Two First Times

It was June 30. My team planned to have the Strat Session while we have someone rendering OT for the Saturday shift.

Started with a game called Guestures. Team was divided into two: Lawits and Butas. Haha. I believe you guys can figure that out. Fortunately the Lawits won by a huge margin. After the ice breaker game we proceeded in the session proper.

Once it finished, I was really excited for our next activity. We were going to shoot live guns! I have already fired a gun before back in college (M16) and after graduation (a 45). So why am I still excited? Because I was about to try a shotgun! haha. My teammates have never fired a gun before so they chose the less caliber weapons naturally. We underwent a brief safety training course at the Commander Shooting Range before the actual shooting.

Photo op before the actual shooting

The girls took the first few shots as they were graciously assisted by the safety personnel. They were a bit nervous since they have no idea as to how strong the recoil is going to be. One of them actually took breaks after firing several rounds as she got tired lol.

Then came my turn. I was really excited and a bt nervous as well. I checked with the safety personnel if my posture was correct as well as how I was holding the gun. I was corrected a bit and I am glad I asked. Below are the pictures before and after the shooting.

This is not the correct posture. The butt of the shotgun should actually be touching your cheeks.

May not have been all on the X but if this was a human body, you'd still be dead

After firing real guns, the team decided to play laser tag. So from Cubao, we went to Centris walk in Quezon City. This was my Second first time for the day. We opted to go for the 15 minute package at Lazer Maxx since one teammate who has already tried it said that it was enough. Luckily for us, there was another group there waiting to play as well. So it was our team vs theirs. The place was not as big as I expected or even hoped but it was ok. 

After the 15 minutes, we saw the scores that we had for the game. Guess what, I was the top scorer! I shot the hell out of those macho guys! Kidding, most of the members on the other team were kids lol. Eventhough, I was still happy that I ranked number one.

We then decided to eat at Yabu. Most of my teammates haven't eaten there yet so they had no idea what to order yet. Luckily for me, I have eaten there quite a number of times already so I knew exactly what I will order. We were all mostly hungry from the day's activities so it was nice that most of the meals there had unlimited Japanese rice and cabbage for coleslaw. It was mostly me and my manager who took advantage of it though. We ended the afternoon with lots of laughs and fond memories.

So there you have it, my two first times. Care to share your first time? *wink*

Easy Payment

I have always been a PC guy and rarely have experience with Apple with regards to computers. But this changed when my mom bought an iMac late last year and my partner having a macbook pro. I have learned to appreciate it and would like to have one. One thing that limits from purchasing one was the price. So after some contemplation, I ended up buying a Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook instead.

Then I saw a tweet the other day from Power Mac Center and I got excited. Just imagine paying for 24 months at 0% insterest.

I then went yesterday to a Power Mac store and found out that all the stocks for the said promo has run out. All they have is the 6 months at 0% interest.


I just bought a Samsung Ultrabook a couple of weeks ago and I was pretty sad that I didn't wait a few more weeks before the price of the Macbook went down. If I would have known then I would have definitely waited. So now, I am planning to sell my Samsung so that I can buy the Macbook Pro through installment or upfront cash. With this, I would like to take the opportunity to post the add for the said Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook here. For those interested please feel free to message me.

Bad Experience in Loreland

On March 31, 2012, the IB Asia desk held our Strat Session. First part concluded in our office at 2 WSQ since two of our team members had a Saturday shift.

At around 12nn, we left for Rizal where the second part of our activity will be conducted. We arrived at Loreland Farm Resort a little after 2pm.  We were escorted to our room by Rovie Rosaldo, the personnel who assisted us with the reservations. When we got there, housekeeping personnel were still in the room fixing the beds, bathroom etc. They said that the previous occupants of the room checked out late so they didn’t have enough time to clean/arrange the room before we arrived. It didn’t matter to us so we decided to go inside the room anyway and choose which beds we will be sleeping on later that evening. We were relaxing for a bit since we were advised by Rovie that the facilitator of the team building activity will fetch us at around 3pm. A few minutes after 3pm, Rovie arrived with Steve Villareal who she introduced to us as the one who will be conducting the team building activity. We were then advised by Rovie to leave all of our stuff (that is not waterproof) in the room since it is raining and some activities will involve water. We obliged making sure that the windows are properly locked as well as the door. We also closed the curtains to avoid tempting passersby / anyone looking into the room.

The team building activity area was not near our room, we had to go on a 300 steps steep stairs to reach the area. The activity took around two and a half hours to finish. During the team building proper, all of us were always together as seen in the video shot by Patricia’s driver who was also always with us.

Right after the activity, we proceeded to hike back up the stairs. My manager was the first one in since most of us didn’t want to enter the room yet since we left the air conditioning on and we are all wet and cold. He then proceeded to shower. A teammate went inside as well to get Robert’s wallet since he had to buy a new pair of slippers since he broke his during the activity. When they went to the store, they realized that there was no money inside the wallet. Both went back to the room to check. It was at this point that Robert found out that aside from his money his iPhone4s and DSLR camera were missing. At this point all of us checked our belongings. A team member also lost money and my manager discovered that he lost his mobile phone and some cash as well.

Patricia reported the incident to the Loreland personnel, and after some time some personnel arrived to check with us as to what happened. We had to ask them to call the police for us as well to investigate. We believe it to be an inside job since the door was still locked when we arrived and all of our stuff are still in order. When the police officers were there, they never bothered to enter our room and just asked questions from the outside. It was at this time when my manager found out that his watch was also missing. Myself and another member of the team also discovered that our wrist watches were also missing.

We had to stay in the room from around 6pm to 9pm waiting for someone who has the authority from the resort to take action. We decided that we won’t be spending the night at this place so we packed up our things and left the room. We then proceeded to the admin office where the General Manager (Ryan Marinas) was supposed to talk to us. He then arrived together with two other personnel to talk to us. Bear in mind that we still haven’t eaten at this point and we had to ask them to bring us something to eat. The discussion ended with Loreland not taking ownership of what happened but instead mentioned that they will be conducting an investigation. This is after the GM mentioned that he can assure us that his personnel were not involved in this incident. He even mentioned that we should have declared our belongings or left them inside their safety deposit box at the admin office. We mentioned that we were advised by Rovie to leave our things in the room and we were never advised to declare anything nor leave our valuables inside a safety deposit box.

As of this writing Loreland had said that they have submitted their findings to the police and their next action will be based on the result of the investigation of the police.

Almost!

September 26, a rainy day because of a typhoon. And the day I ALMOST lost my phone.

I take the MRT everyday from Shaw to Ayala. I have been doing this routine for more than a year already. I am pretty much aware of the different scenes that you typically encounter on a daily basis, commuters packed like sardines, petty fights because they were pushed, construction people saying to the word that they don't take baths and of course pickpockets.

When I got into the train, it was not as crowded as it normally is on a Monday morning at 8am. Probably because of the typhoon. I usually stay near the doors so I can easily get out and not push myself out of the train. So I got inside and stood near the middle of the two doors where the hand rails are. A small dark guy stood right next to me. Nothing unusual. The train started moving and it seems as if they guy is losing his balance so he kept on reach for the hand rails. I didn't mind this much since I do know it is difficult sometimes to have balance on a moving train. There was still some space to the other side of the guy but he chose to stand near me, again still fine with me.

The train the reached Guadalupe station. There's usually a handful of commuters who get of at this station so I thought that the guy might alight here. And I was right. When the train stopped, he started moving. He probably doesn't know that I can feel my cellphone pretty well inside my pocket. I mean common, I have a big phone so it can easily be felt eventhough it's really thin. The second he started to move, I felt that my phone was no longer there. I didn't even think of what I am going to do.

I instantly grabbed the man's arm and said "Boss, cellphone ko!" Anyone who knows me know that I have a loud voice so that caught some attention on the train. The guy still would not give my phone back and was still trying to walk away. I on the other hand had no intention of letting go of his arm. I guess the guy was fearful that he might cause a commotion and get mobbed by the commuters so he suddenly dropped my phone to the floor and exited the train just in time as the door closed. I picked up and phone and was relieved that I was able to get it back!

By this time the other commuters inside were asking me what happened. When I told them what I had just done they told me that they were actually wondering why the guys was so insistent in standing really close to me when there was ample space at the other side of the train. They then suggested that I should have punched the guy and they would all do the same so he will learn his lesson. As for me my first priority then was to get my phone back. Given the time, I probably would have exited the train and chased the guy. I believe that it would still be a safe option since we were still inside the mrt station and there are guards there. But if ever it was outside, I wouldn't bother chasing after the guy.

So the I eventually got of at the Ayala Station. My heart was still pumping a bit faster than usual because of what happened. I was happy that I was able to get my phone back and was also reminded that I have to be extra careful next time. What if I was delayed even for a second or two in noticing that my phone was missing? I could have lost a phone that I have been using barely for three months then!

When I got to work, I told my teammates about what happened. They were a bit surprised since I started of my story with my usual smile. They were like, "why are you smiling when you were just a victim of a pickpocket?" But when they heard the whole story they knew exactly why I can still smile.

So this can serve as a reminder to everyone including myself to be extra vigilant. Specially now that we are in the Ber-Months already. Keep safe everyone!

Food trip

I was going through my phone's gallery and I noticed that there were lots of pictures of the different types of food that me and Vondraye has eaten over the past few months. Let me share some of them with you.

Sana magutom kayo sa mga makikita nyo hehe.

The Dos Palmas Experience

Here's a bit of a review of my experience with Dos Palmas Resort and Spa.

I came across the chance to go to Dos Palmas through Ensogo. It was 50% off so I grabbed the chance and explore this very well known resort in Palawan. For those who can't recall where they heard Dos Palmas from let me refresh your memory. This resort is known worldwide since it is where Gracia and Martin Burnham were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group. The resort is most commonly known to Filipinos because this is where the young actor Rico Yan died. BUT despite this two things, I know I still wanted to go there and experience being at DOS PALMAS! I know that there are good thing about this resort and I want to experience it!

The package that I got included transfers from the airport to the resort and back. Our plane landed on time and we were warmly greeted by the Airport Staff of Dos Palmas. They took our bags and led us to the waiting bus. Apparently there were a lot of tourists booked for that day so they had to use a bus. The tour guide Josh was accommodating.  She answered all the questions of the guests and she had a real pretty smile. The bus ride to the beach for the boat transfer took a little under an hour. From there we were escorted to a boat. The boat ride to the resort itself took almost an hour since the captain did not choose to "drive" fast to avoid the passengers getting dizzy. When we were told that the next island in the horizon is Dos Palmas, we got excited. We're almost finally there! We saw some people on kayaks near the shore and thought that they were the other tourists enjoying the amenities. To our surprise, the men showered the boat with flowers as we were passing by and greeted us with "Welcome to Dos Palmas!". Everyone on the boat were surprised and felt special which I guess is the experience that the resort owners want us to feel.

We were then assisted off the boat and was lead through the very famous walkway. The resort staff were playing local instruments and were greeting all the guests. At the end of the walkway, were were welcomed by another group of resort staff and we were given necklaces and our welcome drinks. We were then introduced to our Guest Officer who explained to us what they have on the resort and other stuff. 

We then took a ride from a multicab like vehicle. We were dropped off at our beach villa. Ours was located at the 2nd floor. When we opened the door, it was really really nice. Air-conditioning has already been turned on prior to our arrival, flowers on the bed, restroom and our bags there as well. One important thing missing from the room was a TV. Which was really not that big a deal for me since i went there for the place and not just to watch tv. I opened the door from our balcony and was greeted with a very lovely view. See for yourself...

After unpacking our stuff, we then went to the restaurant. By the way, all the meals on Dos Palmas are BUFFET! Just like what Josh mentioned when we were on the bus, "Diets are not allowed in Dos Palmas!" What she said was definitely true. Mark and I were in food heaven. The restaurant staff just like the rest of the staff on the resort were really friendly. It was also nice since all the guests have reserved seating on the restaurant so you dont have to reserve seats yourself. After a hearty meal we looked around for a bit. We then got two bicycles since the rooms were really far away from the main buildings in the island. It took us some time to get good bikes. Unfortunately not all the bikes available are on good working condition. 

After finally getting good bikes, we biked around the resort to check out other facilities. We reached the spa area so we decided to check out the services. As expected prices were really high since we are on an exclusive island. We biked around some more and found a lap pool. I said to myself that I would swim here first thing tomorrow morning then have a buffet again hahaha. There was also a big function room, a tennis court and a basketball court on the island. 

The next day, we woke up early so I can go for an early morning swim. Good thing that the lap pool was pretty far from the main building so I think only a few guest know of its existence. I was the only one using the pool haha. After several laps, we got ready for breakfast. As usual, the meal was sooooo good. I got to eat a lot of bacon again just like in Resorts World Manila during my first visit there. 


After breakfast we decided to go snorkeling. We of course had to sign some documents first then we were handed the masks and the vests then we proceeded to the dock. We took a speedboat going to the area designated by the resort as ideal for snorkeling. It was really nice since we can already see lots of fishes from the boat and we are not yet under the water! The water was not cold which was really good for me since I am not that comfortable with cold water. We took some pictures and videos underwater thanks to my GE underwater camera that I bought a year ago. 

For our lunch, we decided to take it on the a separate island from the main resort of Dos Palmas. We took a boat to an island just for the use of Dos Palmas guests. The island was small but really really beautiful! We had a very sumptuous meal then strolled along the shore.

We then went back to the main island and decided to go kayaking. Both of us have never experienced it so we gave it a try. We were wondering if its going to be easy to navigate it since from the episodes of The Amazing Race that we saw, the racers were definitely having a hard time. From our experience, it was pretty easy using a kayak. You should have a good upper body strength though.

Dinner on our second night was at the garden. It was so nice with all the lights and the music. I cannot overemphasize the quality of the food that was being served. From the appetizers, to the main course to the deserts! I love them all! 

After dinner we played Foosball a bit. There were also billiard tables available as well as tables for table tennis. At this time we no longer had our bikes so we had to walk the long way from the main building to our beach villa. We then had a well deserved rest. 

Our last day was pretty much allotted to resting and a bit of eating. Checkout time was 12nn so we were forced to wait for the 1.45pm boat ride to the main island of Puerto Princesa at the restaurant which does not have air conditioning. We decided to drop by the souvenir shop while waiting but to our dismay is was closed since the personnel is on lunch. We checked with the Front Office and they were happy to have it opened for us! Good thing the personnel is done with his lunch otherwise its going to be awkward for us. Transfer from the resort to the main island to the airport was pretty much routine but was still pleasant. 

Staying at Dos Palmas was really really nice and enjoyable. Given the chance and the budget, I would definitely go back here to escape from everything.

WARNING: New Modus in Parking Areas

This is just a repost from facebook.

Warning..!!!!

Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public car park.. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home, it was a receipt for petrol. Luckily my friend told me not to

stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car.

Then we received this email yesterday.

WARNING FROM POLICE THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE-- NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)'

Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating.. You walk across the car park, unlock your car and get inside. You

start the engine put it into Reverse.

When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle

of the rear window. So, you stop and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically run you over as they speed off in your car.

And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car. So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your

money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, lock your doors and just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women.

A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.