The Baggage Counter

My Attempt at 101

2011-12-18T10:25:00.001+08:00

Building on the one I did last 2009 called "My Attempt at 100", here's a list of things I'm thankful for this year. It's surprising how I didn't need to "scrape the barrel" to reach 101. And to think the year's not yet over, so there'd be more to add later. 1. My mother got a good bill of health from her doctor re: her breast cancer up till her next check-up next year. 2. I got promoted to

Maharlika Nominee Me

2011-09-25T09:29:00.000+08:00

In the last company-wide award season in August, I got nominated for the "Maharlika Award". It's the ultimate leadership category for managers/executives in the company. Of course I felt honored. I just got promoted to senior manager last March 2011, so to be noticed and short-listed amongst n hundred senior managers was a feat for me. I knew how the selection and deliberation process worked

The Birthday Foodie Experience (PART TWO)

2011-09-11T09:59:00.014+08:00

Continuing from part 1 of the food adventures during my vacation leave, it's worth noting that all of the events below happened all in one day.Food adventure 3: FELY J's KITCHENMy mother and I decided to eat in Greenbelt 5 after my scheduled cyclo session in the hospital. We arrived there starving, since the session finished around 1 p.m. My mother wanted rice, and recalling the reviews from

Junior Master (Chef) Me

2011-09-07T20:02:00.009+08:00

Out of some stroke of inspiration and a hint of boredom during my vacation leave, I decided to try my hand in cooking, going past just cooking rice, frying stuff, and preparing sandwiches. And why not start with those things I like to eat?Pad Thai, that traditional noodle dish from Siam, was one of the first on the list. Mainly because I saw bottles of readily-available Pad Thai paste at the

Attack of the Indies

2011-09-05T17:20:00.004+08:00

If recent events are to be believed, the only chance for independent films ("Indie films") to get watched a lot in local cinemas vs pirated DVDs, if it they stick to comedy. Well, that's what I think because for me, appreciation for these comparatively low-budgeted, shallow-treatment films started with Kimmy Dora, and it being an indie film seems to be still debatable. Anyway, there seems no

Movie/DVD Review Backlog (The English Ones for now....)

2011-08-30T17:54:00.000+08:00

Captain America: The First Avenger turned out to be a pretty good movie. Story and screenplay was really solid and the rawness of the fight scenes complemented it. It's been said that the scrawny version of Steve Rogers was really a CGI rendition of Chris Evans, and that makes it all the more amazing. Hugo Weaving played Herr Schmidt very nicely except that I still see him as Arwen's father.

The Birthday Foodie Experience (PART ONE)

2011-08-28T18:32:00.006+08:00

I always go on a prolonged vacation around the time of my birthday, August 25. I didn't get to celebrate much last year due to my mom's gall bladder operation, so this year I took two weeks off, much of it was spent eating. My mother didn't want to go out of town (shooting down my Bohol-Cebu plans) so I figured hey, I'm still gonna have a taste of the good life, through food. Food Adventure 1:

What I Liked About The Harry Potter Ending In The Movies

2011-07-24T17:21:00.005+08:00

I read "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows" 2 years back, and by then, if I remember correctly, the latest movie adaptation was for "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix" (Or was it "Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince". I had thought that the last book was really good and was excited to see it shown on the big screen. I just watched Part 2 of the "...Deathly Hallows" today. It did not

6th

2011-07-18T20:58:00.002+08:00

In the hustle and bustle of today, while working from home, one of my project members greeted me "Happy Anniversary" in our internal people network site. Then it hit me. Right. I re-joined the company 6 years ago today. Totally forgot about it. Two years ago I think I sent out an e-mail detailing why I stay. Didn't have much time to think about that today. So much for an inspiring leader huh? The

Retail Therapy or Newfound Purchasing Power?

2011-07-17T19:32:00.004+08:00

My "haul" for this weekend. The contents of these two bags have a combined worth of thirteen thousand five hundred pesos.N years ago, you would never catch me purchasing stuff like these at a whim. Then, I only had the eye for what was needed. Everything else was frivolity. Most of my shirts were either gifts (yes, I got gifts even as an adult) or hand-me downs. In fact, most of the jeans I wore

The sad story of Severus Snape

2011-07-16T18:27:00.000+08:00

Since yesterday "Severus Snape" has been a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, and with good reason. His backstory which got unravelled in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows was really admirable. When I read it for the first time, linking it to what I remember from the previous books in the series (Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, Harry Potter

The Problems With Being a "Boss" These Days

2011-07-16T13:03:00.009+08:00

In most traditional local companies, managers are Gods. They are obeyed at all costs, feared more than respected, and are the target of assassination attempts (both of the physical and of the character kind). They have their own rooms, have secretaries, and are pre-disposed to have ample time to do nothing for the rest of an 8-hour day. Not where I work.In the office, managers are expected to be

Hell Week

2011-07-10T18:52:00.003+08:00

It's Monday again tomorrow and I'm not sure I'm that re-charged to face it. The past workweek really wiped me out and neither the splurging I did at the mall nor the extra naps I took over the weekend seem to rest my highly-strung nerves. Just when my doctor ordered me to slow down, my responsibilities at the office rose and the issues I need to deal came slowly trickling in . . . all at the same

U.S. Summer Movies (in rainy Manila)

2011-07-09T20:06:00.007+08:00

I expect some more U.S. summer blockbusters to be shown here until early August (Cars 2 is the last scheduled I think) but here's my potshots/praises for those which hit the cinemas so far:Kung Fu Panda 2. Hilarious albeit short running time. No dull moments for me. Particularly liked that scene when Po went on a Braveheart-kind of rhetoric at the top of the tower in from of the armada and all

Filipino Pride and Ball-shit

2011-07-03T21:34:00.003+08:00

Filipino Pride. Always the byword when someone with some Filipino lineage makes it big. It's a trending topic today on Twitter because of the 4-0 win by the Azkals football team in their match against Sri Lanka. That's the thing about these people/groups who get lucky enough to get some breaks and make it big at something somewhere -- it takes some time for people to notice, more time for people

The Price Of The Extra "S".

2011-07-03T19:41:00.004+08:00

Weekend's almost up and I still feel tired. Weekend sloth and pig-outs usually does the trick for me, but I guess this time two days off work is not enough for a... a... detox of all the things I need to plan and accomplish in the office. two weeks ago I am now the delivery lead of 3-4 accounts, subbing in for another manager who's on maternity leave. It would have been a walk in the park, but

Men's Hush Puppies Emit Dress Slip Ons - HushPuppies.com

2011-05-29T22:47:00.000+08:00

Just bought this today, impulsively, while my mother picked out her own pair in the Hush Puppies' store in SM Megamall. Been meaning to buy a new pair of office shoes for quite some time now and since the 14th-month pay is now in the ATM, I figured a swipe at the credit card wouldn't hurt. Felt really comfortable when I wore the size 7's, and they were really "porma" shoes. The attendant

On Stranger Tides:Not a good start to a new trilogy

2011-05-29T18:58:00.002+08:00

I'd have thought that the happy ending for Elizabeth Swann and William Turner would have been enough for the Pirates of the Carribbean franchise but no, "At World's End" hinted on Jack Sparrow taking the navigational charts to look for the fountain of youth. And so we have "On Stranger Tides" to bear with.I really didn't like it, overall. If the producers' plans were to start a new trilogy

My 17-thousand peso baggage

2011-05-21T18:57:00.004+08:00

Yes..... I may have been hasty in my decision to buy this one. You see, I have always wanted to have a new office bag, as an alternate to the usual laptop bags issued by the office. The nagging in my head to buy a new bag grew louder when my back aches began and my doctor said I need to rest it out a bit. So I thought a bag with trolley would suffice. I bought this bag from SM Megamall, checking

Bloody well stammer

2011-05-21T12:59:00.002+08:00

When I saw the montage for Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" during the last Academy Awards, I wanted to watch it but it wasn't released here in the Philippines. Black Swan and 147 Hours were already shown in theaters then. Only recently did I learn that select Ayala-owned cinemas were screening it. I had to see it. it had all the air of a British film, or a film about the British, which made it

THOR

2011-04-30T21:28:00.004+08:00

My follow-on consultation with my doctor finished around noon last Friday which made it too hot to go straight home. I lunched in EDSA Shang Mall until I realized it was the first day of release for "Thor". Checked the schedules and made it to a 1:30pm screening.The movie was good, story-wise, and the production value was great. I know about the mythology of Thor way back in elementary school,

I Become My Worst Enemy Again

2011-04-29T22:20:00.002+08:00

My Kryptonite. My Achilles Heel. It's back. It started Black Saturday with fever and rheumatic pain. The next days, blurred in lab tests, a neuro-physiological exam, and 2 doctor check-ups, ended in my doctor telling me we're now in a "major case". Sigh. Anyway, I'm not gonna rant much here. This whole resurgence of my SLE inspired me to refurbish my Lupus Chronicles Plus blog. Catch all my new

Muddling The Issue

2011-04-09T21:43:00.003+08:00

In all the controversies he's been involved in, I've never seen Willie Revillame humbled: the furor over his reaction on Cory's funeral march, his arrogance over honoring his contract with ABS-CBN, his snide remarks against Sharon Cuneta, etc. He's in hot water again over making a boy do a strip club dance against his will in his show Willing Willie. Last Friday, he apparently announced that

John Mayer - Half Of My Heart

2011-03-19T09:20:00.000+08:00

Somehow this song mirrors some issues I have about getting into a relationship:I was made to believe I couldn't love somebody elseMade a plan --> Stay the man who could only love himselfLonely was the song I sang....Your faith is strongBut I can only fall short for so longDown the road, later on, you will hate that I never gave more to you than half of my heartHalf of my heart has a right mind to

Fuck You Filipinos in Japan and Bahrain.

2011-03-16T18:59:00.004+08:00

Hearing and reading about news on Filipinos in Japan and Bahrain is not really making me feel better. I went on sick leave today on account of back pain and general body weakness. Filipinos can be such victims. When God probably showered the world with "victim complex", Filipinos thought it was better than intelligence and grabbed everything they could get their hands on. Japan's major provinces