second engines

I have an assignment this week in class, let me share to you a part of the story I submitted.

Have you ever watched a rocket leaving the earth? First it starts with a lot of fire. This is the first engine and as the fire grows bigger and the engine’s sound becomes louder, we know that the elevation will come next. The engine works as it gains speed. As the rocket progresses upwards there will come a critical moment where you blast off the first tank and the second engine starts. In due time, this big rocket is already up into space exploring the wide universe.

Leaders have passed their skills from their generation to the next. This is our culture of leadership. We lead and we learn. We need a new push to activate the “2nd engines” that will lead us further to new horizons.

In the coming elections, who's your second engine? Change will come......through us

maligayang pasko po!

Maligayang Pasko! This year, i used the internet (Chikka server) to reply to my friends - i saved a few pesos and delivered the message just the same. Thanks to the wonderfulworld of cyberspace. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

(that's my eldest under the christmas tree a few years ago, very christmassy)

twilight

After Bangkok Dangerous, i'm now on my next not-a-movie-but-a-movie-titled blog. Books for me are like diphenhydramine - with sedating effect. This will actually be my prescription for the insomniacs, hyperactive and zombees. It works for me, i just dunno if reading books has the same effect with the general public.

Enough of the introduction. okay. While i was stucked in Bangkok, Marie called me and said she watched a vampire movie - Twilight. Not just once but thrice! It was Edward Cullen's appeal that made her go back and watch it 3x. Hmmm, i wondered why (malamang pogi, ganyan din siya kay coffee prince at nagagalit saken pagsinasabi kong kamukha ni kuya kim atienza (matang lawin) si gong yu, hehehe)?

On my first day back in office, my friend gave me an audiobook version of the twilight saga. "Now, this is cool, let's see if this will keep me awake, cuz i will definitely not read the book version, knowing that the Twilight Saga is 4 books!".

Let me try this nonconventional way of "reading". And so i started. It was the unabridged version narrated by Llyana Kadushin. Is the audiobook version as diphenhydraminic as the visual book version? To my surprise, its not! This version actually made me "thirsty" for more. Such a lovely voice! A few minutes passed and twilight consumed me. It seems i'm under the spell of Bella's voice that i have to continue "hunting" the book. Ahhh, Bella, Bella, Bella. The accident-magnet Bella, my Bella.

I guess i have to stop from here. So? did i like this nonconventional reading you might ask? I'm now in Book 3 - Eclipse. Hooked. Enchanted. Bellafied.

(for the movie version..... i'll probably stick with the audiobook version for now, i'll probably wait for the clear dvd (blue ray daw) copy in Quiapo)the hunt is on!

You're my Hero

This weekend was all "parteeyy" for my kids. Saturday, November 1. We went to a friend's son 1st birthday party. My 2 kids, both excited with their superhero costumes - green lantern and flash. The party was on the 7th floor a few minutes from the biggest government hospital in taft (yeah, you guessed it right) were my wife works (and i used to work). The place was perfect - swimming pool, overlooking crowded manila, cool breeze and bright lights in the bay area.

Too excited, the boys rushed inside the party place but immediately turned back upon seeing cookie monster and the clowns! haaaay, for some unknown reason, my kids don't like mascots (kung pwede lang sila ma banned sa mga party) even our very own jollibee! But of course, we can't stop the party just because my kids are afraid of these "monsters". So we managed to enjoy the event..... at the far end of the party room away from these creatures. haha.

Here comes the "bring me game". Definitely they still want to win and have a price (TOYS). Bring me a pair of white socks! (I have gray). Bring me three piso coins!(i have 500 bills, ehem, ehem). Bring me a receipt! (i gave one to my son, but he was not the first one to reach the clowns...we're at the far end, remember?) Bring me the longest belt! (my waist size is just 30, i gave it but obviously not winnable). Bring me a license! (still not the first one)... the game was such a sure hit to the crowds, but for my son, i saw in his eyes, he wanted to win atleast one so that he can have a precious lightning mcqueen prize (TOY).... i saw in him not happiness but a tinge of sorrow for not being able to get atleast one precious, which is like a world for him. I openned my wallet, getting ready for whatever bring me the clown will utter (Please God, give us a chance, all for my kids....)

Atlast, one last bring me.... Bring me your PINAKAMACHONG DADDY!!! Without any hesitation, i stood up, brought my son to the clown and proclaimed my self MR. SEXY! Nevermind the laughter from the crowd, but seeing my son getting his prize, the pure innocent laughter in his face, like in the credit card commercial, its PRICELESS.

After the party, my son told me, "thanks dad, you're my hero!" I may not be green lantern, flash or superman but i will endure anything, all for love.

The next day, November 2, there's another party.......

barya lang po sa umaga

Oh i can feel the credit crunch!

I have to pay my 2 credit card bills this week. I overspent last month (learning #1: thou shall not swipe your card left and right, there's no such thing as plastic money, in the end, you have to pay for everything!)

ok, they were mostly house supplies - groceries, must-haves, and uhm, "other stuff" (learning #2: though shall not go to the supermarket without a list of must-buys, or else you will end up buying extras)

since i'm out of cash, i opened my alkansya and got a hefty 5,000 pesos of piso, 5 peso- and 10 peso coins! (learning #3: pag may isinuksok may madudukot)

Now, am on my way to bayad center. there's a long line of payees. here i am carrying a heavy plastic (i bundled the coins in 1,000s)..... "Tumatanggap kayo ng barya?" (Do you accept coins?). "Yes, po!", she said. Then i initially showed the paper bills and put the heavy plastic of coins in front of her kahera. "Five thousand po yan"

She looked at me, smiled. Looked at the people next in line. Looked at the ceiling (oh, God parusa ito!) then she immediately called for back up. (I never looked at the people behind me, i wonder how they reacted upon seeing me putting the heavy plastic of coins infront of the cashier? hmmmm....urghh)

Haaaay, after about 10-15 minutes, i heard the backup clerk who counted the coins saying, "Maam complete po!"

Thank you very much SM Taytay for accepting my coins, talagang service with a grin, este smile (learning #4 Though shall love your customers so that they will keep on coming back!).

Next month ulet!

horsie horsie

Ang susunod na thema ay hindi angkop sa mga mambabasa edad disiotso pababa. Patnubay ng magulang ay kinakailangan.....


We had a "joy ride" in the village last week. A joy ride atleast once a week is one of our little family bonding moments.

While driving, i have to make a sudden full stop. Why? because two dogs are doing a LIVE SHOW "making love" in the middle of the street! Animals in heat sa init ng araw! With the undulating action, who am i to interrupt such act of procreation?

My smart kids, with a questionable look at their faces had their attention with the intimate dogs in front of us. "ay, daddy, look at the dogs, nag hohorsie horsie!"

stunned. a sudden silence from me and marie. i honked and interrupted their "horsie horsie", sorry guys. beep, beep! (i wonder how they felt? coitus interruptus! *wink)

its been a while

It's been a while.

I know i can give hundreds, make it thousands, of excuses why i suddenly put my blog into hiatus. oh well, if my blogpost can rant, he would probably cussed me for abandoning him.

if simon cowell can say his apologies before the anouncement of this season's American Idol, then I can pretty much say whatever i want (this is my post anyways). Sorry po, subukan kong magpost ng mas madalas.....

so what's up?

excuse #1 - briefly, i'm still in the wonderful world of corporate pharma but no longer in Global City Taguig (a.k.a. The Fort). I'm now in Makati Central Business District. Yup, am in a new company. And i thank all the people from company A for giving me all the necessary knowledge and skills to survive in this business. I definitely wouldn't be at Company B if not for the training and experience i got from Company A, i will be forever greatful.

excuse #2 - busy life. adjustment phase. some stuff to read. new therapeutic area. getting to know a lot of new faces. travel here and there. start anew. ilovemyjob.

excuse #3 - i cant think of any..... ah yeah, i'd spent a lot of time watching korean movies during weekends (Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy, The First Shop of Coffee Prince, A love Story in Harvard, Il Mare, Eraser In My Head, The Classic, Addicted, Sad Movie, and a lot more). Thanks to the very "accessible bangketa's" with the ever accomodating vendors selling "DVD, DVD, DVD"

excuse #4 - ..... i'll park for now. until my next blog, when? hmmmm.....

*wink

english 101

I was in beautiful thailand last week with marsmyloves. Here are some points to ponder:

1. we have almost the same land area and population
2. same climate
3. same bumper-to-bumper traffic
4. they have tuktuk, we have our jeepneys (and tricycles)
5. their tourism business is way way booming than ours
6. their english needs some polishing though(there's some misunderstanding, especially pag tumatawad ka but they can communicate)
7. they have cheaper electricity (imagine 3 aircon in one house - monthly bill THB 1000 - just PhP 1500! fyi, philippines is among the most expensive in asia, why? i dunno why!!!!)
8. cheaper everything...

..... i think their economy is growing because they win a lot of tourists. come to think of it, our country can also offer the same plus, with our good english communication skills, they can easily roam around from aparri to jolo. this is one advantage that we have to invest on. because in the near future, as our neighboring countries improve their english (and ours' deteriorating), what more can we offer?

on the lighter side of life, read this:

My Friends,

Kakatawa 'to!

We've been friends for a long time ago. We come from the same alma
mother. Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's only
now that I gave him a second look. I realized that beauty is in the eyes.
The pulpbits of my heart went fast, really fast. Cute pala siya. And
then, he came over with me. He said, "I hope you don't mine. Can I get
your number?"

Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give it back?

He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw. Sabi ko, connect
me if i'm wrong but are you asking me ouch?

Nabigla siya. Sagot niya, The! Aba! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona
ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears.

Na-guilty yata siya. Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing in
the sky. Irregardless daw of his feelings, we'll go ouch na rin.

Now, we're so in love. Mute and epidemic na ang past. Thanks God we
swallowed our fried. Kasi, I'm 33 na and I'm running our time. After 2
weeks, he plopped the question. "Will you marriage me?"

I'm in a state of shocked. Kasi mantakin mo, when it rains, it's four!
This is true good to be true. So siyempre, I said yes. Love is a many
splendor.

Pero nung inaayos ko na ang aming kasal, everything swell to pieces.
Nag-di-dinner kami noon nang biglang sa harap ng aming table, may babaeng
humirit ng, "Well, well, well. Look do we have here."

What the fuss! The nerd ng babaeng yon! She said they were still on. So
I told her, whatever is that, cut me some slacks! I didn't want this to
get our hand kaya I had to sip it in the bud. She accused me of steeling
her boyfriend. Ats if! I don't want to portrait the role of the other
woman. Gosh, tell me to the marines! I told her, "please, mine you own
business!" Who would believe her anyway?

Dahil it's not my problem anymore but her problem anymore, tumigil na rin
siya ng panggugulo. Everything is coming up daisies. I'm so happy. Even
my boyfriend said liketwice. He's so supportive. Sabi niya, "Look at is
this way. She's our of our lives."

Kaya advise ko sa inyo - take the risk. You can never can tell. Just burn
the bridge when you get there. Life is shorts. If you make a mistake,
we'll just pray for the internal and external repose of your soul. I
second emotion.

6 feet under and beyond

its been a while. may 20th was my last entry here in blogosphere. yeah i've been a lurker, briefly browsing entries, but i cant make my own post. thousands of reasons, make it gazzilions of reasons, but i just cant.

now i just want to make a chronicle of what happened for the past 2 months.

- change of address, to far far away taytay, rizal. 30 kms from my office, 1 hour when youre lucky but 4 hours when on heavy traffic. the heck!

- a major continuing medical education held at PICC. All doctors must attend one, private practice is one thing, but "going back to school" and refreshing basic knowledge in the academy is another. We have to admit, the older you are, the more you get alienated from the techie stuff.

- 10 lectures, 6 different topics, 2 venues in 2 weeks! man, this is the cycle!

- farewell to my good ole buddy, chard..... from cainta, to dubai, now to canada. another makabayan who will definitely be successful in the land of caucasians. i understand why most people move out of the country..... i hope 10 - 20 years from now, they will go back (i pray that when that time comes, our country has changed for the better)

- my 2 kids got sick, admitted at the royal, catholic, and pontifical institution at the heart of manila. kudos to dr. iluminada lerma, you're the best. thanks to my present job, i didnt pay even a penny - everything covered! considering how hard it is for a doctor to have a practice.... "bawal ang magkasakit"

- we have 4 puppies.

- a lot of movies shown, but thank God atleast i get to watch TRANSFORMERS.
awesome!

ok, its an eyesore seeing my last post may 20th, now it will be july 8th..... when's the next entry...................we'll see.

bye for now.

good samaritans in UK

UK is lovely! though i wasn't able to visit LONDON (which is the "real UK"), i got the chance to stay in Alderley Park (Macclesfield) and a day at Manchester. For not-so-geographically-pro (i admit, i am one) Alderley is a countryside (province). I love the place - beautiful (and very few) houses, huge lots, with cows and sheeps, vast grassland, few people, modern buildings/offices hiding on forests, few people, posh cars, few people, narrow streets and uh did i say few people? i did!

they say, alderley is the home for the rich, a house there cost 2M pounds (that's what the taxi driver told me), Posh and David Beckham used to live there (ok, i know the Philippines is not a football country). Simply put, Alderley Park is like Forbes park only multiplied in humongous british pounds!

But its not the place i remembered most. I took a train to Manchester on my last day. at the station, people told me that Manchester is different from alderley. Manchester is a city - and with it comes "all forces". People at the train station told me to be careful, beware of pickpockets, never to talk to strangers and check your wallet/belongings every once in a while. Ahh, the paranoia in me. With my Egyptian friend, we breezed Manchester with caution. If in alderley, you never saw a black guy - here in Manchester - you'll see people from all over - asians, blacks, middleeasterns, its like a mixed society (ok, ok, Manchester is a city, what do you expect).

at the end of the day, we went back with loads of goodies (oh well, my friend had loads, i just bought enough fyi - 1 pound = 96 pesos). we're always on the lookout for "bad elements". holding our bags and wallet tightly whenever passing through suspicious people. looking at each other knowing that we have to "guard our goods".

around 9pm (and there's still sun), we went back to the train station and went back to posh alderley. exhausted on the day trip, we went out to have dinner and by midnight started to pack things up. then i received a call - huh, me? who will call me here, i barely knew anyone?

I received a call from a man who told me that i lost my wallet in the train. to my surprise, my wallet is not in my pocket! the couple were sorry cuz they have to open my wallet (doesn't have money inside - only cards) so that they can contact me. they were asking on how they can give it to me. i told them that my flight will be 6am the next day. is it ok if i can just pick it up in their house. only to find out that they're place is 7 miles (around 20mins drive without traffic) from the hotel. I don't have any choice, i have to get the wallet this instance. so i told the unknown caller that i will call a friend (parang game show) to help me.

There's 6 Filipinos in the hotel (yes, we are definitely everywhere!), and its always nice to meet a kababayan (fellow countrymen) in a foreign land. i had TAGALOG chats with them everyday (for me, its cool to use FILIPINO abroad - para kang bisaya sa maynila ba, ganun ang feeling). i asked one to accompany me 7 miles from the hotel. so we went there around 2 am we found the place, the good Samaritans gave me the wallet, and as a token of my appreciation i gave them .... uh never mind, i gave them "something" for remembrance and invited them over to visit beautiful Philippines. the couple were sleepy already so we didn't have much time to chat.

Ahhh, my wallet, intact. complete. back to the rightful owner.

you see, i felt guilty feeling paranoid and all when i was at Manchester. and here, i found good Samaritans. no, they found me. my UK trip is over, but i will never forget those people - the Filipinos and the couple who got my wallet. There is hope to humankind.

UK is lovely! (spoken like a true Simon cowell)

of Korean movies

Of Koreans and Movies.

During my residency days, I remember my batch mates set up a mini-movie house at our call room – an all-around laptop, an LCD projector, speaker, a white blanket placed on dilapidated wall and viola! Show starts after endorsement (which is around 8-9 pm, at least earlier that the last-full show at Robinson’s). All activities put on halt for a two-hour visual pleasure.

From jologs to classy. From English, Filipino and yeah, the most popular ones – Koreans. There has been a surged of everything-Korean on this part of the world. The Koreans invaded the Philippines (yes, they have out numbered the Japanese and Americans entering the country)! We have a Korean actress – sandara park, we have gazillion teleseryes from Korea - princess lulu, full house, sassy girl, etc etc etc (though I’m not an avid fan of teleseryes because you have to watch it daily – such dedication I cant afford). Now we have kimchi, K cars, Korean language studies and Korean Video Houses (take a walk along Ermita area, you’ll see lots of them).

Since I’m not fond of watching teleseryes (mini-series), watching a movie is the thing for me. And lo and behold – they have great movies. I think they have mastered the art of making quality films. You don’t have to speak their language and appreciate such masterpieces (ok, ok – subtitles is a must). After my residency, I have watched a handful. Their best at melodramas. The style of telling the story and presenting the TWIST usually near the end (which explains how, why and the whatevers of the movie) is totally brilliant! We are fond of watching western movies, it’s about time we try our neighbors’.

I just watched one this morning – Sassy Girl. They said, its part 2 of Wind Struck. Such a beautiful movie of love, relationship, pain and destiny. Don’t want to tell the plot, you have to see and appreciate, and remember – they always have a TWIST, which makes their movies worth watching until the end.

Ah, of rain and snow, of love and tragedy, of comedy and action. Their culture is not very different from ours, hence we can relate. Forget about their names (I didn’t remember a single bit) but watching every movie (or reading the subtitle at the same time), I assure you, they have movies far better than those made in Hollywood. Here’s some movies I recommend you watching.


Memories/Moments to Remember (50 first dates is no match with this one)
The Classic
Wind Struck
Sassy Girl
Sad Movie
Bungee Jumping in their own way
Am still looking for the Korean original “Lake House” - IL MARE




You have to watch the first 2 movies…..! So? How do you say hello? Ania sayo!

the morning rush

i dont know if you guys still listen to the radio. since the advent of MTV (and people are more visually entertained rather than just plain audio) and internet, we tend to discover music in 3D now. This is not a bad thing (well, that's my opinion), i guess marketing strategies continue to evolve and plain audio is not enough anymore. Just like in one song "Video killed the radio star", i thought the end of radio is near.... but i'm wrong.

everyday, on my way to office (traffic along quiapo, taft, incredible EDSA and bearable nichols) i tune in to the radio. I'd say, its nice to have a company along the way. Imagine yourself driving without a radio on - you will notice the horrendous driving skills of jeepney drivers, taxis swerving left and right, and pedestrians crossing on green light (hey, dont get me wrong, i'm no saint driver either - guilty as charge! but in this crazy road, you have to unlearn what you got from driving school cuz you wouldnt survive in the track! - solution.... geez, suddenly my mind is in a halt). That's a lot of segway there. Going back. Yup, radio will stay. Now, i have no time to watch for MTVs, but i have an hour listening to the radio in the morning and another hour (or two) going home.

this blog is getting long, the morning rush is from RX with chico and delamar, but i often tune in to the controversial GOODTIMES with Mo Twister (plus sexy Maui is there now) at Magic. Just like television, the stations are competing to get the chunck of listeners in the morning. Its controversial versus wholesome, but with our short attention span we can simply press a button and change frequency. plain and simple. audibly entertaining. radio lives! (i should probably blog about this some other time)

so who's the next American Idol?

I just watched American idol final 24 episode. I remember last year, when I didn’t miss week after week after week - from start to finish. It was exactly this time that I was reviewing for the board exam and at the same time going on 24-hour duties “moonlighting” in historic Cavite (prior to my present job, I was hopping from one hospital to another rendering my “hands that heal” to the people in need of compassionate attention). Yup, multitask – work, entertain, leisure, review all rolled into one.

This time, I’m watching AI in the comforts of my own home. My moonlighting days long gone. But this time I have missed 2 weeks of Idol, can’t help it though, with my present job comes late hours in a meeting or reading must-knows all the time. No complaints, you win some and lose some, hence, I lost some AI episodes.

Final 24. Last year I saw Sway Panelo (a Filipino in the F24) booted-out, how a squirming operatic performer ruined josh groban’s song (I forgot her name, but she was the first one eliminated – to no surprise), how little Paris gave her all, I indeed became an ADDICT (and I’m sure its not just me), I was there alright, I viewed all the episodes up until the finale, where the wedding singer outshined the superstar. My personal favorite though was Elliot Yamin – a commoner with the great voice.

So who will be the next American Idol? Having missed the Hollywood week, and based on what I saw tonight, its going to be one helluva show. They’re all good! Emotions into consideration – I want the single mom to be in the finals. Loyalty to Asia – there’s an Indian guy and I think a Korean (a guy named Kim) in the final 24 – hope one of them can nail it, it’s about time an Asian be in the limelight. Jasmine Trias(Filipino Hawaiian) two seasons ago was 3rd, I’m sure the whole Filipino community in the US voted for her (pahpahrapahpah, love ko ‘to!). Beauty? Well, most of them are a feast to the eye – Barba and another one who looks like Mariah are standouts. Commoner appeal – I’d say Sundance and the other big guy (the one who said “the reason I call for this meeting blah blah”). And before I forget, that “little miss dolittle”, the one with a short neck (or does she have a neck, which reminds me, giraffe girl didnt make it, sigh), the back-up singer – she’s outstanding!

So who’s the next American Idol? We just have to watch the show week after week after week. (I hope I can……..)

can i have a date too?

My weekend was a blast! After a very hectic week, 2 days off work is like heaven. At the same time my wife, (who, at the moment, is living the real doctors-for-the-people experience by being a resident in the biggest government hospital in the Philippines) had her weekend off. Enough time to spend our valentine’s ahead of the 14th plus quality time with the kids plus plus a visit with lolo and lola.

Valentine’s. We went to Makati and watched midnight cinema, curse of the golden flower (bosoms) – chow yun fat, gong li, jay chou. (I know, this movie is not for the season of hearts, I was actually inviting marsmyloves for a mushy “Holiday” movie, but it already started 30 mins). So, we watched a Chinese movie, I initially thought was dubbed in english (like the Jackie Chan’s) but to my surprise it wasn’t! Thank God there’s subtitles. I thought my date was ruined, but it turned out quite the contrary, my wife liked the movie and told me “I don’t need to watch mushy movies, I already have you” ahhh, I love you mars. J Walking along vibrant Makati district, you can see yuppies (young professionals) and highschoolers probably from their prom night. It was a nice evening, some enchanting evening indeed. Then we went to a joyride, its nice to drive without the traffic.

Sunday morning. Yuan was asking where did we go last night? We said ,we watched a movie at the “big tv”. “You had a date?” he asked. (At the age of 4, kids already know what date is?) Smart kiddo, “yeah we had a date”. “Are you getting married?” he added. “Yuan, we’re already married, that’s why we have you and Kyan.” Sometimes, you wonder, how do kids get ideas of dating, marriage, etc. if we think our lolos and lolas as old fashioned, how do kids think of us now? And the question of the day popped out! “Can I have a date too?” endless questions from a kiddo, sometimes you worry that you might actually run out of answers. And yes, it does happen! So, I carried little Yuan, put him in my lap and told him. “Of course! But always remember, you don’t have to hurry, you have all the time in the world, when you grow up, you will have plenty of dating (daddy will not fund it though, hehehe) but for now, you can only date mommy together with daddy and little Kyan. Deal? He smiled and gave me a confused look (I wonder why, hehe) ….. then, he went straight to the room and had a “date” with the playstation!

Happy Valentines! Marsmyloves, I love you!

another side of credit card

Another side of credit card.

This is not a sponsored post (I’d like to emphasize that).

I’ve been using Citibank since my residency days at PGH. My first card actually was standard chartered, but its hard to maintain two cards so I have to settle for one. Since Citibank gave me a higher credit limit, I chose to maintain Citibank (sorry SC, maybe this will give you an idea).

Perks of havin a card? Atleast you don’t have to bring big bucks in your wallet whenever you want to buy stuff. Downside? In this marketing-driven economy, with your credit card around, you tend to spend and spend (and spend, shop, buy, spend, shop, buy!) until it basically eats up your monthly salary!

Being a goody goody client of Citibank, my status was upgraded last year to gold – increase credit limit and yeah, it comes with a flashy gold card. There was not much of a difference from the silver status until recently when one of my friend (who is working in Citibank, and would always thank me for using the card often – talk about advertising and promotions!) introduced me to Citibank Premium Concierge.

This is sooo cool. You can practically ask/inquire about anything! Telephone numbers, where to get this and that, where to find a store in the city, a church in tagaytay, even schedules of now showing (and probably coming soon and next attraction) movies both in cable and cinema houses! I don’t know if there’s limit on what to ask, but so far, their service is superb! This time, having a Gold card is a plus!

So to Citibank, thanks for a very brilliant concept.

PS this is not a sponsored post, my advise to people out there - do not OVERSPEND! Always make sure that at the end of the month, you can pay your bills cuz if you don’t, geez, the interests will haunt your pockets the next month and the months to come!

and btw, HSBC just approved my application, they gave me a bigger credit limit and acquire mabuhay miles points for swiping their card - now this is competition. in a dog-eat-dog world of commercialism, the consumers are the true winners.....er are we? (got me confused there)

blogger block out

its been a week since my last blog. i have an excuse - first, my connection at home suddenly gone berzerk last week (even the landline - no dialtone! can you imagine that?). It was only yesterday, that SMARTBRO people (subsidiary of telecom giant PLDT) visited my house and fixed it. thanks to them, i'm online again (and my kids - disney surfin galore!). Second, i attended our BIZCON (business conference) at Sofitel Philippine Plaza (that's Westin near the famous film center that the marcoses built)PICC complex.

with one week off the blogworld, i thought i just let the day pass by and save ideas for my next blog. actually i stored a lot - hmmmn, shall i start with american idol season six premier telecast, or how the bizcon turned out, my (mis)adventures at sofitel philippine plaza, me - passing my AAP driving exam? and many more..... topics upon topics upon toppings!

now, in front of the computer, listening to coldplay i'm having a hard time to start! blogging is an art. Sponteneity is one aspect that keeps it different. just write whatever, whenever, whoever, whatsoever (did i repeat the first wh? uh i did!)

ok, i guess i have to write about my stored thoughts when the right time comes, for now...... this will suffice.

uh btw, the image is the dynamic medical affairs department of AZP! kudos for a jo9b well done.

american idol mania is back!

last year idol fever reached the Philippine islands. after about four months of competition, mau marcelo bagged the title ( i was supposed to say crowned miss universe). not the typical singer you see on stage actually - she's on the heavy side (extralarge to be exact), dark complexion (she's half american - father is a puertorican of african roots)and not the classy diva that you expect (jologs to be precise). No matter what she looks like, her voice is WOW!



and speakin of idol fever, american idol season premiere will be on the 16th (probably 17th this side of earth)

i think it will be at STARWORLD (CABLE) and ABC5 (LOCAL). last season my bet was eliot yamin. i'd say he's not blessed with the goodlooks like ACE and the bald rocker i-forgot-his-name guy (who is also great), not as charismatic as the wedding-singer-like taylor hicks and not as star-quality-material as catherine mcphee (who gave me phee-ver). but eliot is eliot - great voice with the commoner appeal. and so he lost.

but mau marcelo didnt. so kuddos to our nation - not blinded by color, appreciating music at its finest.

idol mania is back in town! (i wonder how many filipinos will make it this time)

imagine coldplay the scientist

weird, but everytime i listen to coldplay's music, i cant help bet reminisce yerteryears. imagine yourself walking and see your life movie pass through you, and you cant do anything cuz its already done. you just have to move on.... sad isnt it. and yet, after the music, you just want to repeat it again and again. paradoxical indeed. and i think life is just like that - TWISTED.

here's one, the scientist. an mtv gig (listen to it, reminds me of IMAGINE by john lennon/beatles)



here's the link to the MUSIC VIDEO (BACKWARDLY TWISTED) i dunno how they make their songs (and whoever conceptualize their music videos) but despite the "unexplainable" heavy feelin it gives you its addictive. sigh....

bloggitis anyone?

i told myself that this year i will make anything-under-the-sun-that-my-mind-can-come-up blogpost everyday. blog-all-you-can, yah that was my initial plan...... until reality sets in.

everyday, i wake up early, eat breakfast, rush to the lrt station, squeeze myself in (together with 100,000 folks from all over the metro) ride a jeepney to the world famous EDSA and in less than hour (that is, if youre lucky) voila! am in the comforts of my office. turn on the aircon, set up the laptop, pray, launch microsoft outlook (pray again, hoping there's not many mails = work)then on with the job proper and so on and so forth......

before you know it, the day is over! during those hours, it always occur to me to post in my blogspot/blogpost friendster. "it can wait, after office hours, i will make one", "this is a good topic, i'd probably blog this later", "hmmm, nice pictures, i will post it in a while"

now i opened my blog, i cant believe that my last post was january 2! see, all planning, pumping creativity but no input - no action! the "later" fever.

i guess that's why im havin headaches, hyperthermic episodes, unexplained perspiration everytime i open the computer, reflex clicking of the favorites button to blogger and friendster. - all these, subtle manifestations of a rare form of communicable illness afflicting netizens with blog. BLOGGITIS! and the remedy - simple. write a blog and the symptoms will just go away.


ahhhhh, energized. now that's what i call quick relief. you havin bloggitis now?

back to earth

after about two weeks of shutdown (well, its not actually a shutdown for me, since i visited the office during those days - the only difference though is that i was with my faded low-waist(ed) jeans, shirt and sneakers) everybody's going back to earth.

back to the hussle, busy, sardines-like travel to the office, snail-paced honkytonk ride at EDSA, beating the deadlines, and yah, coffee-gone-cold at the table. the christmas vacation is definitely a must for us lowly workers.

if i can only have a universal remote and in just one click freeze office time and get to do everything without deadlines, that will be cool, no, that will be excellent! if only santa clause grant my wish of having all the goodies for my kids, that will be satisfying. if only i can have a reloadable mind, that you just insert an SD card and can copy all data in a single push of a button, ey that will be brilliant!if only......

oh well, can't help but day dream. back to earth. i am a worker. and this year i will do my best for my family, job, community and country! (booyah, now that's the spirit!)

plus! uh, and i will continue blogging