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Hotnot: Lashawn Merritt demerited. In case you’re not the sporting type and doesn’t recognize the name, he’s an American 400m sprinter who has competed and won in several international events like the World Championships and Olympics. Just a few days ago, he was given a 2-yr suspension by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) for testing positive with anabolic steroids. The poor guy readily admitted guilt and has apologized saying it was a ‘foolish, immature and egotistical mistake’. Dahil inamin nya mismo na yong steroid came from a male enhancement drug na ininom nya. Male enhancement? So the guy has got some insecurities huh! I wonder if it’s got something to do with those tight body suits that athletes have to wear. Baka inaatake sya ng insecurity kapag nakikita nya ang mga kahanay nyang athletes sa starting block.

Hothot: The dollar make-over. Looking good is not just confined to the vain nowadays. Pati dollar, gusto looking good na rin sya. Coz starting February next year, we will be seeing a new, improved and better looking dollar loaded with high-tech features to make counterfeiter’s lives more difficult. What’s interesting is that the counterfeiters pala are mostly based outside the US. Kasi sa US, hindi ganon ka-popular ang gamit ng 100-dollar bill. 1, 5, 10 at malaki na ang 20 dollar bills lang okey na sa araw-araw na buhay nila. Unlike in foreign countries where transactions are mostly done via 100-dollar bills. Tulad ng sweldo natin dito sa middle east na kahit Riyals ang kita, kino-convert natin ito into US dollars bago umuwi ng Pinas. Kaya paldo-paldong 100-dollar bills ang dala tulad ng mga friends kong Edgard at Raoul. Pang-tip lang sa baggage boy o sa barker sa taxi stand ang 5-dollar bill. Hmm can't wait to see the new bill.

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Hotnot: GMA the omnipotent. Gloria is now flexing her muscles more than ever. Ayan at pati alipores nyang hardinero at manikurista ay nilagay na sa pwesto. At least yong sa gardener, medyo linya nya yong trabaho as deputy administrator of Luneta Park. Siguro he can grow miracles from gumamela seeds at kaya nyang i-improve ang Luneta based on his experience. But still, he wouldn’t get that post if not for Gloria. At yong manikurista, what qualifies her to be a board member of PAG-IBIG? Only because she does the President’s nails without some bleeding tulad nong dating nag-manicure sa akin? Though I wouldn’t put the curse on the gardener and the manicurist themselves. Willing victim lang sila. It’s Gloria who should be ashamed of herself. Nakakapagsisi talaga na naging part ako ng Edsa Revolution that put her into power. Akala ko matino yon pala mas masahol pa. So what’s next? The driver as Transportation Minister? The cook as Health Minister? And her personal bodyguard as Defence Minister? God help Pinas!

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Hotnot: India’s sanitation woes. The stench is probably the same with that of Gloria's government. Ang kaibahan lang, literal na dumi ng tao ang pinag-uusapan sa report ng Al-Jazeera about India’s lack of toilet. Malaking problema daw sa India, particularly in an over-crowded city like Mumbai ang sanitation dahil sa kakulangan ng toilet. The report (aired last Thursday) showed a whole stretch of a railroad na ginawang ebakan. Walang sinabi ang riles ng tren sa Pinas. At least sa atin, tinitirhan lang ng squatters. Ito talagang ginawang public toilet. In general, people just squat anytime, anywhere to do their thing. Wala raw kasing facilities like public toilet na tinatayo ang gobyerno. Sa isip ko lang naman, bakit sa Pinas, hindi na kailangan ng gobyerno para makagawa ng butas sa lupa at dindingnan kahit ng karton at sako. Ito yong mga bagay na primarily ay hindi gobyerno ang dapat sisihin. It’s the people themselves who obviously has no regard for sanitation, self-respect and dignity. If a man or a woman can squat in public and do what should be done in private, eh talagang sila na mismo ang may problema. What’s ironic, according to the report, is that people do not have access to toilets but almost everyone has a mobile phone!

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Hotnot: Eyjafjallokull’s wrath. Eyja… who? Sya lang naman ang bulkan sa Iceland na matapos matulog ng 200 years eh biglang nagising at nagwala. Bumuga ng katakot-takot na abo at parang sinabing walang kwenta ang Pinatubo. Dahil hindi lang isang bansa ang pinerwisyo ng ash fall nya kungdi buong Europe and even the whole world coz of the thousands of stranded passengers who couldn’t fly. Although wala silang magawa, force majeur eh. Until they found someone na mapagbuntunan ng inis. And that was the EU leaders na binakbakan ng criticism coz they did not come up with a solid stand/plan until 5 days later. Ang bagal nga naman considering na mga advanced countries sila. As for the poor passengers, I hope you guys just sit it out, grin and bear it. It’s better curling up a hard airport bench than risking your own safety.

Hotnot: The gods called Ampatuan. Multiple murder charges were dropped daw against two Ampatuans doon sa nangyaring Maguindanao massacre. Nag-aalma, nag-ngingitngit ang mga pamilya ng mga biktima. At kahit ako ay naniningkit ang mata sa pagkabuwisit sa Acting Justice Secretary Agra na bumira nitong obviously ay very tagilid na ruling na ito. Kawawa na nga yong mga biktima, ginawa pang tanga. You don’t have to be a lawyer to figure out the involvement of these two. Hindi ba dapat mas matindi ang kasalanan nila if they are proven to have plotted, planned, organized and masterminded the massacre? Tapos sasabihin mong walang involvement only because wala sila sa crime scene? Bakit, nagpapa-impress ka sa Malacanang kasi acting ka pa lang? Para matuloy na at hindi lang acting? Over –acting ka manong! O baka naman may utos ka galing sa kung saan. If that is the case, talaga palang mala-Diyos ang impluwensya nitong mga Ampatuan na ito. Kaya dapat, hindi na sa court of law ang laban dito. I-petition na lang kay San Pedro dahil siguradong matutuwa si Taning at madadagdagan ang mga kampon nya.

Hotnot: Goldman Sachs sucks. Another financial giant crushing down to its knees. Under investigation ngayon ng US SEC ang isa sa mga oldest and biggest investment banks in the world. According to reports, Goldman introduced a product which apparently tricked the investors by ‘misstating and omitting key facts’. Hindi ako financially or economically knowledgable pero ang pagkakaintindi ko, bilyones na naman ang pinag-uusapan dito at lumalabas na ang culprit ay isang VP ng Goldman Sachs. Porke sinamantala itong katatapos lang na economic recession. Natatandaan ko rin na few weeks ago, sabit din itong Goldman Sachs sa pagbagsak ng economy ng Greece. Kaya sangkatutak din ang rally ng mga Greeks dati. My point is, ano ba talaga ang role nitong mga ganitong kumpanya. They actually have nothing to sell but they do make a lot of money. At dahil sila ang expert sa pagpapaikot ng pera, sila-sila na rin mismo ang gumagawa ng kurakutan na akala nila hindi malalaman ng iba. Damn, I should have been in Wall Street instead of Jeddah Street!

the lure of the zeroes

About two years ago I received an email inviting me to apply for a post in a steel company in Valencia, Spain. Aba sino ba naman ang tatanggi sa ganong opportunity. Sa isang tulad kong inamag na sa Saudi, it’s one welcome change para maiba naman ang working environment. Eh di nagpadala ako agad ng CV after na-check ko yong website nong company.

Totoo namang may ganong steel company (Corporacion Sidenor) sa Valencia kaya I didn’t suspect anything fishy. And the email address used looked like it came from the company’s official mail system. Na-excite pa ako nong nagbigay na yong Recruitment Manager ‘daw’ ng figures for their offered package. Nothing exhorbitant to arouse any suspicion from an applicant like me but it sure was enough to get me excited.

Pero nong dumating na sa puntong hinihingan na ako ng 1,800 Euros for processing fee daw, I was like a speeding car coming to a screeching halt. Bam! Scam!

When I retraced my steps, that’s when I realized na wala nga pala akong na-receive na reply from the company’s official email address na nakuha ko sa website nila. And that email add was slightly different from the email add na ginagamit nong kausap kong tao na Recruitment Manager daw nong company. I should have noticed that the domain name was different. Tanga ko.

But at least I backed out just before they lured me into their trap. Itong nangyari lately, medyo nakipaglaro pa ako and took one step bolder.

Last week kasi nakatanggap ako ng email from a purported organization called Commonwealth of Nations saying that I won their on-line lottery. Porke yong yahoo address ko raw was randomly selected and I won the 3 million dollar prize. Obviously it’s one of those scams. Tinawanan ko pa nga.

Pero ewan ko kung bakit hindi ko dineretso yong mail sa trash bin like what I usually do. Worse, nag-email pa ako don sa binigay na contact person (a certain Albert Barry na Finance Director pa raw ng isang bangko sa Malaysia). Again, as a precautionary measure, hinanap ko naman sa web yong Malaysian bank na sinabi. I tried verifying the person and the position. Malay mo totoo. Aba 3 million dollars ang pinag-uusapan dito noh.

I must admit that the six zeroes momentarily blurred my vision, shutdown my reasons and sent me into a plethora of wild dreams. Para akong naka-droga at biglang nag-play ang isang pelikula sa utak ko. The kind of scenes na matagal ko nang pinangarap. Like packing my bags in a jiffy and taking the first flight back to Pinas. Kaliwali (never mind) na ang sweldo at ESB (end of service benefit) ko kahit 7 years na ako sa company. That’s peanuts compared to 3 million dollars.

Jeezzz, tagal ko nang pangarap makabili ng magarang kotse, build my dream house and trot the globe via first class air ticket. Not to forget a 150-ft yacht huh. And here’s 3 million dollars to make those dreams come true! Nag-calculator pa talaga ako kung magkano yon sa peso. For a single moment, I was praying na hindi scam yong mail. Na kahit nagdudumilat naman ang katotohanan, I was hoping na totoong may 140++ million pesos na naghihintay sa akin to make my dreams come true.

Tokkkk! May bumatok sa akin. Yong guardian angel ko.

Nag-reply yong contact person na in-email ko. And this stupid guy was asking for my personal details like full name, address, occupation, telephone number, etc. Wala namang bank account na hinihingi pero bakit ko naman ibibigay sa kanya yong mga detalyeng yon di ba. Wala man silang manakaw na pera sa akin, but identity theft is just as worse. At least napaisip ako. Nahihibang ako pero may kaunti pa namang katinuang natitira sa akin.

Or so I thought. Kasi tinawagan ko pa rin si pareng Albert Barry. Hindi kasi nag-reply yong Malaysian Bank doon sa aking verification. So I was still hoping na totoo pa rin yong 3 million dollars. Kaya tinawagan ko pa rin si pareng ugok even if it means spending a few Riyals dahil Malaysia yata yong mobile number nya.

But during the conversation, na-realize ko na talagang na-denggoy ako at ang tanga ko. Big Time. Kasi ni hindi tunog Finance Manager yong kausap ko. Ni hindi masagot ng maayos ang mga tanong ko. Ni hindi maipaliwanag ng maayos kung ano yong lottery nila, yong Commonwealth of Nations at kung ano pa. And I had this picture in my mind na yong kausap ko eh isang Bitoy na nanggigitata, somewhere in a cheap apartment in Malaysia, tumutungga ng beer while scratching his stinking armpits.

Hindi ko na pinatagal ang usapan namin but before I ended the conversation, I made it clear to him na iritado ako at alam ko nang he was a dupe. One of my last sarcastic bit was ‘Is this a joke’. Alam ko naman ang sagot pero tinanong ko pa.

As soon as I got off the phone, may na-receive akong follow-up mail ni Albert Barry. Ayon na at pinagde-deposit na ako ng ilang libong dolyares para daw makuha ko yong winnings ko. I did not delete it. I’m forwarding it to Alliance Bank officers in Malaysia para maging aware sila na may sindikatong gumagamit ng kanilang pangalan. Ipo-forward ko rin siguro sa FraudWatch.com pag sinipag ako.

As for me, I’ve learned my lesson. And the lesson is not to blind yourself with the zeroes. Otherwise, ang sakit masabihang Ang laki mong tanga… or Were you born only yesterday!? At baka nabatukan pa ako ng mga adik!

Meantime, ito na lang latest mail ang aasikasuhin ko. Baka ito totoo na. May African princess na gusto akong pamanahan ng 1 million British Pounds! Balatuhan ko na lang kayo! Hehehehe….

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Hotnot: Venus Raj dethroned. It happened again. Another Bb Pilipinas winner na binawian ng korona. Ewan ko nga ba kung bakit sa dami na ng ganyang kaso hindi pa rin natuto itong mga organizer ng Bb Pilipinas. All the girls wanted is just a piece of that crown kaya hindi mo sila masisi if they withheld info or even deliberately falsified some details in their application form. Lulusot talaga hangga’t makakalusot. And it’s BCPI’s job to stop them. Bakit hindi imbistigahang mabuti bago iparada sa madlang pipol. Hindi yong kung kelan nakoronahan na saka babawiin. They (BPCI) should remember na hindi lang ang mga babaeng ito ang napapahiya kungdi sila mismo. As a ‘respected’ organization, parading a beauty queen who turns out to be a ‘cheat’ is just a reflection of how bad their systems are. Or, ang mas masakit, babawiin pa ang korona ng walang matibay na dahilan. Just because trip lang nila. Patay kayo ngayon papasok sa eksena si Senator Loren!

Hotnot: Adam Carolla the idiot. Ayan may nagpapansin na naman. Kulang siguro sa listeners ng radio program nya kaya nagpaka-kontrobersiyal. Dami na nilang nanglait ng lahi natin ke papangit din naman. Mga wala namang sinabi at puro nobody nobody but you din. Hindi ko na nga lang patulan dahil yon nga, ang pumatol daw sa baliw, mas baliw pa. Basta pag nakita ko itong Carolla na ito dito sa Pinas, ipapahuli ko agad sa grupo ni Liza Maza. Tingnan ko lang kung saan sya pupulutin.

Hothot: Ipad is here. There’s a warm reception from the techies for the newly launched Ipad. A larger version of the I-pod, it has more applications including a very impressive multi-touch screen plus on-line access to a host of entertainment options like cartoons and other tv channels. I’d probably get one for myself coz it’s not just very convenient (an improved laptop that you can bring any where, stow anywhere) but it’s also one gadget that does it’s part in fighting the ticking bomb of environmental destruction. Imagine the thousands of trees saved coz you’re reading an on-line newspaper or e-book instead of the usual printed copies. Cool isn’t it.

Hotnot: Gibo’s crashed party. Nabasa ko lang na nag-resign si Gibo as head of his party. Bakit kaya. To think that he needs the machinery of his party in this very critical time. He needs all the support he can get now that the election date is fast approaching. Kailangan din nyang umangat sa surveys being the perennial 3^rd behind Noynoy and Manny Villar. But whatever his reason for resigning, siguradong it’s something beyond patching up. Tama kaya ang mga kumakalat na rumors that he’s just one dummy presidentiable in the many strings of GMA’s puppet show? At dahil nagpapakita ng personal integrity si Gibo kaya humihiwalay na sya sa grand machinations ni GMA dahil alam nyang sa kangkungan sya pupulutin if he continues the association? Ahhh… politics. Nothing beats the controversies and drama behind it.

Hothot: Baby James’ innocence. The mere mention of any other presidentiable’s name amidst Noynoy’s campaign will surely earn the ire of Madam Kristeta. Siguradong magrereak at tatalak yan. At siguradong matatarayan kung sinoman ang culprit. Kaso, mismong ang cute nyang baby James ang bumanat ng Villar with matching V sign sa isang campaign sortie nila down South! Cute at nakakatawa dahil ang akala nilang Alas sa kanilang kampo turns out to be an infiltrator pala! But what will you do to something as cute as that angel? Baka nga malakas na tawanan din ang ginawa ng magkakapatid na Aquino. But one thing is for sure… siguradong lagot ang mga yaya at kasambahay ni Kristeta. Siguradong maiimbistigahan kung anong pinapanood nila at na-pik-ap ni baby James ang Villar fever.

it's her 40th

time really flies faster than you thought. eto at 40th day na pala since Nanay passed away. i called my Ate this morning and she said tapos na yong padasal. nadalaw na rin nila finally yong puntod ni Nanay. maganda raw yong pagkakagawa ng lapida.

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funny how my Mother is now reduced to a piece of marker. at tuwing bubuksan ko ang cabinet ko, there she is, in a piece of paper called certificate of death. pero sa utak ko, ayon at buhay na buhay sya. ramdam na ramdam ko pa ang pagtawa nya pag niloloko kong mag-asawa na lang ulit. at yong mga ngiti nyang pigil na pigil pero excited sa binigay kong jewelry. o kaya dolyares.

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i will now be counting the days and years na umalis sya sa mundong ito. this time, medyo mas accurate na ang pagbibilang namin. di tulad ng birthday nya na hinuhulaan lang namin. wala kasing makitang birth certificate. kahit NSO walang data tungkol sa birthday nya. sabi kasi ng mga tiyahin ko, nong unang panahon daw when she was born, her birthdate was carved out sa isang baul. ang siste, inanod si baul ng baha. kaya walang ebidensya ng kapanganakan nya.

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we found her first marriage certificate (my Tatay was her second husband) but unfortunately, year lang ang nakalagay. 1928. walang exact date. kaya hindi sya nagsi-celebrate ng birthday pag sya lang. hinahandaan na lang namin pag umuuwi ako.

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ang nakakatawa, everytime na magpi-fill up ako ng forms requiring her birthdate, iba-iba ang sinusulat ko. philhealth, insurance, application form, etc. imbento lang ako ng imbento ng date. pati nga yong nakalagay sa lapida nya ngayon, imbento lang namin. at least tama pa rin yong year.

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but now the counting stopped at 82 (totoong age yan based on 1928). at iba na ang bibilangin namin ngayon. the days that will soon turn to years na iniwan nya kami.

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miss you po Nay. at sigurado natatawa ka rin sa lapida mo dahil ngayon mo lang nalaman, february ka pala pinanganak.

what goes around...

I was still very young when it happened. Nagising ako isang umaga na minamaso ang dingding ng bahay namin. I ran out of my room and saw my Mother crying. Ang Tatay at Lolo ko nag-tatalo. My Father was so furious. At 4 or 5 years old, inosente pa ako pero naiintindihan ko na na may nangyayaring hindi maganda.

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Naibenta pala ng isang Tiyahin ko ang lupa at bahay na tinitirahan namin. Actually sa Lolo ko yon at dahil wala na ang Lola ko, doon kami sa kaniya nakatira para may kasama sya sa bahay. At sa kustombre namin sa probinsya, that house and lot should be inherited by my Father being the youngest son of my Lolo. Pero yon nga, behind everybody’s back, nagapang pala ng isang Tiya ko na papirmahin ang matanda para mabenta ang property. Daylight robbery at its finest.

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Kaya wala kaming kaalam-alam, heto na ang mga trabahador ng intsik na nakabili nong lupa. Talo pa ang demolition squad sa squatters area. Walang patawad na giniba ang bahay namin. Kaya ang ending, nakisiksik kami sa lupa ng isa ko pang Tiya. At habang tinatayo ang bagong bahay namin, tumira kami ng ilang araw sa ilalim ng yerong sinandal sa isang puno. Daig pa namin ang mga refugee.

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Imagine the humiliation and betrayal na naramdaman ng Tatay ko. Ate pa naman nya ang gumawa ng kalokohang yon. Isa sa kinonsider nyang Nanay dahil maaga ngang nawala ang Lola ko. Tapos ganon ang ginawa sa kanya. Kaya hindi ako nag-effort na maki-awat nong sinugod nya at sinakal ang Tiyahin kong alibugha. Sinumpa pa nya na wala daw syang kapatid na ganon ang pangalan. Patay na. As in pinutol nya talaga yong koneksyon nila bilang magkapatid.

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But time really has it’s own way of healing wounds. Kahit gaano pa yan kalaki.

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By the time na nagsa-Saudi na ako, naibili ko ng lupa at napagawan ng bahay ang Tatay at Nanay ko. Ang bahay na giniba at naging dahilan ng bitterness ni Tatay, napalitan ng medyo mas maganda. Mas malaki pa ang lote kaya may parking area sya sa kanyang pangarap na tricycle.

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Siguro, Tatay took this blessing into consideration ng minsang lumapit ang alibugha kong Tiyahin. Nanghihiram ng pera. At ang Tatay ko, kahit pa sumumpa-sumpa some 20 years ago, hindi natiis ang kapatid na naghihirap. Nagpa-utang. Nagkaiyakan. Nagkapatawaran.

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Mabuti na rin at nangyari yon coz after some 6 years, my Tatay died. At least, he left this world at peace. Nagkaroon ng closure ang malaking galit na nasa dibdib nya na dinala nya ng maraming taon.

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Lately, nitong wake ni Nanay, dumalaw ang pinsan ko (anak ng Tiya kong bida dito sa kwento) at binabalitang bedridden na rin ang nanay nya. Na-stroke pa raw kaya paralyzed ang kalahati ng katawan. Walang pambili ng wheelchair kaya nanghiram lang. Namomroblema sya sa pambili ng gamot at pagkain sa araw-araw. The usual sob story of poverty.

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The day after na malibing si Nanay, kinarir ko naman ang pagdalaw sa mga Tiyo at Tiya kong matatanda na. Matagal na kasi akong hindi nakakauwi ng probinsya at hindi ko sila nakikita. I just felt I owe them a visit para bago man lang mawala sa mundo ay nagkakamustahan kami. Kasama sa dinalaw ko si Tiyang alibugha.

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She really is a picture of misery. Malayong-malayo sa mataray kong Tiyahin na nakapamewang pa noong mga panahong kino-confront sya ng Tatay ko kung bakit nya binenta ang lupa. Kung dati ay mataas ang boses nya, she can barely speak this time. Hindi ko maintindihan ang sinasabi kahit tumutulo pa ang laway sa sobrang effort na makapag-salita. Naka-wheelchair nga pero may tatak na property ng kung anong NGO yong wheelchair.

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After more than an hour of kwentuhan, nagpaalam na ako. Sabay kuha ng kamay ni Tiyang alibugha at inipitan ng pera. Hindi yon ang kamay na paralisado kaya naramdaman agad nya na pera ang nilagay ko sa palad nya. Then she started weeping. I said some words of consolation para matigil sya sa pag-iyak.

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While I was walking away from her, naisip ko, bakit sya umiyak? Nag-self-pity ba sya dahil sa katayuan nya ngayon? Naibalik ko na ba yong feeling of humiliation na pinadama nya sa amin more than 30 years ago? Naramdaman nya ba finally na ang mga taong kinawawa nya ay magiging mabait pa rin sa kanya? O baka talaga lang malaking bagay ang 1,000 pesos pag wala kang pambili ng gamot at pagkain.

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Whatever it is, wala kahit kaunting color of vengeance ang pagdalaw na ginawa ko sa kanya. Afterall, hindi ko sya dinalang baggage kahit kailan. Kahit naawa ako sa Tatay ko noong umiiyak at nagwawala habang tinatapon palabas ng bahay ang mga gamit namin, hindi ako nagtanim ng galit sa kaniya. Siguro nga I was too young to feel the hatred. But what she did left something burning in me.

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It was one of the reasons why I became so focused in life. Dagdag ammunition yon sa pagsisikap kong matupad ang mga plano kong matakasan ang kinalakihan kong kahirapan. Kaya in one very ironic way, I’m thankful to her. What she did gave me a real, honest picture of life. And it made me stronger ever since.

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If this is the culmination of the saying what goes around comes around, I’m glad I wasn’t the one at the receiving end. And it only reinforced my principle na mas masarap pa ring mabuhay na wala kang inaagrabyadong tao. Coz down the road, even when you’re down and out, wala kang aalalahaning bad karma na babalik sa iyo.

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unforgettable maribago

if i'm not mistaken, it was right after sinulog 2000 that the whole gang of the then magnus-des had to fly to cebu for our yearly company outing. i was tasked to organize the whole thing from flight booking to resort accommodation, team building exercises, fun games and events.

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i found maribago blue water up to the standards of our very discriminating bosses aside from the fact that it fits the budget i was given (which, mind you, is not cheap!).

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at the end of the 3 day-2 nights event, i was way beyond exhaustion. but the bright smiles of everyone gave me the most exhilirating reward. i even got a thank you note from one of the husband and wife, a note that i still keep in one of the memory boxes i keep stashed somewhere in my cabinets.

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here's a load of pix from that event. one unforgettable episode of my magnus-des career.

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day 1 - photo op at the reception of the maribago bluewater resort in mactan island

inside the function hall, preparing for the first team building activity with a lot of help from my dear friends petite, hes, ma and ferdie

our ceo bill giving his welcome speech

and that's our cio chris who said something too

pete, our coo couldn't be far behind when it comes to speeches... hehehehe

there's a talent competition among 5 groups and this is hes and petite's grop rehearsing their dance number

but it's dinner first at the restaurant by the beach

the bosses waiting for food too

then it's back to the function hall for the performances

that's our group though you can't see me coz i was the one doing the narration (pang-voice over lang hehehe) of a story that started with an ethnic dance and ended up with a hip-hop! talk about ma's creative genius!

the bosses opted for an american indian number which most of us didn't get... (they came prepared with that costume, kinarir talaga!)

judging the competition was left to the visiting regional directors
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and that's jan handing me the results...

of course our group won!

day 2 and it's mini-olympics by the beach

crossing to the island via this raft

that's one of the races complete with hurdles

there's tug of war too

while ma and i directs the whole thing with a megaphone

day 3 and it's out of the resort

to the city where we had lunch at the waterfront hotel

visited magellan's cross

and the sto nino basilica

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it's one tiring but very enjoyable trip. it will stay forever in our memories as a successful 3-day event where we achieved what we aimed for - a stronger, better magnus-des team.