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.

What you wear is what you see.

"Don't judge the book by its cover" reads an often used (and misused) adage. Being a savvy dresser is not directly proportional to a healthy bank book.

Mr. Angeles from Pampanga visited a Mitsubishi car showroom straight from the farm. He was driving his owner type jeep, needed a shower but had in mind the request of her college daughter to buy her a car for her 18th birthday. He went inside the showroom unfortunately, nobody seem to mind him. Irked, he went to the bank withdrew enough money to purchase a vehicle outright cash. Talk about purchasing power.

On the other hand, Mr. Lacoste (not his real name), was neither an animal activist nor a son of a Philippine congressman, has a wide array of Lacoste clothes and apparel. He looks like an astronaut in his matching Lacoste polo shirt, jeans, belt and shoes. His traveling bag is, you guessed it, Lacoste! He's happy with his get up even if it means going around the metropolis via the trusty taxicab. Saving the cost to purchase 25 polo shirt is equivalent to a 20% to a brand new car. Three polo shirts is needed for the monthly car installment.

Life it seems is a matter of priorities. People who dress up in branded clothes have a "look rich attitude" even if their financials can barely support their caprice. Their ideology is they'd rather die looking good than die looking like a rag. Then there are the "walang pakialam sa pananamit basta may ipon" type of person. Buys clothes on sale, matches local brands with signature brands but drives a nice car, in fact changes car every 5 years. The trick is to be in between these two types of persons. The middle ground is the "just right" type of person. A little of everything because in our society, people actual judge books by their cover and saving for the rainy days seem to be entrusted to luck or "God will provide attitude." Work hard, spend just right and save enough for the future.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The new automotive exterior design is in. It may not look pretty for everybody but there are believers, in fact a throng of them. Motion Cars website straightforwardly called the design UGLY. I'm talking about the Volkswagen Beetle look side windshield in Sports Utility Vehicles.

In the Philippines, the look was first introduced by Isuzu Alterra in 2006. Then Honda CR-V followed suit in early 2007, said to be a design only a mother would love. The third company to imitate the style was Chevrolet Captiva then followed by another American car, Dodge Caliber. Actually, the real trendsetter who started it all was little known Ssangyong Rodius released in 2004. However, the company is a non entity in the Philippine automotive arena that’s why nobody noticed.

The design is both weird and trendsetting, depending on how you look at it. At first, I hated the design but it grows on you and you’ll eventually like the design.

Deal with the Devil

Erap is a free man! The unlucky 13th President of the Philippines who was caught with his hands inside a cookie jar was arrested 6 ½ years ago for plunder. Just last month, the verdict was released and the court found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced to reclusion perpetua.

His get out of jail pass was through an executive clemency granted by the “lucky-for-now” 14th President of the Philippines. The news cites Erap’s current age, health and her mother’s condition as reasons for granting pardon. The historic act was announced yesterday by Malacanan and implemented today.

The red carpet was rolled out today for Erap in his hometown in San Juan. In his obvious impromptu speech, he thanked President GMA for the action and not allowing him to live in the Southern part of Muntinlupa City (site of the New Bilibid Prison). The audience did not actually receive the statement warmly but that is the least of his worries.

The past 2 months seem to be a movie segment which was very predictable. Probability was high that Erap will be found guilty. It was the best decision given the circumstance. Besides, GMA can always grant an executive clemency. Which she did. It was a win-win situation for both parties with the biggest winner being the current administration.

Photography 101 : Twilight Zone

Subject: Makati Skyline
Location: Salcedo Village, Makati
Date: September 2007
Camera: Nikon D40
Shutter: 10
Aperture: F5.6
Focal Length: 88mm
ISO: 400

This is picture just brought my photo skills to another level. It looks SO SIMPLE but believe me, this is one tough shot. If you have a point and shoot cam or a compact digicam, try copying the shot. There is a high probability that you won't be as successful. I can't say though with finality that only an SLR cam can take such a pix. Here's the perfect formula to take a similar photo: SLR camera + tripod + read a good photo book + patience.

Photography 101 : Do the Locomotion

Subject: A Locomotive in Luisita
Location: Luisita, Tarlac City
Date: October 2007
Camera: Nikon D40
Shutter: 1/640
Aperture: F5.6
Focal Length: 38mm
ISO: 800

I've been yearning to take a picture of this locomotive. I'm not much of a train fan but I reckon the subject looks good on camera. Finally, I mustered enough strength and found time one Saturday and took snapshots of the mechanical icon. I took about 3 dozen shots until the security guard called my attention and said that taking pictures is prohibited. Too late the hero. Thanks anyway, Mister Sikyo. Both of us were just doing our jobs.

Photography 101 : Tita's Garden

Subject: Plant in front of house
Location: Tarlac City
Date: September 2007
Camera: Nikon D40
Shutter: X
Aperture: Y
Focal Length: Z
ISO: A

The Boyfriend Story

"I have a boyfriend" announced my 3 year old daughter over dinner. We got a good laugh after her statement. The question is, will we have the same reaction in a decade's time? By the way, the boyfriend's name is Miracle.

Blown to Smithereens

"Do you play the number 1 position?" I was asked yesterday. The number 1 position in basketball means playing the point guard role. I replied "Yes, that's my role." I played basketball last night, my first time this year as the last game I played was in December 2006.

Pardon my French but I sucked. When I was in college, I scored 30+ points once in a winning effort. In that same street ball tournament, I averaged 15+ pts, had a healthy assist number and decent rebound stats. Yesterday was probably my worse game ever! I played for about 5 minutes, didn't score, zero assist and had a number of turnovers. Being out of shape is an understatement. The experience was so humiliating that it bothers me until now.

It started when I got a call from an officemate inviting me to be a player for the Senior's Basketball Barkadahan. Senior means 35 year old players and up. I politely declined but he insisted that I join. He said he saw me play in the exhibition game last year and he said "Pwede ka pa." Sayang naman yung uniform so I joined.

One humiliating experience is enough. I just have to embrace the fact that I'm no longer geared up for competitive basketball

DLSU's Dramatic Comeback

The 68th UAAP season. The story starts with De La Salle University winning the 68th UAAP men's basketball crown via a 2-1 win over FEU then being stripped of the crown a few months after. It was definitely a humiliating experience for DLSU. The investigation shows that DLSU fielded 2 players with bogus high school records. Whether it was the wrongdoing of the player or the talent scout, as a responsible institution, they should have verified. As a result of the careless move, DLSU was stripped off the title and worse, suspended from the league for 1 year.

The 69th UAAP season. Effectively, DLSU’s suspension happened during this season. To keep their players in competitive shape, they played in "b" leagues. The show must go on since the suspension clearly stated 1 year only hence their basketball program continued. During the 1 year layoff, new players joined the team and beefed up their line up.

University of the East. During the 70th UAAP season, everybody was expecting University of the East to breeze through the series and claim the crown after 22 years of drought. The last crown they had was during Jaworski's era. Despite having a rookie coach in the person of Dindo Pumaren, an ex-La Salle cager, the team had a perfect match of veterans and rookies. The team boast of having 11 players capable of scoring in double digits. The biggest accolade was they swept the elimination round 14 - 0. The last team to sweep the elimination was DLSU en route to a crown during the 90s. The rules have been revised since so a team that sweeps the elims has the glory or just waiting for their opponent.

De La Salle University. And now let's talk about the champion underdogs. They lost to arch rival Ateneo twice in the elims, had a 10 - 4 score card in the elimination, lost again to Ateneo during the playoff game one to force a winner take all match. During the finals, UE was heavily favored. The only good thing to say about the DLSU team was that they had a multi titled veteran coach and finals experienced team. That advantage seemed to be the key to DLSU's success. Lady luck was on their side when they snatched game 1 via a 64 - 63 win in regulation. Game 2 was a display of experience, preparation and motivation. Again, luck chipped in. When the buzzer sounded, the score was 73 to 64 and this paved way to DLSU sweeping the finals.

The basketball analyst were right that the UAAP men's basketball finals will be a sweep. The only difference, it was the underdogs DLSU who completed the sweep.

Photography 101 : Alin ang naiba?

Subject: A row of high end cars in a high end street
Location: Santana Row, San Jose, CA
Date: June 2006
Camera: Sony Cybershot T-1

Photography 101 : Stretched Budget

Subject: A black Lincoln Town Car "stretch" limousine

Location: Torrance, CA

Date: May 2006

Camera: Sony Cybershot T-1

Photography 101 : Pimp my Ride

Subject: A pumped up Dodge Charger (1966 to 1978)
Location: Santana Row, San Jose, CA
Date: June 2006
Camera: Sony Cybershot T-1