Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas!!

Sorry mga ka-blog, medyo busy lang ako ngayong mga araw na ito kaya hindi ako masyado nakakapag sulat at tambay dito sa blogsphere, pero marami na akong gusto ikuwento. Miss ko na rin ang pag-blog kaya sana, sa mga darating na araw, ay magkaroon ako ng konting panahon.

Ngayon, gusto ko lang kayong batiin ng Maligayang Pasko! Sana mag-enjoy tayong lahat sa piling ng ating mga kapuso, kapamilya, at mga kaibigan. At sana, huwag nating kalimutan ang tunay na diwa ng pasko . . . ang pagkaanak ng Panginoong Hesus upang iligtas tayong lahat.

Lets all have a good one boys and girls! Ingat sa high-blood at gout! hehehe

:-)

Monday, December 15, 2008

wala lang masyado

Its been a busy December, as I've previously blogged. Reunions here and there. Going home at 3am. It's fun but it would be more fun if I didn't have work the next day. Not that I'm complaining. Bring on the beer!!

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Packing stuff for our house transfer keeps us more busy. I discovered that we have a lot of junk in the house and I had to throw them all away. Mostly old boxes, magazines, brochures, old clothes etc, etc. We packed most of our stuff. We're actually using paper plates this week hehehe. It doesn't matter anyway since Sofie is with my in-laws this week and Jan and I would probably eat out the rest of the week because of our last minute shopping. Our freezer is almost empty which is ok since we'll be going to Baguio this weekend (for 4 days!) and I'll be turning off the ref.

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As of yesterday, we've packed 20 boxes and counting. Sheeesh. The good thing is, we won't have to unpack everything when we transfer because we'll be transferring again by June (God willing) to our new home. We visited the property and it is now being constructed. Knowing that you've purchased a property and seeing it being constructed for the first time have are two different feelings. When I saw the structure, I felt . . . happy and excited! It's nice to see where all our hard work is going. Although, we need to work harder for our future, at least we know we're on the right track.

Reminds me of this dialogue I heard from the TV series "Bones" (although I'm not familiar with the characters who said it since I don't watch it regularly):

Man: "Why are there somethings that are harder to do?" (or something to that effect)
Woman: "So you'd know if it was all worth it."

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Tomorrow's my big day and I really have nothing planned. Sad thing about it is, I won't be spending my birthday with Sophie. At least we have a long holiday this year (almost 2 weeks, and almost 3 weeks for me) and I'd get to spend time with my family.

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Pasensya na kung di ako masyado nakakapag-update sa blog mga ka-blog, baka ako kasi ang ma-KABLAG ni esmi pag nahuli nya ko na nag co-computer at di inaayos yung mga gamit namin e, hehe!

:)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

three years na!


It was our 3rd year wedding anniversary yesterday.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!


:-)

Monday, December 8, 2008

memories

Spending time with old friends do bring back a lot of memories. From the good to the bad. Makes you wish you had a time machine and re-live all of them. We had a good time last Saturday night, me and my buddies. We started off with a few drinks and a lot of reminiscing. We've known each other since we were like 12 or 13 years old, and I can't help but feel proud about where we are now.

See, back in the "old days", we never thought that we'd be in our current "grown up" situations. All we cared about was being together, doing stuff together, with all the laughter and tears (just like what Raymond Lauchenco sang in Bagets), basically, just hanging out. To tell you honestly, some parents in our subdivision wanted their kids to hang out with us because in spite of all the drinking and tambay that we were doing, we were considered (or perceived) to be a good bunch of kids. I remember one mom, who passed away a few years ago, talked to me personally to include her son, who was four years our junior I think, in our gimmicks (even drinking sessions) because she feels that we're a good influence to him. When most of the group were already working (circa 1999), we didn't have much time to spend with each other like we used to and unfortunately, that mom's fear became a reality. Our friend, her son, Ryan was murdered. It was a drug related murder and I can never forget her mom crying while saying to me: "Bam, patay na kaibigan mo . . .". It was painful to everyone of us.

We were also reminiscing about the good times: Gimmicks at PEPS, Padis Point Greenbelt, bowling at Coronado Lane, Arts Venue (which by the way are no longer in existence, talk about growing old) , ligawan blues, the art of introducing one's self to girls, etc, etc.. How we manged to do all these, without celfones and even beepers is way beyond me.

What hit me is that, even if we haven't been seeing each other for a long time, everything seemed like we picked up where we left off. We're still the same people, although more matured, who grew up together. Now, more stuff has been added to our kuwentuhan repertoire: kids, family, buying property, how expensive milk is, how cute and at the same time makulit our kids are, work and a lot more grown-up stuff.

Can't wait for our next inuman session. Kampai uli!

:-)

Friday, December 5, 2008

moni oyat!

Sayang, di ako makakasama sa x-mas outing namin ngayon. My officemates are going to Subic today para sa x-mas party namin. Ganun talaga pag maraming inaasikaso. Yung pag lipat ng bahay, pag ayos ng mga gamit, check-up ni misis at kung ano ano pa.

Ok na rin siguro kasi umuwi yung isang barkada ko from Japan and we're planning to have a get together this Saturday. Kung kasama ako sa outing, malamang pagaod na ko sa Sabado at hindi makaksabay sa pag-inom sa barkada kong balik-bayan na parang balon din na bahay-alak.

Medyo matagal-tagal na rin kami na di nagkikita ng mga tropa ko'ng 'to. Si Deki ay kababata ko sa ParaƱaque. Kalaro sa basketball, kainuman, kasama sa ligawan, party, tugtog ng gitara sa kanto, yosimate, etc, etc. Naalala ko nung college pa kami, tuwing araw ng Linggo, umiinom kami sa gitna ng basketball court. Nagsisimula kami ng mga 9pm hanggang mga 1am. Gin ang iniinom namin nun. Chaser ang Sprite. Pulutan namin durog na Sky Flakes sa Century Tuna.

Tatlo kaming umiinom tuwing Linggo: Ako, si Deki at si Marte. Marami kaming barkada, pero tuwing Linggo, kami lang ang parating magkasama. Minsan yung iba sumasma pero madalas kaming tatlo lang. Madalas kami mag gitara at nagkakantahan pag nagiinuman kami sa basketball court. Madals din kaming mag kuwentuhan ng kung ano-ano: aliens, buhay ni Jose Rizal, chicks, mga banda, chicks, kanta, basketball, chicks, gimmick, chicks, buhay kolehyo, chicks at kung ano-ano pa.

Ang tagal na nun. Ngayon, hiwa-hiwalay na kami ng tirahan. Si Deki nasa Japan, Si Marte sa Cavite at ako naman sa Mandaluyong. Si Marte naman ay nakakasama ko paminsan-minsan pero si Deki, huli ko yata syang nakita mga 3 or 4 years ago. Wala nga sya dito sa Pilipinas nung kinsasal ako. Sa wakas, magiinuman uli kami, di nga lang sa basketball court , pero ang importante, magkakasama kami uli.

Kampay!

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Babati muna ako: I'd like to thank Shai, a former officemate, for visiting my blog. Sabi ko sa'yo iblo-blog kita e. Hehe! Thanks for visiting!

:-)

Sunday, November 30, 2008

house hunting

It's so hard to look for a new home. We've actually seen one but we're trying to find an apartment within the area where we live now for two reasons: 1) Jan's pregnant and our hospital of choice is near where we live now as compared to the 1st apartment that we've seen, the one near where we bought our property and 2) We want to be near our families, for emergency reasons, since we've been having yaya woes lately.

We went to look at some apartments last night and we didn't see a place that we liked. This morning, I hired a tricycle to so that we can get around and cover more ground more quickly.We found some good apartments that were too expensive or big for us, and we found cheap apartments that were either too small or too is located in a neighborhood that we didn't like. Not that we're choosy, its just that I want to be comfortable in the next place we live in and since we're paying the rent with our hard earned money, I'd rather live in a place that I like.

We're giving ourselves until next week to find a place near where we are now. Anyway, we have a fall-back apartment that we can transfer to if things don't pan out here.

We're packing stuff already, starting with the things that we don't use on a daily basis: books, old clothes, kitchenware, toys, dvds, etc. It may seem simple enough, but it really isn't. You'll never know how much stuff you have until you pack them all up. I didn't realize that we've acquired a lot of things over a span of three years!

Note to self: Ask the real estate company if they could add a storage area / room to the new house.

:-)

Friday, November 28, 2008

Busy December

December is a few days away and it's going to be busy for me and the family. My brother Ian and his wife Marcy will be coming home from London to spend the holidays here in Manila. We'll be spending a few days in Baguio with the family, and I'm excited because I haven't been to Baguio for quite a while (last time was back in '95 I think, though we've been going there every year before that). It will be Jan's second time and Sophie's 1st time to be there.

It will be our 3rd year wedding anniversary this December also, though we really don't have anything planned, Jan and I will probably have a dinner date . . . just the two of us to celebrate this momentous occasion hehe. We'll look out for the weather because since it rained during our wedding day 3 years ago, we've noticed that it always rained on that day. I take it as blessing and yes, I feel that we've been blessed for the past 3 years.

I'll be turning 32 in a few weeks time . . . yup, I'll be saying sayonara to the number of days in the calendar. I thought that it (being a year older in a few weeks) will feel weird but I guess I kinda accepted the fact that I'm all grown up already haha. Nothing's changed really, well . . . nothing major anyway. I'm not planning on having a party or anything because I'm saving up for our Baguio vacation. I'd probably just have dinner at home with Jan and Sophie and whoever is available to join us.

Christmas will be a busy day as well, not to mention the days leading to the birth of Christ. We still haven't bought gifts yet and I'm sure we'll be experiencing and cursing the Christmas rush in the weekends to come. Oh my poor, poor feet . . . Oh my poor empty wallet!

We'll be moving out of our unit, hopefully by next week to transfer to a new apartment and just thinking about it makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually looking forward to it, but just the thought of packing and unpacking in a matter of hours, makes me want to drink Gatorade at this very moment.

Christmas parties and reunions are sure to be one of the highlights next month but we probably won't be able to go to all of them. I'll try my darn best to attend all of them though. What's a party without me, right? hehehe

A busy December it may be for me, but I think that everything will go well. 'Tis the season to be jolly and I hope everyone enjoys it!

:-)

Thursday, November 27, 2008

hmmm

Sometimes I wonder what's in store for me in 5 years time. I saw this family at the chapel the other day together with their two kids a girl who's around 5 or 6 and a boy who looked much younger. With Jan 5 months pregnant right now, in 5 years time, we will be like that couple. Its something that I'm looking forward to and at times, I wish I'm living that future already.

In some ways, I can relate to the movie CLICK starring Adam Sandler. When Adam Sandler discovers the power of the remote, he used it to re-live the good times and fast forward thru the bad times in his life. In the end, he missed a lot of things that he should have experienced if he didn't use the time-traveling-universal-remote. Its a good thing that he was given a second chance.

Sometimes I wish that I could just coast thru life, especially during trying times. Sometimes, I wish that time would stand still so that I can enjoy a particular happy moment. But time does move on and everything moves along with it. More often than not, I'd look back at my past problems and remember how hard those times were for me and just laugh about it. I also reminisce about all the good times and just feel great about them.

Unlike Adam Sandler's character, we don't get second chances and we only live once. Good times, bad times, we all have to live through it. What we make out of these experiences is what really matters.

For now, I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride and when the time comes, I'll laugh about writing this post hehe.

:-)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Friends!


I'd like to thank Maya for this award! I'm passing it to everyone in my blog roll. Kunin nyo na mga friends! :-)

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

cute daw ako!

Got this from Vayie and Dylan.


Thanks! I think I'm cute too! hehehe. Ayy! Yung blog ko pala!

Here are the rules:


- Each blogger must post these rules.
- Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
- Bloggers that are tagged need to write ten facts about themselves. You need to choose ten people to tag and list their names.
- Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and also to read your blog


MY RANDOM FACTS:

1) I am the eldest of 6 brothers.
2) I am currently addicted to Snickers Chocolate bar and I buy at least 2 bars every time I visit the grocery.
3) I can drink like a fish. The last time I did some serious drinking, I started at 10pm and went home around 7am. I lost count of how many bottles I've had, but I'm pretty sure that its more than my fingers.
4) I love rock music but I also love listening to Barry Manilow, Rey Valera and even . . . Air Supply hehe
5) I hate spicy food! Not even for pulutan.
6) I can't drink beer or have coffee without smoking. I try, but I really can't. Whenever I'm in a non-smoking coffee house or bar, I'll always be the guy who'll go out for a smoke.
7) I don't have a driver's license. The last time I drove a car was way back in college when I smashed the bumper of my Dad's car. That's why buying a car was never a priority for me.
8) I hate commuting on a bus or jeep. I'd rather take a cab. Hmmm maybe I should buy a car.
9) I sleep late. I go to bed at 2am. The earliest at 12mn. I usually watch TV or read before I sleep.
10) I always have a cigarette before I go and do my business in the toilet every morning. I can't take a dump without having one smoke. Must be psychological. I don't give a shit as long as I can take a shit every morning hehe.

Now, in the spirit of cuteness, I want to share this award to everyone in my blogroll!
Kaya ko nga kayo binabasa e dahil cute kayo, este, cute mga blog nyo! At pag binisita ko blog nyo dapat makita ko to ha?

What are you waiting for? Take it! Take it!

:-)

Ohh Yeahh!!

OHHH YEAAHHHH!!! Manu Ginobili is back in action as the Spurs beat the Memphis Grizllies 94 - 81. Things are looking so good for San Antonio especially since Tony Parker is expected to be back in two weeks. Can you say PLAYOFF?

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OHHH YEAAHHHH!!! Marlon finally got voted out of Survivor Philippines last night! Its about bloody time!

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OHHH YEAAHHHH!!! No work on Monday! Maybe this is one thing that I like about our present government. They keep on moving the holidays so that people can have long weekends!

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OHHH YEAAHHHH!!! I'm watching the Jokjok Bolante senate inquiry. Nothing beats the drama of senate inquiries. Better than GMA 7 or ABS-CBN 2 tele-novelas!

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OHHH YEAAHHHH!!! We found a new apartment last weekend. We're planning to move-in in two or three weeks time. Thank God!

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:-)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

lipat bahay

Naghahanap na kami ng bagong apartment. Nakatanggap kami ng notice na hindi na kami i-rerenew ng aming tinitirhan na condo type apartment. Actually, matagal na namin iniisip na lumipat dahil medyo mahal ang renta namin. At dahil may mga binabayaran na kaming bahay na binili namin a few months ago, malaking tulong na rin ang pag-lipat sa mas murang apartment kasi biruin mo, nagbabayad na kami sa bahay na matitirhan palang namin pag dating ng May or June next year, nagbabayad pa kami ng renta na pagkalakilaki! Kung baga, dobol dead!

Anyway, di na rin ako na gulat na hindi kami na renew. Nagkaroon kasi ng pagkakataon na nakipag away ako sa office ng condo. Pinutulan kami ng kuryente at tubig dahil delayed daw kami magbayad. Una sa lahat, dalawang beses pa lang kami na delay sa tatlong taon naming tinira sa unit namin. Hindi naman sa dahil wala kaming pambayad, medyo sa mga pagkakataon na yun a busy kami pareho ni esmi, at di kami makakuha ng oras para makapag-bayad.

Nung araw na pinutlan kami, sakto na inutusan ko yung yaya namin na sya na ang magbayad. Ayaw ko kasi na sya ang magbayad dahil sasakay pa ng jeep para makarating sa opisina at baka mamaya ay madukutan pa sya, patay yung pambayad namin.

Dumating yung yaya namin sa office a few minutes after kami maputulan. Tinawagan ko sila para ma-reconnect kami. Ang sabi sakin, nakaalis na daw yung mag re-reconnect. Sabi ko " anong nakaalis na e kakaputol nyo lang?!". Medyo napikon ako dahil ang daming nakatambay na tao nila sa compound namin, at sa tingin ko kahit sino sa kanila ay puwede mag-switch on lang ng kuryente.

"Ang schedule po ng reconnection 5:30pm pa."

Hindot! No goli pa ko! Pano yan?

Bam!: "Ang dami nyong tao dito na puwede gumawa nyan. Di naman kailangan ng engineer para mag switch on lang di ba?"

Office Girl: "Hintayin nyo na lang po."

Bam!: " Hindi puwede na hanggang 5:30pm dahil may baby dito sa bahay, at baka kung ano mangyari sa kanya dahil mainit!"

Office Girl: " Hintayin nyo nalang kasi kasalanan mo naman na late kayo e."

Bam!: " Di ko naman sinabi na di ko kasalanan e. Di naman kada buwan late kami. 3 years na kami dito. Kahit tignan nyo pa record namin! TIGNAN MO RECORD NAMIN!!!"

Office Girl: " Hintayin nyo nalang 5:30pm." Nanginginig na boses na parang iiyak.

Bam!: "Hintayin!? HINTAYIN?! T****NA MO! HINTAYIN MO KO DYAN!!!"

Pinigilan ako ni esmi na mag punta. Nanginignig ako sa galit. Siguro, takot na takot yung mga tao tuwing may pumapasok sa opisina nila. Baka hinihintay nila ako dumating na may dalang baseball bat hehe. Pero inaamin ko na mali ako, at dapat mas mahinahon ko syang kinausap.

Dahil dito, di na rin ako nagulat sa sulat na natanggap namin. Ok lang. Talaga naman nagbabalak kami lumipat kahit na magbigay sila ng renewal e. At pagod na ko umakyat sa 4th floor. Wala kasing elevator.

Sa kabutihang palad, may mga nakita na kami sa internet na mga prospect na lugar na puwede lipatan. Pupuntahan namin this weekend. Sana ok. Malapit yung mga prospect namin sa binili namin property. Kaya gusto ko rin lumipat sa area na yun ay para masanay na rin kami na dun nakatira, total naman lilipat na rin kami sa area na yun next year.

Exciting din maghanap ng bagong tirahan. Sana lang may magustuhan kami sa mgapupuntahan namin.

Wish us luck!

:-)

I love your blog!

Got this for Sharlyn (Being Myself). Thanks! Love your blog too :-)




The rules of the award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on his / her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you have nominated.

Previous awardees: Mabelle, Prily, Ate Norma, I Love Philippines Too, Shenga, Nova, WebbieStuffs, Nancy, Webloglearner, Pinay Wahm, and My So Called Life, Let’s Spice Things Up, Beauty and Shop, Idealpinkrose, allin, kimchiland, Korean Food, The Paper Vision, Embrace Simplicity, Me and Mine, A Window To Our World, A Grateful Heart, Can of Thoughts, A Mother’s Stuff, http://housewifeatwork.blogspot.com/, MommaWannabe, Lourdes Mia, Praning’s Shoutout, When Silence Speaks, Etc Atbp, Aeirin’s Collections, Life is What we Make it, Underneath It All, Cellulitic Bliss, 100% Kelly, C'est La Vie, Our Family Adventure!, As We Face Forever, BeinG mYselF, The Pakarazzi Experience

I am passing this award to Vayie, Garet, Clare ( who has 3 sites: click here, here and here) Kiko, Azrael, Hazel (who has another site, here) Shiela, MarcoPaolo, Eymi, KumagCow, JoshMarie, Maya, Dylan, Buzzing Flower Pecker and Sej

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

malamig ang simoooy ng hangin . . . .

Ilang araw nalang ay Disyembre na. Sigurado ako na nabalitaan nyo na rin na mahaba ang baksyon sa buwan na ito. Simula nanaman ng pag shopping ng mga regalo sa mga inaanak, pag plano ng mga party, pag hanap ng murang paputok na pang New Year at pag-kain ng bibingka at puto bumbong. Sa totoo lang, ito an pinaka nakakatad na buwan para mag trabaho. At bakit naman hindi, e sa kakaisip pa lang sa mga party na pupuntahan natin e tatamarin ka talaga hehe. Sa Enero nalang pro-problemahin kung magkano ang nagastos at malamang, tataas nanaman ang benta ng biogesic dahil sa dami ng taong sasakit ang ulo pag nag-compute na sila kung magkano ang nailabas na pera nung bakasyon hehe. Ang hirap din gumising sa umaga kasi ang sarap matulog dahil sa lamig ng panahon. Ngayon palang e sigurado rin ako na malaki na ang kinikita ng neozep dahil sa dami ng taong may sipon.

Kahit papaano ay lagi kaming may budget ni esmi na pang regalo pag pasko. Nagtatabi na kami at minsan, may mga taon na maaga palang bumibili na kami ng mga regalo. Isa sa mga target namin na bilhan ngayong taon ay ang Divisoria. Mura talaga ang mga binebenta dun. Beterano rin si Jan sa tawaran at minsan, ako na ang nahihiya sa mga nagbebenta hehe. May isang taon nga (pero medyo matagal na 'to) na lahat ng pinsan ko at mga inaanak at pamangkin (medyo marami yun ha), pati na rin mga kaopisina ay nabilhan ko ng regalo sa budget na P3,000! Di ko lang alam kung puwede pa ngayon yun, pero sigurado ako na mas makakamura kami sa Divisoria, pati na rin sa mga ibang tiangge sa pag bili ng mga regalo.

Ako naman, bale wala naman sakin kung may regalo sakin o wala. Ang importante, magkaroon ng panahon para magsama-sama ang mga kamag anak at kaibigan, para sabay sabay i-celebrate ang kapaskohan. Minsan lang sa isang taon tayo nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon para makita-kita uli. Sa tingin ko, habang tumatanda ay mas importante ang oras para mag sama-sama kesa sa ano mang regalo.

Naku, malapit na rin akong mawala sa kalendaryo sa Desyembre. Pero ok lang. Ganun talaga. Sa tingin ko naman ay nag-enjoy naman ako at dahil sa lumalaki kong pamilya (next year meron nanaman akong bago baby na mangungulit sa amin, tulad ng pangungulit ni Sophia ngayon), sigurado ako na mas magiging masaya at exciting ang mga susunod pang Disyembre.

:-)

Friday, November 14, 2008

weekend nanaman!

Its Friday again and, by golly, time really does fly. We have nothing planned this weekend so maybe we'll just spend time watching dvds. I bought Sophie Dora and Sesame st. DVDs from a sale here in the office (its our company anniversary and we usually have sales on cds, dvds and vcds to celebrate the event, salary deducted of course), just so I can be spared of the Barney videos that Sophie's been watching for the longest time. Sophie has lots of Barney dvds and she's been watching them religiously that I can sing most of the songs! I was disappointed though since there were few dvds on sale so I just bought vcds for my self. While dvds is superior in terms of picture and audio qualities, I have no problem buying vcds. Besides, they're relatively cheaper (2 for P140) and are salary deducted, so oks lang!

What I noticed about vcds is, cartoon titles have more noticeable pixels compared to the movies. Maybe its because of the colors of the cartoons, but I really don't know why. Anyway, I bought 19 vcd titles, which will last me through the holidays! Patay nanaman ako kay Jan nito! Hehe

I don't think we can go out on Saturday as Sophie just came from a fever. We didn't get to go to work yesterday because Sophie kept us awake with her crying the whole night. Thank God she's feeling better now. It really does break my heart to see her like that.

Anyway, its a pay-day weekend and I really hate going to malls during this type of week. I'd rather stay at home and rest. I'll be going out of town for a business trip on Monday and I'd rather spend time with my family. I also bought NBA 2K9 today so I'd probably be trying it out this weekend.

*** To my brother Patrick who reads my blog all the time: Humanda ka! May 2K9 na ko! YOUR ASS IS GRASS!!! Hehehe ***

Hope y'all have a great weekend!


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My site's been having lots of visitors lately and I just want to thank you all for visiting. MARAMING SALAMAT and I hope you enjoy your visit. :-)

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Xmas tree

Malapit na ang pasko. Siguradong mas nakakatuwa ang pasko ngayong taon dahil marami nang mga bata. Last year may mga bata na rin pero di sila kasing kulit tulad ngayon. Lat year, gumagapang palang sila, ngayon, tumatakbo na!

Noong Linggo, natulog ako pagkatapos mananghalian. Pagkagising ko, ang aking mahal na esmi ay nag-aayos na ng Christmas tree. Nagulat ako. Ang bilis nya! Parang isang oras pa lang ako naatulog, dami na nya nagawa.

Tumulong naman ako kahit papaano at natuwa ako kasi mas maa-appreciate ni Sophie ang Christmas tree namin this year.

Share ko lang yung konting pics namin (na hindi nanaman ako nakasama hehe):












Wednesday, November 12, 2008

something to share

For the past few months, I've been going to church regularly. Not just every Sunday, I go even on regular weekdays at least twice or thrice a week. I think I've come to a point in my life when I feel that there's something missing. Sounds kinda cliche' but thats how I feel. Its a good thing that we have a small chapel in our building that celebrates mass during lunch time and late in the afternoon.

They say that sometimes, God allows us to have problems because it brings us closer to Him. I'm guilty of only praying whenever I need something. It's something that I want to change. Hearing mass and praying regularly not gave me the chance to ask for something, it made me realize that I am blessed. We all receive blessings everyday without us even noticing. The great thing is, now I'm starting to feel my blessings and I have a lot of things to thank for.

Now I do not go to church because I have to, I go to church because I want to. It gives me guidance, peace of mind and the chance to thank Him for everything in my life. Now, I have something that I've forgotten for sometime now: Faith.

:-)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

survivor blog

I knew it! I knew Kiko will be voted out! I couldn't watch Survivor last night because of an event that I had to attend to, but I asked my aunt to text me who was voted out. Personally, I think the guy deserved it. Marlon (who is also in my vote out list) played his cards well. That's the way you play Survivor! The games objective is to outwit, outplay and outlast for Pete's sake! Being complacent, especially at this stage when everyone has an equal chance to win the prize, is something that one should not be.

I think the next target should be Zita or Rob since he already has 1 vote against him because of the cursed black pearl. I'd vote off Zita first because people most of the tribe likes her and she'll most probably have sympathy votes if she's left in the final 2 or 3. It will be great to watch how Rob will redeem himself, knowing that he's the easiest person to vote because of the pearl.

If I were Marlon (hehe), I 'd steal the black pearl so that Rob will have 2 votes against him. If I were one of the Jarakays, I'd use Marlon to the hilt before voting him out. But that's just me.

:-)

Sunday, November 9, 2008

tv shockers

TV has always been a part of my life. I loved watching tv as a kid and I'm still a regular couch potato now. In fact, here I am at home watching The Longest Day ( and old war movie about WW2 invasion of Normandy starring John Wayne ) on DVD while Jan and Sophie are in Glorietta with my in-laws, probably having a good time. Sometimes, we don't notice it, but we get too involved with events on tv that it could sometimes just ruin our day.

Here are some real life examples:

Seeing that it was already late, I opted to stay in the office to watch Survivor Philippines last Friday. It was almost 10 o'clock pm and I didn't notice the time as me and some of my office buds were just hanging around. It would take me a good 20 mins to go home an I wouldn't want to miss the tribal council so I texted Jan that I'll be home as soon as Survivor's over. I wasn't able to see Last Tuesday's and Wednesday's episode, so I didn't know that Marlon (the snake hehe) was wreaking havok amongst the new tribe, seemingly convincing some of the old Naak members to "switch" alliances. I was so surpirsed about this development and because of this, I was really glued to the tube.

When tribal council came, Marlon and, to my delight, Kiko both got some votes and eventually were tied. As the final vote was about to be revealed, the show's credit suddenly appeared, signalint the end of the show.

All I can say was: "P***ng ina! P***ng ina! Syet! Syet! Putol! Syet!!! Aaaaarrggghhhh!!!"

Needles to say, I went home fuming right after the show. When I got home, I asked Jan why the show was cut. She was also surprised. I went to sleep wondering who was voted out, and cursing the show's producers hehe.

The next day, I woke up and turned on the tv, hoping that the Spurs were on BTV or ESPN. There wasn't any live game on BTV so I switched to ESPN. The first thing I saw on the screen was Tony Parker limping back to the dug out.

Simultanously, I said: "oh no . . . oh no . . .OH NO, OH NO, OH NO, OOHHH NOOOO!!!"

Jan: "Bakit"

Bam!: "Oh no! Oh no! Oh No! OOOHHH NOOOOO!!!!!

Jan: Bakit nga?"

Bam: "Natapilok si Parker . . . . Aaaaarrrggghhhh!!!"

Jan: "Wala si Ginobili?"

Bam!: " Injured nga!!! Oh no! Oh no! OOOOHHHH NOOOOO!!!"

I watched the replay and saw that it was a freak accident. He didn't step on anyone's foot. He sprained his ankle while he was driving to the ring. And to think, Parker just came off a 55 point game the game before. Thankfully nothing's broken, but he'll be out for a while and now the Spurs will really need to step up.




Needless to say, I was bummed out the whole day because of this. Now they're down 1-4.

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Its a good thing I decided to watch a movie tonight that I've seen lots of times before. I don't think I can handle another tv shocker. Besides, everyone knows the Americans won the invasion of Normandy hehe.

:-)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

wala lang nanaman

I've been in a non-blogging mood for the last few days. Nothing worth writing about and most of my web activities centered on my new FACEBOOK account. For those of you who have one, please add me scharlesg@yahoo.com :-)

I think that FB is better than Friendster because its more interactive and the interface is more user-friendly. I even linked this blog site to my account so friends can read my blog even without visiting my blog. Jan actually was the first one to sign up. When she told me that I'm "so jologs because you don't have facebook" I signed up right then and there hehehe! Now I tell her "you're so jologs because I have more friends than you!" hehehe

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I can't believe that the San Antonio Spurs has lost three games in a row, making them 0-3 at the start of the season. Losing Manu Ginobili to injury really hurt them. I hope the team steps up and win their next game. I also can't believe that the Detroit Pistons traded Chauncy Billups, Antonio McDyess and Samb to Denver for Allen Iverson. I think Detroit lost more than what they got and Denver gained more, specifically on the defensive end. The good thing is, there's talk that McDyess might have a contract buy-out, which makes him eligible to join another team after 30 days for a minimum veteran's salary. I hope the Spurs get him, just like what they did when Michael Finley's contract was bought out (which worked for them) and when Damon Staudamire was in the same situation, which really didn't work out but what the hey, it was worth to try.

With the western conference getting bigger and stronger, McDyess can add additional and much needed muscle to the Spurs.

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Obama won the US presidential election today by a landslide. Their first African-American president. What impact will this have in our country? I don't know, but I hope something positive comes out of it in a global scale. The guy looks ok and I heard his very moving victory speech. I wonder when our politicians will reach that level. Its my personal choice not to vote for the last few elections because I feel that we need new people and not the same old politicians as our leaders.

McCain congratulated Obama when he conceded and urged the people who voted him to do their part for the benefit of their country. In our country, losers will almost always demand for a recount. They're so sure that they were cheated. You know what they say: " Ang magnanankaw galit sa kapwa magnanakaw" hehe.

Change is drastically needed in our country right now and I hope that in the next election, I can vote for someone who I think is qualified.

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Its time to put up our Christmas tree once again and I'm very excited to see Sophie enjoying the blinking lights and other ornaments on the tree. I'll post some pics once we're done putting up our tree.

:-)

Friday, October 31, 2008

pakarazzi express no.4

Stayed at home the whole day. We planned to go out for groceries but decided to sleep the afternoon away.

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Our cable service has been out for two days. Good thing GMA7's signal is clear so I was able to watch Survivor Philippines. The bad news is, Jace got voted out. I wish it was Marlon.

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Sophie and I started singing along with each other while eating dinner. She can actually carry a tune hehe.

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Just signed up for a Facebook account. I think it's better than Friendster because it has more interactive features. Add me up!

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Spurs lost in their first game of the season against the Phoenix Suns. Crap!

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I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow as I'll be going to the Libingan ng mga Bayani where my Lolo Maeng is burried.

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Ate Tapa and Eggs for dinner. Yum yum!

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Saw the last episode of House MD a while ago. Can't wait for the new season.

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Happy Halloween every one!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

100th!

Oh my! This is my 100th post! I've been thinking about what to write in this post, this being my 100th and all. So I decided to write about a special event that happened today, October 30, 12 years ago.

12 years ago on this day, I had a date and a certain lady and I went out and ate at Shakey's Greenbelt, the one in front of Landmark, now being occupied by choco-resto Max Brenner. Everything happened so fast that the only thing I remember was, when I came in, I was with a friend and when I left, I was with my girlfriend hehe (read the story here).

Its been 12 years since Jan and I have been together. We've experienced it all. We had a lot of good times and certainly a lot of bad times too. We were, in a lot of ways, the same and in a lot of ways, different. I think what kept us together all these years is that we complement each other. We were not just boyfriend and girlfriend, we're and still are the best of friends.

We're both free spirits. We wanted to explore life together and we still are. 12 years ago, I never would have thought that we would be where we are right now, although I am very certain that I wished it. Thank God my wish came true.

12 years and going strong!

:-)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

NBA na uli!

NBA is back in season! I'm so excited! I hope the Spurs make a good run this season. With Ginobili injured and cannot play during the first few months, the boys from San Antonio should step up. Even if the Spurs added some new and younger blood on the team, the core still remains the same and age is certainly a factor in this sport. The good thing is, the team's defense always, ALWAYS, works, even when their offense is on a slump. Their defense saved them from losses time and time again.

Other teams that I'm looking out for are:

Utah Jazz : Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Kyle Corver are the new Stockton, Malone and Hornacek. Not to mention Andre "AK-47" Kirilenko's shot blocking prowess and Okur's shooting touch that drives the defense (and often times, myself) crazy.

Phoenix Suns : Any team that has Shaq is a title contender. Nash is so amazing that and I enjoy watching him play.

Detroit Pistons: Good starters, solid bench. Sheeeeed! Sheeeeed! Sheeeeed!

New Orleans Hornets: Cris Paul. Need I say more?

Boston Celtics: Tittle defense run. Can they repeat? Lets wait and see.

GAME NA!

:-)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

yaya woes

Its hard to find good help these days. We've only had 2 yayas, and our present one's been with us for more than a year. The problem with our present yaya is that she has a lot of personal problems, mostly because of her family and these problems affect us also. She's been taking days-off during our working days and sometimes she comes home with her small kid and sometimes kids (yep, 2 of them). There was even a time when her sister had to stay with us for two weeks because she had undergo tooth extraction for two consecutive weeks and she asked her sister to help out because she had to rest. Sometimes we go home and find some members of her family at home and she never told us that they were coming. Almost every Monday morning we get nervous because she doesn't come home on time and there were times that she doesn't come home at all, with no text or phone call to inform us.

This happened yesterday. I've been calling and texting her and I never got a reply. Now we're so fed up that I'd probably fire her today. She said "they" were coming over this morning, and I'm assuming that she has her kids in tow, so I said not to bother as we were dropping Sophia at my in-laws and we should just talk tonight.

Now I'm not a matapobre kind of a person. I treat our yaya like family. Her family has been servicing our family for the longest time and she even was my yaya when I was still a toddler. Her mother was my lola's labandera for years, and she still goes there whenever there are odd jobs available at the house. The thing is, she takes this for granted and to me, not texting us that she can't come is an insult and a slap on the face. The only reason why we put up with her is because I want to see my baby when I go home and when I wake up in the morning. But now, I think I can live with Sophie staying at my in-laws during working days temporarily until we find a replacement, just so I won't have these weekly yaya headaches.

I think that we've been kind and understanding enough with her but it has come to a point that we're being stressed out because of her. Its hard to be considerate to someone who is inconsiderate to you. I'm tired and I think enough is enough.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

ako na bahala . . . (konting angst lang)


Eto lang masasabi ko sa mga makapal ang mukha. Kilala nyo kung sino kayo. Malapit na oras nyo. Matagal na ko'ng pikon at alam ko na alam nyo na mainit dugo ko. Pasalamat kayo at di ko kayo nakikita araw-araw at kung hindi, araw-araw nyo mararamdaman pagkainis ko. Kilala nyo ko. Wala akong sinasanto pag galit ako. Nakita nyo na kung pano ako mapikon di ba? May nagawa ba kayo?

Umayos-ayos kayo dyan. Marami na 'kong naririnig.

Alam ko na nababasa nyo 'to.

O, ano? Ano masasabi nyo?

Wala? E ganyan naman talaga e. Wala kayong yagbols. Magsamsama pa kayo.



Friday, October 24, 2008

manilenyo


I've always been asked what province I hail from. Its very typical for us to be asked this question, especially from people, mostly our senior, who knows someone who goes by our last names. My last name is very common and its very normal for me to meet someone who shares the same last name.

With all the years of hearing this question, I never really knew how to answer it. You see, I grew up in the metro and I've seldom gone to my provinces. Yes . . . PROVINCES.

On my father's side, my grandfather hailed from Iloilo and my grandmother came from Pampanga. Both migrants to the big city and I assume that they met here.On my mother's side, my grandmother is from Nagkarlan, Laguna while my grandfather is a very proud son of Pangasinan. They met during the war when my grandfather, who was a soldier and a PMAer at that, was in Laguna, being a part of the local guerrilla movement.

When I was growing up, my family seldom visited these places and I really don't know much about our relatives. There's a good chance that we'd meet and never know that we were related. It was very taxing for me to explain my "probinsya" situation and sometimes I wished that I really have one province to speak of. My wife's parents are both from Bacolod and for her, its very easy to say that she's Illongga. Me, I'm 1/4 Illonggo, 1/4 Tagalog, 1/4 Ilocano and 1/4 Panggalatok

Whew. Now you see how hard it is to explain.. Never bothered to learn the dialects though. It's ok since my parents can't speak them too.

To simplify my answer every time I get asked about it, I just say that I was born and raised in Manila, and only engage in conversations about my provinces when I hear an Illonggo, Panggalatok, Ilocano and even southern Tagalog accent from the person who's asking. Besides, I'm proud and happy to be a Manilenyo.

:-)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

life is like a box of chocolates . . .


I never forgot this line from Forest Gump: "Life is like a box of chocolates . . . you never know what you're gonna get". Sometimes, things don't go as planned and it would bring us down. I myself have experienced my share of ups and downs. There are times when I would be at a very high point in my life, and there are times that I feel like I have the worst luck in the world. I have always looked back to these bad times and try to rationalize why these things happen.

I found out that good things ALWAYS come out from bad things that happen. We learn a lot from our mistakes and a lot of good things happened to me in because of some unfortunate events that happened to my life. Its very hard to go through the bad times but its something that we all go through. Its a good thing that we have God, family and friends to help us out.

We can never enjoy life without experiencing everything from all the good and all the bad that comes with it. Sometimes, I'd like to think that I'm a spectator of my own life, sitting back and just waiting for what will happen next, especially when things that are happening around me are beyond my control. Just like watching a movie or reading a book. Sometimes we like the ending and sometimes we dont.

We will never know what will happen next, even if we plan ahead. We may be thinking of one thing and then the exact opposite happens. You think that you're getting the mint chocolate but when you take a bite, caramel oozes out.

But one thing is for sure: I love chocolate. And if it takes me two chocolate caramels and one chocolate with nuts to get my mint chocolate, so be it.

:-)

Saturday, October 18, 2008

survivor philippines

Ok, so I'm addicted to Survivor Philippines. So addicted that I joined 2 sites about the show:

www.survivorphilippines.com the unofficial site and www.survivorphilippines.tv the official site.

Both sites are ok but I guess I like the unofficial site better because I can watch episodes that I've missed thru video streaming.

My personal final three would be the following castaways:

1) Vern - the cutie taekwando coach is the heart of the team. She's always gets the job done and she gets along very well with everybody. She is a true warrior and I hope she wins the whole thing.


2) Jace - the youngest castaway and by far the most matured in my opinion. It's obvious that he's in this game to win and just like Vern, he's very effective as a team member. Puts the tribe first. Even voted off his friend for the good of the tribe.


3) Cris - the guy cracks me up! He's also a team player. Doesn't care what people think of him, even though he acts like a jackass from time to time (he thought he could maneuver a boat the way he drives a car) . Naak's Chitae will surely be there when both tribes merge.


Castaways that I'd like to see voted off :

1) Marlon - He just can't stop yapping and his bark is worse than his bite, as seen in the last two challenges. Yes, he is useful to Jarakay because he can cook, but anybody born in a country where rice is the staple food CAN cook rice, and, when the Jarakay peeps realize that, this dude's out!

2) Nikki - What is she doing there? Why is she still there? When will she be voted off? How can Jarakay win with her in the tribe? She's lucky John was sick or she would've gone home on the last tribal council.

3) Kiko - I don't know. Nice guy? I just don't buy his personality. He's got this "holier than thou" thing. I think its crap. The game is Survivor and to win you have to outwit, outplay and outlast. If he can't hack it, if he thinks he has values that cannot be compromised to win the game, then I think he should play Gobingo instead.

Oh by the way, I'm so glad that Patani was voted out, but I'm bummed to see her active on tv (seriously? SERIOUSLY??!!). Well, I guess she deserves to be on TV for a while, since she worked so hard just to get her "exfosure". I just hope she doesn't get "overexfosed" or her 15 minutes of fame will end very quickly.

I don't believe that people in reality tv are doing what they naturally do in their everyday lives in front of the camera. Case in point: don't we all smile or make face or fix ourselves so we'd look good whenever someone's taking our picture? Same thing in reality tv. Everyone wants to look good because they're aware that they're being filmed.

That's just my theory.

But hey, I do enjoy watching it and I hope things get more interesting as the days go by.

:-)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

KBL

Isn't it weird that as we grow older, we tend to see most of our close friends during K - kasal, B - binyag (ng mga anak) and L - libing (grandparents or parents)? When I was younger, I never thought that I would hardly see my friends when I grow up. I always thought that we'd get to see each other as much as we wanted to. But, as they say, the only thing that is constant is change, and yes, a lot of things changed over the years.

While we do keep in touch, with the help of modern technology from pagers, to celfones and now through YM, it seems that we only see each other during special occasions, and its very rare that everyone's available. There are always one or two persons in the group who couldn't make it. We try to get together during Christmas but last year's gathering did not push through.

There's always a hight probability that all your friends will be there during weddings, but the downside is that the one getting married doesn't have enough time to talk during the reception and often times would just have time to say hello while going around each table. Real close friends would stay for a while, not minding that most of the guests have gone, just so they'll get the chance to chit chat as a complete group.

I went to the baptism of my friend Mark's 2nd child in ParaƱaque last Saturday. Its been a while since I've been to that area. I used to live there and our family left and transferred around four years ago. As expected, most our friends couldn't come because of various reasons. We talked about having a get together once every quarter. Most of our kids are girls and we think that the kids should get to know each other as they grow up, which is one of the reasons why we're planning this. Our wives said that they'll do the planning and all we have to do is do the spending. Personally, I'd rather plan than spend hehe.

I heard that the mom of our friend died a few years ago. This friend has chosen to be estranged from us for personal reasons that up to now, I do not understand. Had we known, we would have one there, but we found out much later. Death is a fact of life and we all go through it and I think that pain and sadness is a bit lessened when one is in the company of close friends.

It is impossible to have gatherings as much as we want to now that most of us have out own families, but I know that we try our best and that's good enough for me. I just hope that the quarterly thing pushes through.

Basta, sagot ko lechon manok hehe!

:-)

LSS

One song that I can't seem to get out of my head these days is this. I know that everyone is praying for this in whatever they do in their daily lives. We all need this from time to time and if you have faith, it does happen.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Pakarazzi Express # 3

Our Business Planning presentation is finally done and now I can get back to business! Been doing the presentation since Monday and its a good thing that it went well. I've been playing playstation every night since Monday just so I can loosen up and relieve stress.

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I'm looking forward to November because I have some out of town trips planned and Davao and CDO is in my itinerary. I always love going to Davao. Its one most beautiful places in the country! I've made some friends in CDO and I'm excited to have the chance to see them again.

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Today was very freaky! Freaky Friday! Still can't say why :-)

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Why do I suddenly have the urge to listen to this song?



To download, click here.

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I was talking to my friend about how God gives whatever you need whenever you need it, no matter how impossible it may seem. I agree. It's happened to me. Still happening, actually. Galing!

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Looks like its going to be a very rainy weekend. I certainly hope not. Rain or shine, have a happy weekend!

:-)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

justice?

Went home a bit early because of some domestic brouhaha, but still needed to do some work for our presentation this coming Friday. I'm actually using my downtime to write this.

Anyway, I saw on the news that Claudio Teehankee, who was imprisoned for shooting and killing Maureen Hultman and her friend inside an exclusive subdivision back in the 90's, will be released from lifetime imprisonment because GMA commuted his sentence.

I really can't believe that they're considering to let him go. How can they release a murderer? Well, they released a plunderer so this really doesn't surprise me. I also heard that Teehankee was being considered because of good behavior. If only he was behaving the time he shot those people, then he wouldn't even be there.

I say let the f***er rot in jail. Otherwise, anyone will think that they can kill and pretend to behave inside their cells with the knowledge that they'll be out in a few years because of good behavior.

He took a life for pete's sake!

I don't get this at all.

Yup, I'm definitely buying a gun. Their letting killers out of jail now.

Monday, October 6, 2008

buzz on the bizz

No time to blog. Up to my neck for our biz planning this coming Friday. Nothing worth blogging anyway, unless you want to know our biz plan for next year, not that I have any intention of blogging about it.

What's on my mind right now:
- mktg strats
- sales targets
- industry movements
- swot analysis
- this year's accomplishments / revenues
- fearless forecasts hehe

This will be my longest week ever! Hehe

:-)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Sophie's early x-mas gift

I bought Sophie a 2nd hand battery operated 4-wheel motorcycle from an officemate for a really cheap price. I've been wanting to buy her that for this year's Christmas but the brand new ones are a little pricey at around Php 4k (minimum). Good thing my officemate sold it to me for just P1.5k, still a little pricey, but cheaper compared to the new ones. The toy is still ok, although the stickers on it are faded already, but its ok 'coz the important thing is the motor works and Sophie enjoys playing with it.

We were planning to use it yesterday, which was a holiday, but because of the rain, Sophie had to play it in-doors.

Here are some pics:


Sophie's new Harley!

Sophie: "Ang layo na ng narating ko a!"

Sophie: "Nawawala na yata ako!"

Sophie: "Kasya kaya si Barney dito?"

Sophie: "San ba gas station nito?"

Jan (before I brought home the toy): "Bakit ka bumili nun? Gastos lang yan!"
Jan (after I brought home the toy): "Kasya Kami!"


Jan: "Sophie, ako naman. Alis dyan!!"

Monday, September 29, 2008

common ground videos for parents and kids


I saw Hallmark's version of Jack and the Beanstalk - The Real Story on DVD this weekend and I enjoyed their version of the story. Its a different story from what we all heard when we were kids. I actually like Hallmark's productions and I have some of their DVDs: The Odyssey, Gulliver's Travels, Merlin and Earthsea.

I'm planning to collect more of these productions because I want my kids to enjoy these stories, as much as I enjoyed them when I was growing up. Most of them are on sale anyway hehe!

I've collected a lot of cartoons on VCD and DVD way way before Sophie was even born. I have The Lion King (all 3 of them) Toy Story 1&2, Mulan 1&2, Dinosaur, Hercules, Beauty and the Beast, Alladin (all 3), Emperor's New Groove, Alice in Wonderland, Bambi, Merry Poppins, A Bug's Life and a lot more of the classic Disney Cartoons. I watch them from time to time but most of the VCDs in my collection have not been opened yet. Come to think of it, I should have opened and tested them because now, I can't return them anymore if ever they're damaged.

Anyway, I'm glad that I collected them 'cause now, Sophie and her soon to be kapatid, can watch these cartoons and kiddie films that I also enjoyed. Its something that me and my kids can talk about while drinking . . . melamine free milk hehe.

:-)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

who moved my cheese?


I read this book I think about 9 years ago. Everyone in our marketing team was encouraged to read books by our boss and this was one of the books that I've read. Its about how one should cope through life. Trust me when I say that if you haven't read it, you should. That's why I'm having the e-book version linked here for download. Enjoy!

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE
click to download

:-)

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wordplay

How come its ok when the word "vagina" and "penis" are said on a foreign (US) show on tv but our local shows can't have the words "puke" and "titi"? Just something I asked myself when watched a US talk show last night. If one of our local shows mention both words, MTRCB will be on their ass faster than Joey De Leon could say "itaktak mo!".

Of course, there's the acceptable word "ari", kaya lang, parang ang haba gamitin: "ari ng lalake, ari ng babae" and the shorter version is so much easier to say. We don't even use the word "ari" in our everyday vocabulary.

I mean, is this a double standard? Are we more open to English words and find the terms more acceptable? Hell, there's even a play called Vagina Monologues? Pano kaya tagalugin 'to?

Just thinking out loud.

:-)

Monday, September 22, 2008

blessings

Last Saturday, we went to Trinoma after going to the property that we purchased. I left Jan in Landmark because she wanted to shop for maternity clothes (she gave away her old ones because she didn't expect to be pregnant for quite some time). I went around and got really tired of walking. I didn't buy a anything except for Pugad Baboy 17 from Powerbooks for P120. Not for anything, I really wanted to buy something for myself, I was even looking for the Haviannas store, but I decided later on that I rarely wear flip-flops a.k.a tsinelas anyway because I don't want my feet to get wet if ever I get caught out in the rain. And besides, I still can't justify to myself buying a P700 pair of tsinelas, regardless of how comfy it may be.

Anyway, after shopping, Jan and I went to Krispy Kreme to grab a bite and rest our feet. I was so tired. We were there around 3pm and we went to the donut store at around 8pm. Pati likod ko masakit na! As we finished our late merienda, Jan went to the comfort room while I waited for her at the table. Then, out of nowhere, a girl, around 19-21, sat down beside me holding an envelope. I pretended not to notice and started to text so that she won't talk to me but when I suddenly looked at her direction, she was looking at me. My initial reaction (to myself) when she sat down was: "Pano naman nakapasok 'to?" and "Asan ba yung guard dito?". She then said " Sir, share your blessings" while placing the envelope on the table with a smile on her face.

Those words hit me. I'm still thinking about those words now. So, I put money on the envelope (not that big) and then I just said "Ok. . .". She then said "Sir, Ok lang ba?" and then I replied "Yah, ok lang". Then she left after saying "thank you po". I think she saw the reaction on my face when she sat down, that's why she asked if it was ok.

"Share your blessings". It took that incident to remind me that yes, I am blessed. I'm not filthy rich. God knows that Jan and I are earning just enough, what with all commitments that we have financially, not to mention raising a kid and anticipating another one next year. I mean here I am, most of the time praying for something better for me and my family, while I should be very very thankful that I am, we are, where we are now. No we can't afford to buy a car right now, nor can I afford to have vacation trips or even watch a movie every week unlike a few years ago, but I am still blessed:

Blessed with my family (Jan, Sophie, our new baby, my parents, brothers, my father and mother in law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, lolas, etc) including our yaya, who takes care of Sophia everyday.

Blessed with a happy marriage.

Blessed with friends who I can truly trust.

Blessed with a home, electricity, food, clothes, a job and even some money to take a cab to and from work everyday.

Blessed for even having some extra cash to even think about buying Haviannas, DVDs, some clothes, stuff for Sophie and Jan and other things.

To think that some people have to beg just to eat their first meal of the day.

I think there's nothing wrong in praying for better opportunities that will help your family. But it doesn't hurt to stop and look at what you have right now and be very thankful. Looking back, with all the things that has happened to me, I know that I was and still am very blessed.

:-)

Friday, September 19, 2008

wala lang uli . . .

Ang bilis naman ng mga araw. Friday nanaman! Parang mas mabilis ang araw pag BER months. Pero bakit pag suweldo ang hinihintay, parang ang tagal, hehehe.

May plano kami mag-date ni Jan bukas. Pupuntahan namin yung model unit ng property na binili namin, doon mismo sa site. At dahil malapit ito sa Trinoma, malamang, mag-HHWW kami doon. Syang nga lang at walang magandang palabas na pelikula this week. Napanood ko na yung Hellboy 2 and The Mummy 3. Mas gusto ko sana manood ng sine kesa sa mag-ikot dahil sa tingin ko, mas mahal mag-ikot sa isang mall na may kasamang buntis na maraming reason para bumili ng mga bagong damit na pang japorms hehe.

Malamang, maghahanap na rin kami ng bagong appartment na malapit sa area na binilhan namin ng property kasi mag-e-expire na yung contract namin sa condo this december and parang ayaw ko na mag renew. Mas-ok siguro na lumipat na doon sa area na yun para di na kami masyado mag-a-adjust pag lipat namin sa aming munting palasyo next year. Para masanay na kami sa lugar.

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Just bought Season 2 and 3 ow How I Met Your Mother. Non-stop laugh trip kami ni Jan, as in! Again, if you haven't seen it,you should.

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I've seen a few episodes of GMA 7's Survivor Philippines. Instead of having 1 episode per week, they stretched it to five. The good thing about it is that you get to know the contestants more (and of course, they get more sponsors) but I noticed that some of the commercial gaps are done during the challenges, thereby killing the momentum for the viewer. But if it works for them . . . .

I don't know if these contestants has seen the original series, but I think most of them haven't, otherwise, they wouldn't commit the mistakes (which most of them have been doing since ep 1) and get booted out early.

My advice to the contestants (or future contestants)?

1) Don't come in too strong. Badmouthing people on the first day will definitely have you booted out.
2) Don't be too naive. A self confessed Survivor fan got booted out because of his naivety.
3) Always look out for number 1. Yao Man was a good guy, always thinking of his team mates, and lost.
4) Fly under the radar. Remember Ethan Zohn? One of the best payers of the game. Won a million dollars!
5) Make yourself useful, but not too useful that you'll seem like you're threat.
6) TRUST NO ONE! 'Wag kayo aanga-anga! hehe

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Oo nga pala, nag yoysi ako uli, pero nabawasan na. Minsan 3 times a day na lang. Di ko na sya hinahanap masyado. I think lalakas lang uli pag yosi ko pag yung tipong may gimmick but other than that, status quo na siguro ang 3-5 sticks a day. A big improvement compared to almost 1 pack per day, don't you think?

Happy weekend boys and girls!

:-)

Monday, September 15, 2008

rumblings . . .

Why do Mondays always feel boring? Is it because of a weekend hang-over? Most people I know never look forward to Mondays and I swear I don't too.

I think that sometimes, people including me don't realize how good we have it compared to other people. I mean here I am bored out of my wits while there are a lot of people out there who can't be bored at work on Mondays because they don't have a job. And whenever I think about this, it always propels me to find something to do and work.


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It's payday today and I should be excited, but every 15th of the month, I'm scheduled to pay my bills: credit card and celphone bills, as well as our house bills: rent, electricity, cable, water and the house that we just bought . . . oh my . . .

Diet muna, hehe.

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Last Saturday, I just stayed home and did a little sound tripping again. This time, I listened to all my Bonjovi faves. I don't care what other people think. I was listening to Bonjovi since high school an I can never forget how I loved the songs Never Say Goodbye, She Don't Know Me, Blood on Blood, Wanted Dead or Alive, Born to Be My Baby and I'd Die For You.

I wanted to upload the mp3 but I think there's something wrong with the network.

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I also finished season 4 of Battlestar Galactica. I just have to say: Grace Park, the actress who played Boomer / Athena is soooo hot! Yun lang!











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Got to go. Bibili pa ako ng gatas and diaper hehe. Have a productive week everyone!

:-)

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

old, old music

I've been reading about blogs and other articles about the Eraserheads lately. Funny thing is most of the writers are college students and fresh grads who weren't even born or couldn't walk yet when the band started playing together. I found it weird because to me, it really doesn't feel that long ago!

Then it hit me: maybe what these kids are feeling is the same with what I felt when I became a fan of Juan De La Cruz back in the 90's when the band no longer existed.

Ganun na nga siguro.

Anyway, since everyone's remeniscing about the good ol' 90's, I decided to share some of the songs that I frequently listened to while getting wasted with Red Horse beer while having tuna and Skyflakes as pulutan.

Click title to download.


Enjoy!

:-)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

tuesday happenings

Jan and I went to the hospital today because she's been experiencing pain on her left side. We were worried that it may be pregnancy related and our OB suggested that we have it checked. We met my cousin Mel who's a surgeon at Manila Doctors (our hospital of choice) and he helped us around the hospital. We went to the Medicard section and we were informed that the doctor will be in at around 3 or 4 so we had to wait. While waiting, we decided to have an ultrasound since we were in the hospital anyway and our OB required us to have one.

Ang haba ng pila! We had to wait for more than an hour and nakatulog na nga ako while waiting. Buti nalang di naisipan ni Jan na kunan ako ng pic habang tulog hehe!

When it was our time already, I felt so excited! I was very excited to see our new baby for the first time! Jan was only 8 weeks preggy so I know that maliit pa yung baby pero still . . .

And there he/she was, our new baby. He/she was so small, shaped like a peanut. They said that our new baby looked normal and the heart rate was normal as well. I felt so good when I heard that. I even recorded our baby's heartbeat. Ang saya!

After the ultrasound, we went to the medicard doctor and, to make the long story short, the pain that Jan was feeling wasn't pregancy related. It was just an ordinary muscle spasm that can be relieved by taking paracetamol. More good news for the day!

We went home after we got the official results of the ultrasound which was around 5:30pm already. We arrived at the hospital around 11am. We were there for more than 6 hours! Ok lang, at least I know that my both my babies are ok.

Thank God!
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Of course, inaliw namin sarili namin when we were at the hospital. Ito yung mga nakakaliw na nangyari, a.k.a. KALTOK MOMENTS:

Bam! : "6 days na ko di nagyoyosi."
Doc Mel: "Ahh . . ."
Bam! : "Pero kung sinasabi mo na ok lang mag yosi kahit may konti pa ko'ng ubo, at dahil doctor ka maniniwala ako, mag-yoyosi ako."
Doc Mel : "Isipin mo nalang na sa bawat usok na hinithit mo, namamatay yung mga germs sa baga mo hehehe"
Bam! : "Galing mo!"


Pag-pasok sa ultrasound room . . .

Lab Tech: "Paki tanggal po ng pantalon"
Bam! : "Pati ako?"


During the ultrasound, nangamoy utot. Di namin alam kung san nang-galing (sa kabilang room pala, we later found out).

Jan : "Umutot ka no?"
Bam! :" Di no! Sa labas amoy utot din e."
Pumasok yung lab tech at naupo sa upuan sa may paanan ni Jan at in-operate yung ultrasound machine.
Bam!(nakatingin kay Jan): "Siguro ikaw umutot no?"
Lab Tech (biglang sumagot): "Hindi no! . . . . Ay . . . sino po ba kausap mo?"
Bam! "Asawa ko hehe."
Lab Tech: "Ay, mukha akong defensive hehe"


Lumabas uli yung Lab Tech. Nakita ko yung isang kahon ng mga condom na ginagamit sa pag ultrasound.

Bam!: "Ang daming condom dito!"
Jan : "O, ano ginagawa mo?"
Bam! "Kukuha ako . . ."
Jan : "Ano ka ba?"
Bam! : "Ang mahal ng ultrasound dito, sa condom ako babawi! Hehe!"

FYI, I returned the condoms. Binigay ko sa pinsan 'kong doctor, sinilid ko sa bulsa nya, tapos binalik nya sakin, tapos sinilid ko uli sa bulsa nya. Di na nya nabalik sakin kasi nung nagkukulitan kami, biglang dumaan ang boss nya at bigla sya'ng nag-behave hehe.


Bam! : "Kilala mo lahat ng nurses dito?"
Doc Mel : "Medyo."
Bam! : "So, nirerespeto ka nila dahil doctor ka dito. Halika, dumaan tayo sa lugar na maraming nurses."
Doc Mel: "Bakit?"
Bam! : "Papatirin kita para mawala respeto nila sa'yo."
Doc Mel : "Gago!"


Habang nagreregister sa ultrasound . . .

Jan : "Magkano ultrasound nyo?"
Lab Tech: "P1,200 po."
Bam! : "Puwede ba salary deduction yan kay Doc Mel?"
Doc Mel: "Gago!"
Bam! : "Haha!"

:-)