Time flies...

Everything's a blur when you live a fast-paced life. Most often, it's because of work. A lot of people tend to put work on top of their priorities, when there's actually more to life than just that. There's an email forwarded to me (by someone, I do not recall anymore who that someone is) that I love recounting to my workaholic friends.

The teacher had a glass jar in front of the class. He filled the jar with some rocks then asked the group if they think the jar full. Of course everyone answered that it was full. Then the teacher put some little stones in the jar and shook it. The little stones filled the spaces between the rocks of course. The teacher asked again if the class thought the jar was full and again, they answered "It is full". The teacher then took some sand and poured it inside the jar. The sand filled the little spaces between the little stones.

The teacher then explained: "You see, the rocks are the really important things in your life; family, religion, friends. The little stones are the necessary things in your life; work, play, travel. The sand symbolizes the trivial things in your life. You see, if you prioritize the trivial things in your life first, there will be no room left for the more important ones."

Then one student noticed 2 cans of beer beside the jar and asked about it. The teacher then opened the beer cans and poured the contents onto the jar. "There's always room for a couple of beers."

:p

I tag you

My new name is Skippy Snickledoodle!!

We all need a little stress-reliever!
This only takes a minute.
Please don't be a bore and ruin it.

Send it on to everyone you know including the person that sent it to you.
Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some silliness to break up the day. And, if we are honest, we have a lot more stressful days than not. Here is your dose of humor!

A= Follow the instructions to find your new name
B= Once you have your new name, put it in the subject box and forward it to friends and family and co-workers. Don't forget to forward it back to the person who sent it to you, so they know you participated. And don't go all adult - a senior manager is now known far and wide as Dorky Gizzardsniffer. The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants And the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey, inwhich the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names.

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:
a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

Thus, for example, George W. Bush's new name is: Fluffy Chucklefanny.Now when you SEND THIS ON and use your new name as the subject.And remember that children laugh an average of 146 times a day; adults laugh an average of 4 times a day. Put more laughter in your day

For you...

Stop crying my dear
Wipe away that tear
For you deserve so much more

It is not a failure
Of that, I am sure
Because you learn from it

Life is tough
Things can get rough
But you will be victorious

I believe in you
Other people do too
You are a strong woman

Take it easy
Or keep yourself busy
Do what you need to move on

Someone is waiting
With a lot of loving
For you.

High School...

...is the best part of my life so far. Hands down. That's when I learned about love. That's when I met my closest friends. That's when I learned that there is more to life than just studying. That's when I learned about life.

It started out smoothly. No snags from grade school. Modesty aside, I entered high school with the top score in the entrance exams so naturally I became quite popular. I started joining organizations; dance club, math club, etc. I started competing inside and outside the school. I competed in sports, quiz bees, even math fairs. I got a lot of exposure to the outside world after being pampered for so long. This is when I learned my life's most valuable lessons.

I learned to keep my friends happy, because they make me happy too. I learned that my family is my most treasured possession. I learned that people do not need to be connected by blood to call each other brother/sister. I learned to take defeat. More importantly, I learned to stand up after being pushed on the ground. There is no problem that cannot be lightened by laughter or a smile. There are countless lessons that life can teach us but we must stop and recognize them first in order to learn.

My high school life shaped every little thing that happened to me after it. All my decisions depended on the lessons that I learned in high school. Though my world was much smaller then than it is now, it was perfect, at least for me.

Back...

I'm back from another out of town trip last weekend. I'm in the office now and got nothing to do so how better to pass time than to write? So here's what happened to me over the weekend.

Friday was a bad day for me. I left Manila with a friend going to her hometown. I slept during the entire trip! There were several waking moments but I immediately went back to sleep when I saw we weren't there yet. Yes you would imagine it was hard to get some sleep if you're riding a non-airconditioned bus during a hot night with almost all the windows closed, at the backmost seats. But I was really sleepy!

Well we arrived at her place around midnight and I was feeling a lot better. We ate and then talked until the wee hours in the morning. We were joined by her sister and her cousin by the way. That talk was quite a memorable one for all of us I'm sure.

We were woken up by this kid who became fond of me when I first visited there and we played again. I love playing with kids! :p This kid is quite special. I think when he grows up, he'll excel at whatever he does.

I was scheduled to join my friends in a nearby town later in the day. I rode a bus going there. The bus dropped me off several meters from my friend's house so I had to walk back a little. I called the three of them while I was walking only to find out they aren't at home. They went to the market and were gonna pick me up there. It turns out it really was them in the van I thought was my friend's.

We prepared dinner and while doing that, we started chatting over some brandy. We started talking about recent events, catching up on each other. And then the usual stories came out. High school life. I'll talk about that later. We were awake until the wee hours of the morning, just laughing and talking. That was the best time I had in weeks.

I came back to Manila last night and spent another hour with one of them at my place. We had a beer and then dinner before we parted, ready for another grueling week at work.

Bad Mood

The day has been bad. Early morning I had a talk with my boss. It was still quite okay then. Later in the morning there was an issue about the attendance of one of my agents. It pissed me when she gave me silent treatment. Then we went off to a movie which turned out not quite as I expected it, that was bad. And to top it all, I haven't had any sleep yet!! I'm in a bad mood.

Lunch at Dencio's Scout Albano

We were quite excited to try out the remodeled Dencio's Grill along Sct. Albano in QC. We saw the original place torn down and rebuilt as our office is right across the street. There were 6 of us in the group.

The new design is very different from the original Dencio's in the same place. If my memory serves me right, the original fostered an atmosphere for conversation. The new design looks a bit like a fastfood store. Chairs are quite hard on the buttocks and tables are.. well, fastfood tables. Food is not better than before, and the serving seems to have shrunk. And for a more expensive price at that.

Overall, I think the new Dencio's is a less appealing version of the original. And if the original closed down, I think this one will too.

Ha ha!

Sorry I just wanted to laugh at myself. The earlier post was published anyway but I do not want to delte any of my posts so I'll keep it there. If anyone is irritated by this, I apologize. :-)

San Nicolas with Irene

I just hate it when that happens. I wrote a summary of my trip to San Nicolas, Pangasinan earlier. After spending a whole half an hour in finishing that, I click on "Publish Post" and presto! An error comes out. Of course the whole write-up is already lost. So I have to rewrite the entire thing. Alright, here it goes:


The week after my trip to Baguio, I was set to join Irene, a co-worker, on her trip to her hometown. It was their house blessing and she said there would be plenty of food there. Plus she also wanted to introduce me to her sister, Olive. So we went.

Upon arriving there, I immediately felt the hospitality of the people. Everyone was busy preparing something for the feast in the late afternoon, but no one was too busy to entertain me or any of the other guests. That was nice.

Then I met Olive. We did not talk much as she was also busy with the preparations but I thought she looked as pretty as in her pictures. I was also introduced to their cousins and the other family members. They were all happy to see me (I hope).

The feast itself was quite extravagant. A lot of people came to join the celebration but there was enough food and then there was more. The dining table was filled with delicious entrees like "patatim", "caldereta", "kilawing kambing", "pinapaitan", "dinuguan", "menudo", "adobo", etc. I chose to eat only two of my favorite dishes. I went for the "menudo" and the "patatim". Both had pork as the main ingredient. The meat was cooked so well they just melted in your mouth, especially the "patatim".

The evening was spent with the girls belting song after song. When they got tired, we went to bed and I gave Olive her present as her birthday just passed. I think she loved the bracelet I gave her. :-)

We went to their church the next day to attend the service. I was introduced to the congregation. I just loved meeting all those people. I also witnessed one of the best choral performances in my life. There are only a few choir members but their voices were so in tune to each other it felt like I was listening to just one great voice! Stellar performance.

After lunch, we slept a bit as it was siesta. Then off we went to a thanksgiving/birthday/death anniversary celebration. I only ate a little but I tell you, it was hard to stop myself from getting more servings of the delicious "pancit". We came back to Manila after that.

Overall, that trip was a very memorable one. I will go back there before I go to Canada. But I will tell you about that trip next time. :)

San Nicolas with Irene

The week after the Baguio trip, Irene, one of my co-workers (standing, left, in the picture) invited me to her hometown; San Nicolas, Pangasinan. It was their house blessing/dedication. She also wanted to introduce me to her sister as she knows I was single again. *wink*

So we went. Upon arrival, I immediately felt the hospitality of the people there. I was instantly accepted as part of their family and they were all wearing smiles. Then I met her sister and other members of her family. The morning went on with the preoaration of food. And there was a lot of food!! There were different dishes of goat meat, pork, and beef. There was "kilawing kambing", "caldereta", "pinapaitan", "menudo", "adobo", "patatim" (this one I can't forget), etc. Mind you, they were all delicious so I chose two of my favorite entrees and chowed down. The "patatim" was cooked so well even the pig skin just melts in your mouth. Literally!

The night was spent with the girls belting song after song on the videoke machine. It was a treat hearing those lovely voices. I imagined them serenading me. Ha ha! I like it when a girl sings for me, especially when the girl has a really great voice and can sing very well.

The next day, we went to their church and attended the service. That's where the picture above was taken. I was introduced to the congregation. It was fun meeting all those people. In the afternoon we went to a birthday party/thanksgiving/death anniversary. I ate a little, but it was hard stopping myself from getting more of the tasty pancit.

That was a memorable trip. I will revisit the place soon. I'll tell you about that trip next time. :p

Baguio Trip in August

I went to Baguio last month and met my friend and my ex there. Last time I went to Baguio before that was July of 2004 with my ex-fiancee, so I was quite thrilled to go back. It was already cold since the rainy days have started. I took lots of pictures while I was there. I just love the scenery, especially after a drizzle. The grass and the trees are just greener and the air becomes cleaner after the rain.

Baguio is a great place for unwinding. It's nice to walk its streets, even with lots of people bustling into clothes and food shops. Yes, shopping is one of Baguio's main attractions these days thanks to "ukay-ukay". I bet even you have gone and bought something from an "ukay-ukay" store. There are lots of rough gems there if you know where to go and what to look for.

Eating is another popular pastime in Baguio. You will see food shops no matter where you go. All the popular fastfood places and fine dining restaurants are there. What you should look out for though are the little eateries that offer the best recipes. You can find many delicious entrees in the little eateries there so do not underestimate them. Plus, they also come cheap.

I loved strolling there too. We drove around in my ex-girlfriend's car and went to places like the Botanical Gardens, Minesview Park, Mansion, Club John Hay and other beautiful places.

So if you are looking for some place to go with the intention of relaxing or having a romantic moment with your loved one, consider going to Baguio.

Have fun!

This was me taken at the Yacht Club in Subic last April. I went with my fiancee and two friends. Exciting days. I was very happy and content with what I had. Then things started happening, destroying all my plans. Everything just started breaking loose.

For a time I was confused. Then I came to a decision. Again, that plan was terminated because of some new circumstances. I even had to go through a whole week of about 30 minutes of sleep everyday and maybe a bite of food, if I even had the energy and the motivation to eat. You guessed it right, it was a heartbreak.

But I came through, and decided to let it go and enjoy my being single again. That's when I started going out again, just with friends this time. Every weekend I was out of the metropolis. And it's been like that for two months straight now. I can say I'm having the time of my life again. :p

So watch out for my blogs about my trips. Ciao!

My God!

Last post was February 12??! Wow!

I apologize to you, my readers. I have failed you by not being true to my word when I said I'd write. Much has happened to me in the span of my absence here. I can say in the past 7 months I went through things some people do not even go through their entire lives. Enough of that.

I have been taking pictures in the past 2 months. I will post some of them later and tell you what happened to me. I hope you don't get tired browsing...

7 Things

Again I was tagged by my friend, Selina. 7 things this time. :-)

7 things that used to scare me
1. death
2. losing in any competition
3. being in a failing relationship
4. ghosts
5. fights (any)
6. emotional confrontation
7. living alone

7 things that scare me now:
1. ghosts
2. being in a place wherein no one speaks the same language i do
3. being broke
4. treading in deep sea
5. being in a vehicle that i can't control
6. skydiving
7. facing a shark in the water

7 things i like the most:
1. playing sports & other games
2. dancing!
3. reading books (fiction, inspirational, autobiographies, interesting facts, etc.)
4. listening to music
5. competition
6. playing with words
7. spending time with my closest friends

7 random facts about me
1. i'm a control freak
2. i'm 5'6 1/2"
3. i spent yesterday with someone i'm interested in :p
4. i'm a cheerful, loving and loyal person
5. i'm a mix of the extremes (homebody but love to travel and go out, enjoys eating a lot of food but can also stop myself from eating, etc.)
6. i'm in the office now. hehe
7. i'm an ilocano

7 important things in my bedroom:
1. my bed
2. my laptop
3. wall clock
4. my favorite books
5. my favorite dvd's and audio cd's
6. my closet
7. some documents

7 things i plan to do before i die:
1. travel, the philippines and the world (and learn the languages while i'm at it)
2. build a foundation that trains less fortunate people (language, vocational courses, anything that'll get them decent jobs)
3. be recognized in at least one sport
4. have my own wife, kids, grandchildren, house and car
5. organize a reunion with all my friends
6. become famous through one of the photos i take
7. fulfill one of my dreams that i will not divulge here (hehe)

7 things i can do:
1. write
2. cook
3. do lettering by hand
4. lick my elbow !!! (can you do this?)
5. eat pancit canton for weeks
6. sleep without moving
7. make a joke sometimes (refer to number 4 hehe)

7 things i can't do:
1. sleep straight for more than 9 hours
2. hold my breath for more than 35 seconds anymore
3. stop myself from moving to a beat
4. paint or draw
5. start the foundation i plan to build yet
6. speak french or japanese yet but i plan to learn those two languages
7. iron clothes

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. hair, teeth and lips
2. wit and humor
3. strong personality
4. front and rear bumpers
5. the way she carries herself (clothes and all)
6. sweetness and thoughtfulness
7. a good singing voice

7 things i say the most:
1. sup?
2. musta?
3. shoot!
4. yo (for yes/hello)
5. how are you?
6. good morning/afternoon/evening
7. hey