LOMA 305

Remember that entry about my free Starbucks coffee? If yes, do you also remember the reason why I had been hanging out in coffee shops at that time?

me and Pisay/Elbi tropa after Red Box session at GB

W.O.C.D.T - HELMET DIVING

 

Finally, I was able to find some time to post this. The last installment of the W.O.C.D.T. series. :)

To complete our Bora activities, we allowed ourselves to be submerged was that 15? feet below sea-level, and had a one-of-a-kind experience of playing with some fish.

THANK YOU STARBUCKS! AND FATE

Normally, my office breakfast would consist of 4 pan de sals, 2 packs of retail mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee purchased from a coffee dispenser in our pantry. A couple of days back though, I had a change in routine.

I had these for breakfast!

Starbucks' Christmas Blend - Peppermint Mocha

FOR FREE!
How?

bagel with cream cheese

W.O.C.D.T. - PARASAILING

Another activity we did in Boracay was Parasailing. :)

This one is the most expensive among the activities that we did. It comprised >20% of our budget. Geez!

BEHIND THE CAMERA

/*Warning: This is not something for you to read. I just felt the need to write this*/

OY, YOU!

I hate to admit this, but I still think of you. A lot.

/*Don't you dare click that button*/

W.O.C.D.T. - ISLAND-HOPPING + SNORKELLING

As part of our Boracay activities last September, me and my friends procured a boat and went on an island-hopping escapade.

 

We played with the water, took picture of the islands, took pictures underwater, snorkelled, and did a lot of other crazy stuff.

WHAT ONE CAN DO THERE

 

Once upon a time, there was a handsome little boy who fell in love with a very beautiful...

ADBENTYOORSAM

 

This was supposed to be ‘part 3’ of my Adventuresome series, the Zorbing bit. BUT...

the zorb

wanderlusts - loitering in the airport parking

ADVENTURESOME 2: ZIP IT!

To complete my Davao Extreme Adventure Weekend (ching!), I and my friends Jed, Sybil, Lesele, and Luningning went to Diversion Road to zipline! We chose Outland Adventure over Zipcity because we heard that Outland has a longer trail. Also, they have a double trail, plus you may opt to zip the line by doing a “Superman position”, i.e. prone position (lying face down) with arms spread sideways or at the front as if mimicking a flying Superman.

Me <-- all geared up for the zip

JIGGY JIGGY, CALL THAT GIRL BOJANGLES

Whenever SUGARFREE does a live act in Feb Fair (annual event in my alma mater), I am always there in the front row.

When I bumped into them at the backstage in one of our dance gigs (Wow! I just realized we shared gigs in the same event; though technically I did not perform that day), I unashamedly asked for a picture with frontman Ebe.

And when they had their last performance as a band in Eastwood, I struggled with the rain just to be there.I just wanted to see their last moment together as a band. And also sing with them, no, shout with them all the lyrics that I know. That night my heart cried together with the rest of the crowd's.

ADVENTURESOME: Wakeboarding in Davao City - The Real Deal

At the start of the year, I posted about my wakeboarding adventures in Davao. It was funny because I did NOT really participate in such activity at that time due to unfortunate reasons (read the blog linked in the previous sentence), and yet a lot of people /*mostly strangers I assume*/ visited that page, perhaps to gather some info about wakeboarding in Davao City. I know that for a fact because that post is the #5 most popular post in this entire blog -- see right panel for proof. *grin* I imagine the horror on their faces when they finished reading my post and not getting any relevant info.

 
So anyway, here's the real deal. Before August ended, me and my friends went to Deca Wakeboard Park, which is located at Deca Homes Resort Residences, Tacunan, Davao City. It's just a couple of miles away from my high school campus in Mintal, Davao City.

For those who are interested to wakeboard, I believe these are the rates:

HOME SICK HOME: Idiotic, Nostalgic, and Adventuresome

our family residence at Tagum City, Davao del Norte

IDIOTIC

It was the last weekend of August. I was pretty giddy while on that idiotic evening flight to Davao. I remember I was all happy and excited whilst reading the Sunday paper and sipping some house coffee. I will be seeing my family! Aside from seeing my relatives and friends, I will be meeting my high school batchmates for a day of extreme activities (ziplining, wakeboarding, etc.) in Davao City. I couldn’t even care when my flight seatmate noticed my odd grinning, I was just excited.

I tried to read my paper, just to be compliant with my Sunday routine. However, my eagerness made it difficult for me to focus on the articles. I only managed to remember two news clips.

SWEATING IN FRONT OF A MOB NEVER FELT THIS GOOD

For months, I've been dying to post this vid but I can't find a good reason to turn it into a blog entry. Finally, I managed to find an opportunity. That's because this entry is going to be all about dancing. :)

If you didn't know it yet, I dance. It is a passion I have since I was a kid. I danced while I was struggling with my strenuous high school curriculum in Pisay. I danced while completing my baccalaureate degree in Los Baños. And even now while I'm learning the ropes in the corporate world, I still dance. Heck, a handful of my friends ONLY know me as "that guy who dances". They don't even know I have a day job.

PRU LIFE UK TURNS 15

Our company, Pru Life UK, is now celebrating its 15th anniversary; it means that Prudential has been in the Philippines for 15 years. :)

And with that, we treat the public with a Libreng Sakay campaign last Friday, where we gave away 75,000 MRT tickets for the commuters to enjoy. We distributed in SM North, Cubao, Shaw, Ayala, and Taft stations.

Our newsletter cover featuring some of my officemates

THE "TIE"-BREAKER

Yesterday, when I came back in the office, right after I took a two-day vacation leave, I saw this on my desk:

*Psycho tune plays*

Oh noes! The company uniforms are here. *frowns* This means adieu to my favorite dress shirts. And ties. And cardigan. And other preppy look. *frowns*

FELICITY

Day after our dance gig at Tomas Morato...

Despite the fact that I partied the previous night (It's a Friday, and it’s stupid not to drink in a cocktail event), I woke up early that morning. And I assure you, it's not a regular feat for me to wake up early on a Saturday. Or to be exact, it's not a regular feat for me to wake up early.

However, I really pushed myself to get up that day, because I know that it's a big day! Not for me though. It's a big day for the kids! Today is my department's schedule to visit our company-sponsored Gawad Kalinga (GK) village, the Pru Life UK GK Felicity Village, which is located in Parañaque.

I was actually over-excited to meet the kids because I have been looking forward to give them some goodies, and do the community some good. Because it's such a nice thing to do good to people! Oooh, I'm such a kind individual with a big golden heart. <-- Who is this person? Haha.

THE WITTY BOOK <-- Buy one. Now!

Finally I got my own copy of the "Akala Mo Lang Wala Nang Slumbook Pero Meron Meron Meron!" Notebook/Slumbook.

I know, I know. Sounds high school right? Totally childish. However, it was so funny and charming, and very smart. So who was I to resist?

THAT WITH THE ORCHID BANNER - The Rest of the Story

the Hong Kong flag

As I thought my previous entry would be too cramped with pictures and might take forever to load, I decided to cut it into two. And here's the other half of it.

Let me continue showing you my trip.


THE CITY

I honestly failed to prepare some HKD, worse, I forgot to withdraw some cash (of any currency) while I was back home. I only have with me some bucks that my boss handed me. Aside from that, zilch.

THAT WITH THE ORCHID BANNER - The Arrival

It was more than just a business suit affair

A few weeks back, I posted the image below in my Facebook account with a caption that says... "COMING SOON...". I thought I was trying to foreshadow to all of my friends about something, when in fact I was just expressing my overwhleming excitement over the fact that...

SALT & SPICE: Mission Accomplished

(recounting mode)

It is my last night and I’m in my hotel room. I couldn’t sleep. Luckily, my mindless switching of channels led me to a few interesting treats:

1. A reality show about a daring man undertaking dangers (and survival) of the Earth; in the current episode, I watched him run inside a tunnel while an oblivious full-speed train chased after him. He narrowly escaped, and I know I was supposed to be at the edge of my seat rooting for him to live. I wasn’t. Next channel.
2. Fullmetal Alchemist! Yay! Wait, Hohenheim versus “Father”? This is it! This is the better F.A. series that featured the “actual” ending in the manga. Fullmetal Alchemist; Brotherhood, was it? Not a fan of manga? Okay I’ll stop now. Next channel.

DISCLAIMER!

I am not losing my interest in writing!

It's just that I've been very busy lately. I've been juggling work, family, personal life, and 3 different money-making endeavors (in short, raket). Note that one of these is dancing, i.e. time-consuming.

Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to two people. (1) YOU, my beloved reader. I know you've been so lost these days since you're not hearing a lot from me. Lol. /*This item could be imaginary for all I know.*/ And.. (2) ME. I feel really sorry for not having enough time to write. I know hundreds of ideas had already piled up in a corner of my cerebrum. But I promise, I'll do my best to put them all into writing.

I will slowly regain my pace in blogging.

Thus, let me jumpstart this whole drama with the re-launching of my 2011 Laundry List. :) I know I already posted an entry about this. However, I realized just recently that my velocity in completing the tasks is really poor. Mid-year has already passed and I have only achieved 5 out of 24. Pity, right? So now, I am putting it as one of my "pages" as a constant reminder that time is running and I would need to complete as many as I can to be able to feel fulfilled. :)

For those who have not yet read my 2011 laundry list, here's the re-launch.

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Also, let me post my photos of me, mama, and nanay. They are here for a week and I went out with them last Sunday.

mama & nanay @ market! market!

mama & nanay @ serendra

MATADOR OR NINJA? WHY CHOOSE, HAVE BOTH

Geisha wall painting

TORO BAR & RESTAURANT is a recently opened fine dining hub in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, that serves a mix of Japanese and Mexican cuisine. (IKR)

When our company moved offices from Makati CBD to the Fort BGC, we were saddened by the reality that our new address wasn't surrounded with the same amount of food hubs as the old one. So when I learned about this new resto opening, I was largely delighted - especially as Toro is located near our office. So near that we had the same street address!

CRAVING FOR SUGAR?

Thanks to the long weekend I am able to tread the cyberspace for extended periods. It's quite a while since I last posted, and that was because I've been juggling work, dance, et cetera for the past weeks. While I was away from the keyboard, I have done the following: completed a summer dance workshop, continually attended our Urban Elite (my dance group) weekend trainings, dropped from a dance commitment (in a dramatic way), signed up for an inter-office contest, and went for a solo trip to Boracay.

Each of those are a story to tell, but I won't be writing about them now. What I really want to post at this moment are pictures of these delicacies that I'm currrently enjoying. Sonja's cupcakes!

ALWAYS LISTENING. ALWAYS UNDERSTANDING.

Our code "Always Listening. Always Understanding." emphasizes our belief in the Power of Listening as our main tool to provide solutions to our clients. This ad has been airing for a month now, and has targeted slots of top-rating primetime shows like Mara Clara.

Just want to share to everyone, since I'm proud of our company and our products.

If you are interested to learn more about Pru Life UK and its products, go to this website.

THE DEVIL IS HERE

Last week, my hands had been itching to get a hold on this certain parcel that I practically did not want to receive. I was reluctant to get it because I shudder at the thought of possessing it.

OFF TO THE PORT OF GALLEONS!

Another entry in my 2011 Laundry List is to travel to at least two local destinations that I’ve never been to before. And this summer, I had accomplished ½ of that by visiting Puerto Galera.

MY NEWEST VALID ID

In the 4^th of March I processed my passport as I had already acquired my DOST clearance.

I requested for a regular processing of my passport, i.e. 25 working days. However, no passport showed up on the 26^th day, neither on the 27^th. I started to worry as there might had been issues encountered in the processing of my passport. Was my name not cleared properly from the watchlist? Was it because of the NBI thing that I was worried about? Before my paranoia solidifies I called up my courier service provider. They confirmed that there were no problems with my passport approvals as DFA would have called me if there was. They assured me not to worry as they were pretty sure that there were just delays in “printing” the passport. The DFA has been encountering printing delays for some time now, thus, backlogs and follow up calls became as common as sunlight.

The following week, I received this parcel.

Containing these...

Now that’s another huge thorn removed from my chest, plus another crossed out entry in my 2011 Laundry List. Sweet!

And with all the sound my vocal cords could muster, I holler...

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ANDROID NUMBER WHAT?

Android No. 18

At the start of 2010, I lost my Nokia 5800 XpressMusic when I went for a night out alone. That night I bar hopped from posh L.A.X. in Pasay to more bourgeois bars in Malate. I partied hard, got drunk, and benevolently handed my mobile phone to a nameless entity. Gawd, I couldn’t even remember where I lost my phone. I didn’t even know if I was robbed or if the gadget simply slipped off my pocket.

Anyway, after the long grieving, I swore to myself I’ll get a good replacement phone; something that I really wanted so that I’ll take good care of it. Back then, I had decided to shift from Nokia to Sony Ericsson as I figured out that S.E. hardware is more durable, camera is better, plus the user interface is a lot more hip than that of Nokia. Every bit of any S.E. unit is surely worth my fortune.

I searched the S.E. website looking for the perfect unit for me. I was eyeing Vivaz when suddenly this not-yet-out-in-the-market (then) phone caught my attention. It was the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. It was love at first sight. <3 I was attracted mainly to its sleek appearance, large screen, cool slide transitions, and the fact that it already runs on Android OS (whatever that means).

Since then I couldn’t stop raving about the model. I could hardly stop myself from grabbing strangers by the collar and yell, “You should buy X10!”

I had also made clear to everyone I know that I will purchase a unit before the year ends. On 2010 Christmas I should already be using an Xperia X10. That was the dream. With that I started saving up. I knew it will be a tough task for me as (1) the phone was expensive, and (2) I am not exactly the frugal type. Luckily, I was able to save up, but sadly, I used all of it when I quit my job last August and became a bum for two months. *frown*

So when 2010 ended, I didn’t get a new phone.

January, my birthday month, came. Just when I was about to let go of the dream (by starting to eye HTC units), I came across an ad in sulit.com (Manila’s version of craigslist) of a pre-loved X10 unit being sold for a little over half the price. I just couldn’t pass that up. I pooled cash through borrowing from friends, and then purchased my birthday gift to myself. It was of good condition, with an upgraded OS, and a still valid warranty.

With this, I crossed out another entry in my Laundry List, i.e. to purchase an Android phone. Yay.

/*I am looking at posting an entry on a dummy guide to Android OS, or at least an explanation for the non-techie (from a non-techie) of what the rave was all about. Hope I can squeeze that in soon. Also, after months of using X10, I am now considering selling it and purchasing HTC Desire, maybe because of the lack of upgrade to Froyo of my current phone. Don't understand why I'm talking about food in a gadget topic? Wait for my next Android entry. (sniggers)*/

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Photo Credits

www.sonyericsson.com

http://monroega.us/cityhall/?module=forum&action=view&m=dragon-ball-z-android-18-goku-android-16