Welcome 2008!

11:56PM. Tomorrow will possibly be not this clear-skied. It's so noisy outside! The streets will be so dirty too. Welcome to the new year? Well, we clean up. And we're hopeful things will get better and better. Cheers!

To everyone who greeted via text, email, ym, friendster, etc... Happy New Year to you all! God bless you and may your wishes that have positive effects on other people too come true hehehe May you be blessed with good health and a good outlook on life.

Lenny Tiongson, Jo and Bjen, Roman, Wani San Juan, Eduard, Jay Santiago, alexhunter, marta Cruz, Alvi de Castro, Nanay Gilda, Dan Garces, Ermie Concepcion, Mia Byj, Mich Uy, Mike Maguigad, Emil Macaso, Settie Grajo, Audie Gonzales, Geka Sugarplumfairy, Arvin Cando, Jere Jeresano, Tin Gamayon, Ria Nunag, Norms Alcantara, Mischel Trinidad, Yugioh, Noel Ubico, AJ Chua, Bucky, Ryan Bonzon, Kat, Chino, Mac, Whyte Jorry, Jiji Sarad, Vincent Silarde, Karlos Nerida...

Suddenly, it's magic!

Last Dec. 5, as part of their '12 Days of Christmas' promotion, the morning radio show, Good Times With Mo, gave away a laptop to the listener who would be able to guess the place that they would call. Somewhere out there. Where in the World is Carmen Santiago? So whoever they called gave some clues, and the DJ's did too. I just got out of the shower when I heard DJ Mo said anyone can use the internet and Google the clues. And so I booted up my computer and searched for the keywords that were mentioned - Peele Street and West Island. Another clue was the time difference between the place they called and Manila - 13 hours. And so when I got the place which was my guess, someone had already called the station. The guy's name was JB. And when asked what his guess was, he said Vancouver in Canada. Incorrect. I dialed and lucky me, I got through the line! Ordinarily, it would be extremely difficult to get through. I was surprised that after one ring, DJ Mo was on the other end asking me if I had a guess. They asked me my name first and I gave JB too and they were a little amazed that another JB got through to call. And then that's when I gave my answer which was Montreal, Canada.I called December 5, Wednesday, and went to the station the following day. Too bad, Mo forgot to bring the LENOVO LAPTOP I WOOOONNNN!!!! (Imagine Oprah shouting and her eyes popping out). Yes, my answer was correct, and a couple of callers were pretty bitter about my winning. Here's Mohan, Joseph, and Miguel inside the DJ's booth.And here's a shot of the LENOVO LAPTOP I WOONNNN!!!! I came back that afternoon to pick it up. I also won a Magnolia Foods gift basket with ham and cheese and milk in it. It wasn't a spectacular model. It had Vista Basic for the O/S but only 512MB of memory. Anyway, still grateful and thankful, and I'm sorry I couldn't express more excitement and jumpiness over winning the prize unlike some of the girls who screamed and shouted and burst at least one blood vessel when they won a big prize. It's just that I'm milder mannered.Again, thank you Magic 89.9 and Mohan Gumatay (Mo) and Joseph Javier (Mojo Jojo) for the chance and for the prize. And thank you to that show's sponsors. Hmm, what else? Amazing that I won! I've never won anything this big before. So mom's using the laptop for when she does her training seminars. And I'm using my old laptop. Maybe I'll win something else again. Just have to listen regularly. You should too.

It's been a magical year, truly.

Steak Plus @ Metrowalk

An alternative dining experience if you're into getting served smoking hot steaks. Steak Plus at Metrowalk is a small corner restaurant that serves meat. Enough said.And before snapshots of the food, here's their hanging ornament that gives the whole place a rustic, western, dim, dusty, and dingy feel.But you forget the surroundings once you're served the meat. If you're really hungry. Ah, meat! The taste is in the eating you. Too bad you're kind of thin... Oh, T-bone stands for thin bone?There's another steak place somewhere in Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City which recently changed its name... another post...

Merry Christmas 2007!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Well, not everyone. Everyone who celebrates Christmas. Here's a nice little , not-so-little Christmas tree over at Rockwell in Makati. No, it's not almost as tall as the buildings behind it...Merry Christmas to my loved ones, and my loved one, and my friends and officemates, and those who I met in the course of 2007 and those who've visited this blog and my website, jaybeecc.com, which is currently undergoing re-design in preparation for the big December 2009 celebration.
Merry greetings go out to Vincent Silarde, Eduard Gentizon, Mac, Bjen, Jorge Tapalla, Jay Santiago, aaronphil2004, dantejr, Krisette Grajo, Ogie Alcantara, Alvi de Castro, Marta Cruz, Rianne Soriano, Jose/Vina/Linus Ngo, Ermie Concepcion, Fitz, Mia, Buang, Jovan Casungcad, Dan Garces, Techsupport, Ariel Cabungcal, Laine Nunez, Jiji Sarad, Noel Ubico, Ces, Karlos Nerida, Yugioh, Jermine Magtibay, Hans/Mich/Joshua Uy, Jayson/Norms/Jay-I Alcantara, Angelo Gonzales, Fred, Jorry, Rizza, Jonathan Magpantay, Jayvee Agustin, Toffer Lorenzana, and those whose numbers don't register on my mobile :) ... plus Hernandez family, Ayson family, Butaran family...

33

And so it ends. Another 9-set Whether vain. And looking back at the 32 years of my life, I still feel I'm very blessed. And I'm still out to be able to, in my own little way, share the blessings I have received. "Why throw even one starfish back to the sea? There are hundreds of others on the shore - you can't throw all of them back in. - It matters for that one." Do what good I can, yeah.

Streak

Don't be shocked! Look again. An easy guess.

Holiday Inn @ Clark, Pampanga

Attended a conference and more than a hundred of us were booked two in a room at the Holiday Inn at Clark in Pampanga. It was around 2 hours bus ride from Makati. The rooms were small, cozy, and looked exactly like any other double-occupancy room (I only saw the insides of three rooms).From some of the rooms, you can see the pool and poolside. There's a pool table too but it's further to the right of what you see in the picture.
Rooms have cable, standard. And I caught Prime starring Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep on HBO, while waiting for the dinner call. Funny movie. Funny Meryl Streep reactions whenever Uma relays sex stories with Meryl's son in the film.
The ballroom ceiling.
And since Christmas is near, the hotel has a theme to its decor in the lobby- African Savannah Christmas. O-k. Everywhere you look, there's a lion or lioness resting from a day's worth of hunting Christmas dinner meat. And while the carnivores go idle and pose for tourist photos, the hip huntees wear Santa hats and hang purple balls on branches they eat the leaves from.
Buffet meat for myself.
If you're not staying for at least a weekend to play casino or sight-see volcanic ash somewhere, I suggest the Holiday Inn in Ortigas...

heaven n' eggs @ Tomas Morato

This would be the second time I tried heaven 'n eggs. And if you noticed, how I typed the restaurant name in the entry title above is not exactly the same as the restaurant name on its tissue. Yes, oh you with 20/20 vision, I misplaced the apostrophe. Who cares?So this is their menu on a thick, heavy-stock cardboard.
And on their walls are these wall-pop-outs of famous landmarks from around the world. You have the Pisa tower leaning beside the Eiffel.
And then the windmills from Dutchland.
Straight from Dinerland are these plaid covers. Ooh, separate holders for syrups and sauces!
This time, I had piglets in a blanket (I forgot the exact menu item name)- a sausage wrapped in pancake. The pancake was dusted with some hardly sweet white powder. Definitely not cocaine. And some scrambled eggs for good measure.
And my measure for this restaurant? A consistent average. Oh, and the night guard falls asleep on duty. Bring him a blanket?

Whether vain set 17

An even worse time this set. In one picture I look drunk and on the way to the Conference in Clark, Pampanga, Sunday the 25th, I receive news that my dear spinster grandmother (my dad's aunt) who took care of my dad and my sister and I when we were growing up passed away in Bikol. I didn't attend the wake or the funeral. I was confused. I didn't know what was going on. This was the first time a close family member died and I was here in the Philippines (the first one when my dad's dad died, it was my first working day back in Boston in 2005). And I found myself crying driving to work. And crying dressing up for work. And still I couldn't get myself to go to Bikol. Anyway, my dad and my aunt Gilda went. And Tita Gilda has hearsay stories of how Lola Citan kept a picture of me (she thought it was me but it was another person) under her bed and she was asking for me just before she died. Heavy sigh. Necita Luzentales Corrioso was 87. I love you, Lola, and I will miss you. May God take you in His arms and may you rest in peace.