Last night was Recruitment's Christmas Party in LD, we had a blast last night, I just hoped that everyone was there with us, everyone present was laughing and just enjoying the time. We had guests from different departments and former colleagues as well.

Prior to last night, a wishlist was passed on for our exchange gifts, I wished for a nice printed shirt and coincidentally the the person I picked wished for a shirt as well, only to find out in the party that we will just be exchanging gifts with each other, hahahaha! I loved the shirt that I received that night, thanks to my Daddy!

Food was overflowing, and food was okay and there were really good food too! I just wished that the team was complete in this party to celebrate the year that was 2009 and be optimistic with 2010!

Anyhoo, it was nice having that chance to spend a christmas party with officemates.

Two nights ago, I was able to go home early and finally had the time to go online and catch up with friends in facebook and yahoo messenger. I was harvesting my crops in Farmville when a good friend started chatting with me in YM.

The good friend is now in Singapore, he left just this November for work. He's actually with the friend I met up with when I visited the country last September, we've been friends for more than 6 years now, together with a couple more guys.

The good friend was obviously smitten by the beauty of Singapore the same way as I was when I was there. He only have good words to describe the city. Well at least for now. Hehehe! But I doubt if that would change, I only have good words for Singapore myself. I was really envious that they are having a great time and I wanted so bad to be there. They kept saying that I better book my tickets to be with them. I want to, but I don't think I have the means.

They said that there's going to be a new year party at my friends place since they can't really use fireworks on new year's eve. A party that is to be attended by his filipino friends, by this time, I was already dead envious. I could just imagine how much fun it would be if we were all there. Nothing beats the company of really good friends.

My connection was acting up so I had to disconnect, and I had a hard time connecting back again. I just resorted to watching TV and shutting down my laptop.

As I prepare myself to sleep, I received a phone call from an overseas number. I found out that it was my two good friends from Singapore calling asking for my full name and my address and my birthdate. Next thing I heard was that they were booking my flight to Singapore to spend my new year there, and they are shoulering my tickets. I was dumbfounded to say the least, I don't know what to say, I keep thinking if I could file for a Vacation Leave. They said my flight would be December 31 to Singapore and January 6 going back. I will be spending 7 days in SG.

The next day, I saaw myself talking to my boss asking permission to have a vacation early January to give way to my friends. I had to let go of my desire to buy a new phone to give way to this trip. No regrets though because I really like Singapore plus the fact that I will be spending the new year with two of my closest friends.

So as I bid the 2009 goodbye, I will welcome 2010 with good friends in the city of the merlions. Cheers to that!

I've been more active in facebook the past few weeks and I've induldge myself in answering "Social Interview" questions for me and about my friends in the online community.

There was this particular question that I was really glad to answer because I really want to know the answer. Social Interview asked me "If you can spend time with GOD, what would you ask HIM?" I answered, "Where do I go from here?" I really want to know what else is in store for me, for my future. I have been wanting to know the answer for quite awhile now, I've been asking myself if this is all there is to it?

I hit the publish to my wall button and there it is on my wall. After finishing 30 questions, skipping most of it, I viewed my profile only to find out that a good friend already left a comment on this particular post.

He said "Bakit hindi mo gamitin yung compass mo?" (why don't you use your compass?) he was definitely referring to my tattoo!

toink!

toink!

All the seriousness and placidity I felt in answering that particular question got all flashed down the drain...

as promised, here's the tattoo I got for myself, a lot of them are saying that I will never be lost again because I have a compass with me always... hahaha!

Now, the big question is, will I get another one? hmmmm

We all know by now that Manny Pacquiao was once again triumphant in his 12 rounds with Cotto, and that he’s also entangled in a controversy with a sexy star. Manny Pacquiao made history for having 7 championship belts and the first one to have just that. Manny once again proved that he’s a force to reckon with in the field of boxing.

Another Filipino making headlines right now is Efren Penaflorida, who just won CNN’s Hero of the Year award for his efforts to make a difference. Efren along with his friends push a cart with books and stuffs needed for teaching. In doing so, he’s able to teach kids in the street and those who can’t go to school. Truly remarkable isn’t it?

We all saw the welcome Filipinos gave Manny Pacquiao, but what have we done for Efren? Have we given him the welcome he truly deserves? Are we giving credit where it’s rightfully due? Manny made history in the fields of sports but didn’t Efren made history as well? A lot say Manny put the Philippines back in the map, but Efren did just that and maybe even more. I’m not saying that Manny didn’t deserve what he got from the Filipinos because he really did made all of us proud, but Efren made all of us proud just the same, so aren’t we supposed to give him the same thing we gave Manny?

Have we been fair in recognizing achievements?

I can’t help but wonder, if we sensationalize Efren’s triumph in CNN, will it tarnish the purity of his advocacies?

I filed for a 2 day Vacation Leave from work, Thursday and Friday this week because I am going home to Nueva Ecija. These are rare occasions that I go home. It's actually my "Mommy's" 80th birth day she is actually my grandmother but we all call her mommy, and yes, this is really something to celebrate! Not everyone's lucky enough to experience his/her 80th year in this world.

The celebration was not as fancy as we all wanted it to be due to budget constraints, but fancy enough to celebrate her 80 wonderful years. My mom invited my grandmonther's classmates when she was still studying, there are still a few of them around, she also invited her co-teachers back then. Yes, my lola was a grade school teacher. Relatives are also present to celebrate with us.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

I wish you more years to enjoy with us!

Last Saturday afternoon, a good friend and an officemate of mine went to Legarda, Manila to finally have my very first tattoo, I've always wanted to have one. Deciding on what design I'm having is what really delayed the experience. I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but I will post it here soon!

We met in the office at 1PM and head to Manila for the session, was I scared? I don't think so, excited and anxious at the same time I think would best describe what I felt at that time. So we got there after an hour or less I think, made a few adjustments with the size of our designs and the session started.

I'm not really sure if I have a high treshold for pain, or I was just expecting that it will be really painful, but It's really not! It is painful but it's tolerable, the pain didn't bother me at all. I think it took the artist an hour and a half to finish my tattoo and another an hour for my friend's. It was an experience to say the least.

If what my parents would say when they learned that I got a tattoo, I don't really know, but that's a different story to tell!

Some friends tried to talk me out of it, they said that I might regret having one in the future, but I always satisfy my curiosity, that's me! And guess what, no regrets of whatsoever! I am really damn happy that I got one! Will post it here soon!

I've recently pursuaded myself in working out again after 3 years of not lifting weights. Today is the start of my 2nd week. Woohoo!

So far, so good! I'm feeling energetic and light again. I've been strict with my diet for the past 8 months and I've never been happy with the results. I think I am now in my ideal body weight and all I need to do in the gym is to tone and condition my muscles. I never really like big and buffed muscles, I like it lean and toned. But as we all know beauty has a price to pay and by that, it means that I've been starving for the past 8 months and now you can include the waking up early in the morning to be able to tire yourself by lifting weights and running in treadmills before reporting to work.

So much for beauty right? But like what I have heard from a friend, "kailangan mong mag gym para hindi ka mawala sa market!" Haha! Right he is, sometimes this community tends to be really superficial, so thanks to all the fitness centers for the dumbels and bench presses and the treadmills, I'll be up for grabs soon!

There's this text message that goes:

Love usually just hits us like a bullet, at first we can't feel it,

then,

Bang!

we bleed....

You see, I d0n't believe it, I always thought that Love will come to us slowly, it's like it will start to tickle you and you'd smile, and tickle you some more then you'd start to laugh until you can't stop from laughing, and then you'd start to cry because of laughing so hard, until the tickling stops.

Just like in relationships, those who can hurt us and make us cry are the relationships that made us laugh and made us really happy, then when the realtionship ends, the laughing and crying ends too...

But eventually, you'd meet someone again who'd tickle you, but hopefully tickle you just enough that you don't have to cry because of laughing so hard...

“Do you want me to run that kite for you?”

His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed. The wind lifted his hair. I thought I saw him nod.

“For you, a thousand times over,” I heard myself say.

Then I turned and ran.

It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything alright. It didn’t make anything all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird’s flight.

But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when springs comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.

I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But I didn’t care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips.

I ran.


I've been catching up with my reading lately and a colleague of mine introduced me this book. The excerpt above was from that book and this particular part amongst others gave me goosebumps.

The book to me, was a story of friendship, betrayal, loyalty, second chances and maybe even redemption. A story of how being trutful can really change a lot. How a single lie can change somebody's life.

Set in Afghanistan, the book tackles family and friendship between Amir and Hassan and how social differences mattered at the time. How one cannot challenge the norms dictated by the society they live in and how a kite tournament changed it all.

I will not critique the book nor challenge it, I will merely say that I had the best time reading it and that I would recommend it to everyone.

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini was definitely a good read!

Maybe, you are HEARING but not really listening,

Maybe, you were really oblivious

Maybe, you really took me FOR granted

after all the things that has happened

Maybe, I was TOO HARD on you

Maybe, I was trying too hard

Maybe, I was just EXPECTING too much

Maybe, I became really unreasonable

all the little things, all the SMALL stuffs

maybe I was always expecting something in return

Maybe, MAYBE and just Maybe....

I don't want to ride the wind anymore,

I'm tired.

I don't want it to just take me anywhere it wants me to be,

I've already tried that and I'm tired.

I want to be able to feel the warm beach sand under my feet.

Feel the sun's heat against my skin.

I want to feel the earth,

stand on it,

run on it again.

I've been floating aimlessly for quite awhile now,

and I'm tired.

I want to be grounded again...

I'm tired!

35 days to go and counting!

35 more sunrise and sunsets and I will set my foot on one of the cleanest and most orderly city in this planet.

Late last year when I decided to join my friends in their trip to Bangkok, Thailand, I promised myself to visit at least 2 countries in a year. More of a personal quest to know and get acquainted with different cultures, see different sites and be awed in wonders other than the Filipinos can offer. Many thanks to Cebu Pacific for seat sale, flying now is more affordable.

Since I only filed for a 5-day vacation leave, I will be visiting Singapore for 2 days and will pass by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and spend 2 days there as well. Not much I know, but at least I will be able to go and explore other territories.

First time to travel outside the country alone, and I'm getting more anxious on what's in store for me in this trip. I'm very eager to try this backpacking experience, if this will be a good thing for me, I don't know yet, but I'm optimistic that this experience will be very rewarding for me.

Getting more excited by the day!

August 1, 2009 made it's mark in the Philippine History.

Today, the whole filipino community is mourning a great loss, the passing of a mother, Mrs. Corazon Aquino. An icon of a democratic and prayer-full filipino. She led a peaceful revolution in the 80's that brought together thousands of filipinos holding hands while praying the rosary in Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue, now more commonly known as EDSA. She, while looking after her real family, also took into care many a thousand filipinos fighting for a free and democratic Philippines. While she became the father and the mother of her kids... she became the mother that the filipinos needed at that time. Caring to a fault, peaceful and yet firm, just like any other moms.

I have had my first chance of encountering Mrs. Aquino through my teachers in History during my elementary years. I didn't gave her much attention at that time, I guess, I didn't give her enough credit. I just know that she was the first Female Philippine President, and that she was a big factor in the EDSA revolution. I didn't gave much fuss about her. I had my youthful eyes on Emilio Aguinaldo, in Andres Bonifacio and of course Dr. Jose Rizal among other heros in our history. Mrs. Corazon Aquino didn't matter to me that much.

But as I breeze away in my journey as a filipino, enjoying my highschool years, cramming myself in project deadlines in college, spending late nights in gimiks up unitl the time that I work in the graveyard shift, or the time when a teacher in front of a classroom would put an indellible ink on my thumb after filling out a form with several names that I look up to, Cory Aquino was a permanent fixture in the far corner of my head. I hardly even notice her but she was always there...

After her six-year term as a president, she decided to go on with her life, as a mother, as a grandmother and as a filipina. She was helping others as much as she can. She was pre-occupied with helping people, empowering them. She was always there, ready to share her opinions... ready to make a stand!

I've never given her much thought really, not until these last few months, not until this final battle of hers that I was able to really know her, really get to see her in a different light and how she affected our lives right now. How she made a huge impact on the lives of many filipinos. I understand now how she played a major role in the society that we have now, how she forever changed my future. One may not see it directly, but whether one admits it or not, she really became a mother to us all... a mother who was there when we needed her the most.

And just like a real mother, she'll be greatly missed and forever loved...

Well, everyone's crazy about facebook, can't blame them, I myself patronizes Facebook and every once in awhile I take some random quizzes about basically anything! Haha! Just recently I took this test:

"What kind of boy should you be with?" quiz and the result is Bestfriend Boy.

You need a bestfriend boy. It sounds very boring, but it's really not. This could turn into the most passionate relationship ever! You need someone that is just fun to be around, without all the mushy gushy stuff all the time. You want to be able to be yourself around a guy, and just hangout like you do with your friends. You also probably value being able to have a conversation that has to do with more than how much you "miss" or "love" each other. If you have a bestfriend that's a guy, don't be afraid to DATE HIM! He could turn out to be the perfect guy for you. And if you don't have a guy bestfriend already, then find one! If you meet a guy you might be interested in, see if you can just be friends before you climb into the relationship.

come to think of it.... makes sense!

Loafers is really a big thing these days... I can say that it's one of those "must haves" of a fashionable and hip guy, not necessarily a gay guy, but every guy for that matter.

Comfy. Fashionable. Reliable. Trendy

Take a look at this Gucci Loafers....

My officemates and I went to Bohol for a summer ender, pass by Cebu before going to Panglao, Bohol.

At NAIA Terminal 3, waiting for our plane to Cebu.


From Cebu Mactan International Airport, we are headed to JY Mall to buy our Fast Craft tickets for Bohol.

before going to JY Mall, we headed to thier IT Park for breakfast at "Ila Puti".

Our first night in Panglao, Bohol. Dinner and drinks at Lost Horizon Beach Resort.

Lunch at the floating restaurant, Loboc River.

This is a highlight of our trip, super laugh trip! this is in Butterfly Farm.

before heading back to Manila, we had lunch in Cebu. We ate at Golden Cowry restaurant and the food was great and it's relatively cheap!

Okay, so here are a few pictures from our Bohol Trip last May. I know this is already a month late, but I was so busy reconfiguring my blogsite. hehehehe! excuses I know.... but here ya go, hope you like the pictures....

We are travelling to Cebu via Cebu Pacific and from Cebu, we are travelling via a fast craft that would bring us to Bohol.


Here's a view from my window in the plane

we stayed in Lost Horizon Resort in Panglao Island, Bohol. The place is okay but the food and beverages are quite expensive.

This is outside Baclayon Church, they say that the face markings on the wall is actually of a certain priest who first built this church... can you see it?

this is the bell tower in Baclayon Church

I really like this picture... it seemed that there's a certain pride from this bird.

this is "Proni" the biggest Python in Bohol

Lunch in Loboc River, the floating restaurant

I consider this as one of the highlights of our trip, this is the "Man Made Forest". It's amazing that this is actually man made, the vibe there gives you a certain feeling that you are not in the Philippines anymore. Simply breathtaking!

of course your Bohol trip will not be complete without visiting the Chocolate Hills, we also learned that the reason why it's brown is because most of the hills are actually coral and not soil.

this one is from the butterfly farm.

This is the Blood Compact Shrine.

Once again, it's MAY 01!

and it could only MEAN one thing...

I am a year OLDER!

A year older and HOPING that also a year WISER.

No fancy CELEBRATIONS this year

just an INTIMATE dinner with my PARENTS.

a BUCKET FULL of wishes

and a measure of HOPE

that SOON enough...

a realization of a DREAM COME TRUE!

enough amount of COURAGE

plus the OPTIMISM I always have

and the right amount of ENCOURAGEMENT

with overflowing LOVE from my FAMILY

and brimming care from FRIENDS

equals

a bright and PROMISING YEAR ahead!

here are some shots from my Holy Week '09 in White Beach, Puerto Galera.

a cute pifture of a family having fun under the sun...


best friends?!? I dunno, but 1 thing for sure, Summer is indeed for everyone.

I have my own of this, but I still have to learn a lot before I can do this in a beach.

JP's headshot, one of my favorite shot in this trip.

a paparazzi shot of JP, Haha!

I looooooove this shot! :D

like what I've said before, I love sunsets!

during one of our dinners...

waiting for our boat on our way home....

I spent my holy week in White Beach, Puerto Galera with some very good friends, friends that are almost like family to me.

We arrived Thursday, April 09 at 730AM. After taking our breakfast we head for our room to rest a bit and prepare for what's in store for us the next couple of days.

It was 4 days and 3 nights of blissful fun, a collection of unguarded memories, a bundle of heartfelt laughters.

We left the beach Sunday, April 12, 2PM and arrived Manila around 630PM. And as the day is almost over and as I prepare myself to sleep, a very good friend texted me this message:

Galera will never be the same again. I love it. Supermega Bonding, super saya. Super taas ng memories pwede na maabot ang mga clouds and mountain sa kabilang ibayo. Yes, may mga hurdles, pero we made it through. Sabi ko nga, if you want to be happy, then fight for it. Mag megarun tayo for happiness kasi we all deserve it.

One night for you, more for me! Good morning Galera!

Here's two of my favorite pictures, taken from Lumphini Park in Bangkok, Thailand.

I know letting go is hard? But can letting go of something that wasn't there be any harder?

I know that there's no point in crying over spilled milk but what if there was no really milk in the first place? what if it was just an empty glass? will it be less painful? will it just be alright? how can you let go when there is nothing to let go from? how can you move on? and move on from where or from what?

They say that the hardest of part is when you ask yourself "what if'", and I know that there is such a thing that "we could have been" but I know, we are above that already. They say that we had was something more mature than the rest, that "that something" is more deep than what it seemed. Maybe and maybe not, I wouldn't know...

I am not perfect, and even if people see me as a mature person, there will always be times that I will be childish about things, that I will be in touch with the kid in me! Sometimes I might even ask myself what happened? That it could have been "US". And sometimes I will tell myself that "we could have been happy together!" But at the end of the day, I will be me, and all I have are "what ifs"... So as I go back to reality and myself, let me just say this:

I am not letting go! I'm just simply... letting it be!

I can here the bells...

Can you feel lost when actually everything is just falling into their proper places?

I know for a fact that when everything's a mess and nothing is going right, most of the time you feel lost! But how about if everything is going right... or at least almost everything is going right, can you honestly feel lost?

I tried to sit down and think through it and everything's seems to be normal, everything's seems alright... I don't think everything's perfect but everything's perfectly fine! And even though that's the case, even though it seems that everything's just in their proper places... it somehow doesn't feel right!

I know that sometimes, not everything that's right will make you happy but I know someday it will make sense... someday it just might make you happy! What I don't understand is that how is it possible that everything's around you is perfectly fine and yet it makes you uncomfortable, makes you feel lost???

Here is the analysis:

You desire a love that will last forever. You are quite serious about finding this type of love, and that's why you think carefully about the men that you meet before deciding whether you could really love them. You don't just develop a crush on someone overnight: you look at a person's personality and other aspects of their life before deciding to form an attachment. If a guy doesn't meet your expectations, you would rather be alone. Your love has to be perfect. Be careful though, you could be missing out on some worthy relationships because your standards are so high.

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Friday night, around 1130PM, a friend texted me asking if I'd want to accompany her in watching "Eraserheads Live: The Final Set" in MOA the night after. I cannot reaaly say that I am a HUGE fan of Eheads but I have always liked them, I maybe not the biggest fan they have but I am a fan nevertheless.

Eraserheads is probably one of the best, if not "the best", rock band in the history of Original Pinoy Music. You can say that they are probably "the Beatles" of the Philippines. But as the old saying goes, evrything good or bad, must come to an end.

As the band sang thier marvelous hits through thier used to be frontman Ely Buendia, you can't help but be nostalgic... As I sang along with them, I feel sad and happy at the same time. Sad in a way that it has finally come to an end, and happy that I was there to hear them play for the last time.

I had goosebumps all over!

"At ngayon
Di pa rin alam
Kung ba't tayo nandito
Puwede bang itigil muna
Ang pag-ikot ng mundo"

As the band sang thier last song for the night, the infamous "Ang Huling El Bimbo", and as fireworks lit the night sky, Ely set to fire the famous "Sticker Happy" organ with a lighter fluid... it was indeed thier Final Set!

And then there they were.... The Eraserheas!

"Forever would be fine"

I still can't get over "Reveloutionary Road" and here to quote probably the most compelling scene in the movie:

April Wheeler: So now I'm crazy because I don't love you, right? Is that the point?

Frank Wheeler: No! Wrong! You're not crazy, and you do love me. That's the point, April.

April Wheeler: But I don't. I hate you. You were just some boy who made me laugh at a party once, and now I loathe the sight of you. In fact, if you come any closer, if you touch me or anything, I think I'll scream.

Frank Wheeler: Oh, come on, stop this April. [He touches her for an instant and she screams at the top of her lungs before walking away. He chases after her]

Frank Wheeler: Fuck you, April! Fuck you and all your hateful, goddamn - [He breaks a chair against a wall]

April Wheeler: What are you going to do now? Are you going to hit me? To show me how much you love me?

Frank Wheeler: Don't worry, I can't be bothered! You're not worth the trouble it would take to hit you! You're not worth the powder it would take to blow you up. You are an empty, empty, hollow shell of a woman. I mean, what the hell are you doing in my house if you hate me so much? Why the hell are you married to me? What the hell are you doing carrying my child? I mean, why didn't you just get rid of it when you had the chance? Because listen to me, listen to me, I got news for you - I wish to God that you had!

I have recently watched "Revolutionary Road" and I still can't get over the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated for an Oscar, I am not very sure if it was due to technicalities that the movie didn't receive any nominations from the academy this year. Almost every year, Leo makes a great movie with great performance and depth, he's really showing depth in his acting and still no acting nominations from The Academy.

I must admit that I have always loved Leo ever since, way back "Marvin's Room" to "Romeo and Juliet" to "Catch Me If You Can" to "Body of Lies" and of course who could ever forget "Titanic".

Kate always give good performances in portraying each character she have had, and she had 6 best actress nomination, the 6th being her first golden statue. She even won Best Actress (Revelutionary Road) and Best Supporting Actress (The Reader) in 2009's Gloden Globe Awards.

For me, Leo's performance in Revolutionary Road was outstanding, it was simply great and heartfelt, he became Frank Wheeler. Probably, for me the best part was that of the day before Kate Winslet tried to abort thier baby herself. The scene where they were having an arguement when Kate told Leo that she doesn't love him, that she actually hates him. Leo was astounding, you could see in him the shock, the love, the hurt and all other mixed emotions he has. You can't help but feel for him in that scene.

Every movie he makes, he gave extra-ordinary performance, and almost all the time, he was snubbed of a nomination from the academy. Come to think of it, when was the last time he got nominated in Oscar's?

To quote one line from April Wheeler, "no one forgets the TRUTH, everyone just gets better in lying"

Random pictures of anything: