Highly Recommended! The Manor Health Spa @ CJH!

I was looking for a spa the moment we arrived in Baguio 7 days ago. I suffered a back ache after driving the almost 6-hour trip with only 2 quick stops. It ached everyday especially in the morning. So I finally had a massage today and it was what I needed. I feel so refreshed!

Tet and I initially went to SM Baguio, me to get a massage and her to do some errands and buy diapers for Trisha. But when we reached SM at around 2PM, the parking was already full and there were loads of people in the Supermarket so we decided to go to Manor at Camp John Hay to get my massage.

When I saw what they were offering at the spa and the prices, I knew I wanted to try their spa packages. But I had to convince Tet to join me because she didn't want to wait for 2 hours. She eventually agreed to have a foot spa and a revitalizing facial while I got the recharge package. The foot spa was for 30 mins and the facial for an hour while my package was for 2 hours.

The recharge package costs P2,050 and it's definitely worth it. The package included the following:

• A body scrub (choice of Salt glow, Ginger scrub or Whitening Scrub)
• A milk bath
• A DECLEOR Aroma Massage

I started off with a shower, then a 10-minute stay at the Sauna, a quick shower after which I had a 30-minute ginger scrub, then proceeded immediately to the milk bath and stayed there for around 10 minutes. After the milk bath, I took a quick shower and then off to the DECLEOR aroma massage for an hour. After the massage, they offered hot tea or orange juice. And that ends my spa experience. Relaxing huh? You bet!

I would also like to commend the staff at the spa for their hospitality. Everyone was friendly especially the attendants. The therapists though could still improve because they didn't even introduce themselves. I guess they were shy? hehe..

Tet loved their foot spa and facial as well and we've decided that we'll go back everytime we're here in Baguio. One of the attendants also informed me that they have a branch in Manila as well called the Palm Garden Spa located at Strata 100 in Ortigas.

Now, that's another reason to look forward to when in Baguio. Be sure to try it out in case you're in Baguio.

Christmas in Baguio!

Before anything else, I would like to wish everyone a (belated) Merry Christmas and an (advanced) Prosperous New Year ahead!

I'm here in Baguio as I am writing this. We (Tet, myself and Trisha) are spending the long Christmas break here as was last year. This is Trisha's 2nd Christmas but this year is more special because she is more aware of the things happening around her as compared to last Christmas when she was only 2 months old. She's able to appreciate the Christmas decors, especially the Christmas lights.

The long Christmas break is something we look forward to every year because it's a chance for us to spend time with our families and also a time for us to rest or relax. This is the longest vacation for us so we make sure we spend it with family. But this year, Tet and I had to squeeze in a little time for work. That's ok though because we still had plenty of time for our family.

Similar to what we have done last year, we had dinner with my family on Christmas Eve and then spent Noche Buena with Tet's family. Then on Christmas day, we had lunch with Tet's family and dinner with my family. And we do the same for New Year's celebration.

It's only a few more days before 2008 and I am excited in the coming year! This has been a wonderful year for us and by God's grace next year will be even better!

God bless to everyone!!

Not an Ordinary Day!

Today was supposed to be just one of those ordinary days.. and then the accident happened. Tet and I were on our way to work this morning when it happened. We haven't even left the compound yet when we accidentally hit a car, a parked car at that. A 1984 Mercedes Benz.

Stupid? Oh yes! Why? I'd rather not discuss. But what the heck! I was busy fixing the trash bin while making a right turn towards the driveway out of the compound and I didn't notice that there were parked cars in front. It happened so fast and in a split second, it was all too late.

It was my fault! I should've paid attention to driving and left the fixing to Tet instead. But that's all done now. Everything happens for a purpose. Because of that, Tet and I had to take an emergency leave to fix all the paperworks and have our car fixed as well.

So now, We don't have a car for the rest of the week and have to commute to work. =( That's not so bad right? At least nothing bad happened to us. I'm still grateful!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Now Open! The McKinley Hill Arcade!

I love the location of our house! No, we don't live at McKinley Hill but how I wish that we were. Someday..

Anyway, we live within the vicinity of Bonifacio Global City and I have to say that this is the best location to live in. Everything is so close by and so convenient. We're 5-10 minutes away from BGC, Makati CBD, C5, SLEX. And recently, some shops/restaurants have started to open at McKinley Hill.

McKinley Hill is the newest addition to the places we go to mainly because it is only a 2-minute drive away from where we live. McKinley Hill is composed of residential and commercial areas, schools and etc. Most of the commercial areas are still under construction but some have already started to operate.

Here are some of the establishments that are now open and soon to open at the McKinley Hill Arcade:

1. McDonald's
2. Pancake House
3. Razon's
4. Hap Chan Tea House
5. Starbucks Coffee
6. 7-11 Convenience Store
7. Bacolod Chicken Inasal
8. Kitaro
9. Subway (soon to open)
10. B.P.I.
11. The Sandwich Guy
12. The Sicilian Express

I am already scoping this place because it will be our future home and my future work environment. hehe.. It's free to dream right?

The Things I Want to Blog About

I have been busy with work lately and I have not had the time to blog. Here are some of the things I want to blog about for which I haven't found the time to do so. I'm blogging about it to serve as a reminder for me. =p

1. Time Capsule Party for Trisha last Dec 1.
2. The hobby that I want to start and the equipment that I want to buy for me to start this hobby.
3. The road challenge that I participated last Dec 9.

I can only think of 3 topics for now but I'm sure I'll come up with a lot more. I'll just add it here just in case I haven't blogged about it yet.

What I Want!

I can think of so many things I want to do in life but I don't know how, when or where to start. My top ten list of some of the things I want to do, try or even pursue now and in the near future.

1. Participate in a full marathon.
2. Be a triathlete.
3. Take photography lessons.
4. Be a chef.
5. Climb a mountain.
6. Travel around the world (including within the Philippines) with my family.
7. Bungee!
8. Sky diving!
9. Manage my own business.
10. Be actively involved in a charitable institution involved in helping children.

Hopefully I can do all of this and more before I die.

SM Science Discovery Center

Tet and I brought Trisha to the SM science and discovery center during the holiday last week. But I have to admit that it was more of me wanting to see what is inside it than Trisha because I'm pretty sure she was not aware of it yet.

For the entrance fee of P330/person, I think it was a bit pricey for what you can actually see and do once you're inside. Don't mistake me, I actually enjoyed it (my wife didn't) but if you're to ask me if I will go back anytime soon.. probably not. The things you can see and do inside are interesting but it can be done in one visit. So SM SDC has to think of a way to entice people to return. They have to come up with ways to introduce new things that people who have already been there would find interesting again. I also think that the place is not big enough.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. I would still encourage people to at least go for one visit. For me, the best part of it was the planetarium show and the Robots.

As for Trisha, I guess she enjoyed walking around especially since this was the day she decided to walk on her own.

SM MOA & Bonifacio High Street

SM Mall of Asia & Bonifacio High Street - 2 of the places we like to go to these days, especially on weekends.

We like Bonifacio High Street because...
1. It's child friendly
2. It has a big area where Trisha can practice walking.
3. Lots of dogs. (Trisha is really fond of dogs)
4. Good restaurants and coffee shops.
5. And this Christmas season, they have light symphony show every night from 7PM to 12MN.

We like MOA because...
1. Cheaper parking compared to Ayala Malls. P40 flat rate everyday.
2. Gas at Petron station (Blue Wave/Macapagal Ave) is the cheapest (I think) in Metro Manila. They're always around P1-2 cheaper.
3. A lot of restaurants to choose from.
4. IMAX theater!
5. Science and Discovery Center.
6. SM Hypermarket.
7. It's not as crowded even if there are a lot of people.
8. And last but not the least, as SM puts it "We've got it all for you!" and they have indeed.

1 year 1 month and 4 days!

November 30, 2007 - Bonifacio Day! I'm blogging because we're celebrating. Celebrating not Bonifacio day but the day Trisha finally decided that she can walk on her own, without the need for us to hold her hand. We are so proud of her!

For the longest time now (actually eversince she turned 10 months old), we have been pressuring her to start walking on her own but she won't. She was afraid to let go. We could see in her face that she was scared to fall and her knees would tremble if we try to let go of our hand. We wondered why she was afraid of falling if she hasn't experienced falling at all. How could she have known the fear of falling? It came to a point where her mommy got concerned as to why she was so afraid of letting go. But we eventually agreed not to pressure her anymore and just let her walk on her own when she's ready.

And today was that day! She and her mommy was outside when she decided to let go of her mommy's hand and walk on her own. Mommy Tet was not prepared for it and as you can see in the pictures, she's still very cautious that her precious baby might fall. On the other hand, Trisha didn't care, she just wanted to walk. Look how happy she was!

Tet was so excited to see Trisha walk on her own that she called me immediately. And when I saw her walking on her own, I got all excited as well and ran to grab the camera so I could take her picture. Pictures that we could share with you and someday Trisha can see, the day she decides to walk on her own!

Urbanathlon Results are Out!

The result of the recent Men's Health Urbanathlon is out! (results can be found in this site - http://www.menshealth.com.ph/events/urbanathlon/index.html) My time was not bad considering that I do not run on a regular basis. But I know I can do better if only I have the dedication to go on regular runs.


Part of me wants to take running seriously but it's my laziness that overpowers me and the fact that I do not want to run alone. I'm doing something about this though. I've recently discovered from the bullrunner (visit her site - http://www.thebullrunner.com/) that there is a Mizuno run club. I want to join this running club so that I won't have to wait for my friends to run with me and it's a great way to meet new people while staying fit and having fun.

Anyway, I think the Urbanathlon was a hit! There were a lot of participants and the obstacle course was good. It was a chance for most participants and for me as well to rest especially on the parking lot part. It was a good run and I'll surely join again next year!

For the love of the game!

Today is the first time I played Badminton again after re-injuring my shoulder while practicing for ITAP a few weeks or months ago. Eversince I dislocated my shoulder, which was Feb of 2006, I never really regained back my game. Worst is, I repeatedly injured my shoulder several times more. I went to see a rehab doctor but he didn't want to operate. He just told me to go to the gym and strengthen the muscles around my shoulder. I did that for some time but work kinda got in the way and I got lazy.

Anyway, going back to my story, I stopped playing when I got injured again. But when Tina asked me how my shoulder was and if I wanted to participate in the HP-BPI dual meet, I said yes. I had no time to practice and I really did not want to practice since I was afraid I might get injured again and wouldn't be able to play on the actual game.

Today was game day. I arrived late because of a call that I need to finish but I was still able to play the 2 games scheduled for me. 1-1 was the score on both games. I was telling myself that if I got injured again today, it was a sign for me to stop playing Badminton and just focus on running. =) Good thing I did not injure my shoulder because I realized that I miss playing the game and I really enjoy playing Badminton. I simply love the sport!

My Time Was 1:01:32!

I'm disappointed! I went over the 60 minutes mark of my run last Sunday for the NB Powerrace. I can only blame myself for taking that long to finish the 10K run. I did not prepare at all which also led to aches all over my body. But thank God I was able to finish.

I still feel a little pain on my legs until now. =( I really should've prepared for it. I always say that I will do practice runs but I end up not doing it. I have to be more disciplined if I want to run my full marathon next year.

I want to share my time in the last three 10K runs that I participated in this year:
1. MH All-terrain race - 1:19:02:69
2. Adidas KOTR - 1:08:43 (I think this was a mistake. My time got mixed up with someone else. I know I finished earlier than what was on the list. hehe..)
3. Milo Marathon (Manila Leg) - 58:00

Come to think of it, my time for the NB race was not that bad but it's still 3:32 behind my best time. =) I hope I do better this Sunday for the MH Urbanathlon.

My Favorite Photos of Trisha

I just want to share some of my favorite photographs of my darling Trisha. I am really very proud of my daugther and I'm out of words to describe how much I love her.

She is...

my angel

my chef

my fairy

my cupcake

So I have to...

handle with care

Otherwise, mommy angel will kill me.. =)

And this is my favorite photo of Mommy Tet and Trisha so far. Don't they look so pretty?

An Ocean Park in Manila?

Did you know that they are building an Oceanarium here in Manila? And that it is targeted to open next month? I didn't but now I do!

It's called the Manila Ocean Park and according to the official site, it's the Philippines' first state-of-the-art Oceanarium, open water marine habitat, boutique mall, restaurant row and function facilities all located in one complex at the back of the Quirino Grandstand.

photo taken from http://manilaoceanpark.com

Here are some facts about the Manila Ocean Park:
1. It's a P1 billion project of Singaporean and Malaysian investors.
2. It will be the first and largest aquarium facility in the Philippines.
3. It's among the most advanced ocean parks in Asia and will be larger than the famous Sentosa oceanarium in Singapore.
4. The oceanarium and open water marine habitat will contain 12,000 cubic meters of seawater featuring 300 marine species.
5. There are 3 phases. Phase 1 is the oceanarium (opens in Dec 07); Phase 2 is the marine-themed mall and hotel; Phase 3 is the open water marine habitat. Phase 2 & 3 is set to open July 08.
6. Entrance fee will be around P350 to P400.

Visit this article from Inquirer for more information - http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view_article.php?article_id=95071

I am excited to see this place and go visit once it opens. I enjoy going to places like these because they're fun and educational. I am glad that we have more of this kinds of recreational facilities here in Manila (like the Science and Discovery Center in MOA) and not only shopping malls.

Trick or Treat?

Trisha participated in her first trick or treat today at the HP office. It's a bit late for trick or treating since it has been eight days after Halloween but it's better late than never.

HP has this annual trick or treat for the kids of HP employees. I'm not sure how long they have done this but this was our first time as well. There were a lot of kids that participated and they were all in their pretty costumes. Trisha was dressed as a Disney Fairy.

I'm pretty sure Trisha enjoyed trick or treating. She was all smiles, dancing ang playing with the other kids. But she fell asleep when we started going around the different floors to get the candies. She eventually woke up while we were doing the rounds so she was able to experience trick or treating. By the time we finished, we had two bags full of goodies.

We had fun doing that with Trisha and we'll definitely participate in more trick or treating next year. By then Trisha will be able to walk on her own and say "Trick or Treat?".

Not prepared to run

Remember my post recently about my need to train for the two running events I will be joining? Well, I haven't started training myself yet and it's only a few more days before the run. I'm not ready and I'm not prepared. What else is new? hehe... This is not the first time that I ran without training for it. So I hope I still finish my 10K and not get injured or something.

I hope I will have the discipline next year to train for my 42K marathon.

Pray for me. =)

C.R.I.B.S.

As I have mentioned in my previous blog entry about Trisha's 1st birthday, we asked our guests to bring as much teddy bears as they can, whether old or new, because we wanted to donate all those toys to CRIBS as part of Trisha's birthday.

We went to CRIBS the day after the party to bring all those teddy bears. And there we learned that they accept not only toys but other items as well (milk, diapers, clothes, strollers and a whole lot more).
The caretaker toured us around the place but informed us that we couldn't take any pictures of the children there.

Here are some facts about the place:
1. There are 23 children currently living at CRIBS. If I recall correctly, there are 6 babies, 8 crawlers and 9 toddlers.
2. Only 3 people are with the 23 children at night. One each for the babies, crawlers and toddlers.
3. Anyone can volunteer to visit and care for the children. There are visiting hours and you should coordinate with the administrator if you're interested to volunteer for a day. This is so that they can arrange a date and time and provide you a shirt and socks.
4. These children come from hospitals or from parents who can't take care of their own children. It can be temporary and parents could come back for them if they're ready to own the responsibility. These children are also up for adoption especially those that have been totally abandoned.

Upon seeing these children, we couldn't help but feel thankful that we are so blessed. And all we wanted to do was to give back and help in any way we can. We were telling Trisha how blessed she is that she has parents who loves her very much. Although we don't think she understands any of what we told her yet but it is something we want to instill in her. That's why we're planning of doing this every year so that she'll learn to share her blessings to the less fortunate ones.

And of course, we took pictures while we were there. Trisha was all smiles when she saw those children and she wanted to play with them but we were advised that those children just had sore eyes at that time so they advised us not to go in. Maybe next time.


We're planning to go back some time soon but this time we want to volunteer to take care of them even for just a short while. Will you join us?

I Won an NBx Shoes!!

I really did! I was one of the five winners of a pair of New Balance's NBx shoes. Below is a proof of that. I got that from the new balance website and also an email from New Balance congratulating me for winning. =)

I'm really happy to win the running shoes and it was not because of luck, well maybe partly, but it was not a simple raffle type contest where you just join and wait for your name to be chosen as the winner. I chanced upon this contest when I was searching the internet about the New Balance Powerrace.

To qualify for the contest, a player must be registered, visit the knowledge pavilions and play the runner's challenge.You then get points for visiting the knowledge pavilions and playing the challenge. The top 5 players with the highest points each gets a pair of shoes and if you bought a pair of NBx shoes and input the code in the website, you stand a chance to be the Philippine representative to the Shonan Marathon next year. I didn't buy an NBx shoes since I wasn't interested to go to Japan. My goal was to win a pair of NBx shoes only which I did. =)

The runner's challenge was the tough part. You have a virtual runner and you must choose the right shoes, provide the right stretching and the right amount of liquids and food for your runner to finish the marathon. The good thing here is you are allowed to try it for an unlimited number of times which I obviously did. It was really a fun game.

Anyway, I was able to get my gift voucher for the NBx shoes from the brand manager of New Balance and I went to get my pair at the New Balance Shangrila branch today. So I'm now the proud owner of an MR1223ST NBx shoes and I'm going to use it this coming Sunday when I participate in the New Balance Powerrace at Clark.

Thanks New Balance!

Trisha's 1st Birthday!

It's been weeks since I last wrote something on my blog. I've been busy with alot of stuff the past few weeks (preparing for Trisha's birthday and work) which left me too tired to do some bloggin'. And for the long vacation, I was too lazy to do anything. =)

If you'll notice, my blogs usually don't have pictures in them. I wanted to change that. I want to add more pictures in my blog to make it more interesting and a blog about Trisha's birthday is a good way to start.

So I want to share a few of the hundreds of photos taken during that super happy day!

A picture of our happy family. We're all smiles!

Trisha's birthday cake. Nice huh?

Everyone was singing the birthday song while we were blowing Trisha's cake.

The happy and proud grandparents. The 2 lolas outfits are color coordinated. hehe..

This smash cake was made especially for photo op but as you can see in Trisha's face, she is not enjoying this and she ended up crying.

Look at how pretty my 2 favorite girls in the world are. Picture perfect!

Trisha is really fond of bubbles so for her birthday, we had a bubble show for her and part of this was us being inside a big bubble!

We're really happy that our family and friends were there to celebrate with us Trisha's 1st birthday.

Thank you for coming! And we'd also like to thank all those who brought teddy bears for CRIBS. We already donated all those teddy bears and I'll make a separate post on our visit there.

We had so much fun. All the planning and preparation was well worth it!

Still on Glorietta 2 Bombing..

One of my batchmates in my previous company sent this letter written by my friend Carlo whose wife was one of the casualties of the Glorietta 2 bombing. My wife and I read it and we were already in tears by the time we finished reading it. I want to share the letter but I would need to ask for permission first.

I'm still following the Glorietta incident in the news and they're saying that base on their findings that this is more likely to be an accident than a terror attack. According to the news, they're seeing this as an industrial failure. But whatever caused the explosion last Friday, I hope that they get to the bottom of this and penalize the people responsible, whether it be the terrorists or the negligence of the management of Glorietta.

Those people that died were innocent and were robbed of their life. They went to the mall to shop, to eat or merely to pass by without knowing that it would lead to their death. So if ever that this incident was caused by the negligence of the management of Glorietta, then SHAME ON THEM!! These people were bringing business to them and this is what they get.

I'm still angry and in case this is the fault of Glorietta, I don't think I would want to go there ever again!!

A Sad Day

I'm not sure I want to write about this but what happened at Glorietta 2 today was just shocking. So many innocent lives lost. I found out about the bomb incident when my sister who was here for a seminar in Dusit Hotel texted me that there was an explosion in Glorietta. I was in the office at Ortigas and was busy with work that I didn't really know the extent of the damage. My wife who was also at work also texted me about it. I only saw how bad it was when I saw it in the news on TV.

Normally, this kind of incident would not really have that big of an impact on me especially that this is not the first tragic incident that had happened here in Manila, but this particular one left me in disbelief. The wife of one of my close friends was one of the casualties in the incident. Until now I'm still in shock and I still can't believe that one of the victims was somebody I personally knew. I only learned of it when my friend texted me. I immediately called him but I really didn't know what to say. He was already crying and I was still in disbelief and was shaking. I can't imagine what he is going through right now. I would be devastated if I was in his place.

I am so angry at the person/people that did this. Those innocent people that died didn't deserve this. I wouldn't hope that whoever was responsible would die as well but I hope and pray that they realized what they have done and somehow feel remorse.

I don't know what else to say except that today is a sad, sad day.

The Need to Train

It's less than a month before the New Balance run and Men's Health Urbanathlon and I have yet to train for it. I want to be fit to run by then but my laziness overpowers me. =)

I found a training program from the Men's Health PH website which I hope I can follow religiously. It's a 4-week training program and I should start today if I want to finish the program before the run.

I'm so out of shape so I really need to do this. Wish me luck!

Food Trip with my HS Friends

I just came back from an overnight trip to Baguio for a get together with my high school buddies. It has been a while since we had a chance to go out. They are my oldest friends and we make it a point to keep in touch (via yahoogroups) and if our schedule permits, go out once in a while.

It was a tiring trip but it was also a chance for us to catch up on each others lives. We spent most of our time eating and chatting. This particular get together ended up more as a food trip among friends coupled with conversations about anything under the sun or rain. =)

These are our pit stops (places where we ate) in Baguio and Dagupan:
1. Starbucks, CJH - Ever reliable coffee shop. This was where we met up and had breakfast.
2. O Mai Khan, near Rizal Park - We had lunch at this eat-all-you-can Mongolian BBQ restaurant. This is a famous restaurant in Baguio and they serve good food. (Thanks NSK)
3. Brothers Burger, CJH - This was more of a pre-dinner meal for us, otherwise known as "meryenda".
4. Wood Nymph, SM City Baguio - We ate at this Korean Restaurant because we wanted to try Korean food and this was highly recommended by one of my friends. (Thanks NSK)
5. The restaurant at Golf Estates, CJH - This is strictly for members only and one of my friends was a member so we were able to eat here. We had breakfast here before going to Dagupan. (Thanks Alan)
6. Enso, OPC in Dagupan - This is a Japanese Restaurant owned by one of my friends and this is where we had lunch before going back to Manila. (Thanks Howie)

I am thanking my friends because most of my meals and the overnight stay at The Manor in CJH was free. Thanks guys! Let's do this again. hehe..

Thumbs down for Globe Visibility and Bayan Span

This is a public service announcement from a Globe Visibility and Bayan Span subscriber:

If you are planning to get Globe Visibility as your internet connection or Bayan Span as your landline, DON'T!

Based on my experience, being a Globe Visibility and Bayan Span subscriber for almost 3 months now, I probably have more complaints than praises for the service they offer.

In the 3 months of using Globe Visibility, my No. 1 complaint is the REALLY SLOW connection. They have been consistent with that. I don't know how else I can emphasize that the connection is really really slow!! If you'll check with Globe, they can tell you that the maximum connection speed can reach up to 3.6mbps. Well, far from it and I don't think that will ever happen. To give them credit, I have experienced speeds of up to 2mbps but only for 2 seconds. The average connection speed is probably less than 100kbps.

In addition, sometimes I need to try and connect several times before I can connect successfully. Although that is not really a problem compared to the really slow connection.

As for my Bayan Span landline, the problems I have encountered ranges from having No signal to difficulty in making and receiving calls. Just today, I had to dial countless times before I could get through in placing a call. I kept on getting a busy tone.

When I tried calling the customer service to inform them of my problem, I couldn't get through either. And when I finally got through, the voice prompt led me to the customer service rep but no one was there.

This actually prompted me to write this blog and rant about my complaints. I want to give my unsolicited advice to others who might be thinking of getting their service. Their charges are not cheap so I believe we should get our money's worth for the service that they are providing.

So please think twice before subscribing to these services. I have no choice but to continue because there is a contract. I plan to discontinue after my contract expires unless they improve their service.

A Productive Weekend

Last weekend was a productive and tiring weekend for me. Not that my normal weekend is not productive, but somehow last weekend I felt that I had accomplished a lot of non-work related stuff.

Saturday.

6:00 AM - Tet and I woke up early to go to Divisoria to buy loot bags stuff and prizes for Trisha's birthday party. I haven't been to Divisoria for a long time and it' still the same (meaning traffic and lots of people). My sister told me to go to this place near Divisoria Mall where an entire building was selling toys.

Armed with only a map, we were able to reach Divisoria without getting lost. We parked at the Tutuban Mall and had breakfast at Chowking before starting our search for the building that sells toys. We were overwhelmed with the vast collection of toys that could be found and how cheap they were. We didn't know where to start. We eventually bought the items that we need and it was almost 11AM when we finished.

Dropped by S&R to check if they already have Pampers Comfort and went to get gas at Petron. Gas at the Petron gas station in Macapagal ave is P2 cheaper compared to other gas stations.

1:00 PM - Had lunch at home and then rested for a while.

2:30 PM - We went to check out the party shop (Partyshop247) place in Xavierville to finalize other stuff for Trisha's party. We sealed the deal and availed of their balloons, bubble show and food carts.

5:00 PM - Proceeded to Glorietta for some more errands. Tet went to have her eyes checked but the eye doctor was no longer around. So we went to buy ear cleaner for Trisha before going to Zara to check if there were new baby clothes. There were none. We then went to get the invitation for Trisha's party but there was still some information missing on the invite so we asked for it to be added first.

After that, went to SM makati supermarket to get some groceries. There we hoarded Pampers. I'm saying hoarded because we literally bought the entire medium size Pampers Comfort available. Not sure if it was on sale but it was really cheap at just over P4 a piece. We went home afterwards.

8:30 PM - Had pasta dinner at home. Tet tried to put Trisha to bed but she was still wide awake so we decided to bring her to Ron and Jon's party.

9:30 PM - Went to the party at Greenwoods Pasig. Trisha was already sleeping by the time we arrived at the place. Trisha woke up but was not in a good mood, she kept on crying everytime somebody would approach to say "Hi" to her.

Sunday.

12:00 AM - We decided to leave the party so that Trisha could go back to sleep.

5:45 AM - Tet and I woke up early to participate in the Avon Walk Against Breast Cancer. It was held at SM MOA. The actual walk started around 7AM, it was a 3K walk around SM MOA. We finished past 8AM. We then went for breakfast at KFC at Blue Wave before heading home.

10:00 AM - We found out that our cooking gas (LPG) was already empty and Shellane does not deliver on a Sunday so we had to go out and look where we could buy one. We eventually ended up in Bangkal where the Shellane distributor was located.

The rest of the afternoon we spent resting, watching TV and sleeping. By 9:30PM, I was already asleep. I guess that was how tired I was that by the time I woke up the following day, I was still sleepy.

Tayo Tayo Rin Sa 2015

Have you heard about MDG? It stands for Millenium Development Goals. It's United Nations' campaign that started in the year 2000 when the world leaders from different countries agreed to set goals that would help end the different problems of the world by 2015.

Specifically, they have set 8 goals and these are:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

you can read all about the UN millenium goals in this website -> http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

In the Philippines, the campaign was launched in 2002 through music. UN in the Philippines worked together with popular Filipino artists and launched an album entitled 'Tayo Tayo Rin Sa 2015 - Sing the Songs. Find your Voice. Change the World. It's your Choice'.

Check the UN Philippines site about MDG here -> http://www.un.org.ph/mdg-preview.html

Why do I know this and why do I care? I heard the song on TV months ago and I immediately liked it. I researched it over the internet and found out that it was UN here in the Philippines' way of informing all the Filipinos about the MDGs. Unfortunately, I don't think it has reached every Filipino. For instance, I only knew about it this year when in fact this was launched 5 years ago. We're almost half-way since the MDGs were launched in 2000 and I am not sure where we are now. Were the goals set achievable in the first place? I believe they are but it needs the help of every Filipino for those goals to be met.

I believe that there is still time to inform the people. I believe that the UN here in the Philippines can still do something so that every Filipino knows that there are these goals and that each and everyone of us can help in our own little way to contribute to the success of achieving these goals by 2015.

So this is my way of letting you know about the MDGs. Now it's your turn to let the others know.

Let's Run!

Running is my new hobby or sport. I try to join as many races as I can these days. I usually get info about races from RACE (race organizers) or from searching the internet (but it's difficult to find a comprehensive list of available races for the entire year). Anyway, this love for running started two years ago (2005) when I joined my first run, the new balance power race. And then I was hooked, although I stopped for a few months when I went on a study trip to China last year. When I got back, that was when I started joining again, mostly 10K runs. I couldn't handle half or full marathons yet because I am not in shape and I still need to train for it.

To date, I have joined five races, namely:
1. New Balance Powerrace (The Fort, May 29, 2005)
2. Runnex (UP, can't remember the date on this one)
3. Men's Health All-terrain Race (Timberland Heights, May 6, 2007)
4. Adidas King of the Road (Quirino Grandstand, July 1, 2007)
5. Milo Marathon - Manila leg (Quirino Grandstand, July 22, 2007)

And I'm looking forward to two upcoming runs this November; New Balance Powerrace in Clark, Pampanga on November 11 and Men's Health Urbanathlon on November 18. Visit these sites for more info on these 2 races (http://www.newbalance.com.ph/nbinaction.html and http://www.menshealth.com.ph/urbanathlon/). I also initially planned to join the Milo Marathon - Baguio leg on November 4 but there were changes in plans and I couldn't go to baguio on that day.

My goal is to be able to run a full marathon, all 42K by next year. My motivation is that I will be running for a cause so that should be enough reason because I know that I will be able to help others while doing the thing that I love.

See you on the road!

Tet says...

I have been asking my wife to blog with me for some time now. Eversince I started to blog, I was telling her that we could both blog using my blog site. She's not new to blogging since she has been blogging through her friendster account before but not consistently. But she has now started to blog again under a new blog site.

Check it out -> http://tetsays.blogspot.com/

I think the reason she's blogging again is because I inspired her, especially since I myself am blogging now (she was the one who was telling me that I should blog before). I guess we inspire each other. Sweet right? haha.. Although if you check her site, her reason for blogging is different. Ayaw umamin. hehe..

Anyway, Congrats hon! I hope we both can maintain our sites and keep on bloggin'.....

Cockroach in my Iced Tea!

The above title says it all. I want to share with all of you what happened during lunch yesterday... for people who hates or are afraid of cockroaches, be warned! hehe..

Friday is our lunch out day. For this particular lunch out, we initially thought of eating at Wham! burgers in Shangri-la Mall but since some of our teammates wanted to try this new restaurant named Cibreo, which was also located in Shangri-la Mall, we decided to join them. Most of us ordered their combo meals which included grilled chicken, choice of pasta or rice, a slice of pizza or salad and a glass of iced tea. They started serving us our iced teas while we were waiting for our food to arrive. My iced tea was served last and it was contained in a bigger glass than the rest. One of my teammates wanted to exchange her iced tea with me since mine had more but greedy as I was =), I didn't agree. So then I took a sip, that was when I felt something inside my mouth. I initially thought it was a seed from a lemon or calamansi but when I spit it out, that's when I saw that it was not a seed but a COCKROACH!! YUCK!! Good thing I did not swallow it otherwise I wouldn't have known what it was. Anyway, I called the attention of the waiter and told him that there was a cockroach in my iced tea. He apologized and took my glass and replaced it with another. When he came back with the new iced tea, he said that the cockroach came from the ice. Just like that, they didn't even offered to exempt me from paying my meal after I had almost swallowed a cockroach. I was cautious after that. I couldn't help thinking that maybe the new iced tea they gave me or even my food might have a cockroach again. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy my meal and until now I still feel disgusted and could still remember the feeling of that cockroach in my mouth.

So, I vowed not to go back to that resto and to discourage anyone who might want to try to eat in that resto. And that is also why I am blogging about it. I hope a lot of people get to read this.

You might wonder why I didn't make a scene and called for the restaurant manager and demanded to have a free meal or whatever it is that a person should do when they encountered something like that. Well, thinking about it now, I realized I should have done something about it. But it's not yet too late, I can still discourage you and alot more people not to eat in that restaurant.

The end.

Trisha's 11 months old now!

We're bad parents.. =(

Tet and I forgot that it was Trisha's 11th month birthday yesterday. We were not able to buy her a cake. We don't really have a reason for forgetting. Anyway, it's not yet too late to buy her a cake today.

She's growing up so fast. She talks a lot and now knows how to say "mommy". I think that's her favorite word now. She keeps on saying "mommy" especially when it's getting late or when she's sleepy. She also enjoys walking although we still need to support her. We know whenever she wants to go for a walk because she points to her shoes and says " shs...". =)

One more month to go and we'll be celebrating her 1st birthday! Time flies.. I miss the times when she was still a little baby. Those times when all she does is eat and sleep. Now, all she does is eat, sleep and play. hehe..

A Former Colleague's Daughter.. in need of help

I learned from one of my former colleagues from my previous work that another former colleague's daughter has this rare condition wherein her baby has difficulty breathing (that other former colleague just gave birth last August). I think the condition is also known as Ondine's Curse. Apparently, it's a very rare case even here in the Philippines and it has no cure yet. The former colleague gave me a site wherein a friend of the other former colleague wrote a blog about it and was appealing for financial help from friends. Maybe you're confused with all this "former colleague" stuff I have been babbling about.

Anyway, if you are a former colleague from that previous work of mine, then you might know the person I am talking about. So if you want to help then you may want to check this link http://janisv.multiply.com/journal/item/26/Baby_Hannah_and_Ondines_Curse. For those who just want to help, you can also find their contacts in that site.

Finally, I have a baby who's now turning 11 months old and I am very very thankful that she is well and healthy. So I'm appealing to you to pray or offer financial help if you can to that former colleague's baby. She will need all the help, be it financial or prayers.

Life is short..

I saw a woman collapse on the street yesterday morning around 9:30AM. That was the first time I witnessed that kind of an incident firsthand. She was unconscious and I didn't know what to do. My initial reaction was to ask for help from the Security Guards in the building where I work since I knew she was working in the same building based on her uniform. The guards quickly carried her to her company's clinic and that's the last I've seen of her. I do not know how she is now but I hope she's in a better condition.

After seeing that incident, I couldn't help but think that life is really short. I've always known that fact but it became more real when I saw that woman fell flat on the street for no reason (she was walking, on her way to work). Anyway, it made me realize that our existence in this planet can end in a blink of an eye. But knowing that death can be just around the corner doesn't really scare me. I'm not afraid to die because I know all of us is headed in that direction anyway. I just don't want to die yet because I want to grow old with my wife and see my child grow up, get married and have her own kids. And I know I still have a purpose in life that I haven't fulfilled yet.

Another thing I noticed from that incident is that people are generally good. When that woman collapsed, there were people ready and willing to offer help without expecting anything in return. FX drivers stopped to offer to take her to the hospital, the guards carried and brought her to the clinic. It's at times like these when you see ordinary people go out of their way to help people they don't even know. Somehow I felt bad that I wasn't able to help as much as I wanted to. =(

Hon..

I want to make a quick entry before I end my day. It's half past 12 midnight and I need to get some sleep. I have been sleeping late and waking up early for the last 3 days due to a training that I need to attend to at work.

Anyway, this entry is about my 'hon', now my wife and the mother of our child. I think I'm not telling her enough how blessed and grateful I am that she's the one I am spending the rest of my life with. So I want to take this chance to tell every one who will be reading this what I want to say to her..

"Thank you hon for almost 8 years of being together and counting. Thank you for sticking with me through all these years. We have been through a lot of happy and sad times and I give you all the credit for it. Thank you for being patient with me, you are the only one who really knows me inside and out. We're at this point in our relationship wherein we don't necessarily need to talk to enjoy each other's company.

I especially want to thank you for doing an excellent job of taking care of Trisha. I've seen how you have taken such good care of her from the time she was still in your womb up to now. You're really a wonderful mother to our baby. I guess it's because you have a great relationship with your mom which I can see now between you and Trisha as well. She's blessed.. no, we're blessed to have you.

I know we have only been married for over a year but we have been together for almost 8 years and I am looking forward to years and years more with you. I promise that I will stay passionately in-love with you the way that I have been from the time you said yes almost 8 years ago.."

Trisha...

It has been almost a month since I last had an entry in my blog. I have no valid reason for not writing, only that I was too lazy. hehe.. I have so many things on my mind right now that I do not know where to start. I had not been busy with work lately (I mean for last month) which means that I had more time for my family. I'd come home earlier to spend more time with my wife and baby.

Speaking of my baby, she's 10 months now. Time really flies. I could still remember the first time I held her in my arms and now she's growing up really fast. She's more active now and is starting to learn how to walk. She also talks a lot although we couldn't understand most of what she says except for 'dada', 'daddy', 'tetet' and 'ate'. Yeah, she calls her mom by her name (tet) and not 'mommy'. I'm really crazy about her and it's really difficult for tet and I to leave her every morning when we go to work especially now that she already knows how to show us that she wants to come with us.

How I wish we could just stay at home and be with her everyday while she has not yet reached school age. Having her has really changed our lives and she's really a blessing and we can't describe how happy we are that God gave us such a precious gift.

Since that will only be just a wish, for now, we just want to spend as much time with her as much as we can. And enjoy her at this stage because she will never be a baby again.

I know she will get to read this someday and I want to let her know that Mom and Dad loves you very very much!

Beijing Olympics

8/8/7 - It's exactly one year from now before the Beijing Olympics. I'm excited because it's going to be held at my favorite place in the world, Beijing!

I hope I get the chance (read: if I have the money) to be there when it happens. I'd love to watch the games live. I'm sure it would be so much fun. I also want to see how Beijing will look like by then. The last time I was there (2006), a lot of construction was still going on.

Oh well.. I'll just hope that come this day next year I will be blogging about the Olympics live from Beijing! hehe..

Happy and Content..

Birthday's over..
I'm officially 31..
A year older and hopefully wiser..
Time flies..
Remembering last year, I could say that it was probably the highlight of my existence (more on this on my next posts)..


For now, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people that greeted me, either via a text message or face-to-face, on my birthday. To my teammates, thanks for the surprise..


And of course to my wife, Tet, for taking the time to buy me a present and treating me to dinner
for 2 days (we ate at Highlands Steakhouse in MOA and Zhu in 32nd and 5th). hehe..


When I was 25, I told myself that I'd be a millionaire by the time I reach 30. I'm now 31 and I'm not yet a millionaire and nowhere near that but I'm blessed to have a loving wife, a healthy baby and a good job, so what more could I ask for? I have everything that's important to me!

Thirty-One...

After 31 years of existence, I decided to blog. Why now? Why not! Is it too late? I don't think so. I have no experience whatsoever in blogging so please bear with me. Not really sure if there is such a thing as the right way to blog. If there is, let me know ok? I'm a newbie in this sort of thing.

You might be interested to know why I decided to do this. I'm not really fond of writing and I'm not even sure if I can sustain this over time but I decided to start blogging because I was inspired. Inspired by 2 of my favorite bloggers, Anton Diaz of OAP (http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/) and very recently Senator Pia Cayetano's blog site (mydailyrace.blogspot.com). Thank you!

I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to blogging, so this is still a work in progress. I'm pretty sure as time goes by I will be able to improve. I might even add some images, but for now, I'm satisfied with just being able to start.

I turned 31 today and I thank the Lord for giving me another year full of blessings and love. It rained the whole day but I take that as God's way of showering me with even more blessings.

I'll end my first ever post with 3 of my favorite quotes I recently read in the August copy of Men's Health Philippines about the smartest things ever said about fatherhood:

• "It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping." - John Sinor
• "A man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." - Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in the Godfather
• "Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express." - Joseph Addison

I have a daughter and that last quote is so true!