Year of the Franc or is it?

It's really dificult to assess if this were a good or bad year... definitely hit some milestones... but a large part of th year was real difficult at least stress wise... on the other hand, there's also a travel galore with 10 out of the country trip and a domestic tip during the year...

2008 was the year I transitioned from Audit/Accounting to Finance and eventually learning the ABCs of raising funds... which at this time is difficult due to the credit crunch but the nice part of it was that I raised the long-term funds on time... The experience no matter how tough was a reward in itself and should do well in my career in the long run...

Travel has been hectic but I'm glad to be able to sneak in vacation in Australia, Hong Kong and Palawan during the year... and various trips to Cambodia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Singapore... A middle ground having my share of foreign travel but having most of my time at Home...

Friends has been over the world and glad that during this foreign trips I get to touch base with some of my foreign based friends... and back home there's still those routine getaways and birthday gatherings... a nice chance to reconnect...

I can say 2008 was more of a rollercoaster year but ended up on a good note...

2009 and beyond

I'm looking for less stress... more focus on my personal life... more travels... savings (I can't say more savings since there's none to start with)... and a lot more adventure with family and friends... I think the bottom resolution is to try to be more positive and be more decisive in making decisions... =>

Road Trippn' Holiday

When you have a very long vacation you tend to forget which day it is... Finally checked my calenday and it is still December 29... still in the middle of the long holiday...

We'll been hitting the road real hard the past week... With Christmas in Baguio and back to Manila early morning in December 26... and off to the long road to FAA's Little Bridge in Taal, Batangas... I guess everybody had the mindset of spending post Christmas in Tagaytay as SLEX was jampacked and you have to wait for two hours just to be able to seat at Josephine's... Got to Little Brigde at past 5 pm and the resort and the resort is now fully operational...

Next day was drive back home... but not without a stop over at Enchanted Kingdom... Same old enchanted kingdom but the place was jampacked for the holidays... there was snow that was more of bubbles in Brooklyn Area... and did spend some money on souvenirs here... and then we were back home... Southern Road trip over...

Yesterday was the northern part of the road trip with a trip to Subic... NLEX and SCTEX was smooth... Went to Ocean Adventure to watch dolphins and seals show... Not much really though I guess it would be a different feel if it were these dolphin and whales encounter package... After the show... Next stop was Duty Free shops in Subic... and then our way back... Smooth trip except for bottleneck traffic in Balintawak area...

Today was a bit lighter with just a trip to the mall and then it'll be our trip to Baguio... and then it's gonna be a different year before I get back to Makati again...

Excess Inkblogs: Just in case you got a who you message from me when sending your new year's greeting... My motorola V9 is under repair though the good part is that it is still under warranty... =>

Merry Merry Christmas to All!!!

At the onset of Christmas, I was really trying to find ways to spend it differently... Christmas in Baguio for the past has already been more of routine than celebration... So there must be something to add spark to the celebration...

Good for me, I thought of a formula to package the exchange gift + magic sing + raffle + cash prices... and it was a fun Christmas again... Everybody had to sing before they can get their gifts since the scores would be the basis of the raffle and the highest scores had cash prices... A bit painful to the pocket but at least, everybody had a great time...

The rest of the celebration had to do with some wines and tequilas... and of course, it made the night much more fun and everybody was set for a rematch on New Year's day and as for now back to Christmas celebration... =>

Excess Inkblogs: Off to manila tonight and we'll be on a series of out of town starting tomorrow... Taking advantage of the long vacation...

IBlog: Cool Xmas

On my way home to Baguio for Xmas... Will skip work tom though I'm sure there's gonna be some calls... Other than that its a well deserved Xmas break in the cool climate of home... =>

It's Christmas!!!

Finally, after all those difficult times... and the mood for the festivities is here... and the symptoms of the season has been felt in so numerous ways...

1) Long Queue parking
2) hectic days finishing work, meeting friends and buying gifts...
3) Unending traffics...
4) Malls are open til midnight and are still pack until closing time...
5) People are easier to get along with...
6) Hard getting solid output from people who are in holiday mode...
7) Everywhere you go there are so many people...
8) Gifts... Gifts... Gifts...
9) 13th Month Pay...
10) My credit card has been swiped numerous times...
11) Morning Masses
12) OFW Friends are back...
13) Longest Weekend Upcoming (December 24-January 5)
14) Out of Town trips are so enticing...
15) So many more attractions to visit...

I could go on this list forever but I'm just glad that events have shifted towards a good Christmas... It's really such a delight when hard work pays off... and Christmas is not just around the corner but right in front and telling people to have a great time... =>

Good or Bad Christmas???

It's just days before Christmas and I'm still in the middle of the pendulum which would either be a good or bad Christmas for me... a sudden twist of fate and it's totally different but those are life enticements... Nerve-wracking moments that at times sucks but on one hand it shows a clear sign that the heart still beats... and at such a fast pace...

It's been stressful times; but, I'm still in high hopes that all the hard work will pay off... and yet even if the stress level is at an all time high, I still have a childlike personality that takes as much time to enjoy the finer side of life... family... friends... travel... parties... outings...

Come to think of it... The difference between good and bad Christmas is the choices we make... and I choose to have a good time whatever happens... A bit of the Christmas spirit hasn't entered my system... The times are different but in time, the mood should swing back to those happy days...

The long Christmas break should be something to look forward to... I have now come back to the old tradition of spending the Chirstmas holiday in Baguio even if I would still spend most of the long break in Manila and beyond... The cool gusty northern breeze should usher the spirit in...

So It'll be a good one... at least by choice... =>

A Peek of Dawn

After all the dark days and all those hard works that came months ago... I can take a peek and somehow see a ray of sunshine upcoming... but with my luck, it could revert to those hard times... My fingers are crossed...

Funny thing today that after all the work, I did catch up with the Company Christmas Party... and though it seemed like eternity... I got my 5 years service award... and to add the thrill to the award... when I didn't like the one handing the award... I had to pull our CEO to make the award himself to me... Hehe... I could be stubbornly crazy at times...

Almost done with the funding activity that brought about so much stress the past few months (that's an understatement)... but I guess it's all charge to experience... I just hope no more surprises will pop up though there's still some road block but I just want to stay positive... too much skepticism already for me...

As I said it's just a peek of dawn... but I'd rather have a peek than darkness forever... at this time and age... you just have to take all the blessings you have even if it's just those little things... lots of luck to me... =>