It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

The air is cooler in the evenings, the Christmas lights on trees are all aglow... and carols are played everywhere you go!

I love Christmas... and I particularly cannot wait to spend this one! :o)

Here's a pic of the breathtaking Christmas tree at the Waterfront Lahug.

And here I am molesting one of the drummer boy-slash-nutcracker-guarding-the-Christmas tree-kuno.
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cheers! for the 1st of the many fireworks display you will watch every weekend at the ATC after Sunday's Holy Mass!
it's ok... if you didn't catch up on your email today. Spending the weekend sleeping off the week's alcohol & head-splitting hangover is something you deserve!
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Back in the South

Back in Cebu! Only now I'm staying at the Waterfront in Lahug. Unluckily, I got one of those rooms that haven't been renovated yet... and all I can say is... I miss Marriott!!! My only consolation right now is the huge, gorgeous Christmas tree with the awesome decor at the lobby. Will take a pic of that and post it tomorrow :o)

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cheers! getting a text from a Business Partner appreciating the help you are extending to them
its' ok... if your hotel room surprisingly has no bathtub. The hot shower with the perfect temperature literally melted your stress away anyway.
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To Be Inspired

I watched my first inspirational concert by Gary V last Friday. Marje invited me to it watch with her and her friends from CCF. I then invited my friend-slash-officemate, Aleta. Somehow, I also found myself nearly dragging Kris and his SO, Arvin, to go too. I totally forgot to include my sister, who's the biggest Gary V fan of all, to get that one extra ticket -- then it turned out she was busy that night after all (whew! bye-bye, thoughtless-big-sister-guilt!).

For 3 hours, we were touched, inspired and taken with each of Gary V's songs. His introductions to each song were equally moving. I find the way he shared the 'Word' to every one of the 5,000 people watching him to be refreshing and far from being preachy and self-righteous. He invites rather than forces you to have a better your relationship with Him (lest you miss salvation and perish in Hell for all eternity!)

His humility, his sincerity and his quiet but strong belief of God's love for him is evident in his songs and even his relationships with the rest of the members of his family. He would frequently mention his wife, his dad and even his in-laws in his intro-sharings.

Paolo, his eldest son, is the lead singer of this rock band, Salamin. While father and son do not share the same taste in music, they do reflect the same messages in their songs (yes, Paolo would sing about praises, healing and moving mountains in his too-noisy-for-the-oldies rock songs!). And to prove that they both respect each other's music, they shared the stage at one point to sing, "Open the Eyes of My Heart". Very pop-rock. Very wholesome.

And who could forget Gabriel, the second son who can dance up a storm, just like Gary? He was called on stage to dance with his dad more than a couple of times, to the delight of screaming female teenagers -- myself included. Be still my heart!

We left St. Francis Square with hungry, growling stomachs but with hearts full of inspiration and joy. (Cheesy, but true!)

Save Room

I love this song by John Legend. It's amazing, sexy and I never get tired of listening to it :o)

Random Echoes

"A good leader is a guy who can step on your toes without messing up your shine."

-- John C. Maxwell, Leadership 101

In IBM, being a people manager is taken very seriously. Not everyone who leads a team is considered one. They tell us we have to be a good leader first and foremost. And each of us, with or without the title is expected to be one-- whether in leading a project team, an ad hoc team, or just simply chairing an important meeting with attendees from different Business Units.

A leader is like the wind that blows the ship towards the right direction or the waves that carry the vessel to shore. Good leaders, I'm beginning to fully understand, can never create waves big enough to make a difference if they are worried about pleasing everyone. At the same time, the wind they blow must not be too strong that they trouble the ship and cause it instead to sink.

Now It Can Be Told

My claim to fame: being featured in People at Speed in last month's issue of the Speed Magazine. Uuuy... kunwari credible!

The only problem was that the biggest picture in that spread was a picture taken during one of IBM's press cons 2 years ago. All sweaty after a karting race, I was also some 10 pounds heavier & a couple of inches wider. It wasn't all that flattering and needless to say, I didn't hear the end of it from my colleagues at work. (Yes, complete with photocopies of the spread posted in cubicles and everything!) Nyahaha!

At least Manny picked a better pic to post on the website... so he's been forgiven :o)

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cheers! for being the closest thing to becoming a celebrity
it's ok... to once in a while be overly concerned about your vanity!
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Highway Driving

I drove alone from my house to Canyon Woods, Tagaytay Thursday morning for a Business Partner event. Canyon Woods is so far up that it already sits at the border of Nasugbu, Batangas. It's a good thing I relish the pleasure (or the pain?!) of my own company that I actually didn't mind the long drive. It was just me, the radio (my car, Stitch, doesn't even have a CD-player installed, hehe), the occassional phone calls and the crazy, random thoughts swirling in and out of my head.

I love long drives--- be it with my bud, my family or a group of crazy friends. There's a different kind of bonding that happens when you all get stuck in a car for hours on end. You talk about things from the deep to the inane, make up hilarious games, take trips down the memory lane and sing to your hearts' content.

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One of the long drives I want to do in the future is Big Sur Drive. The US Highway 1 drive boasts of one of the most scenic routes in the world. I hear the landscapes, the sunrises and the dramatic coastlines are simply breathtaking.

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I took one of those blog things again the other day. Do You Drive Like A Guy or a Girl? Friends are not surprised, for sure, hahaha.

I miss Speedzone!

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cheers! finally announcing an exciting new program you've been working on for a month now.
it's ok... if you smoked your first yosi since high school.
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Kodak Happy

As if we've been camera-deprived the past years, our little once-every-6-years-decent-looking group were taking countless pictures before, during and after Giselle & Jin's wedding!
Ok, so Liz wasn't THAT decent-looking in this pic. Let's try again:

I'm not sure where Hester Bester is planning to go in this pic, but it's a nice one, just the same ;-)

They had a butterfly release when the bridge and groom walked into the reception ballroom. My butterfly didn't take off, allowing me to take a picture of this beautiful creature.