Lost in Caloocan Adventure

 
 

 

Went to Caloocan last Saturday together with some AGSB friends for Jan's birthday... Going there was half as exciting as the party itself since we went convoy plus factor in the traffic in Edsa plus the intricacies of following Jan's Map... we did manage to go there on time without being lost though some were not as fortunate... hehe... Mascy and Diane...

Quite a large turnout considering the location... the company was great... the stories (as well as food and drinks) were over flowing... controversial tales (hehe) were as early as the start of MBA 'til the recent Bora trip of most of the group... things were quite interesting that we lasted for hours without music... 

It was a fun night and it was a welcome break for me from the monotony of work (busy season... grr...)... and it was great seeing friends once in a while... called it a night at past two a.m.... and off we went to explore our way back to the main roads of Edsa...

Funny thing though... probably took the convoy thing too seriously as on our way home, I still took Blue's way though he was going to Q.C. and me going to Makati... it was a good thing that I called Blue and MJ to check the direction... and found my way back to Edsa... At least, I got to learn another way back to Makati... hehe... Checked in at home quarter before three and it was time to take a well deserved rest...

My First 1,000 kilometers

My little over three-month old car has reached its first milestone... its first 1,000 kilometers... On my way back to the office from lunch in Rockwell yesterday... Quite a slow build up since the distance between the house and office is very near... and only getting a chance to drive a longer distance on weekends on gimmicks or going to different Fitness First facilities in Metro Manila as an excuse to drive a longer distance...  At least, I get to drive my car everyday, except when I'm out of the country... Looking forward to the next thousand miles ahead and eventually driving home to Baguio ( I hope I can squeeze it in my schedule next month) and back... Well, I better gear up for the miles ahead...

The Last of the Auditors

Had dinner last night with Donald and Mads for Donald's belated birthday celebration at Una Mas... Food was great... It was buffet... so eat as much as you want... which we did...

The odd part was the number of SGV friends dwindles with every gathering (=<... and it's not the busy season this time... it's because of the exodus of ex-SGVeans to take on global opportunities... The Experienced CPA Auditor is now an endangered breed in the Philippines... though I think this would benefit remaining CPAs in the long run... Why??? It's a simple case of supply and demand... When supply is low or demand is high, then price goes up(so should salaries)...

The remaining CPAs can now relate to how Luke Skywalker felt being the last Jedi in Starwars... In their case, the last CPA/Auditors... and it probably is tougher case for those who remained in audit... as the average age of the employees is now at a lower number... lots of young bloods and quite a few high bloods (hehe)...

It's a global market... and the door is wide open... and on the next birthday (probably mine, March 9) or celebration, the question on who's still around... well, your guess is as good as mine...

Justice

Finally was able to watch the complete Justice Episode of Smallville via YouTube. It's quite a casting coup since it joins together Smallville's Clark Kent (Boy Scout), Green Arrow, Aquaman, Flash/Impulse and Cyborg in a mission to stop Lex Luthor's project level 33.1, which was Lex way of building an Army of Super humans. Even Chloe gets a cool code name, watchtower for being the one who oversees the whole operation.

Of course, the plot line have not been as big as this... the evil Lex is now more evident though the series still tries to show his human side with his love affair with the beautiful Lana Lang... Superheroes join forces to face a big mission which shows a preview of the Justice League... Clark, finally getting and accepting help from others... and Green Arrow getting to accept that a lot more things like saving the world are more important than what he wants and what he loves (Lois)...

It's quite amazing how they were able to cram up the episode in just 40+ minutes with each hero having equal exposure yet still appears to piece in every detail in the story... At the end of the story, the four heroes leave to deal with other Level 33.1 projects around the world... and Clark stays to deal with the Zoners and obviously since smallville revolves around the Younger version of Clark Kent... For the Justice League... Like what Green Arrow says to cap the episode, this not the end, it is just beginning...

Missing the Impulse in Me

A monthly car loan amortization can change a lot of things, and for me, the effect was having a tighter budget and a lot less expenses... Of course, things were a lot tighter a few months ago... but my finances as of late have started to smoothen...

I'm no longer as impulsive a buyer as I used to be... I really haven't had a major purchase since then... even during times of sale and Christmas and even when I was in Hong Kong last month...

Of course, it's a lot better that I am a more of a discerning buyer now... but sometimes you get your best purchases on impulse... Well, now things are getting a lot better then I maybe I can resume being impulsive... hehe... or then again... maybe being a little stingy may be good at times.

Baby Franc

Before going forward... decided to look back during the holidays at th sickly little kid I once was... Here's some pics of a mini version of me...

Low on inkblogs

I've been running low on ideas lately... probably my thoughts are still on warm up mode after a chilly welcome for the New Year... the first gathering I attended for the year is Diane's wedding held last Saturday together with AGSB friends held at Greenhills (Church) and Makati Shangrila (Reception)... Quite nice seeing friends in a more formal atmosphere... Of course, it's a wedding...

Anyway, it was such a long day and night... starting with the Church wedding which started on time (Can't remember a time I attended a wedding that started on time)... to the traffic jam I've encountered at Edsa (over an hour from Ortigas to Rockwell... terrible)... to the reception, where most of my AGSB friends started appearing... and to a few rounds of drinks before finally calling it a day...

The reception was lively... food was great... The MTV was so funny... and of course, the chance to catch up and chat with friends made the event better... and the best part was that I had the whole of the following day to catch up with lost sleep... hehe... which I definitely took advantage of.

The Next 7 Wonders...

Since only one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world remains standing which is the Pyramids in Egypt, New7Wonders has started a poll to name the next 7 wonders of the world on July 7, 2007 (7/7/7) to be held at Lisbon, Portugal. This is a historic event as we get to be a part in identifying the 7 wonders of the modern world.

There are 21 finalist which have been considered to be the next 7 wonders of the world which will be chosen by millions (if not billions) of people all over the world through this site. The 21 finalist are:

1. The Acropolis of Athens (450 - 330 B.C.) Athens, Greece

2. Alhambra (12th century) Granada, Spain

3. Angkor (12th century) Cambodia

4. The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

5. Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

6. The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy

7. Statues of Easter Island (10th - 16th Century) Easter Island, Chile

8. The Eiffel Tower (1887 - 89) Paris, France

9. The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China

10. The Hagia Sophia (532 - 537 A.D.) Istanbul, Turkey

11. Kiyomizu Temple (749 - 1855) Kyoto, Japan

12. The Kremlin and Red Square (1156 - 1850) Moscow, Russia

13. Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru

14. Neuschwanstein Castle (1869 -1884) Schwangau, Germany

15. Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan

16. The Pyramids of Giza (2600 - 2500 B.C), Egypt

17. The Statue of Liberty (1886) New York City, U.S.A.

18. Stonehenge (3000 B.C. - 1600 B.C.) Amesbury, United Kingdom

19. Sydney Opera House (1954 - 73) Sydney, Australia

20. The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

21. Timbuktu (12th century) Mali

The 21 finalist was narrowed down from 77 top nominated locations. The 7 wonders of the ancient world was identified 2,200 years ago... so be a part of history or I guess, you may want to wait another 2,200 years... I already casted my vote... as well as my wish that the day will come that I can visit all 21 or at the very list the next 7 wonders of the world...

A Sickly Start for the New Year

It's day 4 now coming into the New Year and I've had a bad case of colds and slightly inflamed tonsils owing to a very windy and slightly rainy new year celebration I had in Baguio... though I feel slightly better now... being able to conduct my first work out during the year this morning at the gym (mostly cardio)... Actually, I did try to work out yesterday but arrived too late at the gym to conduct a decent workout before going to work...

It's quite a rare for me to start the year at sick bay... with me always looking forward to a fresh start... but I'll be healthier shortly since it'll be a busy next three months... the new year also ushers in the peak of my work schedule (at least, I don't have to school to worry about this time)... Well, busy months are part of my work life...

At least, there's always something to look forward to... Penagbenga (Flower Festival) in Baguio this February...birthday in March (no celebrations for me this year though)... a lot of foreign travel in March and April... and by the time summer comes... the tough times are over...

I'm really out of sync, I started blogging about a sick start and I've managed to push my topic a few months ahead... Well, that's another thing to look forward to... good health... and better times...

Windy New Year Bang

New Year's Eve Mass was a bit early this year at 8 pm so starting 9 pm... it was a long wait for the crossing over of a new year... that's a lot longer since we only have a few firecrackers to spare... the good thing was the neighbors came prepared for this one...

I always am in the opinion that year by year... the bang that comes with the new year has deteriorated... so far a change, this year's welcome came with a much louder bang than in the past few years... it also came with the cold Baguio weather and a strong breeze that made our fountains go sideways instead of an upward direction... The wind also made lighting simple firecrackers...

It was all silent 'til about 11:30 pm when the firecrackers in our neighborhood went into full blast... so despite our few firecrackers... we still had a strong welcome for the year... the exploding sound of a firework... the light show coming from various fountains which was highlighted by the dark sky... and the various shouting and sounds paved way for the new year...

It was just 12:15 am into the new year when the fireworks started to slow down... probably tougher times have made the shift to a new year swift and strong... of course, during better times, the fireworks would last hours but it's always the quality of celebration that counts... A new year... a new hope and a new beginning... so wishing you all a blessed year ahead...