A Black Saturday

Besides the Christmas Holidays, Holy Week is the only other extended vacation for me in any given year. And staying home is not all that bad. (At least you don't spend that much).

I just watched a couple of DVD movies, and released some work related stress by playing Black Ops on the PS3. Unfortunately, the Playstation Network was shut down last April 20 and I was not able to go online. Apparently some hackers were able to breach the security measures of the PSN servers and Sony had to shut it down and re-build the security protocols. I just hope that none of my personal information were taken or the paid downloads and online game profiles were erased.

The family then had dinner at Kogi Bulgogi - Korean Cuisine. The food was great and I discovered a new craving for their Ice Cream, though I was disappointed a bit since they did not have enough Kimchi to go around.

Featured Clip of the Day: The Sparrow

Have you given your parents a hug lately?

A Good Friday

The family used to spend Holy Week in Tagaytay when we still had the rest house in Rodeo Hills. Some of the memorable moments are; when every Good Friday our grandmother would not allow us to use the radio, TV, or any electronic gadget for the matter. The family would also do the usual fasting and abstinence the whole day and night, and when midnight came, we would then grill some steaks and started chilling out with some drinks.

This year we just stayed in Manila. But it was memorable as well because my father-in-law surprised us when he arrived from Hawaii Thursday night. We just spent the morning at home for breakfast and lunch, had merienda in Starbucks (Seems it was the only establishment open that time), and a delicious home-cooked dinner of spicy sardines pasta and fish fillet fingers.

To cap the night, my father-in-law and I had a couple of drinks; (I didn't notice but I drank almost half a bottle of Hennessy and one bottle of Lambrusco Red Wine.)

Hennessy Privilege



I know I should have abstained from doing so but I wanted to celebrate the surprise visit of my father-in-law who rarely visits the Philippines. It's been a while since I actually had the occasional night cap, and when midnight came I went out for a quick burger fix.

It's not as great as the times we spent in Tagaytay, but it's still a "Good" Friday to me.

A Maundy Thursday

My family and I spent this Holy Thursday going on a day trip to Tagaytay. Coming from a graveyard shift then driving over a 200 kilometer round trip can be a bit exhausting, but a worthwhile sacrifice to be able to spend time with my family this Holy Week.

We first had breakfast at Pancake House at Petron along the South Luzon Expressway. Stopping over at these gas stations have always been part of the itinerary whenever you drive out of the city. Surprisingly traffic was not that heavy that morning. But we didn't take any chances and utilized the recently completed (finally) Skyway elevated expressway. Toll fee was at a soft opening rate of 85 pesos, but starting next week, it will be 140 plus, one way. (All the toll rates are actually going to start shooting up by next week), the prices we pay for travel convenience. I will admit, I am a penny-pincher, and I hate paying these rates, so bottom line, you will hardly see me travel beyond metro manila.

Anyway, we had reservations at Bawai's in Tagaytay for lunch, and since traffic was light we still had time to pass by Gourmet's Cafe and Cornerstone Pottery.

Gourmet's Cafe:

The Dalandan shake was so refreshing. Loved the home baked apple pie as well.



Cornerstone Pottery:



Bawai's:

I love having peaceful meals in these restaurants. Limited seats, serene atmosphere, and fresh winds. It really takes the stress away.

Spicy Tamarind Shrimps

Fresh Shrimp and Vegetable Rolls



On the way back to Manila, we made stopovers at Toscana Farms and Solenad at Nuvali.

Toscana Farms:

Crisostomo's at Solenad, Nuvali:

The Suman Chocolate Fondue was sinful.

What I missed this year is the traditional "Visita Iglesia". I was out cold after the road trip. (And traditionally you had to visit 14 churches to signify the 14 stations of the cross. Usually it's just 7 churches, you do two stations per church.) Well, I will make a pact for next year, I will visit 14 as part of my sacrifice.

3 more restful days coming up.

God Bless to all.

Featured Clip of the Day: The Good-O-Meter

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16


The Good-O-Meter

Featured Clips of the Day: Hottie Body Exercise Program

This is surely one of the craziest ways of trimming down the fat...

(Good Job Jimmy K!!)

Hottie Body Humpilates

Jim-Miracle Diet



2011 1st Quarter BBall

It was not a good start for me this 1st quarter of the year with the sport that I truly love. Out of the 6 teams I joined, 3 made it to the Finals but lost, 2 were eliminated during the semi-finals, and one was knocked out early during the eliminations.

(Although losing 17 pounds and gaining a slight boost in my jump helped my game, it was not enough to make a solid impact to contribute to the team winning the championship.)

This 2nd Quarter I was only able to join one league so far, the Call Center Olympics. Currently, the team has a winning record of 2-0. What we lack in height, we make up with the team's running game. So hopefully we can wear down our opponents during the games and seek an early spot in the semi-finals.

Looking forward to the 3rd Quarter as well for the MPG League.

Featured Clip of the Day: Overworked

I hope my job doesn't turn me into a zombie like this...

Overworked?

My HR Purpose

I have to admit and some of you might agree, that when we get older we do want to take on a role that would have the least stress brought to our bodies and minds. But in my field of work, I don’t actually have that luxury or privilege. Imagine dealing with your own issues and problems, only it is multiplied by the number of employees in your site. I often surprise myself when I get to solve an employee’s issue but couldn’t figure out my own dilemmas.

I’m nearing my 5th month in my new job. And what seemed to be a less stressful environment is in fact one that pushes me to the limit.

I was once asked if I ever regretted leaving my old job. I answered that there are no regrets. I do miss the comfort level and the people, but there is more than just that. I have always believed in the leadership and vision of my current employer. That is what made me join them. This does not mean that my previous employer didn’t have that same leadership qualities and the mission to succeed. It was merely a personal choice on my end.

Being in Human Resources is not like a walk in the park as some might envision it. There is a lot of fire fighting, strategic planning and the daily grind of dealing with your internal customers. And there is a lot of follow through to this, it’s not merely solving the problem but sustaining the action plans to ensure that the issue does not arise again. And of course, the Case Management aspect, where in you deal with cases that sometimes may lead to labor or legal issues.

In order to ensure the site runs smoothly and that the employees remain happy, HR needs to log in heavy hours to be able to address these critical concerns. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we require extended hours, but to smartly manage the time in which these issues are attended to. (Check out my opinions on Working Hard vs. Working Smart)

In my 8 and a half years in Human Resource I don’t deny getting burned out at some point. I have accepted the fact that this is what I really want to do and what keeps me from completely exploding is that I learned to really love what I do. And this actually drives me to push myself beyond my threshold because there is nothing more fulfilling in my line of work than making one of your employees put on a smile for a job well done.

Man Made Wonders - by Ratha Tep

Obviously there is no chance that you would be able to see the original Wonders of the World except for the Great Pyramid of Giza. But here are some man-made wonders that you might want to check out if you plan on going on an expedition during this year's summer vacation...

The Church of Transfiguration of Our Savior

Kizhi Island, Russia

Leshan Giant Buddha

China

Mirador Basin

Guatemala



Click here for More Man-Made Wonders.

Below are the original Seven Wonders of the World. What a sight it would have been to gaze upon these marvels if the other six were still standing...

Hanging Gardens of Babylon



Temple of Artemis

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

Colossus of Rhodes

Lighthouse of Alexandria

Pyramid of Giza

Beat'Em Up Babe of the Day: Zen / Chocolate

It's humiliating enough to get beaten by a girl in martial arts. But when Zen, who suffers from autism, "man-handles" a dozen dojo bodyguards and a pack of pork-slicing butchers to save her mom from the ruthless gang, it's just downright OWNING!

Dojo Destruction:


Butcher Shop Bedlam:

Featured Clip of the Day - Cow equals Iced Caramel Macchiato

Here is another one of those L.A. County Fair commercials. Simply hilarious!

(The cow is a cappuccino machine!)

L.A. County Fair - Kid's Classroom

More L.A. County Fair commercials: Blondes are the Bomb

New Nanny in the House

It's really hard to get good help nowadays. Especially the ones who you have to entrust your home, your children and belongings. With syndicates like the "Akyat Bahay" Gang, you really have to be careful in choosing the household help. That is why ever since, our family and our relatives employs those who are actually related to one another.

About a month ago, the nanny of my 1-year old kid took a day off and never returned. We were surprised that she did this because we were very good employers. It's not that I am patronizing myself, but we really treat the household help as part of the family. In fact, we even offered the previous nanny that once her child was old enough we would bring him here to Manila and help the nanny with the kid's education. She was even the sister of the household help of my Dad, so we were confident that she wouldn't do such a thing.

But, we were wrong.

So a few days ago, the new nanny arrived. Hopefully, she would be here to stay since we are expecting our new baby by October. (She just needs to eat full meals and take a lot of vitamins; she's kinda skinny and my kid is like the energizer bunny, I myself have a hard time keeping up with him.)

Featured Clips of the Day: Blondes are the Bomb

I have nothing against blondes, it's just that these L.A. County Fair commercials really made me laugh!

Wool comes from a Cow


What sound does a Sheep make


Bumper Cars



Check out this other clip: Beauty without Brains