Happy Holidays!

May joy fill your heart and home as you celebrate with
your loved ones.

M. Jane

Another 5 day Leave

Availed the last 5 forced leaves starting today.

Yikes!

Tessie did a very bad thing today. She has the habit of going through doors and gates and not taking care to close them. She doesn't take much notice either if cats or dogs pass through with her. Once, a cat got in the house and ate the food on the dining table. Another time, Heidi attacked Becky because Tessie left the gate separating the two dogs unlocked (Heidi has taught herself to open gates, therefore they must be barred or locked to keep her out).

This time, Tessie left the gate separating Harry from Heidi open. The two dogs are separated because Harry could think of nothing but having sex with Heidi... which is natural as male dogs cannot resist the smell female dogs emit. When we heard Heidi howl in pain and rushed out ... we saw Harry humping her and could not separate them.

Don't know if today's incident is enough to get Heidi pregnant.

Sal's request

Sally called earlier this week me asking me to buy some things for her which Willy is willing to bring back to California. Most of them I would be able to buy at Greenhills. Sam offered to accompany me and we met at the Ayala MRT station at 9AM.

The shopping center wasn't open yet when we got there. We had finished shopping by lunch, which was great because the place was starting to get crowded. Had lunch at Max's Greenhills and left for Mall of Asia by 1:30PM.

Did more shopping at the mall before stopping at Rai Rai Ken to eat. Jon, who was in Binondo to buy hopia from Eng Bee Tin, met us there. After eating we watched the Happy Feet movie.

Had coffee at Gloria Jean's before heading home. Sam liked the cafe and plans to return, bringing her mom with her.

The Pacquiao-Morales rematch

Was in Mall of Asia with Jon early morning in order to watch the Pacquiao - Morales boxing match via live telecast in the cinema. The match is shown on local TV but on delayed telecast. Since we were watching the match with a hundred more people, there is strong energy in the atmosphere. It's almost like watching the match live.

It was disappointing that the match lasted only three rounds.

Walked around the Mall afterwards. There are large TV screens on the ground floor showing the delayed telecast for free.

Passing by the Globe Service Center, I decided to upgrade my SIM card.

Went to the supermarket next to buy something for Sam's mom and grandmother who were hospitalized due to food poisoning. Jon said that the diet should be BRAT (Banana, Rice, Apple and Tea). Bought bananas, apples, tea and oatmeal.

When we got to the University of Perpetual Help Rizal Medical Center, we found out that Sam's grandma is still in the hospital, but her mom was just discharged and is recuperating at home. Decided to meet Sam at their house.

While I was in her mother's room, I was audience to a funny exchange between her mom and their maid. The maid just came back from the drugstore with the medicine for Sam's mom. The maid said that one of the medicines was out of stock, and since there is still some money left, she decided to buy tissue paper instead. Sam's mom perused the receipt and repeated the words "tissue paper".

Okay...if I had been the one asked to buy medicine, I would return the change if one medicine was out of stock.

What made it funnier was when Sam told me later that they already have lots of tissue paper in stock.

Renewing a Passport in the Philippines

When I applied for a passport, I joined the hundreds who line up in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the morning.

Someone told me that renewing would be easy if I go in the afternoon when the line has already dwindled.

I was at the DFA after lunch. There are many photo shops on the street going to the building, and people there will actually assault you to have your picture taken with them. They tried the following with me:

• The application form I downloaded from the net is old, I can get the new one from them for free if I have my passport ID photos taken with them; and
• The background of my photo is not white enough, ergo I must have it taken again, this time at their establishment.

I actually got into word fight with one of them. If the sole of my shoe hadn't come off, there would be nothing embarassing about stomping away from them.

Once I got into DFA, I found to my relief that my picture is passable and that although I filled up the old form, it was still okay. For the entire process I was on uneven shoes ... the sole of one of my shoes wrapped in my jacket. The moment I got out of DFA, I hailed a taxi to take me to Makati where I bought rubber shoes to change into.

I also bought some books and the Rizal DVD.

Tonight's the ACI Christmas Party the the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The mall is near it but I wasn't dressed for the party so I didn't go. Told Jon to meet me at Makati. We ate at the Outback Resto.

Learned that Willy, Edith and Williejohn was at Pacita today. They'll return tomorrow.

Bloomberg Forum

I could be staying at home playing on the PC, but decided to go ahead and attend the Bloomberg Forum held at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel.

It is after all, a free lunch.

Errands

Left after lunch for Metro Manila. As the bus was only half-full when I got to the station, I decided to go to the photo shop to have photos printed for the renewal of my passport.

I was in PNB by 4PM. Someone had told me long ago that people who don't avail of SSS and Pag-Ibig loans run the risk of having their account used by someone else. That is why some people are surprised upon retirement to find that they have outstanding loans with said agencies. I decided to fill out the loan application forms for both.

Got PJ's gift and the dried fish I asked Jeng to buy for me in Cebu. PJ gave me a necklace made of wooden beads. It is likely to be one of the products she is exporting.


A broker gave away tickets to watch the Pacquiao-Morales rematch live from the Mall of Asia cinema. I got two.

Forced Leave Starts

Have not availed any of my 10-day forced leave so I availed 5 of them for this week.

Jeng texted me to say that PJ has a gift for me from Cebu, and that the dried fish I asked her to buy cost PHP420.

Jeng and the rest of the Domestic Market Trading Group are MART members. MART had its annual convention at Cebu this Nov. 10-12.

Lunch with Natixis

The Natixis guys from Singapore are in town again this week. They treated us to lunch at the Spiral Restaurant of the Hotel Philippine Plaza.

General Assembly

Attended the MART-ACI-TOAP General Assembly. As usual, it's a dinner function at the Hotel Intercon Makati.

Always joked about it being held at the same hotel, same room every year that I am so familiar even with the moldy smell of the carpet.

Was surprised tonight at the place. The hotel had renovated the rooms and they now smell new. Good for them.

Typhoon Milenyo Part 2

September 29, Friday

The storm is over, so there is no excuse to not go to work. There is still no electricity in Pacita when I got home. Worse, the water pump was broken.

September 30, Saturday

Still no water and electricity. Mom and I went to the supermarket to buy 2 boxes of 500ml Wilkins distilled water. Each box contains 24 bottles. Initially planned to buy the big bottles but other people had beaten us to that.

October 1, Sunday

Still no electricity. Repairman came over today to fix the pump. Was able to do my laundry afterwards. Noticed that other parts of Pacita already had electricity.

October 3, Tuesday

Finally had electricity.

Typhoon Milenyo Part 1

September 28, Thursday

Classes are suspended today. The heavy downpour last night brought floods that caused traffic this morning. I reached the office at 10AM. PNB was running on generators - there was no electricity in Luzon as some generators had been knocked out.

With the storm getting stronger as it approached Metro Manila, PNB announced that employeed can go home after lunch. Hitched a ride with Boss Dan, intending to stop by South Mall.

There was a lull in the storm when we were along Coastal Road ... which made us wary rather than relieved. Along the way, we noticed lots of billboards had been torn down, the steel frames bent by the strong wind. A couple of big trucks had turned turtle. A lot of men and boys were at the bay catching fish that had escaped from their pens, heedless of the waves slapping against the rock ... these people probably lived in the squatter areas near the bay.

Turned out we were in the eye of the storm. When we got nearer South Mall, we encountered the fierce winds. When I got out at South Mall, I had to steel myself as I walked against the direction of the wind. I couldn't open my umbrella as doing so is a sureproof way of being blown away by the wind. I was wet when I got in the mall. There was no electricity as the generator didn't work. Most stores were closed, although the employees still hung around, trapped in the mall by storm. Some restaurants that did not require electricity to cook food were still open. I had my lunch at Jollibee and the only choice was fried chicken and rice.

When the sound of wind and rain softened, I walked out of the mall to see if I could find a transport home. I already acknowledged by then that going to South Mall was a bad idea. Two ladies were already at the terminal, hoping that there's still a van bound for Pacita. When 3 of us became 5, the dispatcher looked around for someone willing to make the trip. As I stood there waiting, I can't help notice that one side of the Eurotel building had been dented by the wind.

The dispatcher came back to tell us we have a van ... the driver had planned to stay the night in his van at the mall parking lot until the storm was over, but the dispatcher persuaded him to make the trip. The van was full when we drove out of South Mall at around 3PM.

The journey was relatively fast at first, and we saw more of the damage. Big trees that lined the road fell down or had broken limbs. One jeepney was flattened to the ground when a gian limb fell on it.

When we reached Tunasan, traffic was horrendous. Some small and low vehicles couldn't pass the flooded part of the National highway because it was deep. Those who dared stalled, and those who know their vehicle can't make it, had to move back and find a space to park their car. Those behind had to wait. This is one cause of the traffic. The other is that more than the usual vehicles were on the road as some had to take a detour through the National Highway because fallen trees or blown away toll booths blocked the other southbound roads.

As most of the vehicles were southbound, only one lane was left for the use of northbound vehicles. One idiot of a truck driver who was also southbound like us decided to traverse the northbound lane and many followed his lead. Soon, he found himself in the path of a northbound truck. As every driver who stuck to the designated southbound lanes didn't like what he did, no one gave him, and the drivers who followed him, space to move back to the right lanes. That caused more traffic and consternation, but we were ahead of the truck so we were spared from that. Being stuck on the road in slow traffic had most people in the van talking to each other, even if they didn't know the other's name. I participated little and used the time to catch up on sleep.

Unfortunately, even before we reached the flooded part of the road, the driver was made aware that a couple of his tires had lost air. We stopped in the parking space in front of some store and the driver attempted to restore his tires to road worthy condition. After minutes of waiting, he apologised and told us that he cannot continue the trip. Thought we'd join the people who had gotten off the buses and jeepneys to walk home through the flood. By luck, our driver saw a friend who was making the same trip and had no passenger on his van. The other driver agreed to take us to our destination.

It was 7:15PM when I got home ... it's been years since the last time the house was lit by candles alone.

Heartbreak Territory

Met Sam at Alabang Town Center and had lunch at Friday's.

She's in heartbreak town lately and wanted a drink. We proceeded to Cable Car. She ordered her beers, and since I don't like the taste of beer, I ordered Margarita. Spent hours there just talking.

At 6PM we got up to watch a movie. Bought tickets for Monster House. It was a nice movie, although Sam hated the suspense. Actually, she doesn't like any movie that has too much suspense ... it makes her heart beat faster than normal.

Lunch at Dragon Gate

Many of the rich people in the dealing were born in September. Which is why their collective birthday celebration usually cost more than the other birthday parties... they could affort to shell a little extra.

This year, it's lunch at Dragon Gate Restaurant along Roxas Blvd.

Eragon

Bought a copy of Eragon. The book has caught my eye before but I was not inclined to buy it. Thought I'd read it now as I hear there's a movie being made on the novel.

Earthquakes in Indonesia

Felt bad this Friday so was on sick leave. On Sunday, an earthquake was felt in Indonesia.

I was feeling bad again today and didn't go to the office. Later learned another tsunami hit Indonesia.

Am I really sensitive to weather changes and shifts in the earth's crust?

Probably. Probably not.

Typhoon Florita

Typhoon Florita brought floods and interrupted cable service today. Thing to note: I had the runny nose and headache this Monday and was actually on sick leave. Pardon me if I chose to chronicle these incidences. It's the repetition of the coincidences that will eventually determine if my theory that those headaches/sneezing fits are related to the monsoon rains/tropical depressions.

New working hours

My work hours now are from 8:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Hope it improves my attendance record :-)

Rockwell on a Friday Night

Wasn't able to get a ticket to a special screening of Superman Returns at the IMAX theater of SM Mall of Asia when Standard Chartered gave them away last Wednesday. When another batch of tickets were given yesterday to Milette by another counterparty, this time for a special screening in Rockwell, I was fortunate to get two.

Met with Jon after work and we took a taxi to Rockwell. Traffic was bad ... realized later that some roads were blocked to give room to Makati's celebration of a fiesta. When the mall was within sight, we paid the fare, got out of the cab and walked the rest of the way.

Getting a taxi out of Rockwell proved to be hard too as there were many of us rushing to get a cab at the late hour. Did a lot of walking towards EDSA before we got one. We got off at EDSA Ayala and took a bus home. It was probably past midnight when we got home.

Funeral: Sylvia Lim

Mrs. Lim's body was brought to the Mt. Carmel Church in New Manila last Friday and PNB employees wishing to pay their respects were encouraged to visit.

Some people from Treasury visited last night. Heard the mass was beautiful. Vikki told me Mrs. Lim like playing Enya's music. I'm the only other person she knows who has CDs of Enya.

The funeral/interment is today.

The Snake Cube

Rey's son Tryke has a new toy and Rey brought it to the office yesterday. It was similar to the rubik's cube but is not. Rey said Tryke was able to solve it but he can't. I think Dennis and a couple of other people in the office also tried to solve it but can't. Rey said he thinks I'm the one most likely to figure it out.

The toy is called a snake cube. It's 27 blocks of wood strung together which the player must twist and turn in order to make a 3 block cube (3x3x3). My first attempts within a span of about an hour (it was office break) were futile. Rey said I could bring it home.

Last night, upon arriving at the house, I spent another hour (could be two) with the snake cube but got frustrated and started playing Sims 2. I would fiddle with the toy when I had to wait for Sims 2 to finish saving or loading a lot. It was while I was absently fiddling with the snake that I finally arranged it to a cube.

Funny how a man's brain can sometimes think better when not so focused on the task.

After the thrill of realizing what I had just done, I pulled out the cubes into a snake again to see if I can repeat it ... had no problem rearranging it back to a cube. Bummer that Rey lent it to me on a Friday ... so wanted to show him I solved it on the same day he gave it to me. It's not easy to prove that when there's a weekend in between the time he lent the toy to me and the time I bring it back to him.

Bought a new TV

The living room TV was the same one Sally bought for Jon when we were still in Manila. It finally conked out and ofcourse, I'm to buy the replacement. Dragged Jon to Makati to help me choose one ... and more importantly, help me bring it home.

As we were canvassing, I realized that the trend today is for big, wide screen TVs. I would actually have a hard time finding a small flat screen TV. I decided that a 21" inch TV wouldn't be so bad. I initally planned to buy a 15" one, as the living room wasn't big and while growing up, I was taught that larger TVs put greater strain on the eyes unless you sit 10 feet away.

Although it had less features than a Sony TV and even the cheaper brands, I decided to buy a Sharp TV. I was attracted to the model the minute I saw it ... it's not the form exactly, it just struck me as "heavy duty" or "reliable". Beside it were other Sharp models of the same screen size but I was partial to the one I chose. I hope I am right in thinking this TV would last long. After all, the TV in Papa's bedroom was the Sharp TV I bought for my use when I was still in Manila ... it was the first thing worth around PHP 10k I bought. It's older than Jon's TV that just conked out, and it is still working pretty well.

Sylvia Chan Lim is dead

PNB's treasurer, Ms. Lim, had been battling breast cancer for the last couple of years. For the past month (or more), she was in the US for theraphy. It was too late though. She died today.

Going out the back door.

Pa, Ma and Jon left very early today to go to the Veterans' Hospital in Quezon City. This will be the first time I would be locking the house before I leave since the front door lock was changed ... as there's always someone left in the house lately whenever I go out.

So, I dutifully locked the bedroom doors, the kitchen doors, the lanai door, and the terrace doors. When I was already at the main door, where a key is needed to lock it (no push button lock here), I realized that my key gets stuck when turn to lock it, and the only way I could pull the key out is when I have unlocked the door. After repeated attempts, I gave up.

As it was getting late, I was tempted to just leave the front door open and walk out the gate. The cautious person in me shot that idea down. I had to leave by the Terrace whose door and grill I could easily lock. Initially meant to leave by the side gate too, but after looking at all the possible places, I couldn't find a key to that gate. The only alternative was going out to the terrace, passing through the grotto gate that separates the dogs Harry and Heidi, and leaving through the main gate.

As Harry has been "after" Heidi for some time, allowing them to be together is out of the question if we don't want to be feeding puppies after a few months. Passing through the grotto gate is near impossible if Harry is nearby because he has never learned how to "stay" or "sit". So, I had to persuade him to enter his house and lock him there first. Locking Harry meant that the part of the house near 3rd street has no guard dog. I decided to keep the grotto gate open so Heidi's roaming space will include the 3rd street side. With the dog problem solved, I was finally off to work.

Need I say I was late?

When I got home, I told Ma that my front door key is not working well. It turns out that although it is not a good duplicate key, I could still use it applying the technique she showed me.

Lesson? Next time someone hands me a key, I should immediately test if it works.

Last Day of the ACI World Congress

Last day of the ACI Congress. Got up early to be able to watch the PNB cheerleaders compete in GSIS' Synergy Cheerleading Competition. As luck would have it, the news stand at the bus station were selling Tagalog Entertainment Magazines. I couldn't decide which one to buy so I bought all.

The competition had not started yet when I got to the GSIS gym. The PNB team was second. We weren't the best, as it was obvious the team had little practice. We had the right idea though, just lacking in execution. The SSC high school and college cheerleaders could do better (but my school's teams have won first place many times, so it's not a fair comparison).

Headed to PICC after the competition. Saw Anke and she was pleased that I was able to find the Tagalog magazines. Told her to choose what to bring back to her maid and I'll keep what's left but she bought all. As she couldn't be bothered with change, the money she gave me was more than the cost of the magazines.

As many foreign delegates had skipped attending the last day altogether (probably off to Boracay or some other resort), only a few were expected to join the lunch at PICC hosted by ICAP. ICAP therefore requested the local delegates to show up (even bring along friends) so that the food won't go to waste. Too many showed up in response, that they actually ran out of food. Very funny.

There was nothing scheduled after lunch, with the next event being the gala dinner at the Makati Shangri-la. As part of the Logistics committee, Dennis had a room at the New Hyatt Hotel where Rey, Cristy and the others planned to hang around until the gala started. They actually planned to sleep there as they expect the event to last till midnight. Che found herself underdressed for gala night and with me in tow headed first to a nearby mall to buy something more appropriate. Actually, I watched Xmen 3 while she was shopping. Went to the hotel alone as I told Che to go ahead once she was done shopping.

Knowing only the floor where the room was, but not the room number, I merely entered the elevator along with two hotel guests and found that they had already pushed the button I needed ... we were headed for the same floor. I got a call telling me the room number while I was in the elevator, and was at the door in no time. I was surprised when they were surprised that I was standing there.

Apparently, if you're heading towards your hotel room in the New Hyatt, you can only get off the elevator at your floor if you push in your room "key" (which is a card) in a slot at the elevator's control panel. It was pure luck that I got into the elevator with other people billeted on the same floor. Ha ha ha! Come to think of it, I often find that some places/rooms I've entered were actually off limits to me AFTER I've been there... OR they are not always open to the public and I was fortunate that it was open when I visited.

Watched cable TV in the room. Others took a shower and changed clothes. The wall dividing the hotel room's bathroom from the bedroom was half glass ... it was opaque but you still see a shadow when someone's in there. When Rey got in to take a shower, naughty me had everyone's attention on his shadow. Everyone had a good laugh when Rey got conscious and moved far from the glass wall.

A shuttle bus took delegates billeted in the New Hyatt to the Makati Shangri-la. That dinner was probably the best meal in the whole convention. The Company sang a few songs, and everyone agreed they were good. A pop band was singing by the time dessert was over. Everyone can dance and stay till midnight, but as it was late, I excused myself and hurried to the Ayala terminal to catch the last trip to Pacita.

By the way, just in case you're curious, ACI stands for "Association Cambiste Internationale" ... and as the name implies, it's a society of foreign exchange dealers headquartered in France.

ACI World Congress Proper

Being one of the official delegates, I spent most of the day at the PICC listening to speakers or open forums. Sat with Lynette of Amex Singapore. The people at Amex Manila sort of bungled her registration and reservation (she didn't even know what the schedule was) and when I realized that, I told Dennis of her problem. Dennis took it upon himself to put things to right.

Lunch was served at the PICC as well.

Saw Anke as were heading out of the convention hall for lunch break. She asked me a favor: she wanted to give her maid, a Filipina, a present from the Philippines, and knows that her maid likes reading Filipino gossip magazines. Anke's problem though, is that she couldn't find any magazine written in Tagalog in the Makati bookstores and news stands. She asked if I could buy some for her if I come across a news stand selling them. I said yes... although afterwards I wondered if I have time to find what she wanted by tomorrow, the last day of the convention.

Dinner was at the Hotel Philippine Plaza... I think they call those huge tents near the bay the Pavillion.

Yannick (Natixis Singapore) stopped by and whispered to the guys (Gene, Rey, Dennis) that he wanted to go out after dinner. That meant a guys' night out in a club with sexy women. Found out that he went out last night too, with the BDO guys. Just realized why he arrived at the convention late (spent the morning sleeping), and why he was trying to speak to Rey alone (embarrassed to let the ladies know what he was up to).

Lynette joined our table. She loved the Filipino costumes worn during the Jota Cavitena dance. Found myself explaining the native dances to her as the host didn't bother to do so. Those days of watching Ramon Obusan and his troupe dancing at the school's music hall every year during "Linggo ng Wika" finally had some use.

Cocktails at the Coconut Palace

The ACI Congress kicks off today and registration was at the Coconut Palace, where Cocktails were held.

The party was on the grounds and some female dancers were hired to dance around the pool as guests were pouring in. I thought it was silly to have them dancing that way ... but I'm a woman, so maybe the men appreciated the display.

Agot Isidro was host ... although married and relatively absent from the limeligth, she still looks the same. When the music started playing again, the dancers pulled some of the delegates to join the dancing. After a few minutes there was a line of people dancing around the pool.

I think the theme was having a luau, as food was limited to hor d'oerves and grilled food. Ofcourse, there was the usual open bar. The guys had margaritas and beer. Just had a glass of champagne and 2 margaritas. Adie however, had at least 10 margaritas and was drunk by the time I left the party. Dennis was prodding me to drink more, but he's always curious to find out everybody's alcohol tolerance level... and watching out for who's the next one to get plastered (idea of fun). Adie always gets drunk so she doesn't count. I think Che drank just as much as I did but she was already feeling dizzy when we were walking out of the palace.

Lunch at the Fireplace, New Hyatt Hotel

With the ACI Congress being held in Manila this weekend, Marcus and his colleague Anke of HypoVereinsbank HK (HVBH) are in town and decided to treat us to dinner at New Hyatt Hotel's Fireplace.

Since the USD/PHP traders had to finish reports, Rey and I went ahead. The guys from HVBH weren't there yet and so Rey and I ordered salad as we waited. When the rest of the PNB FX group arrived (Dennis of Treasury Marketing included because he is friends with Marcus), Marcus and Anke were still not in sight. When they finally showed up, they apologized ... there was a delay at the airport.

Since HypoVereins Bank is based in Germany, I wasn't surprised to learn that Anke is German. Marcus wanted to make it clear though that he is Swiss... that's because by dessert time we were talking about how people from different countries would have different pronunciations of the same word.

Take "crepe" for example. Growing up, I've pronounced the first "e" like I would pronounce it in the word "egg". I thought I was saying it wrong because when crepe desserts became popular recently, I hear people pronouncing the "e" as they would pronounce "a" in "crate".

Anke said the Germans follow the French in pronouncing crepe as I had been pronouncing it ever since I needed to use crepe paper in school projects. However, when she was working in Australia, she realized people say the word using the second pronunciation ... and if you used the first, they'd think you're saying "crap".

By the way, Anke thought I had studied in the United States because of the way I speak ... with a laugh, I told her I merely watched too much TV growing up.

Tickets for Da Vinci Code Movie

Got two ticket from our broker, Prebon, for a special screening of "Da Vinci Code" tomorrow night.

Colin and Cristy are back

Our boss, Colin, had been in the US on vacation since April 28, and Cristy had been in the hospital since May 6.

Both are back now and I finally go back to trading the Euro (been subbing for Cristy at the USD/PHP desk).

It's fortunate also that they are back because the scheduled dinner with Val of Standard Bank HK is tonight. We ate at the Spiral of the Hotel Philippine Plaza. Cristy related her near-death experience to Valerie and her reaction (which got us laughing) was "but nobody drowns while snorkeling!". Having ordered two drinks of the month I ended up bringing home two stuffed toys.

I got a bad stomach and I think it's because of the Indian food. I actually paid PHP500 for a taxi to bring me from Pasay City to Pacita because I don't think my stomach would behave if I was sitting in a cramped bus.

Typhoon Caloy

Typhoon Caloy strikes today. As usual, got the runny nose and headache before the rain fell.

Cristy's unfortunate accident

Just learned this morning that Cristy drowned at Puerto Galera last Saturday afternoon. She's now at the Asian Hospital in Alabang.

She was snorkeling and no one knew exactly what happened ... Cristy could not remember herself, and the guy who found her floating unconscious was either Japanese or Chinese and couldn't speak Filipino and he wasn't good speaking English either... which meant they didn't understand everything the guy said.

Cristy was already conscious before she was transported back to Metro Manila ... the joke was, she was conscious enough to lie about her age. As it was evening when it was decided that she must be brought to a hospital, they had to hire a boat just to transport her. They said that the lights in the boat were turned off because the trip had no clearance from the coast guard. Maybe there was some other reason as I believe the coast guard wouldn't hamper them if they knew someone on the boat must be brought to a hospital.

Cris and Rey accompanied her to the hospital ... and it was awkward staying in the hospital in your beachwear. Rey would later say that the Lomi he ate in the Asian Hospital is one of the most expensive he's had.

Cristy is still under observation but out of immediate danger.

Nuvo

I generally hate it when the brokers treat us to dinner ... I live in Laguna and do not have a car so I have to commute home... and I hate waiting for buses along EDSA.

Can't weasel out of it though so last night I was at Greenbelt's Nuvo, eating dinner with ICAP.

As usual, I excused myself around 9PM so I could catch the last bus from the Ayala Terminal ... I didn't want to have to go to EDSA.

At the M Cafe

Attended the ACI dinner last night at the M Cafe of the Ayala Museum.

Funny thing about these dinners: ACI likes to pick small places so that when everyone comes, it's so packed you can't have a seat or a table if you're late. Which is why we were early ... so early in fact that we had finished with the appetizers by the time people really started streaming in.

Cristy brought along her gimmick friend, which most people thought was her boyfriend (but is not). He wore a black shirt ... and the M cafe waiters wear black shirts too. A couple of people had actually made the mistake of thinking he was a waiter. He was good natured about it ... we were actually wondering if he could pull off going into the kitchen and bringing out food for us to eat.

Now Ted had an interesting experience ... I noticed that his eyes were glued to a sexy lady who had long hair, was tan, and wearing a miniskirt. I knew who she was even from the back (because of her clothes), and I had to stop myself from laughing loud when I saw Ted's jaw drop when she turned around. She wasn't of the pretty kind, as her appeal is on the exotic side. Obviously not Ted's type based on his reaction.

When we got bored, our eyes wandered off to a guy sitting at a table on the mezzanine. Being early, we got a good table near the door which allows us to watch people on the mezzanine. Now this guy had been sitting there almost from the time we got our table. He hasn't really ordered food, just drinks, and he kept looking at his phone.

When we ran out of things to talk about, we started making a story about the guy. The fact that he hasn't ordered food, is frowning, and keeps looking at his phone meant he is on a date, but the girl is late, or may not show up. He's probably asking her through text what time she'll arrive. When the phone rang and he disappeared ... we conjectured that she's finally within the vicinity. We were right. The guy was smiling when he came back, girl in tow. The girl was pretty by the way... the guys at our table couldn't help noticing that.

The cafe had one of those restrooms with foggy glass walls by the way. I still don't know the logic why some places make their public restrooms that public ... that includes the one in Cablecar where the door to the restroom is a curtain.

Birthday treat to self : Ice Age 2

Was my birthday yesterday, and it's Jon's birthday today. We had to watch a movie, right. We headed to Festival Mall and met our movie buddy, Sam, and watched Ice Age 2. Gotta love Scrat.

Two movies in a day

Met Sam at South Mall and had lunch at Barrio Fiesta. Don't know if we'd go back to the place as the guy in the next table saw a cockroach at the bottom of his drink. He had drunk most of it by the time he realized it was there. Ewww!

After lunch, Sam and I watched Nanny McPhee.

We parted ways after and I headed home ... exchanged text messages with Jon and decided we'd meet at Alabang Town Center to watch V for Vendetta.

Looking for a picture for a Publics article

When I was new in the bank, someone from Publics asked if I was willing to be featured in an article about people in PNB who have similar names ... I had no problem with that until Eve asked me to have a haircut before she took a picture of me. I said "no" to the whole thing and the article was never written.

This time I might actually end up in Publics ... as part of the IAS team. Boss Mar had told each of the team to prepare a 2x2 picture with white background. Last day of submission is March 20. I hate it when I have to look for pictures :-(

Off from work early

There's a rally along EDSA (again), which caused traffic to stall ... we were allowed to leave the office at 4PM today because of that.

The rallies were dispersed in the evening.

A word on Taliesin: If you don't know him, the other name interchangeable with it is Merlin (Vespasian and Joseph of Arimathea are both connected to the Arthurian legends).

Loyal Marines

Marine commandant Miranda was relieved ... his men surround Fort Bonifacio ... which ofcourse caused tension and every local news channel was covering it.

It was thankfully over by evening.

Lunch with Counterparties/Brokers

Last Tuesday, ICAP Philippines treated us to lunch. As the office is in Pasay, we requested the place to be a the Market Restaurant at the New Hyatt in Manila.

Today, lunch was with Natixis Singapore traders Philippe and Yannick at the Hotel Philippine Plaza.

The funny thing about these lunches ... when we do have them (which isn't always), we'd usually have two within the same week. And I tend to overeat ... tsk, tsk!

Odd news for the day ... part of Adriatico Street sunk down ... there was a construction site nearby ... which probably caused it.

When words pop into your head

Last Monday, the word Taliesin popped into my mind while on the way to the office. Nice sounding name or word. Didn't mind it.

Yesterday, the words Vespasian and Lavoisin popped into my head. I still remember those three words today.

To satisfy my curiousity I had to google if there is any connection between the three. Had an amusing read at lunch today.

It appears that conspiracy theorists connect both Taliesin and La Voisin to the "Illuminati". I didn't find anything to connect them directly to each other. Vespasian, on the other hand, supposedly freed Joseph of Arimathea and allowed him to sail to England... and somewhere along the way there is a connection to Taliesin. Then there is another theory connecting the Tribe of Dan to the Illuminati, and this is somehow linked to La Voisin.

After reading all that, hopefully those words stop popping into my head.

Felt a little dizzy and cold after lunch ... the freak side of me says it may be related to another earthquake ... like the one in Central Honshu, Japan. It's another odd coincidence.

Migraines

I was looking over the net if there are other people like me who experience major headaches when a tropical depression or monsoon rain is coming. Just realized that others who do have the condition call it migraine.

My idea of migraine ofcourse is the very incapacitating one where people can't stand the light or loud sound.

Mine just happens to be a mild form of it. Wow, all those years I had migraine and didn't know it. Ha Ha Ha!

Headahes and earthquakes

I've mentioned before that monsoon rains or tropical depressions make my right eye itchy and the right part of the brain near it throb in (mild but persistent) pain.

Well I also have headaches... the dizzy kind that start from the back part of the brain ... when some earthquake comes along. I first recognized that when I had a bad headache then heard on the news about a Japanese earthquake.

I was absent today because of another one ... later found out there was a landslide in Leyte because of another earthquake.

Asiaselect

Remember the headhunter who contacted me days ago? She called again and gave her phone number and e-mail address in case I am interested to apply at Deutschebank.

She's one persistent kid. I just don't think I want the job.

Visitors

Went to Southmall around 11am to meet Sam and had lunch at Almon Marina. With lack of anything to do, we ended up going to my place (Pacita). Opened the PC and introduced her to the Sims 2.

Shortly after 4PM Tita Belma dropped by and I assume she, Pa and Ma had a hearty discussion.

Sam left around 7pm, bringing my 7-book paperback collection of the Chronicles of Narnia, which I lent her. Tita Belma left shortly after.

That crazy headache again

When I was younger, I'd have sneezing fits and headaches that would impair anyone's daily activity. I felt sick but I wouldn't have a fever. When I was in College, I realized that I'd have them if there's tropical depression or monsoon rains. The headache would be gone in a flash once the heavy ... and I mean HEAVY rains started falling. Which is why I'd be happy it was raining while others would feel put out ... they're blue because they couldn't enjoy the outdoors, I'm chirpy because the freaking headache's gone.

Woke up this morning with a headache and backache. Felt like I'd be coming down with flu. Whatever it was I felt was gone when the heavy rains fell, so I headed to the office this afternoon to work "half-day" instead taking a whole day of sick leave.

After work, I decided to watch Underworld at Glorietta.

Headhunter

A headhunter called me asking if I am interested to apply at Deutsche Bank as they are looking for someone who has knowledge of derivatives. She gave me a phone number and e-mail address just in case I will consider.

I wonder who gave her my name and number.

SSC HS 1990 Batch Reunion

Subject batch reunion
Sent Date 12-17-2005 5:31:50 PM
From : stschomla 90

Hello to all you Kulasas of HS batch 1990. There will be a reunion on the 4th of January, 2006, at 7pm in Mezze, Greenbelt 2. Please confirm your attendance by replying to this message.
Hope to see you all there.

-------------------

Subject : Batch Reunion TONIGHT!!!!
Sent Date : 01-03-2006 7:49:55 PM
From : stschomla 90

Hello people! Please don't forget our reunion tonight, Wednesday,Jan. 4, at 7pm, in Mezze Greenbelt 2.

We hope to see all of you there.

-------------------

Dunno who did go there. I didn't.