more cruising pics

Joel and I with Joyce and Bianca

Us girls

With Carrie and Jill

Cruising

We had a unique team bonding session three weeks ago. I say unique because although it involved the same old dinner and conversation routine, this time around we did this while cruising along Manila bay. For an hour and a half, we were treated to a full course dinner (hmm, it wasn't exactly what I would have expected from Barbara's Catering but it wasn't that bad) and entertainment courtesy of a mala-Richard and Karen Carpenter tandem (uhm, eto, talaga i think more on the nakakabaliw part kesa nakakaaliw).

But despite the singer's lapses in song lyrics, the guitarist's faulty minus one back up and the so-so dinner, we still had one hell of a good time. Larren, Bob and Jay caused us some serious gastric pains because of their incessant joking! Hay, wala talagang dull moment pag kasama mo ang mga ito. And to think wala pa sina Aries, Sol and Alex nito! And shempre, new hire Joyce impressed us with her vocal prowess (naks). She really gave ate (a.k.a. Karen Carpenter wannabe) a serious run for her money.

I must say that I have fallen in love with this team. Pag dating sa trabaho, ang gagaling --wala kang maiipipintas. And pag dating sa katatawanan, riot talaga. I so belong.

New generation sinning

The Vatican has recently released a new list of 7 deadly sins --yes, in addition to the original 7.

Original 7:

Pride

Lust

Wrath

Greed

Sloth

Envy

Gluttony

21st century sinning

genetic modification

experimenting on humans

polluting the environment

causing social injustice

causing poverty

becoming obscenely wealthy

taking drugs

I'm not quite sure how to take this news. While I agree with the Vatican that sin should have a "social resonance", I think the new list of deadly sins does not quite fit into the category of a mortal sin. I mean, why is taking drugs included in the list but abortion is not? I don't see murder in either the old or new lists too. And what exactly do they mean about polluting the environment? Does this include petty littering? I hope not.

I do understand that the Vatican had good intentions when they decided to come out with this list and they probably just wanted us to become more accountable for the little things that we do each day. But don't you think condemning us to eternal damnation just because we want to be "obscenely wealthy" is a bit going to far? Bill Gates is obscenely wealthy but he worked hard for what he has now. And more importantly, he is sharing his "obscene wealth" with impoverished children all over the world through his foundation --which many are now trying to emulate. I am neither a heretic nor a fan of Bill Gates. I just don't like the idea that using the car (with all its fuel emissions) would earn me a ticket to hell.

Bowling fun @ Libis!

Crazy bunch of people --me included!

With Lala, Lance, KC and Vien

Picture muna bago bowling

For a dear, dear friend

I know that I came across really harsh yesterday and the day before that but I think I was just giving you what you needed. When I said I wasn't going to sugarcoat stuff for you, I meant it. And i think this is what friendship is all about. We need to be honest, even brutally so, if the occassion calls for it. And yes, in this instance, it was very much called for.

I know that you are grieving over the mistakes you have done over the past four years. I know you know there are many many things you ought to work on and need to improve on to finally break free from your past. But knowing these things are not enough. Really. You ought to actually do something about it to make other people know that you know where you are supposed to go.

I also think you need to know the beauty of appreciating the little things and being thankful of what is being given to you instead of just demanding things that people are just not yet ready to give you. Many times over, it has been said that life is short and that we ought to live it to the fullest. I know you may think this is a tall order but it really is simple: you just need to chill and refrain from constantly fretting about problems or issues that, you have to admit, are just all in your head.

I don't think I can say it more often: you have a beautiful, beautiful life. Many women would crave the independence and financial stability that you have right now. Don't waste all these by harboring negative emotions and entertaining negative thoughts.

Having said that, I think the first steps to take would be to give yourself time to take in all the changes you need to do in your life. Let the ideas and the therapy percolate before doing anything else. The way I see it, you first need to make sure you are worthy to be given a (second or third or fourth) chance to prove that you have indeed changed for the better.

As I have said before, I believe in the innate power of a human being to initiate the change they want in their lives. I know you can do it. Prove to me you can. Why? Because as much as I love you, you really are starting to get to my nerves. And I write that with much love and affection I could muster.

The daily grind...

...has interrupted the continuous flow of my blog entries. Suffice to say that the past 2 weeks have been incredibly H-E-C-T-I-C!

Big D's arrival in Manila, as expected, disrupted our work flow as we had to make time for a series of meetings with him. He was here for just three days but those three days felt more like three full weeks. But it wasn't that bad, really. I actually learned a lot from him during the visit --it was nice to hear him talk about our Big Project and explain it from his point of view. And his ideas on how to write stuff is just incredible. It has to be said: the man is a genius when it comes to writing. And for someone like me, it really is inspiring to know that the people I work for don't just know what they're doing --they are experts in their fields. Makes me feel I am in good company.

Thankfully, it wasn't all work and no play. On the second day of Big D's visit, the whole team trooped to Libis for a bowling tournament. Don't ask me about my score. If my score was used as a high school grade, I'd be forced to drop out of the school year. Yeah, it was that bad.

Over-all, the bowling tourney was a success! Despite starting late, everyone had a good time --dancing, camwhoring and just simply having a hell of a time. I will post some pics soon.

Meantime, we are back to normal work mode. Not quite sure if that is good news or not. Hahaha.