Holidays

It's Christmas time once more. You know what this means! It means gift giving, reunions and parties. It's the time of the year wherein we drop everything else and spend time with families and friends and celebrate this festive season. Remembering the gifts and joys of christmas.

This year, I treated myself to a long overdue gift. I bought myself something I really wanted for a very long time now. And now it's here. I present to you Excalibur:



It's an ovation celebrity guitar. Complete with it's own guitar tuner, and pickup. The stylish black turtle back body and rosewood fretboard is just way too cool for a newbie like me. I had the chance to use it in a party with my sisters and their officemates. Here are some pics of the Band



From left to right JM on lead guitars, me on rhythm and Erik on Percussions. Here's a shot of us doing Erik's song "I'll follow you by Gin Blossoms".


Here's a picture of us together with my sisters rio and rea doing a cranberries medly.


I have to admit playing the guitar with friends and my sisters really made the holiday joys rush through my system. I cant wait when we can get the free time to play again. I bet they had a great time. I did.

Retreat

While the world is going "In you face!" and everything is not going your way, take a step back. Take a rest. Try to shake off whatever is bothering you. Then make a clear and informed decision on what to do next. Relax and breathe. For those hardcore in the getting things done, remember that "failure is not an option". Retreat on the other hand does not mean failure. Far from it. It's taking another look on what has happened and assessing what needs to be done next.

For example, I've been clearly in hell for the past couple of days. Projects coming in left and right. The work load is not getting any lighter. And with the exodus of some of my best colleagues, I am tasked to take over their duties and work. But before I call it quits and declare that this is not working out for me, I take some R&R with my buddies. Relax and think things through. And before you know it the solution is smiling right back at you. I believe the keyword is delegate. The issue is not whether I can do the job or not. It's if I can do it effectively and efficiently in line with the other tasks assigned to me. And the answer is simple. No. So after talking to some of my bosses, we have reached a compromise. And now I will be delegating some of my tasks to some of my able peers.

Enough about work. For this entry Im posting pictures on what I did to get my mind off work.

This is me taking a step and leaving my mark in the world.

Presenting the amazing Chikka Dance Troupe.

Mr. Miyagi's new students practicing in the beach.

Pakners mala Mel&JAY. Me and Ms. Donna the emcee's for Chikka's Orange Party Olympics.

Me and Bossing Chara at the Orange Party.

Allen, Sheena, Zander, Sheng and me at the Orange Party.

Poetry

As I was thinking of someting to write. I came about asking myself questions that I have never been able to answer. And so in my hapless attempt to express myself I answer the questions I make.

How do you say goodbye to a friend?
Whom you've never known personally.
What memories, conversations or ideas could you possibly say?
Where your only distinction of places is her absence.
When you've never said Hi,Hello or good day.
Why should the world stop turning and eterninty end today?

Animated

I was browsing through the blog of one of my old buddies trebs, when I came about a coolsite southparkstudio . After 5 minutes of figuring out how to use the darn page I came up with the picture on the left. Apparently, that's how I would look like if I was casted in south park. Together with the ipod and the guitar thinggy.

Living colors and vibrant images have often been associated with a well rounded person. Right now, I can honestly say, that I have a well rounded lifestyle. I work like hell, drink as if there is no tommorow, party hard, play sports like my honor depended on it, get to commit to my religious obligations and have time for my family. I was talking to a buddy of mine recently, and I realized that I am still pretty much animated. I am very active considering my workload and my schedules.

I guess I can consider myself very lucky to be able to juggle and do a lot of balancing act on my work habits and lifestyle. Our boss one said "You can either add years to your life or life to your years". I could'nt have said it any better.

hibernating

Me and My dad sleeping like a log. My sisters took it to show how me how much we are alike.

For a while I have left this habbit of expressing myself in a box well hidden. And when I almost started forgetting that I was actually doing this religously before, I came across somebody elses blog. So I was reminded, that there is something that I should be doing. Not because I need to but because I can.

It matters not, that I am not pursuing my graduate studies. I can always continue it some other time. More important matters need to be attended as of the moment. The need to pursue someone is really not an issue now. I have learned to appreciate the good things in life. It appears the best way for you to realize the better things in life is after you have been down for a very long time. And you have nowhere to go but up.

I went to the province a few weeks ago. My family had forced me to meet up with my uncle who just arrived from overseas and my aunt who was about to leave for the US. For the longest time I could ever remember. I slept. Without worries, without antyhing on my back. I have to admit it was the best sleep I've had in months.

And so now I awake. From deep slumber to see my family awaiting me to join them in dinner. There are things in life far more important than money or career. Bigger things than you and me. In a movie someone once said "When I look at you I see two people. Who you are and who you are supposed to be. Some day these two people will meet. And when they do, they will achieve great things".

Distance

Is not measured by time it takes for me to get to you. Neither is it the measured by the space and between us. Distance is the acknowledgement of a limit or a boundary. Which is why some people who have exceeded their limitations say, I have gone the distance. Or when they say it gets me from point A to point B they unknowingly acknowledge that there are 2 boundaries. Two points that represents 2 ends.

For me, distance is my latest decision. To go out of the country. Work in foreign lands. Work alone, in the absence of my peers and loved ones. And with refuge of memories held so dear to comfort me in my moments of solitude. Distance is taking risks and accepting that I will have to sacrifice my Graduate studies. For my work has limited my time and my actions. And has rendered me in a dell, unable to cope and resolve my acads.

I have acknowledged the fact that there are limits. With which I must base my decisions. Such as the the boandary between compromise and sacrifice, friends and lovers, holding back and letting go. I have suffered, endured intolerable pain and survived. I have lost everything and I have gained everything back. I am what I made myself to be. And I thank God for never leaving me. I have gone the distance. I have traveled far and wide. And so now I prepare for my journey home. To where family, friends and people held so dear awaits. I cant wait to say I've been to the end and back.

Favorite

Everyone has a favorite. My winnie the pooh tie is my favorite tie. It reminds me of a major event that my dad had to attend. It was even published in the newspaper. And he was wearing that tie. The irony is that he is a lawyer overseeing the signing of a huge contract with the some military folks. And he ran out of tie's because I had all his mark spencer ties in the office. So he had to bite the bullet and settle down for my good friend pooh bear.

My favorite pastime is tinkering with my computer. I always like to experiment. What if I do this and what if I do that. Sometimes the results are disastrous. I loose data, I destroy a device or worse crash the entire PC. But there are times when I get lucky. When I learn new things. And I get to maximize using my computer.

But out of all my favorites, I guess love will have to be my favorite pain. As it is, love is a fallacy and truth altogether. What else can give you only the promise of hope and the certainty of pain other than love? One would think, that after showing negative responses to a person that person will stop, be discouraged or get the message that I dont like you. Not me. You see, Im more of a realist. I give the people the credit called doubt. And I rename doubt with respect. I believe that everyone is entitled to have a favorite. A person might have a favorite suitor. There's no problem there. I dig that. In the same line of thought understand that the person that I love just happens to be my favorite as well.