Hello Binondo

Part of my plans for 2011 is to explore other areas in Metro Manila.

So last weekend, a friend and I went to Binondo for some exploration. Here's how we got there.

• Took the MRT from Shaw to Taft
• Rode LRT 1 and alighted at Carriedo station
• Took the exit on the Baclaran-bound side
• Walked towards D.Jose station and turned left on the first street
• Looked for Onpin St. and our walk started there

Across Ongpin St. is the Sta. Cruz church. There are also a lot of jewelry shops that sell real (I hope) gold accessories. I want some! I'll have a pair of earings as birthday gift to myself hihi. We just walked along Ongpin St. looking for someplace to eat. It was raining so we didn't do much exploration. We found a place to eat near the San Lorenzo Ruiz church. I forgot the name of the place hehe but it looks like it's owned by Eng Bee Tin as well. We just ordered pancit bihon and pork siomai and soya milk. I liked teir pancit. Flavorful. We also bought some goodies at Eng Bee Tin after.

We just walked where others were walking. our goal was to go back to Carriedo using a different route. We were surprised when we reached Recto Ave. hahaha. We had to ask for directions several times. It was a lonhg walk, scary in some parts even but we were back in Carriedo in one piece. Why in Carriedo? Why not just D. Jose or Recto? Because I wanted to buy accessories there hihi. Lucky for us, there were two shops still opened since that was around 7PM already. So there, I was able to buy a few items. Now, I want an accessories stand! :p

Where to next? Baclaran maybe.

Chillax mode: Angels and Demons

Date with Anne and Mira on Saturday, May 23.

After regenerating a report that’s needed to be sent to the vendor, I rushed to Gateway to meet with Mira and Anne to watch Angels and Demons. I arrived few minutes before the movie started at 7:30 PM. Buzzer beater hehehe.

I haven’t read the book. I got feedbacks from others who have already watched that the book is better than the movie. But I enjoyed the movie. And now, I want to read the book ehehe.
After the movie, we had dinner at the food court. And of course chit chat. We called it a night at around 12 PM.

Chillax mode: A visit to Kwebang Lampas in Quezon

On Sunday, off we went to Kwebang Lampas in Quezon. It was an activitiy initiated by Anne.

Participants are some of her friends and mostly from Choral and Outdoor (clubs in the office).

The place:

• Isolated so it was a perfect weekend getaway. You need to walk for about 30 minutes before you get to the beach. The trail at that time was muddy. At one point, we had to remove our slippers because it was really slippery.
• There were only a few people that day so it was not crowded.
• There’s a cave in the area. Chorale rehersed inside the cave. Trip lang nila hehehe.
• There’s also a cliff where some enjoyed diving. For others, it was the time where they were able to conquer their fears and realize their dreams-that is to jump from cliff and dive into the water.
• There’s a CR in the area but no shower room. You can take your shower in the place where you start your trek. I was not able to get the name of the family who lives there.
• You can also rent a boat going to the beach if you don’t want to walk.

I was quiet most of time-due to lack of sleep hehehe. I was just contented watching the others’ antics and laughing with them. And no, I still did not conquer my fear of the deep waters, and I think I never will wehehe.

Was back in Manila around 1AM. Tiring but fulfilling.

Chillax mode: IS APAC Teambuilding

Yes, it went as planned last May 15-16, 2009, held at Noah’s Park, Montalban Rizal.

So what was in store for us?

• Side trip in one of the markets in Rizal to buy ice.
• Passed by Gelo’s home to get the rice.
• Rough road for the last 2 KMs going to the place.
• Lots of food food food, most of it prepared by CJ and family. Thanks CJ. As always, YUMMY!
• Ihaw, ihaw, and more ihaw – hotdogs, bbq, bangus, tilapia. It took us hours to cook everything hehehe. One icebox was filled with just ihaw. I helped a bit in the ihaw. It was so hot. But then again, we use firewood in Baguio so I’m used to it-no big deal.
• Rewards and recognition for Q1 projects. Impromptu for all of my lines. I didn’t know it would be that way hehehe.
• Games-garden maze and putok balloon using airsoft gun.
• Was not in any of the games. Was on the phone addressing an issue. Yes, we got the call from Server team before the program proper. I was only done long after the finished the games. Amp. But it was resolved so I’m glad.
• Videoke videoke videoke! Emie and I sang to our heart’s content up until 7 AM wahahaha. Adik! Bitin pa yan sa lagay na yan. If I was not sleepy, and if it was not for the hot rays of the morning sun, I would have wanted to sing some more hihihi.
• Swimming! We tried all of the pools I think. I didn’t try the slides though. :p
• Take home food hehehe. We weren’t able to consume all our baon. Sa dami ba naman non hehe.
• Of course, jump shots (emphasis on the S) in midday. Whew! So hot!
• Back in Manila by Saturday, 3PM.

So there. I think everybody enjoyed naman. ‘Til our next chillax days.

Family Outing 2009

Last May 1, my family (together with some relavites) went for swimming in Itogon. Itogon is one of the municipalities of Benguet province and the swimming pool area is almost 2 hours away from Baguio. It’s amazing that aside from Asin Hotspring, and La Union (where the nearest beach is), there’s another option for swimming hehehe. The place is not sophisticated actually. Below are some details that I remember.

• The pools aren’t tiled. But they have a Jacuzzi. Oha!
• Entrance fee is Php 20.00 per person.
• Hut rental is around 300-500.
• There are a lot of nipa huts in various sizes so it can accommodate small to big groups.
• No electricity yet in the huts so night swimming is not an option at the moment.
• There are CRs and shower rooms.
• The pools are drained every 5 PM.
• There are stalls that sell swimming gears from swimwear to floaters.
• Only a few stores (or none at all) sell food and if there are any, it’s expensive so the best option is to bring your own baon.
• They accept reservations for the nipa huts but it’s more expensive than when you just rent it upon arrival. Good thing for us, my cousin’s BF is from the area so we just asked him to reserve for us hihihi.

The pools are constructed in the base of a mountain so while nearing the area, you wouldn’t expect that there are pools because what you’ll only see is the towering mountain. Amazing.

Of course we had a great time, especially the kids who were in the pool practically the whole time we were there. They were only out of the pool during meal times. As for me, I stayed in the pool for only 2 hours. It was so hot I didn’t like to get sun-burned hehehe (but I still did anyway). The rest of the time, I was sleeping, reading, or eating, while consciously waiting for any ring from my Blackberry (because if it did, it just means one thing - there’s an issue in the office that needs my attention – this is another story). We left the place at around 4 PM.

The only downside was that it was a holiday and it’s summer so there were SO many people.

Err...I haven't downloaded the pictures from my camera still, so no pictures to share hehehe.

My cousins are requesting me to sponsor a trip to Riverview in Asin this time. We’ll see about that. It’s more expensive there. It may be twice (or more than) the expenses in Itogon. But nevertheless, I also want to try it there so maybe next year. :D

Cafe by the Ruins

I met with Eden and her hubby for gimik tonight before igoing back to Manila. Their choice of place is at Cafe by the Ruins. I said yes right away since I haven't been to that place although I read that it's a must see in Baguio.

Based on my readings, part of the place is a wall of one of the governor's mansion. Itwas converted into a cafe where artists can meet and showcase their artworks. Some are for sale, others are just for display.

Though it is located just beside a main street where vehicles frequently pass by, once you enter the place, it's as if you're transported to a different world. The place is made up of bamboo, sticks (yes, those that we use in the garden as support for the beans and the sweet peas hehe) and the roof is made of cogon grass. Their tables and chairs are made of pinewood and bamboo as well. The ambiance is artistic and laidback. People there were just as quiet, simply enjoying the tranquility of the place. I think we were the only ones who were a bit noisy hehe.

We did not enjoy our orders though hehehe. But then again, we were there for coffee and desert only. Eden’s hubby ordered the civet cat coffee but to him, it tasted like Nescafe (3-in-1 or 5-in-1? Hehehe). Eden had the dark chocolate something but I don't understand how it should be consumed. It's listed together with the other drinks so I' assuming it is for drinking but it has a thick consistency so I'm not sure hehe. Onei had the sorbet something in strawberry. I think he liked it. He said it's made of pure strawberries. I had fruit tassi (mango) and I like it. I did not taste the yogurt though. According to the menu, it's yogurt but it' just like a smoothie. I also had the foca cheese samdwich. I didn't like it that much because it was too oily for my taste and the only thing I can recognize of the filling is the egg. I don't know the other ingridients, if there are any. So there. But I think their main dishes are worth trying. We keep on looking at the dishes served in other tables and they look yummy enough. So I'm not closing my doors. I still want to go back to try their other dishes.

Address is 23 Chuntug St. Baguio City. The place is just below the city hall, and it’s also near the La Trinidad jeepney terminal (just a few steps). The entrance is along the street as well. When you see an area fenced by sticks, that's already part of it. There's a signage, though it' quite small. They have a small parking which I think can only accomodate around 6 cars. It's near Rizal Park though so that’s another option on where to park.

Chilling in Baguio

After the wedding, Jen and I went to town for some shopping. Hihihi. We wanted to check out the Ukays. Unfortunately, it was brownout for the whole of Baguio so we only got to visit those that have generators huhu. And there were only 3 freakin’ shops we were able to check. Amp! Frustrated, we decided to just have dinner then proceed to SM where we’re sure there’s generator. It was a good thing that SM was on sale so they were closing late last night. SM…where an interesting thing happened as well but it’s in the post next to this hehehe.

At around 10 PM, we met with Jen’s sisters and proceeded to Music Magic for some nightlife. MM is a bar where bands usually play country music. Yes, it’s most of Baguio folks’ favorite kind of music. We were surprised to see some Koreans though. At talaga naman. They were the center of attention simply because, well they made themselves the center of attention hehehe.

Jen and I were so busy checking out the cute singers that’s why we were surprised when a guy came to our table and asked Jen for a dance wahahaha! I didn’t even notice him checking out our table wehehe. Prior to that, I was also kidding Jen about that same guy because he looks like her ex hihihi. That’s why when he came to our table and asked Jen to dance, I could barely contain my laughter wahahaha! Since Jen was a little tipsy already (courtesy of Red Horse weh!), she declined and was actually pushing me to just go with the guy. Sorry, I just wanted to listen to music and not dance so I stood my ground hehehe. But unfortunately, the guy was persistent even though we already promised him that Jen will dance with him later. He told us that if it’s still later, the music (which happens to be his favorite daw hahaha) would be ending soon. And all he wanted was to dance with my friend but because we kept on refusing, he felt that he was being put to shame. Alarmed, we tried to convince Jen to just go with him and for her sister to accompany her. Well, the music ended and good thing the singer started singing an upbeat song when they went to the dance floor hehehe.

We left the place a little before 1 AM. Surprisingly, there were still a lot of people along Session Road. Well, as they say, Baguio is already become little Manila. I think I don’t like it. Sniff.

Since this weekend was for friends, I slept over at Jen’s place hehehe. I just got home at around 7 PM tonight wahaha.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

@ Home Day 1

I arrived home from Manila at 12 PM. Unfortunately, I was not able to catch the 4 AM Victory Liner trip so I had no choice but to take the 5:20 AM trip instead.

After a few hours of sleep, I went out to have dinner with friends. Actually, only 2 (Apryl and Randy) in the group are my friends. The rest are Apryl’s friends hehehe. But some of them are familiar because we all went to the same school in college. Some of them were even my classmates in some of the subjects. We met up coz Apryl arrived from Singapore. It was a timing that we’re both at home this weekend so I was able to join them. I’m glad I did. I don’t remember the last time I saw Randy. 2006 pa yata. He got married last December at UP Diliman but I was not able to attend. Where was I? Office. Amp.

We were done at around 9:30 PM. I was surprised that though it was already late (in terms of Baguio standards), there were still a lot of people milling around. We had to wait for a while before some of us were able to ride a cab. As for me, I had to wait for the one cab that was willing to bring me home to our remote home wahahaha. Transportation has always been a problem when going home. Good thing though that now, some taxi drivers are willing to travel as far as our place at this time. Kung hindi, ay good luck na lang sa akin. Either, magpapa-ampon ako sa iba para makalabas sa gabi or hwag nang lumabas at all hehehe.

It’s not so cold in town anymore though but the temperature is still favorable than that of Manila. But it’s a different story at home. Bundok eh so mas malamig. Sarap matulog hehehe. But not yet. I still have to read the manual of Gelo’s camera hehehe. So I’m out of cyberspace for the meantime.

*****

Dumaan ang Sabado nang hindi ko namamalayan. Ang natatandaan ko lang sa araw na ‘to, nasa office pa ako pagpatak ng Saturday, 12 MN, nakauwi na ako sa apartment around 3 AM, naghanda para sa byahe pauwi ng Baguio, nasa byahe na by 5:30 AM, nakauwi ng 12 noon, naidlip, lumabas para makipagkita sa mga kaibigan, nakauwi ng bahay isang oras bago matapos ang araw ng Sabado. Ngayon, Linggo na. Ayos sa bilis. Sana mamaya, mas mabagal ang oras. J

Dinner at Leslie's on Balentyms

We immediately left EK after having our snacks of hotdog sandwich. We were expecting to reach Leslie’s after an hour but que horror! It was traffic. We were thinking at first that maybe it’s because it’s Valentine’s Day so many are on their way to Tagaytay for the night. But it was still unbelievable because traffic started just a few minutes after we made a right turn from Sta. Rosa. Huwell. There’s nothing we can do except to continue with our pang-ookray hehehe.

We saw a Ferrari! Ang taray ni Lolo. Bigatin ang ride. Si lola ay hindi mukhang lola. Siguro many years younger talaga sya hehehe.

One of the passengers of the Starex van in front was gay. Nagpapacute kay Sol ahahaha. Nginingitian at kumakaway pa talaga wahaha! Astig ka Sol. Isa kang magnet…gay magnet? Hihihi. Nung hindi sya tumitigil sa pagpapacute, pinakitaan namin ng L sign. Ang ganti sa amin? Pinakita lang naman nya ang kanyang flowers at balloons! Plural tsong. Hindi lang isang pirasong flower at balloon. Bouquet of flowers with matching elegant plastic wrapper at sangkatutak na balloons in different shapes and sizes formed into a design. Syet! Ni isa man lang sa aming mga babae walang flowers huhuhu. Wala. We are really losers…losers on the loose bwahahaha.

After 10 years, nakarating din kami sa Leslie’s. Good thing may available na upuan that time. Di pa ganon karami mga tao. Kaso naman, olats yung waiter na na-assign sa amin. Hindi attentive. Anyway, we ordered Bulalo, Crispy Pata, Kangkong and Ginataang Kalabasa, Sitaw at Hipon. Tsalap tsalap!

Habang naghihintay ng orders at para hindi maisip ang kagutuman, nagpicture-picture muna kami. Si Sol, nagkaroon ng love-hate relationship with my camera :p. Love nya pag maputi sya sa pic, hate nya pag sobrang itim wahahaha.

Sa kalagitnaan ng aming kaguluhan, bigla kaming may narinig na fireworks! Weeee! Ito yung isa sa balak naming hintayin sa EK e pero pinagpalit namin sya sa Leslie’s hihihi. Buti na lang may fireworks din dito. Nangyari lahat ng gusto namin. Di nga lang ako marunong kumuha ng fireworks. Low batt na kasi yung magandang camera ni Gelo :p.

Nung finally may food na, tahimik nang nagsikain ang lahat. Hindi na nakuhanan ng pic yung food kasi pagkalapag, kuha na agad wehehehe. Nung medyo nabawasan na ang aming kagutuman, kwentuhan at hiritan naman. Ito lang yung mga na-note ko hehehe (literal na ninote-nakasave ‘to as draft sa phone ko).

• Kaya ako single ngayon kasi ganito ako kumain.
• This is life.
• This is single blessedness.
• Love will find a way kaso wrong way tayo.

Quotable quotes from losers hahaha.

After ng dinner and bili ng pasalubong, sibat na kami. Temporary amnesia ako dito by choice hihihi. Ang natatandaan ko lang, muntik na akong mapaiyak dito ni Gelo huhuhu. Sa aking mga EK buddies, wag nyo na akong piliting ilagay dito. At wag na rin nating pag-usapan sa comments wahahaha.

After a few minutes of traveling, biglang nagtanong si Sol kung tama pa ba yung dinadaanan namin. Upon checking the place, mukhang tama naman so sabi ko tama. Pero bigla kong naalalang itanong kung nag-left ba kami after naming madaanan ang rotunda. Hindi daw. Bigla akong napasigaw ng “Mali! Papunta na tayo ng People’s Park. Balik”. Hehehe. Muntik pa kaming maligaw at mapadpad sa kung saang lupalop wahahaha.

Pagkatapos non, kanya-kanyang diskarte na ng pagtulog habang si Sol ay nagmamadali na sa pagda-drive. Di ko na namalayan ang iba pang pangyayari. Nagising na ako nung malapit na kami sa C5. Dumaan kami kina Emie para isoli yung sasakyan ng tita nya and lipat sa sasakyan ni Sol sabay harurot na. Late na sya sa kanyang date ahihi. Namamatayan si Sol nung una kasi nanibago sya sa sasakyan nya. Di daw sya sanay wahahaha. Take note, isang araw lang na iba ang nadrive nyang car ah hehehe. Ibinaba kami sa SM Pasig then kanya-kanya nang kumuha ng taxi pauwi. Sabay-sabay kami nina Gelo and Jen. Drop off ko na lang sila sa kung saan man sila bababa.

Home sweet home at around 12 AM or a little past 12. Sisimulan ko na sana magblog kaso inantok na ako. Nagawa ko lang idownload ang mga pictures from my camera at panoorin at balikan muli ang mga kwentong kaakibat ng bawat larawan. Neks! May ganun? Wahaha.

EK on Balentyms

Warning: Long post because it’s more than 12 hour’s worth of stories. Read at your own risk .

Weeks ago, some of our officemates planned to go to EK on Valentine’s Day. They extended the invitation to everyone who is single wahahaha. It’s a date for loosers daw hahaha. We were supposed to be 8 in all but 2 backed out at the last minute. Mga corny.

The final cast: Sol, Emie, Pam, Jen, Gelo, My

We opted to just rent a car so that it will be more convenient. We were able to rent Emie’s tita’s car and Sol became our official driver hehehe.

On Friday, we were all set. We will be meeting at OSMA the next day at 9:30 AM. We all agreed to just help wake each other up by 6 AM. Hehehe.

As for me, Anne and I went out on Friday night so I was expecting to have a hard time waking up . By 6 AM, Emie already sent a wake up call text message. I was still asleep that time . By 6:30, she sent another one to me. She sounded like she’s already panicking because I was not able to reply to her text right away wahahaha. Anyway, that text woke me up. Good thing because when I checked my cel, I failed to set my alarm wahahaha. I got up at 7 AM to start preparing. I texted Gelo but he was not replying. I tried calling him but I can’t get through. Maybe his phone is acting up again. It was not yet time to panic so I just decided to call him again by 7:30. Anyway, even if he wakes up that time, he will still be on time. I continued with my preparation and by 7:30, I tried calling Gelo again. This time, he answered. He’s already awake. And so is everyone else. Thank God.

By 9:40, I was already at OSMA. Sol and Emie were already there as well. A few minutes later, Gelo, then Jen arrived. Pam was late!!!! We bombarded her with missed calls and text messages hahaha. When finally, she arrived, we started our trip. That was around 10:15 already. Nasa Market-Market pa lang kami, may nakita kaming guy na may hawak na flowers. Sigwawan kami ng uyyy sa sasakyan hahaha. Dito pa lang lumalabas na pagka-loosers namin wahahha. After approximately 1 hour of travel, we stopped for gas at Petron station. We also decided to just take an early lunch there because food at EK is much more expensive. After a hearty brunch, we headed straight to EK!

On the way, we were spying on other commuters as well hahaha. We saw a couple in another car na super dikit yung girl sa bf na nagmamaneho. Duh! May iba silang kasama. Sa isang car naman, natutulog yung girl habang yung guy was driving. Na-sense ata nung guy na tinitignan naming so bigla nyang ginising yung girl by letting her face him wahahaha. Walang kasing timang na guy! Amp! Inisip naming chickboy yung guy and yung kasama nya is the legal wife hahaha. Lahat ng nakita naming pairs, ginawan namin ng kwento. Syempre may kasama nang okray yan. Mga loosers wahahaha! Yung iba naman na walang kasama, tinatag namin as loosers like us hahaha. Yung ibang may itsura, pine-pair namin kay Pam .

We reached EK at around 12 PM. After some picture taking at the entrance, we bought our tickets and went immediately to 4D. Tawang-tawa ako kina Jen and Pam kasi napapasigaw talaga sila tuwing umaangat or bumababa yung upuan hahaha. Sobrang pinipigilan ko tawa ko kasi feeling ko, kami lang yung tawa ng tawa. Yung ibang kasama naming nanonood, deadma lang. Corny nila :p. Ako nandiri sa spray of water na kunwari daw tae ng ibon hahaha. Inisip ko kasi talagang totoong tae ng ibon yun. Iwww. Hahaha.

Next was the jungle log jam. Habang nasa pila, nag-aargue na kami kung sino ang uupo sa harap hahaha. Lahat kami ayaw don eh kasi sya ung pinakamababasa wahaha. So unahan na lang nangyari. Since si Gelo ang first sa amin, sya ang umupo agad sa gitna. Ako sunod sa likod nya. No choice si Jen so sa harap na sya hehehe. Sa kabila naman, si Sol sa harap, Pam gitna and Emie likod. Alam kong may camera somewhere so I made sure na nakangiti ako don sa part nay un. Before namin marating yung highest drop, inhale-exhale na ako hahaha. Si Jen ang bida dito! Wahahaha. Para syang nagtratransform sa pic namin! Si Gelo, sigaw kung sigaw, ako nakasmile pa! Hahaha. Nakuha ko tamang timing! Pero mas panalo sina Sol and Emie (uuyy hihihi). Si Sol nakarockstar sign, si Emie naman, pang-Miss U ang kaway. Si Pam, nagtago kay Sol wahahaha. Pero wala talaga akong masabi kay Jen. Para syang dinaanan ng signal no. 4 na bagyo after nun hahaha. Sira ang make up! Hahaha. Peace Jen! Binili na namin yung mga pictures namin kahit may kamahalan. Natuwa kami sa mga itsura namin eh hahaha.

Next pit stop – Anchors Away. Ayaw ko dapat sumakay eh kasi di ko nagustuhan nung first time ko. Sobrang sya yung pinaka-ayaw kong ride. Pero I was feeling adventurous so go pa rin. Mga kasama ko, gusto sa likod so likod kung likod hahaha. Si Sol, nakayang magpicture kaya may pictures pa kami habang sumisigaw hahaha. Tinatawanan ako ni Jen kasi one time na nagpeace sign ako habang nagpapapicture, kita nya nginig yung kamay ko hahaha. Susko, feeling ko pa rin kasi talaga malalaglag ako any moment hahaha. PERO! Si Pam ang panalo dito. Umiyak! Wahahaha. Literal na umiyak. At ako na katabi nya, nakuha ko pa syang tawanan ahihihi. So insensitive of me. Sorry Pam. Kaya daw sya naiyak kasi feeling daw nya, mamamatay na sya nung time na yun. After nung ride, umupo muna kami para matapos ni Pam magrelease ng takot hehehe.

Next to Anchors, pumila na kami para sa Ferris Wheel. Chillax ride naman hehehe. Nagsiksikan kaming anim sa isang car (or kung anuman tawag don). Nagkulitan lang kami dito. Si Gelo, inikot ng inikot yung car kaya hilong-hilo kami. Amp.

Rio Grande dapat kasunod pero biglang nagclose for maintenance daw. Amp. Sayang. Ready pa naman kami lahat mabasa that time hahaha.

So don na lang kami sa Flying Fiesta. Chillax rin lang dito. After ng turn namin, wala pa naman kasi nakapila so stay put lang dapat kami for the 2^nd ride kaso pinaalis kami ng attendants kasi kailangan daw namin pumila uli. Amp. Ininsist namin na bakit pa eh konti lang naman tao sa pila and kasya pa rin sila kahit nandon pa kami pero rule daw dapat pumila uli so no choice kami. Exit then pasok uli sa entrance. Amp. Seat color of the group: first ride – green, second ride – yellow.

Next on the list: Space Shuttle! Mahaba-haba pila dito. So as always, naghanap na naman kami ng mga pwedeng punain hahaha. Nung kita na namin yung platform, may nawitness ako sa isang guy rider. Super pikit sya nung start ng ride. Nung natapos yung ride, pikit pa rin sya. Nung nagstop na at babba na sila, bigla syang tumayo sa seat nya at sumigaw ng wooohoooo with matching raise of the hands bwahahaha. Ayan na…kami na! At syempre, dahil single naman kami and walang masyadong responsibilities so pwede pa rin kaming magpaka-adventurous ng todo. Pinili naming sa pinakalikod haha. Sina Sol and Emie, pinakadulo, Gelo at ako, second from last, Pam and Jen, 3^rd from last. May nagpipicture taking dito. Yung isang photographer, tanungin daw ba yung isang girl kung mag-isa lang nya talaga. Pakialam ba nya hahaha. So bitter of me hihihi. Anyway, di ko alam kung san yung camera dito so di tuloy ako nakatingin amp. Si Gelo, tawang-tawa. Si Sol alam kaya ayun, mega-pose uli. Si Emie ganon din. Pero! Tignan nyo naman si Jen! Hahaha. Sigaw with all her might hahaha. Si Pam, taimtim na nagdadasal mwahahaha. Binili rin namin yung pictures namin dito. At dito lang kami nagkaroon ng group pic! Wahaha.

After ng Space Shuttle, bumalik kami sa Rio Grande pero close pa rin. Amp. Ramdam na rin namin ang gutom namin so pinag-usapan na namin kung saan kami kakain. Lahat kami ayaw kumain sa EK and gusto naming somewhere sa labas. Suggest ni Gelo Leslies sa Tagaytay at naexcite lahat. Ang kaso! Si Sol may date ng 11 PM kaya medyo hesitant. Sinabihan namin syang abot na abot sya kasi aalis na kami that time and dinner lang so mabilis lang hehehe so napa-oo pa rin namin sya. Ang original plan was hintayin ang fireworks pero hindi na namin ginawa. Para di magutom, nagmerienda na lang muna kami then sibat na at around 5:30 PM. So bye for now EK. Nag-enjoy kami! Hehehe.

How I spent the start of my 7th year

Few hours after writing my previous post, I woke up and dragged myself out of the comforts of my bed to get ready for work. It dawned on me that I had just completed my 6^th year but my mind was already busy remembering all the things that I need to do that day. I reached the office at around 12:30 PM.

First off in my calendar was a post mortem meeting for TAMS Upgrade Phase 1. This was supposed to be on Feb. 9 but our client couldn’t make it so we had to move it. I was somewhat excited for this meeting. I was waiting for any negative feedback from them and in my mind I was also already preparing for my counter attacks but they did not give us any so they didn’t get one from us either or they did but in a subtle way hahaha. I think there were some areas that are about to result in heated discussions but the “moving forward” thing worked hehehe. After the call, Gelo and I were discussing about our client’s inputs. We were wondering and laughing because all their previous issues about the team did not come out wahahaha. Hmp! Anyway, at least now, we found a way of handling them in these types of meetings.

After that meeting, I met with the ADP team to discuss the FTP set up. Next was the ISMT meeting which lasted until almost 10 PM.

In between those meetings, I also replied to some issues, followed up on deliverables and delegated tasks.

When finally we called it a day, I suddenly remembered that that day was already the start of my 7^th year. Gelo said he wanted to eat at North Park. I got excited and I said yes right away when he asked if we wanted to eat there. That would be a nice way to celebrate my 6^th year. We called the store first to check if they were still open. Fortunately, the one near our office is still open until 2 AM. Yiffee! I was already looking forward to Yang Chow Fried Rice and Salted Garlic squid hahaha. Syaks. We waited for Eden to confirm if she can join us but her hubby has already eaten so she can’t.

Gelo and I left the office at around 10:30 PM and went straight to North Park. On the way, we were already thinking of what to order but when we were at the resto, it still took us at least 10 minutes to decide hahaha. We wanted to order all our favorites but we can’t coz we were the only ones to consume it hahaha. After so much deliberation, we ended up ordering four dishes and of course the Yang Chow Fried Rice wahahaha. Grabe, gluttony to the highest level ito! Tinatawanan na lang naming mga sarili namin. Iniisip din namin kung anong naiisip ng mga waiter sa dami ng orders namin wahahaha. Inunahan na namin silang gawan ng dialogue. At dinaan na lang din namin sa English pag kausap namin sila wahahaha. Pero syempre di naman namin naubos lahat. We only ended up eating half of each dish. Even for the rice, there was still a lot of leftover. We stayed for a few more minutes for our stomach to adjust hahaha. Ampness. Katakawan kasi eh wahahaha.

We left the resto at a little past 12MN. I dropped off Gelo in Broadway as he still needed to go back to the office. Afterwhich, I went straight home and went online while allowing my digestive system to do its work hihihi.

So there goes the end of my 6^th year. Now it’s the countdown for the end of my 7^th year.

Ending the year with a bash

Yes, it’s still quite early but we already had our Year End Rewards and Recognition and also Mano’s send off party (yes, he has already resigned) last night. The event started with a sumptuous dinner at Dad’s Glorietta, after which we transferred to Red Box Greenbelt for the awarding proper. This is the first year that we had budget for Rewards and Recognition. That’s the reason why we were able to afford to book in such places hehehe. This is the first time. Anyway, aside from giving the usual awards (Best SE, Best BSA, Rookie-which we didn’t have), we had a new award which is the Most Promising award and of course several whacky awards hehehe. We gave away certificates and some tokens for the awardees and a multi-purpose bag for everyone!

For Mano’s send off, we prepared a scrapbook and also a simple token of appreciation. Some of us gave speeches. I was one of them of course. Part of my speech was to say sorry to him for what I have done a long long time ago ahihi. It was a little bit awkward at first but I was more at peace after that. Our IT director also announced that he will be working for us as a consultant until our current project is completed. Whew! As a finale to our tribute to Mano, we also sang a song for him.

After the awarding and send off ceremonies, it was party time. Mano was very relaxed and just let loose. It was my first time to see him that way. Also, everybody were having fun and just having a good time. We had billiards and videoke along with beers and more food. Everyone was free to express themselves and just do what they wanna do that to them spells fun hihihi. Some of us even transformed the couch into a stage hehe. I myself had a share of my moments. First off, I drank more than what I usually allow myself. So I was a little drank hik! Also, I danced like there’s no tomorrow, I sang until my voice became hoarse (not with the mic though and that’s ok) all the while drinking beer wahahaha. Don’t worry, I was just trying to have a good time because I was really tired and sleepless for the past weeks. I want to let go of my problems at work even for just a short period. And for some other reason that I prefer not to elaborate it here har har har! Since there were so many cameras tonight, I’m sure everything was capture. I hope I look ok in the pictures and videos wahahaha.

And the finale was a round of drinks at Starbucks. Thanks, SB, nawala amats ko bwahahaha.
Anyway, looks like the team enjoyed. I really, truly hope they did. This time, the ISMT did most of the work, from planning up to hosting the event. We just delegated some other things. But mostly, it was only us, that’s why it added up to our already busy schedules. But then again, it was all worth it. Whew!

Something Fishy

Dahil gustung-gusto kong kumain ng kanin kaninang madaling araw, niyaya ko ang aking mga officemates na kumain. Di namin alam kung san nung una pero bigla kong naalala ang Something Fishy (Eastwood, Libis)! Once pa lang akong nakakain don pero gusto ko uli kasi sobrang sulit. Sa murang halaga, may eat all you can breakfast ka na. As in eat all you can. Maraming choices ng ulam. Hindi tinipid. More than ten ata yung selection ng ulam. May soup, pancake at deserts pa! So sulit talaga. Panalo. Kaya tinodo na rin naming ang lamon. At sobrang nabusog hihihi. Pero pagdating ko sa bahay, parang gusto kong isuka lahat ng kinain ko kasi sobrang uncomfortable ng feeling wahahaha.

Habang kami ay nagpapahinga sa paglamon, kwentuhan muna ng kanya-kanyang buhay. Nakakatuwa lang na may mga ganitong pagkakataon na makapag-usap kami ng hindi tungkol sa trabaho. Kaya naman kami inabot don ng 5 AM na hihihi. Nakakapagod pero nakakatuwa. Ngunit subalit datapwat mas nakakatuwa sana kung…ay ano ba yun. Bakit may ganon. Ahihi.

A Very Special Love

We were able to watch it last night. Kilig to the highest level! Hihihi. John Lloyd and Sarah have chemistry. Ang pogi ni JL hayz. Kwela naman si Sarah. For someone who's more into music than acting, her performance was great. I cried so much during the father-son scene. (I always do for parent-child scenes. huwell.) There were bloopers at the end. Nakakatawa talaga. People actually clapped after the movie. Feel good movie kasi talaga. I want to watch it again wahaha.

After the movie, I texted some friends just to let them know na kinilig ako sobra ahaha. Pat imga teammates ko hanep din sa kakiligan hihi.

Some lines from the movie:

"I didn’t ask you to love me. Kung ako sa ‘yo, maawa ka naman sa sarili mo. Itigil mo na. Ikaw lang ang mapapagod." (Miggy)

"Hindi ko naramdaman na nakakapagod kang mahalin…ngayon lang." (Laida)

"If I can only undo things, kaso hindi na pwede. Pero I would still have you as my son…Let me make it up to you son." (Miggy’s dad)

"Pati ba naman pangalan ko kailangan kong pagtrabahuhan?" (Miggy)

"Kaya don’t tell me that it will be okay because it has never been ok for the past 25 years. " (Miggy)

"So ano pa hinihintay mo? Yakapin mo na ako Miggy Montenegro. Sarap…tagal kong hinintay to eh." (Laida)

Honest Mistake…

It really was! Hihihi! But to my colleagues, it was the best honest mistake ever wahahaha. Anyway, here’s the story. Tonight was the team’s Mid-Year Rewards and Recognition party so we booked a room at Elbow Room. Our IT director joined us for him to get to know the team better. It was supposed to be a night of partying and having lots of fun but unfortunately for some of us, we need to be on night shift for the yearly mid-year conversion. By 10:30 PM, we had to get back to the office so I went around to say goodbye to the team. Then I approached our IT director and told him we were going ahead. He acknowledged it then bent down his head. I really thought he was offering it for cheek to cheek so I offered my cheek as well then turned to leave. In the middle of the room, I realized that maybe the reason why he bent his head was that he hadn’t heard me wahahaha (he’s tall, that’s why). I was so embarrassed that I suddenly ran out of the room. Some of my teammates witnessed it huhu. Some had fun laughing at me, others were really shocked they just stood still staring and maybe digesting what had happened wahaha. Ok, enough of that. I’ll just cross my fingers that what happened will not affect anything work-wise.

I was really having fun tonight. There were other moments as well :). I hated to leave just yet but duty calls. And this honest mistake pushed me further to leave as fast as I can wahahaha.

FOJ with Friends

Our friends (Tangarorang family) from Singapore are here for vacation. It was their son’s baptism last May 23. We were not able to attend though because it was held in Bacolod. Today, they are staying here in Manila since Weng is flying back to Singapore tomorrow while Fides and kids are going home to Romblon. And so today, we agreed to meet. Kasama si JOIS! Nagulat ako hehehe. Pero nakakatuwa na nakasama sya. We first dropped by their hotel so that we can see their kids. Ysa is so cute. Kamukha nya yung mga dolls ng Precious Moments hehe. Malaki na rin si Simon. At may dimples! I was able to hold him. Ambigat. Si Ysa, himala kasi madaldal daw kanina.

After playing with them for a while, we went to Kimono Ken, Podium for a late lunch (as in late na, past 3 PM na yun). Kwentuhan until around 5 PM. Fides had to go home to see the kids, Weng is meeting with their other friends. Anne met with a HS friend, Jo had to go home to her parents’ home in San Juan for a visit (hubby and daughter went there ahead), while Tita, Ron and I watched Sex and the City. :)

Btw, we met an officemate and her hubby in Podium so chika-chika muna. Sabi nya kakatuwa daw kami kasi kahit di na kami magkakasama sa team, solid pa rin kami. Syempre naman hehehe.

Fiesta Fun Games

That’s one of Sykes’ activities for this year. The organizers asked the employees to come up with groups with 10 members. Because we are fun and challenge loving people, we joined hehe. (actually, there were two groups from our team) Though a group name was not required, we named our group “Team Pumpers” anyway wahaha. To prepare for the event, we bought shirts the shade of our group color – Royal blue. We were all excited because the prices are cool. First price alone was 20K – that was motivating enough. Or so I thought, because at yesterday’s games, we lost wahahaha. We were actually the first group to be eliminated huhu. The first game was sack race but it turned out that it was a non-elimaination game because there were some groups who were not able to attend. The “Pass the Orange” game was hard. That’s what cost our chances of winning.

But it’s ok. At least we were able to try two games hahaha. And of course we still had fun. Funny thing though was that, one of my teammates wasn’t even able to wear his shirt at all because when he arrived at the venue, we already lost wahahaha.

Anyway, since we have nothing more to do, we decided to play badminton. So after the hotdog party that was sponsored by our big boss, Team Pumpers headed to Valencia court and played to our hearts’ content from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. It was a challenge to play with the guys but it was all worth it. It was still fun.

When everyone was already tired, we decided to call it a day. Some of us dropped by Gateway for dinner then headed home right after.

As soon as my head hit the pillows, I was off to dreamland right away.

And, this morning when I woke up, my whole body was aching. Ok, so that’s what I get for having fun hehe. Ironic isn’t it?

Note: Special mention and thanks to Julz for joining the team at such short notice hehe. Our other teammate was sick last Friday and so we need to find a replacement right away. I called Julz right away and she said yes after so many convincing hehehe.

Buhay na buhay ang aking social life!

Oh yes! Hehe. Punung-puno ng social activities ang aking life for this week. Marami kasing dumating na friends from abroad, so kita-kits ang tropa. Ang saya-saya. Kahit di na gaanong nagkikita at sa email at chat na lang nagkukulitan, nananatili pa rin ang pagkakaibigan ng lahat.

Kahapon, natuloy na rin sa wakas ang aming girls’ fish hehe. Akala pa ng isang teammate namin, nagbibiro ako nung sinabi kong may fish kami. So after a hectic Friday in the office (sa dami ng demands ng client at sa last-minute shopping ng shirt for tomorrow’s fiesta games), off we went to World Music Room in Promenade. We had a sumptuous dinner (take note rice at mga ulam to) as we were all starving hehe, and sang to our heart’s content until the wee hours of the morning. When we were supposed to be going home, it was raining hard so we stayed for a while and used the time to learn more about each other.

It was a night full of fun and laughter and of course Canon moments :). But She, we’ve missed you!

For these and more, I am forever grateful to Him.

Trivia:
The Fish philosophy (or simply Fish) is a way of creating an atmosphere full of inspiration and motivation. This was created by Jonh Christensen and it was literally based on how the employees of Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market perform in their work. It has 4 key concepts.

• Play
• Make their day
• Be there (for workers)
• Choose your attitude

The Fish philosophy was first introduced to use about 3 years ago. After that, we were encouraged to have Fish within our team at least once a month.

Due to the popularity of this topic, you may just Google it for more information.

Hindi po ito reunion, may nagyaya lang po :)

Yesterday, I was meeting some ex-/officemates-turned-friends in Makati. All I know was that someone’s treating us to dinner. :) I thought it was just going to be the usual group but to my pleasant surprise, V and F were there as well! Yippee! I haven’t seen V for more than a year now. When he resigned, he was assigned in the US after a few months. He came back in June but we haven’t heard from him so I assumed he doesn’t want to see us. :p Hehe, just kidding! F is already in Singapore. He went home for a vacation last January and we went out to dinner. I just heard from another friend (who also works in the same company where F is) that he’s also coming home for a vacation again. But then, I did not expect to see him this time because he did not say anything about coming home. Oh well, I’m just so glad to see them all. :) So happy happy!

Dinner was at Dencio’s Paseo Center. We didn’t have many pictures because no one brought a camera so we just had to make do with Eden’s phone camera. Hay, lesson learned. I’ll just bring my camera for any gatherings just to be sure it’s properly documented hehe. Adik!

Bonding with officemates

After going to the wake of Eden’s dad last August 21, Ronald, She, Emie, Karen and I decided to have dinner at Teriyaki Boy. They are a happy bunch hehe. Sa tuwa ko sa kanila, nalibre ko pa sila wahahaha. We feasted on tofu steak, chicken teriyaki, beef, seafood (I forgot what it’s called in the menu :p), yakimeshi rice and bottomless iced tea.

Because we were so full and can’t stand up right after the meal, we stayed for a while and exchanged stories. I’m glad that we have times like these. It allows us to make friends with new people.

Oh by the way, the other ladies are also fond of taking pictures haha. With matching poses pa yan ha.

Now, I’m looking forward to our girls’ night out yihee!

Trivia: Teriyaki Boy is a Japanese restaurant founded by Gerwin Espino, who was a former service crew. More info here.