretching pa.
7. Tie your shoe laces properly pala. Make sure na tamang higpit siya para masupport yung heel and ankles (i think). Saka hassle pa 'yung hihinto ka dahil i-tie mo yung shoelace mo. Pwede ka gumamit ng bow-biters kung meron ka pa nun.
8. Don't cut your toe nails the day before the race. Di ba minsan napapasobra ang gupit ng mga kuko natin. So pag nasisiksik yung daliri masakit. Lalo na siguro kung nabunot yung ingrown mo. Ang hirap naman yata tumakbo kung may masakit na nararamdaman ka sa paa.
9. Enjoy and finish the race.

Who wants to be surrounded by Garbage?

2008-10-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

“People say I'm extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty. But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by garbage?” -- Imelda Marcos

Every year, Accenture celebrates the International Costal Clean-up Day by gathering around 100+ volunteers to collect trash along the Manila Bay. It's one of the community activities in Accenture that I really look forward to. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, probably it's because i've done it for 3 years in a row and it somehow marks my years of stay at work. At syempre, doing something for the environment na rin. Go go Captain Planet! Haha.

After 3 years of volunteering for this activity, i noticed things that i (might) have never seen before and also things that never changed.

What's new? Well, it's the first time i've seen people swimming in Manila Bay. Nakikita ko na yun dati sa mga pictures sa dyaryo, pero ngayon, nakita ko na sila in person. Na-amaze ako dahil maraming pamilya na nagpupunta dun at enjoy na enjoy sila na parang nasa beach. The sad part is that they were swimming just beside trash.

Hindi ko nga alam kung ano ang mararamdaman ko nung time na yun. Although we were doing something for a cause, natatakot ako na baka isipin nilang we were being disrespectful. Yung parang pinapamukha sa kanila na mahirap lang sila. Na marumi ang pinagliliguan nila dahil naka-gloves pa kami habang namumulot ng basura. Pero naisip ko namang maiintindihan din nila. Dapat nga ma-appreciate pa nila yung ginagawa namin.

Left - Accenture employees collecting garbage; Right - Swimming party

Anong di nagbago? Hay. Nakapuno pa rin ako ng sako. At kahit lahat kaming namulot nakapuno ng sako, parang wala pa rin nagbago. Nandoon pa rin yung mga basura. Parang hindi nabawasan. Somehow, i feel that what we we did is just a shallow attempt to fix the problem. Para may masabi lang na nagawa kami.

Pero naisip ko rin na sa ginawa namin, we were still educating people. We were educating ourselves unconsciously. It served as a reminder kasi na these things are happening and we should do something about it and we can do something about it. We were also educating people na meron din sila pwede gawin. It can ba as simple as throwing their trash properly.

Nakuha pa magpa-picture sa kabila ng basura, init at pawis

Actually, what we should really learn is discipline. Minsan, dahil tinatamad tayong humanap ng basurahan, tinatapon na lang natin kahit saan. Minsan nag-effort na tayo, hindi pa natin nilulubos. Nakalagay sa basurahan na paper only, plastic only, aluminum cans only, hindi naman natin sinusunod.

We keep complaining na mabaho ang isang lugar dahil sa basura. Ampanget na tingnan. We keep complaining.

But are we doing something?

Note: The quote at the start of this entry has nothing much to do with the content. Okay naman yung quote di ba? Hehe.

Btw, some other pictures taken during the activity.

Family Picture It's not where you are but who you're with

Tampo Nagtatampo kaya si bunsoy dahil hindi siya pinayagan mag-swimming ni inay?

Nangangarap Darating kaya ang panahon na magiging malinis uli ang mga dagat?

For the Kids

2008-09-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

When I was in grade school, every weekend, my friends (Earl & Cesar) and I would go to the back of a pickup parked near a large field of grasses. Then we would just sit there, fly kites, eat our pandesals with Lily's peanut butter as palaman and talk about what we want to do in the future. It felt as if we we're never running out of time and we can do whatever we dream of.

Sometimes I wish I can go back. Posible pala.

Going to Disneyland and Ocean Park made me feel like a child again. Not only because of the place but because of the kids. Feeling bata tuloy ako. Haha. Here are some of the snapshots or paparazzi shots ng mga kids (buti hindi ako inaway ng mga peyrents nila).

Lessons that we can learn from kids

Sometimes we may look funny when we try to imitate our idols It's okay, because not all things that work for a certain person will work for us. Just pick-up the good traits that work for you then develop your own style.

Laugh your heart out Pwede tayong magkasakit because of stress. So let's laugh and enjoy more often. Hindi naman kelangan gumastos. Kahit makipagkulitan lang sa mga family members at friends, pwede na.

Be polite to others even to strangers As these kids were leaving the area, they said "Goodbye everyone!" Na-amaze kami, hindi lang dahil maganda ang diction nila, kundi dahil nagpaalam sila. We were strangers but they were still nice to us.

Let yourself loose, Dance when you feel like it I wish I had a better picture of this girl. Kung nandun lang ang management ng Disney, kinuha na siguro ang bata na 'to. Todo hataw kasi siya e. Let's learn to enjoy. Wag tayo minsan KJ. Hehe

Stand up and be an adult, Don't be a spoiled brat Dahil dalawa ang kapatid na mas bata ng kiddie na 'to, her parents were giving extra attention to her siblings. She was a sport, hindi nagta-tantrums. As adults, we shouldn't be giving our parents more problems lalo na't matatanda na sila. Let's give them a break. Dapat nag-e-enjoy na sila ngayon. (How i wish pwede ko na sila pag-retire-in)

Give yourself a break Don't overstress yourself too much, especially on things you have no control of. It's okay to dream of big things but also learn to be content of what you have.

It's okay to learn from others Asking questions is better than pretending to know something that we don't know. It doesn't make us stupid nor a lesser individual if we ask. No one knows everything, kaya okay lang yan.

Don't forget or take for granted the people who love us most Kahit matanda na ang parents natin, they are still the best people we can depend on lalo na pag may problema tayo. They have the sincerest concern for us. At dahil tumatanda na sila, minsan nagiging sensitive na rin sila. Let them feel you still value their opinions. Make them feel wanted pa rin sila.

Learn to wait This kid was patiently waiting for their food. Inaaliw na lang niya yung sarili niya para di mainip. Not all things will come to us on the exact time we want them to. So instead of ranting about it, do something productive while waiting. Wala naman magagawa ang pagrereklamo e.

Smile more often even to strangers It's the simplest act of kindness that we can give to others. Ginagawa ko 'to madalas pag siksikan sa FX tapos mainit o kaya pag may nakakasalubong akong matanda. Ingat lang din sa mga ngingitian ha. Baka matapat kayo sa manyakis.

Kapamilya Kids
Syempre, hindi papahuli ang mga anak ng pinsan ko. These kids are bibo and makukulit just like their parents, titos and titas. Nami-miss ko na sila. :9

Girl-bonding

Jaslene showing some love

Joshua showing some love and Bebe enjoying the love

D-L-S-U Derecho La Salle!

2008-09-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

The De La Salle Green archers were defeated by the Ateneo Blue Eagles on their 1st of three games. But my Atenean friends were really supportive. Look o. They're holding La Salle's Adidas poster. I guess they'll be rooting for La Salle on Game 2. Thank you friends. :9

Be a Traveller not just a Tourist

2008-09-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

Ito ang natutunan ko sa aking bespren sa office na si Trudis Liit a.k.a Cynthia Patag (peace Mamul! sana ay mabasa mo 'to kahit nandyan ka na sa 3rd rock from the sun. kung san man yun). Mas masaya raw maging backpacker kaysa bakasyonista. Mas exciting kung walang vacation package. Ikaw ang maghahanap ng place na mapag-stay-an. Ikaw ang magpi-figure out kung saan ang way papunta sa destination niyo. Buti na lang nakumbinsi ko si Chyng na mag-adventure trip kami. Hehe.

Our recent trip may not be the most comfortable nor the cheapest option to travel, but it is one of the most memorable trips i ever had. Aside from being with Chyng syempre, we were able to interact with strangers who barely or don't even speak english and there were a lot of lessons learned along the way.

Destination: Macau & HongKong
After waiting for 4 months dahil sa Zero fare ni Cebu Pacific, nakaalis na rin kami. Here are just some of the preparations we've made before the trip:

1. Accomodations - Look for a place kahit walang star. For as long as the place is safe, makakatulog kami nang maayos at malapit sa aming destinasyon. In short, inexpensive but practical.

For Macau, we considered San Va Hospidiera & Augusters. Both are guest houses that are several tumblings away from the Ruin's of St. Paul. Hotel Ko Wah was also an option. Slightly more expensive pero malapit lang din sa first destination namin. Hindi na kami nag-book online. Luckily, hindi naman kami nagka-problem nung mag-check-in kami sa Hotel Ko Wah.

Sarap matulog after long hours of walking. :9

Sa HK, guest houses din ang option pero located sa Tsim Sha Tsui, isa kasi yung place na 'yun sa terminal ng ferry from Macau to HK. We made online bookings na this time, kasi parang mas maraming tao sa HK kaysa Macau. 10% was paid via credit card. The rest was paid in cash nung nandun na kami.

2. Itinerary (IT) - Since we were on a tight schedule, malabong mapuntahan namin lahat ng attractions sa Macau & HK. So we identified kung ano 'yung mga famous spots at dun na lang kami pupunta.

Here's our IT:
1st Day - Venetian Hotel & Largo de Senado, Food trip Macau
2nd Day - Largo de Senado, Ruin's of St. Paul, Macau Tower, Grand Prix Museum, Wine Museum, Food trip HK
3rd Day - Disneyland & Mongkok Night market
4th Day - Ocean Park, Shopping

Natuwa naman ako dahil halos nagawa naman namin lahat except for the Venetian Hotel Day 1 dahil ayaw kami isakay ng cab sa airport dahil malapit lang daw at lugi sila, Mongkok Night market Day 3 dahil nagka-migraine ako at hindi na kami nakalabas at shopping Day 4 dahil wala nang time.

3. Maps - Download maps, tourist spots and bus & train routes. Nagkalat sila sa net at malaking tulong ang mga ito. We were able to plan our IT, paano ang ruta namin. Kung saan ma-maximize namin ang time, hindi kami mapapagod at makakatipid pa kami.

4. Research via Google or Blogs - Read entries gaya ng kay Chyng to get info on where to stay & where to go, how much yung entrance & train/bus fare
at iba-iba pang tips na kakailangan niyo sa pupuntahan niyo.
Kaya okay rin ang 3-4 months waiting time sa mga Cebu Pac promos dahil you'll have enough time to research for your trip.

5. Pack light - If you'll be transferring to different locations, i highly recommend that you bring backpacks na lang. Bring only your necessities. Wag na magdala ng stuffed toy at kung anu-anong gadgets na di niyo naman talga sobrang kakailanganin. Bukod sa hindi mahirap magpalipat-lipat, wala ka na i-che-check-in na luggage. So pagbaba niyo sa airport, derecho na agad kayo immigrations and customs. Wala nang mahabang antayan sa bagahe.

Backpacks lang ang dala namin. Kamusta naman kung may luggage pa kami tapos sasakay kami sa train na gaya nito.

6. Print important documents - Flight sked w/ details, Hotel reservation and maps. It's better if you have print outs of the street name or the hotel . Trin foreign writing e.g. Chinese. Medyo natagalan din si Mr. Driver namin bago niya na-figure-out kung saan kami pupunta. So that would be really helpful.

7. Tripod - Kung dalawa lang kayo, si Tripod ang savior niyo. Hindi kayo magmu-mukhang alone sa pictures dahil pwede na kayo magkasama sa pic. Syempre, try to bring a lightweight tripod din.

Lessons Learned
1. Be careful when deleting pictures or videos. Baka kasi ma-delete mo 'yung folder. Just like what happened to me on our first night in Macau. Goodbye Macau night lights. Ang ganda pa naman ng mga pics dun :(

2. Ask, Ask, Ask. When you think you're lost, magtanong na kayo agad. To save time and effort. It's best to ask people sa hotel na pinag-stay-an niyo, restaurant na kinainan niyo or souvenir shop na binilhan niyo. Mas accomodating sila pag ganun.

3. Check if you're loading the right train or ferry. Nagkamali kasi kami ng sinakyan na ferry going to HK. Imbis na malapit na kami sa tutuluyan namin, nag-train pa kami at nagkanda-ligaw-ligaw. Use the street posts, minsan they already have the answer.

4. Make sure you have the name of the street kung saan kayo mag-stay para hindi kayo mahirapan magtanong. Btw, train stations in HK don't have a dedicated entrance and exit area. Minsan sa isang station, 10 million ang exits. Kaya dapat alam niyo kung saan exact location ng puntahan nyo, para matulungan nila kayo.

5. Aside from money, bring credit cards. Since you're in a foreign land, it's always better to have money on hand. To make sure you have enough cash, use your credit card pag medyo malaking purchase. Kunwari mahal na tickets or mahal na food sa restaurant. Kung meron kang VISA at Mastercard better. Kasi may ibang restaurants or establishments na VISA lang ina-accept. Meron naman iba na pati Mastercard pwede. Si Disneyland, VISA lang ina-accept.

6. Bring an umbrella and drink lots of water. Ito ang cause ng aking migraine after our Disney visit. Sobrang araw at init kasi. Hindi mo rin masasabi, baka biglang umulan.

It rained after ng picture-taking namin sa Ruins of St. Paul. Medyo mababa na yung shot ng camera kasi nakaupo kami sa doorstep na malapit sa mga tindahan.

7. Bring extra battery for your digicam. Kung wala, bring a reliable camera phone. Para pag lowbatt na si digicam, ma-capture pa rin ang moments niyo.

8. Learn charades. Dahil kung hindi kayo nagkakaintindihan sa lenggwaheng gamit nyo, effective ang acting. Buti na lang champion kami sa charades.

9. Interact with people. You get to appreciate the place when you get to know the people. Dahil sa aming pagkakaligaw-ligaw at pagtatanong-tanong, we found out that HongKong locals are very approachable and nice. Dalawang stranger ang tumulong sa amin para mahanap ang pag-stay-an namin. Tumawag pa sila sa mobile nila para magtanong.

10. Try to find something Pinoy. Parang hidden Mickey lang 'yan. Sa Macau, we found out that there is a certain street na puro Pinoy establishments (Rua Dos Mercadores), sa Largo de Senado ang tambayan ng maraming Pinoy pag gabi at maraming Pinoy lady guards sa Grand Prix museum. Syempre sa HK maraming nagkalat na Pinoy. Sa Central sila nagtitipun-tipon tuwing Linggo.

Chinoy establishment in Rua Dos Mercadores. In Macau & HK, Take Out = Take Away

Dodjie Laurel - Champion Pinoy Racer

Sa Grand Prix Musuem, an area was dedicated to a Pinoy speed racer. He's the first person to win back-to-back in the Macau Grand Prix. Sa Disney's Small World, meron ding Pinoy Dolls singing "It's a small world" in Filipino.

11. Promote Pinoy - Be nice guests or visitors. If we leave a good impression sa mga nag-asikaso sa atin, we may be able to help improve our country/countrymen's image. Kaya kami, hindi lang kami uber nice sa kanila, nagbigay pa kami ng gift. Yung jeep sa Kultura. At nagsuot din kami ng shirts na may Philippines na nakasulat.

12. Keep eyes open - Muntik ko na makalimutan. Pag nagpapa-picture, especially when using a tripod at timer ng digicam, keep your eyes open and smile hangga't hindi pa tapos. Sayang kasi ang effort at time kung uulitin uli. Joke pa naman namin yun na kailangan paalalahanan ang mga locals to keep their eyes open, bilang mga singkit sila. 'Yun pala, meron din dapat pinapaalalahanan nun.

Note: Make sure na mentally, emotionally at physically prepared sa pag-travel ang kasama niyo. Dahil medyo adventure trip ang ganitong style ng byahe, marami talagang lakaran at tanungan. So once in a while, okay rin mag-away kunwari o mag-inisan. Para naman hindi kayo mabagot. Kaya lang be considerate sa kasama niyo. 'Pag inaantok na, 'wag niyo na harutin. Kawawa naman, baka dun na lang siya naghahabol ng tulog at pahinga. :9

Next destination, Singapore + Malaysia. Kung kelan 'yun, matatagalan pa. Ipon muna uli. haha.

Who wants 2 Tickets to Cosmo's Bachelor Bash 2008?

2008-09-10T08:47:00.001-07:00

Segue muna ako sa Macau-Hongkong trip namin. But I'll be blogging soon. Dahil naka-Day 2 na si Chyng, hindi ko pa nagagawa ang assignment ko.

Yes, I got two tickets for Cosmo's Bachelor Bash. Sobrang swerte ko na ba talga? Swerte nga ba? Not really, it's my sister who won the tickets.

Tinawagan ako kahapon ng aking napakagandang kapatid (ainabanina) and she was asking how far Pioneer is from our office. Sabi ko it's not that far. Dahil dinadaanan ko 'yun papasok araw-araw sa mrt. Mas malapit nga 'yun from Taft Station e.

May hihingin daw siyang favor. Hmmm, dahil mahilig ako mang-spoil ng mga kapatid ko. I said it's okay. Ano ba 'yun?

Pwede ko raw ba pick-up-in 'yung free tickets nila sa Summit Media office. 'Yun lang pala e, why not. Ano pala 'yung tickets na napanalunan niyo? Dyaaran!

2 tickets to Cosmos' Bachelor Bash. Seriously?! Hindi lang ako nag-dalawang isip. Nag-sampu o benteng isip pa. Kamusta naman na ako ang mag-claim ng tickets na 'yun. Hehe. Ayoko naman mapagkamalan na manonood. Buti sana kung isa ako sa hot men. Kahit pang-70, pwede na. But anyway, I said yes.

Sinuong ko ang malakas na hangin, ulan at baha kaninang lunchbreak para lang makuha ang tickets na 'yun. The best part of the experience: may title pa pala ako sa pag-claim ng tickets. Nakalagay kasi sa confirmation email from Summit Media, "If you can't claim the tickets yourself, please issue the following to your messenger." Huwaw!! I'm a messenger. Hehe.

But anyway, my officemates who kept shouting na meron daw akong Cosmo Bachelor Bash tickets were also trying to buy the tickets. Commodity pala yung ticket na 'yun.

Ainabanina, i hope it's all worth it. You owe me bigtime. Enjoy! :9

keep your eyes open

2008-09-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

we're back from bakaSYON! thank God we're home safe.

whew, sobrang compressed sked. wish we had more time to enjoy the place. here are some of our pics. later na yung details and kwento.

"Alam kong hindi ako karapat-dapat sa'yo, ngunit sa isang salita mo lamang ay gagaling na ako"

2008-08-25T04:05:00.000-07:00

Ni-tag ako ni Chyng. So here's my answers.
First time ko yata mag-answer ng ganito at mag-post online.
Bagong experience. Hehe. :9

1. When was your first kiss and where?
Pare, I don't kiss and tell eh. You know halik and make kwento.

2. When was your first real relationship and how long did it last?
Not so long ago. Just 3 months.

3. What age were you allowed to date?
My parents never gave me that rule.

4. What's the craziest thing you did (for love) when you were a teenager?
During one of our college org's teambuildings, we had an activity where we were given an opportunity to express our gratitude or bad feelings to any of the members. So i thanked our features editor for giving me a chance to love/court her. No one was actually surprised, kasi alam nila i was courting her. Kaya lang ginawan nila ng spoof.

This was what i said, "alam kong hindi ako karapat-dapat sa'yo, pero salamat dahil binigyan mo ako ng pagkakataon na mahalin ka."

Spoof version, "alam kong hindi ako karapat-dapat sa'yo, ngunit sa isang salita mo lamang ay gagaling na ako."

5. How long is your longest relationship and what's the secret?
It's not actually a secret. Communication is very important.

6. How long did you date before you decided to settle down?
Matagal-tagal din.

7. How long did you know s/he was the ONE?
Nangyari na lang e

8. Now, at what age will you allow your kid(s) to date?
I wouldn't actually specify the age. Baka kasi pag umabot na sila sa age na yun ma-pressure na sila. Baka isipin nila na kailangan magka-bf/gf na sila.

9. When it comes to your kids dating, will you be a cool parent or a strict parent?
A cool parent. I realized that my relationships with people work well when we're cool. Gusto ko maging kabarkada mga anak ko so it would be easier for me and for them to deal and discuss serious issues.

10. What piece of advice can you give to your child when they start dating?
I will make sure that my children feel loved and i teach them the right values, so when they grow up they will hopefully make the right decisions.

And if they start dating, the advice i would give them is to enjoy and have fun.

SYON

2008-08-08T08:02:00.001-07:00

Last night, I invited myself to Soms where Boss 1 (B1) and Boss 2 (B2) were having dinner. Since i haven't been posting any entry for more than a week na, they gave me an assignment. I would be writing about Storm, B1 would be writing about Deviant/Deviancy and B2 would be writing about Trinity.

At dahil isang araw lang ang binigay nilang palugit para matapos ko ang asignatura ko. Naisip ko, the best approach to this topic would be to write about it literally. Di ba B1? Haha. Joke!

Ang Pilipinas na yata ang isa sa pinakapaboritong destinasyon ng mga bagyo. At sa kanilang pagbisita maraming buhay ang nawawala at kabuhayan ang napipinsala. Ilan lamang sa kanila sina:
Uring (Nob 1991) na nagbunsod ng Trahedya sa Ormoc,
Milenyo (Set 2006) na nagpatumba ng maraming Billboards sa EDSA,
at si Frank (Hun 2008) na banyaga at sosyal ang pangalan.

Pero sa totoo lang, mayroon pang mas matinding bagyo sa kanila at sinasagupa natin ito araw-araw. Si bagyong SYON.

iluSYON
Sa bawat pakikitungo natin sa ibang tao, sa ating pananamit, pagkilos at pananalita meron tayong imahe na ipinapakita sadya man ito o hindi. Pwedeng mabait, mayabang, maangas, matapang, sosyal atbp. Pero pag ang pagpapakita ng imaheng ito ay taliwas na sa ating tunay na pagkatao, isa na itong iluSYON.

Nung bata pa ako, akala ko dapat akong sumang-ayon sa lahat ng sabihin ng ibang tao. Yun kasi ang naisip kong paraan para matanggap ako, magkaroon ako ng kaibigan o hindi makasakit ng damdamin ng iba.

Pero sa pagtagal ng panahon, natutunan kong hindi pala makitid ang ulo ng mga tao. Na ang mga tunay na kaibigan ay kayang sakyan ang ka-kornihan, ka-jologan o ka-baduyan mo.

Nakakalungkot lang dahil ang ilan sa atin ay ginagamit ang iluSYON para maging natatangi o "cool". Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit kailangan pang gawin 'yun. Hindi kaya indikasyon lang iyon ng insekuridad sa sarili?

Bakit kailangan nating angasan o sungitan ang taong unang beses palang natin nakita? Bakit kailangang kapintasan ang una nating mapansin sa kanila? Bakit kailangang gumasta tayo nang todo kung kapos na pala tayo sa pera? Bakit kailangang pagdiinan natin ang kahinaan ng ibang tao para lang mas umangat tayo? Bakit kailangang itago natin ang kasiyahan sa mga simpleng bagay 'wag lang tayong mabansagang mababaw? Bakit natatakot tayong ipakita na may kahinaan din tayo?

Pwede nating paniwalain ang ibang tao sa lahat ng pagbabalat-kayo at pagpapanggap natin. Pero kahit kailan, hinding-hindi natin pwedeng lokohin ang ating sarili.

desiSYON
Siguro madali para sa lahat sa atin ang pumili sa masama o mabuti. Pero mahirap gumawa ng desiSYON kung ang pagpipilian ay hindi mo alam kung masama ba o mabuti.

Bilang isang "self-righteous" na tao (minsan naiisip ko na masyado na kasi ako nagpapakabait pero yun talaga ako e), nahihirapan akong mag-"react" o magdesiSYON kung ito ay makakaapekto na ng ibang tao. Pag ito ba ang ginawa ko, makakabuti ba sa akin yun o wala ba akong maaapakang ibang tao? Nagiging resonable ba ako o kababawan lang ang nararamdaman ko? Pag ito ba ang sinabi ko, makakaapekto ba 'yun sa pakikitungo ko sa ibang tao? Minsan hindi ko na alam kung nagiging "self-righteous" ba ako o baka "schizoprenic" na ako. Malamang yung huli. Haha.

Hindi naman natin alam kung tama ba ang ginagawa nating desisyon hangga't hindi natin nakikita ang kinahinatnan nito. Pero siguro sa bawat pipiliin natin, mahalagang handa tayo sa magiging epekto nito. Kung magkamali man tayo, tanggapin natin at sikaping wag nang ulitin 'yun. At kung nagkamali tayo, wag nating isisi sa ibang tao dahil tayo ang gumawa nun.

korupSYON
Marami sa ating mga kababayan ang nawawalan na ng pag-asa sa ating bansa at pinipiling mangibang bayan na lamang. Marahil naghahangad sila ng mas maunlad na buhay o dahil hindi na nila matagalan ang katiwalian sa bansa.

Noong nakaraang Sabado, nagkita kami ng isa sa mga kaibigan ko simula pa nung elementarya, si Jason (kasama rin si Joel). Marami kaming napag-kuwentuhan at isa sa mga naging tampok na usapan ay ang korupSYON.

Maganda ang ibinahagi ni Jason tungkol sa isyung yun. Marami siyang katanungan na nakapagpaisip din sa akin.

Patuloy ba tayong magagalit at maninisi sa Pangulo, Senador, Kongresista, Alakalde o Kapitan na inihalal natin (natin - kolektib na salita sa sambayanang Pilipino) dahil sa mabagal na pag-unlad ng ating bansa? O titingan ba natin ang ating mga sarili dahil baka tayo rin ay bahagi ng bulok na sistemang ito. Susubukan ba nating gumamawa ng hakbang upang baguhin ang ating sarili at hayaang ang pagbabagong ito ay makaimpluwensya sa ibang tao?

Lahat tayo ay tiwali. Kahit ang pinakamahirap o pinaka-walang-kapangyarihang tao ay may kakayanang maging korap. Paano? Sa pagpila na lang papasok sa MRT, ilang tao na ang sumingit sa'yo? Sa distribusyon ng libreng pagkain, ilang tao na kaya ang nanamantala na kumuha ng higit sa dapat mapunta sa kanya? Sa bahay na lang, 'pag may tumatawag sa ating ayaw nating makausap, ilang beses na kaya natin inutusan ang ating bunsong kapatid o anak na sabihing wala tayo?

Simple lamang ang mga pangyayaring ito. Pero hindi natin alam, ang simpleng bagay rin na 'to ang humuhubog sa isipan natin at sa isipan ng nakababatang henerasyon na pwedeng magsinungaling, mang-umit o manlamang para lang sa ikakabuti natin.

Marami pang bagyo sa ating buhay. Si malnutriSYON, populaSYON, prostituSYON, reboluSYON. Pero ang pinaka-peyborit ko sa kanilang lahat si bakaSYON. At malapit na ang araw na yon.

B1 at B2, okay ba?

I'm a Jerk, I'm Stupid and I'm Sorry. Please take me back

2008-07-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Being late for the past 2 days, i was excited na maaga ako sa office ngayon. Mangungulit sana ako with my nerdy shades and my biggie ring kya lang someone stole the show already. Late pa rin pala ako.

Everyone in the office was looking in one corner at may mga nagpipicture pa. May celebrity yata. Waaah. Baka si Anne Curtis. Asa pa!

Eto pala ang pinagkakaguluhan nila:

"I was a jerk. I was stupid. And i am so sorry. Please take me back?" Bakit kaya question? Hindi rin kaya siya sure if he wants to be taken back?

If it was in the movies, marami na siguro ang kinilig. Kaya lang it didn't turn out that way. Sabi nga ng officemate ko, "The gesture was sweet, but if I was the girl baka hindi ko ma-appreciate. Baka lalo pa ako magalit."

Napaisip din ako. Magagawa ko rin kaya yun kung nasa office din ang gf ko? I guess hindi. I would rather keep it private, pwede pa siguro kung nasa isang room kami at lahat ng kasama namin sa room ay close namin at alam na may problema kami. Pero parang hindi rin. Not my style. Kung ako yun, I would have done it differently. Pero hindi ko sabihin kung paano. It might come in handy in the future. Joke! Hehe.

Ang nangyari kasi, everyone from the project found out that they were having a problem. I never knew until this morning. Not a very good publicity. Parang naging circus tuloy yung istorya nila to the point na people were making fun of the sorry message.

Somehow, I also feel it was a bit unfair para sa babae yung nangyari. Syempre everyone might be hoping na papatawarin niya yung lalaki. Putting pressure ba sa babae? Baka maging kontrabida pa siya pag hindi niya pinatawad. It was like getting everyone else involved in the situation.

The sweet movie ending never happened. Everyone was waiting for the girl's reaction but the girl decided not to go to the office. May nakapagsabi na siguro and spoiled the surprise. And the I'm sorry please take me back words from the glass wall were removed. Pinatanggal niya. It's sad. Siguro when you have to say sorry, you don't have to make it fancy. You just have to be sincere. At syempre, wag ka na gumawa ng bagay na ikakagalit niya.

Kayo, would you have done the same?

Note: If by any chance, the person who posted that message on the glass wall read this entry, i just want to say that i don't intend to make fun of your situation. I do hope na maayos niyo pa.

When i Stopped Dreaming

2008-07-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

"These dreams go on when I close my eyes. Every second
Of the night, I live another life. These dreams that
Sleep when it's cold outside, every moment I'm awake,
The further I'm away."

While others dream of becoming a superhero, a president or a billionaire, i always dreamt of becoming an architect or a painter. Having two titos who are painters and a distant relative who is an architect, i was always amazed whenever i would look at their works.

My titos paintings. One is good with watercolors and the other is good with mixed media

Growing older, i was exposed to the harsh realities of life and realized that it's not only important to actualize your dreams. It's equally or probably more important to survive. I have seen my titos struggle from time to time with their daily expenses for not having sold any of their paintings. My architect relative was also having some financial issues back then. That was when I felt that my dream of becoming an architect or painter was fading away.

For practical reasons, i took an engineering course in college. I used to dream that i would be the smartest student in class and i will have the answer to every question that our professors ask. But when i started college, i realized that there are far more intelligent and brighter individuals than me. My dream of becoming top of my class vanished.

I guess i can never really give up on my dream. So i joined Ang Pahayagang Plaridel, a Filipino Publication in college, as an artist. Adobe Photoshop & Pagemaker instantly became my close friends. I remember working until 3am (even on weekdays) just to meet the deadline. Two years later, I became the Publicity Manager and another year, i became the Layout and Graphics Editor. It was a great experience but somehow i felt that still haven't fulfilled my dreams.

Asiaweek survey issue. Ako nag-layout at graphics niya. Hehe (proud)

After taking my engineering licensure exam, i decided to take a month off and become a bummer. No job hunting yet. So i spent my days at home surfing the net and studying Macromedia Flash. One time, two of my highschool best buds called me and asked if i would be interested in being part of their web design company. Well, they haven't really started yet so i agreed. Having a bit of Flash knowledge, i offered to make a flash video for the company. And here is my first flash video:

Flash movie for Kulayred

The idea of being a part-owner of a company and at the same time fulfilling my dreams was a great feeling. After many days of preparing our pro-mats and filing documents to the municipal office and DTI to legalize the company, we were able to get a handful of clients. 2 clients that is. The company lasted for 3 or 4 months only. Our HTML expert decided to work for a regular company and i was juggling the business and my regular job. My dream did not materialize once again.

My dream is a stalker. It kept coming back even when i am trying to pursue other things. Every summer, my previous company would give free shirts to every employee and in line with that, a t-shirt design contest was held. After participating in a few poster making contests in high school, i joined. Luckily, the judges liked my design so i won. Even though it was just a company contest, i felt i've won a prestigious national award. 7,000 employees wearing your design is something i have never imagined.

The winning t-shirt design

After winning the contest, our ISO director assigned me as the Communications Committee Head (CCH) of the company's Quality Group. CCH = "taga-gawa ng poster", "taga-paskil ng poster". It was flattering. I was able to walk towards my dream once again.

After many years of giving up on my dream, i realized that we should never compromise nor shoud we ever lose hope. Sometimes fulfilling our dreams may not be how we imagined it to be. Sometimes we are not aware that we are already there. We just have to be sensitive.

I would have never become an editor, become a part-owner of a design company, t-shirt design winner and communications committee head had i stopped dreaming. No matter how much we try to pretend that we want something else, we can never fake what our heart desires. I'm happy that my dream never gave up on me.

For those people who have managed to make a successful career in architecture and painting, i salute you. You have made my dreams come true. This entry was inspired by Ms. Caryn after i found out that she was an architect.

And to keep the dream alive, i am planning to add a section for sketches and artworks in this site. :9

Pers Taym Ko

2008-07-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Dumating na siguro tayo sa punto na tinanong natin kung bakit ba tayo nabubuhay. What is my purpose in life? Mahaba-habang inuman at kwentuhan 'yan and i don't think i have already found the exact answer. Meron akong naiisip na sagot, pero guess-timate at assumption lang siguro 'yun. Sa mga nagsusulat, may katumbas din 'yang tanong.

Bakit nga ba ako nagba-blog?
My sister has been blogging since 2004 and i have always been amused with her entries. Pero kahit ganun, hindi ako nagkalakas ng loob na magsulat. I don't think i'm a good writer kse. At hindi rin ganung ka-cooperative ang work schedule ko before kaya wala ring time para magsulat.

After ko lumipat sa bagong work, naging mahirap na sa kin na lumabas o makipag-bonding sa mga dati kong ka-opisina. Wala na rin silang gaanong balita sa akin. Kay Lloyd na lang siguro ako nakikibalita through his blog. Kaya one time, nasabi kay Chyng na parang gusto ko na rin magsulat. At dahil manageable na naman ngayon ang time ko, sinabi niya na i should go ahead and try it. I did. And so far, i'm enjoy naman. Medyo addicted na nga yata ako e.

For a person who doesn't articulate his ideas very well, writing has become a good venue in expressing myself. Minsan meron akong naiisip na mga bagay na hindi ko naman basta-basta pwedeng ikwento pag lumalabas ako with my friends. So dito ko na lang nilalagay. At least, masasabi ko rin lahat ng gusto ko sabihin without any interruptions.

How do i decide on topics to write about ba? I write what i know best. Ano pa nga ba, e di things about myself. Feeling ko nga masyado narcissistic ang entries ko e (pahiram Carlo ng line na 'to ha). Pero naniniwala pa rin ako na hindi lang tayo natututo sa mga pinagdaraanan natin. We also learn from other people's experiences. So somehow, i hope that people get to learn or realize something after reading my entries. Nawa'y mga practical lessons in life naman at hindi kabalastugan . Hehe. China-challenge ko naman ngayon ang sarili ko na magsulat ng bagay na hindi patungkol sa akin. Meron na akong topic at excited na akong isulat 'yun.

Komedyante ako. Hmmm, mali yata dahil sabi ng mga close friends corny ako. So ang mas-appropriate term, clown ako. Masaya kasi ako pag masaya rin ang mga kasama ko. Kaya nga lahat na ng gimik ginagawa ko para lang mapatawa sila. Isa rin siguro ito sa mga dahilan kung bakit ako nagsusulat, to amuse and entertain people.

Bakit Enrico Paclibares?
Enrico ang tawag sa akin ng mga kaibigan ko at ito rin ang tawag ni kuya pag inaasar niya ako. Enrico Paclibares naman ang tawag sa kin ng tito ko pag inaasar niya ako. Minsan Pinggoy, pero mas paborito niya yung Enrico Paclibares. Hindi ko alam kung may ibig sabihin 'yung Paclibares, baka nakakatawa lang pakinggan.

Bakit tungkol sa Japan ang unang entry ko?
Inisip kong ang pinaka-unang entry dapat ay pagpapakilala kung sino ako. Pero hindi naman yata enjoy kung mala-slambook 'yun. So naisip kong isulat ang isang bagay na malaki rin ang naging impact sa buhay ko. Bilang Japanese-owned company ang unang pinagtrabahuhan ko, Japan ang unang foreign country na napuntahan ko at mahilig ako sa manga, anime at japanese food. Kahit papano, na-introduce ko rin ang pangalan ko in Japanese.

Bakit ako nagka-countdown?
Kahapon, naka-pers month na ang blog ko. Yey! Eto ang dahilan ng aking countdown. Sayang nga lang hindi nakisama si Meralco. Nag-brown-out kagabi kaya hindi ko na-post ang bagong entry na 'to. Salamat po sa mga patuloy na bumibisita at nagbabasa. At Caryn, salamat sa magandang regalo na galing sa pa-contest mo. Hehe.

Bilang pers month ng blog ko, here are some of the memorable pers in my life:

Noah's Ark: Pers Day of Orientation sa College
530am nakasakay na ako sa jeep papuntang Baclaran. Madilim at malakas ang ulan. Wala akong dalang payong at suot ko lang ang aking japeyks na windbreaker. Hindi ko alintana ang lamig mula sa nababasa kong jacket. Excited ako coz it's my pers day in college kaya. Ano kaya ang magiging pers impression nila sa akin?

Unti-unti nang tumataas ang baha sa bawat pag-usad ng jeep. Buti na lang may LRT kaya 6am nasa La Salle na ako. Dahil I was making panggap na hindi sabik, nag-stay muna ako sa labas ng McDo. Nung unti-unti nang tumataas ang baha sa Taft pumunta na ako sa South Gate ng school. Tuloy pa kaya 'yung orientation? Nagtanong ako sa guardian (sekyu) at tinuro niya sa akin ang nakapaskil na papel. Hindi ko na maalala 'yung exact words na nakasulat, but i think it goes a little something like this, "Orientation will be held at the College of St. Benilde Auditorium."

Huwaaaat?!! I've been here since 6am and there's no baha pa kaya kanina, only to find out na we're having our orientation on the other side of Taft. How am i suppose to make tawid? Dyahe kung lulusong ako e di mag-i-squirt ang shoes ko ng tubig baha at kanal 'pag naglakad ako. Eeewish! (ine-exxag lang po ang pagka-konyo ko dito, pero sa totoo, i don't speak like that kaya).

Buti na lang nanjan ang mga pedicabs. Nakatawid ako at natuloy din ang orientation. Puro games lang yata ang ginawa namin dun. Pero ako, wala akong ginawa kundi labanan ang panginginig. Basang-basa ako at malakas ang aircon sa auditorium. Ayoko naman maalala ako nang mga classmates ko bilang epileptic, 'yung lalaking nanginginig nung orientation.

1030am pinauwi na rin kami. Yey! Pero baha pa rin. Itinigil ang operasyon ng LRT at puno lahat ng mga sasakyang dumaraan. No choice kundi maki-angkas sa tow truck. Savior ang tow truck na 'yun. Para kaming sumakay sa arko ni Noah at nailigtas sa malaking baha. Pero ang kaibahan, iisang uri lang ng hayop ang mga nakasakay. Mga basang sisiw.

Dahil liliko na ang tow-truck papuntang Makati, bumaba kami ng Buendia. Hindi umaandar ang mga sasakyan kaya napagdesisyunan naming lumakad na lang pauwi... pauwing Paranaque. Malakas ang hangin at patuloy pa rin ang pag-ulan. Basang-basa na ang damit ko. Ultimo brief basa na rin. Matapos siguro ang mahigit dalawang oras nang paglalakad, umabot rin ako sa kanto ng barangay namin. Iniisip kong makakahiga na rin ako sa wakas, makakapagpahinga, kakain at manonood na lang ng tv.

Lumakad ako nang konti sa paakyat na bahagi ng tulay. Pagdating sa gitna, Huwaaaat?!! Baha rin sa barangay namin at pagdating ko ng bahay, nakita kong pinasok na rin kami nang tubig. Lahat ng gamit nakaangat. Wala na akong oras magpahinga, buong araw na ring nag-aayos ng gamit sa bahay ang mga magulang at kapatid ko kaya kailangan ko ring tumulong.

Pagsapit ng gabi, walang mahigaan. Pers taym kong nakatulog sa rocking chair. Pero sobrang sarap ng tulog ko. Pagdating ng umaga, wala nang malakas na ulan, wala na ang baha, wala na rin akong masusuot na sapatos at pantalon kaya wala na rin akong gana um-attend ng 2nd at 3rd day ng orientation namin. Hindi bale, na-orient naman ako sa ibang paraan.

Moral Lesson of the story: Don't make panggap that you're not sabik. Pag sabik ka, ipakita mo. At syempre, always bring payong and use waterproof jacket para hindi mabasa at manginig sa auditorium. Seriously, natutunan kong may mga araw talga sa buhay na sadyang malas ka. Pero dapat gamitin natin itong pagkakataon para matuto. Kung hindi ko siguro nilakad ang Buendia papuntang Paranaque, hindi ako magkakalakas ng loob na sumali sa Mountaineering Club sa kompanya namin. Malalayong lakaran ang pag-trek sa bundok pero kinakaya ko. Natutunan ko ring alisin kahit papano ang hiya sa katawan. Dahil minsan, nagiging komplikado lamang ang sitwasyon dahil pinairal natin ang hiya o hindi tayo nangahas na magtanong.

Note: Ang pangyayaring ito ay wala kumpara sa sinapit ni Ginoong Abou. Halos lumubog ang mga bahay sa kanila dahil kay Frank. Pero bilib ako sa kanya dahil nakukuha pa rin niyang magpatawa. Nawa'y okay na riyan sa inyo.

Bobong Pinggoy: Pers Taym na Masabihan akong Hindi Nag-iisip
Nagtatrabaho pa ako nun sa Inspire the Next (eto 'yung company na sabi nang iba ay factory ng electric fan o di kaya'y gawaan naman ng computer at hinihingian kami tuloy ng discount).

Nagkaroon ang company ng issue sa isa sa mga raw materials namin. Nagkataon na ako ang nagha-handle sa component na 'yun kaya ako ang naatasang mag-imbistiga at makipag-coordinate sa supplier para malapatan ng corrective action. Matapos kong makipag-meeting nagkasundo kami ng supplier sa isang solusyon. Nagpadala ako ng samples para ipa-analyze sa laboratory. Pina-check ang particle count, yung nae-emit na substance 'pag ni-subject sa mataas na heat (hindi ko na maalala ang tawag, help Lloyd) at isa pang test na hindi ko na talaga maalala. Pasado ang laboratory tests (parang safeguard lang) kaya binigyan ko na ng go signal ang supplier namin na i-implement ang corrective action nila.

Dumating ang delivery ng mahigit 30,000 components na nalunasan na. At bago isalang ang mga piyesa nung gabi, kinausapn ko ng bosing namin, "Nakapagpa-evaluate ka ba nung mga components bago isalang mamaya sa production ang mga 'yun?" "Ahh, eh," habang tumutulo ang pawis sa noo ko, "hindi po."

Parang sakit na nakakahawa ang mga salitang sinabi ko kaya dali-dali akong niyakag ni Bosing papunta sa isang bakanteng conference room. Doon hindi na niya napigilan ang sarili niya at sinigawan ako 10 million times, "Nag-iisip ka ba?!!!" Pulang-pula ang mukha niya. 'Yun ang pers taym kong makakita ng taong sobrang galit. Galit sa akin.

Pers taym kong masabihan nang ganun. Kulang na lang yata sabihin niya na ang tanga-tanga at bobo-bobo ko. May punto siya, pero hindi 'yun ang tamang paraan para pagsabihan ako. Nagpaliwanag ako na nakaligtaan kong magpa-evaluate dahil naging focused ako sa pagpa-pa-analyze sa laboratory. Nanginginig ako habang nagsasalita. Hindi ko alam kung dahil ba sa galit or dahil pinipigilan ko ang sarili ko. Pero ang alam ko, hindi ako nanginginig dahil sa takot.

Bago kami lumabas ng conference room, hindi pa nakuntento ang bosing ko. May parting words pa siya sa akin, "Magdasal-dasal ka na..." Para bang bibitayin na ako maya-maya. Hindi ko alam kung maraming nakakita sa akin nung lumabas ako ng conference room. Nangingig kasi 'yung buong katawan ko. May ganun palang mga tao.

Sumapit ang gabi at matiwasay naman ang naging production. Walang pumutok na issue. Sinunod ko kasi 'yung last words niya. Nagdasal ako. :9

Moral Lesson of the story: Don't miss out the important details in everything you do. Sobrang laki ng impact ng pangyayari na 'yun dahil naging maingat din ako kahit papano sa lahat ng desisyon na gagawin ko. Isa pang mahalagang bagay na natutunan ko, hinding-hindi ko gagawin sa kahit kanino ang ginawa sa akin ng bosing ko. Kahit gaano pa nagkamali ang isang tao, hindi niya deserve na masabihan ng tanga o bobo lalo pa't honest mistake naman 'yun. Pinangako ko sa sarili ko na magiging mabuti akong leader o supervisor pagdating ng panahon.

Samu't saring Pers in ma Layp
Pers Day sa Work
Inspire the Next: Dito ko pers taym naranasang ma-harass ng mga babae (nanghahawak sila ng puwet). Enjoy pala. Haha. Makukulit kasi ang mga mommy na operators sa pers company na pinag-work-an ko.
High Performance. Delivered: Pagpasok ko ng conference room kung saan pinapag-stay ang mga new hires, sabi sa'kin ng dalawang baguhan, "Good morning Sir! Kayo po ba ang mag-o-orient sa amin?" Aba, napagkamalan akong matagal nang nagwo-work dun at orientor daw nila. Huhu. Do i look so old?

Pers Supplier Audit
Sobrang mahiyain ako dati. Hindi ko kayang magsalita sa harap ng maraming tao. Pero dahil sa trabaho, kailangan kong humarap sa iba't ibang tao at hindi lang basta-bastang tao. Kailangan kong kausapin ang Manager o Supervisor ng suppliers namin. Minsan, makakaharap mo rin ang Japanese Directors nila. Nung pers taym kong mag-audit, takot at pangamba ang dalawang salitang swak sa naramdaman ko. Nanginginig pa 'yung boses ko nung nagre-report ako. Nakakahiya. Pero na-build ko rin ang compidens over time. Ngayon, makapal na yata mukha ko. Hehe.

Pers Business Trip
Destination: Japan. Malungkot at exciting. Malungkot dahil buong araw akong a-attend ng meeting na puro in japanese ang usapan. Tapos pag-uwi ko sa dorm, japanese din ang palabas. Ano pa ba i-expect ko dun? Nasa Japan nga ako di ba. Hehe. Pers taym ko mapanisan nang laway at pakiramdam ko bingi ako kasi kahit nakakarinig ka ng mga salita, hindi mo naman naiintindihan. At dahil sa liblib na dorm lang ako nag-stay, walang malapit na convenience store o tindahan. Pers taym kong maranasan na manginig sa gutom at sky flakes & noodles lang ang pwede kong kainin. Pero exciting din naman. Pers taym ko lumabas nang bansa, pers taym ko sumakay ng eroplano at pers taym kong makakain ng authenic japanese cuisine. Dahil 'pag nasa meeting naman kami ng supplier, libre ang lunch at sa mga mahal na restaurant.

Pers Kiss
Uy, interesado malaman. Secret na 'yun. Hehe.

Note: Maraming beses yata na naranasan kong manginig sa mga memorable pers ko. Dapat yata 'Nginig' ang title ng entry na 'to.

Grabe, nobela yata ang entry na 'to. Pero kung tinapos mo basahin ang lahat ng nakasulat dito, maraming-maraming salamat sa'yo. Ilang gabi ko rin kasi sinulat 'to.

One More Chance

2008-07-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

2 Days to go...

May 24, 1987 (3wks before I turn 7)
I woke up in a room and i was lying on a black cushion leather bed. I was not wearing any shirt pero hindi ako giniginaw. The first thing na nakita ko ay parang mahabang lababo na may maraming gripo. Someone was washing my blood stained yellow sando, 'yung uso dati na maraming butas. A nurse approached me at ang una kong tinanong sa kanya, "nasaan po 'yung tsinelas ko?"

Si Kamatayan
4pm pumuslit ako ng bahay. Mahilig ako tumakas tapos bibili lang ng mga isaw, bituka, hotdog at dahil singkwenta sentimo lang 'yung pera ko, inihaw na dugo lang na-afford ko. Habang kumakain, i saw a man wearing white polo shirt. Parang si papa yun, sa isip-isip ko.
Tinapon ko yung inihaw na dugo dahil hindi naman ako talaga mahilig dun. Nung susundan ko na si Papa, bigla siya nwala. Ang bilis naman niya maglakad. Malamang pumunta sya sa kabarkada niya, dun sa palaisdaan makatawid lang ng hi-way.

Exact location kung saan dati nakatayo 'yung stall ng ihawan. Dito ako bumili ng inihaw na dugo a.k.a Betamax

Exact location kung saan ko nakita 'yung lalaking naka-white na polo shirt

Mother and Child
Nung umabot na ko sa kanto, I think 20 mins akong nagmuni-muni kung tatawid ba ako o hindi. While contemplating on making tawid, napansin kong may nanay na akay 'yung anak nya na tawid nang tawid. 4 times yata sila pabalik-balik. Makikisabay kya ako? 'Wag na lang. At dahil mahiyain ako, 'di ko na sinubukang kausapin sila at sumabay sa pagtawid.

Eto 'yung view nung nakatayo ako habang nagmumuni-muni sa pagtawad. Dito ko rin nakita yung nanay at bata na tawid nang tawid. Dun naman sa area na malapit sa island ako nasagasaan.

The Prayer
Kung paano ako nakatawid, hindi ko na alam, pero umabot naman ako sa palaisdaan. Pinagtanong ko kung nandoon ba si Papa, wala raw. Hindi pa raw siya nagagawi dun. Bigo ako sa aking mini-adventure. Wala pala yung hinahanap ko so i decided to go home.
Dahil nakatawid na ako nung una, mas malakas na ang loob ko. Umabot naman ako pabalik dun sa island, pero nung nandun na ako, hindi ko na alam kung ano nangyari. Hinimatay ba ako? Hindi ko na maalala. Ang naalala ko na lang ay may boses ng lalaki, "Our Father in heaven, holy be your name...," nagdarasal. Nakapikit lang ako. Hindi ko na idinilat 'yung mga mata ko. Hindi ko na rin nakita kung kanino nanggaling ang boses na 'yon.

Tsinelas na may Blue Strap
"Mama, mama nasan na 'yung tsinelas ko?" tanong ni Aina. "Nanjan lang 'yun, hanapin mo." Dahil 6pm na, inutusan na ni Mama si Arnold, 'yung boy namin, na hanapin ako. Hindi naman nahirapan si Arnold dahil may nakausap din siya agad na nagsabing may nasagaang bata dun sa hi-way. Naiwan pa nga raw nung bata yung tsinelas na may blue strap. Nung makabalik si Arnold sa bahay namin, sinabi naman niya agad ang nasagap niyang impormasyon, "Ate, wag po kayong mabibigla, may nasagasaan daw pong bata sa hi-way..."

Ang very important blue strapped tsinelas

Buong Barangay
Dumerecho agad sila Mama sa Community Hospital tangay ang halos lahat ng mga kamag-anak sa eskinita namin. Handang rumesbak siguro sa mga taong sumagasa sa 'kin. Ayaw magpakita nang mag-asawang nakabundol sa akin, dala na rin nang takot sa pangyayari. Dahil hindi naman palaaway sila Mama, pinilit pa rin niyang makaharap 'yung mag-asawa. Gusto lang daw nila malaman kung ano ba talga ang nangyari.
Nagalit si Papa. Hindi sa mag-asawa kundi sa mga taga Community Hospital. Nakahiga kasi ako nang walang damit at dahil buto't balat lang ako nun, kalunos-lunos siguro akong tanawin.
Hindi ko naman maalala na gininaw ako nun. Hindi ko nga maalala na masakit ang katawan ko gawa na rin siguro ng anesthesia (muntik ko nang sabihing amnesia, well, pwede rin). Sa katunayan, nasagot ko pa lahat ng tanong ng nurse, kung anong pangalan ko, sinong mga magulang ko at san ako nakatira. Feeling ko nga nasa that's my boy ako sa Eat Bulaga habang tinatanong nila ako.

Mama's Boy
Para masiguro na ligtas ako, nilipat ako nila Mama sa Makati Med. Mahigit isang linggo din akong namalagi dun. Habang nagpapagaling, si Mama ang laging nasa tabi ko. Marahil ito ang dahilan kung bakit ganun na lang ako ka-close sa kanya.
Nagsimula ang klase sa grade 1 nung June at nakapasok din ako. Dumating din ang birthday ko at bumisita ang mag-asawang nakabangga sa kin dala ang cake at ice cream bilang regalo.
Pansamantala ring naging hobby ko ang panggigilid 'pag naglalakad dala ng takot na baka masagasaan muli. Pero nawala din yun at unti unti rin akong naging bihasa sa pagtawid. Ang hindi lang siguro nawala sa akin ay ang alaala ng araw na 'yun.

Temporary Amnesia
Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin alam kung totoo ba 'yung nakita kong lalaki na pinagkamalan kong si Papa o 'yung mag-inang tawid nang tawid. Marahil ang lalaki ay si Kamatayan at ang mag-ina ay si Mama Mary at Baby Jesus na gusto akong iligtas.
Hindi ko rin maalala kung paano ako nasagasaan. I don't even recall the color of the car. Wala akong moment na kagaya sa mga pelikula na parang naka-close-up 'yung sasakyan papalapit at 'yung bida ay magtatakip bago masagasaan. Wala rin akong flashback ng 6 years of my life. Di ba ganun daw ang nangyayari 'pag mamamatay ka na?
Sa mga masugid na tagasubaybay ng Amazing Race Asia 2, naaalala niyo siguro 'yung nangyari kay Vanessa Chong nung tumalon siya sa 9meters yata 'yun na diving pool. Paglabas nila, tinanong niya si Pamela, "What did I just do?" Hindi niya maalala kung anong ginawa niya.
Ganun din siguro 'yung nangyari sa'kin. Nagkaroon ako ng temporary amnesia. Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos dahil ginawa niya 'yun. I never had a single nightmare about that incident and I don't even have any idea of how painful it was. Pinili Niyang burahin 'yun sa alaala ko.

Thank you Lord!
Tuwing binabalikan ko ang pangyayaring 'yun, lubos akong nagpapasalamat sa Diyos. For giving me a second chance to live. For giving me another chance to experience the love of my family, meet my long time friends and live to share His great blessing.

Sa tingin ko, ang pangyayaring 'yun ang dahilan kung bakit masayahin at kuntento akong tao (siguro minsan may inggit pero hindi sobra). Umabot na kasi ako sa punto na mawawala na ako sa mundo. At kahit siguro ganun pa ako kabata, subconsciously, i knew that life is short. It's too short to dwell too much on my problems. It's too short to complain na wala akong ganitong laruan, hindi kami lagi nagsha-shopping, hindi malaki ang bahay namin at kung anu-ano pa. It has also taught me to appreciate the simple things in life. 'Pag nagigising ka sa umaga, ibig sabihin mahal ka pa rin ni Lord.

'Pag naalala ni Mama 'yung nangyari sa'kin, lagi niyang sinasabi na kaya maraming mabuting bagay na dumadating sa akin ay dahil pinagdadasal pa rin ako hanggang ngayon ng mag-asawang nakasagasa sa akin. Naisip ko tuloy, hindi lang siguro ako ang pinagdadasal ng ibang tao. May nagdadasal para sa ating lahat.

Sa tuwing titingin ako sa salamin, I can't help but thank and praise God (hindi lang dahil sa gwapo ako, walang kokontra blog ko 'to, hehe). Dahil nakikita ko ang tahi sa noo at baba ko. Pinapaalala nito sa akin kung gaano kahalaga ang buhay at higit sa lahat, it is a constant reminder na may mga taong lubos na nagmamahal sa akin.

Are you scarred? Ang mga tahi na nagpapasaya sa akin.

Note: Natatawa ako 'pag naaalala ko 'yung unang sinabi ko sa ospital. Tsinelas kasi ni Aina 'yung ginamit ko. Imbis na itanong ko kung nasaan ako o anong nangyari sa akin, 'yung tsinelas niya pa ang hinanap ko.

Trivia lang nung 6 years old ako (wala 'tong relate sa topic pero cute lang, hehe):
'Pag napagku-kuwentohan kasi sa bahay ang tungkol sa aksidento ko, hindi maiiwasang mabanggit 'yung paghahatid ko kay Aina.
Nung nag-aaral pa si Aina sa St. Bernadette nung nursery siya, ako ang naghahatid sa kanya. Siguro ang layo nung school niya sa bahay namin ay 'yung layo ng Ayala MRT station sa G4. Nakakaaliw lang isipin na ang isang 6 years old na bata ang naghahatid sa 5 years old niyang kapatid sa school. Ako rin nga pala ang tagabili ng favorite niyang baon na strawberry zesto at cupcake.

6.7.8 Showbiz Date

2008-07-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

8 DAYS TO GO...

06.08.08 was the day na naging official kami ni Chyng. Inspired by the anniversary date (05.05.05) of a college friend, i was trying to convince Chyng na gawin na lang 06.07.08 ang sa'min. Madali kasing tandaan. Dahil ayaw niya pumayag, sabi ko showbiz anniversary date na lang namin 'yun.

Sa tingin niyo okay ba yung 6-7-8? Or we should stick with 6-8-8 kasi dalawa 'yung 8 at lucky number daw ang 8.

08.28.08
is my 2nd year anniversary at work. This also means na wala na akong bond. Should I decide to leave, wala na akong babayaran sa kompanya. Kaya ko bang umalis? Parang mahirap yata. Pagdating sa mga ka-officemate, maswerte talga ako dahil napupunta ako sa grupo ng mga taong hindi mahirap pakisamahan. Makukulit pero matured pa rin mag-isip. Sobrang mahal ko ang team ko at nag-e-enjoy ako sa trabaho ko. Mukha lang akong stressed, haggard at laging inaantok sa work but believe me, I love my work.

Sabi ko rin kasi sa sarili ko, hangga't meron pa akong matututunan sa trabaho, hindi ako aalis. And at my current level, i still have a lot to learn.Marami pa akong bundok na gustong akyatin (member ako ng outdoor club), hindi pa binubuo ang dance club (kaya hip-hop dancing sessions muna every thursday) at hindi pa ako nanalo ng iMac sa Christmas party. Enough reasons din siguro to stay. Hehe.

Let's see what happens in the next few months...

8 years old
Entrance exam for grade one students ng st. andrew's at part ng exam na i-identify kung ano 'yung naka-drawing tapos may clue naman na first letter. Sampol, letter G tapos maraming bilog-bilog na kumpol-kumpol, syempre ang sagot grapes. Yehey, tama ako dun. Pero dun sa letter L, sumakit ang ulo ko. Pinagpipilitan kong bayawak 'yung naka-drawing pero dapat letter L daw. Ano kaya 'yun? Malay ko bang lizard pala ang sagot. E bayawak, butiki at tuko lang ang nakikita namin sa bulacan nung bata pa ako. Feeling ko isa 'yun sa dahilan kung bakit naging 1-C ako.

Mukha naman kasi talgang bayawak e. Hindi ko na maalala kung sinagutan ko 'yung para sa letter L o nag-reklamo ako.

Come grade 2, i was transferred to section B. Iyun na yata ang pinakamasaya kong grade level dahil feeling ko, i am the most intelligent kid in the whole universe. Pano ba naman, lagi akong 1st honor sa bawat grading period. At 'yung papel na sinusulatan ng teacher 'pag may absent, late, noisy at standing, sa akin 'yun binibigay. Ako ang tagatantos kung sino ang maingay at nakatayo. Special treatment baga. Dahil mataas ang grades ko nung grade 2, napunta ako sa star section nung grade 3. Section A! San ka pa?! Hanggang 4th year dun na ako. Kaya lang common people na lang. Hehe.

Hindi ko rin makakalimutan nung walong taong gulang ako dahil eto 'yung panahon na naririnig ko na 'yung mga classmates ko na nagkukuwento ng green jokes. At first time ko narinig 'yung word na count-to-ten (sex in english).

Habang nanonood kami ng Vilma sa bahay, nakita ko si Vilma na nakahiga sa mga lalaking dancer na gumugulong. Alam niyo yung parang conveyor belt 'yung mga lalaki, so si Vilma gumagalaw pahalang. Tapos sabi ko bigla, "ay nagka-count-to-ten sila." Ang saya-saya ko pa nun. Dahil 'yung bagong vocabulary na natutunan ko, na use-in-a-sentence ko agad. Di ba bright kid talga.

Ayun, walang ka-abog-abog, nakita ko na lang yung kamay ni mama lumilipad papalapit sa mukha ko. Wapak! 1st time ko masampal. Naalog ang utak ko nun. And because of that incident, i learned that sex and cuss words are something that should never be spoken of in our house, especially in front of my parents. Thankful naman ako dun dahil hindi ko naging hobby na magmura or magsabi ng mga bastos na salita.

800,000 feysuses
11.15.2004 Kakabalik ko lang from our 2-week training in Japan, tumawag 'yung sister ko. Busy ako nun sa office kaya medyo masungit ako. Pero tumigil ang buong mundo nung tinanong niya ko, "Kuya, nanalo ka ba ng 1million?" Syempre ang nasabi ko lang, "ha?!" habang kumakabog ang dibdib ko. Ang aga-aga nangti-trip 'yung kapatid ko.

Dahil gulat na gulat ako, nagsalita na lang uli 'yung kapatid ko, "Nakita ko kasi sa Features section ng Inquirer 'yung Smart na Ad, nandun 'yung pangalan mo sa listahan ng mga nanalo. November 10, 2004 - Enrico Paclibares (Paranaque City). Kala ko nga tinatago mo sa'min kasi nakahiwalay 'yung section at nandito sa kwarto niyo. Sumali ka ba sa promo ng Smart?"

Naalala ko, a few days bago kami pumunta sa Japan, na-redirect 'yung Smart line ko. Dahil wala pa ako pambayad, hiniram ko 'yung isang sim ni Papa at 'yun muna ginamit ko. Nung nagpa-load ako sa office, nakatanggap ako ng text message from Smart to register sa promo nila. So kada-load may electronic raffle ticket ka. Dahil inisip kong wala naman mawawala sa akin at mukhang matagal ko pang mababayaran 'yung bill sa line ko, nag-register na ako. At sa pinagka-swerte-swerte ko pa, ayun nga nanalo ako. Tumataginting na 1 MILLION feysus.

Nung makuha ko 'yung cheque from Smart, whew, ang saya-saya ko nun. Kaya lang malaki ang tax, 20%. So 800,000 lang talga ang napanalunan ko. Bumili lang ako ng Nokia 6230i na nanakaw rin sa office namin after 2 weeks, the rest nung pera, binigay ko na sa parents ko. Napaayos naman namin'yung bahay namin at ginamit ni Papa 'yung ibang pera para sa forwarding business niya. Not bad. Once in a lifetime na manalo ka ng 1 million at wala pang ka-effort-effort.

Paumanhin at kailangan kong maglagay ng ganitong picture sa entry na 'to. Medyo mahirap kasing paniwalaan at kailangan ng ebidensya.

Minsan naiisip ko na baka maswerte nga ako. Ilang beses na rin ako nanalo sa raffle e. Pero hindi rin, ilang beses na rin ako nawalan ng cellphone at sa iba-iba pang paraan: ninakaw sa office, dinukot sa bulsa habang bumababa ng bus, nahulog sa fx/taxi at kusang loob na binigay sa holdaper ng bus.

Marahil tayo rin ang gumagawa ng swerte natin. It also depends on how we view the things or events that happen in our lives. Kahit naman hindi ako manalo sa raffle sa tingin ko maswerte pa rin ako. Sa pamilya, gf, mga kaibigan at trabaho. Panalong panalo na ko. :9

Cloud Nine

2008-07-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

9 DAYS TO GO...

Last week, tinanong ako ng officemate ko kung ano mai-suggest ko na birthday gift ng kaibigan niya sa bf nito. Marami ako na-suggest. Sabi ko i-dinner date niya, bigyan niya ng cake or kahit anong gadget. Sakin kasi , 'yun nga lang bigla kang puntahan sa office tapos dalhan ka ng dinner at cake from Banapple, solve na solve na ako sa surprise na 'yun. Bilang pagkain talga ang isa sa mga nagpapasaya sa akin. Haha.

Well, nagawa na daw ng kaibigan niya lahat ng sinabi ko kaya namro-'roblema pa rin sila after nun. Ang malupit, nag-comment pa 'yung officemate ko na, "bakit nga ba tayo nagtatanong kay enrico? e ang babaw-babaw ng kaligayahan nito." Napaisip tuloy ako. Bakit kaya nila nasabi 'yun?

Eksyoozmee, i'm not mababaw kaya. Here are just some of the stuff that makes enrico happy.

Pazhalubong Masaya ang buong section or team 'pag may business trip ang isang ka-officemate. Kasi pagbalik siguradong may dala sila para sa'yo.
Here are some of the pasalubongs I still keep:
Keychain from Singapore c/o Paking, Ma'am Rence & Joy (Mr. Empire's officemate)
Magnet from Malaysia c/o Sir Alvin
Condom from a restaurant in Singapore c/o Lloyd
Chopsticks from China c/o Ma'am Lee
Keychain uli from Australia c/o Roi
Coaster & pencil from Hawaii c/o Marlon
At sangkatutak na chocolates, cookies and delicacies from all over the globe

Freebies I love anything that's free. Sino bang hindi? Kahit nga free taste sa grocery, enjoy pa rin. I also love Freedays (biyernes) dahil may date ako nun.
Favorite freebies na na-arbor at binigay sa'kin:
Foldable fan from UCPB & SEAIR c/o Mutya & Leslie
At ang much-awaited Ad Congress freebies from Mr. Empire

Chocolates I have sweet teeth kasi. Teeth dahil ganun ako kahilig sa tsokolate, hindi lang halata. From Cadbury, Hershey's, Toblerone to Goya, Cloud Nine, Flat Tops at Nips, happy happy pa rin ako. Di bale nang mangilo o magka-sore throat basta ma-satisfy lang ang craving ko.

Para na rin akong nasa cloud nine 'pag kumain nito. Especially kung 50 pesos na lang ang natitirang pera mo at malayo pa ang sweldo.

Youtube Viewing pag Lunch Hindi lang ako ang excited sa event na 'to. Lahat ng ka-team ko inaabangan lagi kung anong bagong video kay Rizal (my iPhone). Favorite namin si Yaya at Angelina (Ang Spoiled segment ng Bubble Gang). Kaya 'pag downtime kami sa office at nag-iingay na kami, maririnig mong lines ang, "Yaya you're such a loser" or 'yung "Don't make me angry, you don't like me when i'm angry."

Dance Maniax & Dance Revo Hindi pwedeng pupunta ako sa mall na hindi dadaan ng TimeZone. Para saan pa ang pagligtas ko sa TimeZone card ko nung ma-hold-up ako sa bus kung hindi ko rin mapapakinabangan 'to. You should see us na mag-Wild sa Dance Maniax or Difficult mode sa Dance Revo.

Dance Maniax in Trinoma

Popcorn & Gatorade Date Pag gipit na gipit na kami at matagal pa ang sweldo, pwede nang pang satur-date namin 'to. 'Yung tipong punta lang sa Rob Place Ermita, tapos mag-dance maniax or dance revo, then kakain na ng barbecue popcorn at iinom ng gatorade grapes. Mas eenjoy namin 'yun. Then simba sa Malate Church, pagkatapos inuman na sa Blue Room. Nagtipid talga sa date para lang makipag-inuman. Hehe.

Last but definitely not the least,

Blog comments I don't think i write really well and i don't think i organize my thoughts that well either. But when i get to read comments from my dearly beloved friends and new bloggie friends, abot-tenga na ang ngiti ko nun. It feels good 'pag may napangiti, napatawa or nag-enjoy na basahin ang entry mo. Salamat sa patuloy na pagdalaw: aina, lloyd, chyng, carlo, wanderer, ely, aryo at lance.

Sige na nga, I concede. Mababaw lang talga ang kaligayahan ko. But i would be as happy pa rin kung bibigyan ako ng Sony Vaio laptop, free trip to Paris or brand new car.

Note: Ngayon pala 'yung birthday ng bf ng kaibigan ng officemate ko. At ang napili niyang gift... cake! Kitams, nakinig din pala sa input ko. Hehe. :9

10 Things She Hate "daw" About Me

2008-07-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

10 DAYS TO GO. I'm doing a countdown for something special. Hmm, not really that special pero it's worth to celebrate. Hehe. No clues muna for now.

While thinking of a topic for my '10 days to go' entry, I asked Chyng about the 10 things she hate about me. Inspired by julia stiles' movie (10 Things I Hate About You). Here are her answers. 'Yung iba sa akin na galing kasi alam kong kinakainisan niya 'yun.

10 Things She Hate "daw" About Me

wan Pag-inom ng softdrinks 'pag hindi kme magkasama
Lagi niya sinasabi na umiinom pa rin ako. Drinking softdrinks is a crime for her. Kulang na lang sabihan kang "Alcoholic!" Medyo mahirap siya i-convince kasi lagi niya ko nahuhuli na nagisisnungaling. But seriously, for 2008, 500mL pa lang ang softdrinks intake ng katawan ko. If you don't want to believe me, magpa-softdrinks test pa tayo (parang DNA testing lang, hehe).

Sino kaya sa amin ang mahilig uminom ng softdrinks? Pictures don't lie.

Wag daw mag-softdrinks, pero mauubos na niya 'yung fish bowl cola. Poor enrico, forced to drink cola.

tu Hearing the lines, "Nasasakal na ako"
Nung Satur-date namin, favorite kong sabihin 'yung linyang nasasakal na ako. Eto 'yung sample:
chyng: San tayo kakain?
enrico: Jabee, jabee! (with maharot dance moves)
chyng: Ang harot mo naman e. Kaya ako inuubo. Sa iba naman, nangangati na ako sa jollibee
enrico: You asked me, so i answered. Sige pili ka na lang kung san mo gusto.
chyng: Gusto mo dito? E dito? Show some interest or excitement naman
enrico: Pag makulit ako, ayaw mo. Pag tahimik naman ako, ayaw mo pa rin. I can't do this anymore, nasasakal na ako
chyng (sa isip lang niya): Hindi lang nakapag-jollibee nasasakal na.

Funny thing bukod sa jollibee craving at tantrums ko, nung nagsukat ako ng mood ring, purple, este dark blue pala ang naging color (chyng: meron ka bang nakikitang purple jan, babasahin na lang e; enrico: grabe ka naman, nasasakal na talaga ako). Na ang ibig sabihin, dark blue = very happy. Nasasakal pero very happy. Oh well, hindi talaga ako magaling magsinungaling. Pero magaling naman ang acting ko.

Btw, nakapag-jollibee pa rin kami that day. I got a tuna pie. Yey!

Note: Ang hirit na 'yun ay pawang LMLS (last movie line syndrome) lang. Hang-over sa isang movie lunch na gustong-gusto panoorin ng mga ka-team kong gels.

tri Eating too much kahit busog na ako
Father's day, a week after Kuya's birthday and 2 days before my birthday, my dad decided that we have dinner sa seaside together with my tito, tita, cousin, kuya's girlfriend and Chyng. As usual, konti lang ang nakain ni Chyng. She's lucky dahil hindi niya katabi si Mama. Hobby kasi ni Mama na maglagay ng pagkain sa plato ng mga bisita. After ko kumain ng 2 3 servings of rice and assorted ulam, Chyng was looking at me. 'Yung parang sinasabi niyang andami ko nang nakain. So I said, "Tapos na ko. Inubos ko lang yung brocolli dahil walang may gusto at uubusin ko na lang 'yung onion rings." Sabi niya, "Dude, hindi 'yan onion rings. Calamares 'yan. Grabe, naubos mo 'yung isang bandehado."

Growing boy kasi. Intindihin niyo na lang ako. Eating is one of those simple pleasures that I enjoy.

por Kamay na parang na-stroke
Mahilig ako manita pag pasaway na si Chyng. Kaya naman pag meron siya ginawa or sinabi na dapat nang sitahin, parang maii-stroke ang kamay ko habang holding hands kami. Sino ba naman gusto humawak sa matigas na kamay? Wala raw siyang maramdaman pag ganun. It's better naman that way kesa magsalita ako na ma0-obvious pa ng iba. Believe me, effective yun.

Holding stroke hands while showcasing fossil watch

Note: No offense meant to people who had stroke or people who have relatives na na-stroke. 'Yun lang kasi ang naisip kong madaling description sa pangungulit ko.

payb 10 million calls from work via the support phone
Chyng is not the selosa type. Lagi niyang sinasabing pinipili lang ang pagseselosan. So kahit halos babae ang nasa team ko ngayon, ang dating ka-dance dance ko sa Mega pag-lunch ay babae at ang pinaka-close ko sa office ay babae pa rin, hindi pa rin siya nagseselos (e pano, puro boys naman ang ka-team niya). Wag ka lang niya mahuhuling nagna-number seben (yung #7 ng entry na to). Naku, 10 minutes na away yan.

But if there's one thing na pinagseselosan niya nang todo, it's work. Lalo na pag Satur-date namin and nagkita kami hapon na kasi I had to work on a weekend. Tapos while having coffee, tatawagan pa rin ako. Ayaw niya 'yun. Kasi 'yun na nga lang 'yung time naming dalawa. Kaya nga nung na-hold-up ako sa bus at binigay ko si Cali (nokia phone ko), sabi niya, "bakit hindi na lang si support phone ang binigay mo?"

Just another ~~day~~ satur-date at outside the office.

siks Paglalambing or pang-iinis
I have this habit of pang-iinis just for the sake of having an argument. Pero minsan it's plain pangungulit lang talga.

She doesn't like it pag di na niya alam kung naglalambing ba ako o nang-iinis na talga. My answer, it's the same. Pag nang-iinis ako, nilalambing kita nun. Natutuwa kasi ako 'pag kunwari nag-aaway tayo. (don't worry, hindi na ako mapipikon pag inasa mo naman ako). Sabi mo nga, parang ito lang yung ginagawa sa atin ng mga mama natin. Naglalambing sila pero naiinis tayo minsan.

Parang ganitong paglalambing/pangungulit ng nanay

seben Making beso with other girls
BESO ha, hindi BOSO! What can i do? It's my way of socializing with my female friends (hindi naman sa lahat). Okay, okay, hindi ko na lang ipapakita. Pero i just have one request, pag sikat na akong modelo o artista, you might see me na nakikipagbeso sa ibang babae, wag ka sana magtatampo. Part lang yun ng work. Naku, pano pa kaya pag nag-gums-to-gums kami ni anne curtis.

eyt Making lasing on weeknights
Di neman ako nalalashing e. And i'm not conio when i'm drunk. Alam mo kung gaano mang-pressure sila mr. empire at antonio. Everything has a purpose. Kaya ako nagpakita sa kanila last Thursday kasi I know that I may not see them sa weekend. At hindi nga. Mr. empire, sorry na ha. Good luck later sa Arneyo game.

I'm not yet drunk. Medyo dizzy lang. Drinking session at Coco Cabana last Thursday.

nayn Being late
Guilty as charged ako dito. I'm very very sorry for the nth time na na-late ako sa date natin. Bumabawi na naman ako ngayon di ba. Hehe.

Worst late moment ko 'yung nagpunta siya sa office tapos she waited for more than an hour. Tapos hindi niya ako maaway kasi sandali lang kami makakapag-date. Kumbaga, sandali na nga lang kayo magkikita, mag-aaway pa kayo. At alam din naman niya na kung wala na akong work, gustong-gusto ko na rin magkita kami. Buti na lang kakampi ko si time and reason. Joke! Sorry po nang marami sa mga instances na 'yun.

ten Hearing the word 'Singapore'
We've been planning, okay, I've been considering of working abroad. To save money, buy a house and eventually get married. Hehe. And because hindi okay si Chyng sa setup na magkakalayo kami nang matagal, she doesn't like the the idea of me working abroad. Na-stress daw siya sa topic na 'yun. Hmmm, matagal na naman akong hindi nangungulit di ba? But we'll have to talk about it in the near future. Very soon... :9

Technically, it's 9 DAYS TO GO. Kahapon kasi yung 10 days. Di bale, I'll be writing another entry uli later.

Check niyo rin entry ni Chyng: 10 Things He Hate "daw" About Me

Huwag Magtiwala sa Elyen

2008-07-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Madalas magbiro ang tadhana. At pag siya ang nagjo-joke, hindi nakakatawa kung tayo ang topic. Pero minsan wala na tayo magagawa. At kung hindi naman life threatening ang situation at embarassment lang ang katapat, mas okay na makitawa na rin tayo.

Apologies to the feminists, medyo may pagka-chauvist kasi ang joke. I just find this funny but rest assured I don't do this in real life. This came from a forwarded email na nakita ko lang uli while browsing my archived mails.

What would you do if you fell off a cliff ?

Then all of a sudden, an elyen appears. Katakot, mahuhulog ka na nga may mga strange beings pa. At mukhang babarilin ka pa.Wow, tutulungan ka naman pala e. May i drill holes sa side ng cliff ang elyen para pwede mong maipahinga ang paa mo.
And so you thought...
Hala, manyakis pala

Eto, ibang version naman. Medyo malaki ang impact sa akin nito kasi I know someone who experienced this first hand. Leave kayo comment and i'll send you a link to his blog. May kwento siya about dun. Di ba bespren?

Bespren, relate ka ba?

Hmmm, ikaw na nga yung nasa miserableng sitwasyon, ginawa ka pang katatawanan. But this is a reality of life. We are not conscious about it, but we make fun of the misfortunes of other people. Guilty ako dyan. Maybe it's part of our culture na rin. We tend to lighten up the mood especially during difficult or sad situations. We just need to know where to draw the line. Baka sumosobra na rin tayo minsan and we are hurting other people's feeling na pala.

I don't know how someone I know managed to survive, but he's been through a lot of embarassing situations in life. Gusto niyo ng sampol? Eto:
o Mauu sa shorts nung Grade 2
o Magslide for life sa maputik na hagdanan nung high school
o Lumubo ang jipon habang volunteer sakristan nung high school pa rin
o Umabot sa tindahan na wakwak ang buong likuran ng shorts, hello world ang boo-tey kahit naka undies pa
o Mahulog sa kanal in front of McDo (beside La Salle)
o Mahulog sa hukay na may tubig baha malapit sa isang waiting shed na puno ng tao at sa mga jeep na hindi makausad sa traffic na puno pa ng pasahero
o Makipag-usap sa isang babae for 15 minutes na bukas ang zipper (yung face niya ka-level ng unzipped pants, so maganda ang view)
o Makatulog at halos sumubsob na ang mukha sa hinaharap ng babaeng katabi niya sa shuttle
o Majutot sa cr na kala niya walang tao pero masama na pala ang tingin ng janitor sa kanya
o Mahatsing and only to realize habang nasa jeep na siya na may green gooey something sa damit niya, ang ayos pa dun wala siyang panyo or tissue
o Mawiwi sa pants dahil sa sobrang kalasingan at di na umabot sa cr, at magwiwi pa uli sa pants habang naglalakad pauwi sa bahay dahil nalamigan at di pa rin umabot sa cr
o At marami pang pangyayari, wag naman sana more to come

Okay, these situations made me stronger. Yes, ako 'yun. Haha. Eeewish! Pero as i look back, natatawa na lang din ako. Hindi ko naman ginusto 'yun e. And how i managed to survive? Kinapalan ko na lang ang mukha ko. You can't die naman instantly kahit gustuhin mo pa at that moment. Takbo ka na lang nang mabilis. Tapos pagdating mo sa bahay, ikwento mo sa mga kapatid at magulang mo. At pagtawanan niyo.

Those embarassing situations have actually taught me an important lesson in life. That everytime I am in an embarassing situation, i should not dwell on it, lose face and lose focus. Mamumula ako siguro nang todo, pero i'll compose myself agad and move on. Kasi I know na pag nalungkot ako in the future, I will have some embarassing and funny moments to look back to. Kumbaga, embarassing situations are investments to future happiness.

Kaya sa susunod na magbiro ang tadhana, sumakay ka na lang. Pero pag may lumitaw na elyen, sipain mo agad. Loko siya, baka pag-trip-an ka rin. :9

Note: Biro lang po 'yung last line. Wag mapipikon ang mga elyen. I promote itergalactic peace! Thank you.

Green and White

2008-07-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

Maraming nangyari this week and come to think of it, may touch of green and white ang bawat event.

Green and White: Ready Scouts

Quarterly our project gathers everyone for a 3 hour meeting to provide updates for the team, project and company, where we are right now and where are we heading to. Sa Accenture, we call it All-Hands-Meeting or Town Hall.

Nakukutawa, kasi the All-Hands-Meeting committee thought of making the activity more exciting. So they came up with the Back-to-School theme dahil June pa rin naman. Btw, kasali pala ako sa committee pero hindi ako ang may pakana okay?!

Syempre, it was expected that a lot of teams would be wearing high-school uniforms, yung boys malamang naka-black slacks and white short sleeves polo. And guess what, tama ang hula ko. Hehe. Kaya ang naisip ng team namin:

dyaran! Boyscouts/girlscouts uniform kami.

Patok sa buong project. Akala nga ng mga hindi namin ka-project may naligaw na boyscouts and girlscouts sa Accenture.
It was fun. And it only shows that our company is not always about work and work can still be fun. Kaya lagi ko sinasabi sa mga friends ko, enjoying your work is a matter of perspective. So if you’re interested, drop a comment and I can send you details on how you can be part of Accenture’s corporate culture.

Grin in White: The Happiest Bride

Pagdating sa weddings, ako na yata ang pinaka-suki sa pag-attend sa lahat. Within the last 2 years, I have attended 7 wedddings (dapat 8, sorry Ma’am Rence L) and I feel very fortunate to be a part of those special events.
Last Saturday, my College friend, publications co-editor and thesis mate, Obi, just got married. Gusto ko yung homily nung pari. Sabi niya, kahit kasal na kayo, mag-date pa rin kayo. Tama naman siya e, dating even though you’re married keeps the romance alive. Hehe, kala mo kinasal na. Sa tingin ko lang tama ‘yun. Kasi nag-eenjoy ako makipag-date.
I have to say this, magaling talaga ‘yung nakuha nilang photographer and videographer. Astig yung video nila. It was nice na nakita ng guests agad. Visit their wedding announcer site for pre-nup pics http://vinceandrhia.weddingannouncer.com. Masaya din ang lovestory ng dalawa na 'yan.

Celebrating Love -- Congrats & Best Wishes to the newlyweds!

Pero ang pinaka-noticeable sa wedding na ‘yon, is the happiest bride of them all. There was no trace of stress from Rhia’s face and nakakatuwa siya tingnan kasi she was really happy and having so much fun. Sabi nga niya, “Dahil ‘yan kay Vince, sya ang nagplano ng lahat.” Naniniwala ako dun, kasi the night before their wedding, nakasalubong ko pa si Obi sa bridge from Landmark going to Greenbelt. Last minute shopping at gagawa pa daw siya ng misalette & give-aways pagbalik sa hotel. All his efforts were paid off naman. Rhia showed her greatest appreciation by being the happiest woman last Saturday.

Congrats and best wishes Obi and Rhia!

Wedding goodies :)

Green and White: Animo La Salle!

Last Sunday was La Salle & Ateneo’s first game for the 71^st UAAP season. It was a tight game but the Blue Eagles ended up winning. Sayang. Hehe. I know a lot of my fellow La Sallians would not be so happy if they found out that I was sitting at Ateneo’s side of Araneta. They may even call me balimbing for cheering for Ateneo. But believe me, it’s hard.
I have watched UAAP basketball games (live) more than I did wayback in college. And it’s all because of my die-hard Atenean friends who look forward to every UAAP season. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching the games and I enjoy cheering for Ateneo. Pag nawawalan na ng loob ang Ateneo crowd, you would still hear me screaming loudly.
Kahapon, I was shouting the Ateneo cheers loudly kasi dun mas nakakashoot at nakakaagaw ng bola ang La Salle. Ironic, pero it was working. Hehe. Pero dati talga, nalilito ako. I know I don’t say this often, but I believe my friends know. Pag La Salle – Ateneo ang game, my heart still cheers for La Salle.

Wearing Blue & White but my heart and mind is still Green & White

After the game, medyo napunta ang topic sa maaangas na La Sallians. A friend of mine said that almost every La Sallian he met was mayabang, except for me and another person. In fairness to all La Sallians (pagbigyan niyo na ako, ngayon ko lang magiging topic to), as far as I can remember, we don’t have an ANGAS101 subject in La Salle. Nagkataon siguro na ‘yung nami-meet nila ay sobrang umabot sa ulo ang pagiging Lasalyano. But before we generalize, sa tingin ko, ‘yung upbringing sa mga tao na ‘yun has a lot to do kung bakit naging ganun silang tipo ng tao. At hindi dahil nag-aral sila sa La Salle.

Rico Maierhoffer's Nike Ad. Wala ako angas pic e. Pero maangas talga si Rico sa court kaya eto na lang. Hehe

I believe that there are many good natured La Sallians na na-meet na ng friend ko. He could have been the person who held the elevator open for him. He could have been the next person in line who called him when he forgot to get his change. She could have been the girl who ran after him to give the mrt card he forgot to pick-up. He could be the guy who stood up to give a seat to an old lady. She could be the girl who gave him directions when he didn’t know where to go. Marami sila. Kaya lang, hindi nila sasabihin sa’yo, “I’m doing this because I am a La Sallian”.

Marami ako natutunan sa La Salle and I have met many great people there. Kaya naman I'M SO PROUD TO BE A LA SALLIAN.

Note: I use La Sallian/Lasalyano kasi ito ang tinuro samin nung college. La Sallite/La Sallista has the impression of being elitista kasi.

Note uli: Defensive mode lang. By saying I am proud to be a La Sallian, I am not saying we are superior from other universities. I also respect the other schools kasi my brother, close friends, work mates and relatives also came other schools. We all love our roots. We are proud to have a loving family. We are proud to be Filipinos. Just as i am proud to be Green and White.

Sunday is Family Day

2008-06-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

This had been the most exciting weekend. Nag house to house visit kame ni Chyng nung Saturday. Dinner sa Soms (sarap ng Thai food dun). Tapos family day naman this Sunday. Kumpleto ang cast: si Paparazzi, Mamamia, Aylin, Aina at syempre si Kuya Jimbo.

Btw, Kuya is working pala in Saudi and amazingly nakapag-family picture kami. Who said we can't have a family picture together? Well, ibahin niyo ang De Leon family. Maabilidad kami. :9

Family pic via YM webcam

Mamamia and Aylin Wachap in shutter shades

Mamamia in fedora hat and sahal doing 'You Rock!'
She rocks talga. Kaya love naming lahat. Hehe.

We miss you Kuya! See you soon. :9

Love me when I deserve it least, that's when i need it most

2008-06-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

While stuck at home because Frank was busy plaguing the different
parts of Pinas, I decided to blog and cleanup my clogged
friendster messages. I came accross Chyng's friendster message
last Feb 14, 2006 and I believe i used this blog's subject as a
shout-out nung time na 'yun. Naisip ko lang, does this line apply
to cheating as well?

Friendster Message from Chyng

As Chyng mentioned on her blog, trust issues has been a hot topic
for the past few weeks. Inspired by the incident of a friend
finding out na pinagsisinungalingan siya and the new songs na
medyo infidelity or cheating ang topic.

Take a Bow by Rihanna
Cheater's Dillema by K5
What's a Man to Do by Usher

What's a Man to Do

That my heart is in two different places
I got you in my life and I wanna do right
But it's hard to let it go
When my love has two different faces
And I can't break ties cause they both look right
Someone tell me what's a man to do
When he's loving twoAnd he don't wanna lie
But he can't tell the truth

What's a man to do
When he's loving two
But he can't keep his heart
In two different places
Not in two different places

When a person cheats, is it the time he/she becomes underserving
of love? Or baka naman iba 'yung tinutukoy dito. Like, when they:
xx become overly possessive
xx make trivial things big issues
xx become physically unattractive
xx lose self-belief and start to become overly dependent
xx become selfish
xx so on and so forth...

I would say, yes, cheating is still applicable to that line
together with all the scenarios above. I know a lot of people
would disagree, but hey, we show our love in different ways.

Love as faith and hope We can stick with the person and try to
build the trust and respect again. Knowing that this person can
still change and the relationship is still worth of giving it
another shot.

Love as letting go We can break up with them so they would
realize their mistake and hopefully not commit the same mistake
to the person they will love in the future.

Love as understanding Analyzing the reasons what drove this
person to cheat or lie. Are we doing our part in the relationsip?
Do we become too unreasonable that's why it's hard for our
partner to tell the truth?

It really depends on the person if they are willing to continue with the relationship or not. And it also depends on the impact of the act. It's okay if we become bitter and hate the person at some point kasi tao lang naman tayo. But let's not only look at the other person, maybe we also need to reassess ourselves. Baka naman we are becoming tolerant or nakikita na natin 'yung early stages of cheating pero wala pa tayo ginagawa kasi natatakot tayong malaman 'yung totoo. Important din ang communication. Yuck, i'm too serious. Hehe.

Here are some POV's from a few close friends:

No names, pics lang.

"there can be many undeserving situations for love pero you should be able to justify when you say "you need it most." I find it hard to understand how a cheater can be needing love the most at the time of the crime. he/she took that love for granted by virtue of cheating. it only means he/she is the one responsible for destroying that love of the other person... ergo, di niya kailangan."

"love the person sa pinaka nde sya loveable ksi it's the true test of love. madaling mahalin ang taong deserving pero ung nde deserve ang love mo, mas ibang pagshoshow ng love un. kasi dun kailangan un accdg to the quote. sabi nga ni anne curtis, "it's not enough that you love me for who i am, but you love me for who im not..."

when a person cheats, it's not only love ang usapan dito pati na rin respect....but my stand...sige mahalin pa din nya..it really counts sa mga ganung situation. basta tignan lang kung meron pa ba syang minamahal..baka naman sobrang nde na sya nirerespect eh go pa din sya. dapat may love and respect talaga..magkapatid un."

"ano ba kasi ung wen i least deserve it, eto understanding ko. for me kasi it is those times wen i am denying love, staying away from love and in my worst times (playing around).

but i believe when people talk about shit love nagpapacute lang sila, becoz dats really d time they want to shout dey are ready to fall in love again but they are just sending out a please message not to hurt me them. "

"its as good as saying na love me for no reason at all. undeserving? i don't know...everybody deserves to be loved. kahit ano pa sya you have to love them...but that doesn't mean you have to be with them"

"love unconditionally. waheheh ... in other words bulag kung magmahal"

from chyng's officemate, la ako pic e
"siguro kung my third party, that's the time I'll show my love than ever before. gagawin ko tlaga lahat para iprove na ngkamali lang cia and im the one who loves her more."

Told you I can 'Right' Japanese

2008-06-22T01:01:00.000-07:00

Kizuna Bond by Orange Range

Ima nani shiteru ka na I wonder what you're doing right now? Kimi mo mite iru ka na I wonder if you're looking at this too? ORENJI iro ni somaru sora wo The sky dyed an orange color Asahi ni kawaru yuuhi wo The setting sun that changes into the morning sun

Namida koboshi atte naita yoru mo The nights when we cried, both of us shedding our tears Kudaranai hanashi de asa made waratta hibi mo The days that we laughed until morning, having pointless conversations Wasure nai ima no boku wo sasaeru takaramono dakara I won't forget either of them, they're treasures that anchor me as I am now Hanarete ite mo kanjiru anata no yasashisa I feel it even when we're apart, your kindness Dakara doko ni itatte mou hitori ja nai So no matter where I go, I'm not alone Donna koto atte mo kujike nai No matter what happens, I'm not crushed

Sora to umi ga kasanatta ano shima no you na The sky and sea met, and like the birds Hanarete mo onaji iro ni yasashiku mazariau Even if we're apart, we're blended gently with the same colors Hora yori sou kizuna Hey, we have a close bond

Hajimimashite! Watashi wa Jeric desu. Dozo yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Hi, I'm Jeric. Nice to meet you.

If there is one place that I would like to go back to, it would definitely be Japan. I've been there 3 times (never been to Tokyo though) and although there had been malungkot moments (except yung kasama ko si Lloyd), I still wish that I can go back. Ewan ko ba, there's such a nostalgic feeling pag nandun ako. Na para bang I belong there. Siguro I have learned to appreciate their culture and nami-miss ko 'yung lugar 'pag may nakikita kang mga bagay or tao na magpapaalala sa'yo.

Maswerte ako for having been sent by Hitachi to Japan on business trips. Although, I only stayed in the Odawara - Nozomi Dormitory, enjoy pa rin. Btw, Odawara is just near Hakone where the previously famous sardines was named after. And isa ang Hakone sa pinagdalhan sa akin ni Mr. Fujio Ishii for sight seeing bago ko umuwi sa Pinas. Tsaka makikita mo sa bintana ng dorm ang very famous Mt. Fujii.

These are just some some of the things that i fondly miss:

Takbuhan moments pagkababa sa shuttle galing Fujisawa dahil malamig at naghahabol bago magsara ang Hard Off. It's a thrift shop in Japan for 2nd hand electronic devices and Class A stuffed toys that have not been sold in department stores. Who would forget 'yung "The Dog" na malaki ang ulo. Nag-agawan pa kami ni Lloyd dun. Bought it for my sister and funny, I had to hand carry it pauwi. Si Manong Customs ng Airport sinita pa ako, gusto yata hingin.

Japanese food, most especially 'yung Okonomiyaki. Waaah ansarap nun! Kaya nga nung lumabas kami ni Lloyd sa restaurant napakanta na lang ako ng "Pagdating ng panahon..." But because Lloyd is a bespren of mine, hindi ko sasabihin kung bakit.

Visit to the Odawara Castle. Just one of the few places that I was able to visit nung nandun ako. And how can I forget, Mr. Ishii took my picture using my very amazing Smart Amazing Phone. Ayun, mukha akong duwende sa pic at 'pag nakita niyo siguro, baka sabihin niyo lang na ibang tao 'yun. (Photo courtesy of Alvin de los Reyes; Hindi na ko nagpaalam. Thanks!)

Casual walks going to the Hitachi Odawara Office na napagkakamalang unggoy ng mga japanese nursery kids. At syempre 'yung mga japanese high school girls with their short skirts riding bikes. Hanggang ngayon, I'm still wondering how they can survive the cold. They must have been wearing fur undies. Hehe (Photo courtesy of Alvin de los Reyes; Hindi na ko nagpaalam. Thanks!)

And for the record, gusto kong linawin na I did not spend 500 yen on the Chip 'n Dale machine. Nagamit ko 'yung 500 yen sa roulette na pag umabot 'yung scale to more than 5 you get a prize like gameboy advance, etc. May Hardoff naman, why would I spend 500 yen for 1 stuffed toy, when I can get 10 or more sa Hardoff.

And now, as I try to go on with my life. I can still see, hear, taste and feel Japan everyday.

Orange Range - a popular Japanese band in Japan. On my first visit to Japan, I heard a song for a japanese mobile phone commercial and I loved it. Ang problem nga lang, hindi ko alam title pati singer. On my next visit, while watching one of the available channels on the dormitory cable tv, a band played the song from the commercial. Alas! Orange Range ang name ng band and now I have their music videos on my iPhone. Next project ko ang bumili ng original cds nila. I might get to watch their concert in the future. Hehe.

I might be patronizing them before because I love the music they produce. But upon reading the translation of the lyrics of their song, I appreaciate them more.

You can check out their video for Hana by clicking on the image above. They're not the typical rocker type band, they do hip hop, pop and slow songs din that's why I like them. At sila din ang kumanta ng ibang soundtracks sa famous anime series like Naruto, Bleach & One Piece.

Anime & Manga - Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, HunterXHunter, etc. Avid follower ako ng ilang anime and manga. Pero Naruto talga 'yung everyweek I check 'yung latest issue nila. I still have with me 'yung HunterXHunter book na binili ko sa Japan. Can't read it kasi naman I have only studied Basic Japanese.

Japan 88 Store - It's similar to the Hyakuen (100 Yen) shop in Japan. Another thrift shop in Japan, but I'm sure they're not second hand naman. Hehe.

Japanese Restos - UCC (kaya lang Japanese-European(?) fusion), Teriyaki Boy. Although, may mga masarap na Japanese resto sa Pinas, iba pa rin talaga ang lasa ng authentic japanese food.

Office chopsticks. Because I don't wash my food utensils in the office that often, I use chopsticks na lang ngayon. Madali kasi siya linisin. Nakakainis lang someone took my pair of chopsticks nung naiwan ko sa pantry. Galing pa naman sa Japan 'yun (sadness).

Di bale, I know I'll be back. Save save lang muna ng money. For now, I can hear Japan saying not "Sayonara" Goodbye but "Ja mata!" See you!

Told you I can 'Right'.
No one told you naman that you 'Kent' di ba.