I can’t believe I’m turning 35 this month. It doesn’t seem like I’ve been living in this world for that long. I think I would need a long ride soon to celebrate life.
The Longanisa Project 3.0
Me and My Longaniza
My Thoughts on our Final Year
If the Mayans are correct and 2012 is truly our last year on Earth, wouldn’t it be great if we would mark the last year of our civilization with peace and harmony? Wouldn’t it be awesome that even for just one year, there won’t be any hungry mouths to feed anymore? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone has a place they can call home? In our last year as the human race, wouldn’t it be right to treat everyone with kindness and love?
I think we have the power to do that. And I think we can start now. We don’t need any formal organization to make this happen. All it takes is just one step.
Swing Kids
I just watched the 1993 film Swing Kids starring Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale among others, and I do believe that it’s one of the most beautiful films of that year. It’s about a bunch of kids in Hamburg, Germany during the time of the Nazis. It’s truly wonderful. Watch it if you can.
Check out the trailer from YouTube:
The wonderful feeling of having a newly-fixed car
I’m so happy that I finally did what I was planning to do with the car. With the 1-month gratuity pay that I got, I was able to replace all four tires, the front bumper and the right fender lamp. I was also able to have her wheels aligned and her scratches removed. Just now, with the help of my cutter and a bottle of Goo Gone, I removed the old stubborn LTO registration sticker, the dealer’s defunct domain sticker and the old commemorative Ateneo sesquicentennial sticker. My car looks like I just bought it! To top all that, I bought an air freshener that would make my car smell new.
I think a long road trip is in order.
Graham might get laid
It seems like our dear old Graham has a chance to get laid, finally. My friend’s dog, Summer, is in heat, and she saw how handsome our boy is. Now we only have to iron out the logistics for the two to meet. I’m excited. Keep your fingers crossed.
Gong Cha Philippines
Our heart leapt out today when we saw a picture of a Gong Cha stand on Facebook and discovered that the owner is Gong Cha Philippines. We immediately asked our friends from Facebook and Twitter where that picture is. We were guessing that it’s somewhere in Makati, probably in the Ayala Triangle Gardens.
Gong Cha was our staple when we were in Hong Kong last year. Never would a day pass that we did not have at least one glass of their popular milk teas.
Doing more research on the web, we discovered that the name of the franchiser is Andrew Ong. He replied to a blog post back in November last year that they’re building one somewhere in the Metro.
Not content, I searched for the guy on Facebook and messaged him to confirm if there truly is an existing Gong Cha stand somewhere in Manila. To my surprise, he replied to me after a few minutes. Apparently the picture we saw is just a sample stand somewhere in Singapore, but they’re starting construction of the first Gong Cha store in the Philippines. He said he’ll let me know once it opens.
Awesome! It looks like the milk tea wars is about to get tougher. I can’t wait!
Are you a big Gong Cha fan just like us? Join their Facebook page now!
The Obsessive-Compulsive Me
I guess I am a bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to making the house neat and tidy. It’s already 1:33 in the morning and I can’t stop myself from doing a quick sweep of the floor, changing the sheets, washing the dishes and putting things where they belong. I think tomorrow I’ll wash the rest of the glasses, hang the freshly-ironed clothes (No, I don’t know how to iron. They just arrived from the laundromat), and maybe put out the trash. The bad side to this is, if your things are just lying around, don’t expect to find these in the same area. I think I got this trait from my mother.
I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but one of the virtues that you need to practice when you’re living in a condo with limited space is honesty. With me being in a constant editing and pruning state, I always have to ask myself if I truly need an item, or if I’ll still eat the leftovers in the refrigerator, for example. Most of the time, it’ll end up in the trash can. Sometimes it’s tough. Sometimes I feel guilty. But that’s just it — I need to throw it now, learn from that mistake and pray that it won’t happen again.
It’s 1:45 a.m. I need to go to sleep.
Taking things to the next level
He maybe an assshole, but I have to admit that he forced us to take our game to the next level. His concern and our concern, at the end of the day, is one — be able to give the customer the best experience possible. We may have different ideas on how to achieve this, but that’s alright. In what we do, having loyal opposition is a good thing.
NBI Shit
I’m currently having lunch here at Burger King SM City Marikina. I went to two NBI kiosks already to have my NBI clearance renewed but the lines were just too fucking long.
The first one was in SM Megamall. The kiosk was stationed at the basement level but the line goes all the way up to the fourth level. I figured, I will never line up for that.
The second one was at the Riverbanks in Marikina. The line was shorter but they only service up to 700 people a day, and the numbers are all given away.
Just got a call from Dennis saying that the NBI satellite office at Park Square might be a better option for me. I don’t know. For one, I’m not aware that there’s one in that area. Well, since my day is a big fail so far, why not go down with a bang?
Makati, here I come!
UPDATE:
The NBI kiosk at Park Square is a godsend. Unlike my experience with SM Megamall and Riverbanks, the process here is blazingly fast. It took me fifteen minutes or less to get my NBI clearance renewed. Now isn’t that awesome?
There were two lines: the first one is where you submit your old NBI clearance form, and the second one is where they take your pictures. That’s it. The last part is just affixing your right thumbmark to the form, and you’re out the door.
For those who are thinking of renewing your NBI clearance, better bring a your personal copy. If you lost it or you don’t have one, better head your way to the main office in Manila instead.
Thoughts about the end of the world
I woke up thinking about the end of the world.
Would God end His masterpiece by destroying it, like an artist throwing a tantrum, or, like an opera, would He save the most beautiful things for the finale and show it in its full glory?
On Being Connected and Walking Adventures
I find it wonderful that I choose to walk to the station and ride the MRT rather than waiting in line for a cab to go home. It’s nowhere near riding a bus, an FX or a jeepney, but this still makes me feel connected to the masses somehow. And if I wasn’t wearing my Simple shoes, I would’ve done something crazy tonight and walked from Quezon Avenue to Pioneer just for kicks. That would’ve been quite an adventure.
My First Legal Digital Download
Ride the Divide Soundtrack
I’m proud of myself. Last night, for the first time, I bought digital music. Yes, you read that right — bought. I didn’t torrent it. I didn’t Frostwire it. I paid for it with my credit card and downloaded the music legally. And it felt good.
So what did I buy? Well, I bought the soundtrack of the film that inspired me to do my four-day Mindoro bikepacking trip – Ride the Divide. I didn’t have the songs with me in my iPhone when I was doing the ride, but they were playing in my head the whole time. Now it’s in my playlist, and I’ll be listening to it for a long time.
Wouldn’t it be great if iTunes opened its online music store in the Philippines?
Happy New Year!
It’s been a long time since I last posted an entry in this blog. In contrast, my other blog, Bisikleta.ph, is doing very well and getting at least four updates a month, lately.
I’m now blogging using my brand new 11″ Macbook Air – a gift I got from Charo this Christmas. Now ain’t that cool or what? I’m getting spoiled at how how smooth the trackpad is and how light the whole thing is, that it takes a while to get used to my old late 2007 Macbook.
So what’s up with me? Well if you’re reading my other blog, you know that I just finished a four-day bikepacking in the island of Mindoro. That’s a feat I’m really proud of. And because of that I’m planning to have more bikepacking trips this year. I’m thinking of doing Batanes, Baguio and Palawan.
Well, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
On Being the Taong Bahay
In a way I kinda like being alone in the house. I can walk around naked and sweaty after a bike ride and no one’s complaining! Hahaha!
On Swimming, Christmas Parties, Having a Full Day and Joining Bike Rides
My body is aching from yesterday’s swim. I only did three laps but it seems like I did more. I should relearn how to relax in the water again.
Yesterday was the Outing/Christmas party of the office, and we did it in 8 Waves. It was fun and a very welcome change from the previous outings and parties that we had. Kudos to the organizers for job well done.
Today I’ll be going to Joven Bike Shop to buy the bikes for the Cancer Warriors kids. Then I need to drop by a mall and buy Robin a gift for her first birthday party later at 3pm in Chili’s. After that I need to go to the supermarket and do some shopping. Looks like it’s going to be a full day for me.
Should I go to Batangas City tomorrow to join the Lobo bike ride?
