a week later...

and so after one week na tahimik ang lahat at hinihintay akong gumaling from my wala sa timing na pagkakasakit, nag-celebrate na rin ako ng birthday with my adik friends last thursday. kasabay na rin ang birthday ng dalawa pang august-born, si tito bong and mark.

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hindi naman sa feeling bagets ang mga nag-celebrate, para lang magkaron ng festive mood yong venue kaya may mga balloons!

marami ang food, some even prepared by the party sponsors ega and james

ain't this table so inviting? kakapag-laway... hehehehe

grace before meal muna kami syempre mababait na bata! hahaha...

at syempre mawawala ba ang cake? but don't ask me why 3 candles lang...

bong blowing his 3 candles too

and mark as well....

para namang planned kahit hindi, 3 ang cakes courtesy of junc, norman and james

then chow time na...

bongskie and junc na ngumunguya...

and so does the birthday boy mark with norman

kaming tatlo - celebrating our ages na hindi naman nagkakalayo... hehehehe

then a group pic

and more group pic...

pektyur-pektyur pa ulit

tapos may konting parlor games....

like the pinoy henyo ably demonstrated by junc...

kaya si raoul dumagundong na naman ang boses sa buong building kahit madaling araw na!

habang cool na cool ang team-mates ko dahil winner kami!

it was one enjoyable celebration with friends....

salamat po sa dalawang ito na nagpaka-abala in decorating and preparing food... james and ega.

tracks and bolt

The 12th IAAF World Championships concluded yesterday and I was glad napanood ko halos buong 8 days which started last week (including the 4-day bed rest that I had). IAAF kasi is one of the sporting events na tinututukan ko like Olympic Games, the four grand slams of Tennis, ISU’s European and World Championships and FINA’s yearly championships in swimming and diving. Ganyan ako ka-sports minded… hehehe.
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At kahit RaiSport lang ang nagbo-broadcast sa free channel, pinagtyagaan ko talaga kahit Italian ang commentary coz I had no choice. Kahit napakadaldal ng mga anchor na hindi ko maintindihan except for molto bene at allora (or was it al hora), at kahit lagi nilang pino-focus ang mga athlete nilang puro naman talunan, tyaga pa rin ako. At least I’m catching the action live from Berlin’s beautiful Olympiastadion.

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I love the blue tracks. It’s quite a refreshing change from the usual red tracks. Ganda rin ng elevated stage nila where the medal ceremonies are held. Galing ng nag-design nong stadium. At syempre, Germany yong venue kaya the technical aspect, particularly the camera works – be it manned or robotics, magaling. Nakakatuwa din yong mascot nilang si Berlino who is so hyper – dancing, hugging athletes, carrying them on his back, and always clowning around.

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But the best part of this championship is the track events itself. Sa dami ng highlights para ka ring nanonood ng soap opera. It’s one exciting show sa dami ng dramang nangyayari on and off the tracks.

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Like yong elimination sa 4x100 mens relay where the US men team were disqualified dahil sa maling change-over ng baton. Double blow sa US team dahil na-eliminate din ang women's team nila coz one of the runners fell coz of some muscle cramps. And what about Felix Sanchez who’s earned a few gold medals in his career but this time finishing somewhere in the tail of the pack. Even my favorite Roman Sebrle na ilang gold na rin ang nakuha sa decathlon, halos nangulelat this time. And there’s the pangde-dedma ni Jeremy Wariner sa team-mate nyang si LaShawn Merritt sa finals ng men’s 400m. There’s a whole lot of tension out there na kahit sa Tv ka lang, mararamdaman mo.

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Abu Baker Kaki of Sudan tripped in the first heat of the men’s 800m qualifying round. He brought down with him runners from Netherleands and Poland. Pero kung sya na-patid, si Burka (Ethiopia), tinulak at gumulong sa tracks in the women’s 1500m event. Kaya instead na gold medal ang inuwi ni Natalia Rodriquez (Spain), kahihiyan dahil na-disqualify sya. Kitang-kita kasi sa playback, siya ang tumulak kay Ethiopia para ma-take over ang lead.

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18-year old Caster Semenya from South Africa won the women’s 800m event by a large margin. Okay, so what’s wrong with that? Wala naman. Except IAAF governing body is asking Caster to submit herself for gender test. Kailangan daw ma-verify kung talagang girl sya! Hahahah! Pero nakakaawa si Caster. Porke ba mukha syang lalake, hmmm…

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Dynamite comes in small packages. And that’s Allison Felix of USA who is so dainty-looking yet fiery on tracks. She won gold in the 200m women’s event, a sweet vindication from her defeats in the Athens and Beijing Olympics – both in the hands of Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown who placed second here.

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On the side of the tracks, the queen of women’s pole vault Elena Isinbaeva (Russia) was sleeping off her competition. Sige ng katatalon ang mga kalaban nya pero sya dedma lang. She chose to start her jump kasi at 4.75M. Maning-mani sa kanya yon coz her record was far higher than that. But, lo and behold! Drama of all dramas, hindi nya na-clear ang bar in her first jump. She tried again but this time, tinaas pa ang bar to 4.80 huh, Sabit. Tried again. Sabit pa rin. Ayon, talo sya. Crying baby ang Elena!

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Obviously, the star of the 8-day event was Usain Bolt who won 3 golds – in 100m, 200m (both in new world records) plus one more for the 4x100m relay where he ran the third leg but had difficulty in the baton turn-over (it was Asafa running the anchor who sealed the win). 3-gold medals. Quite impressive. Though it’s just a confirmation of his Beijing Olympics win where he bolted out from nowhere.

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Although I don’t think I’d be rooting and clapping for him everytime he’s in competition. Masyadong in-your-face kasi. Parang nakaka-irita. Mayabang. Sige lang, enjoy ka lang. But don’t expect sympathy from me when time comes na may isang mas mabilis na runner na tatalo sa yo. Or one day there’s this announcement that your speed is borrowed only from some designer drugs. Marion Jones, remember?

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And what’s with the Jamaican runners by the way. Parang this year, they were lording it over. Mapa-lalake, mapa-babae umaani ng gold medals kaliwa’t kanan. The perennial kings and queens of US team must be beating themselves. They’ve got to do some serious training para maagaw ulit ang glory sa mga Jamaicans. Worse, they probably have to find new talents para may pang-sagot sila sa mga Usain Bolt ng Jamaica.

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Anyways, The US team finished on top of the heap with 10g, 6s and 6b while Jamaica had 7g, 4s and 2b for second place. Kenya, Russia and Poland round up the top 5 spots.

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And oh by the way, it’s interesting to find out na meron palang delegation ang Pinas. Nakita ko lang sa official site ng IAAF that we had Henry Dagmil and Marestella Torres both for long jump na hindi ko naman nakita kahit anino sa Tv. Hay naku we still have a long way to go bago pa tayo maka-diskubre ng isang Bolt, if ever we have one.

no. 15: bangggg!!!!

Baril. Pumuputok. Yan lagi ang naririnig ko pag nag-bibingo kami ng Nanay ko. Nong una nag-tanong pa ako kung ano yon. 45 nga pala. Well, I could’ve had an explosive birthday celebration last Wednesday. Makalaglag-baga sana ang candle blowing dahil 45 candles na yong ibo-blow ko. But yon nga, I spent the day curled up in bed nursing a flu na ewan ko ba naman kung bakit bumagsak sa akin with such impeccable timing.
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Yup, 45 na po ako and most of my friends know. Si Raoul pa, nothing escapes his 201 files kaya ilang araw din nyang binandera ang mga cute na b-day cards that says 45. And I’ve got no problems with that. Afterall, I’ve got no quarrel with my age. I recognize with pride na malayo na ang narating ng edad ko in terms of days. Tumalon na sa kalendaryo. Malapit na ring tumalon sa mega lotto. Buti na lang nandyan pa ang bingo.
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So while I was lying in bed waiting for that couple of panadol to bring me some comfort, I was thinking to myself, ano ba dapat pag 45 na? Old na ba yon? Should I feel like my joints are stuck at kailangan na ng WD40? Dapat ba malapit na akong makamukha ni Brader o kaya ni Felice? Ano ba ang nagawa ng 45 years sa akin? Where should the 16,425 days show?

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Well, as the fever subsided and the body pains slowly went away, that’s when I realized that the magic word for 45 is not OLD. Instead, it’s MATURED. And that’s when I started some introspection again.

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Matured saan? Psychologically? Emotionally? Physically? Financially? Sige, isa-isahin natin.

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Psychologically, hindi ko na yata hinintay na mag-45 ako bago pa ako mag-mature. In fact, matagal na akong 45 kung ito ang pag-uusapan natin. Noong college pa lang ako pero nagkukumahog na akong mag-support ng family ko, noon pa lang 45 na ako.

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Malaking factor kasi sa psychological maturity ang kahirapan. Coz you’re more exposed to challenges na normally hindi nararanasan ng iba. If you were born poor at nangangarap kang umahon sa kahirapang kinagisnan mo, then you have to be older than your age. 17 years old ka pero alam mo na kung ano ang meaning ng responsibilidad, ng hard-work, dedication, focus at determination. Hindi ka pa nagde-debut pero daig mo pa ang pamilyadong tao. Hindi ka pa nakaka-boto pero buo na ang prinsipyo mo sa buhay.

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Kaya kung maagang dumating sa akin ang maturity, konti na lang ang nasagap ko as years went on. Nag-improve lang siguro sa ilang bagay like yong manner ng pagha-handle ko ng problems. Hindi na ako panicky tulad ng dati. At ngayon mas masarap nang magbigay ng advise. Marami na kasing naranasan over the years. Marami nang natutunan. (Masakit kung maraming naranasan pero walang natutunan!).

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Emotionally naman medyo kulang pa siguro ang maturity ko. Oo nga at marami na akong dinanas, the pain and sufferings of love lost, relationships broken, family ties severed and dreams gone awry. At wag nating kalimutan ang stress sa trabaho and all the frustrations, aspirations, joy and disappointments resulting from politics at work. Lahat yan dinanas ko na so pwede ko nang sabihing medyo nasa 30’s na ang emotional maturity ko. Ang kulang na lang para maging 45 ako emotionally is yong makaipon ako ng kahit dalawang kilo ng pasensya sa mga taong mayayabang, makukulit, iresponsable at imposible. When that time comes, cool na cool na ako non.

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Physically, 45 na ba ako? Parang hindi pa. Wala pa akong rayuma, dementia, dyspepsia at kung ano-anong sia. The passing of years seem to do very little damage kung physical maturing ang pag-uusapan. Kasi hindi ko rin naman inabuso ang katawan ko. At salamat na rin dahil binigyan ako ng bodily structure na hindi madaling makuba or mukhang madaling matadtad ng pilegis like a pitbull.

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In fact, it’s in the looks department where I suffer most. Imagine, 9 years ago I went to see an adult movie sa Robinson Cinema. Tinanong ako ng ticket lady kung ilang taon na raw ako with the most suspicious look in her not-so-good-looking face. Sige nga, if I were you paano ka magre-reak? Shall I tell her the truth? Sasabihin ko bang 36 na ako eh ito nga at pinag-dududahan na ang edad ko kung adult nga ba ako o hindi? ‘26’ sabi ko ng walang kakurap-kurap. Binigyan ako ng ticket. Eh kung sinabi ko ang totoo baka sabihin pang niloloko ko sya!

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It was only three years ago when the age started to manifest physically in some ways na hindi ka-aya-aya. My mid-section started to grow. Lumaki ang tyan ko and it was a very unpleasant sight dahil hindi bagay sa frame ko. But I was too lazy to do something about it. And if you’ll look at me, yon lang ang pwede mong maging clue na 45 na ako. Otherwise, you’ll think I’m just one overfed soul na mahilig kumain pero tamad mag-exercise.

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And what about the financial department? Ay teka, can I leave it out na lang…. heheheh… Basta ang masasabi ko, nagtitiis pa rin ako dito sa Saudi until now. And I wouldn’t do that if I already have reached a certain level of financial maturity. Yon lang.

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So what now that I am 45? Wala. I’m old in some ways but still young in most. Mahilig pa rin ako sa burger and fries. I still love watching Tom and Jerry and The Simpsons. Mas gusto ko pa rin ang T-shirt at rubber shoes. Updated pa rin ako sa alternative rock. I still love Superman and Star Wars. Mas gusto ko pa rin ng mga kaibigang makukulit at magugulo. Mas gusto ko pa ring tumawa kesa magmukmok at ma-mroblema ng mga bagay na hindi ko dapat problemahin.

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In short, if you think 45 is old and boring, then you’re totally mistaken. Afterall, if you’ll believe the cliché that says life begins at 40, then I’m nothing short of a 5-year old kid. So cute and cuddly! Wanna hug? Pag-bigyan mo na, birthday ko naman eh! Otherwise, uubuhan kita, yon, pumuputok din! Hehehehe.

it's my birthday

but the flu (thank God not the lethal one) isn't forgiving. kahapon pa ako bed-ridden with cough, colds and sporadic fever. until last night, i'm very much wasted at ngayon lang medyo gumanda ang pakiramdam ko. but the muscle pain and the general feeling of weakness still prevents me from moving normally. eto yong tipong robotic ang kilos mo dahil you don't have your normal sense of balance.

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meron akong ginagawang mahabang posting about this birthday pero hindi ko natapos and i guess i'll just have to delay it until tuluyan na akong maka-recover. for now, let me just thank friends and family who never forgot this special day.

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my ate vangie sending me the love of my mom and the rest of the family na nasa mindoro. as well as my pamangkin angelo 'tongtong' na housesitter ko ngayon sa laguna. myles also texted me with her greeting on behalf of the degala family. and of course my bespren mau na hindi kami maka-chat sa ym coz my headache just doesnt allow me to stay long infront of the pc.

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friends from previous works jun (aramco abqaiq) emailed me yesterday and patrick (sabic smo) even called me just now. nag-text din sila cesar (attc jeddah), tatz (attc dammam) and longlong (attc dammam) emailed me with a very nice poem.

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bert of tamimi texted me days ago and jonas (suhaimi) has been checking on my status since yesterday.

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at syempre, the adiks wouldn't be far behind. raoul has been sending loads of birthday cards via mail at may isang personal message pa that really lifts me up kahit ganito ang pakiramdam ko. edgar texted me (naka-auto send daw) at around 3am, nag-effort talaga gumising? hehehehe...

and of course the rest of the gang - vayren, junc, tito bong, ariel, marco, james, irwin, norman, marc and even donald. ricky/weng/sofie - miss ko na kayo!

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to all of you - MARAMING SALAMAT PO! friends like you make me feel like a winner even if this flu is wearing me down. it's not a happy birthday but it's one touching day for me. dami pa rin nakaka-alala sa akin. thank you po ulit.

another funny commercial spot

vulgar and excessive

you should notice by now na isa sa mga hilig ko is to dine out. ke with my family pag nagbabakasyon ako or with friends dito sa jubail at nakakarating pa kami ng khobar. in our situation, it's nothing short of a guilty pleasure - something na parang big deal na na nagagawa namin - given the social, cultural and religious restrictions that we are combatting in this place. eto lang ang ilan sa mga very few things na pwede naming gawin para maka-relax at makalimot sa mga problema at pressures ng trabaho.

the thing is, ang pinang-babayad namin sa aming dinner, ke simpleng burger and fries hanggang sa medyo mamahaling steak platter, pinag-pawisan at pinag-hirapan namin.

sadly, we can't say for certain na ang ginastos ng mga magagaling nating politician sa new york ay galing nga sa sarili nilang bulsa. yes, this posting is all about the overly extravagant dinner ng party ni arroyo sa new york na binisto ng new york times at ngayon ay pinaka-malaking issue sa pinas.

marami ang umaalma dahil sa dinner na ito. at hindi ako magpapa-huli. makiki-sama ako sa pag-condemn ng kawalan ng sensitivity ng mga magagaling na pulitikong ito na naglustay ng isang milyong piso para lamang sa isang hapunan.

nagagalit ako dahil sa dami ng nagugutom sa pinas, ayan sila at nagwawaldas ng malaking halaga para lamang sa mga sarili nilang tyan. i'm mad because what they did made us look like a bunch of fools once again in the eyes of the international community. nagmukha na naman tayong mga low-class social climbers. naghihikahos na bansa pero nagkukunwaring sosyal pagdating sa new york.

nagagalit ako dahil pupunta ang isang batalyong pulitiko natin sa amerika para mangutang ng bilyones na babayaran ni juan dela cruz and yet gagastos sila ng ganon.

hanggang kailan aabusuhin ng gobyernong ito ang bayan ni juan?

a time to shine

A rather long article was forwarded yesterday by one of the adiks (thanks Ren). It tackles the most common questions thrown by an interviewer to an applicant. The article tells us how to respond properly to those questions instead of some misguided and often loose answers that can cost us the job we are applying for.

Magandang guide yong article coz it covers 50 possible questions na kung makakabisa mo yong suggested answers, will help you a lot to have a successful job interview. Although it focuses on the interview itself. Para sa akin kasi, the actual interview is just one part. There are many other things na ginagawa ko pag humaharap ako sa isang job interview. And these things I wanna share with you with the hope na makatulong.

My CV. First thing na ginagawa ko ay nire-review ko ang aking CV and make sure na ito yong CV na pinasa ko sa kumpanyang magi-interview sa akin. Baka mamaya matagal na yong application ko at lumang version pa ng CV ko ang hawak nila. So I make it a point that I have the latest version of my CV pagpunta ko ng interview, just in case. At syempre, kailangan kabisado ko yong mga pinag-susulat ko doon. It’s a no-no na tatanungin ka about one point from your resume tapos maghahagilap ka ng sagot dahil hindi mo matandaan na nilagay mo doon. Baka isipin pa ng interviewer, galing Recto ang papel.

The Company. It pays to do a bit of research tungkol sa kumpanyang ina-aplayan mo. At least dapat alam mo kung anong line of business nila, whether they are local or an international organization. Maganda rin kung alam mo kung anong pwesto nila sa industry. It will give the impression na talagang interesado ka to join the organization. Mahirap mag-linya ng ‘I want to join a top-rank company like yours’ without you knowing na bagong-bago at start-up pa lang pala yong kumpanya. It’s so obvious you’re just jerking them around.

The look. Unless specifically instructed, hindi ako nagko-coat and tie sa isang job interview. Ayaw kong umani ng hagikgik behind my back dahil overdressed ako at talo ko pa ang CEO ng kumpanyang ina-aplayan ko. Baka ma-turn-off pa ang magi-interview sa akin. Because I’ve always been applying for office work, the safest way to go is to wear dark pants, preferably slacks, but definitely not ‘maong’. Syempre out ang rubber shoes and I always use simple black leather shoes. At syempre, kailangan shirt na may collar. Never yong sport t-shirts, kahit sabihin pang La Coste or Nike yan. Kahit walang brand, as long as it’s medyo formal. Collared shirt nga pero may malaking print naman ng Megadeth sa likod, talo pa rin yon. Kung Makati, lalo na sa isang hotel ang interview, always bring a necktie with you. At least madaling ikabit yon if you find the situation calling for something a bit more formal. And if you’re a guy na may hikaw sa isang tenga, tanggalin muna. Maligo at mag-toothbrush. At wag munang i-gel ang buhok na para kang pupunta sa punk rock concert. If you can’t afford to look formal, at least be normal.

The mindset. I always go to a job interview with a positive attitude. Iniisip ko lang lagi, a job interview is nothing short of an oral examination na ilang libong beses na nating ginawa noong nasa school pa tayo. And because you come prepared, you should expect to do well and pass the oral exam. And by prepared I mean not necessarily knowing all the answers to all the questions. Dahil hindi mo naman alam kung ano ang mga itatanong. Ang importante, how you deal with difficult questions. Kahit hindi mo alam ang tamang sagot pero naipakita mong hindi ka madaling ma-rattle, hindi ka inaatake ng nerbyos at hindi nanginginig ang iyong baba, you’d still win points. So just go in there and believe that you’ll do the best you could.

The first minute impression. As soon as pumasok ako sa interview room, I always make sure na maaliwalas ang mukha ko. Kahit pa nabwisit ako dahil pinag-antay nila ako ng isang oras, aalisin ko yon sa mukha ko and make it as pleasant as it can be. Wearing a smile always does the trick. Wag naman yong ngiting labas ang bagang, mukha ka namang hunghang non. Simpleng smile lang. Malaking tulong yon if you want to create a good first impression. And so does a firm handshake. The smile says you’re happy to see them and the handshake reaffirms it. While doing the handshake, say something like “good morning sir/ma’am”. Never ever let “Hi” be part of your greetings. It’s so informal and indicates familiarity which is a no-no at that point. At ito ang tandaan, after the exchange of pleasantries, wag agad uupo kahit alam mong yon ang chair for the interviewee. Antayin mong sabihan ka na umupo. Coz if you did without being told, adelentado ang dating mo non. Good manners is very critical at this point.

While on the hotseat. Very important: wag kabahan. Remember that the interviewer is usually an expert in human behavior. Pag kinabahan ka, it could be taken as a sign of low self-confidence. Minus pogi points agad yon. Besides, pag kinabahan ka, maaring lumabas ang mga pangit mong mannerism. Di mo alam picking your nose ka na pala. Bagsak ka na non. Again, believe in yourself para hindi ka kabahan. Then answer questions as briefly, honestly and professionally as you could. Wag mag-banggit ng kung ano-anong bagay na hindi relevant sa question. Wag magpaka-intelligent kung hindi kaya ng powers. At wag gayahin ang mga contestant ng Miss Universe na simpleng tanong eh kung ano-anong eklat ang pinag-sasasabi. Wag mag-quote ng mga Freudan principles kung tinatanong ka lang about your personal strengths. Wag magpaka-philosophical kung hinihingan ka ng opinion about your ideal job, personal goals and future career plans. A job interview is designed by companies to know more about yourself. Not to test if you can be an ambassador of goodwill.

Remember: it’s a two-way conversation. Don’t forget that even if they (the interviewer/s) are the ones driving the conversation, you’re still very much a part of it. Sagutin ang mga tanong but never miss the points na pwede mong sundutin din ng tanong to make it a more interesting conversation. Kung isang-tanong-isang-sagot ang gagawin mo, you’ll present yourself as somebody with very limited conversational skill. Worse, baka isipin nila na limited ang knowledge mo. Although this one’s a bit difficult to balance. Pag nag-over ka naman sa pagiging conversationalist, fresh naman ang dating mo. So just do it here and there during the whole course of the interview. And when it comes to the point na ikaw naman ang binibigyan ng chance to ask questions about the company/work you’re applying for, magtanong lang ng 2 or 3 very important and relevant questions. Wag yong halos imbestigahan mo na ang kaharap mo. Remember, you’re just a passenger kaya wag agawin ang manibela.

Closing it off. Pagtapos ng interview, may ilan akong linyang laging sinasabi to seal of the meeting. Basta it runs along the lines of “Thank you for your time and I hope I will be hearing from you soon”. Words that express your gratitude sa chance na binigay sa iyo and the same time expressing your positivity na mapipili ka sa trabaho. These words are just as important as the first few words you said during the first minute impression. Say these words while you’re shaking their hands. Coz again, the right words and the firm handshake seals the conversation in a positive manner.

Some job interviews can be nerve-wracking. Siguro dahil gustong-gusto mo yong trabaho or kailangang-kailangan mo para may income ka. Either way, you just have to do your best while going through the application process. Lalo na during the interview. It’s your moment under the spotlight. So do your best and shine.