second time around

how about attending an awards ceremony in bangkok for free? yup! just two weeks ago my company treated us with a bangkok trip for the annual achievers' awards for 2008. i can really say my 2008 was a blast, this recent travel is the culmination of last years' hardwork and dedication with my job, naks! well, we stayed in a posh amari watergate hotel located at the heart of bangkoks' shopping haven, the pratunam. bargains and shopping galore!

i just wanna segue way about my one of a kind experience in this trip, the tiger show, the discreet name for bangkoks' vulgar tourist show at night. oh well, its a live girly show in short, there you can find the most talented women, of what they can do just by using "theirs". an example of it was using it as a bottle cap opener. mind you the plop sound was really audible just like opening a bottle of cola with a real bottle cap opener. you could just imagine what this woman can do to his partners' thing while doing the deed, hehehe.... other stunts would really left thinking how do these girls do it? well, its their show, its taboo, if i may used the term.

going back with the awarding thing, its my fourth time to receive this kind of award from my company, its called the sales achievers' award and the early bird award. early bird meaning hitting the target quota within the 10 calendar months of the year. but its my first time to be in the event outside my beloved philippines. usually it was just held a grand ballroom of a five star hotel in manila or in a exclusive country clubs. last years awarding was done in hongkong, unfortunately i didn't hit my target quota last 2007 so i didn't have an award and no travel incentive for me. all of us in the company are hoping and looking forward that this 2009 would be better than 2008, well, we hope so despite the current crisis. so let's all heat up and fired up for 2009! let's not be fired this 2009, ok!

new boss

As I've wrote in my previous blog, there have been lots of changes with the company I’m working with. Part of it, my former boss was transferred to different area, which means his position was left vacant. The office then opened an in-house hiring for the position, which i obligedly applied. Well, after series of exams, screenings, case presentations and panel interviews, I’m happy to announce that I didn’t get the job. it’s a learning experience on my part, I did my best and I’ve learned a lot.

i'm not truly affected with the result, my very first boss was one of the panel during the case presentation and interview. he told me they were very impressed with my presentation, very detailed kasi. he's happy to see me applying for the job, he noticed my level of maturity has improved in terms of the nature of our work. i thought i did well also, i nailed it. but the case presentation was just one of the criteria for the selection process. oh well, basta i'm happy naman with my new boss, i hope we could get along well, with the rest of the group.

last years' highlights

my first blog for 2009. I'm still having post holiday sickness and i am still on vacation mode, even though my work officially started January fifth, my boss called saying that there will be changes with our area configurations this year. i got stressed because its not good news for me, first I was displaced from my area last year, and I'm gonna handle some unfamiliar products which means am gonna promote them all over again, well its a new year and a new challenge, am having high hopes with the configuration thing, hope it will do best with our district and the whole company.

i just would like to sum up the places I've been last year. there were lots of firsts, and some are re-visits. been out of the country twice and have explored other parts of the country, thanks to my job...

last february was an amazing trip to bangkok, thailand. kinda similar to metro manila setting, the weather, heavy traffic, pollution, people, shopping malls everywhere, tiangge and really cheap finds, its a shopping haven. buddha temples and palaces are also everywhere, some of the buddha's were made of pure gold or with bronze. and if you're lucky enough you can spot an elephant roaming around streets of bangkok.

the grand palace




one of the hundreds buddha temple in bangkok, with pure gold buddha




ayutthaya temple ruins in ayutthaya (outside bangkok)


two of many of the shopping areas in bangkok, central world and siam paragon






one of my local trips last year was in cebu and bohol, being confined in the upper part of the philippines, going there for the first time is also exciting. we went to cebu to attend a wedding and while there, we decided to go side tripping in bohol, just 2 hours boat ride from cebu. here are some of the places to see.

port san pedro in cebu




baclayon church in bohol



mingle with world's smallest primate the tarsier



biggest kisses chocolate




island hopping





it was an experience, makes realize that our country has something to offer with the international tourist, cebu and bohol pa lang to namangha na ko, pano na lang kaya sa iba pang magagandang lugar dito sa pilipinas?

my other trip abroad last year was in hongkong, the trip was unplanned. luckily, we managed to book a flight even with only few days before the day of departure. my third time to be there but its the first time that i am with my wife and son. all in all i enjoyed that trip it was tiring as usual beacuse of the long walks that you have to go through, wala kasi tricycle dun. taxi would cost you much kaya lakad na lang according to my cousin who is been working there since i was in high school.

hongkong skyline is one of its major attraction



enjoying disney parade in disneyland


big buddha in lantau island



last year was a blast, i did good with my job, i got to travel, and the most important thing that i started last year is blogging, although i confess that i am not really good in writing, thanks to gentle who introduced me with this whole thing!

my son's quotable quotes

on his food : "ayoko ng masarap, gusto ko yung pinaka-masarap..." Ganun?

on asking him to speak in english : "ba't ako mag-e-english, wala naman tayo sa America..." oo nga naman, makakarating din tayo dun anak...

on wearing seatbelt : "mommy wag na ko mag seatbelt kasi naka belt na ako..." hmm pilosopo...



Happy New Year Everyone!!

Piolo, burnay, empanada, pizza and JAVA

What do you think they have in common? Well, I happen to experience them all in Ilocandia some weeks ago.

Here's Piolo, our calesa. Going to Vigan would not be complete without having a calesa ride, with your friendly mamang kutsero who’s willing to show you places in and out of their heritage village. You would see ancestral homes of famous people during the Spanish era, like Padre Burgos. The house of the Crisologo’s and of course Chavit’s Baluarte. It was also my first time to see how a burnay jars is being done. Burnay jars, locally known as tapayan or banga, was used for storage of water, rice grains, basi (their local wine made of sugarcane) and condiments like salt and bagoong (fish paste). It is also used in the fermentation of vinegar (their sukang Iloco or suka Baket), perfect sawsawan for their empanada and ukoy. Yum!

If you happen to crave Italian food while in Ilocos, you can spot this quaint café located just in front Paoay Church, the Herencia Café. They serve local varieties of pizza like pinakbet, dinardaraan (dinuguan), bagnet etc. The pizza tastes ok, it doesn’t really taste like pinakbet or dinuguan but rather it is like a vegetable or meat lover pizza from a famous pizza brand. I’m just intrigued.

While in Laoag city, Java hotel is the place to stay to be, this Balinese type hotel is just simply great. The whole structure reminds me of a big bahay kubo, the hotel reception and lobby is open air, hotel amenities like swimming pool and gym is also available plus it has wi-fi connection everywhere.

This is not my first time to travel in Ilocandia, but I got to experience new stuffs what this region has to offer. Try it too!

Elsa's miracles

Finally, I got to watch the classic film Himala (on cable TV), by Ishmael Bernal which stars Nora Aunor, Pen Medina, Vangie Labalan and other artist whom i only recognize their faces but not their names. Funny thing is, I am here in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte right now and the film was shot entirely here and other nearby towns, especially in the sand dunes in Batac.

I got interested in this film not because I'm a Noranian but because it was in the news recently, it was awarded by CNN APSA Viewers Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of all Time. How’s that, huh?!? I'm not really a film critic and watching it for the first time, there was no WOW feeling for me. Maybe because I have already encountered real life stories like Elsa's story in the film, stories like those already happened in real life, maybe Judiel was inspired by this film. But I must say the actors' performances in this film were effective, they portrayed their roles well especially Nora Aunor who plays the lead. One particular scene that leaves a mark on my mind was the tight shot of Nora when they were having their funeral march, parang totoo. And of course, the part wherein she was delivering her speech to her town people, saying she was a fake, that there was no miracle and that we make our own miracles and those miracles happen inside us.

We often hear that famous line nowadays, as part of joke, or from stand-up comedians from TV or at comedy bars. I think why it won its recent award is because of the films simple message about life's miracles, it has a universal appeal. And that yes, miracles do happen.

Blogger out!

Tita Roset

As my son fondly call her, is coming to our house for dinner. Together with her family, they will be travelling all the way from Manila. A Manilenia, she used to work here also in Pangasinan, a former job counterpart of my wife, then later on she was transferred to Manila due to their company re-alignment. And it's quite a while since the last time my son got to kulit her.

They will also be going on a road trip. From Manila, they will go straight to Manaoag, to the famous and miraculous Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine. Another tourist destination here in Pangasinan, it's a place where you can commune with your sprituality. From there they'll be going to Baguio. A doctor/friend of mine intoduced me to this Organic restaurant in Baguio, they only serve organic food, which i think its healthier, their fresh garden salads is a must try, brown rice, fresh lemon grass tea etc... everything is yummy! It is located along marcos hi-way in front of BGH, if you are coming from Manila you can spot it to your left just before going up in their newly built flyover. By the way, the restaurants name is Honey in the Rock, now i've found another reason for me to climb up to Baguio. :)

My wife and I went to market this morning to buy the stuffs needed for the dinner. We were planning to cook native chicken tinola for our soup menu, but sadly we couldn't find a live native chicken in the market, my aunt says the vendors (of the chicken) were not around, because they usually post just in front of her store. So we decided to replace the tinola with nilagang pata ng baboy, meat lovers would love this hmmmm... sabaw! Other menu on our list were inihaw na tilapia, ensaladang mangga with red eggs and pinakbet, and for dessert, we'll be serving buko pandan, which i am an expert in preparing it. hehe... writing this blogs' making me feel hungry.

And so they came, they ate and they left. It was nice seeing Tita Roset's family again. Thanks for the visit and see you in Manila when we get there! Sana nabusog kayo.

Blogger out!