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.