Pinoy Potter's Chronicles

Flying. More fun in the Philippines

2012-01-08T16:36:00.003+08:00

As part of the efforts of boosting tourism in the Philippines, the Department of Tourism launched a new campaign slogan called "It's More Fun in the Philippines". While I am a fan of the previous slogan "WOW Philippines", I guess this new line works and is catchy in its own right.

Thus, in support of the DOT campaign, I'm sharing one of my favorite 2011 travel photo, tagged with the new slogan.

Day Two: Taipei New Year's Eve

2012-01-04T19:56:00.004+08:00

The second day of our trip to Taipei revolved around two activities: a tour of Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and Longshan Hall, and preparation for the New Year's Eve celebration.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall is the most famous landmark and monument in Taipei formed in memory of Chiang Kai Shek. During our visit, there was some sort of a celebration, that's why there were several food stalls in front of the temples.

We were able to catch the changing of the guards ceremony, which take place every hour.

We also had a short visit at the Longshan Temple, which is a place of worship for the Chinese.

We also visited the IT stores located near Zhongxiao Xinsheng. There were several stores selling laptops, tablets, smartphones and cameras. Due to my limited budget, however, I was only able to buy an iPhone4 case.

But my favorite part of that day was the New Year's Eve fireworks, the countdown, and the anticipation. As early as 8PM, we already stayed inside a nearby coffee shop in order to kill time. We stayed at the coffee shop until 11PM before we decided to go and look for a good spot for our photos.

Until the arrival of the moment that we waited for.

So far, it's the best New Year's Eve celebration that I've ever experienced. I want to go back there, and it seems that I will. For now, I'm sure glad I was there to see the fireworks. If you didn't get the chance to see it, here's a youtube video of the occasion.

2011 in Retrospect | Prospects for 2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.126+08:00

The mosaic above illustrates the most joyous moments I've spent with my family and closest friends during the year. Due to my tight schedule and laziness to spend hours in using Adobe Photoshop, I've decided to come up with a mosaic with the help of a website. It's not in a "timeline format" like what I used to do, but it is still an accurate summary of my 2011. The particulars of some of these moments can be seen at my previous entry.

It was generally a busy and productive year for me. There were extreme accomplishments and failures. I even tried out for an international youth forum, but I guess it really wasn't meant to be. But after doing a count of my blessings, I realized that the year had been genuinely kind to me, especially in my CFA exam pursuit.

The year also allowed me to travel to at least six distant places: Cagayan De Oro, Singapore, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Laoag and Taipei. Cebu would have been a nice inclusion since I visited the place for like four times this year, but 95% of my time spent there was dedicated to work. I've tried a lot of things for the first time in 2011, including white water rafting, superman zip line, and snorkeling.

It was also a year of reconnections. I got to spend a good number of hang-out time with my friends from high school, college and the industry. There were some close friends who had to leave the country in search for greener pastures, but I was also able to meet new people as well.

2011 was also a year of disasters for the country and the world. There was a magnitude 8+ earthquake in Japan, and Cagayan De Oro and Iligan suffered from the strong waters brought about by typhoon Sendong. Manila also had its own share of typhoon damages this year, thanks to typhoons Pedring and Quiel.

Interestingly, 2011 was also a food-trip year. Looking back at my photos, I realized that I've tried several restaurants this year. Without a doubt, I gained weight this year.

Lastly, it was definitely a year of mobility and social media. The way I travel and capture moments were changed drastically, thanks to my iPhone4.

The biggest lesson I learned for the year: my destiny and fate are and will always be in my hands. Lucky if there will be people who will bring me closer to what's in store for me, but I cannot count on them entirely.

Looking back at what I planned for 2011, I guess I was able to accomplish at least 80% in the check list. Admittedly, however, I wasn't able to accomplish what I planned for my kidney stones, as well as the promise of being consistent in Sunday masses. These must be accomplished in 2012.

Finally, here are some of my favorite kodak moments:

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After learning that my fate and destiny are in my own hands, my 2012 will revolve on climbing up with a big leap in the ladder. This seems to be tiring and could be a test of my patience, but I guess there's no other way but to move forward.

I'm also thinking of slowing down in my trips. I'm only inclined to pursue my big Korea weekend and return to Hong Kong with my mom, although I'm still interested to go to Davao if my schedule permits. However, I'm contemplating on going to either Vatican or Bethlehem on 2013. After the CFA exams, I'll plan for my Vatican or Bethlehem trip alongside my further studies plan.

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I pray that we will all have a blessed, safer and healthier 2012. May the new year mark the beginning of a year and lifetime of genuine happiness and contentment for each of us. May each day hold something special, that is wonderful and new. May the year also allow us to discover the best and interesting aspects of ourselves. For we all deserve the best of everything, that life can ever bring.

With that, Happy New Year everyone and cheers to 2012!

Day One: Taipei

2011-12-31T01:29:00.003+08:00

I am glad that I'll be ending the last few days of the year in another country. It has been a long standing dream of mine to celebrate the hope of a new year in a foreign land. On top of that, I have been dreaming of welcoming new year in a place with a grand fireworks display. At the start of the year, I made sure that I can make it happen. I planned to go to Taipei last year, but due to budget constraints, I had to defer it to this year. Good thing that my savings made it all possible. Consider this as my cheaper attempt to enjoying New Year's Eve without having to go to Times Square in New York, USA.

I arrived at Taipei yesterday midnight together with my friend Clive. At first, the alleys and streets were a bit alien to us. We had a little bit of difficulty locating our hostel. Good thing the hostel staff emailed us a very detailed location map. We were even more surprised because of the fact that the weather stood (and is still) at 14-15 degrees Celsius. Good thing my officemate was kind enough to lend me her brother's leather jacket. It came in very handy in the midst of the really cold weather.

Our first day was essentially a visit to Taipei 101, currently the second tallest building in the world. We were able to go to Taipei 101 by walking. It would have taken us about 10 minutes to go to the building assuming we had no stopovers and sightseeings.

Going from the 5th floor to the 89th floor (Taipei 101 Observatory) took us an instant 34 seconds.

Because of the really thick cloud/fog, there was "zero visibility" at the observation deck. However, there were a few moments when the view was briefly cleared from clouds. Thus, we took the chance to take photos of the city and the skyline.

Taipei 101 has the largest damper sphere in the world, consists of 41 circular steel plates, each with a height of 125 mm being welded together to form a 5.5 m (18 ft) diameter sphere.

After having lunch at Taipei 101, we went to Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Good thing that we decided to visit the hall yesterday because we were suddenly able to find a good spot for taking pictures and videos of the Taipei 101 fireworks for the New Year's celebration.

After our short stop at Dr. Sun Yat Sen, we took some photos of the city, and we tried the local milk tea to see if it's worth the craze in Manila. Indeed, the milk teas made in Taipei are much tastier.

Our first stop at Taiwan has been fun despite the extremely cold weather. Can't wait for the New Year's celebration and fireworks display. I hope there will be no obstructions to the festivities.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:00:00.006+08:00

May this Christmas give us the chance to be a blessing to others, especially to those who need it most, to those who least expect it, to those that we deeply care about, and to those that deeply cared for us. This particular season is actually a good time for us to have this chance. Let's do our best to be that blessing.

To those who became a blessing to me, thank you very much. I am genuinely humbled that you allowed me to be part of your lives.

During the homily of the Christmas Eve at Rockwell, the priest reminded me and the other participants that the very first Christmas happened out of homelessness, suffering and poverty. Christ was born in a manger, and not in a convenient birth place. This is what my fellow countrymen from Iligan and Cagayan De Oro are experiencing at the moment. I pray for them, and I hope that they will be able to overcome the obstacle brought about by typhoon Sendong.

A Blessed Christmas to you and your family. May you all have a bright and festive season!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Anticipation 2011: Pigging Out with Friends

2011-12-23T18:04:00.002+08:00

This season was about gaining weight with friends.

Igering and Tumblring 2011 via iPhone4

2011-12-22T18:09:00.001+08:00

My personal travel experiences were brought to a whole new level when I bought an iPhone4 white last June. From the food I eat up to the street signs I see, and from the anticipated activities up to the spontaneous moments, they were all captured in an instant by my really reliable iPhone4. These moments were further shared to the web and mobile world thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Having possession of an iPhone allowed me to be spontaneous and a self-proclaimed mobile photographer. Editing the photos can be done in an instant, the user does not even have to be an expert in photoediting and photography. Of course I'm way inferior to the photography and editing skills of those who have mastered mobile photography.

By the way, "igering" is the slang word for "using instagram, while "tumblring" is the slang word for "using tumblr". Which reminds me... follow my tumblr account.

Shown below are some of the places that I was able to visit just for the last six months of the year:

On the other hand, below are some of my top picks for my photo shots.

Top 10 Crazy Moments in 2011

2011-12-17T09:28:00.005+08:00

Year 2011 was probably an "off the charts year" when it comes to personal accomplishments and misses, as well as in terms of travels and trying out new things. I had at least four major travels, three misadventures with one considered as life-threatening, a few shots made to make myself closer to the "efficient frontier" in terms of my career, and one major achievement that made me waste an amount close to USD400.00.

Alow me to kick-off my narration of how my 2011 went by sharing to you the top 10 crazy moments I had for the year (ranked in accordance to craziness, as usual).

1) Passing Level II of the CFA Exams - Without a doubt, July 26, 2011 was my favorite date of the year. After two to four months of a nerdy self-study lifestyle, all the hardwork paid off. The moment when I found that I passed was perhaps the most rewarding of my year and of my professional life. At that time, I regained my self-confidence (not that I actually lost it). Of course equally crazy was the day I actually took the exam. It was June 5, 2011 when I had the longest six hours of my life. Once again, I'd like to thank the people who supported me in this phase of my professional life.

2) How I Met My Brother - I did not write a blog entry about this as I intend to keep this development private. My half brother introduced himself via Facebook last Good Friday. It wasn't completely a surprise to me, except that the feeling was weird because what used to be a doubt finally became proven with a face. I'll rather not elaborate on this matter but it is worthy of being regarded as a top crazy moment this year. For the record, however, I have no ill-feelings about this occurrence.

3) "5-Second Plane Turbulence" - Technically, that particular travel was nothing but a plain return flight from Cebu after a short engagement. However, it turned out to be the freakiest travel experience I've had ever. I remember that in the span of five seconds, the plane experienced a "roller-coaster like" drop for at least three times. The plane became really shaky to the point that the passengers shouted out of fear. But the really magical thing about it is that I saw a rainbow after passing by the nasty clouds. I guess each time I surpass a literally dangerous situation, I regard it as a crazy moment because of the fact that I still had a chance to life.

4) Whitewater Rafting at CDO - Among my travels for 2011, I'd say my Cagayan De Oro and Bukidnon visit was the boldest one I've had. I tried white water rafting for the first time despite the fact that I don't know how to swim. Not that it's a big deal but... I was tapped as one of the two strong paddlers (i.e. the front paddler). The funny thing is that during our last turn to swim at the calm part of the river, I was not swayed by the water, while the rest of my friends were able to return to the raft. I was left by our raft, so I had to join another group's raft.

Postscript December 20, 2011: I pray for all the souls of those who died from the Typhoon Sendong. Cagayan De Oro was such a friendly and warm province. Visiting CDO was probably my most enjoyable vacation not only because of the white water rafting activities, but also because of the hospitality of its people. To the Kagay White Water Rafting paddlers, thank you for saving lives and for assisting in the recovery of CDO.

5) Dahilayan Zipline - I've tried several ziplines before, but the zipline at Manolo Fortich Bukidnon is simply the best. It is regarded as the longest zipline in Asia to date, boasting an 840 meter long of downward line. The irony is that it took us almost 20-30 minutes in going to the top of the mountain, only to find that we can go down as fast as 1-2 minutes using the zipline. I felt like I was Iron Man.

6) Bali Tour - Thanks to my seat sale mastery, I was able to visit Bali, Indonesia for my pre-birthday and post-CFA exam treat. I definitely miss the majestic temples, the Balinese culture and lifestyle, the Villa that served as our rest house, and the animals of Tanjong Benoa beach. This is where I tried snorkeling for the first time (of all places). The food was unforgettable, most especially Nasi Goreng and coffee luwak. Going there was undoubtled a bakasyon grande at a budget.

7) Laoag and Vigan Tour - October 29-31 was also an unforgettable long weekend for me because I was able to visit Ilocos. This was my second major travel alone. Not only did this travel give me another break, but it also allowed me to love my country more. Laoag and Vigan has the heritage. They have the tourist spots that remained underrated if not unnoticed. While my encounters and adventures in CDO, Bukidnon and Bali were much grander, my Ilocos tour was a bit more reflective and intimate. I also gained new friends during this journey, and these new friends of mine showed me around practically free of charge. Perhaps my Laoag and Vigan visit was the closest definition to the word "journey".

8) Singapore visit - My visit to Singapore was somehow my attempt to escape Valentines. It was also my first time to travel alone. My visit to Singapore was exciting not only because of the chance to visit Universal studios and to see the buildings, but because it was also a dream city of most finance or business professionals from Manila. My favorite visited place there is, of all places, National University of Singapore. It was also a bit unforgettable because of the amazing race experience I had in order to make it to the check-in line in the nick of time.

9) Harvard Business School Case Night - This is undoubtedly the most productive "two hours" of my 2011, and of my recent years. Even though it was supposed to be a marketing event, I felt extra proactive during this day. It was probably the best mock class ever, and it reminded me to firm up on my goals and to keep on protecting my dreams.

10) Hello iPhone4 White - Tangible as it sounds, but perhaps this deserves the 10th slot for my 2011 crazy moments. It was crazy because I really had no intentions of buying a new phone, until I lost my old phone on my way to meet my boss and his kids. I distinctly remember that it was Fathers' Day, and the purchase went really fast. I lost my Samsung Omnia in the morning, only to be replaced by an iPhone 4 white in the evening. Since then, there's no turning back. I became an Instagram addict without a doubt.

Runners-up:

Bruno Mars concert - It was my first time to attend a major concert.

Momentary visit at Victoria - reuniting with one of my high school best friends after his gall bladder operation

Arrival of Typhoon Pedring - it was a bit crazy because despite the extremely strong winds, I went to Blenz Coffee just to have access to electricity and internet. It was also frustrating because we didn't have electricity for three days and nights.
My crazy Yahoo! Mail - There was a time when all of the messages in my inbox got deleted. It became a bit traumatic because my yahoo account served as my work email address. Good thing that the messages were restored after more than 24 hours. What's even weirder is that after almost a month, I was unable to send any email to anyone. Good thing it didn't persist.
Debut IPO of a Semiconductor company - Simple: It was really stressful handling the underwriting efforts.

To the people who were with me during my crazy moments for 2011: thank you so much. You made my 2011 extra special and easier.

Turbulence and Rainbow

2011-12-13T18:15:00.013+08:00

Just a few hours ago, I experienced the scariest "5 seconds plane turbulence" I've had to date. It felt like an earthquake and roller coaster drop combined. There were at least three scary drops. Some passengers freaked out to the point that they were shouting in a scared tune.

But ironically, I saw a rainbow after passing by those nasty clouds. Somehow, my mind wanted to think of it as a sign, even if it may mean nothing. Unfortunately, I was not able to take photo of the rainbow. Nonetheless, it sparked some feelings of hope.

Christmas Anticipation: On Decision-Making and Good Problems

2011-12-10T01:05:00.001+08:00

In the past, I would usually post about either my wishes and hopes for Christmas, or my itinerary for the season. It seems that for this year, my Christmas will start in a slightly different tune.

Not too long ago, I made a bet on embracing change in pursuit of professional development. The plan was grand, and I prepared for practically every attempt I made for the execution of those plans. I had a lot of plans. For this blog entry's sake, let's call it Plan A, B and C.

However, fate seems to be consistent in testing my patience, persistence, and ability to engineer personal success. The ultimate Plan A dream was grabbed by someone else, Plan B was halted, and Plan C is currently under review because the promises were not as ideal as I imagined, but the plan still offers the change and excitement that I might just need.

To be fair, there were some people who expressed their concerns and appreciation in my bid towards facing change. I was and am still being sold with the idea that the change that will bring my development to greater heights might be found where I am situated at the moment. For the heck of it, let's call this Plan D. I genuinely trust the people who believe that I am better off at Plan D and that there's a lot in store for me by sticking around, but somehow, the past events and the existence of other people with six degrees of separation from my Plan D add to the event risks. Of course there were other inherent risks in the other proposed plans as well.

So this is how it feels to be an adult. This is how it feels to make a difficult decision. Although going down memory lane, I had an almost similar experience when I was looking for my first job more than four years ago.

Interesting times. It just feels frustrating that I had a master plan with careful strategizing on my execution, only to find out that it will be not as ideal in the end. But looking at the glass half-full, I'm grateful that I'm facing good problems. No matter how frustrating the circumstances are, it's still a good dilemma. There's also no stopping for me to have a blessed and merry Christmas.

Day Two: Burgos-Bangui-Pasuiquin-Pagudpud

2011-11-04T23:36:00.002+08:00

My last day in Ilocos Norte was perhaps the most adventurous and most unforgettable solo journey I've ever had. It was adventurous because I went solo, and I left my itinerary in the hands of a stranger-turned-friend. My experience not only allowed me to witness one of the most beautiful and underrated tourist spots in North Luzon, but it also allowed me to meet different people from different walks of life. It was also unforgettable because I saw how underrated the Philippines is in terms of tourism and cultural heritage.

Our first stop was at the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. It was a stone tower that served as a cultural heritage of Burgos. Going up the lighthouse allowed me to have a better view of the shoreline and the Bangui Windmills in their midget sizes.

Our next stop was my favorite stop in my Ilocos journey: the Bangui Wind Farm. As described in Wikipedia, the wind farm uses 20 units of 70-meter high VestasV82-1.65MW wind turbines, arranged on a single row stretching along a nine-kilometer shoreline off Bangui Bay, facing the South China Sea. I distinctly remember these wind mills because of the electoral TV ad of incumbent Senator Bongbong Marcos. Reaching the windmill shoreline would require travelling another 15-20 minutes from the national road.

During our visit, the wind was really strong, as evidenced by the replica toys on the video below.

I also had the chance to pass by the Ilocos portion of the Pan-Philippine Highway (Maharlika Highway). It was supposed to be a good spot for photo opportunity, but the rains just didn't stop that time.

For the rest of the afternoon, we spent the tour looking for the different shoreline points of Pagudpud. Indeed,. Pagudpud was such an underrated shoreline. It deserved more recognition and attention from tourists. But what impressed me the most was the fact that the seaside can be accessed even on non-commercialized Barangays and Barrios. Thanks to Ma'am Linda, I wouldn't be able to see the Pagudpud shorelines at different angles.

My journey would not have been comfortable and amazing without the generosity and selflessness of my new friend, Linda Sales Hood. Thank you for showing me around despite the tiring driving that you had to endure. I really felt for the first time because of the fact that I didn't know how to drive. Thank you also to her kasambahay Ma'am Evelyn for joining us and for taking photos.

Day One: Laoag-Batac-Paoay-Vigan

2011-11-01T12:49:00.005+08:00

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

Perhaps the quote by Lao Tzu above best described how my Ilocos journey was.

Last October 29-31, I had the chance to spend a portion of my long weekend in Laoag, with a short stopover in Vigan. It was a bit ruined by the four-hour flight delay caused by Cebu Pacific, but somehow, my Laoag experience made it irrelevant.

I stayed at Fort Ilocandia, a five star hotel in Laoag. Even though it was located a bit far from the key cities and towns, the amenities are really worth enjoying. They had their own access to the shore line. They even had archery, horse back riding, ATV, gun shooting, and a golf course.

For my first day (October 30), I went out to see the Malacañang of the North, the sinking bell tower, Paoay Church, and the body of the former President and dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Marcos Museum in . Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside the chamber, but I had the chance to have a closer look at the dead body. Paoay Church and the sinking bell tower really showed evidences that they stood the test of time. The tour around Ilocos Norte was made possible thanks to my new found acquaintance Ma'am Linda.

My favorite part of my first day was my two-hour grand tour of Vigan. Via Partas Bus Line, Vigan was just a two-hour trip away from Laoag. Going around Vigan was made possible and fun thanks to Joshua, the horse behind Calesa number 25. The Heritage Village is my favorite part of the city, which is pretty even at night.

I had my late lunch and early dinner in Vigan, with Bagnet and Vigan Longanisa served on my plate. If you want to have a taste test of the longanisa and bagnet, try having lunch or dinner at Cafe Uno. For pasalubongs, Royal Bibingka is the one stop place for it. I grabbed a lot of goodies from there, including yema balls, bibingka, calamay, bagnet and longanisa. You can also try their local version of empanada.

Vigan virtually brought me back to the Spaniards rule. It's as if every building there is pose-ready for pictures.

Vigan and Laoag really had so much to offer. I really think it deserved more marketing in order to boost tourism. But then again, perhaps overcrowding such places might not be a good idea as well. But all in all, my first day was a blast...

But if I consider my first day a blast, wait until you see my next post.

If you want to see more photos, follow me on twitter to have access on my instagram shots.

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 8

2011-10-24T03:05:00.000+08:00

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 8 - Dream Cars!

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 7

2011-10-23T02:46:00.000+08:00

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 7 - Cupcakes Edition

Insights on Teaching

2011-10-18T23:14:00.009+08:00

With the closure of the first semester of Academic Year 2011-2012, I am no longer a lecturer or part-time Faculty Member of my Alma Mater. I'll only return next semester to conduct seminars, but I am officially not part of the school's payroll. I have submitted the final grades on my subject. I even updated my LinkedIn account.

I had a late realization that even if my engagement is just part-time, teaching is perhaps the longest work stint that I had with any employer to date. I mean, two and a half years of making quizzes and tests, checking papers, writing lectures at the white board, talking to class at the rate of 8-12 hours each class day... It's not a joke.

The most challenging part of teaching? Here's my top of mind list:

converting a highly technical subject something as simple and normal as ABC
making the students understand, appreciate or at least care about a highly technical subject, given that they have different interests, priorities, learning methodologies, and abilities
breaking the students' hearts whenever I "must" fail them
telling the students that maybe they are meant for other things
creating some hatred and bitterness in the process (although I'm glad this hasn't been a serious problem for me)
convincing the students to "grow up" without completely abandoning fun
crowd control
making a living out of my teaching salary

Of course there have been several rewards of teaching:

learning from other people, students and co-teachers alike
being able to impart my capabilities, skills, and to a certain extent, opinion and philosophies to my students, hoping some of my ideas can be of use to them (and influence at least a handful of them)
having the opportunity to shape the minds of future leaders and stakeholders of the country
present and future discounts on further studies and continuing education efforts
I gained new friends, peers and acquaintances

In the end, teaching is not for everybody. It is never easy and could be very unforgiving. On one end, you want your students to be the best that they can be, but on the other, there are humanitarian considerations and that not all can understand and keep up with your pace. It is perhaps the hardest balancing effort I have ever done in my life. It is even made harder because of the fact that students have different ways of learning, and they also have different levels of appreciation of the subject and studying in general. Balancing and being adaptable to the constraints of the subject and its participants could really turn any teacher crazy.

In the process, I have concluded that being an academician is not my cup of tea. There's really a huge gap between academicians and practitioners in a lot of terms. However, I still believe that the presence of industry practitioners should be stronger in the student formation process. Also, there's no doubt that our Chairperson really has a tough position. If balancing a classroom is hard enough for me, then I wouldn't dare balance the needs of a Department, especially if quality is inversely related to profits. At the left side, there are academic considerations, but at the right side, there are entrepreneurial considerations for the school.

Of course there are also tangible aspects about myself that I discovered in the process. I learned that I could be very good at handling spontaneous situations. I've improved my patience, and also my handwriting (haha). I still hate idiotic comments, and I snap if my students make a strike of non-sense and stupid remarks and actions. I hate making tests, but it somewhat changes if I've managed to make a point to my students. Indeed, I've had my share of misbehaviors.

In hindsight, I am genuinely glad that I accepted the invitation to teach. I never imagined myself indulging in this profession. But maybe I'll think about coming back a hundred times, once the opportunity knocks. For now, my sincerest thanks to my Alma Mater and the Chairperson turned friend who invited me to teach. My career has been enhanced significantly because of this opportunity, and the experience made my life a whole lot richer.

That in all things, God may be glorified.

A Billion Degrees of Separation with Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T19:34:00.007+08:00

Salutations to Steve Jobs! I know we have like one billion degrees of separation, and perhaps the only things that connect me to him are 1) my first generation iPad, 2) my iPhone4 white, and 3) my Harvard case night experience last March at Asian Institute of Management. Perhaps it was during the Harvard case night that somehow raised my idolatry to Steve Jobs. He is the ultimate marketing guy and deal maker. Maybe he didn't know how to engineer a chip or construct a computer, but he knew what would change our lives and our daily routines forever. Perhaps the following words from Steve Jobs would describe it:

It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.

Of course half the Apple story also belongs to Steve Wozniak, but Steve Jobs has all the right to claim ownership of the other half.

But I'd like to think that even before I became familiar with his profile, I somehow lived with his principles. I think this personal blog is a testament or proof to that.

YOUR WORK is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary - STEVE JOBS (1955-2011)

He was born out of wedlock, put up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college, then changed the world despite having pancreatic cancer. Indeed, there's no excuse!

May you rest in peace. I'm glad that the world brought you in our lifetime. Just like you, I'm extremely hopeful that each sickness or disease will have a cure. Most importantly, thank you for being a proof that happiness and contentment can be achieved based on reliance on your heart and intuition. I dunno if and when I can be a change that this world has to see, and if ever I could, that change could be much of a big deal the way you changed the world. However, with the way you lived your life, I was vindicated in trying to listen and balance what my heart and intuition say. I now know that I'm doing just fine.

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 6

2011-09-23T07:00:00.000+08:00

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 6

Note: some shots taken using Olloclip

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 5

2011-09-21T01:13:00.009+08:00

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 5 - Cebu Specials

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 4

2011-09-19T00:08:00.000+08:00

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 4 - Bali and KL Specials II

Good times with Ex-MIB friends

2011-09-18T22:45:00.000+08:00

Cheers to our newly-weds IREIN!

Is Lepanto the way to go?

2011-09-17T09:27:00.002+08:00

Originally posted at View from Ayala Avenue.

Disclaimer: Views do not reflect those of the blogger’s employer.

As mentioned in my previous blog entry, there seems to be more reason for the market to be bearish near-term than bullish most especially after the news came out that Greece has 98% chances of declaring default in the next 5 years. However, a favorable leading indicator data of the US could provide us a bit of comfort.

With these uncertainties in mind, anybody with exposure in the stock market could only achieve gains by having the ability to pick up stocks with a predictable sideways movement. Perhaps a favorite example for this strategy would be Lepanto (ticker: LC). Shown below is a three-month chart of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company.

As shown in the graph above, the share price of Lepanto went up to as high as 170% from second week of July until today's close of 1.35 a share. Of course no one can claim that he had seen this coming. This was driven by the developments pertinent to Lepanto's deal with South Africa's Gold Fields.

However, the more interesting part is how the stock managed to reach as high as 1.80 during the last week of August, translating to a gain of 260% assuming you accumulated the stock by the end of June. It became the local stock market's drug, that caused the people to be "at high". What even made it amusing was the fact that Lepanto reached 1.80 even if its underlying commodity dropped during the last week of August, as shown by the Gold chart below.

However, as I pointed out, Lepanto seems to be a "trading play" pick these days. Last Thursday, it went down to as low as 1.22, which is 2 cents away from its next support (red line of the first photo). The market participants just did not allow this to happen. While the rest of the mining stocks dropped as a result of the foreign funds' selloff, Lepanto just had its own behavior, practically anybody could do several day trades. As of today, it closed at 1.35.

Note that this is my first serious attempt to try to come up with a technical analysis of any stock, so make sure that if you rely on my analysis, please realize that this is an amateur technical view of mine.

The stock just seemed to have stayed away from 1.20, so unless there will be a major selloff, I see the stock to keep its trading band with 1.20 as support. Assuming last week's trading band will hold, the next resistance could be as high as 1.40 (yellow line with circle at the bottom of the first graph). During the briefing of Calapan Ventures, I asked some stock brokerages regarding their trading play on their stock. They all made significant buying of the stock yesterday. So there can still be some trading opportunities anywhere between 1.20 and 1.40.

If by any miracle or connivance, the stock breaks 1.40, perhaps we can still see another return to 1.80. Beyond 1.40, the trend channel is really wide, with a ceiling price of 2.00 a share. Though it might be improbable in the near term given the market condition, it is definitely not impossible.
However, I saw one potential challenge to breaking 1.40: the stock's weekly RSI. It already dropped from the theoretical weekly RSI oversold levels as shown below.

Nonetheless, this stock really seems to be the best trading band stock in the market today. Other picks of mine include Jollibee and Meralco, although I need to review the situation of Meralco. Today, it went to as high as 270 per share, but it closed at 255 a share following the selloff done by JP Morgan.

Various thoughts amidst market uncertainties

2011-09-15T21:32:00.003+08:00

Originally posted at View from Ayala Avenue.

Disclaimer: Views do not reflect those of the blogger’s employer. Also, the analysis made on this blog entry were formed as a result of the blogger’s research and communication with his colleagues and various industry practitioners. Though the blog entry serves as a mosaic of the blogger’s efforts, most of the credit goes to those who took part in the exchange of ideas.

To the few followers of my blog, my sincerest apologies for not being able to sustain blogging. I have been busy with work and some other extra-curricular activities.

Last July, I was given a bigger allocation to trade for an equity portfolio. I was excited to trade because being given an allocation connotes trust. Lo and behold, the market betrayed me, thanks to the smurfs! Haha.
At the time that I started trading the increased allocation, the market dropped significantly, as shown by the chart below.

My proprietary portfolio’s simple return stood at -2%.

It’s been difficult trying to improve my marked-t0-market returns, as uncertainties in the fiscal position of Greece and other PIIGS countries remain in danger. What even made it a bit troublesome on my part are the following:

Last Tuesday during the joint gathering of various association of investment professionals, BSP Governor Amando Tetangco presented the central bank’s responses to mitigate the adverse impact of the developments in the US and Euro Area. In his presentation, though he made it clear that the Philippines was able to build some isolation amidst global market surprises, he made a statement that the Philippines is still coupled with the US cyclically due to strong financial, investment and trade linkages. I remember that his strongest basis for this is the historical trend of interest rates. Also, he named five channels that have served as buffer for the Philippine economy vis-a-vis external risks: trade, remittances, investments, BPOs, and financial markets. The BSP governor easily identified the following risks to all these channels. He emphasized that the US and Europe represented 30% of Philippine exports and 57% of OFW remittances. He also mentioned that 75% and 7% BPO receipts of the Philippines came from US and Europe, respectively.
Asian Development Bank also came up with its revised GDP forecasts, which translated to lower 2011 GDP numbers in most economies that they cover, including the Philippines. While ADB made it clear that the economy will still be steadfast because of positive business sentiment, high manufacturing capacity utilization (above 80%), and solid domestic demand, they made some qualifications on their economic optimism: a) that the government follows through on this plan and on reforms of the past year and that the PPP will kick-in and follow its forecast period, and b) the uncertainty about the global economy raises risks on their forecasts. Personally, I don’t feel the current administration actively addressing the global uncertainties in order to shield our country.

Funny that after the BSP Governor gave his speech, yields of the Philippine treasuries went up significantly for two days.

At the start of the year, everyone was looking at the Philippine Stock Exchange index reaching 5,000 by the end of 2011. With these developments, I do not know anymore. Lucky we even reach 4,400.

Looking at the charts below, in a situation of economic uncertainty, the major indices tend to be mirrored by the PSEi.

No one really knows what will happen with the fiscal situation of Greece, but in my opinion, it is really just a matter of policymakers devising the best sugarcoating of the situation.

However, looking at the US in isolation, assuming you view the glass half-full and you trust how the leading indicator is computed, perhaps there can be an improvement. Shown below is a parallel chart of the YOY change in the US leading indicators and the US GDP YOY (credit goes to my colleague).

If we assume that the leading indicators are accurate “advanced diagnostics” of the US economy, perhaps the US GDP situation will improve. However, the leading indicators for the month of August have not been published. Heck, even most of the components of the leading indicators at this point are outdated at least for more than a month. Also, it is hard to believe if the Dow Jones is significantly influenced by the leading indicators. My colleague and I have not a way of translating the daily index level of Dow into a meaningful comparable data relative to the Leading indicators. Lastly, even if the US economy improves just a little bit, we still have to review the economic situation in the Euro Zone.

My 2 cents: the securities markets will still remain uncertain. It seems that we need clearer signs at this point. For my proprietary equity portfolio, it seems that I only have no choice but to limit my exposure on stocks that have trading bands or trading upside, but I have to blend it with low beta stocks. I’ll try to work on some stock picks in the coming days.

On Laps and Changing Race Courses

2011-09-11T22:41:00.003+08:00

Four years ago, I was able to make up my mind and choose which particular race to join in this grand prix of career and employment. It was an exciting chapter of my life, as I was just a budding racer when I figured out which race is most suitable for me, given the track, laps and car parts and specifications that I have.

What even made the race exciting are the following:

the former finishers of the race were really amazingly smart, intelligent, and to a certain extent, inspiring. I was actually amazed at how a select few of racers were able to finish their respective races in one single season
the premium paid to the racers is really lucrative, though the statistical averages are not completely reflective of those in the Philippines
I met new acquaintances and friends who also joined the race. I even had some friends who registered at the very same season of my own race.
I had good training camps and pit stops. I also happened to have met a few good trainers.

Presently, however, some of the participants and stakeholders in this race have decided to do something different, and the others are contemplating either abandonment or a long pause from the race. Ironically, I am suddenly surrounded by these people.

I know that each race... or rather, each decision is uniquely difficult, and that they are not for everybody. The race that I took is not for everybody. I tell that message even to the younger ones that I'm currently mentoring. Perhaps people come and go, and that some will really not make it to the cut.

However, it is also pathetic to see some people with proven track record to suddenly abandon the race and try something different considering that their business remains unfinished. I am all supportive for change, adventure, or whatever motivation it is, but I personally feel that it is unacceptable for a racer to divert the route out of convenience, inability to face the rough road ahead, and out of perception from others that something else is cooler. Perhaps it is judgmental on my part, but it doesn't add up sometimes.

I completely understand that change isn't an easy decision for people, and that not all people are able to figure out what they want to do at any point in time. I also understand that some people make decisions out of considerations of their personal circumstances. I just hope that people don't make the change out of convenience, or inconvenience. I also hope that people just won't do the shift because of bandwagon effect (i.e. joining others because it is the cool thing to do).

For my part, I hope that two or three years from now, I will remain coordinated and still have a fair idea on what I want to achieve. I also hope that whenever I decide to make a change, I will do the change for the right reasons at the right time. I hope I would be able to know.

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 3

2011-09-01T00:02:00.000+08:00

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 3

Long Weekend Stopovers

2011-08-29T13:57:00.000+08:00

Ex-UI reunion at John & Yoko and McCafe:

JV and Kristine's wedding

Crazy Stupid Love (yup, had to watch it for the second time out of peer pressure haha)

Cars II

One Day

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 2

2011-08-26T12:05:00.001+08:00

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 2 - Bali and KL Specials

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 1

2011-08-22T00:42:00.001+08:00

Ever since I got an iPhone, I became a pretentious and ambitious mobile photographer. I actually have an Instagram, Glimps, and Tumblr account. But since I'm trying my best to become less prominent in Google searches, I thought of making my mobile photography blog sites private.

But for the purpose of maintaining this blogger account and to keep on sharing my stopovers and encounters in pictures, I will post some of my favorite iPhone shots by Volume, similar to how magazines do it.

Point-and-Shoot Picks Volume 1

Bring it on!

2011-08-18T01:10:00.002+08:00

This is it!

Just yesterday, I learned that at least three friends of mine passed Level III of the CFA Exams, and I also have two batchmates in High School who officially became doctors. So this year, I had a lawyer friend, two batchmates that are doctors, and three friends who are literally close to becoming CFA Charterholders this year.

With these precedents, I decided to launch the pilot episode of what I hope to be the last season of my first major continuing education program. I'm registered... so BRING IT ON!

Changed for good @ 26

2011-08-14T23:09:00.051+08:00

The 26th year of my existence was very volatile. Its standard deviation was really high, and plotting the regression line of the most recent 365 days would yield an unreliable result, haha. Seriously, it's been one hell of a year. Some highlights of my August 14, 2010-August 13, 2011 include:

passing Level II of the CFA Exams - indeed, the only tangible birthday gift I ever received this year, and yet it turned out priceless.
losing social life in the process of preparing for the abovementioned exam
meeting someone I least expected (nope, not romantically)
being able to travel and do stuff that I was scared of doing: including white water rafting and snorkeling
seeing a huge number of my friends 1) get married, and 2) leave the country.
some prayers were answered, with one prayer granted after almost a decade
discovering and getting to know myself better this year. This is also the year that I was able to regain my personal trust and confidence, which I almost lost for about two years.
learning to value "good company", and being less mindful spending for it. Perhaps there is a correlation between age and being sentimental. Like on this very occasion, I was "expecting" some birthday greetings and thoughtfulness from certain people, but to no avail. But then again, some people whom I least expected to be thoughtful managed to remember. Of course I still believe in Ayn Rand's concept of individuality, on top of objectivism.

This time around, however, aging is something that can no longer be denied. I noticed that at least 1/3 of my birthday and congratulatory greetings at my Facebook page came from my students. Also, though I still look young and security guards of San Beda still try to stop me whenever I enter the gate for professors, I tend not to stay too late for gimmicks and my body sometimes can't keep up with my stress. I'm just glad that "26" is still counted under "mid-twenties", at least that's according to the "wife-to-be" of a good friend who works in an executive search firm.

But on the bright side, the year allowed me to gain more insights and learnings... these I was able to accumulate from experience and from people that I crossed path with.

My birthday wishes: 1) to pass Level III of the CFA Exams, 2) for my good friend to get a job in Dubai, and 3) um... it's just between me and the creator.

With that, allow me to give my sincerest thanks to the people that became part of my life during the year. More thanks to those who remained there for twenty-six years. As a song from the musical Wicked goes: ‎"I do believe I have been changed for the better... and because I knew you, I have been changed for good".

Special thanks to my family, college friends and MIB buddies for taking time to celebrate aging with me. It's genuinely appreciated, although there would be just one or two more celebrations within the week (pics to follow). To my friends, colleagues, students, and acquaintances who remembered, thank you so much. This world indeed became less lonely with the aid of Facebook, twitter and SMS. I look forward to my 27th and beyond with so much joy and enthusiasm.

post-birthday celebration photo:

Memories of Bali

2011-08-07T11:22:00.009+08:00

Last August 2-5, I had the chance to spend vacation in Bali, Indonesia. Except for a few sidetracks, I thought that it was one of the most relaxing vacation I ever had. We were pampered by a really nice driver from our guest house (Nick's Pension), who happened to be very fluent in speaking English.

Speaking of guest house, we simply fell in love with Nick's Pension, our chosen guest house in Ubud. For 3 days and 3 nights, I lived as a high class citizen, haha.

But what really surprised me about Bali is their culture and their appreciation and protection of their heritage: from guys wearing sarong before visiting a temple, up to eating by hands at KFC. Women undergoing menstruation are not allowed to enter the temples. Also, even though it can be said that a lot of tourist destinations of Bali can be at par with those in the Philippines, I can personally say that they were able to give better care to their natural resources and cultural heritage. I am impressed with how they are able to maintain their temples.

Tanjong Benoa beach is not at par with Boracay in terms of white sands and water sports, but Bali leads Boracay by a mile in terms of showing genuine concern to their environment.

However, Bali (or maybe the whole Indonesia) has a major deal-breaker: Corruption and power-tripping. Each Bali servicemen and staff (except for the driver assigned to us) would always beg for rupiah.

All-in-all: Bali is such an underrated lovely place. I understand that a Pinay travel blogger became a victim of such inconsiderate act by the Bali immigration officer assigned to her at that time, but I can also say that there are good souls in Indonesia.

p.s. I also had the chance to revisit Genting Highlands. It was really fun trying the rides that I've never tried before, but once again, the theme park became literally clouded in zero visibility, so our enjoyment was cut short. Haha. I guess Genting wants me to prioritize it the next time I drop by Malaysia.

You Got a Dream, You Got to Protect It

2011-08-02T02:35:00.003+08:00

Pursuit Of Happyness - You Got A Dream...You Got To Protect It
Get More: Pursuit Of Happyness - You Got A Dream...You Got To Protect It

I've been discussing ambitions with people for the last few days, and I had different perspectives. But when this line "you got a dream, you got to protect it" flashed into my mind, I suddenly had the urge of looking for a clip of this scene. Then... my stand on goals and ambitions became firmer than ever.

Level II: Passed!

2011-07-26T23:58:00.030+08:00

God has really been so good. It has been a difficult 25th year for me. Yet, after all of the craps that I've been experiencing in my personal and professional life, the Lord gave me this blessing: I passed Level II of the CFA Examinations. This is the best advanced birthday gift I got to date. Finally, I have a reason to celebrate, and more importantly, I regained my self-confidence and I believe in my capabilities once more.

According to the CFA Institute, 39% of those who took the first level test passed, while 43% passed the Level II exam.

I've been looking forward to the day when I'll get to shout in my Facebook status that I made it. I've been longing for the day that I'll get to post a blog entry to counteract my previous failure, and thank the Lord and all the people who helped me hurdle this very challenging aspect of my professional life. Finally, this day happened. Haha.

I really had such a crazy and nerdy journey. Three to four months before exam day, I studied after work until 12 midnight or 1AM at Blenz Coffee Solaris. As the big day became closer, there were even days when I would literally open our office at 4AM or 5AM just to study in the morning. I had almost no social life for at least two months. I wasn't able to watch some awesome movies, including Thor, in order to study and prepare for the exams. Two weeks prior to the exam, I started each day reviewing as early as 8AM at Blenz Coffee, and the misery usually ended at 1AM of the next day. There were even some pre-exam days when I would almost barf out of stress and weakness.

Looking back, though it felt miserable and extremely nerve-wracking, I guess it was all necessary.

In Hollywood, Oscar winners get to have some sort of an acceptance speech every time they receive their winning trophy. In a similar fashion, I would like to give my sincerest thanks and prayers to those who became part of this really long, nerdy and fruitful journey of mine:

My boss, colleague and friend Sir Raymond - Thank you for the review sessions, and for betting PHP1,000 in my favor against the gambler of doom. I would have been a whole lot harder without your inputs. Admittedly, my chances in Quantitative Methods, Economics and Derivatives improved because of your attempt to simplify the difficult topics. Thank you also for giving to me some of the goodies (i.e. wallet and iPad case) that you got from the CFA Institute. They served as constant reminders for me to pass the exams, and that failure is not an option.
To all of my VII colleagues, with special mention to the brave souls namely MM, Nyreen, Ate Pie and Kristel - for betting also in my favor against the gambler of doom. I know I've been one of the most annoying individual in the trading room (and I will still be annoying for as long as I stay with VII), but their support deserves extra credit because it came with extra costs = prayers + an average bet of PHP500 per person. It also felt good to have supportive officemates. At the course of my review, some people already left VII, and they are definitely part of this thank you list. Even the gambler of doom deserves some credit for challenging me. At least I managed to defy his statistics and odds. Even if his guts seem to be intolerable at times, I've been learning a lot from him now that he is working as a consultant for my current employer.
To the Living Hope community and its members who prayed for me - special mention to MM, Nyreen, Mam Kathy, Mack and the members of the Elijah ministry. Indeed, God is good, and He heard all of you.
To my nerdier colleague and confidante in the professional arena Jaime aka Pangit - for generously sharing your inputs and resources. Congratulations for passing Level II of the CFA Exams. Let's beat all odds for Level III.
To my MIB colleagues - It was really a pleasant surprise for me to receive messages of support from some of you guys prior to the exam considering that we have not been in touch. Top of mind well wishers include Mayen, Angge, Fritz, Delbert, Cito, Kacel, Mam Kathy, Dale and Sir Gray. Thank you for being supportive as early as the days that I took Level I of the CFA Exams.
To Mam Jackqui, my sweet boss from San Beda - for being the very first person who sent me a text message containing your prayers and wishes of luck. Indeed, I owe part of my success from my teaching stint in my Alma Mater.
To Blenz Coffee and its crazy baristas namely Ken, John, Nikko, Rey, etc. - for providing me with a conducive avenue for studying especially during the last two weeks of my exam.
To Aldwin - for choosing to study at Blenz Coffee during your study leave for your Level III review. Meeting you at Blenz made a whole lot difference on my chances. Your tutorial on swaps and swaptions saved me, literally! I wish you best of luck this August 16.
To Clive - for sharing some of your resources and for accompanying me during my review days.
To all of my friends and acquaintances who passed their exams on their respective professions - during the days that I heard of my friends passing the bar exams or board exams for medicine and nursing, I felt really insecure. Good thing that I was able to translate these insecurities into hardwork. There was even a point when I didn't show up to a friend's graduation dinner because of such insecurity, but I'm glad that friend of mine understood.
Last but definitely never the least, to my very valuable friend, mentor and guide named "Quattrone" - for your endless and invaluable support. It's been four years since you introduced me to the field of investment banking. From the day I graduated from college, and from the moment I embarked on my CFA Program journey, you've been the most supportive. So far, it's been a good winning streak for me, except for some setbacks. My investment banking career and further studies owe a great deal from you. I hope that you will stay as supportive at least until I complete my MBA. Hopefully in two years, we'll get to have some drinks in New York.

I also would like to thank my iPad (first generation) who came all the way from Singapore just to carry all of my textbooks and reviewers. Thank you for being the most reliable study buddy that one could ever have. With your help, at least I didn't have to carry thick textbooks. It was unfortunate that I discovered your ability to highlight and take notes two weeks prior to the exam, but your features still came in handy especially during crucial times.

Of course, all of these would not have been possible if not for God. To God really belongs the greater glory. Praise God indeed. Thank you Our Lady of Manaoag, Our Lady of Montserrat, St. Bede, St. Benedict, and to all the patron saints that I would usually count on. This is all for you my Lord.

I already filed a leave of absence from teaching at San Beda next semester. Also, I will update my resume in order to include this development.

Unfortunately, with the Level III examinations coming up, I dunno how to outdo my previous study plan. I am scared of what's ahead because my areas of strength will no longer be tackled on this last leg of the exams. All I know now is that I will study even harder in order to pass Level III of the CFA Exams. So what else can I say? "Bring it on!"

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

2011-07-13T21:33:00.004+08:00

If you really want your plans or ideas to be executed as you imagined it...

If you want your orders to be followed...

If you don't want to be disobeyed...

If you want efficiency...

Then...

Stay away from old dogs that cannot be taught with new tricks.

The question is... how can I stay away from the old dogs? Or rather, how can I replace some old dogs with new dogs that are hungry for new tricks?

What even makes it worse is that these old bunch of dogs think that their tricks are still attractive, and RELEVANT.

Harry Potter ends 07.15.11

2011-07-06T21:11:00.002+08:00

This is perhaps the movie that spent a decade with us. I literally grew up watching all installments: from fourth year high school, up to my fourth year in the world of work. This is the epic that inspired the name of my blog. During my younger years, people teased me for being the look-alike of Harry Potter "the book version". Harry's story will now end on the big screen.

This movie will definitely be missed, and so is the story of Hogwarts, the ministry of magic, and Harry Potter.

Weekend with good company

2011-07-03T22:11:00.002+08:00

I can't remember the last time I spent a weekend with a long gimik itinerary, but the week concluded with some get-togethers and chills. As I age, I really learned to somehow invest in good company, and here are some of my companions I've reunited with after a really long time.

July 1, 2011 - CBD Ayala Gardens and TOSH Valero

July 2, 2011 - Cyma and UCC Trinoma

July 3, 2011 - Chili's and Espressamente Illy Rockwell

Thank you iPhone4 for being such a reliable photographer.

Hello iPhone4!

2011-06-20T21:17:00.000+08:00

As per the special request of my friend Mark, here's my new gadget.

Goodbye Samsung Omnia

2011-06-20T01:31:00.008+08:00

More than a year ago, I purchased the first version of Samsung Omnia. It was powered by Windows 6.1, and though it was upgradeable to Windows 6.5, I didn't bother upgrading it. Back then, I was clueless that IPhone, Android phones, and Blackberry phones have been ruling the market for quite some time. I was only educated about the new smartphone and tablet field when I bought my IPad.

Yesterday afternoon on my way to my favorite mall, I left my phone in the cab. I was about to play arcade with my colleague's kids, which was supposed to be followed by my (non-academic) reading routine. I only found out that my phone was missing when I was inside the mall. I even asked my colleague to try to call my number, but there was no answer. When I tried calling my number after a few games at the arcade, it can no longer be reached. It seems that whoever got my phone (either the taxi driver or another passenger) didn't have any plans of returning it.

I am a bit furious because some of my very important contacts are there, especially some new found personal friends and industry peers. More importantly, though my phone was so pathetic that it cannot upload photos via Facebook or Twitter, it lasted for several drops. Haha. I thought it was the second or third best survivor phone I had since my Nokia 5110 and 3310. I'm not sure if my phone's endurance was just coincidence or not. Also, it wasn't that bad because it can access the web and Facebook via wifi, as well as view Microsoft office and PDF files. It became pretty reliable during the years that I had it. It even helped me become a paparazzi, haha. It was also an important part of my blogging life.

I almost lost this same phone unit when I was in Singapore. I was clueless that I brought the phone with me at the Universal Studios, and I only found that it was missing when my ex-officemate from MIB sent me a message via Facebook telling me that a Singaporean contacted her. An honest Singaporean got my unit and was polite enough to return it to me by contacting some numbers saved in my phone. It's really frustrating that hope is all lost in getting my phone IN MY OWN COUNTRY.

Goodbye to my old Samsung Omnia. You've been very reliable. Thank you for being my alarm clock, the photos, and the connectivity Also, just so you know, I really tried finding you, haha.

To my friends, relatives, colleagues and acquaintances, I'll keep you posted once I get my new number. Thanks so much to Facebook, it's no longer that hard to get everyone else's numbers.

Ayala Triangle gardens: the best free gym in Makati

2011-06-13T19:46:00.001+08:00

Copyright: Hearty's Haven and Nomnomclub.com. Images found via Google search

A few minutes ago, I had the chance to do a 30-minute jogging around Ayala Triangle gardens. This is part of the list of my plans of spending time wisely (i.e. the time used to be consumed by studies). Hopefully I'll get to consistently do this every other day.

My tentative schedules: Mondays and Wednesdays. If you are interested to join me, feel free to let me know. I cannot guarantee to be consistent on this tiresome endeavor, but I now see the need to stay fit.

Messages Deleted

2011-06-09T08:00:00.029+08:00

Yesterday, at around 5:30PM, I was innocently browsing the web at the office when Yahoo gave me a shocking surprise.... all of the messages in my inbox got deleted!

Yup. It was around 6,000 messages of them. Good thing the messages in my subfolders were not deleted. I created subfolders for my various activities and errands, so the emails that were saved in these subfolders were spared. What even made the feeling worse was the fact most of my correspondences with my important friends, colleagues, and contacts were in that inbox, even my exchanges that go as far as 2006.

On that very same insane moment, I filled-up the mail restore form of Yahoo. After three hours, they restored all of my emails except those that I received for the last two days.

You have no idea how stressed I was yesterday, haha! It was as if my lifetime savings were stolen.

Lesson learned: create subfolders, or better yet, back-up your files! Even the biggest tech companies can be a downer in your internet or mobile life.

Stress Relievers

2011-06-06T08:15:00.001+08:00

Shown below are some of the countless stress relievers that helped me feel better during tough times.

My Brain Workout...

2011-06-05T21:54:00.003+08:00

...and other plans.

I missed blogging. I terribly missed being able to say something, so even if I'm tired and wasted as I write this, I still thought of writing something for this evening. I'm back from my short social network and blog leave, as my nerdy professional battle came to an end today. Hopefully, I'll be able to celebrate once the results are out.

Now that my loser life is over, it suddenly feels like I have so much free time in my hands, so I've been thinking of ways to spend it wisely. However, during my nerdy journey, I realized the one thing that I need to prioritize: I NEEDED SOME BRAIN WORKOUT. Yup, you might notice that I suddenly realized how valuable it is to spend some time at the Loserville!

At the course of my study, I realized that I really need to improve on my reading comprehension. Enrolling in an English Class might be a stupid option, so I promise myself that I will allocate one weekend afternoon and two weeknights for reading. Also, I want to keep the passion of reading alive, as it might come handy one day, if luckily pass the exams and pursue the last phase of my study. Thus, I plan to read the following books that I have not actually finished reading:

We The Living (by Ayn Rand)
The Logic of Life: The Rational of Economics in an Irrational World (by Tim Harford)

I also plan to reread the following books, hoping that my recent nerdy journey will help me understand the jargons detailed by the books' authors:

The Age of Turbulence (by Alan Greenspan, former Fed Governor)
A Random Walk Down Wall Street (by Burton Malkiel)

I also plan to read my financial modelling books every time I manage to arrive early at the office. I will try to make it a habit. Of course I don't expect to be consistent on this, but I will really try, as I've come to the point when I really need to possess advanced financial modelling skills.

Unfortunately, I am not certain if I can commit my Saturdays for any activity, as the new school year is about to start. I chose to stay as a part-time lecturer for another semester. The subject that I will teach is new, so it will require me to spend my Saturday solely for this endeavor, and maybe sacrifice "some" Friday nights. Of course Friday nights are alloted for gimmicks and parties.

Given my "project brain workout" plus my academic life, it appears that I still have some spare weeknights left, and maybe some open time for Saturday or Sunday nights. I plan to spend those times for "physical workouts". Options include going back to the gym, or maybe doing kendo (?), or even just plain running around Ayala Triangle, especially during dull Friday nights. I am flexible and open for any non-brainy activity for the weeknights that I will be able to free up. So don't get me wrong, I definitely want some social life, haha. Perhaps I can have a final decision in a payday or two.

This is my mid-term project, until I wait for the "good news". I don't really expect to be consistent with my plans, but my recent nerdy journey somehow made me realize how bad I really need the brain workout. This insecure feeling was triggered the most when I once again bumped into a lot of really good and competent people this morning and afternoon (during the exam that is). However, I don't want to be a loser completely. I want to be productive in other things. In fact, if there's a cheap cooking lesson or a part-time go to work whenever you feel like it gig as a barista in any coffee shop, I will grab it, haha!

Of course an hour of Sunday is non-negotiable, it should be with the Lord.

Hopefully, I can post again at this blog after two months and say I had a good start.

The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility

2011-05-23T23:06:00.001+08:00

This illustrates what I'm going through at the moment.

Copyright: Wikipedia and to the uploader

I look forward to the better days. Till then!

Free Comic Book Day 2011

2011-05-09T20:43:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday was definitely one of the most embarrasing act that I ever did for the sake of free comics. I went to Comic Odyssey Robinson's Galleria at around 10:35 AM to attend the Free Comic Book Day (FCBD), thinking that I'll be one of the few freaks that will be first in line.

I was so wrong. I was only 5 minutes late, and yet I was already the 425th person to fall in line, assuming that the stub number serves as headcount.

Comic Odyssey is located somewhere at the middle right side of the mall (assuming the EDSA entrance is the north). However, the tail end of the line already reached the East Wing. This was perhaps the FCBD that had the record-number of participants.

Free Comic Book Day is a yearly thing for comic readers, artists, be it children or children at heart. We get free comics that are released solely for this occasion.

It took me two hours before I was able to grab my loot bag. Haha. I had three (3) free 2011 Gold Comics, namely the Amazing Spider Man, Green Lantern, and Archie PEP Comics (yup, been a fan of Archie Comics). Each participant gets to choose only 3 out of 10 free golden comics that are up for grabs, and the rest of the loot includes 50 free comics of various titles. Haha. It was definitely worth the wait.

On that same day, Comic Odyssey sold a lot of their back issues for PHP50 each. Unfortunately, due to some commitments in the academe, I had to leave after getting my free loot bag. I missed the autograph signing of various local artists and cartoonists.

Congratulations are in order for Sandy Sansolis. Such a humble entrepreneur, one of the nicest businessmen I've ever met.

Elbert's Cheesesteaks

2011-04-18T20:48:00.002+08:00

Elbert's Rockwell = really nice cheesesteak + the tastiest fries in the Metro.

Freeing my tiny friends

2011-04-16T09:53:00.000+08:00

To those who really know me, they will agree that part of my childish side can be attributed to one word: Pokemon. As of my last count, I have around 50 Pokemon miniatures that I either bought from Comic Alley, or received as gifts from various friends.

Last Thursday, I gave most of them as gifts to the kids of my boss (around 33 of them at least), while around 11 characters were given to the kids of my two colleagues. I retained at least six characters as keepsakes because in the anime series, a Pokemon trainer can only bring a maximum of six Pokemon with him on his journey. He can gather as many Pokemon as he can, but most of them should stay at the laboratory of a trainer's hometown.

I acted as if I had to look for more deserving trainers for my 44 Pokemon. I also temporarily halted watching the series even though it is still ongoing for its 14th season.

Growing up? Haha. Maybe... Silly but at first it was kinda hard for me to give my collection as gifts. Haha. But the kids deserve the toys much more than me, especially the kids of my boss because they are walking Pokemon encyclopedias (or as coined in the series, walking "PokeDex").

However, I am still continuing my Archie Comics collection, even though I don't subscribe to all sub-issues of Archie Comics. My collection might turn out to be a collector's item one day. In fact, Archie Publishing recently acquired the publication rights for MegaMan. I will definitely subscribe to the series.

Four years and counting

2011-04-13T17:04:00.016+08:00

Don't be confused. I still know my mathematics. I know I wrote a previous article about the 5th anniversary of this blog site. I just realized that it's been four years since I became a slave in the world of work. It was around this month of 2007 when I commenced the search for a job. I even remember that back then, I saw a falling star while looking at the sky on my way home. Being the nerd that I was, I wished for a really promising career.

Back then, I don't even know how to prettify my resume. Now, with hardwork, luck and divine intervention, I don't know how to shorten my resume, which is a good thing I guess?

After four years, below are some of the crazy insights that I gathered for the last four years:

The ratios/metrics that executives love are IRR and ROE. Hahaha. Let's include PE for those in the stock market.
If you are subordinate to someone, and you have no subordinates down the line, you will do clerical and messengerial jobs for your superior.
Non-Ateneans will always have to prove their worth against Atenean executives who possess extremely high self-esteem.
If for a particular year, Ateneo ends up fighting against La Salle in the UAAP finals, expect this topic to be discussed even during Board meetings. If Ateneo wins, expect the bullying against La Sallians to go on for at least a week. Of course Ateneans love bullying La Sallians as a force of habit, but the post ADMU-DLSU game will magnify the intensity of such bullying.
If everything else fails, Ateneans still have their english.
There will always be someone else who is prepared to eat my lunch.
There are also people who do not deserve their lunch, but they got away (or can still get away) with it.
There will always be stupid people in any workplace or industry, but there will also be people who will not make it easy for you, be it intentional or otherwise.
Being manyak is a rule rather than exception among various male executives. More often than not, the YOUNG pretty and sexy female (well, sometimes female need not be pretty and sexy, just young and bitchy will do) will be the apple of the eye.
Of course, some women have their various screening methodologies too (that is, about the opposite sex). It's quite unbelievable how superficial they can be.
Confidence can really make it appear that you are good, even if you are dumb.

On a more serious note, I did acquire lots of useful new insights, perspectives, and learnings, be it theoretical and practical.

My special thanks to those who helped me climb the ladder. I remain undervalued, but hopefully closer to the Security Market Line.

Bruno Mars' First Concert in Manila

2011-04-09T21:46:00.004+08:00

The moment I learned that Bruno Mars will come to Manila, I made sure that I will have savings to be able to afford a decent concert ticket. I fell in love with Bruno's music last year. It was the song "Billionaire" that initially caught my interest, but I became hooked with his music when I heard the song "Just The Way You Are" on radio and on the TV series Glee. I didn't know at that time that he was a Filipino.

I'm not exactly a music person. I know how to appreciate good songs, but this is actually the first time that I became a "die hard fan" of an artist, although perhaps I will also get starstruck if I chance upon Gary Valenciano (I also love his music by the way). I know Bruno Mars is an addict and all, but that's beside the point. I guess what makes him standout against other contemporary artists is that he has not only the voice, but the heart to write songs. His songs on his current album, as well as his collaborations with other artists seem to show that he's been to various walks of life.

We were all shouting and singing along with Bruno when he sang Billionaire/Lazy Song, Marry You, Nothin On You, Grenade and Just The Way You Are. But I was somehow stuck into deep thoughts when he sang "Count On Me" (sorry, I'm just undergoing depression, the song was just a bit timely), and I was also extremely impressed with Bruno's signature dance moves when he granted the request of the audience to do one more number after his supposedly last act (i.e. a repeat yet groovier number of "Runaway").

Last night was an experience that I'll never forget. It was the first time that I ever watched a major concert (unless the Music Museum gig of Christian Bautista years ago when he was just starting counts). I'm thankful to my friend Mayen and her other friends for the hitch. It was quite a break from all the stresses I had at work.

Summer's Good Times!

2011-04-03T21:30:00.002+08:00

Five years and counting

2011-03-27T22:53:00.003+08:00

I've been quite busy these days. It is a bit sad because I wasn't able to come up with anything to celebrate the 5th year of this blog, but perhaps within a month's time, an idea will suddenly come into mind. Nevertheless, it's been five years since I started blogging on this site, although I officially started blogging with my xanga account on October 2004.

I am really glad that I chose to blog. Somehow, I get to write the "emo" side of me. Even though some people do not understand and agree on what I write about, and even though some people choose to mock me for blogging. But hey, I found a lot of my closest friends from the web, with this blog as my medium. I can at least think of three to four people who earned my friendship and respect just by part of my life with the aid of this site.

On top of my Facebook and Multiply accounts, this blog has served as my more reliable photo album with narratives. Also, this blog was able to witness at least two major chapters in my life: my college years, and my "younger years with purchasing power", haha.

Without walking down memory lane for too long (since I've done it already during my 25th birthday and before 2010 ended), below are some of the quickly chosen previous posts that somehow manifest whether I've grown or not for half a decade.

I might have to somewhat lessen my blogging activities for now. I intend to file an indefinite leave from this blogsite for my professional undertakings. However, I will certainly visit and if I happen to have another momentous encounter. After this busy phase of my life, I shall continue writing about my chronicles.

To my few good friends from the web, please send me a message on facebook or via text. Let's catch up and hang out soon.

Thank you

2011-03-24T22:00:00.010+08:00

Thank you Lord, for answering my prayer and for spending quality time with me last Saturday and Sunday. Somehow, my prayer was answered today. Whether these joyous events will have longevity or not, I am just glad that they happened. I am genuinely happy today.

Lord, I had a great time chatting with you last weekend. I'll really try to talk to you more often. But please, let me stay rational. I hope you trust me when I say that I really believe in you, because you are more powerful than anything that my senses could grasp.

Post-Japan Earthquake thoughts

2011-03-11T21:35:00.002+08:00

Around six hours ago from posting time, Japan was struck from perhaps the strongest earthquake I've ever heard since my existence. In fact, it seems that there are still aftershocks as of posting time.

I pray for the safety and quick recovery of Japan and its people. I also pray for the husband of my closest cousin. My cousin and her kids are in Tokyo right now (and are still experiencing aftershocks), but her husband works at the steel company in Chiba, Honshu Japan.

Mother nature has spoken. Let's do our part as citizens and habitants of this planet.

HBS Case Night

2011-03-03T07:58:00.028+08:00

Last night was perhaps one of the most if not the most productive two hours of my recent years. I had the opportunity to join the MBA information session of Harvard Business School in Manila. I am really not sure as to how I was included in the Harvard mailing list, but I am just glad that I was.

Those who were invited to the Case Night were required to read a case that was sent to all attendees via email The case was about the formative years of Apple, and the initial working relationship of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. We were all tasked to have an answer and a position on the question "Should Steve Wozniak resign, or should he just stay with Apple?". The question was asked on a "what if it was you" context, assuming I was in the shoes of Wozniak when he was told that his Apple co-founder and best friend Steve Jobs got a much bigger pay for the Atari Breakout design.

I've attended quite a number of info sessions in the past. However, yesterday's case night was the most intimidating one for me. I know that some people may not agree to the case method of Harvard, but for me, the value is on the experience and the "two-hour" exposure to the methodology. It felt like I was an exchange student at Harvard, even if it was just two hours. The session also reminded me to be serious about my goals and aspirations. Lastly, the case was somewhat close to home, in a sense that I managed to get some ideas on how to understand my current professional situation.

The option of studying MBA is still far from the horizon. I plan to do it when I reach 30, with the hope that by then, I can contribute a lot to the classroom. I still don't know where to take the program, but my consideration is definitely the cost and the net present value of the education. However, I will probably remember the case night as some sort of a "wake-up" call.

Singapore Day 2: Universal Studios

2011-02-20T10:59:00.001+08:00

On the second day of my very short Singapore visit (February 11-13, 2011), I had the chance to visit Universal Studios. I was accompanied by an ex-student who is now based in Singapore. I'm glad that she had the time to accompany me, as I would probably not visit Universal Studios if I was alone.

Universal Studios was such a fantastic theme park, perhaps it is the best among the Southeast Asian theme parks I've visited (i.e. Genting Highlands, Sunway Lagoon, and Hong Kong Disneyland).

Almost every stopover is lovable. Shrek 4D, Donkey Live, Monster Rock, and my favorite of all shows: Waterworld! The stunts made the Waterworld movie re-enactment awesome beyond extremes, and we really got wet in between the acts, thanks to their speedboats.

Among the rides, my definite favorites are what I call the "traitor roller coaster rides": Revenge of the Mummy and Battlestar Galactica. I tried the human side of the Galatica, and my ex-student who happened to be a female was brave enough to try the cyclon side of the Galactica, which has a lot of 360 degrees turns. During our visit, Battlestar Galactica was not yet supposed to be open for public, but we were lucky that they conducted some test run of the roller coaster.

Of course we also had our picture-taking moments with some popular movie/animated series characters.

Indeed, my short Universal Studios tour was awesome. Again, it is the best theme park in Asia! Of course my "magical experience" in Disney was also unforgettable, but Universal is really full of surprises and thrills.

I also had the chance to visit other parts of Sentosa, and my visit at Universal coincided with the Flower Festival in Sentosa. I also had the chance to drop by the man-made beach in Sentosa. Unfortunately, the battery of my camera became empty even before we reached the Imbiah lookout, that's why I didn't get the chance to have photos at the Siloso point. Although Boracay still wins by a mile compared to the man-made beach of Sentosa.

Singapore Diaries Day 1: Going around the City

2011-02-18T18:47:00.003+08:00

Last February 11-13, 2011, I had my short vacation in Singapore. During my three nights and three days stay in Singapore, I had the chance to quickly go around the city. It was very convenient and easy going around the city, thanks to their very efficient MRT and bus system. In fact, they have a website called gothere.sg where commuters can go for commute directions.

During my first day, I went to the National University of Singapore. I thought of visiting the campus because it is one of my dream MBA schools. I just wanted to know how it felt being inside the campus of such reputable school.

There are lots of free campus buses going around the campus, and there are strategic bus stops at every main building/campus.

After my short NUS stopover, I also went to the Orchard Road, perhaps the longest "shopping mall street" I've visited. From there, I availed of the Duck Tour and Singapore Flyer package for 33SGD.

At around 3:00PM, I went around the bay via Duck Tour. There are several outstanding structures that can be seen during the tour, including the science museum, the floating stadium, the Singapore Flyer, and the Esplanade.

After an hour, I tried riding at the Singapore Flyer to have an aerial view of the city. Unfortunately, it started raining at the time I arrived at the Flyer. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the Flyer, and because I availed of the Duck Tour, I only paid 16SGD for the Flyer.

In the evening, I was treated by my clients over dinner at Irvin's, one of those not-too-fancy restaurants located at Zion Road corner River Valley Road (near Great World City). It was my first official immersion to crab dishes, and it's simply delicious. I also love their Sweet and Sour Pork. It was so generous of my clients to treat me without hesitation. According to my clients, February 11, 2011 was a lucky day for signing contracts. Since they subscribed to a preferred share offering, they chose to sign their subscription forms on that day.

My first day in such progressive country was really amazing. I wish the transportation system in Manila will be just as efficient.

CDO-Bukidnon Diaries: Dahilayan Zipline

2011-01-26T20:35:00.004+08:00

During the second day of our CDO-Bukidnon vacation, we went to Dahilayan Adventure Park. Located at Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, it took us an hour and a half to go to the park. On the way to the adventure park was a very large pineapple plantation as well as a farm that has a majestic view of Camiguin. We decided to quickly stop at the plantation area for some picture-taking.

At the park, there were three ziplines. The first zipline's length was 320 meters, while the second zipline was 150 meters, both of which had to be conquered at a sitting position.

The last leg of Dahilayan zipline had a distance of 840 meters. We had to travel by the park's mini-truck from the headquarters to the starting point of the zipline. We had to wait for almost two hours because the wind was strong and was blowing on a downward direction (similar to the zipline). Out of boredom, we took a lot of photos while waiting for our turn.

Until it became my turn to test the longest zipline in Asia.

Good thing I didn't have any problems at the end of the line. Considering that Dahilayan's third zipline leg was the longest in Asia, I felt it had the safest harness compared to the ziplines that I've tried before.

Indeed, it was one of the best adrenaline rush activities I've had in my life. To put it better, it was the best "aerial adrenaline rush" I ever had.

CDO-Bukidnon Diaries: White Water Rafting

2011-01-24T21:10:00.010+08:00

...on strong paddling and my fear of the water.

Last June 10, 2010, Cebu Pacific had a "piso fare" promo for all domestic flights. That time, I remember that it was lunch break when we were told about this promo. We originally attempted booking for Cebu and then travel to Bohol via ferry, but we were distracted by one of our bosses, so we ended up going to CDO. It was so unplanned that we wanted to go White Water Rafting.

Until around 3-4 weeks before the big day, I started feeling afraid of White Water Rafting. I even thought of coming up with a Bukidnon-Camiguin itinerary for the cowards, haha. But in the end, circumstances changed the course of things. In short: I had no choice but to join White Water Rafting. Until the big day came: January 22, 2011.

Since most of us were first-timers, we decided to try first the beginners' course of White Water Rafting. Surprise! I was assigned as one of the two strongest paddlers. It was natural being the only guy among our group, but I was humorously hesitant because I cannot swim.

Until we started with the rafting proper. The water level during our time was quite lower than its level during rainy days. However, the waves were still strong.

The highlight: me and my fear of the water. Ever since, I do not know how to swim. During outings, I only walk at the swimming pool. Haha. I didn't trust the life vest at first. It was my first official attempt to "float" over deep waters with the use of a life vest. The funny thing is that during our last turn to swim at the calm part of the river, I was not swayed by the water, while the rest of my friends were able to return to the raft. I was left by our raft, so I had to join another group's raft. Haha.

If ever I get the chance to go back to Cagayan De Oro, I promise to try the Advanced Course of White Water Rafting. It was quite an adventure!

If you are looking for a rafting company, I suggest you just choose Kagay. They are simply the best! Try to look for Clinton/Klenton (whichever is his name, haha). He is quite a funny paddler and guide, he brought a lot of corny jokes with him during our rafting experience. They have a very affordable package of PHP2,000 per head, inclusive of Dahilayan zip line, Photo CD of rafting, and one lunch meal that the group can use.

For more photos, you can visit my Multiply account.

Up next: the longest zipline in Asia.

A momentary visit at Victoria

2011-01-16T23:26:00.002+08:00

It was one of those quickly planned stopovers... I went to Victoria, Laguna, to see a "long lost" friend, whom I regard as my very first buddy from San Beda High School. When I was in first year high school, he was a semi-neighbor, a school bus and commuting fellow, and perhaps, the nicest guy I've ever known. He doesn't seem to have a single frailty in his personality (at least in a moral sense of the word), even up to now. He is currently recovering from a gall bladder surgery. We had the chance to catch-up, for it's been almost a decade since we last saw each other. Way back, we've planned to meet-up for a lot of times, but it just doesn't seem to push through (from his end, haha). It's also been around ten years since I had the chance to visit Victoria, Laguna.

It's funny that our 4-hours chat made me know him a whole lot more than the entire time I've known him in High School. After what he has been through especially during his college years, I realized that we all just have our own misfortunes, and the difference will lie on how we will strongly, emotionally, and logically deal with them. Easier said than done, but it seems to be the only way.

Being a typical blogger, I thought of bringing a camera with me so that I can take a few shots of Victoria, Laguna. It is a very quiet and distant place. It actually took me one and a half hours from Manila, and it took me three hours to come back. Reaching my friend's place had to be done via a 15-20 minute tricycle ride, but the view was really nice.

I hope I get to visit this quiet place once in a blue moon, or at least before my "long lost" friend goes to Dubai for work.

PSE Bull Run 2011

2011-01-13T23:50:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, I had the chance to run 1.5 kilometers at the PSE Bull Run 2011. Yup, I only ran 1.5k with my colleagues because we came in late. Haha. Suffice to say that we had fun.

In hindsight, maybe we ran a bit longer than 1.5k. I remember that we joined the trail of 10k runners, until we were able to locate the route of 3k runners. Haha.

Charlie's Grind & Grill!

2011-01-11T00:17:00.000+08:00

Charlie's Grind and Grill was the first food stop of my 2011. Thanks to my senior slash colleague for treating me here.Too bad I failed to take a photo of my Black Angus Burger with fries!

Confused on SMC Preferreds

2011-01-06T22:39:00.001+08:00

It's been almost a month since the controversial Preferred Shares of San Miguel Corporation (SMCPM) became listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange. However, even if its price per share dropped significantly, I am still confused on how the market is pricing it.

First of all, allow me to show you the salient features of the Preferred Shares:

As you can see, the "par value" of SMCPM is at PHP75. Assuming that it will on October 15, 2012, the call price will still be PHP75 per share.

Movie Appreciation: RPG Metanoia

2011-01-03T00:20:00.004+08:00

I finally got the chance to see RPG Metanoia yesterday, thanks to my free movie pass from Citibank. It is said to be the first full-length 3D animated film made by Filipinos. Although some of the "risk-takers" behind the project are not Filipinos, suffice to say that these foreign risk-takers acknowledge the fact that the movie is Filipino-made. Also, the animators and production staff, based on press releases, are Filipinos.

I also had the chance to see Ang Tanging Ina 3, and after seeing both films, I personally think that RPG Metanoia deserves to win as the "Best Picture". But suffice to say that I also enjoyed watching the former and that it should be given merits. It's just that, for me, RPG Metanoia is both a "work of art and science" by Filipinos. It's not like it was made for the sake of producing a 3D film. It has a really good story.

However, being an animated movie fan and a former active MMORPG Player (yup, I used to be an addict of Ragnarok), I also think that a lot of aspects of the film need to be improved. With that, allow me to give my honest-to-goodness observation about RPG Metanoia:

The animation at the "Metanoia" world was quite slow, especially on the first part of the film. I don't know if the think-tanks of the film decided to make the animation slow (perhaps lesser number of frames per second) in order to separate the "Metanoia" world from the "real" world of the characters. Assuming that is their reason, then they have underestimated the moviegoers. However, it could also be caused by technology limitations.
I also think that the dubbers (that are ABS-CBN child stars) are not suitable for the movie. Zaijan Jaranilla's voice is quite a mismatch in my honest opinion. However, I have a feeling that Star Cinema, being a co-producer, made this a necessary condition in order for the film to be marketable and palatable. Sometimes, whenever the kid dubbers talk to each other (especially at Metanoia world/computer shop), they tend to be "noisy", not in a "real cybercafe" type of noise, but rather, "overtalkative kid noise". However, I think the adult dubbers did just fine (e.g. Aga Muhlach, Vhong Navarro and Eugene Domingo).
It was quite funny (yet understandable) that the "game characters" move as if they are the "real" character. Imagine the game characters chatting and talking at the world of "Metanoia", haha. But I guess that's quite understandable since constraining the movement of "game characters" similar to an actual MMORPG game would make the movie boring. However, what I don't understand is that the face of the "game characters" and "real characters from the real world" are the same. Perhaps this was done so as not to confuse the moviegoers. However, while watching the movie, a lot of moviegoers (at least at Power Plant Mall) observed the same.
Despite my observation about the kid dubbers, the characters of the movie are very endearing.
The musical scoring was just so great for a low-budget 3D animation. I guess credit belongs to Gerard Salonga?
Also, the animation of the "real world" was amazing. At least on the "real world" scenes, the film could be perceived to be of "Pixar" quality. I also admire the imagination of the editors. The concept of "Metanoia" game was well-done. It is really close to what MMORPGs are, with a little of Filipino "kenkoy" touch.

RPG Metanoia was indeed, a breakthrough in the local movie industry. It deserves to have a net profit and positive net present value in terms of movie sales. I'm actually hoping for the movie to be successful. I am giving it a 9 out of 10 because considering its technological limitations and lack of publicity, it was quite an outstanding movie. Makes you say "astig".

2010 in Hindsight | 2011 in Foresight

2011-01-01T00:00:00.016+08:00

The collage above summarizes my 2010 in retrospect. It illustrates how my personal and professional life was, the gadgets I acquired, the movies and TV shows I watched, the trends that I took part of, and the tourist destinations and food places I went to during the year. It also contains a few kodak moments I shared with friends and acquaintances. My effort to make a collage is a yearly thing for me.

As mentioned in my previous post, I had quite a number of thrilling (with some, life threatening) experiences in 2010. Our house was almost caught in fire, and Ayala Tower One (where I work) had a bomb threat. My professional life remained to be in extremes: I did a few exciting projects, but I also encountered quite a number of unnecessary stresses. Still, it was fulfilling. Every time I prepare a project, presentation or memorandum to our Board, a new knowledge or insight is gained. Somehow, I feel vindicated with the professional choices I made as early as year 2007.

Even though I remain "discounted and undervalued, relative to my peers", my current employer somehow made my professional life "close to the security market line". In hindsight, I should be (and I am) grateful to my current employer for the break in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. We may not be a big force, but I managed to do a lot of things that perhaps others cannot give me due to structure constraints. Also, I became more knowledgeable about the Stock Market this year. I had a small proprietary portfolio that posted a gain of 17% in six months, inclusive of uninvested portion (which was 40% of the total portfolio assigned, haha). Exclusive of uninvested portion, my portfolio had 34% year-to-date gain in six months.

2010 was also an active year in social media. Enough said, haha. Instead, just follow me on twitter.

It was also the year when I exercised my right to suffrage for the third time. I must say that the May 2010 elections was an exciting period of the year. Everywhere I went, we all had ideas on whom to vote, and why another candidate should not be voted. Of course I was extra hyperactive in campaigning for Richard Gordon and against the richest Presidential candidate during the recent national elections, haha.

It was also during this year when my friends had a milestone in their lives. I think I attended at least three weddings and one baby shower. Buying gifts was quite an expense, and the choice of registry stores of my friends are not that cheap, hahaha.

I also made true to my promise of travelling every year. I found my strategy of travelling during Seat Sale opportunities. I was able to visit Hong Kong and Macau for the first time. My MTR experience in Hong Kong was my craziest moment in 2010.

Lastly, I was really super happy with the purchases I made. Haha. I got my Ipad, also known as the top gift and gadget of 2010.

With that, allow me to share my top picks for 2010.

Most scary day of the year:

When our house was almost caught in fire

Runner-up:

Ayala Tower One bomb threat day

Most stressful period of the year:

When I failed Level II of the CFA Exams

Runner-up:

2-hours of waiting at the precinct to vote
Petrong Ina and Cebu Pack

Adventure of the Year:

Hong Kong - Macau

Runner-up:

Subic Tree Top Adventure

Crazy Moment of the Year:

Inuman at pagsuka ala Sober Club

Runner-up:

Just The Way You Are number in IHAP Xmas party

Food place of the year:

Bagnet 8065

Runner-up:

Tea Plus Macau (the egg tarts!)
Serenade Restaurant Hong Kong
Bake & Churn
JT's Manukan
Omakaze

Gadget of the Year:

Apple's IPAD (what else????)

Runner-up:

Samsung Omnia
Point and shoot HP SB360 Digicam

Movie of the Year:

Inception

Runner-up:

Toy Story 3
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

TV Show of the Year:

Glee Season 2 (didn't get to watch other series though)

Song of the Year:

Just the Way You Are | Billionaire | Marry You (Bruno Mars fan here).

Kodak Moment of the Year:

Runner-up:

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2010 also marks the end of a decade, even though it is just a numerology concept. Indeed, time flies really fast. The decade started with me as a third year high school, and now, 2010 ended with me working at my third employer.

---------

I also learned a lot of lessons this year. Actually, some of these lessons were reminders. Those that I always tend to forget. In fact, some of these insights were reminded to me the hard way. Allow me to share some of these:

While we should never fail to consider how we feel, or what our heart dictates, we still have to be rational. No matter what others feel as cool, and no matter what society or convention dictates, I should still analyze if the situation is rational. I should count on my coolness meter less and rational meter more. Thank you Ayn Rand and to my friend slash foster father for making me realize this.
To love and respect myself more, not in a narcissistic way, but rather, in a concerned way. That is why I promise to be healthy next year. No more alcohol. Really!
In relation to my insights about, I should also remind myself that "it is NOT always about me, myself, and I".
Karma is digital nowadays.
Never fail to have fun.

---------

My foresight for 2011: A healthier, a little wealthier, and wiser, more rational Earl. I will really try my very best to get rid of my kidney stones. I shall do everything in my will and power to pass the CFA exams. No more alcohol for me. 2011 will also mark the beginning of my preparation for my 5-year "further studies" plan. I will try to be conscious and be ready if my significant other is around the corner, otherwise, I might just miss the person. As mentioned in one of my top pick TV series, "the wind.... once it leaves, it cannot return to the same place."

I will continue my yearly travels. I am bound to go to Cagayan De Oro, Singapore, Bali Indonesia, and return to Macau and Hong Kong with my Mom. I am also keeping my fingers crossed in my planned Phuket trip, as well as in attending Bruno Mars' concert.

Lastly, I will spend time with the Lord more. I kinda admit having much lesser time with him this year. I will really try my best not to miss Sunday masses.

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With that, I pray that we will all have a blessed and healthier 2011. May the new year mark the beginning of a year of genuine happiness and discovery for each of us. May each day hold something special, that is wonderful and new. For we all deserve the best of everything, that life can ever bring.

In Words and Photos: A Decade After

2010-12-30T02:06:00.033+08:00

After arriving home from a gathering with high school friends, aajao, one of the most popular personal bloggers who became Buhay Pinoy PEX Moderator, surprisingly made efforts to reach me via Facebook chat. We had a little catching-up, and he shared that he is preparing a long narrative of his experiences for the last ten years aka a "decade-ender" blog entry of some sort. His idea inspired me to come-up with something similar, except that mine is perhaps more simple and more condensed. I've been wanting to do this, but I had doubts of being able to finish it if I were to write in a similar fashion as my birthday blog entry series (1, 2, 3, 4). In the end, I thought I should just summarize my decade-ender entry in words and in selected photos.

Note that the experiences that I highlighted are perhaps the "top of mind" stopovers of my life for the last ten years. As evidenced by the different narratives that I posted in this blog, I had a lot of interesting stopovers, met several people from different walks of life, and faced numerous challenges and triumphs. This list does not completely capture all stopovers, triumphs and failures I had.

With that, allow me to share to you my life after a decade... in words and in photos.

2001: The decade started with my last three months as a junior high school student. Early 2001, we held the annual Noli Me Tangere festival in San Beda. It's one of those annual competition in High School where each section is expected to present a play that would capture the lessons from Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. I remember that our class won first place and bagged most of the awards. It was also one of the most exciting times of my High School life, and I found some of my closest High School friends from my third year class. The rest of the year basically revolved around my Senior High School Life. I was a Student Council committee member back then, so you can perhaps regard me as a "bibo kid". I was semi-active in High School debates, and we had a freaky and insightful immersion in Batangas. It was also the time when I did take the college entrance tests, and it was also the time when I became a big fan of animes like Flame of Recca, Fushigi Yuugi, Samurai X, etc. I also remember attending a periodic gathering of anime fanatics via the now defunct Weareanime. Though this group is no longer existing, I managed to find a few friends from this circle, even if we talk things that are not anime-related.

2002: This year marked the end of my High School Life and the beginning of College life. I started my tertiary life as an Accountancy major. Suffice to say that the course and the major subjects were difficult and were not appealing enough for me, haha. It was also the year when I joined Pinoyexchange.com as a forumer.

2003: I consider this year as the toughest year I had during this decade. On this year, I flunked Financial Accounting, and this served as the trigger point for me to shift to Financial Management. Back then, FinMa was a new course. Without so much certainty and with my confidence that the course will help me become a successful CEO one day, I decided to leave the portals of the "highly-regarded" Accountancy program. Interestingly, it was in October 2003 when I started to have a Friendster account, the very first social networking site for us Pinoys.

2004: This year marked the beginning of my blogging experience. Back then, I maintained a free blog site at Xanga. I remember that I was a trying-hard blogger, and I used not to distill what I blog. Right now, I am still a trying-hard blogger, but I try to be conscious and rational with my posts. It was also the year when I became active at the Junior Financial Management Association, the professional organization of FinMa. It was also the year when I first became an active Chalk Magazine student correspondent, and it was the year when I voted for the first time. My vote went to Raul Roco and Hermie Aquino for the positions of President and Vice-President, respectively. Lastly, it was the year when we had our Lay Apostolate with the kids of Pangarap Foundation. We had our encounter with kids that had so much potential. It was also the time when I became an irregular student.

2005: This was the year when I made the first stretch towards seeking achievements. I participated as a contestant in the 7th Intercollegiate Finance Competition, I sought for a slot in the 8th Ayala Young Leaders Congress (but to no avail), and I became visible on youth programs of Studio 23 such as YSpeak and Breakfast.

2006: This year was perhaps the luckiest year I've had in terms of tangibles. Can you believe that I became a contestant at a primetime game show on ABS-CBN? I made a Deal with Kris Aquino, haha. It was also the year when I was awarded as one of the top ten outstanding students of San Beda-CAS. It was also during this year when I became an intern of Colayco Foundation. It was also the first year when San Beda became a champion in NCAA Basketball. Lastly, this was the year when I started blogging here at Blogger.com. I also opened an online photo storage and became connected with friends via Multiply.

2007: This was the year when I officially left the portals of San Beda College with Academic Distinction. Thanks to my great friend slash foster father, I was able to find the ideal path for my career. I landed a research job in an investment house, where I stayed for one year and eight months. What made my first job even more interesting is the fact that the world economy was (and is probably still is) in recession. I also got my first award in a national competition, thanks to Starfish Magazine Nationwide essay writing contest. I also played as a studio contestant at the now-defunct noontime gameshow "Game KNB?"

2008: This was perhaps the year when I made my first serious professional undertakings. I was able to acquire a CFC designation, and I passed Level I of the CFA Exams. It was also the year when I made my first Asian tour. I had the chance to visit Siam Reap and Kuala Lumpur with some new-found friends. It was also the year when I first became active in Facebook, and it was the year when I had my first series of "shockwave treatment" for my kidney stones.

2009: This was perhaps the the second toughest year I had during the decade (next to 2003, when I shifted to FinMa). I experienced passing the above-knee flooded street of Mendiola during Ondoy. Also, while I was able to get a direct exposure in "investment banking" this year, it was also the time when I had to change employers twice, haha. (MIB Despedida videos: 1, 2) It was also the year when I became a bit active in Twitter. It was also this year when I joined the academe as a part-time lecturer at San Beda.

2010: Indeed, this year was exciting. I celebrated my silver year of existence in Hong Kong and Macau, and I was able to buy a popular tablet. I managed to stay put in my current workplace and gained new knowledge in previously untapped fields like the stock market. However, it was also a year of failure in my professional endeavors. I did not pass Level II of the CFA Exams, and it took me quite some time before I was able to fully accept the outcome. It was also election period this year. It was both an awesome and troublesome experience for most Pinoys because of the automation of elections.

As I was writing this, I had two funny realizations:

I never had a love life this past decade, hehe.
No matter how much I disown certain experiences and people in/from San Beda, I still spent more than half of the last decade at this school.

Indeed, it was quite a colorful decade. I wouldn't be who, what, and where I am now without these experiences, and the people that stopped by my life, be it those who stayed or otherwise. In between this 10-year journey, I lost some connections but gained new relationships. I found the best and the worst people this decade as well, both in my personal and professional life. To all the people that contributed into what I have become, please accept my sincerest thanks. Thank you for your stopover.

Cheers to the new beginning, and welcome new decade!

postscript January 2, 2011: I also realized that the decade started with Harry Potter's first book aired on the big screen, and it ended with the first part of book 7. Hahaha.

My Top 10 Crazy Moments in 2010

2010-12-28T22:29:00.015+08:00

Just a few days ago, I tried thinking about how to share some sort of a year-end blog entry here at Pinoy Potter's Chronicles. And since the year's last two digits end in "10", it is not surprising that most year-end blog entries would enumerate the "top 10" of a particular category or topic. I thought what the heck, might as well join the bandwagon.

A lot of crazy things actually happened to me in 2010. Although these events perhaps cannot in anyway overtake the craziness brought about by my Ondoy experience last year, suffice to say that there are several instances that made me feel crazy during the year. Mind you, some of these instances are life-threatening, hahaha.

With that, allow me to share the top 10 crazy moments I had for year 2010 (ranked in accordance to craziness, haha).

1) The Hong Kong amazing race - this should be the most physically tiring and exhausting experience I had during the year. At the very beginning of August 15, 2010, we arrived at the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal. From there, we decided to go to our hostel via MTR, the city's light rail transit. We had to go up to the station by stairs, bringing along with us our luggages. What even made it worse (and funny, as we know it now) is the fact that we had a hard time locating our hostel, it took us another 30-45 minutes before we were able to find our hostel's location.

The second day of our tour made it even more tiring for us. We had to wait in a long line for our Ngong Ping Village tour, and we waited for almost an hour for our Victoria's peak tour. We also went to the night market the evening of our second day of stay. The third day made the tiresome journey even more extended, thanks to your Disneyland tour. But what the heck, I loved Space Mountain. Haha.

2) Home almost caught in fire - On June 11, 2010, our house experienced a very stressful and unnecessary panic moment. A house that just two or three houses away from our home was caught in fire. The cause? Octopus connection and neglect of a couple who left their child sleeping while the TV was one. At that time, I really realized that we will never be ready with fire. I worried about my grandmother's safety, and I also became concerned about looking for another house. At that time, I was so unsure on how we can afford renting. But the Lord was so nice to us. Nothing bad happened to our house, and to our neighborhood.

3) Bomb threat at Ayala Tower One - As you may begin to notice, I've had a lot of life-threatening experience this year. Haha. Last October 21, 2010, the trading floor received a bomb threat phone call. The aftermath? All employees of the 35-storey building panicked. We all had to pass by the fire exit and leave the building. Good thing I only had to go 10 floors down, but for some of my friends and colleagues, they had to come from as high as 28 floors. Even Don Jaime Zobel had to leave via fire exit, passing by all 35 floors.

4) Sober club and my un-sober reaction - last December 18, I had some "mobile bar party" with my colleagues. I tried all sorts of alcoholic drinks. We even had a competition with my guy colleagues, and we tried the "miami vice" drink that had ten levels. The highest record set at the miami vice drink was "level 7". I was only able to last up to 3 levels. Perhaps it's blessing in disguise that I didn't make it to the fourth level. I had to vomit after that. I also had to see my gastro doctor a few days after. Thank God I'm ok. But it is to my happiness to say that I had so much fun doing that. I was able to remove all the stress brought about by work and personal stuff. But after that, I swore not to drink any liquor next year.

5) When I failed Level II of the CFA Exams - this is perhaps the most painful experience I had this year. It wasn't life threatening, but this experience caused a big hurt in my pride. I rarely feel insecure about other people that are "more goodlooking", but I feel easily insecure to people that have had so much achievements, most especially if they are of my age or younger. Of course I am consciously aware that I should never compare myself to others so that I won't become vain or better (as said in Desiderata), but at times like these, I can't help it. I belong to a competitive industry, and I came from an undermined program in college. I have created some sort of a "smart impression" to a handful of people. That's why I found it too difficult at first to tell others that I failed. I was able to accept it after a few days, but it took me quite some time to feel secure again.

When I found out about my failure, I posted this crazy Facebook status:

"basted ako kagabi. Masakit pero unti-unti ko nang natatanggap. Magpapalamig muna ako ng ilang araw, tapos manliligaw muli sa loob ng isang taon. Sana sa panahong iyon, handa na niya akong tanggapin. (PAALALA: isa itong tayutay. Salamat sa mga kaibigan at kasamahang dumamay)."

My Facebook status above got flooded with comments. People actually thought that I was dumped by a girl. But an ex-officemate slash colleague responded with another poem:

mga gabing ginugol mo sa panunuyo at panliligaw

ay tila mga pagsubok lamang,

namugto man ang mga mata sa paghihintay,

tabula rasa'y nabigyan mo ng kulay.

...napatunayan mong busilak ang 'yong kalooban,

kaya pagpapahinga'y nararapat naman.

diwa'y iidlip mo lang muna,

sa malayong bayan ika'y magpahinga.

bukas sa iyong paggising,

yugtong natahak iyo uling babagtasin.

ngunit bago magpatuloy kaibigan,

sana'y h'wag mong kakalimutan,

na kami'y nandito lang,

nag-aantay na iyong daananan,

sa kantong ating pinag-iinuman.

6) Two hours in line for my right of suffrage - the first half of 2010 was perhaps one of the most exciting periods in the Philippines' recent political history. We all had the chance to vote for a new President, and we had so much choices back then. I remember campaigning actively on the web for my bet "Richard Gordon", and I also remember sending a lot of information in the web about the dirty tactics of ex-Presidential candidate Manny Villar. I was so full of energy, to the point that I was "full tank" in energy during the May 10, 2010 elections. By the way, my question to Lisa Masa was mentioned by Ces Drilon at "Bandila", the late-night news program of ABS-CBN.

However, that full-tank of energy almost dried up during the voting proper. I had to wait for more than two hours just to reach the precint, thanks to you PCOS Machine! Good thing I could surf the web via 3G, and it was even better that I had Archie comics with me. What even made the experience worse was the fact that one of the PCOS Machines in our school precint got broken.

7) Unlucky turned lucky Bingo Card - Last September 2, 2010, the Money Market Association of the Philippines had a Bingo Night at Makati Sports Club. For someone who is not really in the field of Treasury, I won an Ipod Touch. The game? The unlucky card. Haha. The rules were simple: He who has the Bingo Card that does not contain the drawn numbers wins. I won, haha. Thanks to that, I had extra funds for my Ipad purchase.

8) Petrong Ina and Cebu Pack! - I had the worst "jack of all trade" experience job during the IPO of PPREF and CEB, haha. But in order to protect my professional life, I won't say much, haha. Let's just say that for a time, these tickers were banned from my vocabulary.

9) Just The Way I Was Not - Last December 16, 2010, I attended what I initially thought as the most dull Christmas Party of IHAP. However, thanks to my crazy moment, I brought the house down, haha. I sang "Just The Way You Are" with Sabrina Orial in a duet, and I had a "holding hands" moment with her. Haha. That was classic!

10) Zip line ala Superman - It was January 30 of this year when I went to Subic Tree Top Adventure with my ex-MIB friends. It was technically my 2nd time to try the zip line, but it was my first time to try it in a Superman position. My friends didn't know that I was scared myself, except that our friend Mayen was so much more frightened than any of us, so my scared moment remained unnoticed. Haha.

Runners-up:

An almost contestant at WW2BAM - Last February, I could have joined my Bedahigh friends on their crazy trip to Zoocobia. But I chose to attend the screening of TV5's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. I passed the written exams, and I had my "camera test", but for some reason, I did not receive a return call. Perhaps I was just meant to be seen at ABS-CBN primetime.
The 6/55 Lotto craze - for like three weeks, I was constantly betting at the 6/55 lottery. Unfortunately, I did not get the PHP700++ million jackpot!
The defense of my students - last September, I came up with a defense for my CorpFin students at San Beda. I invited my friends and colleagues to be a panelist. They all had fun for the rest of the day, thanks to the catchphrases made by my students. Haha.

What a way to experience my silver year of existence, hahaha.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:00:00.002+08:00

May this Christmas give us the chance to be a blessing to others, most especially to those who need it most, to those who least expect it, and to those that we deeply care about, and to those that deeply cared for us. A Blessed Christmas to you and your family.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Anticipation 2010: the silliest things!

2010-12-23T09:53:00.014+08:00

Perhaps this is the only Christmas when I did the silliest things: I had lechon kawali overload (not once, but twice!), I gave the most creative and nastiest gifts to people, I made other friends give nasty gifts to fellow friends (including a Cherifer Premium for Adults to a not-so-tall friend), I sang Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are" in a duet with a rising vocalist in an association's party, and I drank a lot of alcohol that I've reached my limit for the first time.

I'm a bit regretful to the fact that I punished my body, but I am not regretful in joining that particular party with friends of course. I still won't miss it for the world. Of course I learned that I have to take care of my not-so-healthy body from now on. I learned it the hard way. I've been drinking a lot of healthy stuff from Big Chill recently, including Wheat Grass!

Indeed, the celebrations in anticipation of the holidays could be more exciting than the holidays per se. To all my friends who made it possible, thank you for your time and cheers. These were times well-spent. Thank you also for the gifts, and for your generosity.

With that, cheers to friendship!

In Search for Rational People in the World

2010-12-18T11:10:00.006+08:00

Lately, I've been surrounded by people that possess either a single or a combination of the following traits:

stupid
dumb
a-hole or cheeky
irrational

I could take any combination of the first three above, but I somehow take issues against people that are irrational. I mean, to hell with their irrational decisions, but to make a mockery against rational ideas of rational people?

In this society dominated by irrational people, certain norms and perceptions have labeled a lot of irrational actions as cool, or rather, natural in human nature. Sometimes I just hate it when they claim they have the ideas, and that what they know or what happened to them is the rule, even if on certain instances, these are exceptions.

I've been existing in this world for 25 years, and yet, I only realized about this in recent years. This frustration, however, was fueled up very recently.

I've the read the book "The Fountainhead" last year, and I plan to read it again. Basically, part of the plot is that the protagonist is surrounded with stupid, dumb, cheeky and irrational people (what a coincidence!). He stood his ground, sticked to what should be right in the world of architecture regardless of public opinion and perception.

However, how can you be this tough and steadfast in the real world dominated by irrational people?

It is precisely because of these irrational mindsets that bring the world to chaos, destroy friendships, and lead to divorce or annulment. I've been surrounded with break-ups and malfunctioned relationships for the longest time. Sometimes, I can't take it anymore.

Lucky are those who find rational people in their family members, friends, and more importantly, partners. I really envy them.

That is why I'm officially in search for rational people in the world, to be worthy of my trust. Correspondingly, I'm also opening my search for female rational people with whom I can spend the rest of my life with. When I say rational, I mean she isn't superficial, shallow, and should decide based on a good combination of emotion and reason.

Childhood Nostalgia - Japanese Tokusatsu

2010-12-12T02:49:00.011+08:00

I understand that the cartoon profile pic fever on Facebook has ended, but I thought of continuing my sharing on Childhood Nostalgia. This time, allow me to share some of my favorite Japanese live action shows aired on Philippine free TV during the 90s. I have to admit though that back then, I really didn't memorize the plot of these Tokusatsus, haha. I just remember that IBC 13 was a serious force on television back then because of these Japanese live action series.

Bioman - from what I remember, this certain robot covered in gold named Peebo was looking for people who had traces of Bio particles after their planet got destroyed. These people that possessed such particles would later on become part of the Bio Team. For a time though, I wondered why the show was not titled "Biomen", haha. But admittedly, my most favorite episodes are a) when the first Yellow IV died (Part 1, 2), and b) when the even cooler Yellow IV was introduced (Part 1, 2).

Maskman - again I did wonder why the show was not titled Maskmen, hahaha. But perhaps this live action series was the freshest in my memory because it was the show with a tagalog opening and ending song. When I was still with my first employer, I remember recounting the good old TV shows of our childhood with my colleagues, and it was Maskman that I was able to sing both opening and ending theme songs as part of our recalling session. My favorite character in Maskman: the monster who summons giant monsters who would consistently complain every time he is asked to summon a monster, haha. I can't find the monster's name in Japanese, but I think he was called "Kukirampa" in the tagalog version. I actually feel bad right now that I cannot recall all their hand formations.

Shaider - when I was in third year high school, someone from our class broke the news that the main character of Shaider died. At that time, I really felt sad. Shaider back then was the most popular because he is a one-man team (though assisted by Annie up to a certain extent). I must say that Shaider and Annie were the hottest Japanese live action stars of their generation, haha. Also, this series was so memorable that I even recall the chant for Shigishigi.

I also remember that Channel 2 used to air Ultraman and Magmaman back-to-back on weekends. However, I can't even recall which Ultraman it was, and there seems to be no videos on youtube about Magmaman. Although I remember that Magmaman was being summoned using a spoon, haha

It really rocks to be a child of the 90s. I feel sorry for the current generation. Good thing there is still the good old anime for the present batch of kids like Naruto.

In the future, I shall write about the my top anime picks, from the early 90s, late 90s, to the start of the 21st century, haha. But for now, my Childhood Nostalgia has to take a pause to give way to Christmas celebration.

Childhood Nostalgia - ABS-CBN toons of the 90s!

2010-12-04T23:30:00.020+08:00

Last Wednesday night, I was really surprised to see my Facebook friends changing their profile pictures into cartoon characters. Their status stated the following:

Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until monday there should be no human faces on facebook, but an invasion of memories! This is for a campaign against violence on children.

So I thought what the heck, might as well join the bandwagon. For my case, I used a photo of Combatron as my profile pic. Combatron is a character from Funny Komiks, who can be considered as the pinoy funnier version of Capcom's Rockman/Megaman. I still fondly remember how loyal I was to Funny Komiks, at least until Kombatron ended.

Until last Friday, I learned from GMA News that there was really no serious "non-violence day for children". Still, it was worth the fun.

As I write this, perhaps around 70-80% of my friends in facebook changed their profile pics to cartoon and comic characters. So I thought of writing a piece about the cartoons and comics that made my childhood complete.

Allow me to begin with the cartoons that we used to watch every 10AM or every 4PM on ABS-CBN during the 90s. Let's face it, these are the cartoons that made our day complete back during our elementary days. I will write a separate entry about the other cartoons, like animes, american cartoons, and comic characters.

And here they are in no particular order. Note that I didn't specify all cartoons, since there are only a few cartoons that really struck me.

1) Cedie: Ang Munting Prinsipe - Who would forget Cedie's story? The american kid who turned up to be an heir of his rich grandfather from Dorincourt? The grandfather used to be mean, but Cedie was able to change his ways, moreso his heart. In fact, I remember there was a movie adaptation of this by Star Cinema. Perhaps I considered this as my favorite cartoon shown in ABS-CBN because somehow I could relate to Cedie. I remember that when Cedie was staying in the castle with his grandfather, he would stare at the balcony looking at the distant house where his mom is staying. I remember doing the same whenever I would miss my mom when we were still living in Dividend Homes, Taytay Rizal. I used to stare at the horizon from our backyard, viewing the Ortigas buildings. Cheesy but true.

Opening theme of Cedie here.

2) Sarah: Ang Munting Prinsesa - similar to the popularity of Cedie, the story of Sarah Crewe indeed touched the hearts of my generation. Sarah was the daughter of a rich mine owner who was sent to a girl school in London, but she became a maid of the same school after her father died. Darn you Miss Minchin! This also had a Star Cinema adaptation.

Opening of Sarah (japanese) here.

On a lighter note: for a time, I did hope for Cedie and Sarah to meet and marry each other.

3) Julio at Julia - Also known as "kambal ng tadhana". I remember that they have seven different powers that are being triggered whenever Julio and Julia would hold hands. I can't exactly remember the plot, except that the twins are supposed to save an empire from "Reyna Dowager" and to fulfill the prophecy.

Julio at Julia opening here.

4) Si Mary at ang Lihim na Hardin - The playful Mary, who became lonely because she was left to stay with a housekeeper, found the key to a beautiful garden. I remember the paralyzed guy in the photo below used to be grumpy, but it was Mary who made him walk.

Si Mary at ang Lihim na Hardin opening here.

5) A Dog of Flanders - the tearjerker story of Nello and Patrash, the friendship between an innocent child and a dog who had to sell milk and fight their way against social injustice. It had one of the saddest endings amongst the cartoons I've watched.

A Dog of Flanders opening here.

6) Peter Pan - the flying boy who fought against Captain Hook, haha!

Peter Pan opening here.

7) Remi - who would forget Remi? The young guy who went on a journey with "Kapitan Vitalis" and his troupe animals (including a monkey and dog) in order to earn some money. People who are fond of their music would drop coins at Remi's hat, and the coins are being gathered by his dog Capi. My childhood was able to follow Remi as the boy, but in the later years, a female adaptation was also made. I remember that when each of us were asked to sing a song in Grade 3, I sang the japanese opening song of Remi. Haha.

Remi opening here (though I think this isn't the actual lyrics of the opening in Japan, this must have been dubbed in another country, or vice-versa).

8) The Trapp Family Singers - Perhaps this is one of those cartoons in the 90s that did not really sink in much in my mind. But I do know that this story was based on the Sound of Music, the main character of which was a frustrated nun-wannabe.

9) Pasko ni Santa (no picture) - I also recall that there was a Christmas cartoon shown on ABS-CBN. Forgive me for not remembering the plot, but I do know how to sing its theme song, which was I think sung by Jolina Magdangal. I used to sing the theme song during our carolings as well.

Sino nga ba siyang nakasuot pula?

Hila ng mga usa

Puti ang balbas niya, siya'y mataba

Lahat ng batay's naghihintay sa kanya

Namimigay siya ng mga regalo

Tuwing sasapit ang araw ng pasko

Mula sa araw na ito

Maghihintay kami sayo

Saan ka ba, nagmumula?

Sana doon kami'y isama mo

Nais nais makita kung pano ginagawa

Mga regalong pinamimigay mo

Nais naming... laruan, libro, damit na pamasko!

Oh, I miss the good and innocent days. When I did a bit of research about these cartoons, it turned out that some of them were originally aired in Japan as early as 1970s and 80s, but thanks to ABS-CBN, our generation could share a common cartoon nostalgia.

On a side note:

Let's also not forget ATBP (Awit Titik Bilang at Iba Pa), the post-programming of the morning cartoons of ABS-CBN. I think this show gave Batibot a serious competition. But I did love both shows. There was no way you would love ATBP if you did not grow up watching Batibot, the original morning kids show. I am hopeful that TV5's rejuvenation of this show will be a success.

Remember ATBP's Alpahebot song? Speaking of ATBP, believe it or not, Patricia Ann Roque became my phonepal before. Now, she is a reporter in TV5, and was once an apple of the eye of the current President.

There was also Bananas in Pajamas, hahaha. Although I think this is still being shown on The Disney Channel.

More of childhood nostalgia coming soon! My next blog entry would be about super sentais, tokusatsus or japanese live action shows like Maskman, Bioman, Shaider.

p.s. now I want DVDs of these cartoons!

November celebrations!

2010-11-30T22:26:00.002+08:00

Baby Chelsea's baby shower (the new Dad in the middle)

my cousin Myles' debut

Roschelle's wedding

Glen's wedding

The photos above just show that we are all aging, and yet some just moved on to another chapter in their lives faster despite everybody's parallel increase in age count. Despite the seemingly expensive ways to celebrate, all I can say is cheers!

The 2009 Top Individual Taxpayers list

2010-11-01T16:51:00.001+08:00

I came across the pinoyexchange thread about the top individual taxpayers for the year 2009. I was surprised at the rankings. The top taxpayers belong to the entertainment and broadcast industry, talent and executives alike.

Some notable celebrities included in the and their respective ranks and tax dues are the following:

3) Revillame, Wilfredo Buendia – PHP57,248,831.34

12) Gozon, Felipe Lapuz – PHP22,197,208.29

17) Duavit, Gilberto Jr Roy – PHP19,774,370.29

18) Pangilinan, Sharon Cuneta – PHP19,546,807.70

20) Pangilinan, Manuel Velez – PHP19,284,666.67

39) Yap, Kristina Bernadette Aquino – PHP12,786,797.52

50) Pascual, Piolo Jose Nonato – PHP11,509,860.48

62) Gracia, Marian Rivera – PHP10,115,118.10

74) Enriquez, Miguel Castro – PHP9,313,517.00

86) Cruz, John Lloyd Espidol – PHP8,599,032.56

97) Santos, Judy Anne Lumagui – PHP8,210,404.89

For continuation, click my blog View from Ayala Avenue.

Life (and bomb threats) as we know it

2010-10-23T01:20:00.006+08:00

Around four months ago, I had a traumatic experience at home. Our house was almost caught in fire, literally. I was kinda hopeful that it would be my last traumatic experience.

Lo and behold, what was supposed to be an ordinary October 21, 2010 turned out to be another "unnecessary stress" day. There was a bomb threat at the trading floor of Ayala Tower One. An announcer went to all the offices at our floor and announced over a megaphone that we all had to evacuate.

The photos below show what happened next, at least from the 10th floor to Ayala Triangle Gardens.

Of course we are sincerely glad that the threat was false. It's really discouraging to know that some people have got nothing decent to do.

But on a lighter note, it is really funny to see how "scared" my officemates were. I wasn't any braver, but they were literally shaking while going down the stairs.

p.s. in case you are wondering where the title of this post came from, it's because I just watched "Life as We Know" it starring Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heighl. I thought it was a chick flick, but I was mistaken.

On San Beda's 4th Championship Title for the decade

2010-10-18T22:21:00.013+08:00

I had the chance to watch the second game between San Beda Red Lions and San Sebastian Golden Stags last Friday, October 15, 2010. Despite the series of client calls I had to do on Cebu Air, Inc. IPO, I still rushed to the Araneta Coliseum with my friends, notwithstanding the fact that a counterparty messed up with our Patron tickets. Thanks to my reliable present students, we were able to get Upper Box A tickets. We had good seats by the way.

It wasn't exactly a "do or die" game. It is neither a crucial nor electrifying, at least not compared to the 82nd Season Game 3.

However, there were at least three considerations about this season's game that are worthy of acclamation:

The Red Lions posted an 16-0 record. If i'm not mistaken, this was the first time that San Beda skipped the Final Four and got accelerated to the Finals. It was also the first time when a school had a thrice-to-beat advantage. The record was further extended to 18-0, thanks to San Beda's determination to win the finals.
Sudan Daniel's shots and assists were beyond amazing. By the way, never underestimate his dunks and "supalpals".
Borgy Hermida was the ultimate work-in-progress. Before, though he was already good then, he was less noticed and had lesser exposure or playtime in the courts. However, he just proved that a work-in-progress can result to a quality finished product. What's even more notable about Borgy Hermida is that he stayed at San Beda for 16 years. He is way more loyal than me. Though I'm aware that loyalty can never be measured by tenure, I'd like to make him an exception.

I cannot give a fair assessment about the rest of the players. Honestly, I didn't get to know them. I've only seen game 2. But the fact that it's only Borgie Hermida who will leave the team means that we can still expect more championships in the coming seasons. Besides, it's more than enough to say that the rest also did really well. There were a lot of surprise three points and ""alley-oops", it made us shout in joy even if San Sebastian didn't get the chance to get a lead.

By the way, while I have long accepted the entry of the female population in my Alma Mater, I still sang our Alma Mater Hymn with the line "through the carefree days of our boyhood". However, aside from having good friends from the Bedan opposite sex, I didn't realize how cute it was to have female little Indians, at least not until the halftime cheer during the game.

Also, during the game, I realized that San Beda may be many things, but our community was too exclusive that Bedans were too at home with each other. It's perhaps one of those traits of my fellow Bedans that I will not trade with any other school communities.

But don't get me wrong. San Beda is not just about basketball, and it is definitely not just about law school or the accountancy program. San Beda is way larger than that, but it's another story. For now, I am glad about the kind of bond and community formation that basketball brings amongst us Bedans.

Photos courtesy of Roxanne.

Top 10 things I'm grateful for at 10-10-10-10-10

2010-10-10T22:10:00.001+08:00

In the tradition of my "25 Years in retrospect" blog entry series, I'd like to share the top ten blessings that were given to me to date.

the gift of family, that extends beyond blood, for the home, formation, and guidance
the gift of friends from different walks of life, for the loyalty, shoulder, company and trust
the gift of health, I'm happy to be alive and kicking
the gift of opportunities and experiences, that allow me to discover what I'm capable of doing, for letting me see what I would have missed in this limited life, and for letting me see a lot of places
the gift of thinking, that enables me to look for answers in some questions that life had to offer
the gift of challenges, that made me become stronger and better
the gift of strength, that allows me go overcome the countless challenges, physical or otherwise, no matter how tough these are
the gift of time, that allow me to enjoy the simplest moments, as well as the timeless encounters
the gift of life, 25 years and counting, that made me appreciate all these gifts
the gift of love, the ultimate blessing of all

Whether this 10-10-10 numerology has luck or not, we always have to count our blessings... not just the top 10 blessings, but ALL the blessings that we are enjoying.

Archie Comics in politics

2010-10-03T12:01:00.002+08:00

I'm a revived Archie Comics fan. It's been almost two years since I started collecting Archie and Jughead double digests again, although I've been buying Archie, Jughead, heck even Veronica single comics and double digests too. In fact, I even had a "free comic day" edition of the said comics. I even bought "Archie: The Proposal", and I'm currently collecting "Archie: The Married Life".

But this is perhaps the most exciting issue in Archie's recent history.

The memories of Ondoy

2010-09-26T13:21:00.007+08:00

It's been exactly a year since Ondoy (or Katsana) literally washed the Metropolis. It is still clear in my mind how the Typhoon with barely no strong winds flooded the San Beda campus as well as Mendiola and Legarda streets. I literally had to walk past Mendiola and Legarda, notwithstanding the floods that are above knees. Heck... it took me five to six hours before I was able to go to SM Makati. My waiting experience at LRT2 Legarda station and MRT Cubao station were both agonizing, but I bet it was more traumatizing to my female students who were with me and had to go to their house that were more affected than any other place (e.g. Marikina, Rizal and Bulacan).

I remember how much I cursed the administrators in our school for not suspending the classes early on, only to realize that my experience was nothing compared to those residing in Marikina and other cities and municipalities that are in low areas. Though our street here in Makati was flooded, at least the floods were only at the same level as our flooring. The waters did not go inside our house. It was also relieving to know back then that we had electricity, internet connection, and even cable TV connection. It was perhaps the first and best time when I was reminded to count my blessings, which I try to consciously do from now on.

Last year, I also had the chance to participate in our school's relief operations. We visited Payatas and gave some relief goods to the affected residents of Payatas. Of course I do not necessarily agree with how these residents choose to live their lives, but being an Ondoy victim wasn't one of their conscious choice. It was quite sad seeing the leftovers of the typhoon at their area. I remember that even the electrical wirings which were supposedly above a two-storey house, were surrounded by mud.

I tried searching for some forum or sites where people discuss their Ondoy experiences. As I browse and check the posts of some forumers at Pinoyexchange, I realized that indeed, I was way more fortunate, and I am sincerely grateful not because the others suffered, but because me, my family and closest friends were saved. For my case, my tangible and intangible possessions, including proofs of my treasured memories, were preserved.

I am also sincerely glad that the people close to me that were directly affected by Ondoy were safe. I know some of them had to stay at the second floor of their houses, and I even know one who had to stay at the roof for hours. On the bright side, it made them stronger as a person, and as a family.

Change is constant...

2010-09-24T23:59:00.004+08:00

...and it is sinking in this month, or a month after the quarter of my century. Change is surrounding me, as if everything and everyone is in motion.

If change is something that's within my full power, then I wouldn't be suffering from "last song syndrome" with this song:

Manila shall rise again

2010-08-23T23:21:00.003+08:00

...after all that has been said and done, let's all move on with dignity and stand up from what's left after this tragic event. Not one man can put down a nation with mostly good people. :-)

courtesy: Team Manila Lifestyle

This is my simple message of hope for the nation after the hostage taking incident that saddened the entire Philippines today.

A Silver Birthday Vacation

2010-08-21T16:02:00.002+08:00

Thank you Hong Kong and Macau, for the "amazing race" vacation. Thank you Kats, Alex and Jam for the company.

Photos courtesy of Kats Lino and Jam Mercado

25 Years in Retrospect: Epilogue

2010-08-11T23:12:00.006+08:00

---

Previously:

25 Years in Retrospect: Life in the Labor Force

---

I'd like to end the series of blog entries I made in anticipation of the end of the quarter of my life's century by sharing some of the important quotations that I try to live by. I cannot claim that I remember these quotes, but fate somehow knows how to remind me to live by these quotes.

"Failure doesn't mean you are a failure... it just means you haven't succeeded yet." - Robert H. schuller.

Indeed, I don't have to win to become a winner, and an infant's legs become stronger after falling down a number of times. And should success and triumph finally arrive, I try to savor the moment but at the same time keep my feet on the ground. I've been boastful a lot of times, but in the midst of my overconfidence, something or someone will suddenly remind me this Desiderata poem...

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. - Max Ehrmann

And I thank San Beda High School Guidance Office for obliging us to memorize Desiderata in compliance with our graduation requirements back in High School. Since then, I've never forgotten the line "for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself". Indeed, the world is an ocean, and I can only perhaps be better in a pond.

I've been through a lot, and a lot of people has given me advise on how to deal with life and its facets. But I'd like to share some quotations that I realized are true "after of the fact" and "the hard way".

"What is essential is invisible to the naked eye" - The Little Prince

What's being seen by our eyesight is not always true, and is not always the complete picture. More importantly, what a person manifests does not always reflect how he or she feels and thinks. You may call it weird and an act of lying, but I've learned how to act differently from what I think or feel.

"...The wind.... once it leaves, it cannot return to the same place..." - Boys Over Flowers

In such a situation, either be prepared to lose that important person or thing, or do not act jerkly and hold on to that important person or thing. This was one lesson I learned the really hard way. But if all else fails...

..Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value. What a man is and makes of himself; not what he has or hasn't done for others. There is no substitute for personal dignity... - The Fountainhead

Perhaps this quotation from Ayn Rand is the best lesson I learned in the last 25 years. In terms of survival, maybe no man is an island, but I can claim that each of us can live life to the fullest and achieve our purpose of existence by our cognition and the choices that we make, be it strategic or emotional choices, and no matter how life unfair is. It is scary to be like Howard Roark of the novel I've read, but he will remain as my benchmark for what I can make of myself. I hope I have a few more twenty-five years to do that, and I can do it either with a significant other, or via solo flight. This lesson is perhaps the hardest pill to swallow, but this lesson is something I learned at home. Thus, if anyone will ask me what my favorite book is, it will be The Fountainhead without a doubt.

With that, from the bottom of my heart, I thank my family, friends, colleagues, peers, acquaintances, and all the passersby in my life, be it via personal or "virtual" contact, for bringing out the best and worst in me. Please accept my sincerest thanks for sharing yourselves, your time, your thoughts, and to a certain extent, your emotions. Until the next quarters of my century.

Special credits: my ex-pet dog Ninja, Pikachu, to the animes I've watched, Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montserrat, Our Lady of Manaoag Church, my MSI Laptop, Pinoyexchange, my blog site Pinoy Potter's Chronicles, The Fountainhead, and R. Quattrone.