Last day of 2010...

I guess this is how it's going to be from now on... I write a post at the end of the year, the new year and a mid-year post. It's not like I'm intentionally trying to kill my blog, but with the advent of micro-blogging, photo-blogging and social networking sites, I'm really having a hard time expounding what could be said in a 140 character tweet or a facebook album into a full blown blog entry.

Anyway...let's see, so the second half of 2010 was a mixed bag. There were some happy moments, like the Coron trip with my HP teammates, my Singapore-Malacca trip to visit Maitz and Jeng, Cebu with Tere, lunchouts with my SLF friends, turning 28, Quest Crew in Manila and various family outings and eat outs that I always appreciate. But then, there are my frustration with new work, missing my old work (and the travels that came with it), and worst of all, the loss of Nanay and with it the death of the routines and traditions that I grew up with - like being in Magallanes every week, birthday blowouts by the extended family, Christmas/New Years with the Espiritus. It's been a totally different holiday season.

So again I resort to Retail Therapy...for the 2nd half of the year I totally gave in to gadget lust and bought a new laptop, a new cellphone and a new camera. For the laptop, a pink Dell Inspiron with a Core i5 processer, 4GB RAM and 1GB dedicated video card and 500GB storage. My new cellphone is a pink/white Android-powered Sony Ericsson Xperia X8. Yea, I'm finally going back to SE after a few years with my LG. And last but not least, my black Sony TX5 camera - waterproof, dustproof, shockproof (with a DicaPac case courtesy of Jeng for taking pics at depths over 10 feet).

Overall, I think 2010 was still an amazing year full of memories, new beginnings and fresh starts. Some goodbyes and traditions came to an end, but it's also an opportunity to make new traditions that are totally our own. I know I have been very blessed this year, and I'm very thankful for all the opportunities and blessings that came our way. So I can't complain about the year that was, and I'm only more hopeful and optimistic about the year to come.

And what's a new year post without resolutions??? I normally don't make them because I always end up breaking them, but this year I have two major goals that I need to set in stone (or in blog).

1. Finance - Need to get my act together, saving, investing, no more expensive lunch outs, no more unplanned spendings, no more impulse buys and yes to responsible use of credit. Of course this doesn't mean no more travels, just everything in moderation.

2. Health - I am getting old. A fact that became painfully obvious when I cleaned out my closet and organized old pictures. My health is not what it used to be, I can no longer binge and expect my metabolism to catch up. I need to exercise, need to lose weight, need to start eating healthy in 2011. Good thing that with age also comes the taste for vegetables. :)

So I guess that's about it. I'm feeling very sloth-like and sluggish this afternoon, probably due to some cold medications I'm taking. My sisters and I are planning to drink and be merry tonight...let's hope I'm up to it. Happy New Year Everyone!

Cheers to 2011!

Goodbye Nanay

I call my grandmother Nanay... and last August 28, she passed away in the ICU of Makati Medical Center, after weeks of being hospitalized and having been brought to the ICU twice. We got there while they were still trying to resuscitate her, trying for almost an hour... my mom finally asked them to stop and just let my lola rest in peace.

I think my last blog post mentioned that she was recovering well after a surgery...she was actually, and every week after mass we would pass by their house because it's been a tradition for us. Every week, we would see her and sometimes she would be lucid and happy, other times you could see she just seemed really tired. The last time they had to bring her to the hospital, during the first week of August, was because she was not eating, and she had a slight fever.

During her confinement, they surgically inserted a peg into her stomach so that they could feed her, inserted a DVT filter to fight blood clots, had to deal with Atherosclerosis and stenosis, and her veins were very thin and collapsed easily which made it very difficult to draw her blood for tests and to insert lines for her IV, and this was on top of the usual care she had to go through, for her bedsores, her wound, her medications, her therapy... it's a lot to go through, I could tell. And whenever I was there, I could see how difficult it was for her, how difficult it was for my mom, my aunts and uncles... it was painful even for me.

On Thursday, August 26, I visited the ICU and learned that her condition just went from bad to worse. I was rattled the entire day, couldn't focus on work, and would cry at the slightest provocation. I was very emotional, I'm sure some of my colleagues could tell, and all I could do was keep praying for what was best for my nanay. All I could do was visit her and spend as much time with her as I could, my aunts and uncles from abroad were asked to come home, so that they could spend time with her... unfortunately, Nanay's body gave out before they could arrive. Today, on Mama Mary's birthday, she was finally laid to rest in Manila Memorial.

My fondest memories of Nanay are almost always connected to Tatay as well...Maitz and I were the first grandchildren in the Espiritu clan, so you could say we were the most blessed to have grown up with them. When Tere came along, she became Tatay's favorite, and most of the time the three of us, along with Nanay and Tatay would go out to Megamall to play at Dreamscape (or was it Glico's). They would treat us to lunch at Triple V, take us to Tagaytay and Baguio, we were at their house every week. We loved spending time with them, and we knew how much they meant to each other. When Tatay passed away, I saw how depressed Nanay became...they must be happy now that they are together again.

My grandmother was truly an amazing woman, she raised 8 kids, became the superintendent of Pasay and was also a papal awardee! She was kind-hearted and selfless, and the values and virtues she taught my mom, my aunts and uncles...these are the same values I have with me today. So I guess you could say, I owe them all to my nanay. I'm going to miss her so much...Rest in peace Nanay, say hi to Tatay for us. We love you!

The mid-year catch up post

Okay, so technically I'm past the mid-year point, but in my defense, a lot of things happened in the past 7 months, that and coupled by the fact that I have been too lazy to update this blog is the reason for all the delay.

But, can't put this off any longer can I? Mich, Lui, I hope you're happy... you're probably my only two remaining readers, this post is for you. :)

So, where was I on my last post? Right, in Bratislava, welcoming the new year filled with optimism that this will be a better year, Halfway through 2010, and I can say it has been a better year, and I have a feeling it's going to keep getting better. :)

To make this a relatively short post, I summed up my top 10 highlights of the past 7 months (in random order, as my brain is fuzzy on timelines):

1. Traveling to Prague, Czech Republic with Ria
The more famous capital of the separated Czechoslovakia, Prague, is arguably one of the loveliest cities in Europe. Home of the Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock, Petrin Tower, Tyn Church and Wenceslas Square. I will probably put up a separate post for this.



2. Traveling to Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and Krakow, Poland with Eisel and Tomas
Auschwitz is the most (in)famous concentration camp during the Holocaust...and I can't even begin to describe how I felt when we walked inside the camp. It was a surreal and emotional experience, and should definitely not be missed. After Auschwitz, we headed to Krakow, the former capital of Poland and the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. This is a beautiful, beautiful city...I daresay I even liked it better than Prague. Another separate post for this will be up in the next few days. :)

3. EBU project goes live!
After almost 3 years of development, design, testing, re-design, bug fixing and support, EBU finally went live. Cheers to everyone involved in the project! I'll definitely miss you guys!

4. I resign from Sungard.
Thank you for the opportunities you gave me, I was very lucky...there were a lot of ups and downs but I am still very grateful for the experience.

4.5. I start working for Hewlett Packard.
To think when I first started working, my friends and I actually 'dreamed' of working for HP. So when the opportunity came, I had to answer. I'm fortunate to be working with such an amazing team! I'm still adjusting, but I know I'm ready for the challenges ahead.

5. The Italians visit Manila.
Tito Enrico and Tita Mildred stayed with us for a few weeks when they visited Manila, their trip was actually extended due to the volcano eruption in Iceland. We took them out to try different cuisines, showed them around, and arranged their trip to Boracay. A few days before they left, we also went to Tagaytay for some relaxing scenery. Oh and of course, Tita Mildred made us some of her delicious tiramisu before leaving,

6. We have the first ever automated National Elections - but my candidate loses.
Cheers to Smartmatic-TIM for the successful, first ever, automated elections! It took just one night for me to find out that Gibo lost... but I can't be completely disappointed that Noynoy won, because for some reason unbeknownst to me, Erap was trailing on second! So, better Noynoy than Erap I guess.

7. Maitz comes home to celebrate her birthday
So, Maitz comes home, like 3 times a year, so every time she is here is an excuse for us to pig out, drink and splurge. This time, we went to Tagaytay and stayed at One Tagaytay Place just to chill. And of course, she brought us some alcohol! This year, it's Patron tequila and Berry Acai vodka. Pic on the right is of the 4 of us in Cyma.

8. Davao with Louie.
Okay, more like spa-hopping and food tripping in Davao rather than actual sightseeing, but who cares? One of the most relaxing trips I have had to date. Stayed at Pearl Farm and Marco Polo, so who can complain? Saw Mt. Apo from afar, met Apple's friend Mapeng who served us our tour guide and translator, braved durian coffee and durian ice cream, visited SM Davao, ate at Jack's Ridge, heard mass at Sto Nino Cathedral, bought 10 kilos of suha and mangosteen and 12 pieces of batik! Next time, we'll definitely go out and see the eagles...promise!

9. US visas renewed.
Hooray! Another 10 years, and Gabby got his too! Ooooh, if only I had unlimited resources, I'd be flying back again this year!

10. RENT!!!
This is my favorite musical, and to see it performed on stage was just amazing. Oh, and I also watched Avenue Q again this year, and Equus just last week. I wonder what play/musical I'll be seeing next? I really hope they stage Wicked some time soon.

But it's not all happy memories. Tatay Alejandro, my dad's dad passed away this year... eternal grant unto him Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. From the gates of hell, deliver his soul, may he rest in peace, Amen. I personally think this was a blessing in disguise, he was in a lot of pain, and most likely would have been diagnosed with lymphoma. We all accepted that it was for the best, and we're at peace knowing that he's no longer in pain.

And my grandmother (mom's mom), also had a very delicate operation to remove dead flesh from the small of her back, it was due to bedsores and became infected and was putting her life at risk. We were all worried about the operation because she already has a weak heart, and was also diabetic. But my lola's a fighter, despite the excruciating pain she must be feeling, she was able to recover nicely. After 3 weeks in the hospital, she's now back home, and much better than she was the last few months, thank God. I pray that her speedy recovery continues, because it will actually take at least a year for her surgical wound to heal completely.

So I guess that's it for now, I owe at least 2 more posts (for Prague and Krakow). And probably some more to come in the next few months, with a Coron trip on the way this August, then Cebu with Tere on September and Singapore/Cambodia on November, it's going to be another travel-filled year, exactly the way I like it. :)

Goodbye 2009!

31-December-2009

I usually make a long post about the year that was and what I'm looking forward to come the New Year, this year, I'll try to keep it short. Anyway, this is my first new year away from home, away from my family...and I'm almost thankful for the loads of work I have to do, because then I don't need to dwell on the fact that I'm not with them this holiday season.

I'm in Bratislava, by the way.

This year has been a mix of ups and downs for me. I remember being so excited, then let down, then fulfilled, then frustrated, you get my drift right? It's more extreme than in previous years, and I can't really elaborate because I try not to be too specific in my blog posts. But if you're close to me, then you probably know what a rollercoaster 2009 has been for me, personally and professionally...okay, mostly professionally, haha.

But then, I'm not one to dwell on the negative, and I'm still ending the year with a positive outlook and a firm hope that 2010 will be a better year.

And 2009 was the year I finally got to Rome, which I've always wanted to go to ever since I can remember. The Vatican was amazing and I will definitely try to go back here when I can. I even got to travel to the US this year with Maitz, and we were able to visit and do so many things and visit so many new places like Napa Valley, Boston and New York. I also traveled to Vienna, Hong Kong, Singapore and Palawan and got to see the unbelievable underground river caves. Looking back, it was a pretty fun year with all those travels. :)

And one of my dearest best friends also got married this year, Cess, I hope Aaron makes you happy and I wish you guys all the best! You deserve nothing less.

My project at work is finally going live, which is also the reason why I'm here right now, but I'm really happy about it because then, at last I can move on, hehehe.

Some of the bad, this year I will remember to be the year I got sick so many times... from asthmatic bronchitis in January, to gastritis in August with bouts of flu in between. Really, this year has been bad for my health, maybe next year will be better.

2009 year was also the year of such tragic deaths, like Michael Jackson, Francis Magalona, Cory Aquino and Brittany Murphy to name a few. May they rest in peace.

It's also been a year of natural disasters, from Ondoy to Pepeng to the Mayon volcano explosions.

Truly, it has been a rough year, but I believe 2010 will be a better year, a lot of new decisions to make, choices to take, places to travel, friends and family to love. Cheers to the new year everyone.

HAPPY 2010! :)

The best laid plans...

After months of planning, coordinating, bargain-hunting and scheduling, my date of departure finally arrived, only to be cancelled due to unbelievably strong rains and floods brought about by tropical storm Ondoy.

I'm still a little bit in denial... already I will be missing out on meeting my friends Irene and SP in New York. And will not be able to go to Philadelphia on Monday, and that's if I can rebook my flight as early as tomorrow. What a disaster.

But it's nothing compared to the tragedy that's happening all around...people displaced from their homes, houses washed away by the rains, neck-deep floods, people drowning in the currents. My concerns are petty if you look at the big picture.

Let's just all pray that the storm ends soon... and let's be reminded about how we should take better care of our environment. Because really, in the end we're the ones who are going to suffer if we don't stop abusing our planet.

Surviving Bikram Yoga

I've been feeling down lately, and I felt I needed some physical activity that would help me get a clear head, and at the same time 'detoxify' to get rid of all this negative energy and built up toxins in my body, yoga would help address these concerns.

I've done some yoga before, and I enjoyed it, but what I really wanted to try was Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga, or hot yoga involves a series of 26 poses done in a 38-42 degree celsius room, with about 60% humidity. The heat supposedly warms the muscles to make you feel a deeper stretch, and improve the circulation of blood in your body. The heat will also make you sweat, and aids in eliminating the toxins from your body. And of course, the other benefits such as stress reduction, flexibility, calorie burning etc...Sounds good right?

So, I braved storm like rains and mini floods to get to the Bikram yoga studio at 88 Corporate Center. I was determined to get to class because I felt that I really needed it. So, I got there, soaking wet, and quickly changed into my yoga attire. Take note, for Bikram, DO NOT wear jogging pants, it is HOT. I wore capris and a light fitted shirt. Most of the people wore shorts, and sleeveless shirts. I never felt body conscious or anything, even though I was easily the biggest one in the room. :P But anyway, I digress.

To start, the instructor gave me a few pointers, the class lasts 90 minutes, once you're in, you're not allowed out. Drink water, if you feel dizzy during the class, just keep breathing etc etc. I just kept nodding, eager to start the workout. He set up my mat and I walked in, and sat down, waiting for the class to start. The heat was bearable, I figured it wouldn't be much of a hindrance, so i just regulated my breathing and tried to acclimate myself to the temperature. Two minutes in that room, and already I was starting to sweat.

The class starts with a breathing exercise, and then quickly moves to a standing pose with your arms over your head and then bending from side to side. Already, I felt the 'burn', for people who haven't done yoga, it's not just simple bending, it's the stretch and forcing yourself to hold the stretch that's the challenge. I was very quickly made aware of just how the humidity and heat were contributing to the difficulty of the poses.

I was feeling all right for the first 5 or 6 poses, I'm not saying I did any of them perfectly (except maybe the first 2), but I was able to follow the instructions. But the humidity was getting to me, sweat was pouring out from every pore from my body, my hands were slipping when I gripped my ankles or feet or whatever, and the constant movements made me feel lightheaded and slightly nauseous. After about three more poses, I had to take a braek and just kept inhaling and exhaling, I swear I would have collapsed if I didn't take breaks between poses. I joined in again after brief rests, and for the next 7 or so poses, I did one iteration, rested, skipped the next one, and tried the next pose. The humidity was almost unbearable, it felt like I couldn't take in much oxygen. I was red faced, sweating, lightheaded and could barely move because if I did, I felt the room would spin. I wasn't the only one having trouble, it was common to see people taking breaks between the poses, so I didn't feel particularly bad that I wasn't able to do all the poses.

When we started the lying down poses, I tried one, and then quickly abandoned it. I could only lay back and raise my legs briefly before stopping and practically hyperventilating again. My heart was beating so fast I thought everyone could hear it. It came to a point where I asked the instructor if I could leave, I swear it was just getting too hard to breathe.

But he didn't let me go, just three more poses, he mentioned. He told me to take deep breaths, I calmed myself somewhat, figured that I was just losing focus. It helped. I was able to do the last three poses, although I still had to skip the second iterations for each, but at least I was able to get back to it, even though I felt I was almost ready to give up. I think I wasn't mentally prepared for this yet, but I'll get there eventually.

And finally, we were asked to lay back, the lights were turned off, and after a chorus of 'Namaste' class was over. I survived! I rested a few seconds, fixed my towel, rolled my mat and walked out of the room, avoiding the small puddles of sweat on the floor, and trying to keep from slipping. I know it sounds gross, but believe me, everyone was sweating during the class and you'll be focusing so much on the poses and breathing that it wouldn't bother you after a while.

As soon as I felt the slightly cooler but still warm air outside, I instantly felt better. I was still lightheaded, but I also felt relaxed and more focused. I know I definitely 'detoxed' while I was there, and I could feel the muscles that the poses 'stretched' already start to ache. But it's all good, no pain no gain right? Anyway, I was told that it was exceptionally humid in the room this evening (maybe because of the rain), and it's not usually that hard to breathe...I'm hoping that that's true, since I will be coming back on Saturday for another class, and this time I'll be more mentally prepared and my goal is to complete at least half of the poses. :)

If you want to try something new and instantly feel the benefits after just one session, I would suggest you try Bikram yoga. It's very challenging but mainly because of the heat and humidity, but I think once you get used to it, it can help you get a better stretch. And if I can do it, I'm sure you can too. :) For more info, check out their website, http://www.bikramyogamanila.com

Now let's see if I'll be able to get a really good night's sleep...and hopefully, my muscles won't be too sore tomorrow.

Namaste. :)

I have a Secret

For those who know me, it's common knowledge that I shop whenever I feel any sudden burst of emotion, be it disappointment, anxiety, happiness or excitement. This weekend was no exception. I've been out looking for a phone to replace my K770i, it's been with me for almost 2 years and I'm thinking it's about time for an upgrade (or a change, whatever). But the last time I went phone shopping, I ended up buying an iPod Touch...it happened all so quickly, but I was in love with the Touch, and the WiFi feature I was looking for in a phone worked much better on the iPod's screen and touchscreen interface. Besides, Sony Ericsson's line of models was not offering up anything interesting, at least, not at the price I was willing to pay.

So...I figured, I'll buy the iPod and just wait a few more months for a new phone. October's just around the corner anyway. BUT, this weekend, after treating my dad to a father's day dinner, we stopped by the Avant store in Greenbelt, and I spent the next few minutes browsing through phone selections that are just so enticingly displayed on the counters.

Again, SE failed to impress with its line of available phones, and I really did not want to go back to Nokia. Samsung's phones were beautiful. but featureset was lacking, so I moved to the next counter and checked the LG phones on display.

Hmmm... LG. Tere has had an LG phone for about 2 years now and she's happy with it. And I recall I was envious about how customizable her themes were, the cover art display on her music player, the scratch resistant finish...and in an entry-level 3G phone no less. And with LG rapidly gaining popularity with it's aggressive marketing, and after hearing good reviews from some of my colleagues, I thought I'd do more research to find an LG phone that might be 'right' for me.

That night, I spent hours browsing the LG website, gadget websites, third party reviewers and came upon the LG-KF750, more popularly known as the LG Secret. It's the third in their Black Label Series, after the Chocolate phone and the Shine. And wow, for one thing, it was a beautiful, slim slider that looked very classy and sophisticated. It had a touch screen interface, a 5 megapixel camera, a built in accelerometer, 3G HSDPA network and all the 'basics' I look for a in a phone, like Bluetooth, mp3 capabilities, expandable memory and the like.

Aside from that, there are a few more 'extras', like the DivX player, slow-mo video recording, Wii-like accelerometer based games and even a document viewer (txt, pdf, doc, xls, ppt). There's a slew of features I have yet to discover and use since I have only had it for a day. My only caveat is the hook for the lanyard or wrist strap is located at the top-left side of the phone, which makes it difficult for me to put on a wrist strap while texting, so I'm sure that at some point in the future, I will drop this phone and I don't even want to think about what might happen then. But it is made from tempered glass and carbon fiber so it might be a little tougher than some of the slim sider phones out there.

And of course, the price. Actually, it's the price that really convinced me to get this phone. I got it for P14,890 on 6 months 0% interest, that's roughly P2,500 a month. If you have cash to spare, I've seen it on some stores in Park Square that sell for as low as 13,800 if you pay cash. I'm sure it'll be cheaper in Greenhills or Multiply shops and the like. To me, this is very reasonable if you factor in the features and the form factor. And of course, the happiness it brings me to have something new and shiny...priceless. :)

That's it for now, I'm not done playing around with my newest gadget. And now I need to hide all my credit cards in a block of ice or risk having nothing to spend by the time I go on my US vacation. Even retail therapy MUST have limits you know?