Food Trip Destination: Baang Coffee

An early evening night out with my Friends at Baang Coffee Tomas Morato. Ordered my usual favorites: Monte Cristo Sandwich and Chicken Cordon Bleu (c/o Pow), accompanied by a Tall order of Death by Chocolate and a slice of Banapple pie for dessert. 

 Monte Cristo Sandwich. 

 Chicken Cordon Bleu 

Banapple Pie 

Corporate Policies

What if your office issues new corporate policies such as these? Insane indeed! For the win! Click on the image above to view the whole image. 

Lovers In Pares

Last night, my partner and I were discussing over phone on our plans for our monthsary meet up.

Ryan: San tayo sa Wednesday?
Burrby: Ikaw...
Ryan: Hmm. sa pares na lang.
Burrby: ...
Ryan: Alam mo kung bakit?
Burrby: Bakit?
Ryan: Para masabing "Lovers in Pares" tayo.
Burrby: *uncontrollable laughter*


Corny to the nth level. One of those spontaneous hirits from yours truly. But in fairness, bumenta sa kanya.

Photo credit to djbrixx.

Bitter Ocampo

Bitter Ocampo -- A filipino gay linggo referring to sour graping people. Derived from a popular actor's name (Deither Ocampo).

While browsing PinoyExchange.com earlier, I stumbled upon this particular image on discussion thread. A literal visual interpretation of Bitter Ocampo. Diether Ocampo on the body of a bitter melon (Momordica Charantia Linn). ROFLMAO.

Credit goes to the owner of this image.

100 ways to say Fuck You

Funny that one of the first few words that we learn from foreign languages are cuss words aside from the usual "Hello", "Good Morning", "Good Evening", and  "I Love You". I stumbled upon this particular image while I was blog hopping. This is the ultimate guide!

But I beg to disagree with the Filipino translation. It should not equate to Putang Ina. Son of a Bitch may be a more appropriate english translation for Putang Ina. But the heck! I’m fine with it. It sounds better than Kantutin Kita and it sounds more "malutong" .

It's kinda weird that Putang Ina is highlighted compared to the other translations. Perhaps it's widely used across the globe as Filipinos are in the every corner of this planet.

Coron, Palawan

Here’s a postcard I shot from our Coron trip last year. I fell in love with natural beauty of the place the first time I got there — breathtaking views, virgin white sand beaches, clear water, fresh seafood, friendly people, watersports, and more!

I’m planning to visit the Calamian group of islands in northern palawan again this May. I hope that the weather will cooperate this time. Last year, we were stuck in the middle of Siete Picados during a storm. Traumatic. Tara! Byahe na!

Why do cars always break down on flyovers or in narrow roads?

That's one of the mysteries that I have been trying to figure out. Often times, these traffic incidents cause major traffic -- a terrible headache for motorists. Perhaps it's just a series of coincidental events or there may be a paranormal explanation for that. What do you think? Why on flyovers, in narrow roads, or in bottleneck areas?!?

“Para kang ipis. Natatakot ako sa tuwing lilipad ka.”

En route back to GMA from the ingress at SMX, 2ns tuned in to LSFM as a true kapuso. And Papa Dan's on air (whatta heck of a show. so funny)! Heard the aforementioned quote in tonight's broadcast.

Papa Dan: Ano ang sasabihin mo kay Michelle ngayong alam mong lilipad pala sya paalis ng bansa?

Guy1: *moment of silence*

Papa Dan: Hindi ka marunong sumagot eh. *states the quote above*

Classic! ROFTL! Sobrang bumenta sa akin that I can't stop laughing at that moment. I'm gonna use this hirit one of these days.

Paranormal encounter in the house

I've had another freaky paranormal encounter. This time, inside our beloved home.

Last night was Black Saturday. The rest of the household went ahead to the chapel to hear the easter vigil mass. I was left alone at as I had some urgent matters to attend to. After finishing what I need to do, I took a quick shower and hurriedly dressed up to be on time for the mass.

I was walking down the stairs, the door of my grandmother's room slowly opened with this eerie squeak. I stopped for a moment to assess if there's a burglar in the house. But apparently, there's none. I started walking down again then suddenly, the door slammed close. I went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water then had the guts to check out the room. There's no one inside. The windows are closed thus the wind couldn't be the culprit. Freaked out, I immediately left the house.

It didn't end there. When I was locking the front gate, I heard the door of my parent's room open and close similar to what happened earlier. I stood still. It couldn't be the wind as the windows of my parents room are all closed. It couldn't be a household member or a burglar as there's no one inside the house. So what else could it be?

I told my siblings about this while ago only to confirm that they also had the similar encounters within the house.

Freaky

on security checkpoints

Be it in malls, the MRT, or any establishments, I still can't dig the purpose of the security checkpoints. The security guards are being paid for merely opening the bags of the masses and making dutdot the stuff inside the back with their magical wands ala harry potter -- "wingardium leviosa". As if they are actually checking the items inside the bags. Restricted items won't float and reveal themselves just by poking random items inside the bag with the stick.
Kakainis.

Photo credit: http://www.life.com/image/1537501

on coffee shops...

Here at Coffeebean now with my siblings for a little bonding moment.
Just a random thought: I can't still get the point why people are hooked up buying overpriced coffee. More than a hundred bucks for a cup of coffee? For me that's impractical. I'd rather spend that amount on food or other necessities. But the heck. That's their money. Perhaps I'm just not a fan of coffee.

Photo Credit: http://wwff.wordpress.com/

B.O.R.E.D

Stuck at home this holy week. Aside from fulfilling my holy obligations and entertaining a few work-related calls and SMS, I have nothing else to do. I might as well spend the free time that I have in organizing all my stuff -- my closet, book collection, mp3 collection, and photography portfolio.

Just in case this obsessive-compulsiveness adrenaline runs off my veins, I have plans of baking cookies (yes! after more than a year of not baking anything at all!), play the piano or have a movie marathon.

There's this strong urge within me to go out with my friends but good luck with that! I doubt it if there's an establishment where I could possibly hang out. Definitely, I'm stuck here.

Ondoy's Wrath

Exactly two Saturdays ago was definitely a time of my life -- the day that I feared that could have been the end of me being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I should have headed straight home after having a little snack at Coffeebean Tomas Morato. But I decided to drop by Viktor's and the flash flood happened.

At 9am, Flood water start seeping through the front door. It was waist level in a matter of minutes. When I looked out from the terrace, my car was already two feet submerged in water. It's useless to have some people push it to safety as I won't be able to start the car. I can't also risk exposing the open wound I got on my foot the night before in flood water. I was just praying that the rain would stop and that the flood would subside but Lo! the rain just kept on pouring and pouring and the flood water kept on rising and rising. It pains me to see my baby Maddy (my auto) drowning in flood water. Eventually, she transformed into a submarine and dove approximately 15 feet underwater.

As the water continued to rise, I helped Vik salvage some stuff from the ground floor of the residence. The main switch was turned off to avoid the risk of electrocution. Water level kept on rising and rising. When I noticed that it's only three plight away before the water levels with the second floor, I told him that we need to start packing just in case we need to evacuate. I searched for flotation devices and waterproof containers to encase the necessities. Found a floating coleman in the flood water, had it dried then stashed our cellphones, wallets and keys inside then sealed it with a small rubber ball making it buoyant and waterproof. Dried clothes were packed along with some biscuits, a bottle of water, and alcohol in a plastic container which Viktor eventually used as his flotation device.

Water level continued to rise and we had to create an evacuation plan. We can't swim from the terrace the the lamp posts are still lit up - it's either we get electrocuted by the live wires or get wounded by the barbed wire and 'bubog' on the fence. Looked around and saw a higher ground - the abandoned house at the back of his room (Later to find out that a family was murdered in that hourse). I called home and told my sister of what's happening and our contingency plans just in case we need to evacuate. tears tricked down my eyes as I'm not certain if that's gonna be the last time I'm gonna talk to my family. After deciding on our plan, We removed the window panes and started jumping into the flood water in order to get to the higher ledge. All wet and cold, we stayed there for like ten to fifteen minutes. We assessed other options just in case we need to get to another higher ground.

As the water keeps on rising, our last option was to swim towards the abandoned condominium in front of their house. It's either we stayed where we were and get electrocuted once the water touches the live wires or risk our lives by swimming to safety. It's either we get there safely, towed by the current, or drown in the attempt. We braved the almost 15 feet flood at that time and got there safely. We stayed at the 2nd flood business center changed into dry clothes, cleansed our wounds and then rested. At around 5 or 6 pm. water level still keep on rising. Another three plights of stairs then we're gonna be sealed off the rest of the building. We had to wade into the flood water again in darkness (only with a cellphone to light our path to where we should be headed). We settled at the 5th flood to rest and wait for the flood water to subside.

We were stuck with families from the squatters area who got displaced by the flood. Changed into dry clothes and then ate the food we packed up. Gad! They were too damn noisy. As much as I would to rest, I can't fall asleep after what had happened. Flood water finally subsided at around 5am. We waded into a knee-deep flood to find something to eat. We thought Mc Do would be opened but apparently, it was closed. We ended up buying drinks at 711. and from there, I called home for my dad to pick me up.

I adopted Viktor for the night as he has no place to rest given that his home was submerged in water. We cleaned ourseleves up, had breakfast and then took some rest. I drove him home at around 4pm that Sunday to get the stuff I left at his pad and at the same time, check on my car.

My car was a total disaster. there was still water inside and it's all covered in mud and oil. The problem of having it towed and fix is another story. But the hell! I survived the deluge and it built character.

Next: Reflections on this catastrophe

Quarantined! Thanks to A(H1N1)

Our office issued an official memo that all employees travelling abroad will have to take a 10-day quarantine period upon their return to the country. It's either the employee uses his remaining vacation leave credits or work from home depending on the agreement between him and his department head. In my case, I will have to work from home when I get back from Thailand on Monday.

Many people would think that this is fun. I will be able to do what I want while I'm working at home - watch the DVD, play computer games, etc. Or perhaps work from a coffeeshop or from a friend's house. I'll be able to save up my lunch money and gas allocations given that I will not obliged to leave the house. But being a workaholic, it's gonna be a pain in the ass. Communicating with colleagues would be problematic as most of my tasks revolve around updates, meetings, and visuals. *sigh*

I still have another trip in August to Malaysia. Will it be the same? I won't cancel it as I have already paid for my plane ticket, hotel accommodation, and park entrances. I am hoping that by that time, this influenza scare has diminished. Just like SARS.

A(H1N1) for me is just a normal flu! The media just hyped it up to something very contagious and deadly. Just like common flu, only children and elderly with weak immune system have died of the disease. Methinks that it's a conspiracy to perk up the demand and price of the upcoming vaccine for this. Dengue is even more deadlier and contagious than A(H1N1). WTF with the world governments and media?!?

Med School

Recently I've been thinking of pursuing a career in Medicine. Not because I want to follow my dad's footsteps and continue his legacy but there's something inside me telling me that partially, I want to be a doctor and that this profession would satisfy my sense of fullfillment. Funny that this thought came from someone with Haemophobia who has this tendency to pass out with a slightest sight of blood. Haha. Well, I have to overcome this fear really really soon.

Why now when I'm very happy and stable with my current job and businesses? Even I am still asking myself that question. Time has been wasted. I should have taken a pre-med undergrad course and directly attended med school after that. Yet, I took MIS. I have a wide array of interests - from music, photography, travel, computers, etc. That even with these simple hobbies or interests, I don't know which I should prioritize. Literally I'm in the point of uncertainty in my life. I'm praying that god would help me pinpoint what I really want and what would suit me best as a human person. (yuck. epekto ng ADMU philo and theo)

Am I willing to trade my current lifestyle now (Gimiks, Travel, Splurging, etc.) with upcoming years of being a bookworm secluded from the rest of the world with uncertain income? If there's a purpose, why not. With the fact that life is too short, I might as well enjoy my current bachelor life. However, with a purpose, the latter one would later on define my happiness. As what they say, "No pain, no gain".

Still with being undecided, what I'm going to do is to take the NMAT this December with or without any preparations (Gad! Physics, Chem, Biology, Zoology and Math again!). If I get at least 80% in the exam, I'll push through with med school. Otherwise, this would mean that what I have now is the right field for me. If I get at least 92%, that's UP Intramed for me (Ambisyosong frog). lolz. Will have pray for this for the upcoming months.

Maybe this is just a momentary thought that after a few weeks, this want would eventually wane. Let's see about that as even now, I'm still very indecisive about everything.

A Twister in Manila

I've never seen real tornadoes except on National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel. Not until this afternoon. I was capture a real one but not this soon and definitely not in Manila! I was on my way to the CR and the ruckus that's going on in our office lobby caught my attention. Syempre, Naki-usi na rin. and WTF, there's this black funnel ravaging the Manila Bay!

I don't know why these events happen when I don't have my camera with me. Sayang. lolz. The tornado seems small in the pictures. But in person, malaki sya tignan... Photos are courtesy of Ms. Maanne Umandap taken from the 12th floor lobby of the GMA network center.

We're pretty lucky na hindi sya lumaki an nawala kaagad. Otherwise, the damage could be very devastating with all the people in Manila off-guard. Syempre, it's inevitable to blame this to global warming or climate change. The signs are everywhere na. We have to take care of our planet na before it's too late. otherwise, we'll be experiencing tons of freaky weather patterns.

Oh My Ghost!

I just got home a while ago at around 3:45 in the morning after having a late night dinner and catching up over coffee with my Bestie. That routine is quite normal to me on a daily basis with my usual gimiks. But what happened freaked me out like hell.


When I was nearing our house, I've noticed that the area is kinda darker than usual -- One of the Meralco lamp posts around our perimeter is dead. That's quite scary with all the trees at the park in front of our house. My mind is starting imagining things as I was parking at my usual spot fronting our gate. I reached out for my office ID and the house keys and then hurriedly picked up my bag and barong from the back of the car. I got out of the car out of anticipation that I'm gonna see something unnatural.

When I locked the door, it was quite inevitable not to look at the direction of the park I've noticed someone in all white. I though that it was just David, my neighbor, in his nursing uniform. I called him to invite him to have a stick of ciggies but he didn't respond. Then out of nowhere, he vanished into the thin air! I rubbed my eyes to double check if I'm just imagining things. I even tried approaching thinking that he just crouched. But Lo! That guy in all white outfit appeared again! Nakngpotah! This time, from the other end of the car heading towards my direction!


Fear got into me. I had difficulty finding the right key to our main gate. But luckily. I was able to open it and shut it immediately. My body was a big goosebump while I was uttering the prayer of St. Francis while I was opening the locks of the door of our house. When I got it, I felt an instant relief but the trembling, palpitation, and goosebumps didn't wane until I came in contact with my dog.


I have third eye and have seen freaky spirits and demons. But this incident is kinda new that the spirit was actually reaching out towards me. That faceless spirit in all white really freaked me out. I might as well wait 'til sunrise before I go home next time.


It's time to sleep for me now and forget what had just happened.

'teh, what's the name of your dodo?

I received a forwarded joke from Cody last night while Shi, Nelz and I were having our after dinner smoke. It's entitled "Breast Related Names" and it became an instant hit to us. The conversation then evolved to something even wilder. haha. Before I start digressing again, listed below are the names included in the message. Shi suggested the title I used for this blog entry.

Breast Related Names

Suzette - Susong maliit

Suzy - Susong perky (i've just added this to the list)

Susan - Susong hanggan tiyan (my ultimate favorite. haha. right image.)

Suzanne - Suso na saan? *new (contributed by Aekaye)

Dolor - Dodo hanggan floor

Jobel - Joga hanggang bilbil

Deborah - Dedeng walang brah

Ulah - Utong lang pala

So 'teh, what's the name of your dodo?

Ang beer na ito o ang pag-ibig mo? (Beer or your love?)

Recently, this song has been one of my favorite videoke songs. This best suits my current situation in love department -- torn between moving and holding on for reconciliation with someone that I loved in the past. But with the revelation I had this afternoon while browsing through Facebook accounts, It struck me so intensely that my ex already has a new partner. Reality bites. It's hard to accept but I have to. I have to start moving on with my life after being stuck in this stage for months. With the song's question "Ano ba talagang mas gusto ko Ang beer na ito O ang pag-ibig mo?" I now choose beer.

Beer -- to drown my sorrows in spirits and to aide me in forgetting the past year of my life. Most probably I'd be out in the upcoming few days to have time for myself and my friends. To have fun and forget. To meet new opportunities. To start anew.

Beer
Itchyworms

Nais kong magpakalasing
Dahil wala ka na
Nakatingin sa salamin
At nag-iisa

Nakatanim pa rin
Ang gumamelang
Binalik mo sa'kin nang tayo'y maghiwalay
Ito'y katulad Ng damdamin ko
Kahit buhusan mo ng beer ayaw pang mamatay

[Pre-chorus]
Giliw, wag mo sanang limutin
Ang mga araw na hindi sana naglaho
Mga anak at bahay nating pinaplano
Lahat ng ito'y nawala Nung iniwan mo 'ko
Kaya ngayon

[Chorus]
Ibuhos na ang beer Sa 'king lalamunan
Upang malunod na ang Puso kong nahihirapan
Bawat patak anong sarap
Ano ba talagang mas gusto ko
Ang beer na ito O ang pag-ibig mo?

Nais kong magpakasabog
Dahil olats ako
Kahit ano hihithitin
Kahit tambutso
Kukuha ako ng Beer at ipapakulo
Sa kaldero't lalanghapin Ang usok nito
Lahat ay aking gagawin
Upang hindi ko na isiping
Nag-iisa na ako

[Repeat chorus]
[Instrumental]
[Repeat pre-chorus]
[Repeat chorus except the last line]

Ang beer na to
Ang beer na to
Ang beer na to o ang...
PAG-IBIG MO!...

Accidents Do Happen

A terrible news was cascaded to me by an officemate just a few minutes after arriving at the office this afternoon. Angela, one of my closest friends and an ex-officemate, had a vehicular accident last midnight. She's currently confined in an intensive care unit of a hospital in Las Pinas suffering cranial fractures and serious bruises. Jonas, her bestfriend, even had a worse demise -- his leg had to be amputated.

I stumbled upon a news article on the accident they encountered on the Philippine Star (Article posted below). I couldn't belive that they survived after I saw the wreckage of their car. It was indeed a miracle.

Please join me in my prayers for their speedy recovery - both physical and psychological.



2 injured in collision along C-5 Road
Bernardo Batuigas


Traffic aides examine a Honda Civic damaged in a collision with another Honda sedan along the C-5 Road in Taguig City at past midnight yesterday. Police said Marlon Sandoval – reportedly a son of San Nicolas, Batangas Mayor Epifanio Sandoval – lost control of the vehicle (ZEP-823, top photo) as he was traveling along the northbound lane of C-5 Road, hitting an electric post before crossing over to the southbound lane and smashing head-on into the vehicle driven by Ranimel de Jesus (XLF-227, lower photo). The two motorists and Sandoval’s passengers, Jonas Polines and Angela Angeles, were seriously injured, police said. Bernardo Batuigas