Leisure in La Luz

Our annual Team Celebration Program (TCP) of the department was held in La Luz Beach Resort in San Juan Laiya Batangas. It was an open change from Boracay where we’ve had our TCP for the past 2 years.

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Going There
The resort’s website http://www.laluzresort.com/ says the travel time is 2.5 hours from Manila but the actual travel time is about 3.5 to 4 hours. There was a build up of traffic in some parts of Batangas because you have to pass through small municipalities where you see people literally lazing around on the highway. Like Dora the Explorer, a map came in handy as the direction posted in the web was partially inaccurate. At any rate, the travel time was well worth it and was actually bitin as I traded stories with a fellow manager and friend AYT.
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The Resort
The resort was actually not as impressive as the website projected. That’s two thumbs up for the photographer and the web writer for their fantasy like projection. I’ve give it a rating of 7 out of 10. The highlights of the resort include a short jungle scene going to the resort, picture perfect cabanas, bright white sun loungers & parasols, their own version of Willy’s Rock (in Boracay), good food and clean, comfortable & relaxing rooms. The beach orientation reminds me of Bohol where resorts line up all along the shoreline. In this side of the country, apparently La Luz got the best spot. Also, a scene shot in Ysabella, an ABS CBN telenovela was done in this resort in August this year.
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The People
The characters in this escapade where the managers of SMT’s Customer Care department or at least two thirds of the population. Save for 2 big bosses, we were almost complete. We occupied four big rooms adjacent to each other, ate merienda and dinner together, hoarded one of the cabanas, played cards, took tons of pictures ala models, renewed ties with Jose Cuervo (tequila) and played truth or consequence like college students. When the smoke cleared, some managers exceeded the limit of being tipsy, others were in lakas tama mode and everybody knew something new about everyone. This is the epitome of a perfect team building exercise.
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Although the lack of night life, beach and resort quality is incomparable to Boracay, that we had fun is an understatement. A friend of mine once said it is not the venue but the people that makes a place memorable.

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FN: To view pictures of La Luz Resort, go to http://www.flickr.com/ and search for La Luz Resort by dylac.

Ysabella

"Ladies and genamen, pyesenting my yesipi, Vitoria's chichen" said my MC imitating Victoria Amarillo (Connie Reyes) famous line in the ABS-CBN soap opera Ysabella.

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This dragging TV show is becoming more of an advertisement program rather than a true blue soap opera. Bacolod Chicken Inasal is riding on the 'popularity' of the drama series. Maggi Seasoning is chipping in the limelight. I won't be surprised if BMW is in it too because of Mito's silver X5.
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The Real Line : Ladies and gentlemen, presenting my recipe , Victoria’s Chicken! – Victoria Amarillo
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DYK: The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate – Palmolive and Uni-Lever as the show's sponsors.

Saguisag Case: The Airbags have it

Last Nov 8 at 2AM at an intersection in Makati City, one of the numerous early morning vehicular accidents happened. It was a smash up between an 8,000 lbs. dump truck and a 2,500 lbs. van. It was a typical beating-the-red-light accident except that the victims where ex-Senator Rene Saguisag and ex-DSWD Secretary Dulce Saguisag reason why it was all in the papers the following day. At the end of it all, 1 person was killed, 2 persons were critically injured and 1 was slightly injured.

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Let’s talk about the spanking new white Toyota Hiace Grandia that was crushed during the collision. The concentration of the impact was from the left side of the van. The seating arrangement shows that on the wheel was driver Felipe Calvario Jr, on the driver’s right side was dance instructress Imelda Obong while at the back directly behind the driver was Mrs. Saguisag and on her right was Atty. Saguisag. Mrs. Saguisag was instantly killed; Ms. Obong escaped with minor injuries though badly shaken up; the driver and Atty. Saguisag where in critical condition but survived the horrific incident.

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The airbags did their job. That probably saved the driver from certain death. The Ms. Obong was not wearing her seatbelt but she was saved by the airbag. Mrs. Saguisag who was on the side of the impact was actually a direct hit by the rolling mechanical monster while Atty. Saguisag was beside her wife. Reports say both were not wearing seatbelts. Who wears seatbelts anyway on a family van? I will from hereon.

Glorietta Case: No way out

The inquest in the explosion that rocked high end mall Glorietta 3 weeks ago is about to be resolved. The blast that killed 11 (including a fellow smart employee) and injured hundreds is said to be caused by (a) a terrorist bomb or (b) gas leak.

It was easy and most convenient to point to terrorism as the cause for Makati's ground zero. The leftist have long been known to exact injury without remorse and it has been an annual event. I’m not really sure if they're really fighting for a cause, they're just news hungry or simply masochist. Bomb experts from PNP, NBI, Australian Police Force and US FBI all said it was NOT caused by a bomb. The evidence points to another direction.

The next angle is a probable negligence on the part of Ayala land management. The explosion was said to be caused by methane gas. The blast's point a is in the basement where the sewage system and the fuel tank is located. I’m not an expert in this field and I'm not sure if it's actually a lethal mixture but I’m pretty sure it was ignited by something. This something is the biggest question mark nowadays. Recently, the submersible tank was recovered and the blast seem to happen from top up. The base of the tank was intact. This is a strong evidence that the blast was NOT triggered by a bomb.

It's a no win situation for Ayala Land Inc. If it's a bomb blast then their security team was sleeping on the job. If it's a gas leak, then their maintenance team are the ones not doing their jobs. In all, the biggest loser here is the Ayala team.

Beyonce Bumisita sa Bayan

Ang banyagang si Beyonce Knowles ay bumisita sa bayan natin nung nakaraang linggo. Siya ay nagbigay ng isang gabing concert sa the fort bahagi ng kanyang Concert sa Asya. Ang totoo niyan, mababaw lang ang pagka kilala ko sa mang aawit. Nung nakita ko yung wax sculpture niya sa Madame Tussaud nung nakaraang taon, kinunan ko lang ng picture kahit hindi ko siya kilala. Pang souvenir lang ba.

Basking in Baguio

I've lost count how many times I've been to Baguio City. Before this trip, I was in Baguio for our company's national conference in February 2007 and the last time with my family in September 2002. That time, we were driving our then b/new Toyota Revo. This time, we're breaking in our b/new Honda CR-V. Will it be a BMW 320i in 2013?

We stayed at El Cielito Inn, a cozy small place near Session road. Good thing I booked in advance because the hotel was booked to the hilt. I stayed in this hotel ages ago so was quite familiar with it. One of the main requirements was a safe and secure parking.

On day 1, we went to Camp John Hay Mile Hi where we had lunch, then checked out CJH Museum, CJH Cemetery of Negativism, Wright Park, The Mansion, Mine’s View Park and capped off for dinner at Sizzling Plate. It was an exhausting day so we dozed off early.

On day 2, first up was Pink Sisters Convent, then we went to Botanical Garden, Good Sheperd Convent for the yummy ube, passed through Session Road and parked near Burnham Park. Lunch was at Rose Bowl before going back to Tarlac. Of course, we bought veggies and pasalubong at the market.

Manilenos and lowlanders are in the summer capital of the Philippines. On the road, 6 out of 10 vehicles are Metro Manila registered, 1 out of 10 are Central Luzon and the balance are Baguio based. Traffic was horrendous and parking was bad however any chance to relax and bond with my family is precious time.

Hello Moto

The plan today (November 1) was to go to the farm, Barangay Balanti in the morning. The agenda was to check out the Eucalyptus and Jatropha trees. My cousin John D provided the transpo which was a choice between a 4 wheel drive vehicle or a 2 wheel motocross wonder. We chose the latter.

The last time I rode a motorcycle was in Boracay in 2002. Since it's been a while since I last rode one, I actually was not very confident and at the same time excited to ride again. To further drill down the choices, it was a toss up between a 200cc real moto cross bike and a psuedo moto-x 125cc bike wt auto tranny. The fake off roader was perfect for a novice like me.

While we rode motorbikes, the trail we used was for mountain bikes. T'is the trail I use everytime I visit the farm riding my human powered machine. The biggest challenge was fording the 2 feet deep river whch was over 50 meters wide. On a mt. bike, it was as simple as carrying the 27 lbs. Steel structure but on a motorbike, you have to push the 200 lbs. ride. That was the most uninteresting part of the ride.

In all, it was 26 kilometers and 3 hours of fun, adventure, kwentuhan and a good work out.

Stairway to Heaven

It was a perfect day; a combination of leisure time, a cool ride, a digital camera and an adventurous driver. The plan was to check out the Bamban Grotto en route to my hometown. The Bamban Grotto is located in Bamban, a town in the Province of Tarlac. Going north, it's on the left side situated on top of the mountain just after you pass through the new bridge.

Going up the grotto, you have to conquer 164 flights of stairs. That alone is a sacrifice. When you reach the top, you'll be greeted by a white grotto. The grotto was donated by my maternal grandmother in the 1950s. It features an our Lady of Lourdes statue with 2 female devotees in kneeling position.

While on top, it presents a majestic view of the arching Bamban bridge, Sacobia river, McArthur highway and Concepcion town from a distance. The last time I did this escapade was in 1992 just after Mt Pinatubo erupted. The view then was devastation. This time, it was truly a sight to see and the side trip was well worth it.

FN: To view more pictures of the Bamban Grotto, go to http://www.flickr.com/ and look for Bamban Grotto by dylac.