When Everything Else is Surf-Controlled

The BIG TEAM

2011-06-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

So much was expected from the Heat's Big 3, knowing that they are considered one of the best in current NBA. But again, basketball is a team sports. You can't depend on one or three persons to do all the job. It has to be a team effort to win the championship.

This posting might be a little late, considering Game 6 was done last Sunday night. But I just can't get over it yet. James was nowhere to be found in game 6. He was lost. Maybe he tried to perform, but he came up short. I don't know if all the writeups are true about him, shrinking on NBA's biggest stage, but I saw that he tried.

I would like to give credit to Dallas' defense for stopping Miami's Big 3. And the Mavericks' offense was commendable. They shone in time when they needed it. Although Nowitzki was out of rhythm early on the game, he persevered and finally did what he's good at at the last remaining quarter.

The Mavericks showed how it is to be a TEAM - joint, combined efforts. That's what made them win the finals. Congratulations to the BIG TEAM - DALLAS MAVERICKS!

NBA Finals Game 3

2011-06-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

The series is now best of five - that's after the Dallas Mavericks tied the board with Miami Heats with 1-1. Tomorrow is the schedule of game 3. Although my husband and everyone else in the house is rooting for Miami, I am sticking with the Mavs.

But what I can say is that if the Mavs want to win the series, they have to step up their defense. As what I saw in game 2, their defense was very weak. Although I am not an expert in basketball, I could see that they were giving the Heat some easy points. Many times, they did not know what to do, or who to guard, leaving the shooters very free to make some points.

I really hope they improve their defense as I want the Mavs to lead the series. Goodluck in tomorrow's game! :)

PBA do or die

2010-02-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

after the last season, i did have a chance again to watch the game 5 of the PBA KFC Philippine Cup yesterday, Feb. 7, 2010 at the big dome. it was the final game of the best of 5 series between purefoods and rain or shine, and ginebra and talk n' text, fighting to proceed to the semi-finals round. araneta was jampacked with fans of all teams, majority of them are for ginebra. the total attendance of the night was more than 21,000.

the first game was between purefoods and rain or shine, which purefoods won with a 10-point lead. the 2nd game was between the crowd-favorite ginebra and talk'n text, won by ginebra 113-100.

first game of the semi-finals will be on wednesday. first game will be between ginebra and alaska, followed by san miguel and purefoods.

FIS Global

2010-01-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

i finally got a good offer. i've been job-hunting for over a month now. i have written it before how tired i am of this company. i just want to get out of here as soon as possible. but of course, i would not want to accept a so-so offer that does not promise a better future.

until someone told me about this company - FIS Global. it's a new call center in the philippines, although it has several established centers in other countries. the fact that it's new attracted me to apply. a new company means room for growth. after going through their 1-day hiring process, i got a job offer.

it might not be the best company, but it's worth the try. i'm hoping to have a better career in this company. i hope to have a good, happy and fulfilling stay with them.

inspired to write again

2010-01-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

i haven't been writing much since the 1st week of january. got a little busy at work, and the IT department has been watching us closely lately. it's hard to get caught doing illegal activities. haha!!

but after reading several posts from a blogger's site, i was again inspired to write. it's amazing how writing can take you to places. yes, literally! she's been in different places for free, commissioned to write about the place, the resort, anything that could promote it. and she could even bring her whole family with her. what a nice gift for writing about them.

if only i could write like a master, i'm sure i would get the same priviledges. but what could i do? well, practice and practice.

fallen apart

2010-01-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

a friend shouted in her facebook wall that her world has fallen apart. as much as i'm worried about her and wanted to listed to her story, i know it might not yet be the right time. i know that she's strong and she will emerge victorious in whatever she's in right now.

she hasn't said anything about her situation yet. but in trying to understand, i asked myself, "how does one's world fall apart"? in my personal opinion, it could either be these two - family or lovelife. that is if it were me. but whatever the reason is, i really hope she'll be okay soon.

earthquake shook davao days after new year

2010-01-04T06:43:00.000-08:00

a 4.6 magnitude earthquake shook the coast of davao city this morning, according to PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology). the center of the quake was located 124 kilometers southeast of mati, davao oriental with a depth of 46.8 km. (source)

if my memory serves me right, davao city has always been hit by an earthquake days after new year. i remember once, i was in the market and the quake was quite strong. i really saw the cemented road dancing the the poles swaying. and it happened again this year, although the center of the quake was not in the city itself. good thing, it wasn't that strong.

blue moon on 2010 new year

2009-12-31T05:43:00.001-08:00

"once in a blue moon"
we usually use the phrase to point to something that rarely happens. well, it's rare indeed that there will be a blue moon as we turn the year to 2010.

but what is a blue moon? does the moon really turn to color blue? it's a coincidence that 2010's color is also blue. anyways, a blue moon happens when a full moon happens twice in a month.

in the US, blue moon is december. their december 31st will be a full moon. they had a full moon early of december. for those who are in asia, blue moon will be on the 1st of january.

the blind side

2009-12-30T05:58:00.000-08:00

i had finally watched this movie over the weekend. indeed, it's inspirational and i think timely for the season. it's a story of a young not so priviledged african-american - big mike. his intelligence is below the average, but if there's one thing he excels in, it's his protective instinct.

he was admitted to a christian high school after an official saw his athletic capabilities. there, he became friend with a son of a wealthy couple, who eventually adopted him. big mike, who was then already called michael by his new legal guardians, made it big in his high school football team. colleges lined up and offered him scholarships, as long as he gets specific gpa. michael was then given a tutor who made sure he hits the target.

michael eventually graduated college and chose to go to ole miss. then he became part of the ravens team of the NFL. what i like best in this movie is that it's not a made-up story. the blind side is a true-to-life story based on the life of michael oher.

if only wealthy people give chances to those who are not so fortunate but willing, there would be lesser number of children on the street. more children would have access to education and good health. more people would have a chance to a better life. and if only those who are not so fortunate are persistent enough to stay away from being strayed, more people would have given them good and better chances.

i believe our life situation, by choice or not, should not be a reason to stop aim for a better life.

blogging on Christmas

2009-12-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

merry Christmas, everyone! and yet here i am still earning a living. since i'm miles from home and could not go home this season, i decided to work and earn extra (double-pay, remember?). though it's not that much, working on this season is a way to escape boredom at home.

and i realized, it's been a month since the last time i posted an entry. i've been busy lately - resigning from work, looking for another job, going home to the province, going on vacation. then here's Christmas. everyone's busy. 2009 is almost over, and the effectivity of my resignation is drawing near, but i don't have a new job yet. (tsk3... not a good thing for me). so i texted my supervisor the other day if i could extend my stay for 1 more week. fortunately, she gladly said yes.

claudine barretto moves to gma-7

2009-11-25T06:41:00.000-08:00

claudine barretto just switched to GMA-7. according to a report from pep, claudine signed a 2-year exclusive contract with gma-7 this afternoon, november 25, 2009. claudine has been identified with ABS-CBN, the network where she started as a kid and has stayed for 17 years.

the kapuso should have been very happy to have her. before posting this blog, i've read some comments online, both from kapuso and kapamilya. some kapamilyas might have been hurt by her decision to move, while some just wish her luck.

before i give my comments, let me establish myself first. i'm a kapamilya.

yes, claudine's decision is very surprising, especially that she is supposed to have a teleserye with her elder sister, gretchen barretto. in her earlier interviews, she also mentioned loyalty to the kapamilya network. not to mention she's the main star of star magic, ABS-CBN's talent arm.

i don't really know what her reasons are, but i'm one of those who honestly wish her luck. i might not really like her that much compared to the other kapamilya stars, but i also don't dislike her at all. maybe it's a good move for her so she can become very visible in TV again. but i also don't think she still needs to be in every day shows.

i mean, she has grown as a person (she started as a kid, now she has her own kid. :-)) and as a star. she already established herself. no matter what happens, she's still a claudine barretto. she has received acting awards and enjoyed lots of projects before. i think it's time to give chance to the newer breeds. a claudine barretto can't always be on a teleserye acting as a main star. time will come when she will eventually have to act as a support to the younger ones.

i remember, bigger names like nora aunor, vilma santos, sharon cuneta, did not and don't appear in teleseryes. but look at them now. even if they are not very visible, they are still BIG STARS - multi-awarded and well-respected in the industry.

what am i getting at? ABS should not be blamed if they have not given the same amount of projects to claudine now compared before. she had her time. give way to the new stars.

good news, good news!

2009-11-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

God is good all the time!

- my sister passed the 2009 LET exam.
- i was offered a VIP (volunteer internship program) at work. will be listening to some calls like what QA's do. well, i didn't volunteer, i was selected. :-)
- bought some tickets to naga for june next year for only P 100.00. yes, it's only one hundred pesos, 2-way. isn't that a great deal? we were able to catch cebupacific's piso fare last weekend. unfortunately thought, we weren't able to book a flight for cebu - ran out of the promo seats.
- a pinoy won 2009 CNN hero. way to go Filipinos! make the world proud!

pacquiao wins over cotto

2009-11-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

the much anticipated fight between manny pacquiao and miguel cotto happened sunday morning (manila time). once again, pacquiao proved worthy as the #1 pound for pound king of boxing. so to manny pacquiao, CONGRATULATIONS!

i was rooting for him and wanting him to win the fight. he's a filipino and his win would mean a win to all the filipinos. and once again, pacquiao made every filipino proud. he did not only win his 7th title, as the champion of the welterweight division, he also had his name printed in the history of boxing, as the 1st boxer to win 7 titles in 7 different divisions.

seeing the face of cotto after the fight made me feel for him. he's nice, a gentleman and a good sports man. although he lost the fight, i wished him good and wins against his other fights.

the next big question now is, who will be the next for manny pacquiao. many would want to see the fight happen between pacquiao and mayweather. but i doubt it would happen.

random comments

2009-11-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

pacquiao vs. cotto
now that firepower is 2 nights away, we would hear more news about the 2 boxers. and what about after the fight? i'm sure we would suffer an almost 2-week of this bout's news. maybe the media has mastered the art of sensationalism. (lol)

on the lighter side, i am rooting for pacquiao. but based on what i've been reading, i'm afraid cotto might win this fight. i hope not.

mmda (metro manila development authority)
on my way to work, i noticed mmda enforcers' new uniform - top royal blue polo and a knee-length navy blue shorts. not really nice to my eyes. they look like high school boyscouts. haha!!

pba (alaska aces vs. rain or shine)
it's quite funny or ironic, that alaska, the #1 team of the season (was unbeaten at 6-0) was beaten by rain or shine, the last team on the standings (with no win at 0-6). the final score was 85-81, in favor of the elasto painters.

i, as an smb fan, so like this improvement. haha!!

is it time to quit?

2009-11-06T06:54:00.000-08:00

i have been thinking of transferring to another company, lately. that's after all the disappointments and frustrations i have with this company. but i still have doubts if i should really start moving on, or have more patience. very timely, i found this article from msn about some signs that i need to quit:

1. your job or company is in trouble. i'm sure the company is stable, but my job or position is in trouble. there have been so many changes in the account recently, that i'm not certain if we are going to retain our positions. not to mention the account's revenue is in trouble. so for this item, YES.

2. you and your manager don't see eye to eye. i have no problem working with my immediate supervisor and manager - they are both great. maybe, i have issues that i'm not able to communicate with them, but that's my choice. so this item is a NO.

3. your career is going nowhere. this might be true. i have been with this account for almost 3 years now. maybe i have outgrown this position, i lost my passion. and with what's happening with the account, i'm quite sure the future is grey. this is a YES.

4. you don't feel at home. although my supervisor is nice and my colleagues as well, i don't feel at home. i think it's because of the cussing on the floor. yes, i've been with these people for couple of years, but i still am not used to hearing foul words. my soul is becoming unhealthy. this is definitely a YES.

so, it's 75% that i have to quit my job. whew! at least now, i have something that can support my future decision. (to read more about the article, please click here.)

mar roxas and korina sanchez tied the knot

2009-10-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

senator mar roxas and broadcaster korina sanchez has finally tied the knot october 27, 2009 at sto. domingo church. their original plan was to hold their reception at the araneta coliseum, but changed it to the ancestral house of the roxases, after the devastation of typhoons ondoy and pepeng. they have decided to donate the amount alloted for the grand reception to the victims.

although it's commendable for them to make such sacrifice, critics raised eyebrows because of political factors. we all know that senator mar roxas will be running for vice president for the 2010 presidential elections.

i think it's also a little weird that one of their sponsors is senator noynoy aquino, roxas's running mate for the elections. it's known that he and sanchez had a past relationship. well, as the saying goes, 'past is past'.

anyhow, congratulations to the newly weds!

erap announces candidacy for 2010

2009-10-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

wednesday night, october 21, 2009, former philippine president joseph "erap" estrada announced his candidancy for the 2010 presidential elections. he made the announcement in the midst of the people from tondo. erap was impeached from the presidential palace in 2001, due to allegations of corruption. he was convicted of plunder in 2007, but was later pardoned by president gloria macapagal arroyo.

if we are going to look back, erap had a landslide win as president of the philippines in 1998. i am not a hater of erap, nor a fan. but if he would run again, i'm quite sure he would not win. especially that there are other "better" candidates than him.

his first challenge is to face a legal battle concerning his illegibility to run. if he would be allowed to run, how and why would people vote for someone with tainted records and convicted for plunder? if ever he would win, what will happen to our economy? will businessmen still be encouraged to invest in our country?

THINK, THINK, THINK! i personally don't want him to run. i don't think it would be good for him. why don't he just support other candidates? or better yet, why couldn't he be neutral? stay away from politics.

we need a leader who has integrity and strong values. whoever that is, i don't know. that might be the reason i stopped voting for president. haha!!

smoking and ordinary buses

2009-10-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

for 2 weeks now, i have been riding a non-airconditioned bus going to the office. that is despite of the heavy traffic and air pollution. it might be very inconvenient, knowing that by the time i arrive in the office, i smell like carbon, but i can deal with that. but what i like about it is that i don't have to suffer from old and full airconditioned buses with bad smell. most of them use car freshener, and those 'fresheners' just make me sick! i don't know what's in them, or what's with me, i just don't like them. they make me vomit. really!

the only thing i don't like with ordinary buses is that they allow cigarette smoking inside the bus. as far as i know, smoking inside public vehicles is prohibited. this is what i miss about davao, where smoking ban is really implemented. i wish the local city can reinforce smoking ban in the public. hey! that would save a lot of fresh air!

trapped and fooled!

2009-10-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

when this new company was still negotiating trying to get all the veteran agents, we were told that we are going to do the same thing, and will be using the same setup and processes - it's just like we changed place of work. for the first few months, that's what happened, although not 100%.

but guess what? we were fooled! before we moved, there were 3 tiers in the team - tier1 (ts, cs and a select few for sales), tier2 (retention and escalation), tier3 (subject matter experts). well, the management just decided to train everyone for sales and retention, and have everyone skilled for ts, cs, sales, and retention!

now what does it mean for us? it means, there's no difference between a veteran agent and the newbies. you know, seniority?! and of course, the incentives won't be the same anymore. we are so disappointed! now, let's see what they are going to do if the veteran reps resign. as if they care!

the signs

2009-10-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

what does it mean when you feel tired everytime you wake up and realize that you have to go to the office and spend another 9 hours? that's exactly what i feel. i think of going home even before my shift starts. going to work has become very dragging to me. i think of my rest days and when the next payday will be just to keep me going.

well at least i have a job. knowing that millions are jobless make me appreciate my work. but i think i've been in this position for a very long time, and i need a new environment. maybe i need to learn, explore new things.

maybe it's also because i am tired of people complaining about how bad the service is - calling about their smallest concerns, blaming us for something that we did not do and we have no control over, expecting us to do a magic! the last time i know, i am not a magician.

so what does it mean if all i see are the negative things in the company? do i need to take a break, like a vacation? do i need to shout out my concerns? or do i just move on and look for another job? haaay...

additional income, please!

2009-10-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

i have been quite busy the past few days, trying to look for ways to earn money online. i have signed up for some ptc sites. these sites work very well if you have lots of referral. unfortunately for me, i can't find a way to refer people. for 0.02 cents per email or per click, when can i start cashing out my earnings? maybe after a year. haha!! poor me.

RP got 3 Emmys nominations

2009-10-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Philippines got 3 Emmys nominations this year - 2 for the best telenovela and 1 for best actress.

abs-cbn's "kahit isang saglit" and gma-7's "magdusa ka" will compete against Brazil's "india - a love story" and France's "second chance". kahit isang saglit was a co-production by the Philippines and Malaysia. it starred jericho rosales and carmen soo. on the other hand, magdusa ka was starred by katrina halili and dennis trillo.

angel locsin was nominated for best actress for her performance in abs-cbn's "lobo" (the wolf). other nominees for the category are France's Emma de Caunes, Mexico's Cecilia Suarez, and British actress Julie Walters.

the winners for the 37th International Emmy Awards will be announced on November 23, 2009 at the Hilton New York Hotel. (source)

Filipino makes it to 2009 top 10 CNN heroes

2009-10-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

CNN heroes - ordinary people, extraordinary impact. Efren Peñaflorida has made it to the top 10 of CNN heroes for his commitment to the development of the young people. his dynamic teen company uses a mobile classroom (through a pushcart stacked with books and other learning materials) to go around and teach street children ages 2-14 reading, writing, arithmetic and english. his teen company now has 10,000 trained volunteers.

Peñaflorida has already won $25,000.00 just by making it to the top 10. this amount would greatly improve their facilities - maybe another pushcart and more books and reading materials. this would help reach other children who can't afford to go to school.

to vote and to read the complete story, please go to CNN's site. thanksgiving will be on november 26, 9PM ET.

(picture taken from CNN's website)

pacific quake triggered tsunami

2009-09-30T05:21:00.000-07:00

an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the pacific ocean triggered a tsunami, which measures between 3 and 7.5 meters high. the earthquake struck at 6.48 am (1748 GMT) at the depth of 18 kilometers. just 20 minutes after the earthquake, big waves swept the establishments and villages near the shore. samoa and american samoa are affected.

for more information, please visit the abs-cbn news website.

BAR and LET exams postponed

2009-09-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

BAR and LET exams were postponed due to the massive flooding brought by typhoon Ondoy (international name is Ketsana). They were originally scheduled last sunday, sept. 27 2009.

my sister in davao was all prepared to take the exams, so were her friends. my mother even cooked adobo for her, since the exams would take hours. they left early sunday morning for the exam venues, only to be told the exams were postponed.

i do not contest. even if davao is not affected by the typhoon, of course they could not take the exams ahead of the others. no new schedules were announced yet. they were advised to call PRC (professional regulation commission) to check for the new schedule.