[Focus Health and Wellness] Mizuno Fun Run

Last Sunday was a momentous day indeed. It marked the day when I completed a 5KM fun run! A first in the Schmenten book o' records. Yipee!

The day before, Grouchy and Pesem were dissing me for my early retirement from our Saturday shopping day. I hit the sack a little past ten, still full from my sisig+rice dinner.

I got up very early Sunday morning (around 445am) to prepare my things. I arrived at the Fort, where the Mizuno Fun Run was held, at around 530am. The line to the B1 Boni High Street Parking Lot was pretty long, and it was exciting to see so many race participants. I met with my projectmates, Mark A, Mark F, France, Diana, Angelo (who started ahead of us in the 15K race), Paul, Jewel, Rey, and Mike. We did some stretching and just before we sped off, Ceasar arrived and took our pictures.



Ceasar (a.k.a. Kung Fu Panda) eagerly stood by the Finish Line.



We trained twice this week, and that really gave me the confidence that I could finish 5 km. I was quite apprehensive about my knee (which Angelo suggests is attributed to my weight, haha). It's been feeling off since Monday last week, and it hasn't felt "normal" since.

Anyway, what I did not anticipate was the uphill jog to McKinley Hill. But then all throughout the race, I simply paced myself. I didn't want to exert too much effort. I knew I still had the home stretch to go. I was super thankful for my iPod and the songs I chose for the race. My goal really, was to finish the race and NOT to finish last.

I saw some of my projectmates who were on their way back to the finish line, but I wasn't frazzled. I was talking to my brothers about this yesterday and they vehemently agreed that I kept my own pace, irregardless. Haha.

Mark F. finished first! 30 deng minutes! He's as fast as a horse! Haha. Here are our other project mates, making their way to the finish line (in order of arrival):








As expected, I finished last! Haha. It felt so good to see the Finish line and to have that sense of accomplishment upon running across it.



Angelo finished is 15K a little after I arrived. Wow. What a feat.




After the race, we all got our certificates and headed straight to Pancake House in the new Anson's building (across Landmark). You gotta love eating after a race! I ordered a spanish omelette, french toast, and a side order of bacon! Haha! Wolfed it down quickly too! Everyone was also in a good eating mood!






Then we all broke into groups. Mike and I brought some of the peeps to the MRT station and everyone was on their way home. Unfortunately, Mike had a really bad experience on the road, on his way home. See the aftermath in his blog. I'm just glad nothing happened to him.

Next run sched... One LaSalle Run, this mid-July. Whoppee! More training days in store in the coming weeks.

Here are the official race results. I am numero 321 out of 339. Haha. Not so shabby!

A Different Friday

Unlike the past few Fridays, I spent this evening training for this Sunday's marathon. A couple of us went to Boni High Street (just as we had last Monday). I did about 4 rounds (approximately 4.8 km). Two of which I spent chit chatting with Jewel. The last two, I ran a couple of times. I didn't really want to strain my already sore left knee, so I stopped after the fourth round. After the run, we had dinner at Oliver's Super Sandwiches. It was just the right "busog" (fullness). For dessert, Mike and I ranted about the latest happenings in the office. We've both been uber preoccupied with our own work stuff that we haven't been able to chat throughout the week.

Earlier that day, I met with Khalid. it's been about three years since I last sat down with him to just talk. He's happily married, a doting (can you imagine this Johnny Delgado look-alike DOTE?) father of two. He said he's generally quick tempered, but he just can't get mad at his son. Anyway, before "business", we caught up. He asked the right questions, and I was able to share with him my current quasi dilemmas. He gave practical advice, and of course, he had to inject his trademark bulilit hirits.

Anyway, a few other random thoughts from these past few days...

** Karina accompanied me to dinner (she didn't have anything to eat) last Thursday. I was sort of a sporadic thing. I had dinner at Alexa's Deli. We started planning our niHao_2008 trip this October, and I'm uber excited! I do wish Maan were here though to join us. =( But she's in land of the free (and the home of the brave). I know the next three months will be quite difficult (work-wise), and this October trip is the silver lining. Can't wait!

** Another trip in the works. Thanks to PAL's domestic flights promo. Irene will be in Manila late July to mid-August, and she wants to go the beach. Sounded like an answered prayer (considering I had just posted Sting's "Love is the Seventh Wave" a few days ago). Now if everything goes according to plan, this trip will then be a fulfillment of my life long dream of.... Triple Sharing! Haha! Schmenten = Scorer. Ahlavet.

** Who would have thought I'd ever join the marathon? Not moi. I like badmin, I like boxing. But me no likey running (before)! Not at all. These short legs are responsible for my short strides (and the frustration of most people I walk with). I guess it helps that my projectmates have taken an interest in it as well. Doing group sports is certainly more fun that doing things on your own.

[Music From the Baul] Fix You

From the X&Y album. We heard it while watching "You, Me, and Dupree". I had forgetten it's part of the soundtrack. Anyway, I love this song. Super sappy, but it's just full of emotion. I love the guitar riff.


Fix You
By Coldplay

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I...

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Please be careful

A close family friend of ours had the worst day of his life. He and his driver were out in Tomas Morato late last night (he was withdrawing money from Metrobank) when a group of five men attacked them, taking their white Grandia van by force. His driver was beaten severely and our family friend was shot on his side. There were people in the streets, but no one helped them. The driver was thankfully still conscious, so he called for help using our family friend's cellphone. It was 4am in Tomas Morato, not a policeman in sight. The two victims were rushed to the hospital right after, and they're both still in critical condition.

Friends, please be careful!

Avoid withdrawing during late hours.
Be wary of groups of dubious men.
And please, know that your lives are far more important and valuable than money or anything material.

[Music from the Baul] Love is the Seventh Wave

Nice hopeful song. I think I need a vacation. Haha. Lounging by the beach, sipping a pina colada.

What does this song mean?

[Sting]: Love is the Seventh Wave (1985) was written in Barbados. I was at Eddy Grant's studio, watching the surfers, and they told me that the seventh wave was the strongest wave: they get stronger and stronger until the seventh wave, then start again. So the idea of love being the strongest wave that would encompass everything in a destructive, apocalyptic way was an appealing one at the time. At the end I sing "Every cake you bake, every leg you break". I quite like using the songs as a modular system where you can mix and match lines from different songs. It's a tradition now. People expect it. Basically, it's all one big song. You could say it was an aspect of postmodernism if you liked, but you'd be called pretentious if you said that. It's just something that amuses me


Love is the Seventh Wave
by Sting

In the empire of the senses
You're the queen of all you survey
All the cities all the nations
Everything that falls your way
There is a deeper world than this
That you don't understand
There is a deeper world that this
Tugging at your hand

Every ripple on the ocean
Every leaf on every tree
Every sand dune in the desert
Every power we never see
There is a deeper wave than this
Swelling in the world
There is a deeper wave than this
Listen to me girl

Feel it rising in the cities
Feel it sweeping over land
Over borders, over frontiers
Nothing will its power withstand
There is no deeper wave than this
Listen to me girl

All the bloodshed all the anger
All the weapons all the greed
All the armies all the missiles
All the symbols of your fear
There is a deeper wave than this
Listen to me girl

At the still point of destruction
At the center of the fury
All the angels all the devils
All around us can't you see
There is a deeper wave than this
Rising in the land
There is a deeper wave than this
Nothing will withstand

I say love is the seventh wave

Sometimes

Sometimes, even the cheeriest people have bad days. Today isn't really a shitty day all throughout. But I wasn't just feeling it. I'm thinking my not-so-stellar mood can be attributed to several things.

First, the fact that people we've been working with are pushing more work our way, often times not mindful that people are people too. We can push the limits, but only for select times and instances. I just don't want them to get used to our flexibility. I've fallen into that hole in my previous project and it wasn't sustainable. It affected the team members' engagement profusely as well.

Sensible Schments says... It's just work, and I should not let it get the best of me. I think I blogged about this before. Pretty hard thing to do for people who spend an exorbitant amount of time in the office (which I don't I think. 10-12 hours a day?). I'm just trying to look ahead, asking myself if this is really what I want and if I'm willing to work on how to make it better.

Second, expectations not met. Or perhaps it should be setting too high expectations. I probably have raised the bar way too high. I still live in the world where I like to believe the golden rule still applies. Perhaps all the others who I hold dear to me have often met my expectations. I just miss having them around I guess, those who can not only read me, but who also knows what to do when I'm not myself.

Sensible Schments says... People are different. An indication of their importance to you are expectations, I guess.

Third, knowing how silly and ridiculous you're acting, and still keeping at it. There is that self-awareness that such behavior might be pushing other people away, and when the bad wave of things just blows over, you'll have nothing but regrets and guilt.

Sensible Schments says... Tis the price you pay for being transparent. Hehe. There have been super limited and select times when I've been this way. And I don't like it period. In the end, I just want to be free, as I was. It's all in the mind, and it's all about perception.

So my apologies to you, if you were a victim of today's kasungitan.

Sometimes though, during those fugly days when you're in a bad mood, the smallest thing could pull you right back up the saddle.

Schmenten in a better mood says... Liz PM (my Contiki friend) wrote to me. Also, all the joking about Jitesha and Ceasar's long lost Kung Fu Panda kuya at the moment.

I just want to be deliriously happy for once. I think I deserve it.

[Joy in the Little Things] June 23, 2008

** Finishing 5 rounds at the Fort! Angelo's arranged our fitness program for the week, in preparation for our 5km run this weekend. Today, we did a couple of rounds in Boni High Street. There were a couple other runners (who passed me by a couple of times). I discovered that Sting's "Love is the Seventh Wave" is a pretty good song to run to. Anyway, Angelo said that each round's about 1.2km. I did five, so that's roughly 6km! Not so shabby!

** Listening to nice songs. Mike and I listened to some new MP3s on his iPod while waiting for France and Diana to complete their last two laps. The version of " Auld Lang Syne" by Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis is such a nice song. What would have made those three minutes perfect are trees lit with Christmas Lights.

** Letting go of anger. It's so much easier to be angry at someone. I'm trying not to be angry anymore.

** The firmware I installed last week, which was supposed to address issues of sudden shutdowns, seems to be working! I hope Macmacmac is back for good.

Rainy Weekend Random Thoughts

Mr. "Frank" has been wreaking havoc this weekend. If not for its destructive quality, I really like rain. There's something relaxing about it. Anyway, despite the downpour and the fact that I actually need to prepare for next week's marathon, I've been stuffing my face with food all weekend. Friday evening, had dinner with the family at Myron's. Saturday was the DLSU University Graduation Ceremony. Lunch at Spiral. Dinner at Duo with Macky. Sunday: lechon kawali lunch, ginataan for merienda. And right now, I'm in dire need of a bath. Super kakatamad.

** Attending my youngest brother's graduation made me smile. It's fun to see these young and hopeful fresh grads. What's equally amusing though is how the "Kung Fu Panda" wisdom infiltrated the speeches of Brother Armin Luistro and the SY2007-2008 Student Council Pres.

** The best buffet ever. Spiral! Trust the French with making awesome food. We spent almost two hours eating. The dimsum and dumplings were yummy. And the desserts... I had to close my eyes when I bit into the super-delish chocolate chip cookie (the best one in the metro!).

** Jologzbitchin night out last Saturday. My digicam's batt ran out so no pictures. Boo. It was just the four of us. Macky, Erik, and Karina. Bibay was MIA because she was at her cousin's bridal shower (with a sports/dancing theme). Conversations freely flowed from the latest showbiz chikas, to the soaring prices of gas (and the Alaskan oil reserve).

** Solo dinner this Sunday! I did a few errands in ATC late Sunday evening, and I ended up eating a 6-inch Italian sandwich. With everything on it, honey mustard dressing, and garlic ranch dressing. It was a good filling dinner. I wish there was a Subway shop in Cybermall. TSG is just not the same.

[Joy in the Little Things] June 20, 2008

** I think "Off" season just ended! Huge thanks to Lery Berry who showed me that I was simply in dire need of girlie bonding. Karina and I finally saw each other today! The family met Irving! And my Dad's words, "Mukha naman syang hindi manloloko." Not the first time he's ever used those words to describe someone. Hehe.

** I realized how one needs a different set of friends for the different aspects of one's life. And the diversity of each group just keeps you sane and balanced. I'm happy for my merry groups of friends.

** Sharing a good and filling Mr. Choi's lunch with Madam Grouchy. Fun, yet quite insightful.

** Angelo's "service". We've been playing faux badminton serves with each other almost all afternoon.

** My 40-minute catch up chat with Karina in the car. We've had to fill each other in with four weeks worth of kwentos. Some of the things I shared were things I was keeping to myself and not saying outloud.

** Being somewhat ready. It can go either way, really. But I think I'm ready for anything. Still praying for honesty and good timing.

12 years and 2 glasses of wine later...

I've known Lery for 12 years now! The last time we had a one-on-one was last October, when we hung out at her new house. We did see each other last Christmas and spoke for about thirty minutes over the phone two weeks ago. Anyway, we had dinner at Felix, this nice resto in Greenbelt 5. The waiter told us the chef of the resto was the Florbel. I didn't have any expectations of the food, so I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed myself!

Lery took the liberty of ordering the best selling appetizer, Spicy Tuna! It was really good! The salad was good too!



For our entree, we ordered the seabass. Fab fab fab. They were nice enough the split our order in half.



Here's my pretty dinner date! Her hair's straighter now, but she's still her same charming self.





I was telling her that perhaps not seeing each other on a regular basis has its advantages. We just talked and talked for almost three hours! And over two glasses of wine each. I had the Hardy's Shiraz, which was pretty nice.

I asked Lery how she felt about the marriage/engagement frenzy (being in our late twenties). She is not the least bit worried. I told her that she's one of my friends who I sincerely wish to see with someone just awesome. She's happy with her life her in Manila, and I have to say. I share the same sentiment.

She did open my eyes to other options, and how adults can have open, honest conversations. Right on.



I excitedly told Grouchy today that I was looking forward to dinner. College life's the best, and meeting with old friends gives you that something extra. I was telling Mike how I feel sort of "off" these past few weeks. He tried to figure out what was causing this "off" feeling. Work? The fact that we were renovating houses? The big hole in my old room (which will soon be a closet)? Not seeing Karina for three weeks? I dunno really. But tonight made me feel tons better. I just miss sitting down with a good friend, over a great meal, and having lots of laughs.

Thanks Lery Berry! You're heaven sent.

[Joy in the Little Things] June 18, 2008

This entry is quite perfect for today, given what happened a few hours ago. This is me trying to be optimistic.

** Conversation with Maila today. I received an unexpected phone call from Maila today! When I asked her if anything was up, she just told me she misses me and wants to talk to me. So we spent a good fifteen minutes just yapping about some of our old teammates and our love for travel. She and Tom are expecting their second child!

** Badminton with the officemates. Worked up a good sweat. Had a lot of laughs about near misses and funny serves.

** Seeing Joziegrozie for the first time in a year. She introduced me to her "friend". Haha. I've missed her super pranka ways. I could not stop laughing when she said, "He is so fat now." Haha. Classic Grozie remark.

** Macmacmac working for today. He knows I need him.

** Chatting with my cousin Pao. His YM ID? Papi_Kamote. Hahaha. Winner.

** Feeling better after letting it out. As Joe D'Mango said, letting it out is a big difference.

Buntong Hininga

"Buntong hininga" is the tagalog term for a deep sigh. Lately, I've been heaving several deep sighs because of pushy pushy co-workers who can't seem to grasp managing by capacity. And today, Ginoong Pikon and I had an encounter: a conversation which originally was meant for an exchange of opinions. As expected, my disagreement with his viewpoint resulted to the conversation quickly ending and his deletion of a nice email he drafted (and read to me). It was a good thing I had badminton today. It served as an outlet.

Today's incident made me think of several things.

** Certainly, this won't be the last of similar incidents. I've always been open to candid converstations, an exchange of ideas. I try to be open to the opinion of others, and I don't think mine is the best and is uncontestable. It was a reality check, that the next few months won't be an easy ride. But I have to constantly remind myself that IT IS A JOB. I'll allow myself to be bothered, but not more than a day. What matter most is that I know I do my best and have the best intentions for everyone.

** As much as I would like to believe that most people are selfless, the reality is we live in a world where the fittest survive.

** I miss my girlfriends. Our weekly meetings serve as my most-needed outlet. Kar has been quite busy lately and our schedules do not match. Keyce, Irene, and Maan are far away, and it seems silly to bother them with my everyday rantings and ravings. Sports and physical activities help a lot. Schmenten is just a yakitiyak. She needs to let it out in words, with feelings, and gesticulations.

** Our SQA rep observed this morning, that I'm an extreme. When I'm happy, I'm extremely happy (noisy, makulit), and when I'm not, I'm just quiet. Haha. Quite astute. Well, I'm just transparent that way.

Oh well. I'm just glad today's over. I feel better now. Writing about it. Thanks for reading.

[Music from the Baul] High

Pleasant surprises from MP3s which have been in my iPod for more than a year. James Blunt's uber popular song, "You're Beautiful" is a little too cheesy for my taste. I heard this other song (lyrics and video below) in the movie "It's a Guy/Girl Thing" (which isn't as fun as "Freaky Friday", or as enjoyable as "The Girl Next Door") and it's pretty good. And most of the songs from his album "Back to Bedlam" are pretty nice too.


High
By James Blunt

Beautiful dawn - lights up the shore for me.
There is nothing else in the world,
I'd rather wake up and see (with you).
Beautiful dawn - I'm just chasing time again.
Thought I would die a lonely man, in endless night.
But now I'm high; running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me.

Beautiful dawn - melt with the stars again.
Do you remember the day when my journey began?
Will you remember the end (of time)?
Beautiful dawn - You're just blowing my mind again.
Thought I was born to endless night, until you shine.
High; running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me.

Will you be my shoulder when I'm grey and older?
Promise me tomorrow starts with you,
Getting high; running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me

[Joy in the Little Things] June 16, 2008

** A family-filled Father's Day Weekend - The entire family spent the weekend together. We first spent the night at a 2-bedroom suite at Somerset Olympia (Thanks the Firm for the good corporate rate). Then it was breakfast at the Old Swiss Inn, Lunch at Paseo Uno, "The Happening" at GB3, and finally "Nacho Libre" on DVD to end the weekend. Interesting seemingly hypothetical conversations over lunch. If you ask me though, if I had it my way, 150 guests'll be perfect.

** Foie Gras at Paseo Uno. O.M.G. Tis the first buffet where you can eat all the goose liver you want. The chefs at Paseo Uno serve em fried, and topped with this balsamic vinegar sauce with strawberries. In a word? Sinful.

** Seeing "The Dark Knight" trailer. Big fan of Batman Begins. Huge fan of Christopher Nolan.

** Finishing a bowl of Maggie Beef Noodle soup with Egg. I had this for dinner tonight. Burnt my tongue a little. Eating Maggie Noodles brings back a lot of childhood memories. We usually had it for merienda when we were younger.

** The pleasant surprise that someone actually "sees" you for who you are, even though you haven't known them for long.

** Being in a better mood. Sometimes it's a decision. Sometimes you just are.

Lazy Saturday Random Thoughts...

** Finally got around to watching the last three episodes of Gossip Girl. Three episodes straight. And just like The O.C., I have a favorite onscreen couple! Chuck and Blair! Haha! So cute together. All the bickering and volley of comebacks.



** There's been some interesting developments in the office between two peeps. She's somewhat fallen for him, while he just got out of a serious relationship. She's nice, and he's a player. The silent but deadly type. Anyway, I have a lot of opinions about relationships (even though I've never really been in one). But this I've got to say over and over. Know that you deserve someone who makes you happy, who understands you, and who has no intentions of hurting you. On the car going home a few days ago, I had a conversation with Luz. She's in her early twenties and I asked her about what she's looking for in a guy. She said, "Someone who's slightly mayabang (arrogant/confident), and funny." Kinda got me thinking. A few years ago, I would have had the same answer. Now, it's not about the personality. "Someone who's a good person, is responsible, God-fearing, and who I have chemistry with."

** Thankless. A word that's been playing around my head these past few days. More of often than not, people expect you to act a certain way. Do things for them. Sometimes, they forget that it still takes effort, and that it isn't as easy as it looks.

** Father's Day tomorrow! The family's sleeping over at Somerset tonight. I would like to sleep on a real bed tonight.

[Music from the Baul] Viva La Vida

Viva La Vida
By Coldplay

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sweep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world


It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

ooooo ooooo ooooo oooooo ooooo
(repeat with chorus)

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Oooooh Oooooh Oooooh

Friday, BanaWe Day

What a day this has been. Furiously typing emails all day, talking to my Aussie counterpart constantly, rolling my eyes again and again (I think I will soon perfect the art of eye rolling), taking several deep breaths. Ugh. I was in and out of bad moods. Thank God for "Ninong" Angelo and his witty quips. Our project's very own Kung Fu Panda is heaven sent as well...



The day ended nicely though! Us peeps from the South went up north (BanaWe) for an excursion with Madam Yasmin, Cel, and JP. We had dinner at TazZa and ended the evening with a Thai massage.

[Music from the Baul] Mr. Brightside

Lately, I've been making the effort to be a little more active and sporty. Angelo has gotten us involved in marathons. And since we have a treadmill sitting in our garage/temp house, I thought, what the hey? This song, Mr. Brightside, has been a long-time fave 'o mine. Back in the day when I was desparately trying to distract myself and fight the urge to make another serving of pressed coffee just to go to the 6750 8th floor pantry. Haha. Remember those days, Chae?

Anyway, since running, I've found this song to be perfect for those times when you need to run your fastest.


Mr. Brightside
By The Killers

I'm coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

Now I’m falling asleep
And she’s calling a cab
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head

But she’s touching his—chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, let me go

I just can’t look it's killing me
And taking control

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside

I’m coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

Now I’m falling asleep
And she’s calling a cab
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head

But she’s touching his—chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, let me go

I just can’t look its killing me
And taking control

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibi
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside

I never...
I never...
I never...

[Joy in the Little Things] June 9, 2008

** Massage! Which made me fall asleep. Of all the massage places in BF Homes Paranaque, I've frequented Zensai Spa the most. Prolly because of the ambience. Not exactly the best massage in the world (I did get a bruise once). But the massage my mom and brother got last Sunday was really, really good. A pat on the back to the lady who gave me a massage, as well as my no-sleep weekend.

** Slowly enjoying a Choriburger while reading a magazine. Sunday late afternoon. I had time to kill before the 630pm mass. I was kind of hungry, so I found my way to Bun on the Run. I ordered a choriburger and cold can of rootbeer. Sat down and ate it slowly while reading a magazine. I wasn't with anyone, but golly! Prolly one of the best and relaxing experiences ever.

** Tiles Found. We are renovating our house, and last Monday, we spent a good two hours at Wilcon Home Depot. Tile overload on my poor brain. But I'm pretty happy that the border I wanted for my bathroom (this uber cute striped one) is now available.

[Movie Shmovie] Prince Caspian

Last Wednesday, Mike and I saw the second installment to the Chronicles of Narnia series. Thank you The Firm movie night for the free movie tickets. I like this one better than the first one that came out. The kids are kids no longer (well, 'cept for Lucy maybe). It's darker and more gory than its predecessor. I mean, they're barely in their teens and they're killing their enemies. I have to say this though. Prince Caspian is a cutie! Haha. And everything he and Susan are on the same screen, the people in the audience would squeel in delight. My favorite audience hirit. Last scene where Susan gets on the Underground and sees her geeky admirer. Hirit: "Yan ang bagay sa yo!" Classic.

The boys are back

Hello Coldplay! The Viva La Vida album is now available.



And OMG. Lookie at what I saw in their website...



They will be in Tokyo this year. Which means, they might be swinging by other Asian countries! I will sooo not let this pass!

Fun in the sun and then some

I've been swamped with work this week. The usual development activities, a load of quality related meetings, and tasks for our project summer outing. Friday was no different. Lots of eye rolling for a few things I was not in agreement with. Then a call to come up with a test metric we were going to whip up out of thin air. More eye rolling.

Things started looking up when Pesem gave me a call, saying he was at the 3rd floor, ready to leave. Mike and I met up there and we went to Powerplant Mall for dinner. The line in Pepper Lunch wasn't so long. I had the beef and burger combo. Then we did a little shopping... Mike bought a pair of super nice Sanuk sandals. And he vehemently urged me to get a pair myself. Afterall, "Minsan ka lang makahanap ng shoes na size mo noh." (You don't often find shoes your size). They are super comfy (I tried a couple on). Need to pay my bills first though.

Then we met up with Cel, JP, and Yas (sans Mike) to watch Kung Fu Panda. In a word... HILARIOUS. Laugh trip for almost two hours. I heart Po.

After the movie, I went back to Cybergate to do a couple of last minute outing stuff. Went back home to Paranaque, packed, took a bath, and then drove back to the office (on the road, I realized I left my digicam at home, and it was too late to come back for it) to work on the friggin test metric. Before we knew it, it was time to get on the bus.

Things were mostly a blur from there. I was dozing off occasionally on the bus. The bus driver seemed a little dazed himself.




When we finally arrived at the Waterfront resort a little past ten. It wasn't Fontana, but I think I had such low expectations that when I finally saw the place, I said under my breath, "It's not that bad."

The day's highlights...

** Our modified Bring Me over lunch - Mark A. won "pinakamaputing siko".



** Boating, Pawikan Sighting, and Swimming with Focus Peeps! We all rode a small bangka and roamed around the surrounding beaches for two hours. I have to thank Grouchy for convincing me to bring my swimwear. It was fun to share some bonding time with my projectmates and take pictures. I am geneally afraid of animals, so I just took pictures with people holding the turtles. Jacq wore a life vest even though the water was just waist-deep. And because I didn't really feel comfortable with my feet touching the rocky beach floor, I put on a life vest too.









** Street Games at sun down - The peeps played sand castle making, patintero and water balloon dodge ball. My favorite real-life Panda, Ceasar, was uber competitive and had accidentally rolled around the floor. He looked like a messy 8 year old who spent a day in the sandbox. Laughs all around.




** Pictorials with Alec and the Focus girls. Alec is a great subject. And the other Focus girls? Excellent actresses and models. Haha. I love directing in general.












** Poker Night with Melvin, Ceasar, Jay, Jing, and Lloyd. I lost though.




** Other pics...