Hello World, June 2011
The "busy" gods must have played a joke on me and they seemed to enjoy themselves for the past three months. My busy streak both in and out of work started last June. I was fortunate enough to be rewarded with a vacation at the month's end, but it was almost jeopardized with the obligations I had to fulfill. Along the way, I scored some goodies for my collection to keep me sane.
What I went through last June is probably best described in photos below:
June is best described with this photo. For more than half of the month, I was wrestling with RadGrids and trying to fit them in my code to satisfy client requirements. This photo was taken in the afternoon of June 17, where I reported for work from 4PM to 8PM. My teammates were gone as they had their teambuilding in the morning and were not required to report for work after. Meanwhile, I extended my stay in the office until 4AM. I figured I couldn't make the meet-up time at 630AM in QC circle so my teammates went on with their activity without me. I was able to submit my requirements on that day, thought it felt funny that it was only I who was present on the team on that afternoon. It gets better from this point...
Ingress (June 17), PH Toycon 2011. As a collector, it has always been my goal to display my collection in the biggest pop-culture event in the country - the Philippine Toys, Hobbies, and Collectibles Convention 2011 (otherwise known as the Toycon). The road to securing my slot is tough already as slots were limited, but the timing of the ingress couldn't have worse. I was so busy with work days leading to the Toycon that I was only able to pack-up my collection the day before the Toycon. After wrapping my work (shown above), I rushed to SM Megatrade center and arranged all of my Bret Hart collection (with Rocky's help) in the display cabinet provided. However, since I came in late from work, I had little time to set-up my collection and the organizers had to close the entire Megatrade center at 10PM. With little sleep and tired from work the previous day (and I kept on thinking how to allocate my Bret Hart figures in the little shelf provided while I kept on tossing in bed), I had to come back for my collection the next morning (take note of my sleeping patterns). It's kinda ironic that with my health taking a toll on me, I didn't look around in the convention and instead opted to go home that afternoon to catch up with my sleep.
Philippine Toycon 2011 This is it! This Bret "Hitman" Hart collector has achieved his biggest milestone and has proudly displayed his collection in the Philippine Toycon 2011! What started with an innocent purchase of Classic Superstars (CS) Series 13 Bret Hart back in 2007 became an obsession to restore Hitman's glory through action figures and collectibles. Never did I imagine getting most of the Hitman figures released and be able to display them in public! This collection proudly features a personalized autograph from the Hitman himself, plus CS-custom figures by Virgil and "mugged" Bret Hart figures by Likhang Pinoy Customs. I never felt so proud of my collection whenever people would ask me details about the action figures in there. Thanks Rocky for the assist during egress!
Bad Influence personified. Cyclops Randy Bowen Full Sized-statues have been on my list since I started collecting Cyclops action figures and statues. For a long time it remained only in my list as these statues come with a premium price until the opportunity to own not one, but two Cyclops full sized statues, at a good price while I was checking out the PinoyToyKolektors (PTK) forums. Though a good deal, I still had second thoughts about buying one since (after all) I'm still letting go of a significant amount of money. Finally after much thinking, I got convinced by fellow Cyclops collector "monvdd" and long time bad influence Virgil ("get it before you get married") to finally buy those Bowens - and I did just that in the rainy June 24. I walked to JAE Collectibles in SM Megamall (coincidentally where I bought my second Cyclops figure which started the toy collecting craze) and handed out my payment in cold cash while sharing a good conversation with JAE's owner. I walked back to my car, holding my newly purchased statues carefully, and finally removed them out of the box and into my Cyclops shelves (I had to rearrange my statues) when I got home.
Did I mention there are at least three more Cyclops Bowen statues (Astonishing, First Appearance and X-Factor) on the way?
Did I mention there are at least three more Cyclops Bowen statues (Astonishing, First Appearance and X-Factor) on the way?
Exams at DCI The week after I overextended myself from work and the Toycon, I was back to my busy self, this time studying for a set of exams that our management asked me to take for the company's certification. I felt that was a plus point for me since management trusted me (along with 5 developers) even if they gave us less than 4 weeks to finish the set of exams. During the rainy days and nights of June, I locked myself up in the conference room and studied, fighting off bed weather (I was on a development break). Even after basketball games at night in Valle 1 along with my LSGH high school batchmates, I went to Starbucks just to finish my studies. I was on a tight schedule.
There was a catch however in my exams: I had to take one BEFORE June 30 to avail of the retake promo, and almost everyone from other companies taking the exams are beating the deadline as well. Because June 30 was already reserved (more on that later), I had to take at least one exam a few days earlier. On the 28th, I was geared up for the exam in MISnet in Makati, went there earlier than expected when shit happened and their building's internet connection got cut-off and they weren't able to download my exam! My exam was supposed to be scheduled after lunch but I insisted on waiting for internet connection restoration until 4PM to no avail - they said they'll have to reschedule me the next day. I got pissed already and no longer trusted them to handle my exam (true enough - the next day they still couldn't hold exams and they didn't even have a back-up connection/business contingency plan) that I decided to look elsewhere.
I went to the nearest internet cafe within Salcedo village to search for other testing centers until I discovered one very near Rocky's house: DCI International. I called them up, and they were able to accommodate me the next day even on a short notice (most exam centers were fully booked in Makati while they had no schedules at all!). A little inexperience caught up with DCI though on the 29th when it took them an hour to process my payment and set-up my exam. At that point I was worried with my June 30 plans and showed signs of impatience, but thankfully luck came my way and I was finally able to take my exam and pass it! I felt I just leaped over the 10th hurdle and running to the finish line.
There was a catch however in my exams: I had to take one BEFORE June 30 to avail of the retake promo, and almost everyone from other companies taking the exams are beating the deadline as well. Because June 30 was already reserved (more on that later), I had to take at least one exam a few days earlier. On the 28th, I was geared up for the exam in MISnet in Makati, went there earlier than expected when shit happened and their building's internet connection got cut-off and they weren't able to download my exam! My exam was supposed to be scheduled after lunch but I insisted on waiting for internet connection restoration until 4PM to no avail - they said they'll have to reschedule me the next day. I got pissed already and no longer trusted them to handle my exam (true enough - the next day they still couldn't hold exams and they didn't even have a back-up connection/business contingency plan) that I decided to look elsewhere.
I went to the nearest internet cafe within Salcedo village to search for other testing centers until I discovered one very near Rocky's house: DCI International. I called them up, and they were able to accommodate me the next day even on a short notice (most exam centers were fully booked in Makati while they had no schedules at all!). A little inexperience caught up with DCI though on the 29th when it took them an hour to process my payment and set-up my exam. At that point I was worried with my June 30 plans and showed signs of impatience, but thankfully luck came my way and I was finally able to take my exam and pass it! I felt I just leaped over the 10th hurdle and running to the finish line.
Finish Line. After all the hardwork and sleepless nights. From coding to studying. A trip almost jeopardized but thankfully pushed through. I considered those as hurdles (me being a former hurdler) and this moment in Boracay is my finish line. This is my third time in the island paradise, and though more structures were present compared to the first time I visited it in 2009, the beach still ain't bad. With buddies Jeff and Joy plus Rocky and I, we all lived the moment in Boracay from June 30 to July 3: from the beach and the sea, to the feast that the island has to offer! A great way to end the busy month of June!
More Hauls! Though the harvest is not as heavy as the previous months, my collections still didn't take a backseat despite my busy schedule. After waiting for a few months, my 1989 PBA All Star Robert Jaworski replica jersey was finally delivered by Jersey Shop. We met each other during the Ateneo-DLSU Fil-Oil Preseason cup last June 4: a game wherein Ateneo perenially lose to DLSU for 4 years now. Due to miscommunication, the jersey I got was short on length so I tried doing something about it: after dinner, Rocky and I hung out in Starbucks Veranda in Robinsons Galleria, wherein for two hours I removed the stitch of the jerseys base! I was able to fix it a few weeks ago. This jersey is loaded with history, but most important of all, Jaworski finally reconciled with estranged Toyota teammate Fernandez as they collaborated for the game's final play.
Next are four X-Men comics: 3 TPBs and a hardbound. I scored the House of M for a good price at Comic Quest in SM Megamall two days before the Toycon and finished it after 3 days. I finally knew what happened on that "M" day as I'm catching up on my comic book reading lately and I'm collecting major X-Men events. Meanwhile I got the three trade paperbacks on the last night of the Toycon, just when sellers are wrapping up their stalls. The X-Men vignettes (50% off) meanwhile are stories in between (or within) Chris Claremont's early X-Men run. I also scored the X-Men Asgardian Wars (first print) on that night at a good price of 400php and I'm currently reading it.
Hooray for hauls!
Next are four X-Men comics: 3 TPBs and a hardbound. I scored the House of M for a good price at Comic Quest in SM Megamall two days before the Toycon and finished it after 3 days. I finally knew what happened on that "M" day as I'm catching up on my comic book reading lately and I'm collecting major X-Men events. Meanwhile I got the three trade paperbacks on the last night of the Toycon, just when sellers are wrapping up their stalls. The X-Men vignettes (50% off) meanwhile are stories in between (or within) Chris Claremont's early X-Men run. I also scored the X-Men Asgardian Wars (first print) on that night at a good price of 400php and I'm currently reading it.
Hooray for hauls!
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After more than a year of hiatus, I'm kinda back. My plan is to port my blog entries to a different CMS, but I really haven't found time to do so. I did miss blogging, but I can't keep up and at the same time do a backtrack of what's happened to me over the past year until now.
For now, my blog is reopened - including old entries which made this blog very popular in Google. Comments are disabled though (so I won't get any posts demanding that I write more)
What I'm up to lately:
- PBA retro jerseys - because my basketball idol Robert "Bobby/Sonny" Jaworski is a god. Also coming up with a creative way of showcasing my jersey collection.
- PBA retro/memorabilia - trying to retrieve as much memorabilia on the very rich basketball history of the PBA, because the PBA is too careless to do so.
- Cyclops and Bret Hart collection - I think I've exhausted most of the ones available out there except for the really expensive ones, so I'm just getting new releases. I still have to write about my collection hauls for the past 6 months over at the toy forums. Maybe if I find time, I'll post them in here as well. Bret Hart did return last year, and this fan couldn't be happier.
- Back to Ortigas again for almost a year now (and still is an ASP.net web developer) after staying in Taguig for summer of 2010 (funny story). I passed MS exam 70-515 (.net 4.0 web development) last March since starting to study early this year! Yey
- I've been updating my Multiply website lately. Yes, I still post my photos in Multiply. I guess blogs are better with lots of pictures.
- I can bench press at 170lbs right now. Still going to "Manchest Gym" once a week.
- Still actively playing hoops at least once a week since last year. My jerseys bear the name of #7, Jaworski.
- Snowbell the cat is still here in our house for about 4 years now. We still chase each other.
- While I miss the Ginebra I've written about in this blog since 2005, the team is changing and I can't romanticize them. I do hope they can go at it again this season while slowly rebuilding for the future. Meanwhile, Ateneo's so strong on paper, I can only remember the days when they used to fall short of a championship.
- Mom has been very active in Facebook lately, in a very funny way.
- Rocky and I are turning 6 years this September! and we've visited 94 Starbucks branches all over the country already. Aiming for 100!
- You can find me in Twitter. Twitter spoils me.
That's all for now. Until the next update next year. Haha!
Road Trips/ Places
Monday, February 15, 2010 @ 12:40:17 AM
Monday, February 15, 2010 @ 12:40:17 AM
Road Trips/ Places
Sunday, February 14, 2010 @ 11:04:43 PM
Sunday, February 14, 2010 @ 11:04:43 PM
Late post, but as mentioned in my previous blog, I got too busy since coming home from our New Year's family vacation in Hong Kong/Macau and making life-changing decisions, plus a lot of basketball games and/or fitness activities. I fixed my multiply account also over the past three weeks (including 10 detailed albums of our Hong Kong/Macau trip some which are opened to the public) before updating this blog.
Anyway for the third straight year, Mom treated us to another family vacation outside the country: From Hong Kong in summer of 2007, Christmas vacation in Malaysia in 2008, and this time a birthday/New Year's vacation in Hong Kong and Macau again. Here are some snapshots of our experience in Macau:
In Manila, we don't have snowmen. We left Manila on the 27th of December and a freaking 10C stinging cold wind greeted us when we got to Hong Kong at about 8PM. Just like on our first Hong Kong vacation, we stayed in BP International House (which looks like a favorite for Filipino travelers). Took this picture at the lobby.
At 26. It's my first declaration of my new age the next day (December 28), as we were asked to fill out this health sheet on our way to Macau. It took us about 45 minutes to get to Macau from Hong Kong via ferry. The same weather greeted us at Macau where I wore double clothes!
Dragonball Z? Took this pic from Emperor Hotel where we stayed in Macau for two nights. After settling down, we ate late lunch/early dinner at "Restaurante Fong Fong Kei" to celebrate my birthday where we were served Macau delicacy.
Le Arc. With no plans on our first day in Macau, we strolled around the buildings in Avenide de Amizade starting with Wynn Casino. Wynn carried branded stuff that just amused ourselves by window-shopping. We attempted to get in the casino but the lady security guard (who turned out to be a Filipina) denied Linel entry (deny girl with pink jacket). We strolled around the public park and took pics of the casinos nearby, notably Le' Arc where this pic was taken.
With nothing much to do when we got back to the hotel at 7PM, I watched X-Men episodes that I carried with me on my iPod until I fell asleep at 830PM. It's a boring way of celebrating my birthday but I'm thankful that I'm experiencing another place. :)
With nothing much to do when we got back to the hotel at 7PM, I watched X-Men episodes that I carried with me on my iPod until I fell asleep at 830PM. It's a boring way of celebrating my birthday but I'm thankful that I'm experiencing another place. :)
A-Ma Temple. This marks the start of a very long day in Macau for us as we had the city tours in the morning. First agenda was to visit the A-ma Temple where this pic was taken. A-ma temple has existed since the 1400s. While this temple is a nice place to go to, the scent of incense hurt our noses. I and my siblings just watched in amazement as we can see our breaths due to the cold air. Honestly, I'm more of a fan of Christian relics/old churches than temples. :-) But still to see a structure 500 years old is something nice to see.
V for Vendetta dressed as a waiter? This picture was taken at the Macau Fisherman's Wharf where we were treated to a buffet lunch. I took pictures around, marveling at the amazing replica buildings in the area. This theme park has replica of a volcano, Roman Ampitheatre, and buildings with 1800s architecture.
Ruins of St. Paul Perhaps one of the iconic structures in Macau, the Ruins of St. Paul features what's left of the old St. Paul's cathedral. Only the facade and some remnants of its pillars remained and preserved. At the other end of the ruins (or the altar side), there's a crypt/museum downstairs which plays Gregorian sounds in the background. Really spooky and creepy if you ask me. The museum features relics and artifacts from the 1500s to the 1700s relating to Christian faith. There's even a bone by a priest which has been preserved. While I was climbing down, I accidentally slipped (stupid rain) which opened a wound to my left middle finger and didn't stop bleeding all throughout the tour. boo. :( Complete pictures here.
The Venetian. http://cricohermoso.multiply.com/photos/album/245/The_Venetian_Dec._29_2009
Everyday Life
Sunday, February 7, 2010 @ 12:58:15 PM
Sunday, February 7, 2010 @ 12:58:15 PM
Since I'm a little busy lately and much as I want to catch up on my blogging (ala-"As of late" series I did in November-December), my hectic schedule lately prevents me from doing so. Here's a summary instead of how I spent the first month of 2010 in numbers:
11 basketball games (3 in ABL, 4 in the LSGH 2001 league, 4 practices)
3 weekly runs (I started running again in our cemetery, progressing from 3 rounds to 4 rounds and 5 rounds)
2 sessions at Manchest Gym (goal is to visit the gym at least 6 times a month. I failed miserably)
2 wins 1 loss in the ABL. Woot.
0 wins 4 losses in the LSGH 2001 league.
17 minutes on my first 3-round run
22 minutes on my second 4-round run
26 minutes on my third 5-round run.
That's 16 physical activities in 31 days. Not bad.
5 series of interviews: 1 HR, 2 technical interviews, 2 managerial interviews (all in the same company)
1 out of 2 hits. I was referred to another department by the big company I applied to. Fortunately the second department accepted me.
4 visits to Fort Bonifacio. Yeah, soon I'll be moving from Ortigas, Pasig City to Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.
And I have given my 30 days notice from the current company I'm working in. It's been a good 4 years 6 months run so far.
Big purchases:
2 new shoes: 1 leather shoes (thanks Rocky for helping me!) and 1 new Adidas Basketball shoes. Additional pair of shoes if you count the shoes I bought from our Hong Kong trip.
500GB Seagate Freeagent Go External Hard Drive (from Rising Sun Computers)
1 Nike + iPod sensor for my weekend running workouts.
1 Griffin Streamline Sports Armband for my iPod.
9 collectibles came from US through the help of fellow Wrestlefreak Leeyowc. Includes 2 Cyclops busts, 2 Bret Hart figures, 3 Japan-based Cyclops figurines, and 1 Bret Hart autograph.
Hopefully when I find the time to blog once more, I'll expound those numbers in full details.
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Dec 18, 2008 @ 03:55:58 AM
nothing new lately. sorry :-)
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