My opinion on Cory's "sorry" remark.

I read in the newspaper a couple of days back when Cory Aquino was said to have apologized to Erap saying sorry and that EDSA 2 was a mistake. A couple of days later, news articles mention that Cory was just "joking" while making that statement.

Cory Aquino, being an icon of democratic freedom (especially duriing 1986 edsa revolution), in the first place, should not be making unnecessary and "jokingly" remarks especially during the time when the Philippines is in "turmoil". When people are confused who to believe in, and what to believe in.

As an icon, Cory Aquino should be prudent enough to think first, before speaking. She, as an icon and as a Filipino leader, should stand up for what she believed, and believes in. Being a leader, who lead one of the biggest revolutions in the country's history, and then in a couple of years... regrets it? Makes me, as a Filipino and citizen of this country, very disappointed. Is this where our country is going?

I went to EDSA II. Until now, I still believe that ousting ERAP was a very good and wise decision. I still like living in this country. This is where the family is. But ever since I was able to work and stay abroad for a couple of months, I still truly wonder, how come if they can have a pretty great country, why can't we have the same as well? They did it, then it shouldn't be impossible for us right?

work is giving me migraines

I have started this new work since last June, and have been enjoying it so far. However, for the past few weeks, it's just been so crazy. It's just so annoying to have to go through what we went through.

A support project has recently been transitioned to us and throughout the past 3 months, we've encountered issue after issue. This should've been just a support "side line" project, it should not take so much of our time, but it did! Especially last week.

Last week was terrible. We did catch up jobs, and when we finally succeeded with that one, that ended up updating a lot of our data (obviously) which showed up a flaw that the other source systems we were relying on changed their data (without us knowing) and thus resulted to users not being able to login to the application.

Add to that, that same weekend we had a release where we fixed the LDAP configuration, and now since they can't login, they're all blaming us that it was our changes that caused a lot of users not to be able to login. We keep insisting that it isn't, we've proven it, and now, they still won't give the sign off. They, the business are giving us headaches. We're trying our best to fix this application out, it's not that easy, and we painstakingly learned how to handle it bit by bit, and what happens? We get escalated. Sheesh.

HELLO!?!?!?! I ranted out to my colleague because after that weekend, I really felt so bad. So bad that I really wanted just to leave that project behind (of course I can't). Murphy's Law all the way that time.

Anyway, i don't know what'll happen. There are still a lot of issues to discuss, and I just want to get over it now. I hate getting emails related to this project.

I think I need a vacation.

todo: modify blog layout

I really need to redo this blog layout.

happy happy day

My parents must have been the happiest yesterday, for 2 main reasons.

#1 I finally came home from Canada!
#2 My sister gave birth! My parents are now official amah and angkong!

I'm almost home...

It's Nov 11 in Vancouver. 3 more days, I'll be hopping on a plane back to Manila!
Kasabay ko yung isa kong friend going back. He's been here 6 months. Sabay kami, pero ibang plane! Haha PAL ako, siya Cathay.

Interesting kasi kanina nag uusap usap kami at napag usapan namin ano ang mga babalikan namin sa Pilipinas na ika nga, "we'd have to face again". Ang guess what, unanimous... yung dami ng tao, transportation and yung cleanliness.

There's so much nice things I can say about this place, and my experience here for the past 5 months. Thanks to Chase for helping me make this decision about going here. I know he sacrificed a lot for me, but you know, just being supportive and just being there. It was hard for me, but I can only imagine how much more harder it was for him, and yet he's still here for me. And I can't wait to see him when I get back. It's just a couple more days...

And that's why, even though I love love it here, there's still no place like home. I can't wait to see my family. I can't wait to see Chase. I can't wait to have sisig again, or have jollibee, and even KFC! There's so much going on in the Philippines, that I just want to come back.

In fact, special request ko, na first lunch ko back sa Pinas.... is KFC! Hahaha

Of course, I just have to say, I don't look forward to traffic, too much people and pollution. Haha

I Love Fall

With these pictures, there's absolutely no reason why not to LOVE Fall season!


This is me in Ottawa.

And this picture was taken in Queen Elizabeth Park right here in Vancouver:


The nice thing about the Fall season is that the leaves are changing colors. You can see red leaves, yellow, dark purple colors, green, etc, altogether. Driving or even walking around is so nice. Good thing the weather hasn't been that cold for the past week. This is probably one of the things I will definitely miss here in Canada.

Usually, in the Fall, when the leaves are changing, they're also.... falling, thus came the name Fall. At this point, you can already see bare trees, which then means... that the winter season is coming really soon. But once spring time comes, the trees, flowers will start to bloom again.

And that's the cycle. But I haven't experienced Spring and Winter season yet, only summer and fall. In my opinion, Summer versus Fall? I'd prefer Fall.

Parliament @ Ottawa City

My aunt, together with my grandparents showed me around Ottawa City last Thursday. Ottawa is around an hour drive away from Cornwall (where my aunt lives), and Cornwall is around 4 and a half hours from Toronto (where my other aunt lives). So I've travelled from Vancouver, to Toronto, to Missassauga, to Cornwall, and then to Ottawa, in just one week. But it's all worth it. This is probably one of the best vacations I've had so far.

One of the places we visited in Ottawa City is the Parliament Hill. This is where the prime minister, the congress, etc meet up to discuss government issues, laws, etc. They also offer a free tour, which we did take and it was interesting how they actually built the parliament. Much of the building itself has history embedded in it. Anyway, here's a nice view from outside:


Parliament Hill

And here's another picture, it's a view from the top most tower of the Parliament.


Sheesh, it's just so beautiful here.

US Visa Approved!

Finally got my US Visa! Was really really blessed. A lot of my friends here get denied and for some reason, I got it! Got a 10 year multiple entry, which just means, our plans to go shopping at the outlet shop in the border might actually push thru. And who knows, maybe I can drop by New York next week while I'm in Toronto (if time and driver permits).

Can't wait! Just in time before I go back to the Philippines!

Counting down the days

I'm going home soon!!!

Burnaby Mountain Trip

My aunt brought me to Burnaby Mountain last Saturday to check the place out.



It has a great view of Vancouver and Coquitlam (I think?). That place is just beautiful and serene.



Another picture... tumaba na ba ako? :)

Well, we were just here for just around 15 minutes then we rushed out to go to... Starlight Casino in New Westminister. I was lucky that night, I won 70$. Finally!

ipod touch surprise!

Chase surprised me with this!


I've had this for around two weeks already, ever since my grandparents came back. He was suppose to get me an Ipod Nano, but I was surprised that he actually got me the touch! And even left a note inside!

Pasalubongs from Home

Grandparents are coming back here in Canada tomorrow after a 4 month long vacation in the Philippines! It was supposed to be just for three months, but at last minute, was extended a month further because an aunt passed away. And since they're coming home tomorrow from my hometown, I am looking forward to a couple of stuff I asked my family to send.

First and foremost: My new Ipod Nano. When I decided to buy a new ipod, I wasn't aware that Steve Jobs' was about to release a new line of Ipods! All I knew was that he was going to have one of his usual talk. And just when I asked Chase to get me one, Steve Jobs announces his new line of iPod! But I've already bought mine! But then again, no regrets... this may not be the latest version, but it still does what it's suppose to do - entertain me!

Next that I'm really looking forward to getting are my Filipino DVDs. Where I live here, we don't have any Filipino channel, TFC or PinoyTV. And I really miss watching my Filipino shows! And so my brother and mom got me some! Meron yatang One More Chance!

I think my mom got me some more stuff. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Dinner at Stone Grill

These pictures aren't the best of quality as I only used my cellphone camera.

Anyway...

My aunt and I had dinner last September 11, 2008 @ Stonegrill restaurant. Stonegrill is an upscale restaurant near downtown Vancouver and boasts a different type of dining experience. The idea is, you eat your food while it is cooking over a 400 deg. heated slab of stone. The stone's heat lasts for about an hour.


My order - New York steak and prawns.


My aunt's order - Halibut

Like for me, I ordered the New York steak with Prawns and when it was served to me, everything was raw. What I really loved is that you have the freedom to eat it how you want it. Let's say, I cut out a strip from my steak and cook it as medium rare, and then try another one and cook it well done.


Here's another look after I turned the steak over. See that the other side is cooked already. As for the prawns, they've turned orange already.

For me, it's the whole dining experience that makes it unique. Plus, our table was seated with a grand view of the harbor and Granville Bridge (or was it the Burrard Bridge?).


Price for each entree is pretty steep. Thank goodness my aunt was there. It was her treat for me anyway! :)

The weather factor

The weather here these days is pretty sunny. But two weeks back, it was really gloomy and rainy. They said that here in Vancouver, it rains a lot. And now that Fall season is coming, we'll be experiencing a lot more of those gloomy days. When I got here last June, the sun sets at around 9pm. And these days, the sun sets around 6 or 7 already.

Still, with the days getting shorter, and the sky getting gloomier, one can't help but feel really sad. They say that here in Canada, they experience the rainy/gloomy days around 7 months of the year. And with this type of weather, it's just so depressing. No wonder people here get depressed easily. Weather is definitely a factor.

For instance, a couple of weeks back, it was raining, and in the morning, the sky was dark and I felt... really sad. For some reason. Although I cannot compare myself to those who already live here, but I really missed my family all of a sudden. It was depressing so to speak.

Compare it to the Philippines, where it's always sunny, you don't feel sad unless you're really sad due to some circumstances.

Of course, I cannot compare it directly since I'm here, my family is back home. It's a different scenario. What if I actually live here? Would I still encounter that sudden depressing feeling when I face one of those rainy days? Will weather still be a factor when it comes to how one's feeling? I think it still is.

Or maybe, it's just the homesickness creeping in once in a while.

grouse grind attempt 3

I had my third grouse grind last saturday, in an attempt to improve my last one's time of 1hour 40 minutes. And hard work paid off, I did it in just 1 hour 26 minutes. It's still far from my target time of doing the grind in just over an hour, but it definitely is a big improvement from the previous attempt made around 3 weeks ago. I think my regular walking exercise has paid off (at least 10 minutes of it anyway). I'm gonna start doing stairs on my way to the 13th floor of my building in another attempt to help me shape up for my next grouse grind (either this coming weekend or the following weekend).

cute

I was riding the bus earlier to go to work and a 2 year old Caucasian kid was with some guy (probably a nanny or grandfather or something). She sat right next to me and kept talking to me all the way. She was the cutest.

ano kaya ang pwedeng bilhin?

Do you ever get that feeling that you just want to buy something expensive but just don't know what to get? I am feeling that way right now. Hopefully I don't go buy something I'd never use anyway.

Any suggestions? Hindi ko alam bakit feel ko magwaldas ng pera.

shopping and casino

Interesting how a month has already passed since I've been left all alone here in my grandparent's condo unit. In just about an hours' time, my aunt will be coming home already from her one month long vacation from the Philippines! Time sure does fly by so fast.

Yesterday, I asked my friend to come with me to downtown and find where the underground mall is. This place basically connects two or three different buildings underground to make it a single unit so you don't have to go out the streets just to go to another building to check out their shops. It was pretty cool actually. Even found clearance sale of shirts there. I got to buy one, to give as a gift. It was a 50% off Tommy shirt, which is very cheap already cause it's been marked down previously already.

Since my friend accompanied and helped me find the place, in return, I'd have to accompany him in return and so we went to his favorite place to go - the casino. I can't believe how this guy plays! At one point, he was down almost 130 CAD already! But by the end of the night (after almost 4 hours there), he was able to trim his losses to 15$, by playing roulette, texas shootout card game and black jack. He lost 55 just in slots. As for me, most of the time I spent there, I just watched people throw away money. I even saw one who gave in 400 CAD in exchange for chips.

As for me, I played a couple of slots (I hate slots! You have practically zero chance sof winning there!) and 4 dollar bets at the roulette. Haha, I still ended up earning 5$ all in all. I just can't get myself to play more than 20$.

folk festival

I was able to attend the Mission Folk Music Festival with some friends yesterday. It was held in Mission, about an hour's drive away. It's a city on the far east of Vancouver (I think). Anyway, it was my first time to drive in a highway! Hindi ko alam san ko kinuha ang lakas ng loob para magdrive sa isang highway dito.

So the Mission Folk Music Festival is a yearly festival that's been running for over 21 years. It's a weekend event and people go there just to relax and see different acts perform. Some even stay there for camping. I don't have pictures as I don't have any camera here, but one of my friend did bring his camera. Check it out here.

They setup the festival in such a way that there are three small stages, and one main stage. The main stage opens after 5:30 pm I think, but the small stages play a lot of different acts from noon time until main stage opens.

What's interesting about this event, for me that is, is that it's the first time I saw these people, gather in this park, and they are all so relaxed. They just bring their chairs, blankets, and watch. Some are even barefooted! The place is nice, weather is cool, and the people who attend it are really followers of the event. I even got to talk to a lady, who has been attending the event for almost 20 years. Then there's this other lady that has been volunteering for over 17 years already. This event is part of their lives.

In terms of the shows itself, I really enjoyed one act I was able to watch. It's a body percussion type of show, where there were three groups and 1 guy, who made music by just doing various sounds, using as simple as clapping and stopping, and voice blending. It was pretty nice. And the other guy, he can beat box and play so many different sounds.

All in all, this event goes down to my experience memories as one of the most interesting experiences I've had so far. It was a what I can call, a breath of fresh air.

bleed

naisama ko yung isang super dark jeans ko sa isang set of labada ko.
Nag bleed. Buti na lang ang apektado yung isang shirt lang, at isang kitchen na pamunas. The rest mga medyas lang at yung iba dark naman. Hayy

Living alone for a month

Starting tomorrow morning, I will be living all alone, by myself at my aunt's place here in Vancouver. The Ng Family is having a great big reunion in the Philippines this weekend and they're leaving tonight. Bad timing since I will be the only one who'll be missing the great reunion. Everyone from Canada is going to the Philippines to celebrate our Grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. Oh well. It's sad. But I just try to look at it at a different perspective - that I get to live alone for a month, which will be a great learning experience for me.

In fact, being here for a couple of weeks, I already learned how to wash my clothes, learned how to cook rice, clean the house, etc. In the Philippines, I don't do household chores. But here, I'm doing all those things! Hard, but it's something I believe any person should eventually learn.

My aunts have prepared a lot of stuff, food and everything for me. I think majority of them (and my mother, especially) are worried that I am left alone there. I don't know why I'm not that worried. Maybe it's just that I am excited because it's the first time I'll be doing that.

Earlier, they also let me drive their car, as practice. Since I would have to bring my cousin to the airport for her flight back to Toronto (she'll be going to the Philippines as well for just 10 days, then back here in Vancouver, then to Toronto where she lives). I can't pick her up as I have work the day she arrives.

Driving here is different. It's easier, but you can't drive "Manila" style here. You'd have to give way. People have right of way, and buses as well. So if there's a pedestrian, you better stop, unlike in the Philippines. Here, when they have a three lane road, it's three lane, and that's it! Although they told me I can use the card while they're away. But I think I'd rather not. Commuting here is easy and simple anyway.

Sight seeing again...

While a lot of people opted to go to Victoria for one saturday, 4 of us went instead to Stanley Park since we wanted to catch Tall Ships Event at Victoria the following weekend. Stanley Park is a huge piece of land by the bay that is just so beautiful. You can walk around it, but it'll take you hours, or you could go ride the free shuttle (only for the summer) which will take you about 45 minutes to get around. But you have to stop at various stop points so that you can see the view, hang out, have picnics, etc.



Afterwards, we dropped by Burrard Street to check out some nice city sights. Burrard street is part of the downtown Vancouver area. My friend wanted to see it as it reminded him of Passeo in Makati. And so we did. And we even saw one Lamborghini parked just by the street! Practically every person who walked by it looked at it, or even took a picture of it. It was beautiful.



The following weekend, Tall Ships Victoria naman. Victoria is just so beautiful. I'll reserve that for another post later on.

My first encouter with Mac Book Air

One of our officemates went to Best Buy earlier to buy himself a new laptop!!! Laptops here are very very cheap! If I didn't have one already, I probably would've bought one. Anyway, while looking around, I found this:



Mac Book Air is so thin, you're almost afraid to just place it anywhere. I think it's gonna crack if you accidentally sit on it! But it really looks pretty. It costs around 1900 CAD, a bit pricey, but specs are really good. Although, I don't think I'm going to buy one, nevertheless, it still looks really really pretty.

welcome to vancouver

I've finally arrived in Vancouver, Canada. This is my first trip outside of the country and my first trip alone on a plane! Travel time was around 11+ hours, a direct flight through PAL. Since I was late checking in, I had no other choice but to sit in the middle, between a lady on her thirties, and a grandmother aged around 80. We ended up talking and getting to know each other. The lady there is on her way to Ottawa to start a new life as an immigrant. She had to leave her husband and son in the Philippines (but will soon follow anyway). On the other hand, the old lady's on her way back to the US. She's been there for 30+ years and she and her husband just goes to the Philippines for vacation every now and then.

Anyway, here's a nice picture I took of Vancouver's beautiful airport:



So far, my aunt has shown me a couple of places to go to like supermarkets, etc. I can't grasp all of them anyway. I can't remember what route she took and all.

Vancouver is clean, has wide roads, and is such a nice and quite place to live in. The weather has also been cooperating. It's pretty much summer time here already. Although sun's rays' pretty hot, the breeze on the other hand is very cool. Unlike in the Philippines, mainit na ang araw, and humid pa. Lots of Asians here as well. More than the whites, I think.

Anyway, it's 1:30 am right now. Can't really sleep. Getting a slight headache.

Tomorrow's my first day at work and it will be the first time that I'll be taking their bus (sana d ako mawala!). Hope everything goes smoothly.

Geeky article

Here's an article from Coding Horror that talks about the greatest invention (according to the author) about computer science (aside from the computer itself). Check the site here.

Visa's here!

My visa's been approved!

Yesterday's driving

Chase picked me up from work yesterday so he can practice his driving skills. He's been driving for quite some time now, but have not yet experienced driving in EDSA. And so yesterday, that's what he experienced - nightmare at EDSA. EDSA near SM North yesterday was sooooo traffic. I almost had a heart attack while he maneuvered his car through that ugly traffic. We even had to take a u-turn at one point instead of going straight, because if he did go straight, we would have been ticketed! Biruin mo, at one point, napasigaw talaga ako ng "Chase!!!! tigil mo!". Muntikan na kasi mabangga yung katabing fortuner. Haha I think my nervousness added even more to his nervousness!

Amidst all that trouble, thankfully, he got me home safe, and he was able to get home safe as well.

Work Update

I have recently resigned from my current company, and my last day of work will be this coming end of May. I formally filed my resignation last April to my manager.

There are people who resign because they hate their work, they hate their company, their peers, managers, etc. Then, there are those who resign for the main purpose of wanting something more, maybe a better opportunity outside. As for me, my decision was geared on the latter reason.

You see, I did not apply to any other company since the start of this year. I was content with getting back to the office, not being deployed, and working on a nice little project there. But when a recruiter who contacted me last year, asked for my resume again, at first, I told him I wasn't ready to go look for a new job. But once in a while, he would ask again, and that I should just try it out, see the possibility. And so, I gave in, and gave him my resume. So I did went through the whole interview process, got the interview delayed further by almost three weeks, and the result ended up pretty good actually (to my surprise). I got an offer, the project was interesting, and I felt like I can be part of something here.

But I didn't sign right then and there. Although I didn't bother looking for another job to compare its offer to that, still, I had a very tough decision to make. Should I stay (I am contented anyway), or do I move on? It took me a while to decide.

What I liked about their offer was the experience that they will be able to provide for me. That's one of the reasons why I didn't bother checking out what the other companies can offer.

And so after a lot of yes no yes no moments, I finally talked to my manager about my plans, submitted my resignation, and signed on to the other company. Maybe it's just the first job jitters and all, but making that decision was hard. But as I always tell myself, it's time to move on.

I've been working for my current company for three whole years. They have provided me with experience I don't think I could ever get from somewhere else (or maybe I can, who knows?). Now I know I haven't been the best person when it comes to this company. I've had rants. But in the end, when I look back, this company has become my comfort zone.

But as I say to myself, in order to grow, sometimes we need to take risks. We need to get out of that comfort zone and try out something new. And this is just what I did. And I am really excited. :)

Credit Card!

Finally, after being rejected twice for my application for a credit card, I finally have one. It's a pre-approved credit card from ucpb. This comes right in time for me to use in case of emergency when I go on a long distance trip by mid June.

Of course, with this card, comes great responsibility. So I have to make sure I use it only when needed. I don't want to be charging a lot of unnecessary expenses, swiping the card here and there. The main reason why I wanted a credit card was really for purposes when I need to make purchases that requires a huge amount of money, and of course, during emergency.

Reaction to Jericho' exclusive interview in the Buzz

I just watched Boy Abunda's interview with Jericho in the Buzz just a while ago to talk about his very public breakup with Heart. I didn't really care much about their relationship or any other showbiz's couples for that matter, but this interview, I was moved by Jericho. I really felt his pain when he talked about how much he still loves Heart. When asked about their situation with Heart's parents, he just broke down and I was just sad for him. I know a couple of people who had relationships and was not approved by the parents. It's hard and most likely, one of the reasons they broke up was probably because of the parents (hula ko lang!).

For me, I believe that when you are in a relationship, you do not keep it a secret. It's not supposed to be a "you and me against the world" relationship. It sounds and looks sweet when both of you fight for each other's love amidst everyone's dismay, but in the end, is it worth it? Maybe for some it is, but for me, it's not. My family and friends will always be most important to me. A relationship once broken... to whom do you cry your heart out? You go back to your family and they welcome you back with open arms.

That's just my two cents.

But still, I feel for Jericho. I hope he'll find peace soon.

Survivor micronesia reaction

Survivor Micronesia Fans vs. Favorites is becoming one of my favorite seasons of all time!!! They just about mastered all blindsided techniques one could ever imagine. The past three episodes were so great, I just can't wait to watch next week's episode!

Quote for the day.

William Joseph Slim
When you cannot make up your mind which of two evenly balanced courses of action you should take - choose the bolder.

Annoyance + Rice Problem

At times, I get annoyed when I check the news and I see poor people getting angry over the high prices of food and rice, and how they demand that the government do something about it. And here comes the government, trying to "save" these people by subsidizing NFA rice at a huge huge loss just so the people can get what they want. Now NFA is predicting around a deficit of 43 billion pesos this year alone! The government is doing all these losses mostly for the poor, and yet they still manage to complain and complain about everything.

Do they not realize that much of the money the government is using for those low cost rice comes from the pockets of the middle-upper class citizens, who pay taxes!!?? And they still complain! We don't complain that much, why should they? They are not contented with what the government is trying to do for them, which is to provide low cost rice. I guess the only time they will stop complaining is when they get everything for free.

Adidas and Puma's relationship.

Turns out, Adidas and Puma, two world famous brands of shoes, actually spawned from two brothers' feud! Who knew?

For more details, check out article.

Family Baguio Trip 2008

My family went to Baguio this long weekend to enjoy the weather there. It was an impromptu outing because we only decided on it last weekend. I tried booking us a nice room for five at some nice hotels there, but I couldn't get one since most of them were booked already, but good thing my mom had this friend who owned an apartelle type house in the Green Valley area. It's situated in Marcos Highway, so it's a little far from Baguio proper itself. But its area is very nice. It's located on a nice mountain top view which gives you pretty much a great view of Baguio (or maybe a view of how urbanized Baguio is already).



My family hasn't been there for years so we decided to check out the sites and all. The only new thing I was able to do there was visit Bell Church and the Strawberry Fields. Bell church brings back a lot of memories from our childhood days. My mom still remembered that we had pictures taken there around 20 years ago! As for Strawberry fields, there were no strawberry picking when we went there. But we were able to buy loads of fruits, fresh vegetables, and of course, freshly picked strawberries.

I just have to mention this: On our way to La Trinidad, this is what the scenery looked like:


Too many houses... that just doesn't look nice.

Other than that, another very very memorable experience was going out to dinner with Chase's parents, just me with the two of them. I have no idea how I got through the night, but dinner actually went very well. I wasn't expecting to have dinner with them, but when I delivered some brownies to them, they invited me to have dinner with them that same night. I couldn't say no of course. So, night came, they picked me up at the house, drove all the way to country club, chatted the night away, and by the end of the night, they even bought me tons of pastries. Ako na nahiya sa dami nang binili ng mom niya.


This was taken, where else... at SM Baguio.

All in all, the trip was real nice. There isn't much to see at Baguio, however, what you'll enjoy there is really the weather. During the day, it may not be as cool, but at night, the weather's really nice. I'm hoping to drop by Baguio again, hopefully, soon.

Interesting Article

Here's an interesting article from Cracked.com aptly titled:
5 Famous Inventors (Who Stole Their Big Idea). It's a very nice read.

No cleaning yet

I've been planning to do some cleaning around here during the long vacation... but it's Saturday already, and I haven't done one single bit of cleaning. Too lazy.

Spiral Time!

Chase and I have been planning to try out Sofitel's Spiral buffet. They say it has more food choices compared to Shangrila's Heat and Circles. And so given the opportunity earlier, we decided to head out there and eat our stomachs to the fullest.

As expected, there were indeed a lot of food choices there. I wasn't able to try out all though. But I'd have to say, there wasn't really much food that I tried that really got me wanting to come back for more and more and more. The best I ate was probably the pizza there, which I loved and got back to get some more. Moreso, the place and ambiance is wonderful. Nice place to go on meetings, or dates. :)

All in all though, it's still a very good place to eat. I'd go back there anytime (if someone would treat me, that is).

Some royce chocolates

I got my family and Chase some Royce chocolates from Singapore. Actually, I wasn't the one who bought it from Singapore, Vicky did, when she went there last week. Converted to Philippine peso it's around 360 pesos a box! That expensive! But it's definitely worth it. It literally melts in your mouth.

Playing Diablo

I've been hooked at playing diablo again the past weeks. I always used Amazon just because #1 she is a girl, #2 she looks best among the girl characters. Anyway, for a change, I decided to pick the Paladin character. This is the first time I've tried playing Paladin and the build I chose to do is the Hammerdin build. I'm currently at level 37 and thanks to Chase, I already have some really cool items at hand. Check out the screen shot I have below:



Look at that item! +1 to Paladin skills! Makes my blessed hammer even stronger!

lost wallet

I lost my wallet last saturday. :(

Lifehack's 10 Ways We Hurt Our Romantic Relationships

Here's an interesting article published in Lifehack entitled 10 Ways We Hurt Our Romantic Relationships.

This article is for everyone, particularly for those in relationships.

Vday Surprise

Chase's been out of town for the past few days so I was actually quite disappointed that I haven't seen him for quite a while, and that even though Valentine's day is overrated, I still wanted to see him, even if though we don't really celebrate this occassion.

And so it's valentine's day, and he sent me a msg that he'll be back in Manila by 6pm. So I told him my meeting's running a little long and I'd probably be staying later than usual in the office since I'm quite delayed with the module that I am working on.

I think I got home around 9:30 pm already and to my surprise, Chase was there!! Waiting for me this whole time! Turns out, he's been in Manila since this afternoon, dropped by Dangwa to buy a bouquet of roses, and asked my parents if he could surprise me tonight. Haha funny. Of all the days, it was today that I decided to stay late in the office. It was really sweet of him to wait all this time. He told me he's been in the house at around 5:30 pm. He just waited, had dinner with my parents, waited and waited till I got home. And he gave me these:



I love this guy. This is the first time he was able to surprise me! He always tries to but I somehow manage to squeeze it out from him before the actual surprise!

And he even knows one of the few material things that actually make me smile.... newly undiscovered Pringles flavors!!! He apparently got it from some imported goods stuff while he was in Clark.



Pringlessssss

lovely project

I'm really enjoying my project right now. It's small, and it's not my usual web application, but I still like it. Haven't felt this way about wanting to work for quite a while.

saying goodbye

Today was our last day working at HP as consultants. It was really sad saying goodbye to these people who've welcomed us and have been part of our lives for the past 1.5 years. I am really excited as I am about to embark on a new project. However, I felt sad as well because these people are not just my colleagues, but they became my good friends as well.

As a final goodbye, my teammate and I prepared some food for the whole team. And it was really sweet that the team gave me and Dan a simple goodbye present. It was a scrapbook that had our pictures with them, and they wrote down short letters and notes for us. It was really sweet. I sure am going to miss these guys. :)

new stuff about me

A lot of changes for me this past week alone!

1. Finally bought this:



It's a Nokia e51 model. It's a quite expensive though. But the features are nice. I haven't explored much of its capabilities, but I believe this will go handy, at least for the next 3 years.

2. I had a haircut!

This haircut is way short. I originally wanted a shoulder length cut, however, for some reason, I wanted a real change, and here I am, shorty short hair. Been having nice feedbacks from the cut. I still laugh at myself when I look in the mirror. I haven't gotten used to it still.

3. I passed exam 1!

I didn't get a really high grade, but at least I passed. This just means I learned something from all that studying. Now, exam 2 is next, but I probably won't be taking it any time soon, or until I get the right and enough experience on designing applications.

4. Moving on to a new project

After 1.5 years, finally, a new and interesting project for me!!

5. Possible new sideline project

I talked with a friend regarding a possible application development. I haven't committed anything yet, until I get full commitment from my two other team members. It's a whole package deal.

This is gonna be an interesting project since we're given the freedom to choose what to use and all. Marcy and I will have fun with this (hopefully).

ouch

I can't bear to watch financial market these days.
And I haven't checked my portfolio for a couple of weeks now... and won't be doing so for quite a while.

Will be keeping my remaining money in the banks for now.
My stock investments (given that I wasn't able to sell) will now be a long term hold for now. Nothing much we can do about it. ipits ipits!

Sun Microsystems buys MySQL

More about the acquisition here.

nokia e51 over 6300

Instead of Nokia 6300, I think I'll be getting the Nokia e51 instead. It's a business class phone that has way more features compared to 6300.

In terms of shape and size, they're practically the same, but 6300 should be smaller by just a tad bit. In terms of features, e51 wins it by a wide margin. E51 runs in Symbian OS Series 60, and even has wifi capability!

Although I've been thinking about whether I need those other extra features in the near future, however, given that I don't buy new phones every year or with every new release, I think it would be nice to buy the E51 (a little bit more expensive than 6300 though) given that I'll be using it for the next n years.

For more info on Nokia e51, click this link.

one more week of prolonged studying

One more week! I don't want to study and review a week more!!! I want to take my exam!!!

time to buy a new phone!

I've been using my mobile phone for the past 3 years. I bought this second hand so its life should be around 3-4 years already. I don't even know its model. Anyway, for the past months (yes, months!), I've been contemplating on buying a new one. I've been looking at Nokia 6300 model as my next purchase. It's not the latest model in town, in fact, it's not even 3g, but I really like its simplicity and style. I'm thinking about getting one probably within the month. I can't wait!

Quotes

Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.
- John D. Rockefeller

Tattoos

Miama Ink and LA ink are two great shows being aired in cable channel Discovery Travel & Living. Both these shows show the "reality" life of guys who do a living by creating tattoos.

A lot of us have probably negative connotations when it comes to tattoos. I for one, do not want a tattoo for the reasons that's it's permanent, and I don't see any good reason why I'd want something drawn in any part of my body and call it art. But watching these shows, I gained so much respect for not just the tattoo artists, but also those that get the tattoos.

The nice thing about these shows is that it gives you a peak on how tattoo artists work. And man, are they really great artists. They're not just guys who have tattoos all over their bodies, they are guys who actually pursue what they want, and they're really good at it! I see Chris draw these huge drawings of dragons, portraits and they even do the shading and coloring themselves. You see talent in each and every one of the tattoo artists there.

But let's not forget another aspect of this show as well - the people who come in their shops and actually pay huge amount of money to get the tattoos. Turns out, much of these people who get body art have stories behind them. I remember one guy getting a tattoo of a portrait of his mother. He doesn't see her that much, and so he decided to get it permanently inked on his arms to show how much he loves her and admires her for raising him, even as a single mother. There's also this one gets an Arabic symbol of the word "warrior" on his arm to symbolize his Iraq war experience, and commemorate his friends who never made it back home. And of course, there are those people who get tattoos for the sake of getting one, or for the sake of artistic journey.

Nonetheless, these shows have given me a different perspective when it comes to the art of tattoo. It told me of talent, it gave me stories, and most important, it gave me a whole new respect for the people who make the tattoos, and for the people who get them as well.

Lifehack's article on Lead, Follow, and Get Out of the Way

Here's an article from Lifehack that talks about leadership: Lead, Follow, and Get Out of the Way

The excerpt below from the said article will definitely make you want to read it. It did something to me anyway.

"Leadership is about bringing out and mobilizing the best in the people around you. It’s about helping a group of people work
together towards a shared goal or set of goals. When leadership works, it creates leaders, not followers."