YAHUU!

Got this letter in my inbox today:

Dear Mr. Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx,

Congratulations! You have just won an LG 15" Flat TV for visiting the LG Electronics
Philippines website at www.lge.com.ph

You may claim your prize/s at: LG Electronics Philippines, Inc.
15 Francisco Legaspi St.,
Maybunga Pasig City.

Simply look for Mxxxxxx Cxxxxxx (Receptionist).
You may also call xxx-xxxx for any questions and inquiries.

In claiming of prizes, Winners will have to present this printed LG e-mail
notification & photo copy of any Valid ID's with picture on the following days Mon-Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. All delivery charges will be shouldered by the winners.

If you wish your prize be claimed by a representative. He/She should bring
this printed LG e- mail notification, your valid ID, an AUTHORIZATION LETTER indicating the complete name of your representative with your signature and his/her valid ID.

Deadline for claiming of prizes is 30 days from notification.

Thank you very much for you continued support of LG Electronics and our
endeavors. Once again, congratulation and enjoy your new LG appliance.


Sincerely,


Marketing Department
LG Electronics Philippines Inc.
632 641 4181 loc 304
promoph@lge.com
http://www.lge.com.ph

What a nice Christmas gift!!

60 Minutes

I'm standing in the middle of Changi Airport. I have sixty minutes to burn until my next connecting flight. Can't do internet forever because the terminals limit you to fifteen minute per session. And I'm hungry na.

TARA NA, BYAHE TAYO!

After a couple of months of planning, my wife and I will finally get our vacation. We're leaving for tomorrow for Bohol and spend the weekend there. I haven't been to Bohol, so I really don't know what to expect. I've read a lot of vacation reviews and from what I've seen so far, the place seems to be interesting. Finally, a chance for me to experiment on our new digital camera. I'll be putting up the pics soon, along with the rest of what's in my drive, once we get back.

After Bohol, I'll be leaving on a tour of our subcons in Asia. Next week, I'll be having a meeting in Malaysia then afterwards, me and my boss will be doing our yearend visits to facilities in Taiwan, Indonesia, and Hongkong. Hmm... you think I should've just scheduled the Bohol vacation after all these work trips?

Remembering My (Corporate) Past

My former company made a big decision last night. The current CEO is stepping down to become the company's chairman (shouldn't that be a step up?) and the current president is moving forward as the new CEO. All this change is happening as the computing industry continues it's struggle to rebound from two years of a hard recession.

The first thought that came to my mind was, "Ha! Yari na kayo!" I have left the company almost two years ago but I still feel bitter. I can go on and on about how sorry I felt working for that company but I know it's not going to do me any good. In the end, I'll just feel depressed. Having moved to another company, I know I should feel lucky. I now have a job that pays a lot better; that gives me an opportunity to give solid contributions; that provides me a sense of satisfaction; and most of all, gives me more time to enjoy other things in life, such as time with my wife.

As I think about this announcement, I take time to think instead of the good things that happenend to me while I was in Intel. I was able to meet my wife. I was able to live and work in the States for a while. I learned a lot of skills that makes me so marketable today. I was able to meet some of my closest friends. Now I know it wasn't that bad after all. In fact, it was quite an adventure.

I WANT!

This. No, not her. Her tattoo.

Go Ara!

Do You Mind? (also entitled: Boycott Dome Coffee)

Imagine this. My wife and I, together with a couple of her office friends, went out for coffee and drinks last Friday night. Eastwood was beginning to get boring, and we don't want to drive out all the way to Makati. I remembered that a highschool friend was having a gig at Whistestop, so why not Ortigas area instead?

When we got to Edsa Shang, we found out that there's a street party going on. So instead of Whistlestop, we decided to stay at Dome instead. The plan was girls were going to have coffee, the boys would be having beer. We were going to stay outside to enjoy the music, and it makes it so much easier if anybody wanted to go dancing.

Right across from Dome is International Sushi. Turns out that they have a beer promo going on: For three hundred pesos, you get a bucket of six beers plus two more bottles! Sulit! So we ordered beer from International Sushi and the girls ordered their lattes.

The beers arrived first. We were barely on our first couple of gulps from our bottles when I noticed a couple of the waiters from Dome inconspicuously eyeing us. Syempre deadma lang kami. What's a couple of beers?

Maya-maya eto na... One of the waiters approached me and said, "Sir, do you mind? We're also selling beer in Dome." Okay, but so what?

"So, what are we going to do now? Our beers are here, and besides, the ladies who are with us bought coffee from you." I said.

At this point, it's plain to see that the waiters didn't have a plan on resolving the problem when they brought it to our attention. Are they really serious in turning us away just because we bought beer from another place?

"We'll just cancel the coffee. We'll just transfer to another place instead."

I was waiting for a response from the waiter, but I didn't get any. I really don't know what he wanted us to do, and I was hoping he would have a suggestion, like letting us stay, perhaps, since the ladies already had their coffee ordered, and suggest that for the next round of beers to get it at Dome instead.

So we cancelled the coffee and transferred someplace else. It turns out that International Sushi was taking orders from almost the rest of the place, so for the remainder of our night, we gorged on cheap beer. The girls? They bought their coffee from Cinnzeo instead. It was just as good as Dome's, cheaper pa.

What's with Dome? Is it just me or is there really something wrong with the way I approached the problem? Will they really refuse to seat us just because we bought beer from another place? We were seated outside, mind you, and at no point did we bring the beer inside the shop.

Taking the argument a step further: What if, instead of beer, the boys bought coffee from Cinnzeo instead? Remember, the girls still ordered their coffee from Dome. Will Dome's waiters still accost us for that? Or what if we all bought coffee from Dome and cinnamon rolls from Cinnzeo? Is there still something wrong with that?

Whatever it is, I'm not going back to Dome in the near future. Ang labo nyo, Dome. And you know what I did after we transferred to another table? Nilagyan ko ng sumpa yung tables na inupuan namin. Sabi ko hindi magkakaron ng customer yang table na yan. True enough, even as we left Edsa Shang at 1 in the morning, Dome's tables in the front of the store remain unoccupied. Buti nga sa kanila.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CECIL!

Ei girl. Of course I won't forget it's your birthday tomorrow. And if I can get an MP3 of this song by Friday, we will dance to it on your party.

By Your Side
Sade

You think I'd leave your side baby
You know be better than that
Think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you, you're right when you're wrong
Ah, ah, ah, oh, oh, oh, oh
And if only you could see into me

Ohh, when you're cold
I'll be there hold you tight to me
When you're on the outside
Baby, and you can't get in
I would show you
You're so much better than you know
When you're lost, you're alone
Can't get back again
I will find you darlin' and I'll bring you home

And if you want to cry
I am here to dry your eyes
You know time, you'll be fine

You think I'd leave your side baby
You know be better than that
Think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you, you're right when you're wrong
Ah, ah, ah, oh, oh, oh, oh
And if only you could see into me

Ohh, when you're cold
I'll be there hold you tight to me
Ohh, when you're alone
I'll be there by your side, baby

Ohh, when you're cold
I'll be there hold you tight to me
Ohh, when you're alone
I'll be there by your side, baby

Guess what (TV, Movie) this song was played? :)

2 Farts

They always arrive about quarter to seven, them in their big F-150 truck. I can only assume that they're Americans, judging by the white color of their skin and the diplomatic plates hanging proudly on their vehicle. Oh, and they're also loud, laughing boisterously at whatever it is they're talking about.

I call them the two old farts. And I hate everything about them. I hate the fact that they always park their big truck blocked on the gasoline station driveway, making it impossible for the other properly parked cars to get out. I hate the fact that they're the only guys that gets the door opened for them AND gets a salute each from the coffeeshop guard. Now, almost anybody can get the door opened for them; but the salute? No, you have to be one of the old farts to get that. The old farts have the door opened for them on their way out. The old farts automatically get an ashtray on their table. The old farts get a lapdance from the Starbucks girls. Well, maybe I'm getting way too ahead on the last one but I wouldn't be surprised if one or both of the old farts already has the cellphone number of that cutie behind the counter.

So what's behind all this anger for these two guys, you might ask? Because I know, that for the third time in as many Wednesdays, I will be asking them to kindly move their truck so that I can go on my way to the office. The third time! The nerve of these two people coming to the Philippines and acting as if they owned the whole country! Do they actually allow illegal parking now in America?!

My coffee's almost finished and it's almost 7:30. I should be going but I'm pretty damned sure they're just halfway through their drinks. Time to rattle at the asses of these two old farts.

For those who want to know, this is at Starbucks Fort Bonifacio, early morning of November 3rd, 2004.

Misplaced Priorities Can Mislead A Nation

Looks suspiciously like an urban legend but I'm gonna post it anyway.

"He who can take no interest in what is small willtake false interest in what is great." John Ruskin

Jasmine Trias visited the Philippines very recently.Everyone was agog waiting to welcome her. The excitement was remarkable as the media and many of our"kababayans" flocked to the airport to see her. This scenario is typical of Filipinos. Sadly, it reflects our country's misplaced priorities.

Contest of the Mind. Another young girl came back tothe country just a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Faye (not her real name for very sensitive reasons). Unknown to her countrymen, this eleven year old girl brought honor to the Philippines. She represented the country in the Intercontinental Science Quiz Net inAustralia. Out of 57 countries represented, Faye garnered First Place for the Philippines. Germany came in second while the United States came in third.

In stark contrast to the hooplah extended to JasmineTrias, Faye's arrival did not make any noise. Not apeep.

In an earlier competition, "Mathematics for the YoungAsians" in Indonesia, Faye also came out in the Top Five. But just like the Australian event, this feat did not receive any recognition in our country at all.

Our interests seem to be set on other "priorities." We are more interested in promoting celebrity guests instead of educational and intellectual pursuits. Indirectly and quite obviously we are teaching our children that development of the external image takes priority over educational achievement.

Faye's story is inspiring. She comes from a broken family. Her father falsely claimed that he was unmarried when he married her mom. When her mom found out, she decided to raise up her daughter alone.

Despite the difficulty, Faye in no way used it as an excuse for complacency in her studies. In grade school, she was a consistent honor student. She took every academic requirement as a challenge. And she delivered. At one time, she submitted a project thesis in Australia that won "The Best Physics and ScienceAward". The award qualified the Philippines to be one of the top 10 countries that would compete in Australia, among the 57 countries that joined.

Considering her family's financial constraints, she and her mom asked help from our government for their trip to Australia to claim the "Best Physics" award and to join the Science competition. They saw this challenge as a rare opportunity offered to Faye and her country, considering that only two Asian countries qualified - Japan and the Philippines. Unfortunately, our government had other priorities.

Mother and daughter then tried to ask help from individual senators and congressmen. All turned them down except for one who was willing to help, on condition that Faye should give public credit to the senator for supporting her even in the earlier competitions she joined. Out of integrity, the mother could not accede to this arrangement. Thus no outside help was found.

Faced with this situation, Faye and her mom took outall their savings and went out of their way to secure by themselves the additional finances needed. The only driving force behind them was their desire to give honor to God and to the Philippines.

With the little resources they had, they went to Australia on September 17, 2004 for the competition. They claimed the trophy and cash award for the "BestPhysics" thesis Faye submitted in Sidney and then flew to Brisbane for the quiz competition.

No kababayan welcomed them in Australia except for a kind Filipina they met in the plane who assisted them. As they were checking in at a hotel, the "kind" Filipina who volunteered to help them disappeared, taking with her Faye's and her mother's bags, passports, and plane tickets. At that point, they literally had nothing left except for the few pieces of clothes and their faith in God. They had to sell the extra clothes left to be able to buy food.

In need once again, they sought help from some of theFilipino officials in Australia but to no avail. Oddly, the Filipino officials there were too busy withother priorities, not minding to help a young girl and a mother who had no other desire but to bring honor to our country.

Given a budget for only a one night stay at the hotel, mother and daughter had to check out the following day. Leaving their luggage on deposit and without money for transportation fare, they decided to walk two kilometers to the competition venue on their native Filipino costumes.

If walking a two kilometer distance was bad enough, how much more would be walking the distance on their native costume along the highways of Australia!

Upon arrival at the competition site, Faye and her mom were very surprised when they discovered that the delegates from each of the other countries were well supported by a band, a cheering squad, and a flag, while Faye only had her mother and the anxiety of lost passports and plane tickets. Worse, representatives of each country were required to decorate their booths.

With only the three-piece costume they had on, Faye and her mom were even more surprised when the organizing committee awarded their booth as "The MostCreative" booth.

In the early part of the competition, Japan, Brazil and Spain were eliminated. As the only Asian country left to compete against six Western nations, the Philippines was cheered on by Japan. Faye was encouraged by her Japanese cheering squad, but in her heart, how she wished that she had her own countrymen to cheer her on.

When Faye finally won first place and Philippine national anthem was being played, she prayed silently thanking God for making her a Filipina. Despite all the painful experiences she had with her country, her priorities did not waver. A Japanese diplomat was the one who helped Faye and her mom to secure temporary pass so they could return to the Philippines. The money they won was just enough for their fare backhome and their temporary passport. When Faye was relating this story before a crowd, she said, " Let us love our nation, for nobody else will."

Faye did not allow her painful experiences to tear down her loyalty to her country. She is not a celebrity but a servant out to serve her fellow Filipino.

A Small Way to Greatness. Our concept of leadership in this country is pitifully skewed. We mistakenly think that leadership is about "lording" it over other people. Christ corrected this distorted thinking when he said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you, instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all - Mark 10:42-44

Sadly, we are far from the precept of this truth. Itis no surprise then that we have a dearth of real leaders in this country-leaders who would set the nation's interests above their own. In the same way,our concept of citizenship is damaged. Those seeking for social good for themselves are never willing to grant the same good to others. Hence it is common for us hear stories of Filipinos who take advantage of their fellow citizens. We want to be served, but we are unwilling to serve.

We dream of becoming like Jasmine Trias. We want our children to be like her. We would rather spend on things that would make us look good instead of things that would make us grow in character. We prefer stardom glitter over service-oriented endeavors.

Quite the contrary, Faye spend sleepless nights studying to win the competition because she knows her priorities. Unlike Jasmine Trias, Faye did not receive a hero's welcome when she came back, but, young as she is, she keeps calling on Filipinos to love the Philippines because every Filipino is a valuable gift of God.

Life, really is not a matter of intelligence but amatter of setting our priorities right. The question is, what's our focus on "grand" things that make us superficial or on simple things that lead us to greatness?

Faye's story reminds us all to look within ourselves. This eleven year old girl could have complained to the media, but she did not. She went out of her own small way to bring greatness to this land.

Right priorities grant us wisdom. When properly set, priorities point us to the right people we need to invest in, the right use of our energy, the right resources to draw from, and the right endeavors to support.

From the words of Faye's mother, " We all wanted towin, but success is not measured through by merely winning. It is measured through our hearts, if it is truly attuned with God all the time. It is all that really matters for we have only an Audience of One. Whatever we have achieved, big or small, remember one thing: it is for God and God alone. The King of the Kingdom of a higher world.

YOKO NA

I'm so tired. I've been up since five this morning. My manager gave me some work yesterday afternoon and I was so stupid to commit that I'll be sending it to him this morning. I planned on working on the presentation last night, so that all I have to do is send it to him first thing today. But I cooked last night and I was so busog. I decided to just go to work early today. Thing is, I realized that today is Wednesday, color coding day. Ayun, I have to leave the house by six.

I got in the office early. Kaya lang I was feeling so sleepy so I decided to chat for a while. Then came my 8am phone conference. Followed by more urgent emails. Then other phone calls asking for this and that. Until I totally forgot all about it. Then my boss called at three in the afternoon, asking for it. Buti na lang I was quick to make palusot.

Grabe, I just finished sending it. I hope everything is in order. I hope I didn't miss anything he wanted. I just want this sleep na.

But I can't go to sleep yet. My highschool friend is on vacation from the States and he's leaving on Saturday. We're supposed to meet at Eastwood, but I don't know what time they'll be meeting. Hay, buti na lang I'll be staying up late for a nice reason. I gotta get something nice to eat later. I gotta drink at least two beers and one 7&7. I think I earned it.

QUICKIES

Lara: Hi lola! Sowee I wasn't able to change your reg screen. I was downloading this big file sa email kaya my connection to GSB's website was crawlingly slow.

Cecil: Nice to meet you! When are you going back to Quiapo? Hmm... baka sumama na rin ako. May mga digital camera ba na binebenta yung contact mo? Maganda ba mga epektos nya?

Lara and Cecil: Baka i-connect na yung DSL ko this Friday. Yehey! I can send you the MP3 nung desnudate song.

Ara: Hi! Yup, I got a blog. Welcome pow.

Beatlebum: Ang daming chicks sa site ko! Mwhahaha! Sana si Sandara mag-visit din ng blog ko! Let me know kung may makukuha kang autographed pic ha! Salamat talaga. Kelan date namin ni Pinky? :D

Next time na muna entries... daming ginagawa sa office eh.

TRANSLATE THIS

This song has been rotating heavily in my playlist for the past couple of days. It's a Spanish ballad, but I have no idea what it means or who the artist is. Great song. If you want a copy of the mp3, email me.

Veneno
by Ragazzi

Soy veneno que te arde en los labios
Veneno que derrite tu piel
Veneno que te inunda los sueños y que se adueña de ti
Poco a poco…
Soy veneno que se pierde en tus brazos
Veneno que recorre tu cuerpo
Veneno que navega en tus venas y que se mete entre tus sabanas
Que son de seda...

Chorus:
Porque soy veneno
Porque yo soy veneno
Y si tu quieres yo te quiero
Pero desnúdate primero
Que no se entere la ciudad...
Porque yo soy veneno
Y tú el antídoto que quiero
Igual que mato igual me muero
Sin ti no entro una vez mas

Y es que soy veneno que te embruja el sentido
Veneno que naufraga en tu vientre
Veneno que galopa en tus noches y que en tu boca se derrama... lentamente

Chorus:(x2)
Porque soy veneno
Y si tu quieres yo te quiero
Pero desnúdate primero
Que no se entere la ciudad...
Porque yo soy veneno
Y tú ya sabes lo que quiero
Ir dando vueltas por tu cuerpo
No necesito nada mas

Google translated the song for me and this is how it turned out...

I am poison that burns to you in the lips
Poison that melts your skin
Poison that floods the dreams to you and that is appropriated you
Little by little?
I am poison that is lost in your arms
Poison that crosses your body
Poison that sails in your veins and that puts between your savannahs
That they are of silk...

Chorus:
Because I am poison
Because I am poison
And if your you want I want to you
But desnúdate first
That the city does not find out...
Because I am poison
And you the antidote that I want
Just as I kill equal I die
Without you I do not enter once again

And it is that I am poison that bewitches the sense to you
Poison that is shipwrecked in your belly
Poison that galopa in your nights and that in your mouth are spilled slowly...

Chorus:(x2)
Because I am poison
And if your you want I want to you
But desnúdate first
That the city does not find out...
Because I am poison
And you already know what I want
To be giving returned by your body
I do not need anything but

Will somebody tell me in normalpeoplespeak what desnudate means? Bastos ba yun??

MEETING HER FRIENDS

I celebrated Oktoberfest kickoff with my wife's friends. Finally, I'm putting faces behind the names, and what faces they have! My wife works for an anti-virus software company. Being one of the dotcoms left standing, they have a relatively young demographic, and they intend to keep it that way. For one thing, they have an unwritten rule of getting only people below 30. I guess they've proven that you can't teach old dogs new tricks.

Anyway, we all had a good time at Tavern on the Square last Friday. Route 70 was playing. The band caters mostly to 70's and early 80's music. At first, we felt sort of out of place. But when they were soon playing a string of disco hits, aba, almost everybody in our table was up and dancing. It was good. Managed to drive back home after downing four Negra's and two 7&7's.

The following day, we went to the housewarming party of one of the guys we were out with the previous night. Want to have an idea of how good these guys are being paid? He just bought a house and lot in Cainta, a second hand Toyota MR2, and a Pajero. All within two years. Man, I want to transfer na!

It's nice to know that wifey seems to be having a good time with her officemates, inside and out of the office. I can't help but feel sorry for myself. I've been with my company for almost two years but I can't seem to make a connection with the folks there. It doesn't help that I spend more time with the suppliers than with them. Still, I miss having real friends among my officemates. Sometimes, I can spend all eight hours in the office without talking to anybody. Pathetic, isn't it. Hay...

On another front, my friends from ManilaTonight are ranting. I never attend our coffee eb's daw. To Sebyang, WrongWolf, Flirt_Lady, I'm so sorry. Promise, I'll attend this Friday's coffee meet. You know me naman, family first kaya I've been missing the eb. :-)

A PINOY'S LOOK AT AMERICAN POLITICS

Just finished watching the first presidential debate this morning. If were an American citizen, hands down my vote goes for John Kerry. As commander-in-chief, Bush made a lot of mistakes in this whole war on terrorism. Who was the real target in the first place? Where were the weapons of mass destruction? Where's Osama bin Laden now?

Under George Bush, America has isolated itself with the rest of the world. They have lost a lot of integrity as a nation, especially with the discovery of prisoner abuse in Iraq. They flipflop on a lot of issues, like nuclear weapons proliferation. While they were so eager to invade Iraq to look for nuclear weapons, which they never did, how come they're not willing to pursue Iran's and North Korea's nuclear weapons with the same enthusiasm they did in Iraq?

This whole Middle East problem has taken the world's eyes off from what the real problems are. Worldwide poverty is still increasing. Job creation everywhere has ground to a halt. AIDS is still killing a lot of people. The United States is undeniably still the strongest nation on Earth, and it should be leading the rest of the world to work on these issues.

TAKING A STAND

My brother has transferred jobs twice in three years. And he's looking to transferring to another office again before the year ends. What's up with that? Does he think that looks good in a resume? And what about corporate loyalty? Is it really dead?

Maybe not so. I talked with my mom about what's happening with baby brother and I learned something new about my brother which I never thought he had in him. My brother takes a stand for what he believes in. And if it means losing his job, no matter how good the pay is, he'll go ahead takes a stand on things.

His first job was as a call agent in one of the biggest call centers in Manila. After a year, he was promoted to team leader. He wasn't exactly popular among the other agents. Hindi daw marunong makisama. He took his job seriously, as anybody should, and it seems that this trait earned him the respect of his superiors. One day, two of his subordinates asked permission to go on overtime. He agreed. But when he went back to the office a couple of hours later, he found out they didn't go on overtime at all. When he reported this to the operations manager, it turned out that the two guys were buddies with the operations manager and the ops manager would rather not do anything about it. He elevated the issue to operations director. When the ops manager found out about it, pinag-initan nya brother ko. He later resigned because he was having such a hard time at work.

His second job was as a customer service manager for a Philippine-based Japanese firm which deals with call cards in Japan. Six months into the job, he uncovered a scam in the company. Some managers who had access to the PIN numbers on the call cards were selling them outside company channels and were pocketing the money for themselves. He informed the head office about this and some managers were fired. After that, he thought everything would return to normal. He was wrong. For some unknown reason, he would find his car with the tires blown, he would find threats of physical harm emailed or pasted to his car, that sort of stuff. Fed up, he left the company.

I was so surprised when I learned this from mom. I never thought my brother had this in him. I felt ashamed because all the while I thought he wasn't taking his work seriously, and was quick to blame this attitude on him whenever we would find ourselves arguing. Bro, salute ako sa yo. I'm sure dad is proud of you as well.

THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW

You may like them, but I find clouds a little bit too freaky. I mean, they're cute too look at. It may even draw you into a pensive mood, but not me. Clouds make me feel like some sort of psychic freak.

Ever since I can remember, I always thought I can make clouds form into shapes just by willing them to do so. I can spend hours just looking at them and telling them what shape I want them to make into.

So here, on the 11th floor of my condo, I'm seeing big fluffy fish. Lots of them.

A MEME FOR TODAY...

1. My sofa is the most used piece of furniture in my house.

2. The one electronic 'gadget' that I use most often is my PDA.
3. My favorite appliance, and the one I absolutely cannot live without is the espresso machine.
4. One thing that I thought I just HAD to have at one time, and I now barely ever use, is my sandwich maker.
5. I find it easiest to keep in touch with family and friends via SMS.
6. I own more cd's (or other music media) than I do underwear.
7. All my important addresses are stored in/on my PDA.
8. If I had to live without TWO keys on my keyboard, I would choose Z and V.
9. I probably own about 2 pieces of software that I haven't used in years.
10. There are a few food items that I try NEVER to run out of, and those would be Cerveza Negra, Granny Goose Cheese Tortillos, uncooked pasta, and pesto sauce.

FRIDAY FIVE

Quickly, without giving it too much thought, write down five things you can see from where you are sitting. Now, tell us five things about each of those five things.

1. An industrial fan - We bought this fan a long time ago, while we were still living in Cavite. The living room in our house then was small, and everytime we turn this fan on, it makes this droning sound that after makes you want to turn the fan off. Problem is, during the summer, it gets really hot inside. So, it's either we suffer from the heat or suffer from a headache due to the sound the fan makes. My wife would rather have a headache. Now that we've moved to a bigger place, we use this fan to drive air outside the condo unit, especially after we cook something smelly, like dried fish.

2. Disc holder - We have two. One for my wife, where we keep all of our DVD's. The other one is mine, where I keep all of my PS2 games. We bought these when we figured out that it doesn't make sense keeping the DVD cases from the movies we buy. They're too bulky. In the case of PS2's, if you keep stressing the hole, you'd end up with a bad disc. Don't ask me, I don't know why. All I know is that ever since I started keeping my PS2 discs in the jacket, I never had a game go bad since. Which reminds me, I need to buy two more of these soon because we're running out of slots fast.

3. My laptop bag - Big, black, and bulky. This is my life. All of my work is in there. Since I move around from one office to another, I have to keep most of my important documents in there. In fact, this is where I keep my passport. I probably won't be placed in a situation where I have to leave the country immediately and just bring this bag along, unless of course I kill someone, but it's good that I'm prepared. Some of the things I keep in the bag: a pack of condoms, a pack of cigarettes, pens I get from hotel rooms, among others. My wife gave me her laptop bag, which is bulkier, but I still haven't found time to transfer my stuff in there.

4. Ashtray - I know I can't smoke inside the house but I can't help it. Especially when I'm working. When we bought this ashtray, we didn't really mean to use it as an ashtray. It was supposed to be a non-flammable platform for burning scented candles. But now that we've outgrown our fascination for scented candles, and most of the time I just find this lying around somewhere, I've given it new life by using it as what it was made for.

5. My duffel bag - This was given to me by my team from Arizona as a goodbye gift. We use it for short out of town trips in the province or when we sleep over in my sister-in-law's place. It's big bright Intel blue, and has lots of pockets. It even has a special pocket for putting your soiled shoes, which makes it really nifty as a gym bag. Not that I ever go to the gym...

Quick ones...
Just ripped EBTG's Alfie into MP3. Who wants a copy?
It's a Friday! Yehey! Have a great weekend!!

LET'S GO SOMEWHERE

I can't remember the last time we went on a vacation. Ever since my wife transferred to her new job, we've been stuck in the city. For one thing, she doesn't get any paid vacation leaves for her first year on the job. That means not only do we have to shell out money for the vacation, we're actually gonna lose more money because she doesn't get paid for the days she doesn't go to work. Another thing is, where do we go? Baguio? Boracay?

For the past couple of days or so, I notice that she's been dropping hints that we go somewhere. I know she wants to get physically far away from the office. Her boss, from what I gather, seems to be one big oaf who doesn't know jack about what he's supposed to be doing. She showed me his resume last night and frankly, I don't even know why he was interviewed for the job. But I'm pretty sure he'll get booted out one of these days. And when that happens, they're gonna look at my wife to take over. And if that happens, she'll get more stressed out and then we really have to go somewhere.

Hong Kong would be nice. I wonder when Disneyland is opening there? Australia. Now there's Fox Studios there. That would be interesting to visit. Bali, Phuket? Not with the recent bombing in Jakarta. Hay...

ALMOST NAKED

I love Wednesday mornings. After my Malaysian manager realized that there's simply no way I can reach the office at 8:30 because of color coding, we came to an agreement that yes, I can work from home on Wednesdays but I have to go to the office in case something comes up that needs my personal attention. No problem, I can do that.

So for almost half a year now, my Wednesday routine will be to wake up at 8 to have breakfast with the wife, kiss her goodbye at 8:30, then fire up the laptop and have email up and running by 9am. I still don't have DSL at home, but at dialup speed of 49kbps, it sure beats working at the office where at best, I would get only 21kbps.

Now I'm a guy who likes sleeping in my underwear at night. And for some particular reason, I didn't bother changing into house clothes this morning. So there I was, working in my underwear. There's really something interesting about firing off an email to my hot and sexy customer service manager wearing only my briefs, but that's for another day.

Then I had the urge to make another cup of coffee. Two tablespoons of ground beans, half a cup of water, and soon the first couple of drops of espresso was flowing into my mug. Then I looked outside.

I'm living on the 11th floor of my condo, and the other tower is like spitting distance from mine. And there she was, looking at me curiously. She was a middle-aged woman, also in her underwear, but she looked like she was dressing up. We both kinda looked at each other curiously in a non-malicious sort of way, then just smiled. She finished dressing up, blouse and skirt and all; and I topped off my espresso with frothed milk. Then I went back to work.

A MARGARITA AFTERNOON

I was exchanging text messages with a friend yesterday afternoon. She's a friend from college, we took the same course. Although we weren't batchmates, we had a couple of subjects that we took together. Being the sucker that I am, I had the mistake of interpreting our closeness as friends as being something more. But we recovered from that and we're quite close up to now.

She said she wanted to meet up and talk. I could sense that there was something more. I knew she's getting married soon, so I thought it could probably be wedding jitters, and she wanted to talk to someone married to know what getting married is really like. Hah! As if I really know!

We were supposed to meet in Starbucks, but at the last minute sa Dencio's na lang daw. I was 15 minutes late and when I got there, she was already midway into our first of five pitchers of margarita. Hot Tuesday afternoon, icy margarita... what the heck!

Turns out the fiance was screwing somebody else. But you see, their setup was disturbing from the very beginning. They've been going out for more than five years but they've never had sex before. At least, she has never had sex with him. But she's okay with him having sex with women he meets in bars, women he pays to screw him, women who wants to have sex with him. But my friend... nope, she's never banged him. Ever. And now she finds out that he's screwing his best friend, who's very close to her now, and who has even offered to cater for their wedding. How weird can that be? At this point, I'm thinking... whatadude! WhataLUCKYdude!!!

So I was an Ate Helen for one afternoon. I wasn't really talking a lot. Must be because it was hot and I was drinking the margarita as if it were fruit juice. But every now and then and I'd butt in and her all excited again. I'm a bad friend. I like seeing people get angry. Then she thought out loud that she wanted to get even. Kailangan akong gumanti, hayop sya!!! Then she gives me this look. Me? Want to get even with him by banging me? Oh yeah!!

Then I knew I was thinking with tequila bubbles in my head when I said, wag na lang. Pag-isipan mo na lang kung gusto mo talagang pakasalan yun. Can you live it? Can you sleep at night without him by your side and not think that he's screwing someone else? But I will not be drunk by then, and you have my number, so please call me.

BOOK CRAZY

Aside from pirated DVD's and MP3 disks, another thing I like about shopping in Manila are the second-hand bookstores that are swamping a lot of the malls lately. It used to be that only Booksale was selling used hardbound and paperbound books. Now there are a lot of unknown stores putting up wares in malls like Glorietta, SM, and Festival Mall.

Last weekend, I was able to score two good used hardbounds: Carcaterra's Gangster and Grisham's Runaway Jury. I've always been a fan of Grisham, although for the past year or so, I haven't been reading any of his works. The only reason why I got Runaway Jury is because I had the chance to watch the movie, and it's interesting how the book is so different from the movie. In the movie, the plaintiff is a gun manufacturer, but in the book, it seems that it's a tobacco company. The plot is more or less the same though, how an errant juror manages to sway a decision against a gorilla plaintiff. Should be an interesting read, I guess.

I also bought a new paperback from Clancy, Red Rabbit. Aside from that, I'm also reading a work by Hemingway published posthumously: Islands in the Stream. This is my first time to read Hemingway. So far, I like the book. Really gets you inside the mind of the protagonist.

It's a Friday. Have fun this weekend people! For those getting their paychecks this evening, don't blow it off all on one night! :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

First off, I'd like to say happy birthday to my wife. I know she doesn't read this, but in case she ever stumbles into this site, at least I'm sure that she won't take it against me that I didn't greet her on her birthday! I love you!

LIFE BEHIND BARS

If you want to know how prison life is like, then go visit Pete.

Just to let you know, for those who care to know, how I'm doing, life has been a blast! My cousins from Hawaii are in town after their two week vacation in Ilocos. They arrived last Sunday and two of them are going back home tomorrow. What a week! We been-there-done-that'd Eastwood, Greenbelt, and Timog. It's their last night tonight so who knows where we'll end up. They told me last night they want a no-holds-barred gimmick, so... :-)

More on one week with the cousins in the next blogs...

It's Friday people. Get out. Party. Have a life. But make sure you don't end up like Pete.

TAPOS NA!

Finally, natapos rin yung audit namin. Now I can party.

MALAPIT NA!!!

Four days to go till the fuckin audit! Tangina, I'm under so much pressure here I feel like I'm gonna burst anytime soon!!

Hay, so much for angst...

I'M NOT YOUR SHADOW

That is, perhaps, what Kimi Raikonnen and Reubens Barrichelo have in mind after Michael Schumacher chalked up his tenth win in 11 starts this season; and his 80th career victory. Despite Kimi's brand new MP4-19B Mclaren car, the Ferrari team has once again outwitted the other teams by playing not just a superior car, but with an equally wise strategy as well.

Ferrari's strategy for Michael was very apparent once the green light was lighted up on race day. Although he was starting fourth because of his dismal qualifying run, a lot of people expected that he would quickly shoot to first or second place. He ran in that position for about the first 10 or so laps because he was carrying more than the usual amount of fuel. When he pitted on the 15th lap and spent close to 9 seconds for the stop, it was obviously a 2-stop race strategy for Schumacher’s team, as opposed to Mclaren’s three pitstops strategy. When he pulled out of the pits on the 37th lap ahead of Kimi, there was no turning back for Michael Schumacher and the race was securely in his control, victory once again for the Ferrari team.

The only heart-stopping moment of the race was when Renault's Jarno Trulli crashed when he was negotiating the notorious Baker's bend on the 39th lap. With the bend curving nearly 180 degrees, riders were usually slowing from 7th to 4th gear as they negotiated the bend. Unfortunately, Trulli was not able to brake earlier and came into the bend at nearly 170 kilometers per hour. As he was applying pressure to his brakes, something in the drivetrain must've given up and caused his car to crash into the walls, causing a complete obliteration of his car's front wheels. His car rolled once before coming to a stop in the gravel and a couple of moments after, a collective sigh of relief was heard when he gave a thumbs-up to the crowd.

I expect that the German Grand Prix will be as equally exciting as this British Grand Prix has been. Mclaren will spend the next two weeks finetuning their new car to perfection. For Schumacher, it is expected that he will continue to drive harder for nothing can be sweeter than a hometown win. The man is clearly made of champion material. Now if only Kimi can work on that frustrating Nordic accent, it would sure be nice to watch his first trip to the winner's podium.

TODO NA TO!

In exactly 12 hours, I'll be briefing our VP on our readiness for next week's audit. I thought going to Malaysia a full week before the actual audit was a waste of time and company money, but now I realize how far behind I am in preparing for this career-changing activity. Hay, the price of procrastination nga talaga. Wish me luck peeps. In the meantime, back to my presentation muna ako. It's already 2am and I don't think I'm halfway already. If things go well, I owe everybody who cares to leave a comment a cup of coffee. :)

OK PA BA KAYO?

Ako hindi na... Tuesday pa lang pero pagod na pagod na ko.

Kape muna tayo...

PAOLO SANTOS - Coffee Cup


Staring blankly
As I pour some sugar in my coffee cup
Glancing slightly
As I watched some people patiently line
Line themselves up

Looking at a distance
My attention was disturbed
As your smoothin' silky presence
Gallantly approached the curb
Pretendin' that I know you
I pervertedly just smile
Knowing I am just invisible
To your naked eyes

Over a cup of coffee
We could travel with our words
The espresso shoots me up
The surrounding is a blur
Over a cup of coffee
We are drinking drop by drop
Thinkin' lovely lady
Could you share with me
Just another cup

Move myself into a new position
Oh hoh tryin' to get that better view
Like a secret mission
Watching every move you make
Don't think it's time for me
To take a little break

Gotta keep it together
I ain't goin' nowhere
Been here like forever
I just don't really care

Over a cup of coffee
We could travel with our words
The espresso shoots me up
The surrounding is a blur
Over a cup of coffee
We are drinking drop by drop
Thinkin' lovely lady
Could you share with me
Just another cup

I'm glad I choose
To start my day with a coffee toast
I did not sleep all day
Talk about how I spend my time away
Ba da dap ba dap di dawl dey
Ba da dap ba dap di don dey di dit dit
Dey di dit dit
Dey di dit dit
Dey di dit dit
Ooh hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh
Woh yeah yeah

Over a cup of coffee
We could travel with our words
The espresso shoots me up
The surrounding is a blur
Over a cup of coffee
We are drinking drop by drop
Hopin' lovely lady
Wishin' lovely lady

Over a cup of coffee
We could travel with our words
The espresso shoots me up
The surrounding is a blur
Over a cup of coffee
We are drinking drop by drop
Thinkin' lovely lady
Could you share with me
Just another cup

MY FRIENDS

1.To My Friends Who Are...........SINGLE

Love is like a butterfly . The more you chase it , the more it eludes you. But if you just let it fly, it will come to you when you least expect it. Love can make you happy but often it hurts , but love's only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it. So take your time and choose the best.

2.To My Friends Who Are............NOT SO SINGLE

Love isn't about becoming somebody else's "perfect person." It's about finding someone who helps you become the best person you can be.

3.To My Friends Who Are............PLAYBOY/GIRL TYPE

Never say "I love you" if you don't care. Never talk about feelings if they aren't there.
Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart . Never look in the eye when all you do is lie.
The cruelest thing a person can do to another is to let them fall in love when they don't intend to catch their fall...

4.To My Friends Who Are............MARRIED

Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry."
Not "where are you", but "I'm right here."
Not "how could you", but "I understand."
Not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are."

5.To My Friends Who Are............ENGAGED

The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together but how good you are for each other.

6.To My Friends Who Are............HEARTBROKEN

Heartbreaks last as long as you want and cut as deep as you allow them to go.
The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks but to learn from them .

7.To My Friends Who Are............NAIVE

How to be in love:
Fall but don't stumble, be consistent but not too persistent, share and never be unfair, understand and try not to demand, and get hurt but never keep the pain.

8.To My Friends Who Are............POSSESSIVE

It breaks your heart to see the one you love happy with someone else but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.

9.To My Friends Who Are............AFRAID TO CONFESS

Love hurts when you break up with someone. It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you. But love hurts the most when the person you love has no idea how you feel.

10.To My Friends Who Are............STILL HOLDING ON

A sad thing about life is when you meet someone and fall in love, only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it. If he isn't worth it now he's not going to be worth it a year or 10 years from now. Let go.....

11.TO ALL MY FRIENDS.......

My wish for you is a man/woman whose love is honest, strong, mature, never-changing, uplifting, protective, encouraging, rewarding and unselfish.

GIVE ME HOPE

This is just so depressing.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT

Disclaimer: The text below is sexually explicit. If you are underage, please scroll down and view the rest of the site.

She was about five minutes late. She insisted that I stay out in front of KR, so she'd know I was really there. So there I was, under a sweltering Thursday afternoon sun, waiting for her to arrive. A taxi pulled up, and out comes a tall, medium built woman. Now that I think about it, she wasn't quite a woman yet. She was good in exuding a sense of sophistication, but you'd know there was something innocent in her. She looked reserved, but at the same time, playful.

She walks up and touches my wrist. Leaning closer, she kissed me on the cheek, which really surprised me. I walked her to her side of the car and let her in. Climbing in, I'm beginning to ask myself if I really wanted to push through with this. I wasn't quite familiar with the area, although it is known for its long strip of japanese and korean sing-along joints. She had told me earlier that she needed to get home before seven, so the usual spot is definitely out. What the heck, I could just probably drive around and look for the hushing lady. If she's around, then there's bound to me more of them.

We did find one not quite far from where we met. The drive to the place was pretty much uneventful. One thing I noticed about this girl, though, is that she can carry a conversation. She lives with an aunt in a southern Metro Manila city. She still goes to school, although she's on a home study program. She hasn't seen the latest Harry Potter flick because she finds him silly. Her parents are living in LA, and she's going to join them sometime this year. Just how much truth is in all this is everybody's million dollar question, but really... who cares? Maybe I do.

K is slightly better than all of the motels I've been to. I should probably give myself a pat in the back for sheer luck. Once inside the room, we had another five minutes or so of small talk before we moved on to better things. She wasn't keen on the idea of us showering together so I went ahead first. When I stepped out of the bathroom, she was already in her tapis. Just for the heck of it, I asked again if she really didn't want me to join. She answered by giving me a wet kiss on the lips, her teeth lightly biting on my lower lip. Then she moved away and locked the door behind her.

After she showered, she climbed onto the bed. Still in her tapis. I was already naked underneath the sheets and since the room was getting quite cold, her warm body beside mine was a welcome treat. We just looked at each other's eyes. I guess we were playing a mind game at this point, figuring out who would make the first move. I leaned closer. I noticed that she didn't use the hotel soap and must've brought her own. This close to her, she smelled so delicate. I couldn't help but kiss her neck, just underneath her ear. I was feeling playful now and I wanted to kiss her lips. Warm, wet, delicious. I love the way our tongues clashed. Hers was a playful kind of kiss. She liked feeling the texture of my tongue sliding along hers. I felt her all over my mouth, flicking, stroking. I wanted a different kind of passion. I kissed her lips, gently biting on it, sucking it.

I love kissing, and I wanted to know how her body would react if I kiss her here and there. I started by gently planting soft nibbles from her chin down to her throat. I moved on top of her and started licking between her breasts. I could hear her breathing heavily as I started to lick all around her nipples. Then she cooed softly when I my mouth covered her nipples, I was gently sucking on it, my tongue swirling all around it while it was still in my mouth.

My eyes flickered downward to the space between her thighs, and I caught a glimpse of her shaved womanhood. I was getting hard now, and I found her looking at my crotch. She pulled me up and kissed me deeply, her tongue snaking again into my mouth and playing with mine. She made me kneel on my knees as she pulled herself up to sit on the bed. Her hands were sliding dangerously higher up my thighs, my manhood throbbing uncontrollably in front of her. I had to catch my breath as her her smooth fingertips were tracing across my balls and sliding along the length of my shaft. She broke our kiss and pulled back from me a bit, her hand still stroking the skin of my manhood.

She lowered her head towards my lap, her destination obvious, and my heart pounded even faster. I broke a moan when her lips first made contact with the tip. She opened her lips and let the head pass into her mouth, her hand still stroking the base of my shaft. Her lips and tongue danced around the head, her lips pressing and unpressing on the edges of my head, causing an indescribable throbbing feeling on the pit of my stomach.

I felt myself slowly rocking to the silent rhythm of her motions. A continuous series of clenching and relaxing, clenching and relaxing, as she took me a little deeper into her mouth with each stroke. I could feel every ridge, every square inch of her lips and her tongue as she sucked me. She made love to my manhood with her mouth, swirling her tongue over my head and shaft, sucking up and down on the sensitive skin at the top. I was burning for the need to release, my manhood swelling and throbbing in her mouth. She knew my need was strong, my orgasm imminent. Still continuing to pump the base of my shaft with one hand, her other hand gently squeezed my balls. Then she flicked and rolled her tongue all around the head, giving the tip a furious tongue-lashing. Then I couldn't stand it any longer.

With a loud groan that probably was heard even from outside the room, my orgasm blasted out through my manhood. Strong spurt shot up from my balls, up my shaft, and through the tip. I had to close my eyes and look up as I felt the ultimate warmth of her mouth receiving my come. I could feel her tongue dancing at the sensitive glans as I shot spurt after spurt into her mouth.

She lied back on the bed and I relaxed my body on top of hers. She wrapped her legs around my body and pulled me closer. She kissed me, wanting me to taste my come still wet on her lips.

Later that night, I was holding my manhood in my hand, staring at her beautiful behind. She was bent over the bed, hands gripping the pillows. I gazed at her lovely shaved womanhood, pink, and ready for me. She turned her head back to look at me, giving me the sweetest smile. I didn't say anything but just moved closer to her, the front of my thighs touching the backs of hers. Gazing down at her lovely form, I guided my manhood between her wet lips. I couldn't make out my own groan as I heard hers as I found the angle and my manhood slip into the warmth of her womanhood.

I pumped slowly at first, feeling an indescribable delicious feeling all along the length of my shaft. Responding to her own pumping, I drove my manhood ever faster into her tight lips. I felt the deepness of her clutching at my shaft with each withdrawal, and then parting around me as I thrust back in, deep inside her. My balls slapped against the back of her womanhood with each stroke, and I could feel that familiar, powerful feeling yet nearing. From the sound of things, she wasn't far behind either, as she was moaning with each thrust I plunge into her.

Suddenly, her hips trembled and I felt her womanhood contracting and rippling around my manhood. She just stayed quited, breathing heavily as her orgasm tore throughout her body, her womanhood clenching and unclenching around my shaft. I groaned and pumped faster and faster, until I exploded inside her, coming so hard it was pain and pleasure, release and relief, all at once.

After a couple of more sweaty, but enjoyable love bouts, I asked her again if it was okay if we showered together. This time she smiled and pulled me off from the bed and into the bathroom. Under a warm shower, our tongues clashed, lips in an endless series of touching, licking, and sucking. She really did bring her own soap, and I felt so flushed surrounded by warmth not just from her body but from the scent of her soap. I lathered her slowly, letting me massage her back, her hands, her breasts, her tummy, her calves. I gently cupped her womanhood and gently rubbed my palm on it. She was shaved, although her hair was starting to grow back and I found the texture of her soft skin soothing to touch. She also soaped me, even kneeling in front of me as she washed my manhood in front of her face. I was hoping she'd take me back in her mouth after she had washed off all the soap. She did, just slowly sucking the head as her tongue slid around the head and massaged the sensitive glans. She didn't make me release this time. Must be a invitation for a second time.

YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT

Mr./Ms./Mrs. Cox.net, you visit my site almost everyday. Sino ka ba talaga? Who are you? Leave me a comment. Please.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

1. Nakakadepress. My pandan plant is slowly dying. Lahat na ginagawa ko. Water it everyday, trim the rotting leaves. I even leave it out sa window everyday so it can get its daily dose of sunlight. Wala pa rin. :(

2. We just bought this cute looking oriental teapot with matching teacups. Ewan ko ba, we're getting addicted to tea lately. Dati it was drip coffee, then espresso. Ngayon naman tea. We have mint, green, and earl gray here at home. Lipton brisk? Eeww... :)



3. I finally finished my first draft of the TS documentation. Hay, para akong nabunutan ng tinik. I've already sent it out to my boss yesterday pero surprisingly, wala pa rin comment from him... Hmmm...

UPAKAN KO KAYO EH



Joke lang! Of course these guys are great. I've seen a couple of their shows and sobrang galing the way they totally transform the straight (slob) guys. Sayang, sana dati pang may Queer Eye for Straight Guy sa TV. Yan tuloy, nakaka-conscious. Ever since I started watching that show, napabili tuloy ako ng 2 polo na medyo maka-queer ang dating. Hahaha!

ANG CUTE NG BELT KO



kaya lang ang sikip...

HELP!

I have 24 hours to learn this concept, and fit our organization into this model... I hate Michael Porter!

I WANT YOU



I hooked up with my former colleague in the company here in Malaysia for a couple of drinks. He left the company around this time last year. He's a lot more senior than I am, but we're basically doing the same job. Some snippets of our conversation:

me: So, what have you been busy with lately?
GL: Nothing much. Been to China most of the time though. We're putting up a new factory there.
me: (smiling) You gonna need people?
GL: I guess so. I was in Manila two weeks ago actually, hiring people. I got four engineers from Philips.
me: (WTF expression) You were in Manila hiring people but you didn't even bother calling me! What kind of a friend are you?
GL: I didn't know you were interested in moving out of the Philippines?
me: (keeping silent. running thought on my mind: I didn't know I have what it takes to be an operations VP either.)

GL, who now drives the car in the picture, is now an operations VP for a semiconductor subcon here in Malaysia. He will soon be moving to China to be the GM of their new plant there.

EXERCISING MY FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

To Congressmen Didagen Dilangalen and Ronaldo Zamora: SHUT UP! You and your cohorts in the opposition have delayed the canvassing of the votes long enough. Aminin na natin, whether Congress is going to do the canvassing as a whole body or at a committee level, you're still gonna raise hell over every single COC, either in the proper forum or on your own noisy press conferences. So let's play ball na and start counting!

To Suzette Pido: Ang galing galing ng lola ko! I was listening to the proceedings on the radio while I was driving and I can't help but feel frustrated myself over senseless ramblings. Paulit-ulit na tanong. Hay... I just got my payslip at nanghihinayang ako sa tax na binabayaran ko para mabayaran ang sweldo ng mga isip patatas na congressmen na yan. Thanks for standing up for the rest of the Filipino people who weren't in Congress at that time.

To Joan Pido: Dudette, you rock! Cute cute mo!!

LET'S MAKE YOUR THONG BE GONE

I admit. I'm a big fan of thongs. I can't help but smile when I see them peeking out your pants. But this is going to take the excitement away. Really.

LET'S MAKE YOUR MOMMA PROUD

A Little Bit
by Mymp

I was kinda hesitant to tell you
Should I let you know
I was never really like this before
Need I say more

Or maybe I'm confused when you are near me
I don't know what to do or I should be
There's only one thing in my mind
That's you and me

CHORUS
I'm a little bit of crazy
I'm a little bit of a fool
I'm a little bit of lonely
I'm a little bit of all
Oh, I need a cure
Just a little bit of you
And I will fall

I'm always on the run to see you
Would you allow me to
It wasn't my attention to hurt you
This feeling is true

Or maybe I'm confused when you are near me
I don't know what to do or I should be
There's only one thing in my mind
That's you and me

CHORUS
I'm a little bit of crazy
I'm a little bit of a fool
I'm a little bit of lonely
I'm a little bit of all
Oh, I need a cure
Just a little bit of you
And I will fall

PIA CAYETANO FOR... HOTBABES?!

I wonder how this article will hit soon to be senator Pia? I don't really care much if she had anything to do with the airing of her father's biography a couple of days before the election. I'm more interested to know how she reacts to the tagalog comment on the second to the last paragraph of the article...

MY FUTURE

Wednesday is telecommute day. Naah, it's just an official sounding name for "i'm too bored to go to work, my car's plate number ends in 5, and i'm too busy to drive" day. So, shirtless and bathe-less, I toil away.

But i've been staring for almost half an hour into this candle I burn almost every day. It's about a half an inch tall now, down from the six inches it was when I bought it. Is there such a thing as candle divination? I know that in some places in China, they can tell your future on how tea leaves would float on top of cold water. Judging from the way this candle melts, I can sense I'm gonna be a junkie. A meth addict. The side is all goobledooked, looking like a scrambled egg. Pretty much how my brain would look like once I start using this candle to get my crystal meth high.

TAPOS NA!

It's been a full 24 hours since the counting of the ballots started for the 2004 Presidential Elections in the Philippines. I haven't had the chance of getting the latest tally from the web because our friggin' internet connection in the office is all screwed up. But before I left home, the picture wasn't looking rosy. FPJ was ahead in ABS-CBN's unofficial quick count. They're saying that their quick count almost always reflect the real count, so go figure. We're in for a turbulent six years.

TAIWAN: DAY TWO

Too drunk to give a decent update. After three cans and two large bottles of Taiwan beer, I can remember anything that happened today.

zzz

TAIWAN: DAY WAN

Flight out of Manila was delayed by a full hour. Like most other trips, I usually skip the meal before flying. No sense in getting a queasy tummy in a plane. But I was hungry, irritated, and without a smoke. Oh well... maybe I should rethink that strategy. Anyway, we board and the flight was relatively uneventful.

One thing I like in Taiwan is that almost everybody drives a Benz, a Beemer, a Porche. That sort of stuff. But I wasn't prepared for what was going to be my ride to Chungli. Just one of the perks of a supplier manager I guess. But who's complaining? :)

Anyway, here I am in the hotel room. Half naked, though I won't tell you which half. Another thing I like in Taiwan: DSL. Almost everybody's got DSL here and I've heard that it's even cheaper to get a DSL than a dial-up. I'll love it here. The DSL in the hotel is free, and I have my choice of wired or wireless access. Hay... this is the life. Kulang na lang dinala ko yung burner ko so I can download stuff. :) But waitaminit... I'm in Taiwan! That's stuff's supposed to be cheap here! Hmmm...

FRIDAY FIVE (KANYA-KANYA VERSION)

January 4, 2002 Friday Five

1. You've just won a complete collection of movies starring one actor - what actor would you pick?
Samuel Jackson. The actor with an attitude. Grabe... he would've made a very good Neo.

2. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
First 50 Dates. Worth the money. Sobrang funny.

3. What was the last video or DVD that you bought?
Under the Tuscan Sun. Cute din na movie to.

4. What movie could you watch over and over again and not get sick of?
Aside from the Matrix series (hehehe), Love Affair.

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
I want to catch up on sleep. I've been spending a lot of time watching TV and it's taking a toll on me. I'm so tamad na to go to the office in the mornings. I also need to repair the toilet kasi nasira yung flush this morning. Nakakainis! I woke up to the sound of spraying water inside the bathroom. Akala ko kung ano na nangyari. Sayang lang yung water, ang mahal pa naman ng water sa condo.

NOT AGAIN

I interviewed for a job yesterday. The company is still within the same industry I'm in now; and the job, as I learned as the interview progressed, is roughly the same one I have. After 10 minutes of oral swordfight, it became apparent to me that I'm tired of what I'm doing. I'm bored already. I want out. I want to do something else.

I know I'm good at what I do. I know I have the potential to do a lot more than what I have now. For Christ's sakes, I'm even paying $300 every two months for a friggin MBA degree! Can't I just do something different? For a change?

GREEN WITH ENVY

My wife is such a sucker for Oprah's show. Her lifelong dream: to watch a live taping of Oprah and go home with the tons of goodies she gives away. So when we were watching Oprah's Favorite Things for Spring show, she was so depressed. She must've gave away close to $2000 worth of stuff on that show to each of the audience. And who wouldn't be jealous?! Here are the items she gave away....

Food Favorites
Picnic Backpack
Miss Rona's Lavender Applesauce
La Brea Bakery Granola

Beauty and Body Care
Decleor Vitaroma Body Sumptuous Anti-Aging Body Cream

What to Wear
Citrus Tote
Ribbon Crusher Hat
C and C California T-shirts
Daryl sandals by Coach
La Mystere Tisha Bra
Silhouette Minimal X Sunglasses
Adidas Mei Mind and Body Footwear
GAP Body Terrycloth Collection
Embroidered Tunic from Boston Proper
Spa Fleurs sandals
Thomas Pink Shirts

For Your Home
Roomba Floor Vac
Weber Q Grill and Cart

High-Tech Discoveries
Apple iPod 15-GB MP3 player
HP Digital Camer, Printer, and Dock

Hay grabe... Pati ako nainis!!! I want the MP3 player, the digital camera, and the floor vac! The Roomba's so cute pa naman. You just turn it on and let it loose on the floor and it'll automatically suck everything up. It'll find it's way everywhere on the house. Hay... wouldn't that solve our problem with sweeping the floors every now and then?

FIRST SHOT AT GMAIL

I haven't blogged in quite a while. Grabe... I am so swamped. I've got lots of issues in the office, I'm still working on my stalled automotive ISO project, and I'm having my visa rushed for my Taiwan visit next week. Too much stuff to do, too little time.

Anyway, logging into my blogger account, I found out that Blogger is giving loyal members a first peek into Gmail, the 1Gig email from Google. Let's see how this will go. Spymac isn't really that much good. Logging in is so slow, the user interface is so complicated. I still haven't figured out how to activate my blog and webpage account. What's 1Gig email and a few hundred MB's of webspace if Spymac can't even show newbies how to use it? Argh! I think it has potential, but since I'm on dialup, I guess I'll just pass for now.

WHAT IS SPYMAC?

That's where you get your free 1GB mail, free 250MB to upload your pictures, free 100MB space hosting, and free blog. You also get free iCal hosting and WebDAV access, whatever those are.

Ah basta ako, may 1GB mailbox na ko. Sana i-launch na rin ng Google yung kanila.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

1. I wanna have GMAIL!!! Google's still-in-development free email will have a whopping 1GB of space, a lot more than what Yahoo and Hotmail offers. Finally, I don't have to keep deleting email from everybody just because I won't fork over money to Yahoo and Hotmail! Just for that, I'll swear I'll never use Yahoo for search EVER!!

2. Eastwood Properties are now starting to sell condo units for The Grand Eastwood Palazzo. I decided to check the prices. Grabe, a 2-bedroom unit on the 25th floor facing the Citywalk complex would set a person back P4.5M! You'll have to pay an additional 500k if you want to have a parking slot!! Whoops... that's a bit too steep for us! Unless the US stock market weaves its magic yet again, dun muna kami sa condo ng pang-timawa.

3. My boss is coming over from Malaysia week after holy week. He's gonna spend three days with me. Hmm... how bad can it be? My critical indicators are missing the target; my TS16949 project is about, uhm, two months off; I haven't even read the spec he wanted me to revise... Time to stick my head in the sand?

4. Wala pa ring Friday Five. Second week in a row nang wala... :(

RAINBOW

fallin out fallin in
nothings sure in this world no no
breaking down breaking in
never knowing what lies ahead
we can really never tell it all no no

say goodbye say hello
to a lover or friend
sometimes we could never understand
why some things begin with just love
we can never have it all
no no no ohh

but oh, cant you see
that no matter what happens
life goes on and on
and so baby just smile
coz im always around you
and i'll make you see
how beautiful life is for you and me

take a little time baby
see the butterflie's colors
listen to the birds that sent to sing for me and you
can you feel me
this is such a wonderful place to me

even if there is pain now
everything will be alright
for as long as the world still turns
there will be night and day
can you hear me
there's a rainbow always after the rain

hittin high hittin low
win or lose you should go
yeah yeah
getting warm getting cold
weather can be so good or bad
but baby this is life so dont get mad
no no no

coz ohhh
can't you see
that no matter what happens
life goes on and on
and so baby just smile
coz im always around you
and i'll make you see
how beautiful life is for you and me

take a little time baby
see the butterflie's colors
listen to the birds that sent to sing for me and you
can you feel me
this is such a wonderful place to me

even if there is pain now
everything will be alright
for as long as the world still turns
there will be night and day
can you hear me
there's a rainbow always after the rain

life's full of challenges
not all the time we get what we want
but dont despair my dear
you'll take it each trial
and you'll make it through the storm
coz youre strong
my faith in you is clear
so i say once again
this world's beautiful
let us celebrate life that is so beautiful
so beautiful...

take a little time baby
see the butterflie's colors
listen to the birds that sent to sing for me and you
can you feel me
this is such a wonderful place to me

even if there is pain now
everything will be alright
for as long as the world still turns
there will be night and day
can you hear me
there's a rainbow always after the rain

QUARTER END

The first three months of 2004 are gone. Doesn't time fly too fast? Grabe, parang a couple of weeks ago lang yung New Year, tapos ngayon summer na.

Let me see. Ano na nga ba milestones ko for the first three months of the year?
1. We've moved into a new place in QC.
2. We finally have a decent sofa and dining table.
3. The subcon I'm managing, who was kulelat for all most of the four quarters last year, is now number one.

Things I have to work on. Or else my ass gets busted.
1. Finish documentation for my department's automotive ISO certification.
2. Shorten my subcon's corrective action cycle time.
3. Look for another job. In another industry. My work is killing me!

BUSTED

There are times when you want to cut the crap and just get the work done. Like wanting a steak when you know very well that a nice burger will do. Last night, I wanted to get tipsy. Not drunk, just the warm feeling of drowsiness that helps lull me to sleep. I could've chose to drink in ATC. TJ's and San Mig are still open by 11, right? But I didn't need that. I just needed a drink.

Fort pub in Pilar Village is where I ended up. Not really a pub, beerhouse is a more apt word to describe it. It's a cozy little nook: a couple of big long tables for the group night outs, and more smaller tables for two. I guess when ordinary menfolk like me (naks!) want to drown out the day's worries, and have a friendly chitchat with one of the 15 GRO's on call, this is where we go.

San Mig Light is priced at P25. Wow, this must be heaven! I could have four of these here at the same price of 1 in any of Makati's spots! And with free peanuts, how do you beat this deal?

So, what was wrong with this picture? Halfway into my first drink, my cellphone rang. Hay... busted... Cge Lara, I'll bring you to this place minsan. :)

WASTED

Where did my weekend go? Bad trip nakakainis. We had a group meeting for school yesterday. What started as a lunch meeting ended 17 hours after. Almost 6am na ako nakauwi kanina. Tangina pag hindi pa kami maka-4.0 sa presentation namin magwawala na talaga ako.

When wifey and I transferred to Eastwood, I kinda expected going home at around that time or so, pero wasted from beer. Ironically, I haven't really enjoyed the house and the community yet. We've never been to any of the concerts. We've never had a drink in any of the bars. The only place I've bought food from since we got there is McDonald's. Are we suffering from Eastwood-exhaustion already? Kainis talaga! I wanna enjoy living in our place na!

FRIDAY FIVE!

If you...

1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

I love Japanese food, so I guess it's gonna be a Japanese bar. I really miss the yakitori places in Tokyo which Japanese salarymen often go to on Friday after officehours. Those places serve fresh grilled yakitori and other grilled food. A favorite of mine is the bacon wrapped asparagus. Yummy! Shempre, there's gonna be Japanese beer and sake, some sushi and maki, and my favorite: salmon sashimi.

2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?

Pirated dvd's!!

3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?

Probably a comedy, looking at my life from another person's perspective. Feeling ko kasi sobrang funny buhay ko. I've been through a lot [well... probably not as much as you have, Lara. ;) ] and parang it's such a waste not to document it.

4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?

I wanna teach math in an all girls high school! O sige, hirit na kayo!!!

5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?

I'm a big fan of techno and house, so I guess it's gonna be along those lines. I'm also a big fan of 80's new wave music. Siguro I'll do a techno album with lots of 80's new wave sampled.

MIRACLES

A miracle happened today. I got to work on time. Way on time. Like 6:45. Like almost two hours before official start. And I don't know why it happened. Is it because this is the first time I had to brave the color coding scheme? Hmm... Bayani Fernando can really work wonders, not just in the streets but for me as well. Grabe... maski ako di makapaniwala sa nagawa ko. Woke up at 5am. Out of bed by 5:15. Out of shower by 5:45. Out of parking lot by 6. Nakabili pa ako ng yosi sa Shell Fort Boni. Hay... I can imagine my boss praying sana Wednesday everyday.

FRIDAY FIVE!

1. What was the last song you heard?

Forever's Not Enough by Sarah Geronimo. Oo na! Baduy ako!! This young teener is going to go places. She's like the Philippine's younger version of Celine Dion. Here's the lyrics.

I:
If I would have to live my life again
I'd stay in love with you the way I've
been
Your love is something no one ever can
replace
I can't imagine life with someone else

II:
I promise I will share my life with you
Forever may not be enough it's true
My heart is filled with so much love I
feel for you
No words can say how much I love you so

Chorus:
And if, forever's not enough
For me to love you,
I'd spend another lifetime baby
If you'd asked me to
There's nothing I won't do
Forever's not enough for me to love you
so

III:
They say tomorrow seem so far away
And now we see that everything can
change
My love for you get stronger as
tomorrow comes
I know this love will stand the test of
time

(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge:
For you there's nothing I can do
And never will I ever go
Forever's not enough to love you so

But if forever ends one day
I promise you I'll stay
To show you that my love will never end

(Repeat Chorus except last line)

Forever's not enough to love you so

(Repeat Chorus)

2. What were the last two movies you saw?

I just watched a dvd of Love Actually last night. Really good movie. I haven't seen a great feel-good movie like this in a long time. The last big screen movie I've seen was Milan (Star Cinema production starring Claudine Barretto and Piolo Pascual).

3. What were the last three things you purchased?

I haven't been out of the house yet today, so I haven't had the chance to buy anything yet. But yesterday, I bought a pack of Winston Lights and a can of Coke Light on my way to work. In the evening, I bought a carton of fresh milk.

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?

It's going to be a very busy weekend. We will be transferring to a new place in Libis. Topmost on the list is to finalize our parking space. Argh! We still don't have a parking space and if you knew how expensive it is to park in a mall in Manila overnight, you will understand the frustration. Item 2 is to check the delivery times for the oven and range hood, the sofa, and the dining table. Item 3 is to buy longer curtain rods, which wifey has been telling me to do for the longest time. :) and Item 4 is to check on my mom, who's really really stressed.

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?

My wife, Trixy, Carlo, Jean, and Pam.

POKPOK

Sabi sa yo don't fuck with me eh.

Panget pala ha... Gurang na pala ha... See, this is what you get when you don't respect people. You get disrespected yourself! Kung pokpok ka, pangatawanan mo. Naturingan ka pa namang taga-University of the Philippines Diliman na Architecture student. Magkano uli ang charge mo? 2k? Ilang rounds? 2? Tapos CIM pa? Clap-clap-clap. Galingan mo ha.

HALINA PEREZ

Yesterday, Halina Perez died as a result of a vehicular accident in Camarines Sur. She was pronounced dead on arrival in a local hospital there because of neck injuries. Wawa naman si Halina. Sayang, she's quite a cutie pa naman. Never mind that a lot of people find her probinsyana-looking. I think that adds to her appeal. Parang naive. Pwedeng-pwede sa scene na, "Wag po, koya!"

Anyway, Halina's nude pics can be viewed here.