I miss you dearly

I think of you everyday.  And everyday I wish you were still here with us.

I miss you. I miss  you very much. Always have.

30 Day Shred Challenge – Challenge Accepted!

I recently bought a mat and two dumbbells (weighing 4 lbs. each) in preparation for my quest to becoming a big “loser” via Jillian Michaels’s 30 Day Shred Challenge. As of this writing, I weigh 63 kilos — my heaviest thus far, I think — and I’m decided to lose the unnecessary fats.

This workout takes around 20 minutes each day and I know I can do it.

Let’s see how everything pans out in four weeks.

—

December 2011 update:

I did well in the first two weeks. The first few days into the workout was crazy — there were times I felt as if I was going to die. Hehe. After religiously waking up early in the wee hours of the morning for this exercise for the first 14 days, I noticed improvement in my stamina and I really felt good about myself. For the first time in years, I felt I was healthy.

However– and here’s the sad part — I did not get to finish the workout. On my second week, it became a habit of mine to step on the weighing scale everyday to check on my progress. I was discouraged to see very, very minimal improvements and at some point, there were no change in numbers at all! It was disheartening to say the least, considering all the amount of work I put into (exercise + diet). And so, I stopped doing the workout.

And here’s the funny part.

A couple of days after I stopped, I found out that the weighing scale in the office I was using was faulty and inaccurate. I tried checking my weight using a scale at the office clinic, and I was elated to see that I reached 59 kilos. I could have reached 57 kilos at some point had I not stopped the workout and started eating unhealthy food again.

So next year, after the man vs food war holiday version is over, it’s back to square one again. This time I’m planning to combine it with Beachbody’s Turbo Fire.

And again, let”s see how everything pans out. *crosses fingers*

Smart’s New Logo

While I agree one should not fix something that is not broken, I’m impressed with the guys at the higher ups for pulling out a surprise – changing our company’s logo!

Personally, I prefer the old one because it already has a good recall. But I know the top honchos know what they are doing and they are leading the company to the right direction.

Maybe that really is the way things go in the corporate world. To be the number one, the one to beat, you should take risks and not to be contented with the status quo.

That’s probably the reason why we’re number one because we always take risks. (Yun naman! Hehe.)

So now, when you think of the dots, you’ll think of us.

The UP Pep Squad wins 2011 UAAP cheerdance crown

Thank you, UP PEP Squad, not only for making the crown stay where it rightfully belongs, but also for once again making the whole UP community proud!

I heart you, UP PEP!

QLC, anyone?

Quarter-life crisis or (a premature) Saturn Return – whatever you call it – I have been experiencing this since I was 21. As I get into my mid 20′s, it’s becoming more difficult to handle.

And this song pretty much sums up everything I’m going through right now:

Twenty-five years I’m alive here still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination

I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means

And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar.

And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?

Right after college, I immediately looked for a nice paying job. I was thrilled at the thought of being able to pay for and buy anything I want. The first company to tender a job offer was Convergys. The pay was okay, and my mom told me not to reject the first company that said yes to me. So I accepted the offer. I worked as a billing agent for Yahoo!

I was 21 then and was too idealistic.  Aside from not agreeing with some policies which I thought rip off customers, I just did not like working there at all. Everyday was hell. After six months, I left.

Before resigning from Convergys, a senior operations manager tried to convince me to stick it out for at least a year and see what happens. After all, it was just my first job.  She said if I would leave already, then resigning becomes a habit.

She was right. It did.

I worked in a number of companies/organizations after that. After working in the private sector, I joined a media NGO. After six months, I left. Became a bum for two months before transferring to a government agency. On Christmas eve, I was notified that my contract won’t be renewed for the next year because of some bullshit politics in the office. Became a bum again. After more than a month, I got accepted for a post in a separate government agency. I stayed for like a week before, once again, calling it quits. And so I became a bum again for a couple of months before landing a job in the government agency I first worked in, but this time, in a different division. After almost two years of stay – yes, my longest stay so far – I joined the private sector once again. I’m now currently working as a project staff in a telecom.

Hanep no? Private – NGO – Government – Private. I also had freelance gigs while having a day job or being a bum. Grabe, ano pa bang type ng work ang pwede? Baka di ko pa nasusubukan lol. Eh halos lahat naikutan ko na eh.

Kidding aside, all those shifting, transferring, and being a bum took away all the confidence left in my tank. What was happening to me? I was once this kid who thought she’ll do great out there but I became a journeyman, like a Willie Miller who already played in more than five teams in his career. Like PNoy’s lovelife, my self-esteem just went coke zero.

Being at the bottom seemed to be alien to me when I was still studying. Sure I flunk some exams along the way and I didn’t even graduate with honors. But I was always an achiever.  I was the perfectionist who always managed to produce great results. I got used to getting praises from my friends – that I’m smart and skilled.

But now? I easily get discouraged. Konting mistake lang, dinadamdam ko na. Well, I was always like that to begin with but it didn’t disappoint me that much before unlike right now. I really don’t know what happened. I’m not as sharp as before and there are times when I think that I lost it.

Many people will be envious with what I do now. I get to travel to a lot of places, meet many people, etc. I am thankful for it, really. But I can’t help not to feel insecure – regarding my present accomplishments and long-term plans. About the near future. Because at 25, I’m still a contractual staff with no benefits and someone who’s frustrated with relationships – or the lack of it. And all those insecurities reach even greater heights when I visit the Facebook profiles of my friends and old classmates, who at a young age, have already accomplished something great. And may lovelife sila. Punyeta.

I want to be my old self again – the achiever who is excellent in the things she does, and the carefree child who knows how to be happy.  Yun nga lang, it’s hard. It’s a daily struggle. It’s hard to move forward when you are at your worst.

But as they say, this too shall pass. I guess I just have to comfort with that saying and try to hang on.

The Journey of the Underdogs

If, at the start of the PBA conference, someone came to me and challenged me to make a bet as to what team will be crowned as the PBA Governors’ Cup champs, I’ll bet that my Petron Blaze Boosters won’t be that team. I’ll make a two-months worth of my salary as my wager, without batting an eyelash.

The team, which was then named as San Miguel Beermen, was coming off a rare last place finish in the last confy after winning only two games – probably the worst finish of the San Miguel/Petron franchise ever. The players looked disgruntled after the blockbuster trade that sent Danny Seigle, Dondon Hontiveros, Dorian Pena, and Paul Artadi to then Air21 Express in exchange of untested rookies Rabeh Al-Husseini, Noy Baclao, and Rey Guevarra. They played very lethargic on both offense and defense. The coaching staff looked helpless. To sum it up, nothing seemed to work right.

Ginebra's import Nate Brumfield challenges three Beermen defenders

During the off season, the management renamed the team to Petron Blaze Boosters. It signaled a fresh new start. As I said in my last sports-related post, the future looks bright for the team and that there’s no other way to go but up. All I was actually hoping for is a respectable showing considering that somehow they are still on the rebuilding stage.

Petron lost its first game when they paraded a lemon import in Ricky Harris. The management replaced Harris with Jeremy Wise who turned out to be a gem as he led the team to a second place finish after the elims. It was a delight to see the team play great on both ends of the floor. Finally, the winning tradition was back.

But it was not a smooth sailing ride for the Boosters. Jay Washington, the main man of the team, went down with a foot injury that would take him months to recuperate. Lordy Tugade and Joseph Yeo were injured as well. Rabeh, who was later cited as the Rookie of the Year, suffered an ACL injury and will be out for the rest of the season. And the worst part of it all? JWise, the best import at that time, was forced to pack his things and go back to the States as he himself had a bad knee injury.

And so I thought, that would be the end of the road for the Boosters. But it’s still okay. The team was already overachieving. Who would have thought they would finish at the upper tier of the standings?

But then here came the Boosters showing life and form despite being undermanned. Arwind Santos, since the start of the conference, was consistent in putting up MVP-like numbers. Alex Cabagnot manned the point very well. The scrappy players – Jojo Duncil, Paolo Hubalde, Sunday Salvacion, and Denok Miranda, to name a few – were always there to provide energy.

BMeg's PJ Simon tries to scoop in a layup against the outstretched arms of Arwind Santos and Mick Penissi

Arwind Santos takes it strong to the hole

After JWise got injured, Petron was left with no other choice but to replace him. Anthony Grundy then came into the team. I thought whoever the replacement import was would surely be a downgrade because JWise was just so good. But Grundy proved me wrong. He is not as explosive and flashy as JWise but he gets the job done. He can score at will but he is also a team player. He makes his teammates look good with perfect assists, grabs rebounds, and plays hard-nosed defense as well. He does not look maangas but he won’t back down from anyone. Like JWise, he is a great – if not perfect – fit for the team. At that point, I was hoping that Petron would overachieve… a bit more.

Anthony Grundy attempts to steal the ball from TNT's Scottie Reynolds

Anthony Grundy dives for a loose ball

With JWash, Lordy, Yeo, and Rabeh out, the Boosters still managed to put up a gallant fight and finish strong. But with the quotient system implemented this conference, they found themselves in a place where their fate was not in their hands. To be able to get into the finals, they had to beat Talk ‘N Text (who was already in the Finals that time), then Ginebra had to win over Rain Or Shine. And that was exactly what happened. Not taking anything away from the Boosters but there seemed to be a deliberate effort from TNT to lose that game so they could face the weakest contending team on paper in the Finals, which is no other than the Boosters.

Anyway, my team took the last seat to the Finals. They were facing the grandslam-seeking TNT squad.

If you were going to compare the lineup of the two teams, it looked like TNT would just bulldoze its way onto the coveted grandslam. Petron’s lineup is soooo depleted while theirs is oozing with firepower. Though I wanted my team to win the series, my logic said TNT would take it in 6 games.

Anthony Grundy, Arwind Santos, Jimmy Alapag, and Scottie Reynolds

First game of the series. Petron stole the game away from TNT via a come-from-behind win, thanks to Danny I’s buzzer-beating jumper over Ali Peek. Many people were surprised, including me. While lots of spectators branded the win as a fluke, some realized that TNT was really beatable after all. As Quinito Henson put it, “we have a series!”

The next two games, however, showed why TNT is the best offensive team in the league today as they beat the hell out of the Boosters by big margins. Big, as in 20+ point lead in both games. Jason Castro and Larry Fonacier were just unstoppable. Many doubted if Petron could still put up a challenge after being blown out.

Jason Castro drives past Jojo Duncil

At the end of Game 3, Coach Ato pulled off a ploy. He engaged TNT Coach Chot into a psy war by challenging him into a fistfight. Chot declined then Coach Ato called him “bakla” (gay). During the presscon after the game, Chot went to the media as if making sumbong. Chot just made himself look pathetic.

Then came games 4 and 5. The Boosters came out smoking. all guns blazing. They shot the ball well and also controlled the tempo of the game. Most importantly, they held TNT below 80 points. Defense. They played solid, physical basketball while the Texters looked sort of scared. One of the keys to winning both of these games: Ato’s brilliant and “we-are-no-pushovers” attitude which rubbed off to his players.

Opposing coaches: Petron's Ato Agustin and TNT's Chot Reyes

Game 6 is a déjà vu of games 2 and 3 as Petron came out flat footed. Grundy only managed to score 5 points. Nobody came to play except for Arwind. Despite being injured, TNT’s true MVP Jason Castro carried his team on his back by doing what he does best – penetrate, create plays for his teammates, and convert his shots. After a poor performance of Reynolds, TNT chose to replace him with Mo Baker – the team’s original import who played for them in the elims but was replaced by Reynolds. After being bumped off in the lineup, Baker opted to become a practice import. So there, TNT had the luxury of having two imports practicing with them.

It was a heartbreaking loss. I was there. I watched it live hoping that the Boosters would end the series right then and there. But what I witnessed was a murder. TNT forced a winner-take-all Game 7.

Jason Castro played through his MCL injury to provide spark off the bench and lead TNT to a win in Game 6

Petron's Anthony Grundy, Alex Cabagnot, Denok Miranda, Coach Ato Agustin and TNT's Jimmy Alapag and Mo Baker

Coming into the final game of the series, it appeared that almost all odds were stacked against the Boosters. With the momentum going back to their side, the Texters’ looked poised to win the  Governors’ Cup crown and consequently, win the grand slam.

But here was the ever so resilient Petron team that refused to be pushed away. They played superb basketball in the first canto and that pretty much took away the fight from TNT. The Texters’ managed to come close – and even take the lead at some point – but timely baskets from Grundy, Denok, and Danny I were enough to lift Petron.

And Arwind, wow. Proving that he’s not a choker anymore, he played a monster game for the Boosters. His stats: 16 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks. In a freaking Game 7.

For the longest time in his career, Arwind was always #2. He had a couple of chances to win an MVP award but he ended up as a bridesmaid. Also, Arwind had always been the second fiddle, particularly to Kelly Williams. He had 3 or 4 trips to the Finals but was always denied.

Not this time. Now, he’s the #1. Champion + Finals MVP.

Sa wakas, the curse is gone.

Arwind Santos puts a poetic exclamation mark in the tightly fought series. Photo by InterAKTV/Markku Seguerra

Same with Alex, who before played terribly during the games which mattered most. Stat line: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 turnovers. All these in a freaking Game 7. Choker what?

The beauty of that game lies on how Petron was able to limit TNT’s production to just 73 points, their lowest output in the series. The Boosters played suffocating defense and dictated the tempo of the game all throughout. Ever wonder why basketball experts always say that defense wins championships? Really great coaching by Coach Ato.

Rookie coach Ato celebrates as he wins his first championship in the PBA

After five long years in the league, Finals MVP Arwind Santos finally gets a taste of a PBA championship crown.

It was a classic championship series that saw David battling it out against Goliath. Battle-scarred and everything, David ended up as the winner. This championship perhaps is one of the sweetest victories of the franchise to date and I am very fortunate to have witnessed it. I have been a fan of the league since 1995 and I have never seen a team pull off a huge upset such as this.

But more importantly, Petron did it not with a loaded talent, but with a mix of vets and role players who are willing to play all out just to win. (Shout out to SMC: Championship teams are made, not bought.)

The Petron Blaze Boosters are the 2011 PBA Governors' Cup champions

To TNT, adversities such as injuries are part of the game; you have to play through it and not make it as an excuse. ‘Pag talo, talo. And oh, a grand slam team doesn’t whine too much. Take that, Coach Chot. Hehe.

Seriously, you gave a good fight but sorry, we slammed your grand slam aspirations. You broke our hearts by denying Olsen his last championship before he retired. Now it was our time to break yours.

Buti na lang walang nakipagpustahan sakin. I would have lost. More than anything, it was a shame that I did not believe in my team enough, and I am really happy to be proven wrong.

Congrats, Petron Blaze Boosters!

Get Yourself into the Social Networking Train!

Social networking has been the buzz phrase that is going around like a viral infection. These social networking sites help people to keep connected with others from their past, present, and maybe, even future. Ask anyone you know and chances are, he/she is on a social network or is surrounded by people who are.

With everything that is going on in the cyber space, social networking has become a great part of people’s lives, not just for the young techie generation but for the tech-savvy oldies as well. Admit it or not, there are times when people even prefer updating each other about their lives via tweets and wall posts, shocking everyone through wedding photos no one knew about, and discovering each other’s talents via videos getting a nil to million hits.

 

Needless to say, social networking is a very competitive industry, with sites clinging for the top spot through added programs and applications that distinguish it from the rest. Here are some of the top networking sites:

 

Facebook

Facebook is the worldwide leader among social networks. It claims to have more than 500 million members, with 250 million unique visitors every month. Alexa – a tracking site – reports Facebook as the second most visited site in the world, next to Google.

YouTube

YouTube is the most popular video-sharing website today. Ranked #3 in the world by Alexa in terms of the number of visitors, YouTube serves as a one-stop portal for people who want to watch and share videos worldwide. Its staggering number of visitors gives you the opportunity to gain a lot of exposure.

Twitter

Though limited in features and characters (140 per tweet) compared to other sites, Twitter is probably the fastest way to let your followers know about the most recent offerings of your company. This micro-blogging site claims to have 80.5 million unique visitors every month.

Flickr

Flickr is a website where you can host your images and videos. But more than an online photo and video management site, Flickr boasts of a growing online community that you can take advantage of.

 

A neophyte in the social networking game, Google+ looks promising as it tries to address the shortcomings of Facebook. It’s probably too early to tell though if Google+ can topple the Mark Zuckerberg-led site. But definitely the competition is something to look forward to.

 

So yeah, hop into social networking train so you can improve your social presence. The train might be leaving now and you sure do not want to get left behind.

Social Presence

In this day and age of Web 2.0, many online social networking sites have proliferated and are continuously flourishing with the massive amount of visitors these sites attract. The growing number of users of these online communication platforms tells you that there is an opportunity for your business to be seen by your potential customers and thus, you have to take advantage of it.

Since social networking has served as a mainstream business tool, visibility in these sites is the key to get new customers and retain the existing ones. If you still have not ventured into this and maximized what social networking sites offer, you are definitely missing out on huge business opportunities.

Samsung PS51D450 Plasma TV Impressions

So after more than two years of patiently waiting, browsing though PinoyDVD forum, and saving up, my kuya and I were fortunate enough to be able to finally replace (and retire) our 12 year old standard TV and replace it with a new one – the Samsung PS51D450 plasma TV.

We bought the TV for Php 40,000 at Sights & Sounds (SnS) located at the 4th Level of Shangri-la Plaza in Mandaluyong City. At this price, this 51″ plasma TV is our best purchase to date. Few years ago, TVs of this size were sold for more or less a hundred thousand. 40K could only get you a nice 32 inch TV. Thanks to a tight competition, manufacturers have been lowering the prices, thus making flat TVs very, very affordable.

Anyway, I do have an untrained eye when it comes to scrutinizing display devices so you may want to take this blog post with a grain of salt. Hehe.

PS51D450, one of the entry level plasma TVs introduced by Samsung this year, is only an HD ready TV (it’s 1365 x 768 in resolution) but for the great price, I’m not complaining. The difference between this and a full HD TV is hardly noticeable, basing from what I saw in the SnS showroom.

Video quality for me is 8.5/10. We have not calibrated the TV yet but I can say that the TV displays great colors and more importantly, gorgeous blacks.

Also, the USB connectivity feature is very useful considering that we have not bought a network media tank yet (another project we need to save up for!). I just plug in my external hard drive to the USB port at the back of the TV and I can play almost all media files I have!

However, when it comes to screen reflection, PS51D450 is no exception. The ideal set up is to place it in a room where lighting can be controlled. We have a pretty much bright living room and I can see myself in the screen while watching TV hehe. But that’ okay. I’m learning how to deal with it. Besides, we’re planning to rearrange the living room once we already have a new TV rack for the baby (we’re using our center table as a temporary rack hehe).

See the blankets hanging in the window? Hehe

Overall, so far, so good. I got a few Blu-ray and DVD -rip titles here and played it. Here are the sample photos:

NOTE: Photos are taken using my crappy Android phone. Doesn’t give justice to the picture quality of the TV hehe.

Avatar (Blu-ray copy)

 

Kung Fu Panda (DVD rip copy)

 

The Holiday (Blu-ray copy)

 

Limitless (Blu-ray copy)

Great fine details @ 2nd pic!

Chuck *

*Quality isn’t even DVD rip but is the best available copy I saw. Chuck, BTW, is one of the best TV series ever. Hehe.

No trace of green trails  (so called “phosphor lag”) during action sequence!

Re normal cable TV viewing. We’re currently subscribed to SkyCable, the analog cable TV broadcast so we already expected poor video quality (too grainy/noisy). There are still channels though that are still very watchable and decent enough.

This one is surprisingly of good quality.

For the Beermen, there’s no other way to go but up

“Disappointing” may still be an understatement on how to describe San Miguel Beermen’s finish this conference.

With a 2-7 win-loss card, they just went from (almost an) hero to zero. From first runners-up to cellar dwellers.

Some may blame the blockbuster trade that happened prior to the start of the conference. Marquee players Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros, trusty center Dorian Pena, and energetic guy Paul Artadi were traded to Air 21 “Sagot Ko Ang Players Mo” Express for promising center Rabeh Al-Hussaini, defensive specialist Noy Baclao, and Rey “Hayden Kho look-a-like” Guevarra.

Dondon, Dorian, Danny S, and Paul in an Air21 shirt

Rey, Noy, and Rabeh after getting drafted by Air 21

The trade did not sit well for many long time Beermen fans. The Dynamite, arguably one of the best Fil-Am players the PBA ever had, will forever be identified  with SMB, what with the championships he helped give the team. The Cebuano Hotshot will always be adored not only by SMB fans but also by PBA fans as well for his charisma and professionalism. Dorian was a staple at the middle since the early 2000′s after his stint in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association. Lastly, team fans already fell in love with Kid Lighting’s energy and probably his funny ways on how to annoy opponents.

But that’s business. Players come and go. I would have loved the idea of Seigle and Dondon retiring in SMB like Olsen Racela. But the management chose to give them away when their trade value is still relatively high. Again, it’s a business decision die-hard fans do not have a say. In due time, veterans will be replaced by young blood. Experience will have to be sacrificed for youth. Fans should accept and deal with it.

But what I just did not like seeing this conference was the lethargic play of the team. There were some games where you could already notice their body language just screaming “defeated.” And mind you, it was still midway through the game. The way they played is a stark contrast of how some Barako Bull players strut their stuff inside the court when their team was still in the PBA. These were the guys who have all the reason to be demoralized. They did not have a legit star in the team. The moment they play well, they can expect themselves to be sold to other teams as if being just plain commodities. These were the guys whose salaries were months delayed! But they still fought.

I am just a mere spectator and I don’t know what’s with the team. Did the trade affect them? Did they feel unsecured? I don’t know. Whatever that is, it still should never be an excuse to play shitty basketball.

It’s okay to lose. But if they lose, I want to see them play with dignity and pride.

I guess it would not be hard for SMB fans like me to expect a better Beermen team next confy, which will carry a new team name – Petron.

As they say, there is no way to go but up.