tan-ton experience

Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

tan-ton - massage a la korean style. yes i had one last night after a long trip from my hometown - panabo city. you can choose what you want to be massaged - back, feet, or wholebody. so i took the thirty-minute foot massage and another thirty for the back. super! - that's the right word to describe how i felt after everything was done.

we're in! (part 2)

yesterday my badminton partner and i finished all the requirements for the dec.4 and 5 tournament. we paid the fees in advance coz our sponsor is gonna hand over our budget tomorrow, so hopefully, tuesday evening, that is. we went for a series of mall tours searching for some nice outfit and equipments for the tournament. we're done in 2 hours. now all that's left to do is practice...practice...and more practice...whew!

friendster friendster

if you haven't opened your friendster account for a very long time, chances are, you'll be surprised..wait..let me rephrase that - amazed (oh yeah!) with what's going on with everybody in your friends'list.

why am i amazed?

new pictures they posted...this time it's either they're with their loved ones or just a PSS pose (not plain simple and stupid...it's plain simple but sexy)

yes dear bloggers. i saw few girl-friends try to pose somethin' sexy...somethin' bitchy but nice :D hmm anyway, thing is, that's a good development. err!

dear prudence

my boss is in our makati office right now with some business consultant, mr.lehmann, that is. and this was his email to all of us

All,

Maayong buntag.

I am now in our Makati office for a meeting with Mr Lehmann.

Edwin & Jay,

Kindly take charge as Davao & BukidnonLanao Service Base leaders, respectively. Call me up immediately if there are non-routine & critical matters which need my decision. Otherwise, decide with prudence.

S.

Dodong

what is prudence, by the way? this is a good judgement. to address some critical issues carefully. if you're not being prudent about certain things then you'll compromise something. and when sh*t happens, well, in a company, then out you go.

*sigh*

wish there will be a day in our lives where we can set aside being prudent and just behave like the wind. not for long...just for a day.

don't get me wrong, i'm not in my lowest moment today. fact, i'm super ok. just had my breakfast few minutes ago.

we're in!

did i ever said i didn't want to entice myself too much on the badminton thingie? i think so, coz it would definitely change the way i play my favorite lawn tennis. i suppose my friend would agree with me on this. he once said...

interim game lang ito

and now ladies and gentlemen, i am about to join a badminton tournament in davao. seemingly i'm about to eat my words. ughh!

oh well, the tournament will be on the 4th and 5th of december. last wednesday me and my partner, ajoe, went there to check the requirements and we're so glad we beat the deadline for submission of entries. that was 23rd, and the deadline was just yesterday. omg! good lord, we're really meant to play for the tournament.

oh yes it's a different tuesday

after 2 straight months of going back and forth davao and bukidnon every dawn of tuesday and friday afternoon, finally, yes, finally i was able to stay for a day more in my office here in davao city. i'm happy coz i could have the chance to use my desktop for a day more. hahaha! and once again listen to my mp3s and wmas...i miss them a lot.

so another day in davao..well..tonight i'd spar with ajoe for an hour @ wheels n' more badminton center, buy some personal stuffs, pack my things up for my early trip the next morning, and Zzzz - now this would be wonderful, i'll have 1 more night to sleep on my bed. hmmmn.

pressing concerns?

pressing concerns?
Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

(laugh out loud) i took this one amusing picture from one of the folders i've seen on top of the admin officers' desk in malaybalay last week. heller??? pressing concerns? i didn't know admin people do this documentation thing in our farms. hehe. i wonder what could be inside. i didn't open it though.

the admin officer could have just put "farm concerns" or "farm issues"..duh! it didn't have to be written that way. haha! oops! sorry :D

king of the court

bullish1974 this is great...

Federer won over Hewitt 6-3,6-2. prize? Benz and a million bucks.

when is our rematch? ecoland phase 3 blue hardcourt? hmm?

and so i paused for a day

i've come back to this seat to where i first started blogging. yes bloggers, i'm back in my old seat here in davao. but...but...not for long though...i'll be back to bukidnon tomorrow for another week of working my ass out on those projects for the farms. so what happened during my very-short-weekend stay in davao? well last friday i was able to make to smashville, a new all-in-one fitness center just near our house in roxas boulevard, yes all in one coz it has a room for almost everything - gym, aerobics, spa, taekwondo, cafe, and of course the badminton courts at the center of all i've mentioned. ajoe, martin, and a lady named faith were my playmates then. that was a tough 7pm-9pm game. saturday i worked for 5 hours to fix my reports and to liquidate all those expenses i have there in my office in malaybalay. i went to my hometown - panabo, of course, for my little business. i did a little marketing there with my cousin then rushed back to davao for another smashing and dropping thingie. slept like a log when i got home. sunday, well, it was kinda different one...i decided to just leave all my communication devices and spent time alone in the beach. got some fresh air...read some interesting books...it was a sunday i thought i would never do it again in my entire life...what's the f*ckin' drama? nah, just tried to do the things i loved before. enjoying a day of silence...peace...it was awesome, indeed, i could almost drown myself to it. a moment of trying to recollect, to just sit back and watch the famous samal island, see kids playing on the sand, people swimming, walking along the beach. watching the sunset like i haven't done it for quite some time now.

how i've missed it...so much.

suddenly i realized that i've been doing a lot of things - good and bad for the past few years in my life and i feel like laughing inside thinkin' about all those i've done and the consequences i've got.

suddenly i felt there's more to thank God for all the things that happened to my life...and will happen in the future than to just hide in a dark room and regret my past.

...and so i paused...and just for a day, i got myself back in 1 piece.

basketball or badminton?

whoa! i got a fast SDSL internet! this is cool. thanks to the FSOSVR hehe. yes, i'm doin' this on our server here in farm support office. hehe. the net admin is not here anyway ;p

so it's evening and still we don't know what sport to play later. this morning my officemates and i decided to play basketball @ brgy.9 gym. somebody went there to book the 7pm to 9pm schedule but some company had booked for the same sked just a few minutes earlier. duh! milfred, from the IPP dept., told me we'd just play badminton instead coz, again, 7pm-9pm schedule is vacant in belyca court. then few minutes ago, bo (our technical staff) suggested that we'd play basketball in brgy.1. man, this is going nowhere. i fear, i'd end up in my hotel room watching another HBO featured movie. :(

so basketball or badminton? in or out? aw!

time flies fast

thursday - my God it was just like yesterday when i blogged about 'tuesday' as my favorite day of work.

how i've been doing so far..hmm..lemme recall:

work department

man, i've been working like hell every day.

play department

haven't played since weekend. this explains why i'm having all these backpains during the day. hell, this is not good (sigh). i've got to do something tonight, may it be basketball, badminton, lawn tennis, or whatever. i had to sweat.

the new blogging tool

25 minutes of configuring the new blogging tool

uugghh...perhaps our internet accelerator server policy doesn't allow such a thing. hmm alright...i'll just blog via internet.(sob...sob...)

two-minute management course

it's tuesday. i'd agree with my blogger brotha, bullish1974, that tuesday is the best day for work. i left for bukidnon via company car at 6am this morning and got in the office past 9. scanned few emails, talked with some officemates, then sat in this chair for 4 hours finishing another weekly report. well, that's how my day-in-the-office was.

hmm ok let me just share an email from a friend. this is funny but it really makes sense:

A TWO-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Lesson One...

An eagle was sitting on a tree - resting...doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing"? The eagle answered, "Sure, why not"? So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of the sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.


Management Lesson...To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson Two...

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree; but, I haven't got the energy",sighed the turkey. "Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?", replied the bull..."they're packed with nutrients". The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally, on the fifth day, he found himself proudly perched at the top. There, he was promptly spotted by a farmer who shot him out of the tree.

Management Lesson...Bull shit might get you to the top; but, it won't keep you there.

Lesson Three...

A little bird was flying South for the winter. It was so cold, the bird's wings froze and he fell to the ground in a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! The bird lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung and promptly dug him out and ate him.


Management Lessons..
1.) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
2.) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3.) And, when you're in deep shit it's best to keep your mouth shut!!!

sunset in sulu

Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

'al mubarak' - today's the last day or better yet, the culmination of the ramadhan. so let's partey brothas! this is how the sunset looks like in their place. well, ahmm, it's not really that cool to be there but in fact i admire their tradition big time. they have a very rich culture. one thing that any muslim brother can be proud of.

some news...

02:05am | my phone rang and i woke up...a friend called me up to let me know that she and her sisters were about an inch close to what could be a car accident. it was a great relief to know she's ok. we actually had a good conversation earlier that night telling me she was going to meet her sisters for a little 'gimik' after work. bottomline is, she's very much ok and we have so much to thank God for it.

09:00am | i opened my gmail account and found an email from a friend telling me she'll be staying for a while in singapore to check if there's anything in store for her. well if there is, then she might be back home next year if ever she'll receive a wedding invitation. i'm gonna miss you dear sistah.

more sad news...

11:00am | i've learned yasser arafat is dead @ 75 over the msn news. what country was he leading? ah ok, palestine...hmm...palestine...yeah, i've read that in the bible.

11:17am | my mom's 60th on the 14th of this month and i doubt if i can join the party. i got some important work over the weekend and i might be home (in davao) late sunday night or early monday morning. i called my mom and dad to inform them that i'm not gonna make it in the afternoon. well, of course, it was ok but i knew they were sad about it. still on the 14th, championship match between the green and orange teams (both tied at 1-1) for the 2004 inter-color basketball tournament company-wide. that would be a great thing to watch, sadly, i can't. :(

mind blowing stuff

10:47am | paper works...reports...stuffs...

energy level = 4 (max.10)

music in queue:

hataw na! (remix) - gary v.
after all - gary v.
ikaw nga - southborders
close - paolo santos
kahit kailan - southborders
foolish heart - nina

oh please help me...i'm stuck here analyzing the business processes for all the plantations in my area of responsibility.

later.

and finally it's open!

yes, finally the people in the little city of malaybalay has got its very first jollibee store. i thought i said i'm gonna blog this one after this and so here it is.

the store opened last monday actually. i got in just last night after office hours with some friends. and lo! the customers were like ants. my golly!

day in and day out, people are like celebrating some sort of a fiesta or something. i see kids, families, and even group of friends taking pictures infront of the jollibee statue. seeing them with all smiles makes me recall the very first time davao city got its jollibee as well. that was way back early 90s. though i wasn't there on its opening day but i guess that's how it was. hmm...i can't wait for mcdonalds, wendy's or even davao's all-time fave - taps to open here. (grin)

the labrador retriever cup

the labrador retriever cup - it's the cup i'm using for my coffee. i've been staring at this thing for about 5 minutes now and i thought of blogging it. it says here that a labrador comes in three different colors : black, yellow, and chocolate (hmm yummy). so gentle and lovable yet an owner should always keep an eye on it coz it goes home with anybody..(long pause)...nah! i'm not gonna buy this kind of dog. now way! like, these are pretty much $$$$ and what if one day it'll go home with some by-standers, lucky for them coz they'll have a sumptuous 'pulutan' a little later. tsk tsk..no way.

so much for dogs, today i spent half of it alone in my office. i sent all my soldiers to war, like, mario and bo right now are in highland banana plantation office finishing the network installation there. my partner and friend, edwin, will arrive tomorrow to check the off-the-shelf financial application installed in our chairman's house and to do a couple of surveys to our asparagus and pineapple plantation offices for the next network installation projects there (i might go with him so i can discuss other issues with the plantation director).

as for me this week, i'm gonna finish my transactions with our service partner in cagayan de oro for the fiber optic installation in our plantation farm so i can do all the other administrative tasks and perhaps fix the budgeting and cost benefit analysis for other projects.

all these work stuffs, like, they can burn you out right before you knew it. glad thing my boss supports my ideas. we don't argue that much, at least. and he even supports my needs here - my pad, my ride, my much-needed gadgets, my office supplies. i'm blessed! but i hope i can deliver the company's needs in return. i hope i can withstand all the pressures.

i wonder what's in store for my career in 2005. eww, more pressures maybe.

oh it's 6:30PM. i'll say adios in a few. i can't wait to take a nice warm shower. i'll have another smashing and dropping activity by 9 tonight. ;p

...(another long pause)...(grin) i really wanted to connect what i've written here so far with my chosen subject but it's not connecting huhuhu...anyway, i hope i'll have a better one tomorrow. peace...out...

piper took me off to bukidnon

Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

well this is a 8-seater piper plane owned by our chairman/ceo. i was one of the 6 passengers for the 7am trip to bukidnon. we landed about 7:35am in dabong-dabong airstrip (located at the heart of the MKADC highland pineapple plantation in valencia city, bukidnon). what a ride! :D i wasn't asleep during the flight...coolness...

search for 'mah ride of the year'

1st test drive

saturday, as i mentioned in my previous blogs, i'm gonna check out few 4x4s for my service vehicle in bukidnon and lanao. 1pm i checked this black 2002 model all-black toyota hilux already dressed up the way i wanted - roof rail, rollbars, big yokohama mud tires, AR chrome plated rims (15x18), bilstein suspensions, hood deflectors, pioneer-in dashboard, 20 disc changer w/ alpine head unit, rhino linings, auxiliary leafspring, 3m tint, rain visors. ladies and gentlemen, this makes my 1st candidate.

2nd test drive

this is a 1999 model white colored 4x4 toyota hilux. cheaper compared to the first one. not that dressed up but it still has the following specs - american racing wheel (aluminum), yokohama mud-terrain tires, rancho suspensions, 3m scotch tint, alpine head unit, rhino linings, snorkel, leather interior. this makes my 2nd candidate. :)

disabled restroom?

disabled restroom?
Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

me and my driver arrived in davao late friday evening (11052004) and decided to dine at jollibee (of course!) bolton st. the 1st ever jollibee store in davao city. the usual, i ordered my fave #9. my driver also ordered the same stuff. when i was about to take my first bite i saw this thing posted. OMG...can't believe what i just saw. i don't know if this is for real or people from jollibee just posted this just for fun. tsk tsk tsk...too bad.

the ajoe way

the ajoe way

i was gonna post this blog a couple of weeks ago but i forget to bring the activsync for my xda. i just downloaded it this morning. well, this is my friend, ajoe showing me his new stance, of course, for the badminton stuff. he said with this stance you can almost do anythin' (smashing or dropping...whichever). duh! i just like to look at him do this pose hehehe. you rock brother!

appointments..appointments..

drumbeats...

"i'm goin home...ohh yeah...i'm goin home..."

today is friday and friday means i'm going home (with all smilesSsSs). i've got three appointments waiting there and wtf! like, they're all starting at 7PM. what am i gonna do??? (i wanna puke...i feel like i'm sick...ugh!)

appointment 1

CCF concert @ CAP auditorium. yes, i was given a ticket by my girls' sister. she wants me to go with them (she and her mom). and of course why would i miss that concert? huh? ;p

appointment 2

ajoe wants me to play badminton at wheels n' more. it's one of the games i shouldn't miss coz we'll be playing with the pros. and why would i miss that too???

appointment 3

one of our senior managers wants me join him in entertaining some lanao-based-politicians there in davao (this actually concerns/involves work, though). he wants me to be their tour guide, showcasing the finest clubs there in davao. sheez! why mehhhh???

i would want to do the 1st and 2nd appointments, like, playing badminton for an hour and then watch the concert by 8pm. at least and hour late would be easier to explain to my girls' sis and mom. but the thought of doing the third one...O.M.G. i don't know if i still have the energy to do it.

ok ok let me see what i can do tonight. i'll tell you about it tomorrow. i'm outta' here!

and yes i love cars...

6:25P | oh well, the day ended just like that. no fancy stuffs but it isn't lousy anymore, at least.

this afternoon i tested one of the hopefuls for my service vehicle here in bukidnon -a 4x4 nissan frontier owned by a vice mayor in lanao del norte. he's selling it for 550k. cool, but not my type though. i would prefer either toyota or isuzu 4x4 pickup trucks. i'm fascinated with how they can withstand the killer curves and maintain a stable running condition on a so-rough road. tough! that's the right term. i'll be testing a couple of 4x4s this saturday, this time, in davao city - a white toyota 4x4 hilux 1997 model and red mitsubishi strada 2000 model. i'm so excited about it. that's actually a couple more days to go. yihee!

by next week, they can process the documents and agree to certain terms and conditions and then - i got myself a nice off roader. whoah! my only problem - how to park that thing in my little house? after owning 1 mitsubishi pajero, my dad gave up the toyota revo in exchange for a smaller one - my baby subaru van so it'll fit in our garage. hmm i think i have to redo the garage a little bit by removing a little portion of the garden so these three thingies can fit in. i'll talk to my dad when i get home ;).

more about cars - the first car given to me was a 2-door mitsubishi celeste sport, that was way back 1995 after mom and dad bought a toyota tamaraw fx shortly after dad met a little accident - attempted holdup, that is. 1997, they sold the fx and took a mitsubishi adventure. i sold my 1st baby car in 1999 in exchange for a toyota revo. so in my first few years in unifrutti i was using any of the 2 auv's depending on my mood. :) again, the adventure was sold to a friend coz i was like too engrossed with jazzing up mini-pickups (suzuki) and then selling them later. finally i got tired and when i sold my last mini-pickup, i got myself a nice pajero. and that was it...

hmm ok...that ends my story. now i'm hungry. gtg. peace!

wake me up!

what a lousy morning. i woke up 7am (damn!) i wasn't able to jog. :( my body's too heavy (must have been the lechon manok and liempo i ate last night ugh!)

actually, some hotel attendant woke me up knocking so hard on my door. i opened it up and he handed me some faxed documents (from INNOVE Communications, our service partner for my IPVPN nationwide project). whew...now this is a call for me to work early. so i hurriedly went to the bathroom and finally i hit the road 30 minutes after. a little chit-chat with my boss, read several important emails, faxed the documents back to davao, and ate breakfast.

now i'm back to work...work...work...this seems endless.

ok. blog later.

stuck in paradise

6:15pm | i'm still in sankanan - our chairman's house. i'm stuck here in his mini-office while edwin is doin' the installation of quickbooks 2004 software. they're having problems with the registration code or something. i'll be missin' my badminton game tonight as it will take us at least a couple of hours to reach malaybalay city. (sigh) no fun tonight...so sad. maybe i'll just do a little jog around the kaamulan grounds tomorrow morning and play hoops in the evening with some pros. tonight i'll take an early Zzzz.

another sport coming to life

another sport coming to life
Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

ha! and who would've thought i couldn't play tennis in the cool city of malaybalay, huh? yes, yes, my fellow tennisters out there. i was able to play this morning (5:30am-7:00am)with 2 of my officemates - lester and jong. we actually got 1 more player to join us for doubles. won the first set, lost the other. location - freedom park, malaybalay city, a 600m walk from where i'm stayin' at.

hmmm now it's complete:

fave sport 1 - lawn tennis - freedom park
fave sport 2 - basketball - brgy. nueve gym
fave sport 3 - badminton - petrina & belica courts
fave sport 4 - downhill/freestyle biking

wait...that's not complete yet..i have to find a suitable location for the 4th one...hmm...somethin' for you to wait till my next few blogs huh. ;p

post halloween trauma

i arrived 10am here in our little office in malaybalay city and found out only 6 people working - the guard-on-duty, the radio/fax operator in the old bldg., my driver standing by, two purchasers, and my technical staff. where the hell is everybody? grrr! i should've left davao later than the usual. my only consolations - faster internet access and a couple of marlboro gold sticks. now i can blog faster without any interruptions hehe.

my folks now are having the usual nov.2 practice - visiting the dead in samal island then davao memorial park. yesterday, we had the usual chinese cemetery then panabo memorial. dead relatives and friends scattered everywhere. whew! good thing for them is that they can go and watch movie in SM or dine in some nice restaurant there...bad for me coz i'm stuck here. huhuhu.

why in the crazy world did our president allowed nov.2 to be a regular working day??? can anybody give me a got damned explanation??? should've stayed home or went out with my cousins (sob...sob)

hmm what will i do today (think...think...) aha! i'm gonna leave the office now and i'll blog tomorrow. ;p

in memory of...

november 1

we arrived at the chinese cemetery 30 mins past 8 in the morning. brought some food that mum cooked at home (the famous biko and suman), fruits, candles, and bundles of post-card sized papers with a square thingie colored with gold or silver in the middle. just incase you wanna know what is it for - we burn the them - a chinese tradition of sending money to our chinese relatives up there wherever. the more papers we burn, the more money they'll receive there. whew! it actually took me and my cousin george at least 2 hours to burn all the papers. looking around i see everybody’s doin the same old thing.

memory lane

back when i was a kid, november 1 used to be a very exciting day for me and my cousins. it's some sort of a family gathering/reunion. i get to see my uncles, aunts, and every relative that i don't see in my everyday life. me and my cousins play with the candles, like, giving ourselves 10 minutes to form a big ball out of it. then later we give it to those street kids so they can sell it and buy their food. playing hide and seek till we get lost and then get spanked coz we went too far or somethin. :) now, my cousins are all married, at least. some aunts and uncles have died too. so like, there's only a few left. hay! so much with those sad stories. it would just make me cry :( anyways, enjoy the pix down below.

My Grandparents' Grave Part 1
Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

this was how the altar looked like 20 minutes after we arrived.

My Grandparents' Grave Part 2
Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

the altar 1 hour after. :)

Help!
Originally uploaded by Jhay Zhee.

omg...omg...help! somebody translate everything written here for me pleassee!