Day 287 Jan. 20, 2013

Massage:

Once a quarter (at least) Barbie and I go for a massage with the blind masseurs who have a room all to themselves in Greenhills.

This particular group, I got to know while assigned in the U2K2 project. So as I got to know them better, I did learn of them being in Greenhills - in fact, I probably had a massage with them in the past when they were located in the corridors of Virra Mall. But it was in the U2K2 project that I got to know some of them better.

As for the massage, it is something we do specially when one of us has had a tough week and we need to unwind. Yes, we've tried some home service massage, but we've yet to find one we can stick with - while the blind masseurs do not expect us every week - they're just there when we need them, so it's cool in a practical way.

Sometimes the masseur we get give us the right massage - really focusing on where we need it... basically our tense muscles, other times, it's like they just gave us some love taps which do feel good, but somehow feel less satisfying... but even in the latter case, we don't feel too bad because it's a relatively cheap service. As this picture shows, Bernice accompanied us this particular day and experienced some needed massage herself.

Day 286 Jan. 19, 2013

Chinese New Year decors:

Something just hit me... if you were placed somewhere where you just loose track of time, it may very well be possible to find out what part of the year it is by simply looking at the decors in any mall. In this particular time of the year, it seems that the malls have just placed their Christmas decors into storage and have exchanged it for Chinese decors to celebrate the coming of the Chinese New Year (on February 10 for this year - it's a lunar calendar holiday).

Anyway, this happens to be the decors at the Angela Arcade (one of the oldest buildings in Greenhills; aside from Unimart which I used to hang around with during my grade school days), and yes... like any decors, it can turn an otherwise drab place into something a bit livelier. In this case, the dominant color of red definitely sets the decors apart from the rest of the building - and it adds highlight as well. So people who would not normally notice the place's ceiling, will now be drawn to it.

As I was taking the picture from the 2nd floor, I can focus on the decors at eye level. I used a long exposure which makes movement look blurry, hence the reason some people in the background, but also allows for additional brightness. making the picture seem like the mall has a very bright lighting fixture.

Day 285 Jan. 18, 2013

First eBook read for the year:

Reading ebooks are a relatively new thing for me. Not that I have not done them before... but 2012 was probably the most ebook friendly year for me, as I have been more proactive with Kindle or the Kindle reader (with thanks to my iPad) than ever before.

Well this book in particular was something that I received from Fred. An obviously interesting topic, given my fondness for reading anything military (which is why I like Tom Clancy), to anything historic and a good read. This book comes across as both because it explains the prepaprations (with certain limits) to how the team that killed Osama Bin Laden trained, lived and prepared for such missions.

Mark Owen (a pseudonym used to protect not just the author's identity, but of his family and friends as well) gives a good account of what happened. Being one of the participants, and in fact, being an eye witness to what transpired in that particular mission, gives him a command of the facts - and as he said, one of the things he wanted to do with this book, was to set the record straight... specially after the media blitz putting the mission on the spotlight. On a more practical side, this book... like it's predecessors, gave me something to do while waiting for my turn to facilitate a training (Testing with Tess).

Day 284 Jan. 17, 2013

Video Camera:

I've used this equipment (or various versions of it) these past years (maybe even a decade), as a way of capturing my training participants' speeches. This is most used in Presentation Dynamics - a two day training to making people become more comfortable with speaking in front of crowds - or at least, a room-full of people.

How many people have gone through this particular training? I don't know... I can't even day how many I personally coached and taught regarding this training, as it could easily go into the hundreds.

Yup, this piece of equipment is really useful in that regard, and I'm not sure it's the only manner of use in it's life in Accenture - I'm sure other people have used it for one reason or another.

Come to think of it, on a personal scale, my family has never owned a video camera... although we have had digital cameras that could record video - and my iPad can do the same, so I have to wonder... is it still something worth getting? I don't really know. I mean, I don't doubt the great possibilities of having such a gadget... but as I said, we're making do with the use of other devices' capabilities. So I don't really miss having them. Before I end, no... I was not conducting Presentation Dynamics... it was Marimel - as I was tied up with Retail. I just happen to be in Marimel's class, as mine did not have a place for me to stay in.

Day 283 Jan. 16, 2013

Mad-eyed:

Apparently, mom wasn't the only one with a problem - though her's was perceived to be the more immediate one until Doc's tests told us otherwise. You see, Bing bing is having some problems with her eye. Apparently, it moves in an uncoordinated manner, hence the reason my niece and nephew call her Mad Eye... with reference to a Harry Potter teacher.

Anyway, to keep her eyesight 'sane', her doctor asked her to cover one eye (in an alternating manner), as she gets to concentrate on using one eye - and said uncovered eye works normally. It's when both are being used that weird things happen to both her eyes. When I brought mom home, this is how I spotted Bing, so I whipped out my camera and told her ot say a pirate's 'Arrrrrr', which she did gamely. This picture is the result of her  trying to say the pirate's 'Arrrrrr'.

Day 282 Jan. 15, 2013

Mom's visit:

Okay, it isn't exactly her intent to visit my place... rather, she had to visit her doctor; a long overdue one at that, as she was supposed to visit her last December - but as I told her (and Tizza agrees with the viewpoint), December is the lousiest time to have a check up. Traffic is hell, because of the Christmas shopping, So she had to content herself with a January check up.

But that's not all... apparently, due to miscommunication between mom and her doc, I had to fetch her and rush her to Manila due to a perceived possible symptoms of a stroke. Lucky for us all, it wasn't the case, and she (with Patty) spent the night at our place. With the cold weather, it was easy for her to rest downstairs... which she did upon arrival. Guess she got tired with everything she did today. The picture shows her and Patty at my place... at this point we just arrived from Doc's place.

Day 281 Jan. 14, 2013

Peaceful slumber:

Yup, that's a picture of Buffy with her shirt on; obviously enjoying a nap. She looked so peaceful - almost blissful, so I had to take a picture of this particular pose. Despite how it looks, Buffy was just resting - in fact, she's partially awake.

Any slight movement from anyone sitting in the sofa where she's having her nap, and her eyes open... albeit in a sleepy manner, but it still proves the fact that she's aware of any changes.

At this particular juncture, Buffy was beside Barbie, and as she normally does, she likes to cuddle beside a warm body, and later... because she is feeling the warmth - specially in either a sofa or a bed, she becomes sleepy. So seeing her like this is not a very unique thing.

As for the shirt? These past few days have been rather cold... the cold I was half expecting last November or December, but only now manifesting itself - so yeah, it's a bit late... but I guess, it's better late than never, huh?

Day 280 Jan. 13, 2013

New Fountain:

Barbie and I consult our Chinese astrological signs and the usual Goemancy suggestions regarding how our lives may play out in a new year. It's part of getting ready for the Chinese New Year, and normally, that happens this time of the year.

So... having learned what we would need, we buy anything that will either counter bad tidings, or enhance the food ones. This fountain is one of the latter. We scouted what we needed a week ago, and asked the sales ladies at our local Chinese Geomancy shop in Greenhills to set aside certain stuff for us. This fountain is specifically geared to make my life more prosperous, and needs to be placed in the Northeastern portion of our place... which happens to just beside the door of our apartment.

It is also advised that I spend more time in this place - which is really great because it's also where the sofa happens to be. Now if I happen to use the computer while doing this - or watching TV, well it's just an added bonus for me.  Hopefully, this will somehow, some way make my 2013 a whole lot more prosperous. Definitely better than how 2012 was, that's for sure. Naturally, I need to be proactive in this sense, and I hope that this January I get more projects - be they training related or otherwise.

After all, I need to find ways and means to create more opportunities for me. Sending one kid to college is a challenge... two (in about two years from now) will be extra challenging as well. Better yet, I should come up with a business... plans and all. I'm getting tired of being just an employee. So here's to a prosperous 2013. There's no better time to start than now, after all.

Day 279 Jan. 12, 2013

(Not so) Old comics... new reads:

These were comics that were waiting for me in FilBars' Greenbelt. These and more, actually... and the fact that they were still waiting for me shows how they valued my being a customer for them.

Lucky for me, I did pass by - as this allowed me to purchase issues I missed or did not get because I had limited funds. I also did not get some of them in other shops because I was somewhat confident that these would be waiting for me.

Still, it was a welcome relief to find them still waiting... specially since FilBars stopped getting comics some months past... not being a sustainable business anymore. So now, I got to read these past issues - one of my first comics for the new year.

Day 278 Jan. 11, 2013

Ant's eye view:

Okay, so what do you do after you've had your lectures done and it's 3 in the morning? No place to go, and I also have to battle the lingering sleepiness due to what is now my down time.

Backgroundcr? I'm conducting a Supervisor training for Accenture's evening shift people with Mon. Naturally, we half the assignment. Normally that would be the end of the story - but since it's evening shift; a shift we're not used to handling, we (naturally) have to adjust with not just the fact that the workshop can be tiring, but we're going against our usual sleep cycle. Now... I did the 1st half of the training, and am now faced with what to do while waiting for the workshop to end (at 5am, the earliest - mind you).

Answer? I experiment with my camera... unusual angles being the case. Something I can do in a simple quiet room. Of all the shots I took, I kinda like this. It reminds me of the old Neal Adams artwork when he presented angles from his classic works at Avengers and X-men (and Batman, for that matter).

What better way to fight sleepiness, right?

Day 277 Jan. 10, 2013

Reading materials:

Just like the book I recently bought, I got this special issue of Time. I always want to read what the magazine has to say about choosing their person of the year. At times, I have a good idea of what they are going to say - bu it's great to read their article as well.

This particular issue had a different spin... as you can see with the cover's color. It doesn't stop there... now, the magazine also gives some exposure to the other choices that did not quite make the Person of the Year - but they are great to read. This year's choice? President Obama, when you think of all he's been through - and the victory he won; giving him another 4 years in the White House, well... let's just say the story is inspirational... not because of Obama, but because of his team - in fact, I'd say that the Person of the Year award was given to him because of his team.

Now I'm not taking away anything from the President, but I'm sure even he would agree... it's because of his team that he to got to where he is... but, let's give him his due too. He formed the team, based on his vision... and his manner for organizing... for his integrity. People follow him, not because of the money... but because of his ideas for change.

Anyway, the Time magazine's change on format and look is hopefully something it will practice moving forward. I say it's a good change too.

Day 276 Jan. 09, 2013

Desserts galore:

Leche flan... Ube... Macapuno... any of these three would be great dessert after any meal. But together!? Whoa... talk about dessert overload!

Well that's how I felt when Barbie and I tried these goodies... like kids let loose in a candy shop told that they can eat anything for free - and after I was able to calm myself, the next thing I had to make sure of was the fact that I did not pig out.

After all, any of these can pack in the calories - then again, what honest to goodness dessert won't? We also came to a realization that these were ingredients to your typical halo halo... unfortunately we did not have the crushed ice this time. Lucky for me, I guess... or we'd be eating more of these just by being able to make our halo halo. By the way, did I mention that all these were home made? Not by us though... which kinda makes it even better, since I know how hard preparing for these can be - specially the ube, as I used to do it.

Day 275 Jan. 08, 2013

It's Complete!

Yeah, the 10th and last season of Smallville has finally... finally arrived in our home. Actually, it's been in Metro Manila for almost a year - but because Barbie and Maita (her friend) were too busy with conflicting schedules, we were never able to find time to get this.

Well, this changed just recently, and because of that, we now have the last season of Smallville just waiting to be watched. Thing is, with the holidays over, that means we'll only get to watch this over the weekends; most probably Saturday afternoons to evenings. This was literally years in the making, and I'm just glad to finally get to see the last season. Maybe I'll start focusing on something else after this... continue with collecting Stargate - after all, we already have the first three seasons of this as well.

Meanwhile, I'm just beaming at the fact that we're proud owners of the complete seasons of Smallville (all bought from the U.S.).

Day 274 Jan. 07, 2013

First Book for 2013:

Since 2013 is supposedly a good start, I'd like to extend the feeling and the idea that this year is one where I can make some major changes to my life. I'm hoping that this book by Regina Brett can convince me how to do something awesome this year.

I was curious to read this on the strength of her first book that had to do with tips (or wisdom) from a 50 year old. Well, since I'm in that demographic, I wanted to see what she had to say - but this time, in a 'moving forward' perspective.

Why choose this book? I don't know... maybe subliminally, I need to jump start my career, which has been on some form of dead end for the past years. I mean, teaching/training is supposedly a noble thing - but unfortunately, this isn't getting me enough by way of being able to live comfortably and pay for the needed tuition for my kids. In other words, I'm ready to try something new... something different.

I need to get into something more rewarding, that's for sure... but rewarding, not just in a monetary sense, though that is a need... but rewarding as well that likewise means fulfilling, something that can make me feel proud of how I'm helping make the world a better place to be in.

So here's crossing my fingers.

Day 273 Jan. 06, 2013

Three Kings lunch:

This is probably the last of the reunions for this year - well, until someone comes up with a reason for getting together again, but jokes aside... real soon, some of these people will be returning to the Western hemisphere of the globe, so getting together like this may be a challenge at some future dates.

These people are basically my uncles and aunts (plus my dad) - all from the Velez side of the family... including their better halves (husbands or wives). I can imagine how they may be feeling, at my age, I sometimes wonder how long I have in this world... and do want to spend time with friends and family as much as I can. Family is also community, and I wouldn't want my kids to be isolated, so they should be able to meet their cousins - be they 2nd degree or even 3rd degree.

Hence, reunions like these are few and far between at times - but at least, they're the type that aren't because of someone's passing. That said, I'm not complaining.

Day 272 Jan. 05, 2013

The Golden Spoon experience:

Golden Spoon has come up with a new gimmick... you pay for the cup size you want to fill up - and that's it. From then on, you're free to sill the cup up with whatever flavored yogurt they have available and add whatever toppings you feel like taking.

Once you're done with your masterpiece, you can sit and enjoy your yogurt they way you designed it. We first got the medium cup and Bernice filled it up with Vanilla flavored yogurt, mixed berries, choco chips and nuts. Once we had finished this, I could not help but try out a different flavor... mint, and stacked it my way. I added nuts and viola! Here I am, showing my stacked ice cream... much higher and a lot more than most would imagine possible. Guess it comes with having a very keen and observing mind. I learned to stack ice cream well on a first try.

Day 271 Jan. 04, 2013

Greenhills decors:

Funny how in the rush of things, I did not get to really appreciate the simple decors of the Greenhills garden. Maybe it was because I did not see things in their proper perspective... or angle, maybe I was too caught up in the rush.

Now that Christmas and the New Year celebration is finally through, and only Three Kings remains before we can officially call it an end to the Season. Still... it would have been a shame had I not had the opportunity to stop and notice this. But notice this I finally did while I was relaxing at Bo's Coffee while reading a few comic books. Lucky for me, I also brought my camera, so I was able to capture this before they brought down the decors.

Day 270 Jan. 03, 2013

Happy Birthday Dict!

This is a Korean version of the well known pancit that we Filipinos always make an effort to serve in every occasion - most specially in birthdays. The pancit represents long life for the celebrant, and in this case, since it is Dict's birthday, eating here will hopefully bring him long life.

I liked this version... it had no sodium (salt) and other tasteful, yet not too healthy ingredients. I did not realize that I had eaten a lot of it... in fact, aside from the pizza and deep fried chicken, I'd say that I ate this the most... and boy was it filling - specially after drinking some water. Surprisingly, this also did not just seemingly melt away fast, like other pancit noodles I've taken... leaving me hungry after a few hours. This lasted the rest of the evening, in fact, Barbie and I had to take some tea when we got home.

It was nice to be with Barbie's family again - but I have to wonder by now, since the new year started, I have yet to have an evening of simple relaxation. I do hope the bountiful gifts and situations that I've been experiencing continue... but please... let me not turn into a sumo wrestler in the process.

Day 269 Jan. 02, 2013

Wendell and Leigh's wedding:

It may not be their first wedding - if I'm to understand it, this happened almost tow years ago in civil rites. But  I guess a church wedding is something seen as definitely more serious, more binding... and more expensive.

I attended this wedding as one of the couple's Godfather - a request from Wendell, and I had no chance to really meet Leigh prior to the wedding date because Wendell was still in the U.S., and she in Singapore all this time. Love must really be in the air because these two have been able to sustain their feelings for each other even with this long distance between them. I can only hope and wish them the best... and likewise hope that I need not do my Godfatherly duties too much with this couple (meaning they will be in a strong loving relationship not in need of my wise words).

Day 268 Jan. 01, 2013

Maple New Year:

In what will hopefully be a new tradition, John, Stephen and I (with our families) decided to meet up and enjoy each other's company on the first day of the year!

Why not? It allows us to enjoy the day... relax and unwind after our respective evening parties. It also allowed most of us to try Maples - the higher scale Pancake House at McKinley (you can see the Santuario de San Antonio at the background).

So yeah, it hopefully means that we will be enjoying each other's company this year - and hopefully, we won't be stacking too much calories in the process. Too bad Gerry couldn't make it though. Then again, he was with John and me for yesterday's year-end lunch get together. Oh yeah... Happy New Year!

Day 267 Dec.31, 2012

New Year get together!

This is the second consecutive year that we've joined the New Year party of my dad's clan, the Velezes - so technically it's a party organized for my dad and his siblings and cousins.

Naturally, this party now includes us... meaning me and my cousins and second cousins, plus our families.

This picture was taken by Barbie, and I chose to make it representative of my blog picture because it also shows something that rarely happens - more due to circumstance and distance... that is, us getting together with my dad. It would have been a better picture had Barbie been in it as well. Ah well... guess we can't have everything. I'm just glad the picture came out well.

Day 266 Dec.30, 2012

Fruits to meet the New Year:

Another tradition that our family practices is to make sure we've at least 13 round fruits on the table to meet the new year with prosperity... in fact, this particular year, I believe we were able to get 15 fruits, and I guess that in this particular practice, anything greater than 13 will definitely be better.

Of course, at the end of the day these are just sayings... beliefs... but the viable outcome here will be having fruits for the first days of the year - whether as dessert or as shakes... and these fruits, when taken will be healthy for us. So whether we're talking goof fortune, belief or just plain healthy eating, having these fruits for the new year is a good thing to have - so good, in fact, that I hope we get to sustain having fruits regularly (like we tried doing this 2012) as part of our regular diet.

Day 265 Dec.29, 2012

Migs birthday:

Used to be, we (as in our family) would make the trip to Cuenca before Christmas to deliver our gifts... or, right after Christmas just for the same thing. But right after these dates comes a date that we usually miss out on because of its close proximity to the days we visit.

Miguel's birthday is today, and last year, we did attend his birthday - and so we did the same thing this year. I mean, sure... we delay delivering and getting gifts from each other for a few days, but we get to enjoy celebrating Migs birthday with the rest of the family. This year was also a very hectic week with regard to activities and recovery from sickness, so this was also the most convenient date and reason to go to Cuenca.

Picture shows Migs with the family dog Pepper playing in the field. I was hoping for a more action-oriented shot, but I just did not get the right angles. Oh well... this one reflect the playful mode of Pepper anyway.

Day 264 Dec.28, 2012

Asti... ready for 2013:

This is a New Year tradition that Barbie and I are trying to implement. Using the goblets that Tito Joe gave us as a wedding gift, we would then toast the year that was... counting our blessings, giving thanks for our health and opportunities.

After reflecting and giving thanks, we then toast to what we hope the year can give us. Naturally, in doing this, we could drink a good bottle of wine (or two - if the toasting is really plenty), but for the New Year, white bubbly champagne seems to better fit the bill, and we both love Asti Martini for this. So naturally, as early as November, I made sure we had more than a bottle of Asti for us to enjoy. I will definitely look forward to toasting this new year.

Day 263 Dec.27, 2012

Barbie's Gift to me:

Way back when I was still courting Barbie, this was the perfume I used to keep me smelling well. Of course, it was just one of the many perfumes I would use (and use up) in our continued (and continuing) relationship - first as a steady couple, and later... a married couple.

Apparently, the fragrant stayed in Barbie's mind - and when she was looking to give me a gift, she was seeking this out. She did get me a Polo (number 3) for my birthday two years ago - and it did smell good. But it wasn't exactly what she was looking for.

I considered the fact that if she were looking for something I wore almost 18 years ago, chances are it would have been the classic Polo (also in a green bottle, as you can see). Lucky for her, we knew a place that sold this brand and this type of perfume. She then proceeded to buy it (with me, since I drove for her - there goes any semblance of surprise, but at least I know what I would be getting) about two weeks into December, and just placed it in an open box - extracting a promise from me not to touch it until Christmas. Well... it's Christmas, and I can officially use it... though not everyday... just for special occasions. After all, I want to make sure this lasts as long as possible.

Day 262 Dec.26, 2012

Mt Gift Arrives:

This is a set of three pans and two covers - the product is Ceramicore, a supposed ceramic-lined pan of three sizes, ably advertised in the Home Shopping Network - it's a bit pricey, but if the hype is true (and I'm about to find out) it will mean less oil usage, hence a healthier cooking for us all.

The pans were basically my Christmas gift to Barbie, and I had given her the cash to order them - but since she did not order them at once, she ended up getting it delivered on the first working day... after Christmas. No problem, though... what is one extra day? The important thing is that it's here... and I assembled them (attaching the handles). I shall then be using one of them in a while to prepare some Spaghettata sauce, and enjoy a simple, yet healthy and filling meal.

Day 261 Dec.25, 2012

Christmas breakfast:

In the season of abundance (more so of the food related kind), it becomes more appreciative to anyone (or at least, to me) to have a taste of the simpler things in life. In this case, scrambled eggs, Chinese chorizos, and tinapa (smoked fish), all mixed with fried brown rice. Have a mug of coffee on that side and that completes the meal.

This breakfast can only be described as a very welcome change to all those gastronomic dishes normally served during Christmas gatherings. Forget the pasta, salads, turkey, hams and other complicated stuff... tinapa/chorizo rice is a welcome treat - and though it may mot strictly be a very simple dish... it is simple enough to contrast against all those Christmas meals that I'm getting tired of.

Day 260 Dec.24, 2012

Christmas Eve:

We all made it a point to spend Christmas eve in Cavite - the 2nd one after dad's passing. The Buenabora family is a large family, but in this particular instance, you can notice the fact that it was just Dict, Ben and Barbie here - plus us, to share Christmas with Mommy.

Hopefully, we were able to make the experience good enough for Mommy not to miss Dad too much. So this is where we waited for Christmas to come, where we Skyped the Buenaboras in Dubai, and where we attended Christmas eve mass (via television transmission) - and yes, where we had our usual gift-giving and thanksgiving meal. Have a Merry Christmas.

Day 259 Dec.23, 2012

Royce Green Tea flavor:

It really is confusing to call it a chocolate, because there hardly is any chocolate in this really great tasting confectionery (for lack of a better word, I'll use this).

This was a gift to us by Topher, and when he gave it to me, he even said that it couldn't be bought here in the Philippines. I just took it in stride back then, as I had not opened it.

A few days later, Barbie does open it and tries it out - and likes it. I am not exaggerating when I say I almost did not get to taste this, because when I opened it, there was just a little over a row of these green tea wonders left. Well, I quickly took the box and enjoyed what was left - trying to stretch it as long as I could. Ahhh well... something to look for in my future travels abroad.

Day 258 Dec.22, 2012

Ayala light show:

Just a few more days before Christmas, and yes... finally, we were all in vacation mode. One of the things Barbie and I thought of doing - something that needed little planning and preparation, was to see the Ayala Triangle light show - something we missed last year, and therefore, something we were resolved to watch with the kids.

The experience was nice - not too spectacular, but I guess that was because we sort of expected it... but it was still nice to finally be in the middle of it all... to see the lights play out their musically synchronized show. Even if it lasted for just 10 minutes, it was a blast watching and taking pictures of the entire thing. This pic was taken after the show, and is just one of a few pics with me - Barbie, naturally took this picture... and you could say that this was officially our family's first Christmas-related activity.

Day 257 Dec.21, 2012

Friends long not seen:

It was meant to be a mini reunion of friend who hardly see each other for the past year (or years). I mean, aside from Fred, I doubt we had the opportunity to see each other - much less, as a group in one place.

Unfortunately, two of the originally planned participants could not make it, so the gathering was not as many, but it was still a great night of reconnecting and yes... enjoying good food. It was great to see Ariel and JP again, after so long a time, and it was likewise great to experience JPs spahettata - basically a pre-mixed set of spices to be cooked in olive oil, and basically, poured over pasta. Come to think of it, we had three types of pasta that evening. meat sauce with cheese, al tonno and the spaghettata surprise.

To say I was stuffed that evening would be a very large understatement. It was basically an unofficial Christmas gathering of some SAGA players of old. Too bad Carlos and Gerry were not able to make it.

Day 256 Dec.20, 2012

First things last?

As I hinted the last time, this is my last training for the year... and if the Mayan doomsday thinkers were actually right, it would also be the last day of the planet before untold disasters come to wipe us all out!... ahem... or so we're meant to believe.

The irony of it is, we (that is, Brian and I) are teaching a workshop for people to be better priority planners. But be that as it may, we're optimists - what can I say, or realists (after all, the Mayans did not categorically state the world would end... it just ran out of space in their very accurate and ancient calendar. Yeah... it also happens that this was an evening training, so we ended up training until the morning of the 21st... doomsday! Hehehehe.

Day 255 Dec.19, 2012

Coaching - all by myself.

Okay, this is the 2nd to the last course assignment I have for this year - and as I said, I'm still on recovery mode. Given this, I had to handle Coaching... a workshop with so many activities and ripe with a lot of discussions.

Needless to say, I really got tired here, and was once again contemplating if I should just ask someone else to cover for me in the next day.

In fact, I had already informed Brian, my partner for the next day about this, and let's just say he's troubled with this since he'll be coming from a full day of training. I understand, but I also had to inform Malou about possibly not making it - giving her enough time to find a possible replacement for me.

Day 254 Dec.18, 2012

Bubbles:

Let's face it... when one is simply home, resting and recovering - so as to be able to stretch and handle my scheduled training in the next two days (or nights, actually), there is little to focus on and take pictures of.

Well, there are always my dogs - and since it's been a while since I focused on Bubbles, well here she is in her not so furry glory. It seems that regrowth is happening, albeit in a slow manner - but at least her rashes and wounds have subsided. So she should be better looking in time for a Christmas or New Year picture with the family. Meanwhile, here she looks - ever lovingly at anyone of us.

Day 253 Dec.17, 2012

Testing:

I had to suddenly sub for someone and show up for Testing (day 1), because my colleague was too sick to come in.

Well, as I said, I was in rest, relax and recovering from a mild case of flu mode, so doing this was a bit difficult. In fact, before the day ended, I opted to call or text Malou to let her know I wouldn't be well enough to continue with day 2... and still have enough energy to handle my original scheduled conducts come Wednesday and Thursday. Even if I felt I needed to exert some effort to have a better year-end pay, I had to settle for the fact that if I forced myself to  day 2, I might lose two days in return.

By the way, I took this picture during the lunch break - just to show how messy things can be while the training is ongoing... well, that and the fact that it is lunchtime, so we should expect some mess.

Day 252 Dec.16, 2012

Rest:

Since we were out late last night, today's been mostly a day for rest. After all, some people may already be on leave or on vacation mode, but some of us aren't there yet. So, Sunday had to be a day to rest and recharge one's self.

This picture represents how we spent it rather accurately. You see, even if we had plans to go out, traffic leading to Christmas is just so bad, we just went out for short errands keeping away from large mall areas where I'm sure parking is scarce and traffic will make one forget the reason for the season. Nope... times like these, it's best to just stay in bed as long as you can - or watch some DVDs. Today's theme is definitely relaxation.

Day 251 Dec.15, 2012

Christmas party!

One thing about Christmas; despite the horrendous traffic, the shopping madness and whatever else one can think of as a downer... is the fact that the Yuletide cheers are best shared with friends and family. In this case, it is the former.

This picture just shows half of all the people we were with for a Christmas gathering at John's place. We had lots of food. drinks (which I did not imbibe as much as I could - I am driving, after all) and great conversations - left and right.  Come to think of it, most of the guys in this group are in this picture - with exception to John and me. This also represents the first Christmas party I attended ( having missed at least one, due to health concerns, as I've not been feeling good since my return from Cebu).

Day 250 Dec.14, 2012

In her lair:

Call it a hangover from watching the Hobbit... call it timing... but when I saw Buffy using Bryce's folded bed as a sleeping area, images of dragons or other creatures living in caves came to mind (though mostly dragons).

I mean imagine if you were relatively just about the size of this creature's eye... and you; with your party of course, happen ot stumble upon this large creature - sleeping. What would you do? Try and sneak around and not bother it's slumber (after all, you're not sure when it's last meal may have been)? Or would you throw caution to the wind and position yourselves for a slaughter (hopefully the creature's and not your party's)? Yeah... that's me and my imagination again. Either way, it looked like a good picture needing to be taken.

This is a milestone entry... it represents the 250th day of this project 365, which simply means we've just about 115 days to go. Whew... I have to admit that this has been the most challenging year for doing this project... and it's not as if things have been technically harder for me. Maybe after close to 3 years of doing this, the novelty (where some of the passion resides) seems to be waning. I'll finish this... no doubt about that. But I will seriously rethink a year IV. If anything else, I might resort of a less rigid structure of just one picture - lord knows, I've sacrificed some good pics in favor of just posting one., and maybe  rethink the 'everyday' option as well.

Day 249 Dec.13, 2012

Friends:

This was not a planned gathering. You see, as I was in Cebu, Carlos - one of my friends based in Cebu, texted everyone about his dad's passing away... and of his leaving for Manila the following morning.

Well, when I arrived in Manila, and after I had brought Barbie to work, I thought that it was the perfect time for me to pay my respects. Well apparently, so did Fred - whom I thought did this the day before, and later on, Victor likewise decided to show up again. We then decided to go for lunch and a movie after - after all, as Carlos did mention, he needed the break. Though Victor did not join us for the movie, Leo did. What movie did we all decide to watch? Why, something appropriate for a group of gamers... The Hobbit (on it's first day).

Day 248 Dec.12, 2012

Osmena Circle with Tree!

One of the new things I did not see my last time around. Apparently, the tree in Osmena circle is likewise an annual thing - however, with the weather being a bit flaky, and with the experiences the city had with past Christmases, the city council decided to greatly reduce the tree's size to just about half of what it used to be, and set it up at a latter (meaning closer to Christmas) date.

This was not in the news, but something I concluded after a simple conversation with a chatty cab driver from Accenture to my hotel room. Despite the said size reduction, this tree is still a few stories high, as you can see the people mingling around the park - not just for it, but for the variety show happening at the circle's makeshift stage.

I have to say that seeing the tree in the morning was not too spectacular... but in the evening. Now that is a sight. In the typical Cebu tradition, below the tree, you'll see a replica of the Cebu Sto Nino as part of it's base. I was tempted to go out and walk in the park, but seeing as to the tree's size, I knew it would be hard to capture the entire tree if I was there... so better to capture it on an upper floor of the Summit Circle.

Day 247 Dec.11, 2012

Dark Tower Graphic Novel:

When in Cebu I find that the one place I normally go to would be the Book Sale at the second floor of Robinson's Osmena - which happens to be two floors below the Summit Circle's (the hotel I'm usually billeted in) lobby.

This particular time, I decided to buy the Dark Tower graphic novel. I mean, I have not read any of King's Dark Tower series of books... and I was just curious enough to get the first two issues of the mini series. I was, however, unable to complete the series as I had to choose which series to prioritize. Anyway, seeing as how the compilation was available in the above-mentioned Book Sale, and seeing as I needed something to read while in Cebu, I decided to get it, and finally read the darn thing. Oh yeah... did I mention that it came at a great discount?

Day 246 Dec.10, 2012

Packaged Application Design School:

As I said, this is one more Cebu class for me - and hopefully, the last one for the year. After all, I don't want to keep on flying out of Manila too close to the holiday season. There are too many things already that need to be done (like holiday shopping), and trips like these impose on that schedule.

Of course, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy my trips to Cebu, and in this particular instance, I was able to spend some time with John and Gerry who happened to be there as well. But since I'm in Cebu to conduct training - PADS in particular, I had to make it a point to sleep early so as not to impose on my training ability. Anyway, here's a shot of a third of my class - as they go through some exercises (group work).

Day 245 Dec.09, 2012

Capiz Lantern at airport:

Yup... I'm off to Cebu again. This time; hopefully, for the last time of the year. I'm conducting a Packaged application training with Jinkee which starts Monday... which means leaving on a Sunday.

As I arrived into the airport terminal, I noticed something not around the last time - Christmas decors. Apparently they had a few Christmas trees (not too great to look at - hence I did not bother taking pictures of), a scattered grouping of Christmas balls, and these - capiz lanterns... the sturdier and more expensive kind when compared to their simpler, cheaper and more traditional counterpart (which I showed a few entries ago). But even if we can say that these lanterns a more a modern idea - they can be made to look like traditional decors... it just takes a little imagination, and if they're done elegantly enough - like these items in the airport, they can be very attractive.

Day 244 Dec.08, 2012

Christmas Wreaths and variants:

Yeah, Christmas is definitely in the air. Aside from the lanterns, the most seen kind of traditional decors are balls and flowers (preferably red colored) placed on a wreath (not necessarily fresh, but paper-based, or plastic-based; if the price isn't too steep).

Traditionally, of course, when we say wreath, it's usually round-shaped, but recent versions just seem pliable enough to shape them into any manner desired. Usually, I see them straight and hung on fire place mantels, or over doors, or... as it seems these days, in that narrow space between escalators. Ah well...

Day 243 Dec.07, 2012

Projector light:

I wasn't tripping... okay, maybe just a little - but really, I wanted to try and capture dust particles as they went in front of the glare that the projector's lens. You see, I was sitting down... not really doing anything while my co-facilitator (Gina for Retail training), was going through the rounds of explaining the workshop contents.

Bored as I became, I did notice those dust particles that seem to float around invisible - until they come across intense light... so that - or rather, those particles were what I was hoping to capture. Well, as you can see, this was a failed attempt - no particles captured in the picture. So I'm wondering what else I should have done or tried. Meanwhile, I've a relatively nice picture of the projector up close.

Day 242 Dec.06, 2012

Emergency:Life is like that... it throws you some loopers, and before you know it, you need to rush to the hospital for some kind of emergency - hopefully not for yourself, and hopefully... not life and death threatening - but then again, most emergency cases are... though there are the immediate life threatening versus the not too immediate ones.

Thankfully, ours proved the latter - and, thankfully, it did not affect any of my immediate family (this may sound a bit selfish, but I really am glad it isn't any of my kids, nor my wife) - nope, this was a case of Ben really experiencing a very bad case of allergies. I understand how he may feel, as I felt something like this when I was in Africa. He's lucky... I had no family to turn to during my time. I had to rely on the fact that the doctors knew what they were doing - even if the country did not seem that progressive at that time.

Day 241 Dec.05, 2012

Lanterns:

Christmas tradition in the Philippines is never complete without the star lanterns... from the humble paper-based designs like the ones shown here, to the more sophisticated capiz-based designs that even have small Christmas blinking lights - admitedly more expensive, but hopefully a lot sturdier and useful for a few years.

The ones shown in this picture are the more traditional ones - complete with those fancy tails at the star's bottom corners. As they're also very cost-efficient (a.k.a. cheap) they can appear in almost any place - case in point, the parlor I usually go to for my haircut. Definitely just one of the many 'beginning to look a lot like Christmas' factors... at least, in the Philippines, that is.

Day 240 Dec.04, 2012

Pantry area made right:

Some floors I've seen have very pitifully small pantries that should everyone suddenly have a break all at once (admittedly a rare - but not impossible occurrence in a BPO type business)m the meager facilities would not be able to seat everyone.

Others, like this, at first glance seem to overcompensate... but I'd rather have more than less. Specially when I've got some rest times; when my co-facilitator is doing the talking, I need such places to stay - more so if the room we are using already makes us feel like sardines. Also, believe it... or not, this room can still get filled up - but at least it is able to hold a lot of people... with little need for others to seek for space to take their snacks elsewhere.

Now if only they could somehow dampen the noise factor when the room is filled. I don't expect everyone to act like it's a library... tempting as that may sound, but if only it does not sound too much like a wet market on a busy day. Then this would be a real great common room to cool one's heels. Imagine that... spacious, comfortable and preferably conducive for not just eating, but resting and relaxing.