The Year of the Franc

On the eve of a new year, there are always two things that one does... One is to look back and the next is looking forward... Looking back, we'd want to see how the passing year was and looking forward we'd like to see what we'd want going into the new year...

Looking back... I've been so blessed this year... An MBA degree with a silver medal award to go with it from Ateneo Graduate School of Business... A new position at work... A new car... A lot of out of the country travel... good friends... great company... and a much better life... 2006 has been definitely a milestone year for me...

Looking forward... lots of pleasant surprises (I just appreciate when people go out of their way to surprise you)... lots of travel (I still want to continue exploring the world)... friendship (Hanging out and keeping in touch with friends is always a must for me)... Love... Success... and a lot of happy moments that would last a lifetime... I hope 2007 will mean a lot more...

Resolutions for the year of the pig... the first of which is not to be one (more gym, less rice, chocolates and sweets)... More time enjoying what life has to offer... and continue doing my fair share in making the world turn in the right direction... we all ought to...

Happy New Year to all!!!

Christmas in Baguio

Spent the Christmas in Baguio... and Christmas was a bit fun this year compared to last year... as there were several more activities in line... had a round of singing that night after the regular gift giving... the fun started when I had to tease those who don't want to sing but eventually was swayed into singing after all those prodding... Also, Yvan of PDA who happens to be my neighbor in Baguio also dropped by...

Finally went out early this evening to take a peak at the various Christmas decors in Baguio... There's the giant Christmas tree at the circle near the post office... There are the lighted flower decors across the main streets of Baguio... There's the famous Baguio Cathedral with a lighted tree backdrop... There's another tree on the foot of session road... Of course, you get an excellent peak of the whole City at the various view decks in SM...

I've always seen Baguio as having vibrant structures compared to other cities... Its first flyover is designed with a Pine inspired theme... It has well-lighted overpass, which comes in so many letter (I, L, U)... There are the golf courses in John Hay and Country Club... The picturesque views of Mines View, Tam Awan Village and Botanical Garden... and a lot more...

Too bad, the plan to place a facility similar to Snow City was put on hold... It could have been a white Christmas in the city of Pines... Well, there's always next year... My fingers are crossed...

Merry Christmas to all

It's about 14 to 15 degrees here in Baguio... It sure beats the temperature of my air-conditioned unit in Makati... Anyway, just woke up after arriving this morning from a six hour bus ride from Manila early today...

Waking up late and just staying home has been a common way to spend my time in Baguio already... though a slight difference from today is that in a few hours it'll be Christmas...

Of course, I'm not expecting any gifts at all since we have a rule here that once you start working, you also are not entitled to gifts from the older generation anymore... instead it's your turn to give back... (Weird rule huh!)... Hmmm... Christmas is a time for giving anyway... Part of the joy of giving is that you get to realize that deep inside your tight budget, you still can dole out some funds for gifts...

This year is quite different though... before, I could afford to shower myself with gifts... now I have to prioritize the amortization of my car loan... Maybe I should just consider the car as my Christmas gift to myself... yeah... it's also my birthday gift... for the next four years... hehe...

Well... Christmas would not be the same without all the greetings... So, I just want to greet everyone, "a Blessed and Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year... I hope that your holidays maybe filled with love, joy and peace for all of you and your loved ones... Have fun!!!"

Christmas in Makati

In my previous Inkblogs, I took some snapshot of Christmas in Hong Kong... I just deemed it fit that I also take a peek at Christmas in Makati City... So armed with a camera... I went around Ayala Ave. and took some pics (hmm... come to think of it, I haven't been to Ayala Ave. at night lately since I usually take Buendia on my way home)...

Christmas in Makati always seemed like a light show with each building and street corner having bright lights and Christmas decor... The decorations this year even at malls pale in comparison to previous years... Probably the tough times has dampened the spirit a bit but even still... Christmas has strong bright glow in Makati... a brighter glow provided by a nation who'd always choose to have a "Merry Christmas..."

The celebrations and the decors may not be as vibrant as before… Gifts may not be as bountiful as before…. Parties may not be as extravagant as before… but I guess as long as we take a moment of our time and remember the joyous things associated with Christmas – Christ birth, the spirit of giving, the carols, the time and the celebration shared with family and friends… then Christmas is here to stay…

Anyway, I will be spending Christmas in my hometown in Baguio… the cool weather… the family and friends… I can’t wait to be home and celebrate the peak of the yuletide season…

Balik Bowling

Jay Anne, Donald, Franc and Mads (Sayang Wala si She and Mark)

Had bowling again after quite some time not playing last Thursday at Rockwell... It had to take a balikbayan (Jay Anne-now based in NY) to bring us back to the bowling lanes... So it's our turn to go balik-bowling also...

Anyway, started with a dinner at Banana Leaf in Rockwell (c/o Jay Anne after a long pleading that she should be the one to treat us)... hehe... Present were Mads, Donald, Che, Ivy and FAA... Too bad She (Cayman) and Mark (London) weren't around... I miss beating She at bowling... hehe...

Bowling didn't go well... Our scores were low compared to our previous games... probably a case of adjusting to the game again after a long layoff... Anyway, I see another round of bowling as my friends now based in Singapore would be coming back for Christmas... Hope to do better the next time...

Had a coffee at Starbucks with Jay Anne, Mads and Donald afterwards before calling it a night...

Makati Skyline

Had the Christmas party of Medtecs at the roof deck of City Garden Hotel at Makati Avenue last Friday from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm so I was able to catch a glimpse of Makati Skyline as a late afternoon view and an early evening view...

• Late afternoon... quite dark already owing to the earlier nights that accompanies the Yuletide season in the Philippines... the sun on its way to its descent still shows a slight radiance behind the buildings... Traffic still not that much at this hour...

• Early Evening... the street lights coupled by the lights coming out from the car shows a trail of lights surrounding the buildings... the darkness of the night slowly crossing over but still manages to show a blue to dark blue colored sky... Traffic is a bit worse at this hour but seeing a lot of lights coming from this altitude makes such a good sight...

You can also take a glimpse of the other side of Makati Ave... where you can also see Mandaluyong and Ortigas Area... Incidentally, there was a fireworks display that night at Ortigas which can be seen at the rooftop...

Yeah... and about the party... The view was great... hehe...

Dolphins and Sea Lions are from Show Business

Watched the "Wonderful World of Dolphins and Sea Lions" with Sharon and Family (Sioty and Yohannce), Ruth and Cathy at the Mall of Asia last Saturday... My first time to watch dolphins and sea lions perform in the Philippines... though I've watched the dolphin and sea lions show in Ocean Park in Hong Kong already... The experience watching here and there is quite different...

For one, you can watch with more friends since it's more accessible... the host was able to put on a very interactive show... the crowd was as much a part of the show as the dolphins and sea lions... Since, this was a smaller show; you can have a closer interaction with the performers... the dolphins and sea lions... Of course, the show half as fun without seeing the children having a good time... I bet Yohannce had a great time too...

Dolphins and sea lions are really performers in their own right... they're smart... agile... skilled... and playful creatures... They love people and people love them... Anyway, learned the trick in training them back at Whiskers Show in Ocean Park... You have to feed them fish for every trick they do... and they develop close bond with their trainers...

Wherever the location, dolphins and sea lions have tremendous showmanship... an entertainer to the last swim... and that I guess is a very long long swim...

Hoopless Season

It's already the middle of the NBA season and there's something missing... It’s our regular fantasy hoops with my SGV colleagues in MC2 …

It started about 6 years ago when I joined the fantasy basketball organized by Gani for MC2... I called my team then "Baguio Beans" - quite a funny name... but with my hometown city of Baguio... I thought the Beans would be a catchy moniker...

The first year, I wasn't able to monitor my team due to lack of time...

The next year, I was able to form a competitive rag tag team that narrowly missed the playoff despite lack in star power...

On its third year, I added ferocity to the team's moniker… rechristening my team as "Baguio Beanstalkers..." Eventually made the playoff but injuries to key players proved detrimental as my team got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs...

On the fourth year, injuries, inconsistency and lack of depth in the center and guard position made me miss my playoffs...

In the fifth year, I was able to finish the season with the best record and swept the first two rounds of playoffs before finishing as runner up to eventual champion, Cuidad Fernandina (Allan).

This year, HOOPS didn't offer the 2006-2007 seasons… Watching the game is not as exciting as before since before every stat would affect the outcome of your games... Apparently, it’s a HOOP LESS season this year… and just hoping that next year HOOPS can resurrect its site… and let the games begin anew…

Goodbye to a Trusty Old Pal

In a few days, I'm gonna say goodbye to a pal who's been with me for quite some time already... There are a lot of travel tales I shared with this pal...
... joined me in an audit assignment in Paris last April 2003; alongside my short tour of Holland/Amsterdam in May 2003...
... joined me in my weeklong vacation to Hong Kong last September 2003...
... joined me in my first trip to Taiwan for the Annual Report of Medtecs last March 2004...
... joined me in my due diligence review of our new subsidiary in Shanghai, China last June 2004...
... joined me in my second trip to Taiwan for another round of Annual Report review last March 2005...
... joined me in my weeklong vacation in Singapore last June 2005...
... joined me when I assisted our Taiwan subsidiary in complying with the new accounting standards last October 2005...
... joined me on my second trip to Shanghai and my first at another new subsidiary in Shandong, China last November 2005...
... joined me on yet another round of annual report review in Taiwan last March 2006...
... joined me in my first AGM in Singapore, alongside my short tour of Malaysia last April 2006...
... joined me on yet another long vacation in Hong Kong, alongside with a short tour of Macau last June 2006...
... joined me on another Board meeting in Taiwan last August 2006...
... joined me as I accompanied our auditors in a trip to our Shandong, China and Hangzhou, China subsidiaries last November 2006...
... joined me in another board meeting in Hangzhou, China accompanied by a short vacation in Hong Kong last December 2006...

68 immigration stamps... 42 flights... 14 foreign trips... 10 locations... 9 visas... 9 airlines... 8 countries... 2 cross country ferry rides... 2 cross country bus ride...

Incidentally, my pal is called a passport... which I have to renew a few months before expiration since some of the countries I visit require 1 year validity of visa... I'm gonna miss my old pal... and awaiting to meet my new passport...

I'm looking forward to travelling as much with my new passport... Anyway, I still have my mini troller bag and my a bit worn-out Jansport bag, who managed to stay with me on all of my trips... I think keeping 2 out of 3 companions is quite a good consolation... so Bon Voyage old passport...

Another Blue Christmas @ Mati's

A sort of Déjà vu from weeks ago when I arrived from another Country on Thursday to attend a get together with Ateneo Alumni and Friends on Friday... Weeks ago, it was the 40th year anniversary of Ateneo last November 24 and this time, it was a Christmas Party sponsored by Blue at Mati's in Rockwell last December 8...

The Christmas party sponsored by Blue started last year... aptly titled "Blue Christmas at Mati's..." wherein you bring toys and gift to be donated for kids... Well, this year it's another Blue Christmas and though some have already crossed the bridge as alumni (Me included)... the tradition of celebrating Christmas at the same time giving something back to the Community continues...

Well, Christmas is a time for giving (such a common phrase) but it does add much meaning to the holidays... Now its time for me to think of something to give back...

Christmas in Hong Kong

As I made a side trip (a.k.a. vacation) in Hong Kong coming from the Board Meeting in China, I had a glimpse of Christmas in Hong Kong...

I was able to chance upon the decors at Times Square at Causeway Bay and Statue Square in Central... I guess the decors and the lights are not as elaborate as here in the Philippines where every street corner would remind you of the Christmas Season... Funny thing, in the statue square that they have filled it up with different Christmas decors that the statue in the park was quite out of place... Maybe, they should have given him a Santa's hat...

I did enjoy the different feel of Christmas in Hong Kong... quite the same yet still very much different… and makes you remember that Christmas is still a more festive celebration in the Philippines, despite the tougher times… I’m now glad to be back and enjoy the usual Christmas in the Philippines - shared with family and friends (quite exciting that some friends who’s working out of the country are also now back to spend the holidays here)… Hmmm... a lot of things to look forward to…

Victoria Peak Now Giving a Higher Peak of Hong Kong

Victoria Peak

Peak Tram - One of HK's oldest Mode of Transportation

Just like the Buddha, Victoria Peak was another attraction which Hong Kong renovated recently. I've visited the Peak at night during my first visit in 2003 and the night view was spectacular... visited it at the afternoon in June this year (aside from the main viewing deck in the Peak being closed, it was so foggy so not much to see)... so this year knowing that the Peak was now newly renovated, my cousin and I visited the Peak at mid-morning.

If I can remember right the Peak in 2003 had a side viewing deck which was high but not situated at the highest level of the Peak... The new Victoria Peak had its viewing deck located at the highest point of the Peak... a thing which I felt was both a boon and a bane for the attraction... Of course, being at the highest point enjoying the soft breeze at that altitude is a reward in itself... At a higher altitude, you can see more of the roof and less of the structures...

What else can you see at the Peak??? Well, you could easily see the IFC, Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper... (I think 4th in the World... Taipei 101 of Taiwan is the highest as of the moment followed by Petronas of Malaysia)... Then, there's a wax museum within the Peak but the fee is not included in the HK$33 fee for using the Peak Tram... The Tram is one of HK's oldest modes of transportation... There are also souvenir shops and an EA Games arcade plus lots of restaurants which provide a nice view of Hong Kong...

Interesting bit of information, there are houses located in mountain areas surrounding the Peak which enjoys a higher altitude... Of course, the price of real estate is sky high at that altitude... The higher Peak still provides a nice peak of the whole city and is definitely a must for first time visitors of Hong Kong...

Path of Wisdom to the Buddha's Shrine

The World's Largest Outdoor Sitting Buddha

30 minutes cable car ride from Tung Chung MRT

SkyRail

The Path of Wisdom

Going from one place to another in Hong Kong was a common thing for me now already... so when I had the chance to go back to Hong Kong for a few days... I decided to go to newly renovated areas in Hong Kong...

Hong Kong features the world largest outdoor sitting bronzed Buddha located in Lantau Island... Actually 3 years back I visited this place... taking a one hour ferry ride from the Star Ferry terminal and another bus ride to the top of the mountain... Well, the since the Hong Kong Government had money to spend, they decided to build a skyrail system (cable car) going to the Buddha in Lantau island... Since the cable car was only operational sometime in October or November, I wasn't able to use this mode of transportation at such a long distance way back last June...

The ride was a 30 minute cable car ride known as Ngong Ping 360 / Skyrail... The ride was a bit jaw dropping, heart beat stopping and an exhilarating experience... Why??? First, you get hoisted up high wherein you could see the different views... the mountains, the ports, and even the airport... Next, the cable car ride last a full 30 minutes.... this is a lot longer than cable car rides I took at Ocean Adventure and Sentosa... and lastly, since it's still quite new and probably still in the experimental stage, there were part of the ride that the cable car stopped a few minutes... a bit scary considering the altitude... (my cousin told me that before the stopping took hours)...

Among the improvement was an integration of a Ngong Ping Village which featured restaurants, shops and other attractions... There was also the monkey tale show, an animated version showing that giving is better than receiving... the animation is quite funny... The other show is called walking with Buddha, where you get a glimpse of who Buddha was... and what he represents... The cable car ride to and from the area is about HK$88 and if you would get the package which include the Monkey's Tale and Walking With Buddha, it would cost you HK$145.

There are several spots too like the path of wisdom.... 15 minutes walk from the bottom of the Buddha where several stone carvings of Confucius teachings where located in the mountains... (actually it took me 30 minutes since I got lost in the woods as I took a wrong turn in the path)... The view was breath taking as it was both windy and you can see the surrounding mountain range...

Finally, the World's Largest Outdoor Sitting Bronzed Buddha is accessible after ascending a long path of stairs... A mini museum seats below Buddha which would lead you to the highest point you can reach the Statue... The entrance cost HK$23, without meals but includes a free tea which you may consume at a nearby Po Lin Monastery...

Places like this provide you a different appreciation of culture apart from your own and at the same time, with an open mind try to assimilate some lessons which you could grab with an open mind...

Back in Hangzhou

After 8 days in the Philippines... I went back to Hangzhou for the Board Meeting of Medtecs... It was a very short visit... leaving Philippines on December 3 and stayed in China until December 5... Well, it was colder than I expected... 4-8 degrees compared to 13 degrees two weeks earlier... Not much happened except for having a foot massage at the hotel after the preboard dinner...

The board went on smoothly and had the regular board dinner... where of course, there was the usual large consumption of wine and alcohol as a courtesy to our Chinese and Taiwanese counterparts... Good thing the alcohol content of beers and wine in China is much less compared to the Philippines except probably the Chinese White Wine which had about 60 proof... Drinking is such a common denominator in doing business in China...

The younger ones (me included)... went to gobble up more alcohol before finally going back to the hotel by midnight... Had to catch my flight the next day which was early at 8 am... to take a short breather at one of my favorite places, Hong Kong... still have to continue touring Hong Kong but that is a story reserved for another blog...

Litmix on Inkblogs

I have uploaded some of my compilations of literary stuff I made in college under the Litmix portion of http://franckxethee.blogspot.com and it contains a collection of short stories and poems I made in college. The style is quite raw coming from a writer who was passionate with writing but still had to further develop his skills. Anyway, decided not to alter much of how I previously wrote the stories just as a timestamp of the writer I was then...

There are two main short stories, one is a tall tale - or a story which most likely would not happen but given the right mix of a humor in your mind... you might just end up laughing... I hope. It's a story about ZXIOXZ (pronounced ZIYOKS), a ruler of a fictitious galaxy who has the aspiration of conquering the energy infested Earth... The stories provide an interesting twist on how Earth was able to withstand this uprising...

The next is Factual Fiction - a tale about the Nowhere Kingdom, which was somehow a phase we encounter where we are confused, disillusioned, depressed or heart-broken. The Nowhere Kingdom started with one of the art exhibit of The Pinion Arts Guild, which was the artist side of The Pinion, the official paper in our college, where I was once Editor-in-Chief. We had portrayed three people... one who aspired for greatness but failed... another who was confused... and another who always dream of being a hero but turned out otherwise... The plot was interesting for me enough that I had to convince my adviser then to allow me to write a story about this interesting group of people... Then the story of the kingdom started and I started writing several stories about the kingdom trying to paint a gloomy scenario yet always ending with a glimmer of hope... In the middle of the story, I introduced the first female main character in the Kingdom characterizing the emotion of dejection.

Before I ended the story of the Nowhere Kingdom, I somehow manage to make the world of ZXIOXZ and the beings of the Nowhere Kingdom interact in another story... after which, I had to write how the kingdom finally ended...

There are also several interesting poems which I have and will still be uploading in the future... so I hope you can take some time and browse some of my previous compilations and hopefully, you'll also enjoy some of the literary stuff I've made back then. I hope one day I can relive the passion and hopefully time would permits be able to write stuff like this again... but I guess that has to wait...

Note: Please start reading from the oldest post so as to follow the stories sequence..

Tired...

I was doing my laundry last Thursday... when I fell asleep after the second batch of laundry... I woke up several hours later to transfer my clothes in the dryer and finish my laundry... The past few weeks must have taken its toll on me... so the next day was spent on just rest and rest alone...

Actually, still was able to do something a bit productive... while waiting for the installation of my cable last friday... I was typing some of my compilations which I'll be adding in the Litmix section of my Blog later... Yehey, I can now enjoy the joys of cable tv again... (FYI... after transferring to my new apartment, I wasn't able to watch cable tv for about a month since the building is just newly constructed...

After cable was installed in my apartment, I had to rush to Megamall to have my laptop fixed... which fortunately, was still under warranty... Come to think of it, all my life, this was the first time I was able to reap the benefits of warranty coming with the product... It was another few hours wait... But since the past few weeks have been so hectic, I didn't mind just sitting in the service center just reading magazines... It's not really everyday that I got time to waste...

Well... sometimes idle time is also important once in a while as we all need to replenish our energy at some point in time... hopefully, things would be easier approaching Christmas... Naaah, I doubt...