The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Several random events transpired today...

Bumped into SGV Friend Anna after lunch with Jing and ECP... She's gonna be back to work and her office is a stone throw away from my office... Yehey... more of my Sioberella in the next days to come... Good!!!

Met AGSB Friend, Grace for the much postponed movie time... and after all the postponement... we ended up watching invasion (about invasion later)... anyway, had dinner at a japanese restaurant in Rockwell... Still Good!!!

The movie, Invasion, was not that good... People being infected by an alien strain which would genetically alter the person genes and become a different person without emotion... after all the build up, it ended so abruptly with such a simple solution... a kid who was immune from the strain... Really Ugly!!!

The only good thing was that it was the first time that we were well behaved and silent in a movie, too bad Alpha (busy with her hubby) was not able to see our behaved version... we are usually noisy during movie time... Good, I guess???

Maybe the effect of the movie, everybody was rushing home so traffic started at Rockwell carpark... then Makati Ave... then Jupiter... and the worst of it was I wasn't able to get a decent carpark at home... Real Bad!!!

Anyway, will probably do something fun tomorrow... hehe... Great!!!

Close Shave

I suffered cramps in my left calf muscle... and the worst part of it was that it was during a run in a thread mill at fitness first... it was a good thing that when I felt that my left muscle is about to stiffen, I was able to leap out of the thread mill using my right leg... or it could have been worst being thrown of the thread mill... that could have been quite a scene...

Anyway, several personal trainers came to help me and in a few minutes, I was able to shrugged the cramps and was able to stand up and walk around... I resumed my workout, this time focusing on the chest... after a while I decided to end my work out for the day and drive myself home... good thing the cramps didn't recur while driving...

The muscle is still a bit sore until now but I guess it'll be fine in a few days... at least, I get to usedthose Medtex elastic bandages at home... hehe...

Scowl in my Face

Suddenly found a scowl in my face... I was expecting more for our planning meeting with the auditors... the tentative venue is Hyatt though since it's just an all day affair... I was hoping that they'd have a venue where the facilities are great... just like before in Palms Golf and Country Club with bowling, badminton and more facilities... My first as group head with the usual annoyance gone... The first planning meeting wherein I could actually drive myself to the venue... Well, maybe sometimes work is just work... I just had my expectations so high... I guess, it'll be more conducive to work... =<

Some Days Never End

Talk about a long day...

Call time was at 7 am in Makati office to meet our driver for our service to Bataan... then we the picked up Sheila in Ortigas and Jing in QC on our 3-4 hours drive to Bataan... We had to meet the one of the bankers for our credit facility to tour them in our plant facilities in Bataan... The tour is routine by now, since we've gone through this exercise for so many times now... Anyway, it was Jing's first plant tour since she joined Medtecs last week...

The tour went well and the discussions were smooth and lunch in Bataan was fine... on our way back we drop by Razons in Pampanga for a nice round of Halo Halo and Palabok... then it was back to Manila for us... Arrived in Manila at past 6 pm...

And as I dropped by the office to leave my laptop, I was asked to join dinner with the laundry provider of our hospital services line in Hossein in Serendra... A free dinner is not in my list of expectation for the day since I've practically spent the whole day traveling... Well, the hospital services has been one of our favorite service line being the main theme of my Strategic Paper in MBA back then so might as well join them... Food was great and Serendra is such a nice place to hangout...

By the time dinner was over, I'm so exhausted that I had second thoughts on driving myself home, which I still did anyway... and was home 1030 pm last night and need I say more what happens after a day which seems to never end...

Bits and Pieces

Hacked Attacked!!!

Still feeling the effects of my yahoo account being hacked... such a burden getting to locate all your friends email address again... but the worst part was knowing that one of my friend has been victimized using my yahoo account...

The mode of operation was that the hacker using my yahoo account would inform my friend that I'm in trouble in some place then would request that you send a prepaid card through ym... then the hacker has his fresh set of loads at the expense of my unsuspecting friend... if it helps shut down the hacker, please spread the mode of operation of the hacker. I still not have full access of my friends list though I've SMS most of my friends not to fall for this trick. It would help if people would know that there are some hackers operating this way, then unnecessary loss would be avoided...

Sorry again for any damages which may be incurred by the hacker. I'll try to make up for it someway...

Prison Break to Lazy Day Break

I've been bed-ridden all day... not cause I'm sick but because I've been stuck in a lazy day syndrome on a holiday doing my time of Prison Break marathon.. Nice series.... Finally, had the guts to go out at four pm... Hey, everybody deserves a lazy day break...

Hellos and Goodbyes

SGV friend She is again off to Cayman to resume her audit career after a two week vacation here... Glad to meet up with here even for just a few hours... Anyway, we're not really oceans apart but just a phone call away... a bit expensive mode though... Godspeed She!!!

Another SGV friend Donald would be leaving soon for the US... too bad, we won't be able to visit their place in Coron, Palawan before he leaves... and Donald will (or has already?) tie the knot via civil ceremonies in Pangasinan... Best Wishes Donald... and i hope that there'll be enough beer for Madz (another SGV friend) in St. Maartens...

Of all the surprises, I got a call from Mike, another SGV friend and batchmate, who's now in Saudi mentioning of his intention to come back here and quit his job in Saudi... though it'll be just a stopover as Mike still wants to work outside of the Philippines... but he'll be a welcome addition to our FAA Bakasyonistas escapades while he is here... Wishing you all the best of luck and see you soon, Mike!!!

New Heroes

It's a funny thought that Mike called me a hero for staying here in the Philippines... Of course, it used to be that the OFW where the heroes of the economy, sacrificing the warmth of their home for the opportunity to earn more for their respective families... probably in the world of audit, it has been the other way around... Why stay here when there's a multitude of opportunities to earn so much outside??? Well, as I always say, someone still has to do the job here and even if I can't give a logical (meaning socially acceptable to all) answer to that, I guess it all boils down to where you are happy... Anyway, we're all heroes in the economy as we do both have parts to play... OFW infusing dollar and liquidity to the economy and some people making sure that the economy is still running...

An Improved Economy

Another thought that makes me think twice with the recent resurgence of the peso vis-a-vis the dollar was She's question, when we met, Is there still anybody happy with the strengthening of the peso??? Of course, given that most Filipino household probably has an OFW member... plus the fact that prices didn't really go down or that there were no major improvement in the infrastructure in the country... Hard to be a critic... but some people view economic growth not by the strengthened peso but increased dispensable income per individual... Wishful thinking states that somehow in the future there can be real economic growth felt by all...


A Busy Week Onward

It'll be an exhausting week this week with two plant tours for our bankers, Tuesday in our Bataan Plant and Thursday in both our Subic and Bataan plant... Then there's the audit planning meeting just around the corner... Well, got to go back to my lazy day break to ensure that I'll have a high energy level for the rest of the week... ciao

Escape to El Madero

On a long weekend, an escape was such a welcome treat... so the planning was hush hush... yet somehow, we (Me, Mascy, Eunice, Gryf, Cig and Raquel) found ourselves in the massive El Madero Farm and Resort in another AGSB Escapade...

We arrived at around 7 pm, Saturday Night after traffic at SLEX and the long stretches of Star Tollway... You would underestimate the place at night but it was quite a wonder, 100 hectare resort with almost a dozen pools and a portion overlooking taal volcano... Starving the moment we step foot in the place, who wouldn't be after a long drive... hehe... Anyway, found a way to fulfill our tummies wishes with a dinner at Mr's Bulalo (sic)... with a nice warm bulalo as the centerpiece of our craving... food was great or were we just hungry??? hehe... maybe it was great... then bought a few drinks on our way back to the resort... It was a fun night and things turned even better after several funny mishaps at the pool... hehe... Nice one Mascy and Eunice... Still continued running on high energy and was able to catch sleep at past 2 am...

Had a simple breakfast the next day and that was the time we knew that the place started with just 8 hectares and now, it's 100 hectares so had a tour around the place before we went home... We were on our way back at past 1 pm and had our lunch at Leslie's in Calamba... then at around 3 pm it was our way back to Manila... was able to reach home before 4 pm and after a fun exhausting weekend... I had spent the rest of the day in a nice slumber... hehe... charging up for the next escape...

photos

Goodbye Franckxethee@yahoo.com

Looks like I'm gonna bid adieu to my email account for over 10 years... franckxethee@yahoo.com... My email address had been hacked... Happened this afternoon in the midst of a busy Friday and a the exhilarating wait for a long weekend...

It happened through one of my friends ym account which had been hacked and after a short chat, which was in Tagalog, so the hacker was definitely a Filipino, there's a message to check out a link in geocities and which would require you to login your flickr account and as you log in, the hacker would then have the password... access your account... change your password and security information... and walah.. you lose your yahoo account... then the hacker moves on to the next victim using your account this time...

Too bad, I lose my address book, my yahoo account, my emails and have my friends in peril from a hacker, who may be interested in using other people's account for personal gain... I just hope that I'd be the last victim to be hacked... and that no further damage be done to me or my friends... except maybe to the one who hacked my account... =>

Shegafredo

Definitely not a misprint... Had lunch today with She at Segafredo... SGV friend She was back for a few weeks from Cayman Islands... A good thing that after a few months that she finally decided to come back albeit just a short time...

Anyway, quite predictable for me to prioritize meetting up with old friends even at the expense of work... Late lunch at Segafredo in GB3 and even later eating time due to the slow service at Segafredo... A lot of catching up really... 10 months from the time she left for Cayman... then coffee at Starbucks... then back to where it all started... SGV... FAA and Ms. Carol was not around so we meet Ms. Dolly instead... which also has been a longer catch up since I haven't been in touch with Ms. Dolly since I left SGV unlike my frequent meetings with FAA... Back in the office at past four... hehe...

She has always been one of my loyal friends and colleagues in SGV... and is one of the easiest people to get along with - a light hearted individual with much passion for life, friends and work... Nice to see her once again... Hopefully, we get to squeeze in a round of bowling with Donald before she leaves early next week... By the way, we had a cameo role from Madrid when we woke up from her nice sleep in St. Maartens from our phone call... hehe... thought of calling Jay Anne... but knowing Jay Anne disrupting her slumber in New York might not be wise thing to do... hehe... Donald will be leaving in a few weeks also for the US.

Somehow, as things have moved on... I'm one of the few who decided to stay here... and as things are... I have a nice career after SGV and somehow an enriching experience with lots of out of the country travels, a decent MBA education and never ending adventures with SGV and AGSB friends... I've been like a chain - a link to various colleagues scattered over the world... like a light house that you tend to find in weary times... I'm always around... online or otherwise...At the very least, I have left my imprint...

Present at Grad Party this Time

After missing my own Ateneo batch Grad Party last year, I was able to attend this batch (where most of my friends graduated) grad party at Holiday Inn Galeria Suites in Ortigas last Saturday, August 18. Definitely a big party with so much participants. It's always a celebration when one graduates and I've gone a long way since I had earned my MBA degree last year.

Party started at 6 pm and I arrived at 7 pm and people just kept on coming which contributed the festivities for the night. Food and drinks was overflowing for some time before the participants outnumbered the food. hehe... Nice to meet up with Ateneo friends though at most time, there are several get togethers and birthday celebrations along the way.

Another interesting bit of info is that the 2007 would have their hard copy of their yearbook; which leaves poor 2006 batch with only an online yearbook to book wherein you still have to pay to view your own profile. Hopefully, we might as well crash their yearbook with our guest appearance in their yearbook. Hehe.

The party was slated to end to sawa but I had my escape at around 2 am as I still have a lot of sleep to cacth up to end the low batt phase and finaly after a few minutes drive from Ortigas to Makati... then there's the sleep I'd been looking forward all week... and that comes sweeter after a nice party with a great company to enjoy it with...

photos here

Still on Low Batt Mode

After an exhausting Cambodia trip... I still have to recharge a bit... so I'm still running under low battery mode... and people like me, probably run on solar power and gets so sluggish when the sun is gone... can't wait for the weekend to catch a very lengthy sleep...

The rain has poured hard today and the simple joy like going for a nearby fast food for breakfast was denied or else, I'd be soaking wet after... not good for someone who has traces of cough and cold... I'll just look at the bigger picture then, rain would help fill our hydro-electric dams, which has been in the news as of late for running under low water levels...

Times like this... deserves a nice cup noodles, a blanket and a comfortable bed... yeah... I wish... but I'll have my grand vacation soon... though I still have to work on my Visa... hehe... Maybe not that soon... at least, there's two long weekends upcoming this month...

Another Angkor Wat Adventure

Up in Angkor Wat Temple

In front of Angkor Wat

Nice Reflection...

SGVeans forever... SGV Founder with Partners and Alumni

In front of Tomb Raider 1 Movie Site @ Ta Phrom

August 10... After a long trip from Kampong Cham province in Cambodia, we (Medtecs officers and directors, SGV Partners, Wash SyCip) arrived Siem Reap at almost 9 pm (10pm Ph time)... proceeding first to Angkor Children Hospital, where Medtecs donated some blankets... before having dinner and eventually checking in at Angkor Century Hotel for rest before the Angkor Wat tour the next day...

August 11... After breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded to our first stop in our tour... Ta Phrom Temple... also famous for having been the site of a scene in Tomb Raider Movie... The Ta Phrom temple has been built late 12th to early 13th century... This has been left in its natural state and over the years (or centuries rather), trees (century fig tree and strangler fig tree) have grown intertwined among the ruins. Started our trip here from the rear end of the temple (best parts of Ta Phrom are in the rear end)... and the combination of an ancient ruin and large fig trees create such a nice scenery.

Angkor Thom area was next... where we visited Elephant Terrace (late 12th century), Lepper King Terrace (13th Century) and the Bayon Temple (Late 12th Century)... The Bayon Temple is the major attraction in this stretch; which features 37 towers carved with the four faces. The Bayon Temple sat in the center of the Angkor Thom. I'm still at awe with this structure with it's vast mountain-like landscape and all those towers with carved faces makes the climb worth it... Not everybody climbed the peak area of the tower but even if it were my second time here... I still had the zest in me to go for another climb...

And saving the best for last, we then proceeded to Angkor Wat Temple... Angkor Wat Temple (early 12th Century) was one of the 21 candidates for the new 7 wonders of world... Angkor Wat is the world's largest sacred temple. Angkor Wat is noted for its intricate ornamentation and striking beauty. The moat in front of the temple creates a nice reflection of Angkor Wat Temple for pictures. Inside Angkor Wat, there's a place where you can climb but just be careful since the steps are steep and you have to climb with no gear... We (Me, Alex, George and Maritess) took the risk and still went for the climb... It was a really fulfilling climb and on top there's a nice view around the place... It's something you won't do daily...

It was back to Phnom Penh after... ending another breath-taking tour of one of the world's better wonders...

photos here

Cam(e) Back So Soon

I saw myself back in Cambodia for the board meeting of Medtecs from August 9 to 12; which is just a few months after my last visit.

It started with a Singapore Buffet Pre-Board Dinner with our guest for the trip Washington SyCip, with Medtecs Board of Directors, Clement Yang, Wimpit Rodriguez, George SyCip, Carol Yang and Evelyn Tan, Medtecs officers Alex Chang, Christine Yang, Larry Kao, Andy Huang, Sheila Sanchez, Maritess Elbinias and Me; and, SGV Partner, Manolito Gonzales, Serafin Salvador and Jose Pepito Zabat III at Raffles Hotel Le Royal.

Despite having a half year announcement to go, this board meeting was relatively easy compared to the fast few board meetings. In fact, we finished everything a week before. With every board meeting, come the responsibility of presenting to the board the financials of the Company. There were several queries but it all turned out smooth and painless... hehe....

Next was the plant tour, again my second in a few months... a bit tiring with Medtecs having such a big facility in Cambodia... After all the work and the effort, then comes the fun part... a tour in Angkor Wat... my second time in a few months... but since this does not come off my wallet... so it'll be fun with more people enjoying the scenery... but this tale is for another blog to come...

Apart from the tour, we had a French Dinner at Raffles. This time with the Adviser to the Prime Minister of Cambodia, his wife and one of the Cambodian based Magsaysay Awardee Ek Sonn Chan. There was two Magsaysay Awardee in the Dinner, Washington SyCip being the other one.

Anyway, back to common people like me... I ordered Australian Lambs with Ratatouille... the clincher being the Ratatouille... The movie having aroused my interest on what made the tough critic look back to his happy childhood... and to my surprise; I liked the Ratatouille part... but no flashbacks like the movie...

The next day was our trip back... 14 hours on the road... 10 hours on the plane... four hours in transit at the airport... plus add all the working and walking along the trip... do the math and that adds up to a really exhausting trip... yet somehow, you get to look past all the drops of sweat and just leave on the parts that was enriching and fun...

Sleeping like a Baby

I remember one of FAA's classic joke when one client would ask how was his night... then he would say that he slept like a baby (some would equate to a peaceful sleep)... then comes the punch line... Sleeping like a baby also means waking up every two hours and crying (so much for the equation with peaceful sleep)... The reason for remembering this joke is that I've been in so-called FAA terms sleeping like a baby (except for the cry part, of course... no reason for it) as of late... I've been waking up with an hour or two intervals... which is somehow a bit draining... so much for getting past the low battery mode... That's probably me being overly conscious with time... and deadlines...

It's a good thing that during weekends, I always have time to get myself recharged with a longer than usual sleep... though this coming weekend would be an exception since it'll be another Angkor Wat tour for me... Ok, I'd be willing to trade that sleep for the tour assuming I get past the board meeting in one piece... hehe... but after all the deadline is over... I'm definitely taking a breather... the broken sleeps is not good for me... the next time, I'm gonna sleep like a bum... hehe...

Rain, Rain Go Away...

It's finally raining... and after too much basking in the sun... for one rare time... I'm calling it a welcome change... though having too much rain in the afternoon, reminds that it such a good time for hot noodles and sleep... and of course, it wouldn't help if I were back in Baguio... lying in the couch... watching TV until my eyes gets tired and doze off for sleep...

Those are the times, I'd like to match with the current weather... too cozy for work and too inviting for sleep... hehe... but I guess, that's just the difference now... work will always be work... and unless you're on leave... have the dreamy part for a little bit later when you're in the confides of your home...

Anyway, rain rain go away, make me sleep another day... crancky franckee has to work... =<

Another Climb at Rockwell

I was suppose to blog about weekend off... for having a weekend with no activity... which I can say would be a welcome change since I've been on low battery mode for the past few days... then I remembered how I missed bowling... SMS'd Carol if she'd want to go bowling over the weekends... then came the idea of wall climbing... Invited other SGV FAA friends but they had all commitments for the weekends... so it's a wall climbing saturday for me, Carol and Jason...

Picked up Carol from GB3 at around 1230 and Jason followed us at Rockwell... It's my third time to climb but it's been November 2006 since I last attempted such a feat. It was Carol and Jason's first time... We all started with the easy ones... as we are starting on the more difficult climb... there was this determined kid... probably about 5-6 years old who was able to climb up the more difficult portion... so pride as well set in, so might as well try the more difficult climbs, which we did on the inspiration that if the kid can do it so can we... hehe...

We did enjoy the climb as it's still a nice exercise, it's fun to do and it's fulfilling once you get to reach the top... Of course, there's also those experienced climbers who showed much ease in climbing the extremely difficulty portions... so it was not pride that set in... this time it was reality that set in... fun to watch but not so easy to do... After all, we're not spider pig, you know.... hehehehe....

How time flies...

Quite a while since I posted my last blog... more than a week without a blog is quite a while for me... and it's not really that I had run out of topics but more on that I wasn't in the mood to blog...

So much to write about really...

From loving the movie Ratatouille two fridays ago... Anyone can cook (can I?)... It's funny because of its story and its characters as well... I don't remember watching a longer animated flick than this...

Then who'd forgot how hard I laughed with the antics of Homer in the Simpsons movie... They just can make fun with the simplest scene... Spider Pig... Spider Pig... Hehe...

Of course, there's the tense moments approaching a deadline for next weeks board meeting... though it's not as tense as before as we're prepared a full week before the deadline...

Then there's another trip to Cambodia for the board meeting which comes with a free tour of Ankor Wat... and of course, this is considered a business trip...

Then a trip back memory lane would remind me that a year ago, I had officially graduated from Ateneo for my MBA degree and tomorrow would be the special day for most of my Ateneo friends... Congrats... Glad I had a part in your journey... See you at the Grad Party...

And there's always the countless idea that pops up from time to time... I just remembered I miss playing bowling with my bowling buddies scattered around the globe...

How time flies, yesterday was just July... the suddenly it's August.. So much blog about but we all deserve an off night or off week I guess... and I thought for a while that I'm gonna take the weekend off this week but somehow, in a blurr of a moment, I found my myself wall climbing with Carol and Jason at Rockwell this afternoon(talk about it in the next blog)...

It's such a nice thing that despite how fast time flies... I'm living a life which evolves at each moment... and that looking back in the recent past have me looking at so many things that happens in between... and even looking forward have me anticipating at new event which has yet to unfold...