The Year of The Franc... Again???

A full year ago, I wrote a blog on how much things went around during the year on aspects of my life... Here's the sequel of my blog written a full 365 days later... and btw, this is blog no. 200...


2006 was a time of much achievements that it was a banner year... which at times is followed by a decline the next year... but I guess that is not the case this year... I got promoted yet again mid of the year and even assumed additional responsibilities towards the end of the year... I was able to manage to have my car financed by the Company and I still continued in my jetsetting ways with several travels to Cambodia, Taiwan and Singapore... it could have been more but my appetite for travel went down towards the end of the year...


2007 was also year spent with so many escapades with friends... from house parties... to shooters night... to sleepovers in Tagaytay... to Gala sa Galera... Nommu... Cig's... Good Earth... FAA's Little Bridge and the get together along the way... There's so much moments to treasure...


It was also a year of the family with several relatives from abroad coming over here... Tagaytay Tours... Villa Escudero... 100 Islands... La Union Get Away... Baraoas and of course, all the regular family functions...


Then again, it's not always on the upside with several impasse towards the end of the year but I guess, it's always a part of any story... In fact, I just realized lately that I'm drawn to complicated people and take on complicated situations... It keeps me challenged and focused... I'll get pass this uncertainties... I always do...


On the overall, 2007 is as much good of a year than 2006 and looking forward to 2008... I think things should stay afloat and fine... HOPE is something which can never be taken away from me... I expect to pursue other things I'm passionate about... and for challenges and surprises yet to come... just bring it on... =>

Happy New Year to all!!!

My First Long Drive to Baguio

Finally, after more than a year of driving, I had found the chance to drive the distance to Baguio myself... and it was exceptionally fulfilling... It took me about 6 hours excluding the stop over in NLEX, Isdaan and in Pangasinan going to Baguio...

EDSA was moderate, NLEX was smooth... Pampanga, Tarlac and Pangasinan were low on traffic and the climb to Marcos Highway was extremely challenging (we had a slow bus ahead of us who doesn't want to be overtaken... hehe)...

The stopover in Isdaan is great... the structures are big.... the ambience was nice... the food was great... and since there was so many people that day, unfortunately the service was slow... and the prices are reasonble...

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I never really got to appreciate how long the road back home was until after this trip... and of course, the next challenge is getting back to Manila... which should be easier... I hope... but now back to my new year break... =>

Isdaan Pics

My Tubby's Wedding

Today is Carol's wedding... We fondly call each other Tubby... a cuter version of t_ _ a... hehe... Carol has been one of my staff in SGV and has been one of my closest friends from SGV... with Carol being the main advocate of Franc and ______ fans club... hehe... Even after SGV, we managed to keep in touch and meet up from time to time and fast forward to today, I get to be a witness her march towards the altar on her matrimony...

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The wedding was set at 3:30 pm at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in New Manila Area... Carol made sure I won't miss the day by assigning me to be cord bearer... When it comes to events like this, the fun start with me finding the venue... I'm not really an excellent navigator... so was able to find the church after entering a one way street and making a wrong turn... I always have the propensity of getting lost but good thing even if it was traffic in Greenhills area, I was able to reach the venue at 3 pm...

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Mt. Carmel was such a big church... and it was a long march for the bride, the groom and the whole entourage... the ceremonies went on fine... the only funny spot was the ring bearer's running around the place... hehe... and yeah, I remember that I was the only participant from the FAA/MCM/CPA cluster... but Carol has been there through so many bright and bleak spot in the past few years... so it was still an honor to be part of this event....

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Carol is a really pretty bride today (Tubby... savor the compliment... =>)... and Jason was a nervous groom... the reception followed at nearby Oasis where the celebration continued... I nearly got to be the one who got the garter since the game was based on how long you hold the hula hoop... It was a good thing I my legs was apart so the fall of the hula hoop was a bit delayed (cheating... hehe)...

A few more merriment after, it was time to call it a night for all of us except of course, for the bride and groom, who should just be starting by now... For me, it was my mad dash home, reaching Makati in less than 30 minutes... and then the much needed rest for my first long drive to Baguio...

Final note: Congrats to Carol and Jason!!!

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Sick!!! Sick!!! Sick!!! Again!!! =<

I haven't been real healthy this month with the changes in the weather in Manila and the drastic shift in climate in Manila and Baguio... not to mention all the parties and stress that came between. Starting yesterday, I'm still having a bout with tonsilitis, cough and colds. It was a real struggle surviving the whole day yesterday at work not feeling well.

Got home early after 5 pm at work and directly went to sleep for a much needed sleep. The last time I went home this early was during the Peninsula standoff last month when we were sent home early since we were so near the crossfire and I can't remember anytime before that of any I went home this early. I usually spend time at the gym or meet up with some friends.

I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad dream or was it a silhouette of a ghost... maybe I just had a wild imagination at this sick mode I am in... so just decided to switch on the light at the farther end of my room so it won't be that dark to see any silhouette... Went back to sleep a few moments after...

Now, I'm still not feeling well and will probably get worst come another climate shift when I get back to Baguio... Anyway, since I did promise Carol that I'll be attending her wedding today so I just have to be healthy for a while for the ceremonies... A promise is a promise...

Come to think of it, it would appear that I'm ending the year on how it started at sick bay but this time if I still feel sick at the start of the year. I might just take some time off... I wish to be healthier next year but I'm reserving my new year's wishes for another blog. For the mean time, need to prepare for the Carol's wedding today... Ciao!!!

Return of the Quiroz

Christmas Holidays is always a season where some people working out of the country come back to enjoy their vacation with family and friends... and that's the case for our good friend from SGV Mads Quiroz...

Met up with Mads, Mark & Mina at Bubba Gump in GB3 last night. It was our first time to see Mads again after a few months in staying in St. Maartens... and time may have passed by... yet somethings never change... like Mads and her Kuripot ways... hehe... Probably got the stingy bug from Jay Anne... hehe...

Anyway, it was a nice dinner with so much to catch up really... since Mads is not as easy to catch online as of late due to time zone and so much stuff... It was also a rare time to meet with Mark... Of course, we do trash each others transformers in facebook and compete intensely in hoops regularly... It was also nice meeting Mark's girlfriend, Mina for the first time.

Had coffee at Cafe Breton after dinner and it was the time that we called She and Jay Anne who's both now in the US to greet for the holidays... She is on holiday in the US and Jay Anne is her tour guide... I wish that when I'd be on holiday in the US, Jay Anne won't be busy with work... but that is still something I haven't considered in a while.

Had a long night and ended up staying in Cafe Breton until midnight and after that we had to bring Madz to her home in Paranaque... then dropped Mark and Mina at Stock Exchange in Makati and I'm off to home and sleep... ZZZZZZ!!!!

Excess Inkblogs: I'm feeling a bit sick today... inflamed tonsils, sleep deprived and having a tough bout with colds but I guess there are some trade offs in spending the late night with friends... and of course, it was partly caused by the ever changing weather.

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Then Came Christmas

I haven't been online for most of the time during the Christmas break even if I had the comfort of broadband internet at our house in Baguio. I was stuck on holiday mode and with all the activities in the Yuletide season. The past few days was not only spent for parties but a big chunk of the time goes to reminisce the various phases of my so called life with family and friends meeting up for the holidays.

It was a welcome surprise bumping into Min and her cute daughter Hannah. The last time I saw them was when Hannah was still a few months old. Now she's a cute and bubbly 3 year old kid. Then there's the constant get-together for those who came home for the holiday and some who'll still be coming before the year ends.

In preparation for the big feast that goes along with Christmas, my cousin and I hit the gym. Then there was also shopping and joy ride around Baguio... and then came the party- dinner, gift giving and lots of alcohol. I do miss the old singing and dancing that we had when we were kids even if we never really had the talent to compete. I sure wish one day that my nieces and nephews would also enjoy the same contest even just for the fun of it and not the prices but I guess, kids now are more in touch with the techie side of life

Now, I'm on my holiday hangover. I'm at work but can't seem to surmount the mere three-day work schedule this week before holiday resumes but that's probably how the cookie crumbles or so they say. So goes my countdown... 56 hours before holiday resumes... hehe...

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Franckenstein, Jingasaur, Rondzter and Marooster

I'm still on Holiday Mode (I think we all are... unless you're too much of a workaholic)... What started as a light social calendar this week suddenly became jammed... The night seems endless as of late but with company of great friends... who cares!!!

Had a nice dinner at Pizza hut bistro yesterday with Jing, Rondz and Marose... In 2005 audit, the three were my auditors during the IFRS transition... then 2 years forward... Jing is now a treasured ally... Rondz is now an OFW (you're trip is almost over and we haven't given you you're sampaguita garland) and Marose is still in SGV... It was great to meet up sometime for a Christmas dinner... and big thanks to Marose for being able to join us even at her hectic schedule.

A few stories after, Marose had to catch up with her appointment and Jing had to catch up with her shuttle... so had coffee with Rondz after.... and that was the night or so I thought...

Excess inkblogs: And a little bit of Kinney

I chance upon meeting Gemskie (co-FAA baby) in Pizza Hut that night and then came the topic of Al aka Kinney (She's a girl)... so I then called Kinney and it just so happened that she just arrived from Hong Kong that day so we then decided to meet up at around 10 pm... Genskie had to beg off since she was still in Pizza hut at that time... so had a few drinks at National Sports Grill with Kinney... so the last time, we met, we weren't able to talk much on how she decided to come back to Manila... so it was a long catch up and I'm sure, given that we're both based in Makati, there'll be more of this and maybe next time with the other FAA babies as well... and finally, it was time to call it a night....

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Driver for a Day

It started with a miss call before 5 am then my sister went in my pad saying that we have to pick up my aunt and cousins at the bus station since they had a car accident in NLEX. Still half asleep, I said OK... then it suddenly sunk in... If we're going to pick them up why am I still dozing back to sleep... than another after thought.... what they had an accident!!! delayed reaction yet again...

After a few preparation, we were on our way to the terminal to pick up my aunt and cousin and then breakfast at Paranaque Estepa Residence. It was rather a big accident with the van they rented bumping into a delivery track and the good part of it was they were all safe... then came another realization, if they don't have the van then how would they pick up my cousin from the airport... then the answer was 'elementary my dear friend...' One less car means me and my car have to do all those stuff... OK... so just sent notice to the office that I won't be around for the day and that I'll be driver for the day.

My Aunt didn't want to mention the incident in the morning to my cousin but it was so obvious that there was something odd that day. Why would we cram ourself in my Honda City when my cousin asked for a van? So he asked me what happened on the queue in duty free and since I'm not a convincing liar, I ended up just saying the truth... at least, he'll still be comfortable since they are all fine after the incident. Except that he had to miss the space capacity of a van but it'll do for a while.

So goes my day that have traversed from waking early.... then to the terminal... to Paranaque... to NAIA... to Duty Free... to Mall of Asia... to Makati Apartment... to Seaside... to Mall of Asia yet again... to the terminal and finally Home... A long day is best rewarded by a nice sleep... which was partly deprived yet again with my sister barging in my pad at past 1 am looking for food... then finally, it was back to sleep...

I finally spent a full work day away from the office though this wasn't the circumstance I was expecting... but being driver for a day was a better trade off for absorbing additional headaches for the day... hehe... =>

A Venetto Dinner

Met up with SGV friends Sharon and Macoy for Sharon's Birthday Dinner at A Venetto yesterday. While I get to meet Sharon often, it was quite some time since I last saw Macoy. A nice dinner to quench our cravings for pizza and pasta. After a while of not being in Avenetto, it sure reminded me that they serve great pizza and pasta here at an affordable price.

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Nice chat at dinner and went on to shop a bit. It's Christmas soon and finally, had felt a little itch to shop for gifts. The Christmas bug has bitten me too late. Sharon went home at past 9 pm but Macoy and I continued to shop til past 11 pm. That reminds me, I need to continue my Christmas shopping today...

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Received an SMS from Sharon later that Yohannce liked my gift. Yehey, Yohannce liked my gift!! It's always nice to be a appreciated even coming from a 2 1/2 year old Yohannce.

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The dinner was suppose to include FAA, but he was suppose to have a partners meeting, which eventually got cancelled... so funny thing when I texted him, he was on his way to Batangas already... Next time Boss!!! =>

Office Alone

I'm just in the middle of my office alone day... One of my manager is sick and the other one is on leave... I should be ok since I'm more of a hands on person so things should go well...

So started thinking what to do first... the next in line of Jing's to do is... the long overdue management letter... This would be tougher than I thought... = < This has dragged on for so long so might as well do it...

In the middle of what I was doing, the CEO called me for a meeting regarding the impact of foreign exchange in our operation... Ok, I had prepared a material for that during the recent board meeting... After the CEO explained his say on the impact and being grilled for my analysis, I then presented that it would be easier to look at it on a cash flow analysis and shortly thereafter, he agreed to my analysis...

Suddenly remembered that we need to have an announcement posted in Singapore by noon so had to get the CEO to sign off... and another tasked accomplished... Finished the ML part of the job... and took the first chance I have to bring up the salary adjustment for those affected by the recent finance, treasury and accounting restructuring... He told me to check on him next week... I hope he gets to approve it... I feel happy that I've finally brought forward this proposal since it would uplift so many people... A good deed...

A half day towards my office alone day... so much has transpired and accomplished... I still have one short meeting to attend to... Finance matters to resolve... and in a few more hours, have dinner with SGV friends, Sharon and Macoy!!!

The only downside of the day is that I miss my breakfast and lunch buddy Jing since she's down with a flu... Get well soon!!! Just get all the rest you need. Hope you'll be around for Tagaytay with Rondz on Sunday... =>

Excess inkblogs: The dinner with Sharon and Macoy was a life saver, had I not have a previous commitment, I would have been obliged to join in the meetings in Bataan... In this festive mood, I don't want to work on weekends... =>

Another Bits and Pieces...

To free up my thoughts... decided to blog a bit today...

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The drama I get to witness day to day have turned from annoying to amusing... though I still wish for a more serene environment... I plan to cut down on stress and just look forward to the holidays... We all do....

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I just don't know if I'm starting to get the hang of my mom's spending spree charged to my credit card or I'm just too royally screwed up by all the hullabaloos happening around me... I'll just say that I'm just feeling a bit more generous this holiday season... but on a mental note... I want to start to save more in the future... Please let me save a bit... the future is uncertain...

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Finally got to apply for my Ateneo Graduate School of Business alumni card yesterday... also had a stress relieving coffee with AGSB friend Grace at Rockwell... I miss Rockwell and School... At least, even after graduate school, I still get to hang out with my AGSB friends often... Para sa Tagumpay... hehe...

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A dilemma at hand... If the waters are rough and the waves are turbulent... Should you start swimming to the shore or allow yourself to drift apart to something uncertain??? What to do??? Dunno how to swim... hehe... but in time I'll learn to swim away from the turbulent waters...

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I really liked Lenne's blog on how things are so much harder now than years ago... I share the same sentiments that life was a lot more easier back then (traced from our parents and grandparents generations)... They live simply and still manage to acquire properties and send so much kids to school... While we try to bear more these days... traffic, higher cost of living, skyrocketing price for properties and a lot of political nonsense... so then again even at the most difficult times, there's still life's gifts that are free and it's up to us to appreciate...

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Just want to add some greetings here... Of course, It was Sharon and Jay Anne's Birthday last Monday... so just want to wish them the best!!!

Christmas Tags

After all the work, the tension and the drama at work (that's an understatement)... I finally had a weekend off and in time for Christmas Party at Tagaytay last Saturday and Sunday... it was time to play house mates again though this time, there were only a few of us around(Blue, MJ, Jan, Cig, Bogz, Paulo and me)... Though a break is a break and the cool confines of the Rodeo Hills house we stayed in was not only an excellent place to have fun but to catch some sleep as well...

In the afternoon of Saturday, most of us were all asleep until Blue and MJ came back from Taal Vista... so then the dinner preparations... dinner and the gift grabbing which was fun even if there was only seven of us... It could have been wackier if the rest were able to come along... After a few drinks, a nice chat and whole lots of laughter... we all called it a night and I did have my nice long sleep I've been longing for the past few weeks...

The next day started with breakfast... After all of us were already done with their morning rituals... we then headed off to The Riviera for lunch with Owen... so it was a nice buffet lunch for all of us... Then we were on our way to Jan's bazaar in Valle Verde... wherein we stayed for a while and I left with Blue and MJ at around 5 pm to call it a weekend... So goes my nice weekend break... and back to the regular drama at the office... hehe... =>

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Rondz is Back!!!

The day started odd with me waking up real early and unable to will myself to sleep so with a lack of sleep I was Cranky Franckee early in the morning... until... as things has been in the office, a new surprise happened yet again... Too much drama, that's all I can say...

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After office, Jing and I went to Glorieta to buy my gift for the Christmas Party with AGSB friends... so had a short snack... and we were off to the Gym in Makati... suddenly, a better idea popped up... since we were meeting Rondz and he was in Serendra... why workout in FF Fort... so off we were to Fort... then being a bit late, we decided to just eat (calamares) and drink (Tsingtao beer) at Zong while waiting for Rondz...

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A little bit later... we met a bit trimmer version of Rondz after over a year in Australia... obviously, looking refreshed from his vacation here... So we shifted to Cafe Puccini to catch up and then ECP followed (talagang ECP tawag, di Eric, partnerabe... hehe)... so more catch up then followed... Stayed until past midnight before we went home...

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After dropping Rondz and ECP in front of SGV, and Jing at her house in Fairview, I was then back home in Makati... and now for that sleep I have to catch up... hehe... Ooops... I just remembered that I'll be off to Tagaytay for the Christmas Party with AGSB... so I'll just have to catch up in the nice cool confines of Tagaytay... Got to go!!!!

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Tough Times... Over!!! =>

I can now safely say that I survived another board meeting... and things did go during the actual board meeting... I wasn't grilled much with the financials... but I owe that to my new found strategy of limiting my answers... less talk means less mistake...

It could have been smooth from the start but I lost one key manager to a better opportunity abroad and had to I also had to assume some finance and treasury functions lately... This transition had made things a lot tougher... revisiting almost everything during turnover of the balance sheet to Jing... but on a good side, I was finally able to have a decent review of the balance sheet since I've been more focused in reviewing the income statement as of late.

It's been a really heavy transition but I'm sure glad that Jing, is more of a friend to me than a colleague so it made all those overtime a bit more fun... Thanks Jingy Bear!!! Let's go to Kopi Rotti again... hehe... We'll be spending more fun times soon with Rondzter back from Australia for a few weeks... Rondz, let's go to Baguio na!!! hehe...

I know it's gonna be the peak of the busy season soon... but the important thing is that soon is not today yet so might as well have fun... => Friends, I'm back to my carefree and relax mode... See you around during the next few days... =>

Tough Days Ends Soon...

It's a day before board meeting and I'm still not done with my presentations... the last few weeks was real tough and the reason why I haven't really entered an entry is that I just want to stop complaining at how pathetic things are right now... but when the smoke clears tomorrow, there'll be much time to think things over... A less turbulent backdrop may lead to more logical mindset to re-evalute passions I'd want to pursue... Though I don't expect to do anything drastic... hehe... Maybe just a mutiny at work... => hehe...

Anyway, I'm sure that the warm feeling of Christmas around family and friends will soon lit my somber mood and in a day and a half it's all I'd want to feel... the joy of Christmas shopping... the laughter at the company of friends... and the feeling of security family members brings along... the merriment of smiling strangers all in the tune of the yuletide seasons...

When things are not well, then there's always tomorrow to look forward to... and then there's also a weekend Christmas party in Tagaytay on Saturday... Friends celebrating birthdays... Friends coming back for the holidays... Christmas bonus that comes with the season... and Gifts (I wish I do get some this year... hehe)... parties and peace and goodwill to all mankind (ok... got overboard with this part... hehe)

Ok, once I'm done worrying about tomorrow, It'll be a new set of problems like a gift for the Christmas party on Saturday.... waah.... but in a way, I'd rather have that problem than the multitude of work I have to face today... = >

Mission Accomplished

After 24 Cups of Starbucks Coffee... I got my Starbucks 2008 planner this morning during breakfast with Jing... Maybe it'll keep me organize next year... hehe... =>

A Grand Nommu Welcome

It's Nommu's Opening week and last night was our chance to feel and witness the Nommu experience... It's really a nice place with a cozy ambiance. great Japanese food at a very reasonable price... and located conveniently at Tomas Morato...

Aside from the usual time out with Ateneo friends (Mascy, Diane, Grace, Blue, MJ, Gryf, Rocky Cig and Eunice), we were also treated to a good meal and drinks, nice music and a very cozy atmosphere. The opening attracted quite a large following and I'm sure, It's gonna be a great place to be for quite a long time... Congrats Mascy and Diane!!!

A real long and fun night with friends... and even if it was a weekday and we'd all be working the next day, we still stayed up late to be part of the opening... We (Grace, Blue, MJ and Me) left before midnight to call it a day... As for Nommu... it's still up until 3 am... but as for me... It's back to sleeping time as I reached home... =>

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excess inkblogs: an afterthought... you can bundle an activity this way... a massage treatment at skinline (Grace)... then dinner at Nommu (Mascy and Diane) and then drinks at Cig's (Cig)... hehe... so after drinking... it's good to have coffee... (Hmm... nice business...) Grace and I brainstormed this idea since we're such coffeeholics... This morning suddenly thought of a nice name Le Francois but that's as far as this idea has to go as of now... =>

Traces of Evil Franc

I was caught in a dilemma this morning on whether to go to work or not... I haven't really been at the best of health lately and I'm starting to feel frustrated that they haven't even come up with the idea of hiring someone to handle or even assist in the finance part of the additional responsibility given to me... Simple formula: indecisiveness leads to more work for me and my team...

How are things gonna be when the audit season kicks in??? I don't even want to think about it... All I know is that I agreed to work with one man down and not two when all the changes started to come... I felt if I took some time off then that could give me some time to cool off and rest... then reality sets in... the board meeting is just a week away and we're still ages apart in complying with all the presentations... I still have to schedule several bank meetings and who'd sign all the needed bank documents... So much for the little devil in me telling me not to work for the day...

There's still several ways at addressing this concern... but apart from a new structure at work... I think I probably need more time with friends to de-stress faster than I absorb stress... hehe... At least, I'll have opening of Nommu to look forward to later... =>

excess inkblogs: I feel a lot better now after this blog... I still want to believe that there's no such thing as a perfect job... There'll always be things that won't go your way... so the challenge lies on learning how to deal with it...

RnR 2 - Back to AGSB

Got a chance to go back to Ateneo Graduate School of Business yesterday via the 2nd offering of RnR (Remind nwind Remind) for AGSB students and alumni. Since it was held at the middle of the week, the attendance was not as high as last year. Of course, last year was also special being AGSB's 40th year.

Went to Rockwell Tent at past 8 pm to meet up with some friends (Grace, Poch, Mascy, Gryf, Cig, Blue and MJ) who'll also be attending RnR 2. The show presented was a bit dragging and long though Gary Lising was funny and it was cool seeing some of the professors perform.

After the event, we had a few snacks and drinks at Grams Diner and a chat about future events to follow... Nommu opening, Cig's Birthday, Tagaytay Christmas Party and Boracay in January... and by the way, I did get to buy a new umbrella as a souvenir... at least, I'm equipped now for the occasional rains as of late... =>

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Christmas

Yesterday, Jing and I had to play catch up on items and analysis we needed to finish at work. As I'm stuck doing finance and treasury work at weekdays, I just get the chance to do my regular accounting stuff during extra hours (how pathetic..=<) ... Anyway, I decided to play the Christmas albums of Christian Bautista and Jed Madela back to back and somehow behind their cool voices... I suddenly realized that it'll be Christmas real soon...

Finally, something to look forward to... I do not want to editorialize my thoughts and go on with the usual reason for the season, time of giving stuff... All I know is taht it's a time to step back, relax and celebrate with friends and family... Of course, at this time and age, I've been used to receiving no gifts at home... Thanks in part to a tradition they made when we were still kids... Once you start working, no more gifts... and its your turn to give gifts...

Then there's the economic part of it... It'll be another spending spree but I guess it should be worth its while once people get to smile at the gift giving frenzy... too bad that as of late, I have been low on cash (hope to save soon)... At least, when I give out gifts, it'll be more sincere since its hard earned cash...

The sudden thought of Christmas reminded me of one important thing... there's always something good to look forward to.. no matter how tough things are... Hey, I'm still residing in a country that parties all out and still know the value of a good laugh even at tumultuous times... Though there's still a lot of rough roads along the way but at least I can have one positive thought to go by along the way... that Christmas is just around the corner... =>

A Welcome Break...

In an Impulse, I saw myself joining SGV friend Jo-C and her officemates to have an ocular of FAA's resort Little Bridges Resort yesterday after office hours. Of course, the longer side of the story is that I was unhappy with a recent change in plans which would give me increased responsibilities at the office... and I felt I wanted a breather.

I was suppose to go to FAA's resort in a few weeks with other FAA babies but since I have Saturday free, it was a good chance to scout the place as well as learn the directions going there. We left before 10 pm in Makati and after a few hours we've reached the resort and 2 Cabanas were reserved for us by FAA, which was really spacious having a beach front and 2 pools. It has a hotel, cabanas and apartment type units for accomodations. It has activity and pavillion area and there'l be more improvements once it's completed by next month or early January. I had requested for comfortable duyans since it would be so ideal to have duyans in such a serene and relaxing atmosphere. I even joked FAA to name the hotel rooms from his former audit assistants, Franc Room, Sharon Room, She Room, Dodoy Room... hehe... =>

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Anyway, since it was more of an ocular, we did not stay long to try out the swimming area though we did have a comfortable sleep in the cabanas. Since Jo-C was scouting for a place for her Titas birthday, we also had to check out other alternative. We then drove to Blue Coral in San Juan, Batangas. Along the way, something came up in work, they needed something in Subic but fortunately, I was able to resolve this immediately. It was a good thing, I had a full bar of battery for my celphone. => After a few more hours, we then reach Blue Coral.

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So after a while in Blue Coral, we then had lunch at Lipa Grill... Yum Yum... and then we were back on our way home. We were able to reach home before 6 pm and it was then time to rest. It was a short visit and does not really qualify to be an outing but I guess, after being sick this week due to stress and knowing that things would remain tough at work, I just needed to do something relaxing (de-stress activity... hehe...) and this was a nice short break... Sometimes, a different environment is a welcome relief...

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Anyway, I'll be back soon in Little Bridge resort with other FAA babies but that is something I still have to sort out and organize.... =>

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Sick... Sick... Sick...

I woke up this morning not feeling well but I just went on with my day though I felt something was wrong. I even extended beyond normal hours because we've got so much backlog already.

On my way home, I suddenly remembered what the symptoms are... It's hyperacidity... Apparently, I've been under too much stress since assuming additional responsibility recently... It's been a long time since I've been sick due to stress so that doesn't sound well on how I've adopted to changes lately... So as much as I'd want to be Super in some ways, I guess there'll be times that things will takes its toll...

Anyway, I'm not blogging to complain about anything cause I know I'll be able to manage everything in time... If there's something I'm good at, it is adjusting different situations... but for the mean time, I'll try to be good at taking a rest... and I'll be fine soon... Nyt!!!

Blogger's Wall

I just don't know if I hit a blogger's wall or I was just plain busy the whole week... It just seemed that I ran out of ideas or was just too occupied to come out with one... It has really been a long week - adjusting to changes... plant tour last Wednesday... meetings... signing documents... finalizing reports... hey wait... all of those things pertain to work... good thing, I still am free after 6 pm...

Luckily, I'm fresh from a four-day long weekend vacation... and tomorrow, it's gonna be another weekend... rest finally... though I'm working just 8 to 9 hours a day, I still have to go on with so much solution crunching each minute... not to mention, signing all those bank documents... At least, I've already trained myself working under different roles and condition and in terms of exposure... I've been involved in audit, accounting, financial analysis, financial and management reporting, controllership, compliance, problem solving and I'll be handling additional finance functions ... Tough... but I'm sure this skills will come in handy in my career in the long run...

Okay, I'm speaking about career stuff but rest assured that I'm more of person than an employee or a even a superior... I spend more of my time doing so much things aside from work - family, friends, travel, gimmicks, blogging... and aiming for a balance life... I wouldn't want to look back several years from now and regret on things I haven't done... If there's one thing I learned from seeing people at the sunset of their career still unhappy even if they have so much... it's appreciating what you have now... Sometimes, thinking too much leaves you always wanting for more...

I'm glad I'm writing on more positive terms right now since for the past few weeks there's so much uncertainties I have to deal with... but I guess everything takes time to be in its proper perspective... and it's something I have on my side... I have a whole life ahead of me... and for the mean time... I'm glad I was able to cross the blogger's wall and have something posted here now... =>

Overwhelmed

Was suppose to write about the two rounds of bowling yesterday at Rockwell... to cut the story short I had one really lousy game and one decent game... bowling in Rockwell is real expensive @ P140/game... highlight of the day was that I was able to use for the first time my new bowling shoes... =>

Today is now back to work day after a long four days of vacation... and weird as it is... somehow, along those four days, I manage to adjust my body clock to a different timezone... sleep late, wake up late... so it was really a struggle meeting my coding cutoff today... =<
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My mind probably is still on vacation mode as of today but since it's now the start of transition period - working with one less manager and in a few more days temporarily assuming another major responsibility... I'm overwhelmed with what to do today and definitely in the next few days, it'll be worse... I really have to play my cards right this time... I want to be positive about it and that in time, it'll be fine... It always will be...
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Overwhelmed or not, I still have to balance things out so I'd have to bid adieu in a while as I'll have to go to the Gym for a light workout... and a light meal as I'm really hungry for missing merienda for the day... => hehe...

Jan's Solo Outing

It's not something planned but just as I was home in Baguio for the long weekend it turned out Jan's family would be taking a few days in Baguio for the weekend as well... so all of a sudden there's a sudden blip on my activity radar aside from sleep of course... hehe...

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Had lunch at Dencio's in Camp John Hay with Jan and Cig... then came the long walk to the Lost Cemetary, Bell House and Ampitheater area in Camp John Hay... Nice to have my handy Canon S3 IS with me... John Hay is such a nice place for pictorials... Towards the end, we were having fun with picture effects with Jan holding me and Cig in the palm of her hands...

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It was a short get together but I'm always glad to see friends in Baguio and seeing Jan in a different timezone... Most of AGSB gatherings happen at night... hehe... Jan and Cig had to return to their scheduled SPA and me I had to return to my favorite past time... sleeping...

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By the way, about the title... It was more of a joke since Cig and I had been taking pictures of Jan solo and that it would appear as if it was Jan's solo outing... hehe... I'm never photogenic in Baguio as my sleepy eyes is always sleepier in the cold Baguio climate... Franckee McSleepy...=>

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Back in Baguio

It took me a day later but I'm finally home... All Souls Day weekend... At least got to visit my dead relatives before they got to visit me... hehe...

The upside of it is that I was able to travel using the deluxe bus... so the trip was short and comfortable... So was able to go to cemetery this morning and spent the rest of the day on the net for hoops and downloading series to watch... and of course, my fave activity here, sleeping...

Might go around here tomorrow before going back to Manila for a midnight trip also via deluxe bus... then I'll be spending my last day of my long weekend down south but my sister and I have yet to agree on where to go... hehe...

I haven't been home for quite some time but it's a welcome relief being here... not really to think but just to rest and relax a bit... I don't want to think much anymore these days cause I know that everything will fall into place in due time... I'm just glad that there are days I can still waste home... and it really isn't wasted time but rather I time well spent in a more subdued and homey atmosphere... There's no place like home... and Baguio will always be my home...

Hooping For the Best

It's now back to a new season for Hoops Fantasy Basketball after a year of absence... I'm entered into KREB Cup c/o Mark and the Usual XGV Hoops Year 6 with former SGV colleagues... Of course, it was a lot more exciting back then when we can easily trash talk since we are just cubicles apart but despite being miles apart it's still an exhilirating exercise to once again monitor NBA scoreboards as if it were stocks where I can gain something...

Too bad, my league leading team was then disbanded... Imagine a core of Marion, Wade, Lewis, Terry, Okafor, C. Butler, Igoudala, Felton and Pachulia... but I guess I'll have to draft a new team again... but that's the fun part of it... I'm in a middle of the draft... though I don't research as much as I do before but I hope I can come up with a competitive team...

At least, watching the nba season would be more exciting as every statistical point would affect my fantasy games... so it'll be a close watch again... and for now, I'm hooping for the best... and I know we all are raring for the new season to start...

A Fairy Tale Wedding for Blue and MJ

It was a festive day for the AGSB Gang as Blue and MJ got married in a solemn ceremony in Sanctuario de San Jose in Greenhills yesterday. The Mass started around 4 pm and after a mass and the "I do," we now welcome Mr. and Mrs. Viray.

Reception was held at Crown Galleria Ballroom B and then the fairy tale inspired reception was at the spotlight. The event was ushered in by a Phantom of the Opera dance number, then songs by the bride and groom and of course, dinner, dancing and all those picture taking.

After all the merriment, we transferred to a room in Holiday where we resumed the party. Everybody was still full of energy that night so it was a long party. Most of us went home before 1 am the next day.

That ends three straight busy days for me and I'm spending this day on pure rest and relaxation. We all need a break sometime. =>

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Bahay ni Le

After Alpha's houseblessing last month... It's now Grace (AKA Le) turn to host their own houseblessing in Bulacan... so this blog is a sequel of Bahay ni Lola blog last month... as it's back to Bulacan for me in another Houseblessing... the last of this series should go as Bahay ni Franckee (but that should take some time as owning a house hasn't even crossed my mind yet)...

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Woke up late for this one after attending last night's shooters night... Initially, I was undecided on going... but since Alpha would be coming from Manila... the burden of travelling to Bulacan would be easier at least, I have a passenger... So might as well go...

Picked Alpha up at Gbelt area... then Chelsea at Cubao area... and finally, Alpha's Hubby Jon in Tabang Exit in Bulacan... I'm obviously more of a driver today than a guest... and also Grace phtographer, as always.. hehe... EDSA traffic was light... NLEX and Malolos was smooth... so arrived early in Malolos, Bulacan at Grace House in Northfields...

The mood was festive with Grace's sisters having a grand time singing and dancing... Too bad our good friend Grace only has talents in evading to perform... hehe... so no performance from Grace... It was my second time here as I also joined Grace here last month after Alpha's houseblessing... By the way, food was great...

So had to leave around 7 pm and we had to go to Alpha's house in Bulacan before going back to Manila at around 830 pm... NLEX was smooth and EDSA was terrible... and after dropping Chelsea in Cubao... I took C5 instead... and traffic there was much better than EDSA... so after so much time driving... I'm finally home... blogging and getting ready to sleep... cause it's gonna be another long day tomorrow...

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Still Shooting

A bizaare week ends with a long day yesterday... Meeting in Cafe Breton in Podium Mall at 4 pm... Cocktails at Discovery Suites at 6 pm... Gym at FF Ortigas at 7 pm and another Shooters Night at Cig's at 10 pm...

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It all turned ok... I'm an ok person (Right Jing?? hehe...) Crepes at Cafe Breton was great... Didn't eat much at the cocktails though met one of my MBA classmates there... Nice workout at Fitness First and the night's highlight... another Shooters Night at Cig's...

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Only a few of AGSB buddies around... Me, Mascy, Gryf and Cig... We were joined by most of Gryf's friends... and the place was real full... Congrats Cig!!! And if it's a shooters night then it's drink all the shots you can... so as usual lost count of the amount of alcohol I consumed... tried 7 shooters (correction, it was 8 shooters for me)... and another one where we had to sip in a bowl... and all the shots that came in all colors...

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A part of me really wanted to unwind... as some thoughts and events has caused a lot of stress on my part... thanks to alcohol... I was able to unload some stress... sometimes looking forward leaves out the fun part of today but at least for this night... I had fun!!! Too much fun that I went home at past 1 am... and the rest is the usual stuff... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

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On Days to Come...

There so many changes to deal with lately... and as days past by, there seems to be more and more developments... I'll just let things be and once they are tired of all the changes... only then should I start dealing with it... Hiro, can you help me travel 2 to 3 months forward to see what's in store... Nevertheless, I know I won't be irrational or impulsive in taking the next few steps... Everything should fall into place in due time...

Anyway, a long weekend is upcoming and after complaining on an Empty October, this weekend should take up the most of my time... Meeting with banks at 4 pm at Podium later, Cocktails with another bank at 6 pm... Gym at FF Ortigas then Shooter's night at Cig's, probably at 10 pm... got tired just typing it...

Tomorrow, still thinking if I should attend Grace house blessing in Bulacan since I still have to get the outfit I'm gonna wear for MJ and Blue's wedding on Sunday... But knowing how demanding a friend Grace is... I think I should find a way to cover both tomorrow... It'll be Blue and MJ's wedding on Sunday and it'll be a big celebration...

Monday is still a holiday and as things are, this is the time, I get to relax a bit... and after two more work days it's gonna be a four-day weekend in Baguio... Yehey!!!

Empty October

So many things planned this month failed to push through... of course, top of the list would be my vacation in Australia(Next year, I hope)... then several aborted FAA get together(really taxing to plan one as you get so many confirmations early on and a lot of cancellations after... Help!!! She and Jay Anne)... and then you have limited mall time for safety reasons (Makati is not the safest place, nowadays)... Well, that's life!!! (sigh...) At least, I still have gym to look forward to....

Even if it seems I'd like to unload some stress... I guess, the cancellations might mean that I should spend more time digesting recent events in my so-called life... or is there something to digest??? hehe... Living by the day is more fun, anyway... Maybe I'm used to having a very outgoing and busy life that finding some slack seem foreign to me... hehe... => There's always an upside to any situation...

Anyway, will be back to busy weekends... with Shooter's Night at Cig's on Friday (though still undecided whether I'll be attending)... and Blue and MJ's wedding on the 28th... and then it'll be another long weekend with first four days of November in Baguio... Yehey!!!

A Bomb That Scared Us All

By now, the Glorietta blast is now history yet it's more of a mystery as of now... but last Friday, it was a fresh news... as I'm just a few blocks away from Glorietta... and too think, we should have been in Glorietta for lunch had Jing not all of a sudden thought of going to mass... Divine intervention... I guess... Several ambulance has since passed our office that afternoon... so many dead and injured... not a nice day for our country...

I always had this school of thought since the 9/11 world trade bombing...that we are now living in an age of terrorism... Like it or not... we already have lost the comfort of going in and out of the mall without the comfort of being inspected... even travelling via public transport is not as safe as it used to be... checking in for flights takes so much protocols already... that's how much they have affected our everyday lives... but safety should come first over convenience...

The next day, had my change oil and my regular maintenance check for my car... so had a few carless hours... Funny how hard it is to wait a few hours without the comfort of a mall... hehe... It could have been easy waiting a few hours in a mall... and to think there's so much sale... Anyway, things should be normal in a few days... I hope... Finally, got my car back at 7 pm yesterday and had to drop by Rockwell shortly to buy some stuff... Maybe Rockwell won't be much of a target since so few people come to this mall... hehe...

The rest of the time, I returned home and decided not to go out anymore... there's always so much stuff to do at home... and on ending this blog... I hope incident like these won't happen again... and I mourn not only for those who died and were hurt but more on that there are people evil enough to be come up with events like this... =<

Not Much to Blog About...

Friday morning towards a weekend... Again, I've got not much planned during the weekend... Lately, I've been more of a homebody... and I'm happy now that there are weekends that I can rest... the dizzying pace of all the travel, the getaways and the gimmicks the past few months has taken its toll on me... I still want a portion of the used-to-be usual slacker Franc weekends...

But wait... I forgot that I have to have my change oil for my car... It has turned a year old last October 13... and without the fun fare of taking up some of my blog space... So might as well have it checked, in case out of the blue, I decide to bring it to Baguio on All Soul's Day weekend... but of course, there'll be traffic to consider by then... Anyway, I'm officially naming my car, Franckxethee... (coined from the name of my Sim City before...)... a more stylish way to say Franc's City... hehe... which coincides with the Car model Honda City... =>

My sister asked me if we can go to Snow World in Star City... might consider that though I'm not the high really with the maintenance of Star City... but maybe a little more convincing and I'll agree... hehe... I will probably have dinner with SLU and SGV friend Warna since she'll be in town for the weekend from Singapore... so might not be a lazy Saturday after all...

I'm definitely working out this Sunday either in Eastwood or in Makati... I might as well take advantage of the time while I still can do this... I'm afraid with added responsibilities (hope that vacancy be filled soon)... I might miss out some of the perks of my lifestyle... but then again. this is me and most of the time, I have a time for everything... It's not that I have an easy or boring life that I have time... It's just that I believe that if you want to do something you'll always find time...

Funny how when I think there's not much to blog about, the longer the blog goes... somehow, this blog has been an extension of my personality... and blogging provides real value for me as I can be passionate about writing yet have a chance to vent out some unwanted emotions and document some of my endeavors which I can relive at some time, when I need to remember how my life was... and not to mention a few lurkers and friends (if ever there's any?? =>) updated with my (mis)adventures... so forgive me for blogging to much even if there's not much to blog about... hehe...

Look Who's Back!!!

Surprises... Surprises... While walking along Paseo De Roxas yesterday... I met Al (She's a Girl) A.K.A. Kinney... My first SGV in charge (at least for a few weeks or so before I reported directly to the manager and eventually to the engagement partner)... We've been together through many accounts... from sleepless nights in Fil Estate... to all the travels in CIIF... and of course, all the food in Yazaki... What's surprising is that after a few years and SGV, she went back to her hometown in Cebu... and a few years after, she's back in Makati City...

Well, first impulse was to inform the other FAA babies... the next thing I knew, I'm meeting Al again for a short chat after office and set a dinner with the rest... Though it wasn't a long chat, I am still am happy that Al is now in Makati... now I have my old coffee buddy back( ok back then, I'm not so high on coffee... hehe)... So continued informing the rest and the rest especially Al's fellow group 4 cluster mates Gemma, Therry and Jo-C... Then Dinner was set for next Tuesday... so far several have already confirmed but we'll see how it turns out next week...

So many surprises really lately... Anna working in Makati... Rommel coming back from New York... Al, now also in Makati... and Mike, who'll be home soon... even Arlyn is already excited after she finish her secondment in New York since she'll have plenty of lunch mates a few offices away... It's nice having friends come back from time to time but knowing that a friend will be around for a while and just a few blocks away... it's definitely a treat... =>

More surprises please... hehe...

A Change is Gonna Come...

It's quite rare for me to be stuck at home on a weekends... and even more on a long weekend... So I feel odd that I am home blogging instead of being out somewhere... but I'd really want to spend some idle time as some events which has just unraveled needs more time to decipher... On the overall, it's definitely a good development at work since so much would be affected positively... assuming all proposals would be granted... a change is really gonna come...

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Spent most of my Thursday in training for IFRS conducted by SGV... quite a boring profession considering you get to have a hard time mastering the rules in under graduate... hurdling a difficult board exam... survive several tough years in audit... and once you've familiarized yourself with the rules... the rules have changed... but anyhow, I'm stuck here might as well master my craft... hehe... =>

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The rest of the time was spent convincing a former colleague to come back to our company to fill a critical vacancy... I hope she considers or else, It'll be a lot more work for me... It was a dinner at Kikufuji... with CFO, Country Manager and one of the former Accounting Managers... Things have changed for the better since she left... The usual annoyance is gone... and things are much lighter... and better... I just hope we fill the vacancy soon... I wouldn't want to think about the consequence if we won't considering that another colleague of mine is set to leave next month for Guam... so I have my fingers crossed...

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Still surprised how light this weekend is... Of course, last week was hectic... Yesterday was a holiday but stayed a few hours at work to finish some stuff... and today... was expensive... lunch at Kamayan... got my new glasses, bowling shoes and 2PSP games..... hehe... the spending spree was not that incidental but partly influenced by a cancelled vacation... hehe... Now, back to home base... excited and scared at new developments upcoming... The good part is that I'm able to rest my eyes after the irritation with my old set of contact lens... that's the reason for the new glasses... and not impulse... hehe... =>

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Tomorrow, I still don't know but I hope I won't be a couch potato again... might go to Eastwood for Gym... assuming my freebie workout jacket is already available... I haven't worked out for quite some time caused by a busy week and a sick Gym partner (Hope you're well now, Jing)... hehe... but I'm betting that it'll be another lazy day... hehe... =>

Goodbye Vacation!!!

I'm officially canceling my planned vacation to Australia... reason: lack of time... too bad, I was even able to build up my asset base for my visa application... I should have pushed through with the trip last September but for one reason or another... it got moved and moved and finally, it's gonna be year end soon... so much work and events already in store... somehow, it was not meant to be... at least this year...

Maybe, I'll try to squeeze it in May next year after our AGM... or then again I just remembered summer in the Philippines is real fun... it's not really going to waste though, at least I get to cash in on all my leave privileges come December... I was able to save a bit in building up my cash base for the vacation ... and come to think of it, I've been out of the country already so much this year and with various getaways and gimmicks with AGSB and SGV Friends as of late... and more to come, I'm sure...

So hopefully, it'll be two major vacation next year, the Australia vacation... and if pushes through the FAA babies reunion in US or UK... so there 's still a lot of upside on a canceled vacation... the downside is that how to tell my relatives and friends in Australia that I'm not going on vacation this year... they've been expecting me for some time now... I guess, it's just a case of bad timing of events unfolding... =<

On a last note, I haven't been on a jet setting mode lately... in fact, I'm planning on missing the auditors visit to our China subs... probably in my comfort zone here right now... hehe... but I'll get that itch to travel soon... I'm sure because travel is one of my passions... but there'll be time for everything... =>

A Long Day Ends @ Cig's

Day started earlier than expected as I've forgot to update the time when I shifted the Sim card of my two phones... so had my alarm an hour earlier...

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Client meeting at 9 am... that turned out well so I can now finalize their financials... Had to rush back to the office since I may be required to attend the management meeting with our CEO... but there was no urgency there so went to GB3 to meet up with Joshua (Former CFO) and Bobot (SGV) but since Bobot got sick so the carting event got cancelled... Some leeway for a long day... I just bought the chips Grace requested from healthy options... Then got back to the office wherein I got called in for a short meeting... so many developments... I'm still not sure if it'll be a good thing or bad thing for me... hehe... = / Had late lunch at Velasquez Park with their Tiendesitas like setup during Saturdays...

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Finally, went home at 4 pm to take a short rest... dozed off at around 5 pm and woke up at around 8 pm... It'll be Bogz and Steve Bday Celebration shortly at Cig's...

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Left home around 915 pm... traffic at Cubao Area in Edsa... Arrived there before 10 pm... then time to party... Bogz, Grace, Blue, MJ, Cig, Jan, Owen, Anton, Steve and Lisa attended... Too bad the other wasn't able to come for various commitments... Despite the short nap, I was still on low energy the whole night... Anyway, still tried to make the most out of it and enjoy the night... The festivities lasted until past 2 am... then was home at around 230 am... and the came the rest... 'til next time folks... =>

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So Much for a Blogless Day

I was really planning to go blogless today since I thought I've already freed my mind of so many thoughts and events I need to sum up...

I lost momentum in my work today upon hearing that one of my friend was a victim again of the hacker using my account... My account was hacked last month... The hacker's mode of operation is to pretend to be me and inform you that I'm in another country needing load and the unsuspecting friend would then send prepaid loads... I'm really protective when it comes to friends so just imaging how I felt that they're being taken advantage by the hacker using my account... I'll try contacting my cousin in DILG if there's an agency who can track down this hacker... I'm sure it would be easy to track the hacker down since his ISP can determine his location... Friends, please ignore any message from franckxethee@yahoo.com... it has been hacked and I've lost control of this account...

Had lunch with our former Singaporean CFO Joshua ... and quite interesting to catch up since he's now based in Singapore... I just get to visit Singapore only once a year... I've gone a long way and have been here more than I expected... resumed work thereafter... Still not in the mood even if I need to report the financials come Monday... I'll find a way... but in a short while, I'll be off to Fitness First in Eastwood with Jing for a workout there and get some of my membership freebies...

Tomorrow is gonna be a long day... Meeting at 9 am with a client... possibly need to attend management meeting at 10 am... Lunch with Joshua and Bobot at 12 noon then carting in the afternoon and finally, Steve and Bogz party at Cig's... got tired just noting the things I have to do tomorrow... to think it's suppose to be a weekend... Haay....

Hopefully, Sunday might be lighter... I'm sure gonna need some rest before a busy week next week when we prepare some SGX related stuff at work... but then that's just how the cookie crumble... at times, it's light and at times, it's heavy... you'll just have to make the most out of it... =>

Season Begins...

It's now the start of new seasons for most of the US-based TV series I watch... so far watched 2 episodes of Heroes... 1 episode of Smallville... 1 episode of Desperate Housewives and 1 episode of Grey's Anatomy...

It was great to have Heroes back and it has evolved into a better show... most of the cast are back and there's new heroes as well... Nathan and Peter are back!!! Claire Bear has a new life... HRG and Suresh has a hidden mission and Parkman is in charge of Molly... but speaking of anticipation, you'll still need to piece the puzzle since Season 2 starts four months after... I guess, viewers like me are still left with unanswered questions from the end of last season...

Smallville season kicks off with a high profile battle between Clark and the Bizarro Clark (Phantom)... Solar powered Clark prevailed over Kryptonite powered Bizarro Clark after Bizarro got exposed to the Sun... The fight was really nice to watch... Super Girl Kara turns up to be hot and mysterious... Chloe managed to be alive after being dead... and of course, the best part is that Lana is still alive... though Clark will still go on the next episodes struggling with the loss of Lana...

Desperate Housewives was funny but then again there's this part were the writers went out of line with a comment by Susan Meyer that she'd like to make sure that the doctor did not graduate from some med school in the Philippines... Ouch... where did that come from??? When it comes to skill based I'm sure the Philippines is one of the best... I hope they make an apology for that since it's such a nice series to boycott...

Grey's Anatomy was more exciting than I expected with the then interns Meredith, Cristina, Issie and Karev now turning to tough residents... Issie is still kind hearted... Meredith is still lost on so many issues in her life... Cristina is still heart broken over Burke... George is struggling to come to terms with repeating his internship... Bailey still down on not being chief resident (though Chief did make a nice point at the end that Bailey's place is in the O.R. and that not being chief resident gives her more time to be better)... and Derek and Mark are friends again... By the way, Lexie Grey is a nice addition...

I hope I'll still have time to watch the rest of the season... and also that I get my DSL installed at home soon... It's been very difficult following up PLDT lately... and to think I already paid the installation fee... =<>

Working in a Workout

I've been put in a unique position yesterday while I was about to start my workout... I got a call from our CFO that I need to cross check the figures for the announcement... so what to do next??? Hmmm.... Ok, I still have one colleague left who can do it but still I need to be sure that it would turn out right... so between workouts, I was on the phone entertaining queries on the computations and asking for updates... One of the skills I've learned is the ability to work in different situations and still virtually manage things... but this is a different situation without a doubt... hehe...

Anyway, still got away with it this time... as we were able to give a go signal to the announcement even before I finished workout... so it probably took twice the effort working in a workout but at least, both goals were met... The perks and quirks of this job... at times you get to have a very easy day and suddenly it becomes so intense and urgent... and at times, on call... I guess, that makes it exciting as you foster an attitude on how to adopt to different problems at the oddest time... hehe...

Maybe I can work at home already once my dsl has been installed... hehe... but historically speaking, I'm not good working at home... and for one, I won't like to live like a hermit... I still need people around me... hehe... and even still, they wouldn't allow it... with the Company trying to setup a system on how to monitor department heads... and comes the question, how do you measure the performance for finance and accounting? My job evolves by the minute with the varying requirements from bankers, auditors, management and regulatory agencies... The only KPI I can commit probably is that I'll go to work if I'm not on leave... hehe... => Anyway, even if I'm away they still manage to track me down and do their bidding... hehe...

Not Another Bad Day!!!

My day got off the wrong way again... and the reason is the mix up at Somerset parking... They implemented a new policy that you cannot park unless you've paid in advance... so I was prevented again from entering my parking slot... what is unnerving was that they gave the bill for October parking last Friday... how can you pay a bill billed to you in the same day in a corporate settings with so many approvers (I'm one of them) for each payment??? and no notice was given yesterday when I parked... and I even left my card to them that if ever there was any problem with payments, they can call me at my office land line... How reasonable can you get...

Of course, you can say policies are policies... but then again the amount involve was just P2,000 and for a 2 day delay which was partly their fault for billing us late... Even if you factor in the time value of money for 2 days at prime lending rates that won't be enough to cover for the gas for 10-15 minutes while I was awaiting them to allow me entry and to take another turn back to the parking area after talking to the front desk... and even the time of all people involved were wasted (Me, the Guard, Front Desk, Ms. Del) and having one dissatisfied customer... I forgot to mention that we do have a credit line for hotel bookings... and they allow us to have credit for larger amount bookings and give so much damn about a P2,000 advance payment for a parking slot...

After all the fuss, I was able to enter my designated parking lot... and at the very least, I was able to give the front desk a piece of my mind... of course, in a highly civilized manner... hehe... The incident won't ruin my day but I guess, it'll reduce hotel bookings from Medtecs (with Ms. Del also having to start her day with this incident)... and while there are always rules or policies to follow (even blindly) but then again for a service intensive industry like hotels... a large part of the work is being able to respond positively to situations like this... and they may have erred on this... It was a simple decision to start with... how much damage can a 2 days delay of P2,000 be worth and with them being partly at fault?

Back to making my day happy...

Excess Blogs: I checked on the check in the office... it was already available for pick up since Friday... but they didn't pick up the check... there wasn't suppose to be a delay to start with if they just managed to pick up their check...

A New Month...

It's October... so for people saying wake me up when September ends... time to wake up!!! Hehe...

Anyway, before going forward, let me move back a bit... Had an unusual weekend... First, had my PSP to waste my time with... then in the afternoon I dropped by PICC to visit AGSB friend Grace in their Skinline booth... it became more than a visit since I ended up having a Bentusa massage... for Bentusa they use a candle in a glass to absorb toxins from your body... and it usually leaves a mark at your back... but the odd thing was that it was gone in a while for me and it would take hours or days for others... hmmm.... must have regenerative powers... hehe... At least, I was relieved of toxins and at the same time had a nice soothing back massage for the day...

The next day was a bit unusual... with me needing to go to Eastwood to catch the end of the Fitness First membership promo... and I'll be paying less for membership soon... Had my directions wrong and then there's a hard time looking for a place to park so ended up having several rounds at C5 and that is big round since the U turn slots in Libis Area is in Tiendesitas Area... Anyway, had to rush back to catch the Ateneo - La Salle Game on TV... Go Blue Eagles... and as it is common knowledge right now... Ateneo lost to La Salle 60-65... but still it was a hell of a game... and this season was quite a treat for UAAP fans with 5 Ateneo-La Salle face offs... and each game was a thrill to watch... Ateneo won 3 of the 5 games but La Salle won the bigger games, the one earning a twice to beat advantage and the one clinching the finals birth... It's gonna be a Pumaren vs. Pumaren affair... As the Ateneo hymn goes..."Win or Lose its the school we choose..." It was still a gallant stand...

Ok then comes October... there'll be Steve and Bogz birthday at Cig's... It'll be Anna's birthday soon... there'll be an IFRS training hopefully in Tagaytay... I've got a new gym buddy with Jing joining fitness first and hopefully, I get to squeeze in my vacation this month... and it'll definitely be a great month... but a month always start with a day so have to get back with my tasks for the day... hehe...

Mel's First Day

There was this pic when we met on the eve of Rommel's secondment to New York which Arlyn labeled "Mel's Last Day." It's a bit scary and funny at the same time that it seemed as if it would be Rommel's last day in the world... so move forward a few years now... Rommel has decided to come back for good after working another year in New York... so this blog shall be titled, "Mel's First Day."

Of course, when it comes to get together among FAA Group Members, it always starts a few days ahead with me setting time, place and the invites... I miss Jay Anne and She cause they're such a big help on events like this... Quite a handful confirmed this time... Anna, Sharon, Cathy, Joth, Me and Mel... Ruth is still on her mountain climbing adventures... Macoy is on his usual gimmicks...

Call time was 630 pm... for Cathy that is... I came at 7 pm with Joth... then Mel... then Anna... and lastly Sharon... Venue was Crocodile Grill in GB3... Anyway, despite the time gaps still a lot of catching up to do... so came the long chit chats... and the jokes and the laughter... just like old times... Of course, minus all the overtime... overnights... and the never ending SGV workload...

Food was tipped more on fatty foods... but was still great... Crocodile Grill was a bit full but at least, Cathy's early arrival allowed us to have a nice seat... That's what happens on Gimmick Day Friday... so time came so fast...

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At about 945 pm.... we called it a night... and it'll be another weekend to enjoy... and recharge... but for sure there be more of this and more of the adventures to go... Anna would be celebrating her next birthday within the next few weeks... Mike will be coming back in a few months... and FAA's resort will be completed soon... and of course, there can also come surprises from time to time... so it's wait and see from this point... but for now... it's more of wait and sleep... hehe...

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Midnight Thoughts

It's almost 2 am now and somehow, I can't will myself to sleep... Suddenly, I'm in a thinking frenzy... and to think the whole day I was low on inkblogs...

Not much to talk about really... and it's been a pretty nice week... funny how a fine weekend rest changes your outlook and moods... and for the past few days it's been a homey version of Franc... despite being in gimmick mode as of late... there's always a part of me that will always be a home body...

Watched the season premier of Heroes and the anticipation of he waiting for start of the new season has now been changed to anticipation on how to piece what happened four months ago in Heroes as the show started four months after the exploding man episodes... It's great that Heroes is back in a new season... Smallville and Grey's Anatomy will be premiering soon...

Created the FAA/MCM/CPA group in friendster for former FAA babies around the world... It was a suggestion from She and Jay Anne... Quite surprising for Jay Anne to bug me when she's not complaining about something with her work... I'm kind of her stress ball when it comes to work... Anyway, another idea that came from them a reunion... and not a simple reunion... the venue is in the US (parang ayaw ako pasamahin... hehe)... ok time for me to save... though still reminded them to come home and let's invade FAA's resort...

And speaking of FAA Group, we'll be meeting Rommel this Friday for his welcome home treat as he now decided to come back here from New York... Anna, Sharon and Joth are confirmed and still in the Grey Area are Cathy and Macoy... and Ruth, as usual is climbing mountains again...

So many cluttered thoughts really... suddenly miss my AGSB friends... Hopefully, they'll think of something exciting to do this weekend... if not, there's still movie time with Grace early next week... By the way, Happy Birthday Bogz and Congrats and Happy Birthday to Steve!!!

On a serious note, it's quite a pity that the only thing certain in the Philippines is uncertainty... with all the tumult over the NBN Broadband deal... just can't imagine the head of a supposedly neutral body allegedly benefiting from a government contract... so this goes past all the "hello" controversy before... so much for credible elections... I just hope this doesn't rock the economy much... it's been a vicious cycle that after gaining headway, the country goes on destabilization mode... probably a better way to raise fiscal revenues is to reduce leakages on transactions like this... Of course, it's always easy being a critic... but then again, it's also important to be vigilant...

I hope that I've been able to blog myself to sleep as you all know... lack of sleep is not good way to start a day... hope that I've unloaded some cluttered midnight thoughts and will myself to sleep... and that tomorrow (I mean later) may still be a nice day =>

Bitten by the Cleaning Bug Again

What happens on a weekend off then add a nice afternoon nap and less the saturday night gimmicks??? Well, it's a Franc who's been bitten by the cleaning bug again...

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Decided to shake my room a bit... still a bit similar layout except that my couch is tilted towards the TV... and the extra stool surrounding my bed... I think I do need those stools around me as I like everything within arms reach... cellphone... remote... laptop... etc... The ref, washing machine, the TV maintain their respective locations as they are already strategically located where they are...

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How would I change my room layout next time??? I guess, I'll just have to wait for another bite from the cleaning bug to find out... =>

A Child's Eye

Franc with proud parents Mon and Joanne and Baby Jarren

Nothing warms the heart more than a smile from such a little angel... In a child's eye everything so simple and in a way, seeing things at their perspective would make so many things light and easy...

So now, it's first time I saw Edmond and Joanne's Baby Jarren Elysander at Jarren's Baptism... such a nice ang healthy four month old baby boy... The parish was St. Paul the Apostle in Timog, QC... and the baptism was set at 1130 am... The priest was so cordial that somehow it didn't look like a traditional baptism... Anyway, the important thing is that Jarren is now part of the Christian world...

Reception was at Bethany Place, near Quezon Ave, QC... Food was great... too great to make me forget that I shouldn't eat much... a bit sleepy after eating due to the damp weather... but still fun to meet former SGVeans and bowling buddies, Mon, Joanne, Leo, Sharon, Flor, Neville and Joie (represented by her Mom)... Christian missed the affair since his flight was scheduled at 2 pm today...

After all the eating, chit chats and the pictorial... it was then time to call off the affair... but at the very least... Got to meet old friends... and I'm now officially one of Jarren's Ninong... and makes me look forward to future AGMs in Singapore since I can visit Jarren during this times... and for the mean time, it's back to home for me and I'll be taking a weekend break this time... so now starts my weekend off time... or at least I am hope so...
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Random Thoughts

It's gonna be back to back birthday for She (Sept. 22) and Arlyn (Sept. 23) this weekend... I purposely excluded the year for fear of my own safety... hehe... Anyway, I can't be in your parties physically, so let me greet you two virtually... anlayo kaya ng Cayman and New York...

Happy Birthday She!!! You're such a great pal!!!

Happy Birthday Arlyn!!! More success for my most successful partner in crime way back in SGV!!!

- o - o - o -

It's gonna be Jarren Elysander (AKA Mon and Joanne's baby boy) Christening tomorrow... it'll be great seeing Singapore based friends again... Mon, Joan, Christian... and the rest of my SGV bowling buddies here... Welcome to the world Jarren!!! See you tomorrow... I'm gonna be a ninong again... My second inaanak this year...

- o - o - o -

In a few days, I can now have my own PSP, personally hand carried by SGV friend Rommel from the US... too bad, he's trip back home came a few days short of the availability of apple ITouch... but I'll have my ITouch soon... Now, I'll have a new gadget to waste my time... that is if I can find time... hehe...

- o - o - o -

Though I've been in deep thought lately... and the deeper I think the more I realize that there are so many things going well in my life... probably woke up in the wrong side of the bed today but I forgot that it's not the side of the bed I wake up in but rather how I choose to live my day... Happiness is always a choice...

- o - o - o -

I decided to add a chapter before I doze off to sleep... today ended differently with the way it started... after an afternoon escape from the office with Jing (my second afternoon escape in two days... yesterday with AGSB friend Grace at TOSH)... things seem lighter... bought Jarren's gift for his Christening at Landmark... and of course, some good news as I got back my Guyito stuff toy ... Next week, class picture for Guyito, Sanfo and Blue Bear... hehe...

As I was on my way to sleep... my sister reminded me that oil prices will be up at midnight so I rushed in to the nearest gas station to have my tank full...and now I'm back home...and it'll be sleep soon as I still have to attend Jarren's baptism tomorrow...

What's Bothering Me Lately?

I don't know what's bothering me as of late... it's been chore waking up... in fact I woke up 7 am this morning with my 730 am office hour... not much of a big deal but I just feel it's odd since I haven't really been late for work much since my annoying former boss left the company... Is there something I'm not happy about??? I don't know... all I know or at least publicly admit is that things are fine...

Am I running on a low tank??? I don't know... I probably need a long vacation more than I admit I do... It's been an annual tradition of me having a week off but due to certain delays in my visa applications... I still haven't left going to the peak of my workload...

It's just that I've been too much of a selfless nice guy that somehow I need time on my own... to reassess things... on what I want... on what moves to make... Life has been more of a party after grad school... and I'm still gasping straws on what more to aspire for... I've done too much too soon already... Life has been too fast that I need to hit the break hard and decide which direction to go... am I on a crossroad but then again... it's probably just Friday and my mind would rather race off on some random thoughts rather than work... =>