Journal entry

I was able to complete the nine mornings of misa de gallo. Weeeeee! And I made a wish... Won't be telling you so it will come true. Hehe! But my wish is pretty general. Nothing specific this year.
Had a very nice Christmas. Celebrated it with family of course with my sister live via skype all the way from Dubai. Helped cooking also.
And a day after, we had our annual family reunion / Christmas party. Had alot of fun. Parlor games and gift giving and stuff. Though food and gifts are not that grand this year, still we had a blast. And after that my younger male cousins went out. I never imagined that I would have a great time with them.

Again, Merry Christmas. And a prosperous new year! Godspeed...

Simbang gabi

Just heard dawn mass. Hoping to complete the nine mornings which I successfully did last year. It's a great feeling that you've sacrificed even just a lil bit to honor and glorify God. Well, I never thought that I would be able to say that here in my blog. Hehe...
People say that when you are able to complete the nine mornings, you can make a wish and it will be granted. Well, the wish that I made last year hasn't been granted YET. And I still do have the same wish this year. Hoping that it will come true already.
Well, wish me luck. Godspeed! And Merry Christmas.

Mohawk

Because I am bored, I had my hair cut. I want something new and different. That's why I opted for a Mohawk. Hehe! It's really hard when boredom strikes. You'll never know what I'll do next. Lol

www

Found this really cool site www.memiary.com. It's some sort of a mini journal. It's like a summary of your day in bullet form. Well, I just started a few days back and I think it would really be fun looking back and reading previous post.

I finally jailbroke my iPod touch. And as of the moment I'm downloading lotsa apps and games. Booyaaah!!!

Update

Havin lotsa fun with my exposure in the emergency room. I'm learning a lot of stuff. Though it's really physically draining at times, it's really fun coz you're always on the go. Anything can happen. Things shift really fast. Whew! You won't really know what will come your way. You must always make yourself ready and prepared.

boxers or briefs

yesterday in the mall I stumbled upon a rack of undergarments for men, where I also saw a kid who was accompanied by his dad. on the rack were boxers and briefs of all sizes and colors. they were packed in cartons with illustrations of men clad in nothing but skimpy underwear. and as the boy's dad was checking some of the items, the former was pointing to each of the men in the packaging and saying,

"Kita tintin... kita tintin..."

Itouch me

Just got my new ipod touch yesterday. Well it's not actually new - NEW. It's a preloved item I got from davaosale.com. But nonetheless I uber love it. Now I can now view my fb easily and immediately when I wake up. I can now blog anytime. I can now surf the net anytime I want. And watch movies and listen to music of course. But the downside is that I cannot update tweets. Guess I have to buy the official twitter app from itunes. Or better yet have my iPod touch jailbroken. Don't know how that works though.

That's all for now. Godspeed.

amazing race

ive always loved that show... every leg and pit stop; every detour and road block. you get the chance to travel through the seven continents and try to win a million bucks.
always thought that the challenges are not that demanding and all the contestants need is alot of luck.
but not until recently. when i had the chance to experience what the contestants go through in the show.

during our last day in hongkong, we were having last minute shopping.
and we all thought that our flight out was 9pm. but actually it was 8:30pm.
and because shopping took most of our time. we were still at mongkok at 7pm. and the freakin airport is still in another island. gaaaah!
so instead of taking the bus, we decided to just take the airport express which is a train going to the airport which is faster and pricier. ticket is like around 50hkd.
but still we had to take the MTR to the interchange station for the airport express.
and worse it was rush hour. and just like what ive said, rush hour for hongkong is an understatement. we were running and battling with people while carrying all our stuff. and the MTR was jampacked. whew!
and when we reached the interchange, we still have to buy our tickets.
and did i mention that hongkongs airport is so effing big.
theyve got a bajillion floors with bajillion gates and counters. our heads were always up looking for directions towards our gate.
and finally, we reached cebupacs counter. we checked in 30mins before the departure. twas already boarding time but we were still in the freakin counter checking in. so we still had to dash towards the gate. and damn it was still far. we were the last ones to board the plane. we boarded 15mins before departure...final call indeed. wheeeeeeeeeeeew! thank goodness we were still allowed to board.
with no dinner and with our energy depleted, we seated and let the overhead aircondition calm us down.
with my remaining hkd which is supposedly spared for pasalubongs, i bought myself a croissant sandwich and a cola. twas my first time to buy snacks on board.
and after 3 hrs we landed in mactan international airport. twas around 12mn. and our flight for davao is still at 4pm. and so we looked for some benches and took some shuteye.

i definitely experienced alot of first times when i was in hongkong.
and i hope i still get a second time -- for most of them, I mean.
godspeed.

lost in translation

foreign land.
foreign language.
no road map.
difficult to comprehend bus routes.
unmarked bus stops.
chinese or portuguese signs.
gaaaaaaaaaaah!
thats macau. but still you get to love macau for the perfect fusion of east and west.
temples and hotels...
churches and casinos...
a day is definitely not enough to roam around macau.

quick pic: hangkang

very organized and tourist-friendly indeed.
MTR is the best; you can never get lost in HK... if you just have your map! haha
and the effing airport...it was like a gazillion airports...with a gazillion planes. they were parked just like cars in a carpark. and you need to ride a train just to claim your baggage...!
just be sure to be hours ahead before your flight... you dont wanna run the whole airport looking for your gate and counter.
people are always on a hurry. rush hour is an understatement. it was like swarm hour. whew!
great food, big big servings. my fave: cafe de coral. haha!
and when you ask for water, they automatically give you hot simmering water in a glass
shopping galore. its like everythings on sale. theyve got a whole street for shoes alone. and another for electronics... and the outlets... heaven!
what makes me laugh is that some locals talk to me in Cantonese. do i really?
and i get to ride every possible means of traspo: MTR, bus, open double decker bus, century old tram, peak tram, star ferry, airport express. boooyah!
more updates later...
godspeed!

nahdaan

thats finnish for 'see you'...

yup, CJ will be leaving for finland in a few days time; six to be exact. but they still have to be in manila so theyll be leaving davao on monday.
thats why we planned a surprise going-away party for CJ at miguel's crib.
we had alotta fun.
food overload indeed. the gluttons had a feast again.
we had some booze of course. but we werent wasted for it came in late and we only had a few bottles.
and add to that some singin. videoke till the break of dawn. no exaggeration. we left miguel's past six already.



guess ill just get used to having no CJ around. and no Lucky as well. theyve always been really good friends.
but im sure im gonna see them again soon.

nahdaan Suomessa pian.

quick pic: videoke

just cant get enough of it. though i know that the mic already had alot with my beating, screaming and shouting.
though we have our own videoke system at home, its just two-times much fun when youre out with your friends singing your hearts out.
but seriously, im no good at it, singing that is. because if i am, i wouldnt settle for the privacy of our house and of the videoke bars... i would join every amateur singing contest and conquer every stage and even araneta. lol
and thats what good friends are for, to listen to you. not just with your LAME heartbreak stories; but with your LAME singing as well.

tedpen's day

nope, thats not a red date on the calendar.
i just feel like sharing the things that consume most of my precious time.
so here it goes, in no particular order:

1. internet
   a. facebook – yup, imma member of FBA – facebook anonymous. reading every single status update of every friend; playing mafia wars; updating my own status; uploading pics, videos, links. reading notes. commenting on others status message. giving thumbs up. not so many but it surely takes a lot of time.
   b. twitter – posting tweets; reading tweets; following people – celebrity or not.
   c. lookbook – admiring those amazingly put outfits of em; drooling over those designer items
   d. blogs – reading and stalking blogs while maintaining my own.

2. gym – been there almost everyday. addicted to the sauna. just feels so good after.

3. business – our nano-enterprise. our kumikitang kabuhayan. operating it is not a walk in the park.

4. Harry Potter – reading it. seen all the movies but just started reading it lately. now on the 3^rd installment. thanks to bal for lending me all her copies.

5. hanging out with friends – a must.
   a. food trip – buffets, restos, coffee
   b. gimik

quick vid: the september issue

the september issue. anna wintour.
the nonfiction version of the devil wears prada.
hope they show it here in dvo.

kadayawan 09

last weekend was the culmination of kadayawan, our city's grand fiesta.
it was jampacked everywhere. if the malls and streets flooded with people, the famous torres street (a street lined with bars and restaurants) was an ocean of it.

but i actually didnt have any plans of going out that night for first: i dont have any finances; and second: i didnt receive any invites. so i just went to the gym with CJ and had coffee after. where else but at coffee cat. which was only a walk from the gym.
and there we met some old friends. had a great time and a lot of good laugh.

and guess who came in and sat next to our table???

somebody famous...
nah, its not barack.. c'mon.

somebody from showbiz...
nope, its not angelina..

local showbiz, i mean...
and its not kris.

not even boy.

okay, okay... its john prats and sheree...

yeah i know, been talkin to myself again. stop that! ok, ok!!!
godspeed...

quick vid: i gotta feeling

coffee cat

lovin coffee cat.
their chai tea latte is my fave.
their cold drinks which they fondly call 'avalanche' are a must try. my personal favorite is the mocha avalanche. which CJ describes as orgasmic! LOL
their bars and cakes are heavenly as well. try their fudge brownie for only 7Ophp.
the interior is great and gives a cozy ambiance. the area is not that spacious so it gets full specially during weekends. it can get really noisy at times with all the people chitchatting. and add to that the music coming from the bar next door.
and as for the service. two thumbs up! fast service with friendly and accommodating crew.
visit them some time. theyre located at f. torres st. near the davao convention center.

quick pic: pepper

first name: PEPPER
last name: RONI

gluttons

this was last week at yellow cab. CJ and i shared a 14" new york style pizza. yup! just the two of us. whew! just like what they say, birds of the same feather; eat together. LOL

and guess where i was last night???

yup! you guessed it right.
i was out again with CJ together with miguel. we had dinner buffet at entree at the apo view hotel. and damn, the choices were uber-yummy! *drool*
the shrimps were delightful.
the angus beef was perfect.
sans rival and cheesecake was heaven.
and that's just to name a few.

and the best thing about it?

it was all for free. CJ treated me once again.
million thanks for the million calories! hehe...
i think i lost my abs somewhere... LOL

til the next gastronomic escapade.
godspeed.

quick vid: sour m&ms

this made me smile.




this made me laugh.

farewell

Ninoy said "the Filipino is worth dying for".
But for Corazon Aquino, the Filipino is worth living for.
She's proud to be one and is thankful for it.

Farewell Tita Cory.
Your name Corazon is truly fitting for you are the heart of the Filipino people and of Democracy.
You shall live in our hearts forever.

quick pic: cafe marco

sunday. dinner. buffet.

quick pic: glutton

Next to lust, gluttony is my favorite sin. haha!

MOU: mall of uyanguren

this afternoon, as i was walking around uyanguren on my way to buy supplies, i saw a couple of my age. the guy was sporting a hiphop get-up while the girl was wearing a straight-jacket skimpy shirt and an ultra-mini-skirt.

and while the guys arm was around her waist, the girl asked, “unsa ning lugara dire?” (whats the name of this place?) referring to DCLA, a bargain haven of everything that is china-made. theyve got everything you need, everything you want, and anything you can think of -- and not think of. yup, God created the world, and the rest is made in china.

but even before the guy had the chance to answer...she blurted out, “ahhhh SM!!!”

ting!!!

what?!? since when did Henry Sy erected a mall in the middle of uyanguren???

after the ting sound effects faded in my mind, i immediately looked her way and saw her staring at a sign which says:

KSM Enterprise.

KSM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But actually shes got a point. SM may lack some items on their racks but DCLA definitely got it all for you.

tweets

*two of my bestfriends are sick. CJ and Jeric both have flu-like symptoms. A(H1N1)??? I dunno. hope not! But the two of them are already on house arrest...err...i mean self quarantine. and the last time ive heard, spc already have 3 positive cases. yikes! ima need to boost my immunity.

*had a dose of my guilty-pleasures yesterday... cheeseburger + large fries + large coke. burp!

*i was on an impulsive-buyer-mode this afternoon. dont know why, maybe because i was hungry and tired. whattalamereason!!! LOL. lately, ive been lookin for some plain tees. any color as long as its plain and simple. and this afternoon, i was store-hopping AGAIN in the mall. and i saw this plain white vneck shirt. i so love vneck. it makes me look taller! haha!

see! i told ya ima make more posts like this. LOL.

good buys

yesterday, i accompanied CJ to shop at SM. being madly in love with the Philippines and being Filipino, she was so envious with my havaianas with the Philippine flag on it and the iconic jeepney. and so she got herself a pair too.

she also looked around for some new outfits. maybe something she can wear in Finland... or maybe something for Manila or Palawan... Ima tell you the details about that soon.

shes asking me for some fashion advice. i dunno if i should be flattered or what. hehe.. so we dropped by every store in SM in search for something...anything...that she likes...and that i like...that will look good on her.

after hours of flipping clothes and fitting em, she was able to buy a nice hooded black shirt/blouse for less than 400 bucks from bench.

but of course i couldnt help it but to try some stuff as well. for example...

nice shirt right? it looks like im layering two shirts but actually its just one. so love it, it totally matches my vans. but i didnt get it. had so much purchases lately. LOL

and speaking of vans... im so loving my new pair of vans.matched with my jeans-turned-shorts.

gonna make more posts like these in the future. watchout. hehe

dejavu

YUP, IT SURE DOES FEEL LIKE ONE.

JUST LIKE BEFORE, IT WAS CJ WHO DROPPED THE BOMB. BUT NOW, IT WOULD BE HER WHO WILL BE LEAVING. SHE WILL BE LEAVING FOR FINLAND SOON TOGETHER WITH LUCKY AND LR.

HONESTLY, I AM QUITE HAPPY FOR THEM. BUT OF COURSE, I CANNOT DENY THE FACT THAT I AM DISAPPOINTED. FOR THE SECOND TIME, STILL NO TEDPEN ON THE LIST.

I AM GLAD FOR CJ ALSO CONSIDERED MY FEELINGS. “BITTERSWEET”, SHE SAID. BUT I DONT REALLY LIKE TO DWELL ON THE NEGATIVE. I TOLD HER TO JUST BE HAPPY AND CELEBRATE FOR THEY HAVE THE RIGHT AND THEY TOTALLY DESERVE IT.

NOW WHAT? I DUNNO.

I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW MY PARTNER IN CRIME IS LEAVING. CJ HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE IN TIMES I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. CJ FILLS UP MY WEAKNESSES THE WAY I FILL UP HERS. WE WORK LIKE A WELL-OILED MACHINE.

I FEEL LIKE IM GONNA LOSE A LIMB. NAKS! WEVE ALWAYS MADE PLANS TOGETHER. AND TOGETHER WE ACCOMPLISH OR FAIL THEM. THROUGH GOOD AND BAD TIMES – CJ WAS THERE. WEVE ALWAYS SHARED JOY, CONVERSATIONS, LAUGHTER AND A LOT MORE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE SHARE THE SAME WAVE LENGTHS.

I GUESS I HAVE TO FACE THE UNCERTAINTIES ALONE. I HAVE TO BE STRONG AND STEADFAST. MAY GOD GRANT ME THE DIRECTION AND GUIDANCE I NEEDED. GODSPEED!

going once... going twice...

BUSINESS IS TOUGH. IT TAKES BALLS TO OPERATE ONE. IT REQUIRES GUTS – A LOT OF IT.

THIS MORNING WE ATTENDED OUR VERY FIRST BIDDING. BIDDING ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA IS AN OFFER (OFTEN COMPETITIVE) OF SETTING A PRICE ONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR SOMETHING. THE ONE WE JOINED WAS OF THE ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE STUDENT BODY ORGANIZATION OF ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY.

THE SET TIME WAS 4PM BUT WE GOT THERE AROUND 4:30PM. DAMN! I WAS SO FREAKIN ANXIOUS. I HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT TO DO OR WHAT TO SAY. I WAS SO NERVOUS THAT IT WAS OK FOR ME TO BACK OUT. COLD FEET YOU SAY!?! *NODS HEAD*

WE WERENT EVEN PREPARED. WE BROUGHT SHIRTS OF DIFFERENT COLOR. GOOD THING I PREPARED SOME SORT OF A PRICE MATRIX. BUT WHILE OTHERS HAD THEIR PRESENTATION USING LAPTOPS, WE HAD OURS ON PAPER. OTHERS EVEN HAD ACTUAL PRINTS OF THE LAYOUT.

AT FIRST WE WERE HESITANT TO CONTINUE WITH THIS, BUT WHAT THE HECK, AT LEAST WE EXPERIENCED BEING IN AN ACTUAL BIDDING.

AND AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS, I RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE FROM THEIR PRESIDENT TELLING US THAT WE PROVIDE ACTUAL PRINTS OF THEIR LAYOUT. AND THAT THEIR LIST WAS NARROWED DOWN TO TWO AND WE WERE ONE OF THEM. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? WE ACTUALLY MADE IT. WELL, NOT ACTUALLY MADE IT – MADE IT. BUT IT'S ALREADY A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR US. THIS IS OUR FIRST BIDDING AND WE WERE CONSIDERED.

I HOPE THEYLL PICK US. *FINGERS CROSSED*

laag sa cebu

just like what Ive said in my previous post, weve got no itinerary in our cebu trip. but now that im back home, i can now post the things that filled our 6 days and 6 nights vacay.

062409

delayed flight. our supposed 1525H departure was moved to 1700H. so we were stuck in the terminal with nothing to do. we were bored in the boarding area! and add to that our pestering stomachs. we were already hungry but cringed from buying over-priced food in the terminal.
i dont know what happened but our flight was combined with the next. so the result – a jam-packed piece of cylindrical metal! sardinas for short. all seats were occupied. even the seat plan was not followed! everyone was scrambling. and did i mention we were on a plane and not on a bus?
we landed in mactan around 1745H. and the welcome band marched in. the streamers were hailed. and the confetti dropped. ok, ok! sorry for the exaggeration. actually it was just tomas who was there to fetch us up.
come dinner time, I had steak at mooon cafe. and gelatissimo's chocolate truffle ice cream for dessert. then we chilled at starbucks.

062509

lunch at sbarro, ayala.
coffee at coffee bean, ayala.
dinner at tara's, IT park.
strolled at the IT park then headed to waterfront hotel for some camwhoring. hehe!

062609

had casa verde's baby back ribs for lunch which is totally far from the definition of baby. it was humongous, almost human-like. it was yummy of course but i couldnt consume the whole serving.
our hosts attended their review class so jeric and I went to SM.
window shopping.
coffee at starbucks, SM.
met with tomas and caezar at ayala.
dinner at sizzling pepper steak, the terraces.
watched transformers at ayala. double the price of tickets here in davao but finally experienced having reserved seats in watching movies.

062709

gelatissimo again, forest fruits.
coffee bean, IT park.
pizza for dinner at da vinci, IT park. yummmm! roast beef pizza and mona lisa plus shawarma sauce – the best!
headed home to change and have some rest.
went to vudu but was shocked by the fee. a staggering 500 bucks! partied at the loft instead. nice crowd and nice place.
after-party chow at mcdo, fuente osmena.

062809

had kebab for lunch in robinsons. then we finally visited basilica de sto nino after being postponed for a couple of days.
jump shot at the magellan's cross.
lit a candle and said a prayer.
toured the basilica's museum.
toured the basilica itself.
waited on a cue.
viewed and prayed to the original figure of sto nino.
visited cebu cathedral.
lit a candle again.
headed to ayala again.
had desserts at dessert factory. pista shew ice cream cake is a must-try.
bought myself a pair of havaianas filipinas.
bought CJ a nice filipinas shirt as well.
had dinner at larsian beside the chong hua hospital.

062909

had a feast at STK. their baked scallops are lip-smacking, mouth-watering and stomach-gurgling.
toured around chong hua hospital.
went to sm again.
bought some brownies unlimited for pasalubong.
went to ayala alone. and shopped!
headed to crown regency hotel.
CAMWHORING.
edgecoaster and skywalk are a must-try. wanna do it again!
had buffet dinner at the hotel.
bought otapssssssss at shamrock hotel.

063009

ayala again. shopped again.
lunch at dessert factory c/o tomas. thnx kol!
running late for our 1400H flight. tomas was driving in a frenzy. traffic was heavy and airport is still in another island. damn!
checked in around 1345H. good thing tomas has an uncle working in the airport. good thing they still allowed us to get on the plane.
bid farewell to our friendly hosts / tourist guides – tomas and caezar. LOL
touched down around 1455H.

weekend post

6.20.09

CJ and I were supposed to go church hopping (bisita iglesia) today but I received a text from a client that they have new orders. So after visiting only three churches, we decided to first meet up with them and maybe continue the bisita iglesia later. But on our way to the rendezvous, a wardrobe malfunction occurred. The straps of my havaianas ripped! Good thing we were near the mall and CJ was kind enough to buy me a new pair of slippers (read: spartan). After we collected the initial payment from our client, we went directly to Uyanguren to buy supplies. We bought 64 pieces of shirts and hell yeah, they are quite heavy. And btw, we do not have wheels, so we have to commute by jeepney. And being kuriport that we are, we'd rather walk a hundred meters or so rather than taking multiple jeepney rides. Seven pesos can go a long long way. So there we are hungry and drained, carrying for God knows how many kilos of shirts. And nice thing is that near our personnel's place where we were supposed to deliver the supplies is a Minute Burger chain. Buy 1 take 1 burger!!! Imagine..you get two burgers for only 24 pesos. That's 12 peso a piece. Thank God for Minute Burger. And after delivering the supplies, we now have to deliver the finished products to another client. At least it's just 20 shirts. Carry lang! But unfortunately, it started to rain, and we still have to walk, and we still have to wait for a jeep. CJ and I would always joke around and comment that it is really hard to earn a living. Now we know! It was already dark when we delivered the product. Heck, that was a loooooooong day!

6.21.09

It's a Sunday. And guess where we went to shop and dine????????? Just in the uber-sosyal and hippest place to be...
Where else but in Agdao Public Market! My sister needed a new pair of school shoes, so we went to shop in the ukay-ukay. She was able to buy a pair of cute doll shoes for only 100 pesos. Yeah, as in 1-0-0.
And because the air-conditioning system was not functioning, our throats all went dry. So we decided to enjoy some thirst-quenchers. We had buko juice served in chilled goblets! And after shopping, what's good to do is to dine and eat. So we went to a fine dining restaurant where they serve Filipino cuisine specializing in local delicacies. We had rice cake (puto maya), hot choco (sikwate), sweet treats with ice shavings (halo-halo), noodles with seafood sauce (palabok) and noodles with beef stock (mami).

Dream on tedpen! Dream on...

I know...I know, been climbing again, socially that is. haha!

Juggling

I have been thinking about a myriad things lately. So much things to do, so little time. Even before this month started, most of the days are already scheduled and packed. And add to that some unplanned and impromptu things.

Number 1:
Just lately, CJ and I started operating our nano-enterprise. Originally, it was Miguel's but because he is already busy with a lot of stuff, he handed it to us. Whats good with it is that we do not need finances for capital. All we need is a lot of guts. And good thing CJ and I know a lot of people and the right people. That's what you call good connections!

And just a couple of weeks ago, we had our very first client. Sweet thing the result was good and they're planning to add some more. And now, there are more clients. Orders are pouring in. Hope everything's gonna turn out well. We still need to plan for that bidding next month. And we still need to buy materials, contact the clients, contact our personnel, calculate prices, follow up orders and a lot lot more. But I'm not complaining. I am actually enjoying every second of it. I feel like I'm Henry Sy, Jr.! And good thing CJ and I mesh and work hand in hand because if not, guess I am already knocked down. I really cannot handle all these stress alone.

And if you might ask, all of THESE is for us to be able to sustain that “uber-cool-out-of-the-country-vacay!” Refer to previous post. Heck! The things you do just to have a vacation.

Can you repeat what you just said? Louder please... C-L-I-M-B-E-R!!! I totally agree. hehe!

Number 2:
Speaking of vacay, I still have that planned out-of-town trip with my kalog bestfriend. Where you might ask? Cebu! O yeah!!! Mark your calendars coz I already marked mine. June 24^th to the 30th. Six days of fun and whatever things that pop into our minds. We actually don't have anything planned yet (and I don't know if anything's actually gonna be planned). Itinerary's totally blank. Let's see where our feet takes us. Hope we will have lotsa fun in the land of danggit and dried mangoes.

Number 3:
Days ago, CJ received a message from MM that there are new job orders coming. So this afternoon, we dropped by our school-cum-agency. And boy, there is! They're hiring a total of twenty nurses to be deployed in Finland. But here are the requirements: at least 25 years of age; with at least 1 year experience; and with a level of A2 in Finnish Language.

God bless us!
Age requirement: X (sound effects *eenngkk*)
Experience: X *eenngkk*
Language proficiency: doubtful

So what to do? I don't know! Guess, we have to sit in class again. Rehash and review the language. That means we have to be in school every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm. Whew! Wait for some cerebral overload.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays.... That's definitely a lot, right?

And did I say I still go on duty???

God bless my soul. I will endure. Good things come to people who persevere.

Godspeed!

vacay planning

yesterday ive learned that cebu pacific is having some kind of a happy hour where domestic flights are at 299 php while international flights are at 599 php.

my heart skipped a beat. is this for real?

and so i immediately texted CJ, the lakwatsera, about it. ok, for this post, lets just call her CJ, the explorer to give it a bit of formality. i like the sound of it, just like Dora.

but she's NR (read: no reaction) about it.

and so a while ago i told mike about it. he then researched about it. at first we thought of palawan. coron to be exact. but the two of them had already been there. and so mike suggested hongkong.

our hearts skipped again. HK? why not, right? with just 599 bucks, my passport will already have its very first tatak.

and mike being the OC-type, got a pen and some paper and jotted down the budget for the trip. hes already been to HK that's why he knows. the initial budget was around 12k, inclusive of food, lodging, disneyland, ocean park and the likes.

not bad right? with 12k, you can already have an uber-cool-out-of-the-country-vacay for three days!

and now, CJ the explorer and i are totally excited.

but first, we have to find ways to pay for our plane tickets because as you know we dont have any income/pay. we totally rely on our stipend. the fare would cost about 1,800+. but were already having a big problem were to get such amount. and for the pocket money, we still got around 4 mos to accumulate that staggering 12k.

CJ the explorer and i are now scheming plans to have the necessary finances.

plan A: business deals

ive already contacted some people to be our potential clients. and to refer some people to us and do some networking. if we can make a deal, then thats it. but if not, then proceed to plan B.

plan B: make some solicitations

from whom you might ask? i dunno. this is CJ the explorer's plan. I gladfully proposed a suggestion to make some letter which goes like: dear maam/sir, we would like to ask for your financial support for we will have our vacay in HK. how bout that for a solicitation letter.

weve also thought about begging from our moms, dads, relatives, friends.... modern day beggars/social-climbers!

plan C: night duty

in san pedro st. that is. i dont know if how much i will earn from this. for a couple of nights, maybe i can already have enough cash to go shopping. note to self: look for my pink card. kidding!

plan D: sponsorship

go and meet people who are willing to be our sponsor. in exchange of what? some ol' good lovin'. haha! weve met before some people who actually have such sponsors. i dont know how much they get/earn and whats the mechanics of their so called game. we also heard of a story in which someone found a sponsor through chatting online. s/he was even able to tour around asia with the help of his/her sponsor. well, if s/he can do it, then why cant i. i bet i can even do it better. haha! kidding again!

see how desperate we are... if theres some kind soul out there who is willing to donate, you can contact me through this site. i accept cash and all major credit cards.

i hope and pray though that mike can make the necessary bookings later. for sure their site will be jampacked by people who will also take advantage of this promo. hope he can get through their site and that there will still be available seats for the three of us.

Godspeed!

Bad day

Feeling so ugly today. I dont deserve my white uniform. Got popping zits on each cheek. I look like krusty the clown on high definition. Having a bad hair day. My uniform looks so big on me. And its raining...

Oh well,tomorrow's another day.

random.

My day.

2+ hrs sleep. am shift. sign in. duty. stomache pain. omeprazole. duty. duty. duty. sign out.
1 hr jeepney ride home. meet up with friends. second thoughts. money matters. cancelled.
got home. pandesal. kitchen. cooked. sunny side up. stuffed.
internet. no connection. hiphop abs. shower.
nap. dinner. internet. connected. facebook. blogs. blogged.

My thoughts.

how boring was that? it was so boring my muscles ached. sorry for the exaggeration. i dont know, i was just not my usual self today. the word fun was saved for more important days. what a lame excuse. i really dont know the reason bah-hind this lame day.
so now i know how it feels to be boring. oh c'mon.
oh ok. lets just blame it to the pestering stomache pain. it ruined my day. hahaha...

ok... this is very random, just typing directly what comes out of my mind. sorry for wasting your precious time.
Godspeed!

Dessert Hunt

Scouring the mall for some long-yearned sweets. First,i headed to dunkin donuts to have some munchkins but it was packed. And considering how small there store was, it would take bajillion years for me to grab a table. And so i went to chowking to have some halo-halo but unfortunately, they dont have any. And so to jolibee i went to have my favorite strawberry frost blends. But it wasnt available. Thats why i just decided to eat at igloo. For sure they wouldnt run out on cold deserts for thats their specialty. If they dont have any,they better just close the store down.
And fortunately they serve halo-halo. I had the special one. Nothing special bout it though. But who am i to complain, its better than nothing.

Gokey's screech

He just beat Martin Nievara's last note of the Lupang Hinirang in the Pacquiao-Hatton fight...

Fool's Month

AFTER LENT, THERE WERE ALREADY A FEW SIDETRIPS THAT I'VE BEEN TO. FOR ONE, THERE'S THE MINI REUNION I'VE HAD WITH MY HIGHSCHOOL CLASSMATES LAST APRIL 18. IT WAS AN OVERNIGHT IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. IT WAS HELD AT DUMOY GARDEN RESOT. WE GOT THERE AROUND 8PM, BUT WE STILL WAITED FOR THE OTHERS. WE ATE AROUND 9PM, HAD A COUPLE OF DRINKS AND PLAYED SOME GAMES. WHILE OTHERS CONTINUED DRINKING, I ON THE OTHER HAND TOOK SOME SHUTEYE. I WOKE UP JUST BEFORE DAWN TO APPRECIATE THE SUNRISE BY THE SEA. WE LEFT THE PLACE AROUND 7AM WITHOUT EVEN TAKING A DIP IN THE POOL OR IN THE SEA BUT STILL I HAD A LOT OF LAUGHS AND FUN WITH MY FRIENDS.

LAST APRIL 27, TOGETHER WITH SOME OF THE STAFF NURSES IN HOLY SPIRIT, WE WENT TO LUPON. IT IS THEIR PAROCHIAL FIESTA AND ATE MALOU, ONE OF MY CO-VOLUNTEER, INVITED US TO THEIR PLACE. AND AS EXPECTED, THE FOOD WAS OVERFLOWING. WE GOT THERE AROUND 8AM AND BREAKFAST WAS SERVED. RIGHT AFTER, WE TOURED AROUND TOWN. WE ALSO WENT TO THE BEACH. CJ AND I TOOK A STROLL ON THE SAND WHILE APPRECIATING THE VIEW. WE FOUND A PERFECT SPOT ON A BENCH UNDER THE SHADE OF SOME TREES. THE PLACE JUST TOOK ALL MY STRESS AWAY. THOUGH THEIR BEACH IS NOT COMPARABLE TO THAT OF BORACAY OR BOHOL, THE SIMPLICITY OF THE PLACE IS JUST SO RELAXING. I LOVED HOW THE PLACE IS SO LAID BACK. AND THE WAVES ARENT THAT LOUD, THE ONLY SOUND YOU WILL HEAR ARE THE BIRDS AND THE DISTANT SOUND OF SOMEONE SINGING ON THE VIDEOKE. WE WENT BACK TO ATE MALOU'S PLACE TO HAVE LUNCH. AND THE PLACE WAS ALREADY PACKED. THERE WERE SO MANY VISITORS. THEY EVEN WELCOME PEOPLE THEY DONT KNOW AND SERVE THEM. THE FOOD WAS SUPERB. IT WAS A BUFFET FIT FOR A KING. LATER DID I KNOW THAT HER FATHER WAS A FORMER VICE-GOVERNOR AND HIS BROTHER A COUNCILOR. AFTER EATING, WE JUST TOOK A BREATHER THEN WENT TO THEIR NOT SO FAR FISH PONDS. AND AGAIN IT'S EATING TIME. IT WAS AROUND 3PM AND WE HAD SHRIMPS, CRABS AND MANY MORE FOR SNACKS. WE STAYED THERE UNTIL SUNDOWN THEN WE ALREADY DECIDED TO HEAD OUR WAY HOME. IT WAS ALREADY DARK AND MOST OF US WERE ASLEEP IN THE VAN – TIRED WITH ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES AND THE LONG DAY WE'VE HAD. ONLY ONE OF US WAS AWAKE AND GOOD THING SHE'S WIDE AWAKE FOR WE WERE HEADING THE WRONG WAY. SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DRIVER'S ATTENTION AND WE STOPPED. NOW ALL OF US ARE AWAKE. WE ASKED FOR DIRECTIONS AND FOUND OUT THAT WE WERE REALLY HEADING THE OPPOSITE WAY. WE U-TURNED AND HEAD THE REAL WAY HOME.

TWO DAYS AFTER THE LUPON ESCAPADE, I WAS AGAIN ON THE ROAD WITH CJ TOGETHER WITH MIGUEL AND HIS COUSIN DEC. WE WENT TO EDEN NATURE PARK. WE GOT THERE AROUND 8AM AND A COOL BREEZE GREETED US. WE TOURED AROUND THE AREA. MIGUEL ALSO BROUGHT WITH HIM HIS SLR CAMERA. MOST OF OUR TIME WAS CONSUMED BY THE PICTORIALS. JUST BEFORE NOON, IT RAINED AND WE WERE STRANDED IN ONE OF THEIR RESTING HUTS FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR. RIGHT AFTER THE RAIN STOPPED, WE HAD OUR COMPLEMENTARY SNACKS – SPAGHETTI WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE. DEC AND CJ ALSO WENT FISHING FOR US TO HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT FOR LUNCH. IT TOOK FOREVER FOR THEM TO CATCH SOMETHING. GOOD THING DEC WAS BETTER THAN CJ. ALL IN ALL, THEY CAUGHT 3 HITO AND 1 TILAPIA. CJ ONLY CAUGHT 1 HITO AND THE REST WERE DEC'S. WE REALLY WAITED FOR CJ TO CATCH SOMETHING FOR HER CONFIDENCE' SAKE. HEHE... GOOD THING THE HITO PARTICIPATED. AFTER THE CATCH OF THE DAY WAS COOKED, WE GORGED INTO IT. AND IN FAIRNESS, IT WAS SUMPTUOUS. AFTER EATING, WE HEADED TO THE POOL TO COOL DOWN. WE ONLY HAD MORE THAN AN HOUR TO ENJOY THE WATER. AND AGAIN IT WAS PICTORIAL TIME. AROUND 5.30PM, WE SHOWERED, DRIED UP AND HEADED HOME. EVEN IF WE ONLY HAD A FEW HOURS AND IT EVEN RAINED ON US, NONETHELESS I STILL HAD A LOT OF FUN.

THOSE WERE ONLY 3 FUN FILLED DAYS. AND NOW THAT IT'S ANOTHER MONTH, THERE ARE STILL SO MANY LISTED ON OUR CHECKLIST. I HOPE MANY OF THEM WILL BE MARKED AND CHECKED.
GODSPEED!

BTW, SORRY FOR THE CAPS. BLAME IT ON MY FREAKIN KEYBOARD. IT WONT BUDGE EVEN IF I PRESS CAPSLOCK SO HARD.

Our so called road trip...

The second day of our vacation started early...very early.
We didnt know that outside our rooms were a number of roosters. And around 3 am,they already started crowing. I couldnt sleep any longer. I wanted to get out and choke each rooster to death. And the room itself was non-conducive for sleeping. I tried every sleeping position, tried reading a book, listening to music...but all failed. By 6 am, I was already outside taking a walk. After freshening up,we went to Waig spring resort. We had our breakfast and then headed down to the pool. All of them but I took a dip in the pool for I wasnt really feeling good that time. After, we went to the Benedictine Monks' Monastery of Transfiguration. The architecture of their churches were astounding. They look like pyramids in the middle of the Bukidnon rocky terrain. It reminds me of Illuminati-related designs in Dan Brown's Angels & Demons which I am reading right now for the second time.
After that we had lunch at Jollibee Malaybalay. We discussed where should we go next. We researched and asked for tourist spots around the area. We also thought if should we go way up north towards CDO then head for butuan. Or should we just head back home. We thought the latter was better - financially that is. And perhaps physically for we have nowhere to sleep and we thought every place would already we fully booked by this time. And heck,even malls are closed.
So we drove home. And around 3 pm, we were already in Valencia and we spotted another Jollibee. We had some cold and sweet treats. Five more and we could have finished the 'bisita jollibee',we joked.
Before sunset, we managed to get to the newly designed Overview. There were sculptures all around done by Kublai,the same person who designed People's Park in Davao.
Around 6 pm, we were already in buda or the bukidnon-davao-border. The place as usual was cold and chilly, so we had a cup of coffee in the recently opened Seagull coffee shop to unwind and relax a bit. The place was packed, the place had a nice feel, very cozy and add to that the cold breeze from the breath-taking terrain outside the window. But their cafe mocha, which i had wasn't that great.
It was already getting dark so we decided to continue our trip back home. And around 8 pm, we were already home sweet home.
I thought or rather we thought that we would be back by Sunday. I even packed alot of things just to be ready. Thats what you get when you dont make plans...youve got no place to sleep and even nowhere to go. And you end up at home earlier than you expected. Good thing it was just a couple of hours away and that we did not need to commute for there were no schedule of trips that time.
Well,til our next road trip...
Godspeed!

Lent 09

Im on vacation right now with my family. The initial plan was just to go wherever our feet, or wheels, take us. Some sort of a road trip. But before we left home, my parents decided that we will just head up north towards Bukidnon. But because my parents just made their decisions a few hours before leaving,they were not able to make the necessary reservations. That is why we were forced to look for some hotel or inn in a small town Bukidnon. Right now,we are stuck in this lodging house which i dont even know if they even change the sheets. A while back,for the reason that it is still early and that the room is giving some claustrophobic feeling,we decided to just take a walk. And because this is only a small town and today is a holiday,the only establishment that is open is a bakeshop. And I guess for their time and schedule it is already late (it was around 10pm). Good thing they have ice cream. The five of us shared a half gallon. What a good way to end a day. More updates to come...that's if I have good reception on my phone.

Choose Level of Difficulty

If you had your way in life, would you want things easy or difficult? Are you the type of person who would always chase challenges?

This was ask to me by CJ while we were in the front seat of a jeepney on our way to duty. Well, i have always been the easy going and laid back type of guy... So if i had my way, i would without a doubt choose the easy way. I believe that challenges will come whether you want it or not, whether you're prepared or not. So if life is like a computer game wherein you can choose the level of difficulty, i would surely choose the easiest. Life is already complicated enough to make it even more complicated.

Or maybe i'm just rationalizing stuff. Maybe i really would love to take risks and challenges but just dont have the guts to do it. Just another maybe in my life. But on the jeepney somewhere in Bankerohan, CJ somewhat believed what i have said and mentioned that she'll put that in mind. I have said it with conviction and somewhat that time i also believed myself. Till next time. Godspeed!

Btw,i am creating this post using my phone through opera mini. Cool noh? Free internet anytime anywhere. Really handy...