HAPPY AND FRUITFUL NEW YEAR.

Productive days to come onwards, Many more blessings so that I can share it to a lot of people.

Not only to my family or friends, but to those who cant even speak a word, but needs it.

i hope I can have millions of money to have.

Stay Pretty, regardless how insecure the people around are. Hehe..

Stay healthy, full of heavens wisdom and knowledge. THANKS GOD SO MUCH.

I AM GOD'S MAGNIFIER OF HIS GLORY.  ITS FOR HIS GLORY.

NEW Year's eve 2009, not a champaigne anymore.. but a RED WINE. yeah!! Delicious.

RIO NOVO - pure

I LOVE ME!! LOVE YOU LORD. Mwuah

Looking back, my entry for the year 2007 was one filled with anticipation, of uncertainty, and of course - hope. Anticipation simply because 2008 was poised to be a year of changes, lots and lots of it. Uncertainty mainly due to the fact that though we knew that there was going to be a lot of changes, no one really knew what they were, or how they were going to affect the lives that we live. Hope because no one really knew what was in store for us, and in those cases, one could not help but just hope for the future, that the next year would bring into ourselves inner growth and happiness. For expository purposes (oh yes Ma'am Fe, I'm making you proud by three-part-theme-ing this entry), I think that 2008 can be aptly split into three parts: (1) The Journey Comes to A-close (2) The Lull-time in between and (3) The Dawn of a New Era.

Part One: The Journey Comes to A-close

If you've been reading my blog, I'm sure you'd know that I graduated from college this year - proud to have a degree in Management Economics, from the Ateneo School of Social Sciences. It was in fact the culmination of almost sixteen years of education. Oh yes, sixteen years of cramming, presentations, defenses that have led me to that one moment - smiling over the crowd that has gathered to celebrate this moment with me and the rest of the graduates. But before that, there was much action - of course, this year still had a couple of months before the actual event - two months of concentrated can-you-keep-up requirements and can-we-just-get-this-over-with activities. Oh yes, every year, the Ateneo welcomes a new batch of seniors, poised to graduate and enter the so-called real world - but before that, Ateneo in fact has a lot left in store for these graduates-to-be, last minute challenges just to make sure that they deserve to be called alumnus, to be called truly, Ateneans. Forget hell days or hell weeks, the last two months of college are hell months - the home stretch where 8 hours of sleep are nothing but a distant memory and eyebags are what's in. Here's a list of what I can remember of those times:

1. 1. Borrowing bibles from people sitting in the Regcom bench for Dy-Liacco's Theology 151 class
2. The Dy-Liacco session with the whale sounds, oh yes, 50 minutes of whale sounds.
3. The all-nighter for the video I made for the Theo group project - Isko's Plea.
4. The LS 127 defense na dinala na lang sa practice at PowerPoint.
5. The final-est oral of my college life with Mr. Dy-Liacco. (Thank God for the cheat sheet.)
6. That French professor for LS 142 who made me feel I was getting an A, but got a B instead.
7. The countless case studies in LS 170 - can you say Chiquita banana!?
8. The 6-9 pm LS class that turned into just 6-7:30 classes. I-love-it!
9. That alumni event that I went to, just for the food. haha!
10. Finally, driving to school in my car. <-- I'm just so happy, I had the chance to do this. haha
11. Submitting my resume to the Placement Office for their compilation.
12. Job-fairing! Giving away resumes and pictures and getting freebies in return. F-U-N!
13. Getting nominated for the Eco 177 project that we did for Cottolengo Filipino.
14. Practical cross-cultural communication tips from Sir Valencia in LS 142.
15. L'Oreal Estrat with Lance and Jedrick! OMG, the best ang GTG! No.2 in PH, No. 7 in the world!
16. Team meetings/ (more of)buffet sessions with Lance and Jedrick.
17. SOM testimonial dinner for the L'oreal thing - free food ulit, plus recognition from the Dean.
18. The Crocobite cart that "diversified" its offerings to siomai and fishballs. ha ha
19. Having the whole Crocobite team in my house, and in my room (!)
20. Matteo Ricci Moments with Kami and Rissa na na-merge with Lance and Jedrick. 
21. Gateway Taco Bell moments with Sharto, Mandy and her gift certificates. haha
22. Exploring that interactive exhibit in front of the Rizal Lib with Kami, Rissa and Jam.
23. Getting too "interactive" with the neon green disks in that bamboo-themed artwork.
24. Having Sir Pilar as one of our panelists for LS 127. =)
25. Finally walking out of De La Costa hall, after my final orals, and saying to myself, "It is Done."

But of course, it was more of a dramatic moment (in other words, kadramahan.) when I said "It is Done" when I walked out of De La Costa Hall - after all graduates still had to as they say, dot-the-i's and cross-the-t's, before we could get our diploma. And pretty much like in epic battles, there's much left unsaid and undocumented, oh yes, there was of course the lull times in between the highs and the lows.

Part Two: The Lull-time in Between

Stretching the epic-battle analogy, not much is said about potty breaks and rest stops in epic journeys, because (1) it simply is boring and (2) there's nothing glamorous/glorious about it. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. On the contrary, I think a significant chunk of my 2008 was spent just lazing around the house, a certified B.U.M. Driven by the fact that my allowance stopped the moment I stepped out of college, much of my adventures were limited by financial restraints above anything else. On top of that, there was this lingering feeling with the onset of frustration and self doubt - also known as unemployment. So here's a look at how I spent my summer (and then some), where time flew by so slowly that I swear, sometimes, I think time moved backwards. Here's what I was able to do with so much free time, but minimal funding:

1. 36 Trips to Quiapo in a span of 3 Months - mainly to restock on DVDs, PS2 Games and of course, to explore.
2. Discovering that Divisoria is just a Php7.50 jeepney ride away from Quiapo.
3. The frustration of discovering the shopping pleasures of Tutuban, but not having the money to spend.
4. Perfecting the art of parking in ADMU, taking the train to Recto and vice versa to get to Quiapo.
5. Having my very own tour of Intramuros - and discovering that rats the size of house cats really do exist.
6. Travelling to the U.N/Paco area to reminisce about Unilever days.
7. Doing door-to-door resume deliveries in Makati, Ortigas and Eastwood with Mandy.
8. That impromptu whole-day BPI testing/interview process, again with Mandy - my partner in unemployment.
9. That korean lunch I had with Mandy in Ayala with the theme – “cum-laude-naman-tayo-pero-bakit-wala-pa-din-tayong-trabaho?”
10. Job Interviews, job interviews, and even more job interviews - bringing me around the metro, from Makati, to Ortigas, to Eastwood and even to Sucat.
11. The thrill of having missed calls with unregistered numbers (the sign of possibly HR people setting up interviews/or even a job offer perhaps?)
12. Job testings and personality exams. I swear, that 300 question personality exam (which I took twice, for different companies) made me want to walk out.
13. Finishing Final Fantasy XII - oh yes, 136 hours, 24 minutes and 56 seconds of my life - all devoted to this brilliant game.
14. Downloading movies and albums off the web through torrent. Thank God for DSL!
15. Simply just driving around the Metro. Thank God for parent-subsidized petrol!
16. Taking my dogs to U.P to have them run around the fields (and then finding out later that my dog is too sosyal to eat isaw. haha)
17. Catching up with blockmates to see who's employed and who's not. But most of these conversations had the theme of “atenista-naman-tayo-pero-bakit-unemployed-pa-din-tayo?"
18. Regcom get-together's with almost the same theme as Number 17. haha
19. Buffet dinner/lunch with Jedrick and Lance, with almost the same theme as Number 17. (although by this time, ako na lang ang unemployed. haha)
20. Having TV series marathons at home. Its gotten so serious that even Mama knows the names of almost all the characters in Heroes. Season 1, 2 and 3. Yikes! haha
21. Taking this boat trip in the Pasig River (private, and air conditioned) for just Php 20. I got off in this somewhere, got lost, and managed to get myself back to Cubao. haha
22. Hours spent staring at the ceiling of my room, asking myself what the hell am I going to do with my life
23. Having the time to actually update the layout of this blog - with five different headers that load randomly. If that doesn't scream "free time", I don't know what does.
24. Made $10 off writing reviews in this blog. Apparently, it isn't that easy to make money off the internet.
25. Finally, getting that job offer for the job.

Part Three: The Dawn of A New Era

In my life, there have only been a handful of days where I can truly say that God was smiling down on me. June 12, 2008 was one of those days. Not to brag or anything, but for some weird coincidence, I had three job offers scheduled that day - the ultimate proof that sometimes, when it rains, it pours! haha It was the ultimate pay-off, proof that patience is indeed a virtue. One of the three companies was P&G Singapore, with the offer that I knew I couldn't refuse. This was the moment that I always hoped for, even prior to my Unilever internship days. And it finally arrived. And as the Filipino nation celebrated our independence, I too was celebrating my own independence, oh yes, my independence from unemployment - the dawn of a new era, of me stepping into the professional world. I still can't believe its been half a year since this moment - oh yes, I've been living in Singapore since August, that's almost half of this year! Here's a list of the things that have led up to this moment:

1. Looking at my offer letter, disappointed as to how small the salary is. And then mentally slapping onself in the back once I realize that it was in Singapore Dollars.
2. Frustration in not knowing the PHP-SGD exchange rate on the top of my head. haha And then exhilaration when I finally knew the exchange rate. =)
3. Filling up pre-employment forms and submitting immigration documents for my employment pass, and planning for my orientation trip to Singapore.
4. The call from P&G HR that I finally have a line manager, and that I'll be working on Pantene.
5. Finally meeting up with my line manager and my MDO multi-functional team prior to the orientation trip.
6. Leaving PH for the first time by myself for my SG orientation trip - which included a medical exam, a tour of SG with fellow new-hires, photos of me in front of the Merlion, and finally an office orientation.
7. Walking and exploring the shops along Orchard Road until my feet hurt.
8. Going back to the Philippines to pack things up, say Au Reviors, and prepare for the big move to SG.
9. Moving into the Far-East Serviced Apartments, with my then roommate, Clark. And then meeting the P&G Filipino community in one of their dinners.
10. Formally starting work in P&G - onboarding here and there. Did I mention that I formally started work on a Friday?
11. Starting work just in time for the Asia Hair Care Team Building Seminar in Sentosa!
12. Getting to know the Pantene GBU Multi-functional team.
13. Stress of finding flatmates and an actual flat to move into. Thank God I found Ayen and Dee.
14. Getting my settling-in allowance. In cash. And finally opening a Citibank account.
15. Drafts of room designs, and finally shopping for stuff in Ikea!
16. Finally moving into my very own condo, finally moving out of my parent's house. Oh yes, the best ang Dusun Grove! haha
17. Actually doing serious analyses and work - nosebleed na talaga to the next level. haha!
18. Playing catch-up on trying out alcoholic drinks and actually going clubbing with friends. haha!
19. Going for my first Business Trip in PH to do consumer work and trade visits. Fun! But lots of work.
20. Meeting up with those who were free during my short visit to Manila. You know who you are.
21. Finally feeling the buying power of Sing Dollars when I shopped in Manila. <-- The best!
22. Learning lots of stuff at work, definitely the next level, definitely raising the bar.
23. Perfecting the art of SG public transportation and eating below $5 a meal. haha
24. Travelling using my hard-earned disposable income: can you say Cameron Highlands!?
25. And Finally, bringing my family together for the holidays, thanks to the Christmas bonus.

Looking back, this entry is by no means exhaustive, after all, there are countless others that I may have forgotten but have had so much impact in my life, some may be enough to bump up the PG rating of this blog to R18 haha, but the truth of the matter is that 2008 was a promising year, and it certainly did deliver. I'm sure that changes are not limited to my life, after all, even my friends and blockmates find themselves in different places, and hopefully they find that they grew to be better people this year. And I doubt that these changes are something unique to 2008 - in fact, I think 2009 is poised to bring even more changes in our lives as a whole - whether good or bad however, only time can tell. To be honest, I really feel that 2008 was a great year for me - despite me being a tad more naughty than nice. haha I can't help but feel that I'm right where I need to be. As for 2009, I can't help but ask for just one more thing - just that extra cherry to make this life of mine even more exciting. God, its what I've been asking for ever since 2007. Honestly, yun na lang talaga ang kulang, and then okay na. haha let's just hope that I get it this year.

2009 is going to be the year. May this year bring in even more prosperity, personal growth, hope and love, yes love, into our lives.
Happy New Year!

.:Aldrich:.

PS - The end of each year also signals another year for this li'l ol' blog of mine.

Happy Anniversary Reflections! 
320 entries(!), 7 layouts, and counting.

For as long as I could remember, we've always spent Christmas in our house in Manila. And when I say we, I'm referring to Mama, my sister and me. Over the years, we've had several changes and additions - for one, we've had our own collection of maids, who'd come and go for one reason or another. Relatives would often come by and spend the holidays with us. And a few years back, a feisty kitten called Mitten was added to the family. Six years later, this tub of lard called Goblet came along. And then Cielo followed almost two years after. And year after year, we'd have the same routine, of me decorating the house with Christmas ornaments, of making sure that the Christmas tree was as fabulous as ever, despite the fact that most of the ornaments were older than I was. Mama would be the one who'd do all the cooking, while my sister would be her handy helper. This was just one of the few Christmas traditions I've had - just like our Christmas Day trips to Cubao, gift shopping in Divisoria, buying 1-for-1 Lamb Chops in Rustan's, and attending the grand FMS Christmas get-togethers just to name a few.

That was how it has always been, well that was until this year.

This year is of course different. For one, its harder to do gift shopping in Divisoria given that I'm in SG. But since I didn't have plans to go back to the Philippines for Christmas, I decided to just bring Christmas to me, by of course, bringing Mama and my sister Singapore! Isang malaking thank you sa Pantene at sa Procter and Gamble for making this all possible. (oh yes, sponsor na sponsor ang dating.) haha To be honest, it's just so surreal having the both of them around - actually in my apartment, sleeping in my bed, watching the Filipino Channel in our flat's TV, and going around Orchard Road (which is by the way, so glammed-up with decorations). Its just that Singapore has always appealed to me as a "working country" -where money is made, where money is spent and where family is placed in second priority. Thus, it made me happy, so contented that they were actually here in Singapore with me, and that I had the resources to actually make that happen.

And they actually came just in time - Sales and Price Reductions abound in Singapore these days. Can I just say, months of saving up have prepared me for this moment. haha Actually, in normal cases, Singapore would obviously be more expensive than Malaysia or Philippines, but during sales, nothing can beat marked-down prices of prestige brands. Who would have honestly thought that in just a span of one year, I'd be trading in Divisoria for Takashimaya and Raffles Square? I don't want to sound pretentious or arrogant, but the truth is, gift giving is so much more fun when you actually have the money to spend on gifts. =p Can I just say, my gifts are so levelled-up this year (isa muling malaking pasasalamat sa Pantene at sa P&G for making this happen). haha

We took a bus ride from Singapore to Malaysia on the 23rd to meet up with my parents in Kuala Lumpur. Oh yes, this is actually the first time that we'd be spending Christmas as a whole family - honestly, isn't that what Christmas is all about? (well, on top of the gifts if course. haha) Its just so surreal spending Christmas in our house in KL. For one thing, I feel uncomfortable sleeping in my room - where without the childhood memories and mementos, it just feels like I'm sleeping in a room of a stranger. Another is the fact that neither my parents nor we have ever lived in this house - for all effects and purposes, it was simply a rest house, keeping all the stuff that my parents have accumulated over the years. Its in fact the ultimate combination of 1980's interior design with modern amenities. haha But again, Christmas is where you make it, right? And what's Christmas without a Christmas tree? haha So we headed over to Ikea, and as the Christmas season was about to end, trees were being sold at 60% off. Whattabargain right!? haha At that price, it was even cheaper than if we bought it from Divisoria. haha And so, I at least got to do one of the things that have always made Christmas fun for me - to decorate! haha

Oh yes, I only get a few days of leave each year - and for this year, I've spent all of my pro-rated leaves spending Christmas with my family - just as almost all the other Filipinos in P&G have spent it with their own families. To be honest, I don't regret my decision, not one bit - after all, Filipinos may not be the richest, most well-off people in the world, but we sure  do know what really counts at the end of the day - family. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the plain and simple truth.

Happy Christmas everyone! Here's to being thankful for what God has given us this year - may the spirit of the season last us well beyond Christmas Day.

One of the things that I miss from the Philippines is the pleasure of watching pirated DVDs. Never mind the violation of Intellectual Property rights - at less than $.50 a pop, its more of a guilty pleasure actually. Another would be downloading albums and movies from the internet through torrent. Oh yes, those were the things that kept me preoccupied before my P&G days. But things certainly have changed - for one, you'll be damned to find pirated dvds in Singapore. Secondly, work-from-home internet privileges still hasn't kicked in yet, so my flatmates and I are still resigned to "borrowing" wifi from adjacent buildings - which not only isn't reliable but is frustrating as hell. Added to that is the fact that movies in SG come at 10 bucks a pop. Thus, all of this together with my withdrawal symptoms from watching movies at low-to-no costs has led me to one thing: DVD rental! For one thing, its legal, so that's plus points for me in heaven (or minus a few liabilities in hell, however you'd like to put it). Plus, nothing can beat the quality - after all, its original, honestly, could it get any better than this? And did I mention that its just $3 per DVD? Which sounds quite reasonable to me (aka, what other choice to I have?)

Anyway, the first film that I borrowed from this DVD rental shop in Square 2 (the mall adjacent to our office towers) was called "Into the Wild" - which had this Indie film appeal with a promising premise. What I got from the short description at the back of the DVD was that this was a journey of exploration, independence, of letting go and finding oneself.

It turns out, it's about this guy who's almost my age, and who just graduated from college. It turns out, he (or rather, his parents) was planning to study law, and has saved more than $25000 for his college fund. Driven by several events and experiences, he suddenly decides to leave all of it behind. So, he deposits $24000 to this charity, packs up some of his stuff and leaves his house with a full tank of gas and this desire-cum-dream to reach Alaska. Along the way, he does odd jobs, meets fellow travelers along the road, learns how to live of the "land" through this book of edible wild plants as well as learns how to hunt moose and other animals. The movie ends with the guy actually reaching Alaska, living in this abandoned bus, living off the land, finding serenity amidst the wilderness until the time that he mistakenly eats a poisonous berry, which was left untreated and led to his untimely death. Take note, this was inspired from a true story, at the films ending credits, they even show this self-portrait of the guy which was left undeveloped in a camera which huntsmen found in Alaska alongside his body. Intense right!?

To be honest, this film made me rethink a lot of things in my life - especially as to how similar our lives are. Yes, life in SG is demanding, challenging and exhilarating at the same time. But there's always this option of leaving it all behind. No more expectations, no more nagging, no more responsibilities - simply running off without word or warning to see the world, to achieve a goal, to live. A part of me feels that doing so is foolish, after all, leaving the world that we know off, means leaving all of it - both the good and the bad - something that I don't think I'll be able to do. However, no matter how you look at it, there is certainly courage in what the guy did - not to mention the balls to actually take a risk, let go of his inhibitions to make a change. This is especially difficult given how tied up our lives always seem - where leaving it all behind seems like painfully and painstakingly removing the thousands of invisible wires that attach us to the people, the things and the expectations around us. But to escape it all, that would certainly be bliss - of having the time to actually hear yourself think, actually allowing oneself to be who you want to be, and less of what others have made you who you are. It's the ultimate holiday, the trip that not only gives you a different perspective, but one that totally changes your status quo.

*sigh* Will I ever be able to do this? To be honest and coming from where I'm at now, I doubt that the timing will ever be right - but it will always be an option. On top of that, this is also letting go of one's inhibitions, of stepping out of one's comfort zone. But the truth is, my life has always been about layers and layers of inhibitions. (oh yes, sa lagay na ito, puno pa ako ng inhibitions. haha) But living in SG has allowed me to slowly find myself - letting go of the inhibitions that have held me back in the past, layer by layer. But its a long and tedious process (one step at a time ala Jordin Sparks). But who knows, one day I might just decide to pack things up and escape, to embark on my own dream, to reach my own "Alaska." Let's just hope that if ever I do push through with this, I don't mistakenly eat poisonous berries. =p

Here's to Christopher McCandless, who had the courage to pursue his life's passion, and heeded the call of the wild.

so happy. Now that I have new chance, new life.. I thank God so much - that I have the chance to pursue my goals in life and my dreams. - Now is the achievements and the success.

Here's a few pics taken - Christmas of 2008. More blessings to come ahead.

Champaigne na naman. Hehe! More powers, More energy, new vitamin!!

My Chrismas giftw. Unexpected - Surprise. I love them,.

Aha!. So happy!

Happy Bday to me., I love myself. Mwuah

To all my family thank you so much.

To all my friends - real friends - thank you so much. (Grace, BSJANEP, Mhel and Leslie)

I love you all.