I consider myself very fortunate for having friends who are into literature as much as I am.
One of those people is Jennie, always stubborn, sometimes sane and never inconsiderate. :)
Here are two of her bests (from my POV):
Forgettable as My Two-syllable Name
*I got this from her Tumblr page, himutadsahangin.tumblr.com. Go check it out if you are also into rants, musings and wishful thinking. :)
People love compliments.
This is a known fact. But there are just some who ache for them. It’s like every listener is required to drop everything he or she is doing and listen to him speak.
I experienced this and boy, even though he was affiliated with a former client, am I glad I did not lie.
He was an important officer for a Russian Embassy. I was in-charge of the program flow for an event here in Cebu. I was all over the place, all the while attending to their needs. (Although it was not one of my tasks, I admit I can be pretty ‘epal’ or if I put it in a more understandable term, ‘hospitable’. LOL)
We were introduced earlier and I kept filling him in about the details of the program. He will be speaking in behalf of the Embassy and the Russian Federation.
After an hour and 30 minutes, we saw each other in one of the hallways of the Cultural Center of Cebu. He looked very pleasant, came up to me and excitedly asked if I heard him speak and how would I assess it.
I apologized for not having done so and told him I was busy. He looked crestfallen, took it badly and turned his back on me.
Whaa–. Hello, I’m no DC Comics character. I was saddened that I did not have even a moment to listen, but after a while, I realized I did the right thing. If I made time for him, the other parts of the program may not have pushed through. He is (in a way) a client but as the in-charge of the program, I also have other tasks to do.
It saddens me that not a lot of people can understand the ‘other things that happen’ in a short span of time. It is kind of selfish (I know, I am one too, but not in this case).
Oh well. Everyone is not an audience of just someone, I guess. Even if you’re really, really important wherever you came from.
Before December ends, we will all be seeing more of this logo–here in Cebu. :D
Marami ka bang bibigyan ng regalo ngayong Pasko? O kaya, gusto mo ng bagong cellphone na high-tech pero pasok sa budget mo?
Mula sa Nokia, isang magandang ideya panregalo ang mga dual-SIM phone na may modernong disenyo at puno ng practical feature na makakatulong para lagi kang konektado. Ito rin ay mayroong dual-SIM standby capability kaya maari mong magamit nang sabay ang dalawang magkaibang mobile phone account sa iisang device. Piliin mo lamang ang SIM na kailangan mong gamitin kapag ika’y tatawag o magpapadala ng message.
Kung marami kang kaibigan sa iba’t ibang mobile network operator, magugustuhan mo ang Nokia C2-00.
Gamit ang makabagong Easy Swap, maari kang magpalit ng SIM card nang hindi kinakailangang patayin ang iyong phone. Buksan lamang ang SIM card slot sa gilid ng phone at ilagay ang ipapalit na SIM card. Ito rin ay nakakaalala ng hanggang 5 SIM card settings na maari mong i-personalize.
Ang Nokia C2-00 ay nagbibigay rin nang mabilis na internet access sa iyong personal e-mails. Mayroon
din itong built-in camera at media support na hanggang 32 GB.
Para naman sa mahilig mag soundtrip, siguradong patok sa iyo ang Nokia X1-01, isang napaka-stylish na dual SIM phone na may MP3 Player at malakas na battery para sa mas matagal na tutugan at usapan.
Madali mong mapatutugtog ang mga paborito mong kanta sa iyong phone gamit ang Mp3 music player
dedicated keys. Maaari mo ring ayusin ang playlist ayon sa iyong gusto at i-play ito nang malakas gamit
ang loudspeaker ng iyong Nokia X1-01. Ang battery nito ay kayang tumagal hanggang 36 na oras para sa mas mahabang usapan at pakikinig sa music.
Kung ang hanap mo ay simple at walang hassle na komunikasyon, subukan mo ang Nokia 101. Mas maraming kwentuhan at masayang pakikinig sa music ang hatid ng dual SIM phone na ito. Magtext at tumawag sa iyong mga kaibigan at kamag-anak gamit itong classic Nokia phone o ikabit ang Nokia Speaker MD-11 sa iyong Nokia 101 para sa isang kakaibang entertainment.
Tiyak na pasok sa style ng mga fashionista ang Nokia C2-03, isang Touch and Type dual SIM phone na
may slide feature. Gamitin ang keypad para sa paggawa ng documents o email at i-touch ang screen para mag-browse ng music o ma-navigate ang iyong phone.
Ang Nokia C2-03 ay mayroon ding Easy Swap feature tulad ng Nokia C2-00. I-personalize ang limang
magkakaibang SIM card ayon sa iyong gusto. Bigyan ito ng sariling pangalan, ringtone at iba pa.
Higit pa sa magagandang features nitong mga Nokia dual SIM phone ay ang garantiya at after-sales
support ng Nokia. Madali mong mapapahatid ang ano mang concern mo tungkol sa iyong mobile phone
sa mga Nokia Care Center na matatagpuan sa buong Pilipinas.
Gawing mas masaya ang Pasko kasama ang Nokia! Ang Nokia C2-00 ay mabibili sa halagang P2,650, samantalang ang Nokia X1-01 ay P1,840. Ang SRP ng Nokia 101 ay P1,490 at ang Nokia C2-03 ay P4,350.
Nokia
Nikka Abes
Corporate Communications Manager
Tel. + 63917 8590783
Email: nikka.abes@nokia.com
Fuentes Manila
Tina Cabanayan
Tel. 893-9355 / 892-6184 / + 63917 7934362
Email: tinacabanayan@fuentesmanila.com
Come December 2011, San Remigio Properties will add another feather in its cap with the rise of Atlantis.
“On the 18th, we are welcoming a new baby in the San Remigio Properties family—Atlantis”, shared Mr. Mark Ynoc, General Manager of San Remigio Beach Club.
Atlantis is perfect for banquets and other intimate functions mainly because of its 120 pax seating capacity. Only nine feet away from the beach, guests will be delighted at the spectacular view of the beachfront.
Mr. Ynoc disclosed that they got the name “Atlantis” from Plato’s famed dialogues Timaeus and Critias.
Apparently, Atlantis is a utopia created by Poseidon, the Greek god of the seas. Atlantis became the center of civilization because of the great knowledge of the Atlanteans in many areas such as the sciences, technology and arts. On the day that they decided to extend their kingdom, it was said that the skies turned black and the waters swilled until the whole Atlantis is no more.
“Behind the story is a great kingdom which fits the kind of image that we want for our Atlantis: elegance, power and a great sense of tranquility”.
The site of the new Atlantis structure was originally San Remigio Beach Club’s game room. “We want to make room for Atlantis without compromising the usual enjoyment of our beloved guests here at the resort.”
Aside from the panoramic view of the resort during lunch meetings and small parties, the Atlantis has a small snack bar readily available by request.
“We want the Atlantis to cater to any type of guest or event. We want this newest addition to our family to become the beacon of elegance, power and tranquility which the legendary Atlantis was famous for”, concludes Mr. Ynoc.
My first Christmas card for this year did not come from someone I had met personally.
It should not come as a surprise because I am connected with a PR firm but when the card arrived, I was a bit shocked.
It came with a red envelope with my name was neatly scribbled outside. It had no return address.
I thought: Hala, a rejection notice from one of my online applications? They’re rich, huh? Then I thought: it couldn’t be. It had to be something else.
And there it was, a folded scented paper from SMILE Magazine’s Jil North. I never expected to receive one from her because we were not close and we only corresponded/ worked together via email. It was thoughtful of her to send me one. She even handwrote a simple Christmas message for me.
It was the first Christmas card I got from someone I have not yet seen. I certainly hope it would not be the last. 
Image from Google
SMILE Magazine was the magazine for Cebu Pacific. The company I work for engaged with Miss North because it would help one of our clients if they get a spot in the magazine.
You’re a blogger?
You’re in Cebu now?
You have 20 pesos?
You are bored? And want to learn a few tips on blogging?
What are you waiting for?
SM City Trade Hall 1. Look for the tarps that shout:
And BLOG about it. XD
For the benefit of the doubt, here’s a whatsis:
Soju is a Korean alcoholic drink mostly made from rice. That’s all. Kasi ayoko nang mag-research, makasuhan pa ako. Hahaha! But seriously, be careful when drinking Soju. The alcohol does not kick in the first few gulps. After a few minutes, ikaw na ang gapang-kick. Hahaha!
I got acquainted with this drink a month ago, during one of my random drinking session with some of my friends here in Cebu. There were six of us: Jimma, Jen, Yggy (Jimma’s friend from work), Jimma’s sister Jissa, Ruwil and I. But in our second Soju Session, only Jimma, Jen, Yggy and I were present.
Soju Session Dos happened in a Korean grocery store, Assi Mart, located in Mabolo. An hour and a few minutes later, one of us was pointing at everybody while saying, “Shut up!” and “You are so dead to me.” One of us was leaning helplessly on someone (not drunk) while asking for another bottle and someone else was busy laughing and laughing. Empty packs of Korean junk foods cluttered the table.
We were like bunch of fools, laughing and giggling and swaying like those animals stuck on a jeepney’s dashboard. Everything seemed to be swirling and noisier. 
When I woke up the following day, I saw our palanggana near my bed. I remembered placing it near me…just in case. I went down and boiled water for me and Jen.
While holding our hot mugs, we tried to recall all the “not-so wonderful things” that happened the night before. We were such pain-in-the-asses. To the guard who kept on looking at us. To the other bystanders who pretended not to hear a thing. To Yggy who wasn’t drunk. To our other selves who would have smacked us right in the head.
In the end, we did not really solve Jimma’s problem. But we gave her the good side of what happened. Alcohol does not really help solve problems directly. But when you are drunk, there are just some words that come out–the kind which do not when we are drinking softdrinks or water. Rationalizaton? Perhaps. :]
The Soju Session Dos was especially bad for me. Someone got really mad. So, no more Soju for me. This month. Hahaha! Kidding.
The first prompt I got for this was last last month when Puerto Prinsesa Underground River was just aiming to be one of the top finalists.
Now, we are among the Top Ten. Only three more steps! Vote now online or via text and get the Philippines’ Puerto Prinsesa Underground River among the Seven Wonders of the World!
After digesting Sheldon’s law-saturatedRage of Angels, I am reading People Like Us.
Contrary to the previous one, People Like Us is an easy-read, with not much technical details, jargons and foreign cities and villages which the average human is not familiar with. In a nutshell, People Like Us is an excellent in-between read.
I got it from Booksale, on one of my “desperately-trying-to-save-money” trips to the mall. Fortunately for both Jen and I, there were no new (and cheap) Lourd de Veyras, Nick Joaquins and F. Sionil Joses. Aside from the usual Kikomachines, Paz Latorenas, Jose Lacabas and Bob Ongs, not a lot of books stole our interest. I was not as particulary fond of poetry as Jen so while she was leafing through some of the Philippine poets’ writings, I moved to the English fic lits.
After realizing that we weren’t buying anything from NBS, we decided to go to Booksale. There, I saw this P45 book.
It is a collection of weird and funny stories written by Latin author and dentist Javier Valdes. Most of them were about adventures, good neighbors vs. bad neighbors and the pleasures of unrequited love.
I particularly like Neighbors. This is a story about the Lotzanos and Casquivans, two families from the opposite poles (when it comes to lifestyle and beliefs).
The Lotzanos were the goody-goody type: Mrs. Lotzano is religious, her husband never looked at any woman aside from his wife, their two daughters are virgins and their only son is in a relationship with his girlfriend (whom he is also looking forward to marrying).
The Casquivans were the opposite. Although Mr. Casquivan is younger than Mr. Lotzano by more than ten years, his face showed an always-losing battle against alcohol and drugs. Mrs. Casquivan has her own world. Their only daughter has undergone abortion twice, and their two sons are into drugs and making women pregnant and, apparently, husband-less.
The story started and evolved around the building where the Lotzanos have lived for more than a year. When the Casquivans moved in, they brought with them misfortunes masked under miniature glories. The male Casquivans have gifted tongues and have, in ways more than one, tricked the female Lotzanos into drugs and sex. Mr. Casquivan lured Mr. Lotzano into gambling and forced him into bankruptcy.
In the end, none of them lived a straight life: Mrs. Lotzano committed suicide; Mr. Casquivan left his family and tried to make a living out of selling popcorn; Mr. Casquivan never recovered from alcoholism; the Lotzanos went in jail for drugs, sex and adultery; the female Casquivan was forced to fly to a new country and her brother disappeared. Only Ray Casquivan seemed to have a happy ending: he was able to lure a new girl into his pyramid scam.
Valdes’ stories are screaming with wit and humor in the most unexpected situations. Whereas I should empathize with a character’s misfortune, I found myself smiling and shaking my head. In a way, Valdes reminds me of Frederick Forsyth even if their style of writing is different.
Valdes’ style is not exceptional. His choice of topics were simple and mainstream. His description of the setting of the stories were brief, almost bare. But I love how he created a web of intricacies on the characters to come up with an interesting plot that will have the reader leaf through to pages to the end. Although the plot was typical, he was able to give a different perspective by making it too typical and leaving the ends hanging.
He writes with enjoyment and almost no element of sadness. This is something which I find a bit different about him. He seemed to miss out on the aftershock of every pregnancy or suicide. He chose not to dwell on them and instead, focused on how the story goes on even when one character suffers.
If you’re into easy reading and you’re my neighbor, I’d be glad to lend you this book since I doubt it if Booksale has another copy. Wehehe.
