Taking A Leap On A Leap Year

God has been good to our newfound business. Slowly, we are gaining good customers through the patience of wifey in promoting our "goods." You may check what's new through this Facebook page, The Bonenica Shop.  But trials decided to stay a bit around us this month, as we lost my father-in-law, Papa Johnny (afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 23rd). Wifey was the only witness when he breathed his last in his room, and all I can do at that moment was to recall how good he was to me since day 1 that I knew him. Sad days for the family but yeah, we needed to be strong and move on altogether.  Day before that, an unfortunate event had to happen. Our car was bumped and the back compartment hood was heavily damaged.  The driver said he lost brakes but we suspect otherwise: that he either fell asleep or that he was texting while driving.  We were on a constant 30 to 40kph speed and nearing to turn right when a sudden bump moved our car further forward.  We insisted to have it on police record so we will be sure that the damage will be repaired at no cost at all on our part, but yeah, the hassle. 

misfortune

Star struck moment this month: Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto was seen dining in a restaurant with his family where we also went. So, as popular as he is even among his non-constituents, we immediately excused ourselves to his family and have a photo taken with him. 

photo with the head of ONE Cainta, Mayor Kit Nieto

Papa Johnny's grandchildren during his burial

Shout out to my cousin, Angelica T. Dela Cruz, and to all leap year babies who are celebrating their real birthday today, February 29th.  Let us all take a big leap these coming days for our dreams to be fulfilled!

Reminiscing The Good Old Times

Today, I went back to my alma mater.  This time, I was with my two girls.  The real agenda in visiting the old school was to proceed to Radyo Agila for a business matter.  Took my two girls with me while coordinating the live interview of one of our executive officers in the company where I am currently working.

Generally, it was a good experience.  My boss was fascinated with the facilities in Central (To God be the glory) and was impressed with the following of the radio program where he guested.  Tita Lou Medina hosts the weekly program, Gabay Ng OFW International, airing over DZEC 1062kHz, every Saturday at 8 in the evening.  The radio program talks mainly about OFW matters, news around the globe that affects our modern-day heroes, current issues concerning our overseas workers and other interests that OFW families may benefit from.

My two girls, especially my little girl enjoyed her stay inside the studio.  Perhaps a future in the broadcasting industry where her dad used to work?  Let us see! ;)

Looking back, I can just say that time flies real fast.  My little girl is now beginning to take a glimpse of what I used to do, and where I used to go during my younger years.  I feel happy about this.  My two girls seeing my "world" when both of them aren't in my life yet.  I'm sure they appreciate it just as I appreciate our past activities when we were still singles.

throwback... flashback... looking back... however you call it, it always feels good reminiscing the good old times. ;)

It's New Year at The Square!

It was a feel good day even if I am working on a holiday, took wifey & my little girl with me to Lancaster Square so they can watch the Chinese new year celebration which the commercial team prepared for everyone in the area.  I first left them in the play place inside Leighton Hall while my team mates & I rounded the homeowners to do our day job.  Come late afternoon, we gathered in The Square to wait for the traditional lion dance and of course, the highlight of the celebration--- fireworks display.

Many people gathered in The Square to patiently wait for the start of celebration.  Unfortunately, the group that is supposed to perform the lion dance got stuck in heavy traffic and wasn't able to arrive on time.  As a result, the fireworks display was showcased first (yes, the lion dance group arrived and performed after the fireworks display but most people already left.)

It was awesome witnessing the fireworks display at the nearest possible spot where we are still safe from the 'fireworks debris.' We had to look up to witness how spectacular the heaven was being lit by colorful lights.  Seeing the people around, all were delighted seeing the more-than-5-minute fireworks display--- compensating the couple of hours waiting time for the late lion dance group.

Lancaster Square is located at the heart of Lancaster New City, the flagship project of PRO-FRIENDS.

Habagat - August 2013

Today is the 2nd day of continuous rain. Classes in all levels and work were suspended yesterday and today, and today the flood has risen. i saw my neighbor's photo of our flooded street in facebook so i decided to check it out myself. yaiks! it's almost an Ondoy repeat! but water subsided faster this time and i hope more are safer today than Ondoy time.

[caption id="attachment_3092" align="alignnone" width="300"] flood watch with neighbors[/caption]

fortunately it's an official non-working holiday tomorrow. people affected by the flood still have an extra day to attend to their homes and belongings before reporting to work again. the holiday has been extended too much due to bad weather. since we will be having the first worship service in our locale extension tomorrow morning, we offered our home to church officers who were affected by the flood and will perform their duties tomorrow. we're accommodating a total of 8 persons tonight, so wifey quickly prepared the food for the guests:

[caption id="attachment_3096" align="alignnone" width="300"] food for the guests[/caption]

earlier, the KADIWAs did rounds to the brethren affected by the monsoon rains. braving the rain and not withstanding the flood, they happily rode the boat and saw how the brothers and sisters were doing.

[caption id="attachment_3095" align="alignnone" width="300"] kapisanang KADIWA doing visitation amidst heavy rain and flood[/caption]

yes, the Filipino spirit is waterproof, and brotherhood in the church is really something to be proud of!

a day with an unexpected famous person

yesterday we received a letter from a photo journalist asking if he can shoot his subject in our project, Lancaster. the bosses immediately asked for coordination and said yes as it was an opportunity for us to be "part" of the National Geographic where the photo journalist works for. Akina & I have to "supervise" the shoot today and it turned out to be a star-struck moment. we are actually accommodating Jonas Bendiksen!

[caption id="attachment_2991" align="alignnone" width="225"] Jonas is a member of Magnum Photos[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2990" align="alignnone" width="300"] pose with Jonas who went to Manila to shoot for a feature in the National Geographic[/caption]

Day 10 of 365

Maaga akong nakauwi ngayon. Late na akong nakauwi. Para sa isang offset day, nagtagal pa ako sa trabaho nang halos tatlong oras dahil kinailangan ko pang ipakita sa ilang piling brokers ang aktibidad na pinagkakaabalahan ngayon ng aming kagawaran. mabuti na lang at nakapagsalita ako, di tulad nung isang araw na naghintay ako nang matagal pero dahil kinapos sa oras ng renta ang isang grupo ng mga ahente, hindi na ako nabigyan ng pagkakataong makapag-present.

ang sarap lang... 3 2 araw akong nakabakasyon dulot nung mga araw na ipinasok ko noong holiday. gayunpaman, hindi ko pa rin ganap na maalis sa isipan ko ang iniwang trabaho. at bagama't naghabilin na ako sa aking bagong kasama, iniisip ko pa rin ang magiging resulta noong ibinilin ko. pagkatapos pa naman ng bakasyon ko, hindi pa rin ako makakatuloy sa opisina dahil kailangan naman (ulit) naming lumipad pa-Iloilo para sa isa muling business trip. magbubukas daw kami ng 'negosyo' sa city of smiles. wow, nakaka-excite naman... doon yata ako nanirahan nang may tatlong taon ng aking kabataan. kung matutuloy man yun at kung kailan, abangan! :D

- - - - - - - - - - - -

mukhang tuso itong dagang bubwit na nakapasok sa loob ng bahay namin ngayon. nakatambay sya sa likod ng oven at panaka-naka ay sumisilip sa itaas ng kalan. madalas din niyang masalisihan si misis sa mga pagkaing pareho nilang kinagigiliwan--- chocolates! naglagay na ng traps pero ayaw kagatin ni bubwit.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

bukas... saan kaya magandang mag-family bonding?

Monday, what's up?

it's a brand new week and headlines unite with the defeat of Manny Pacquiao to Timothy Bradley via split decision. while i admire Manny for every boxing performance, i can easily move on with his loss to his recent match, mainly because if it was a real defeat, then it'd somehow keep his feet on the ground. But some analysis say the match was just all about money. well, boxing is a business. sadly, the sport has to come to this point where fair matches should be driven by "some factors" and that the fans come to the losing end.

on another note, weekend was good. i got to run my first fun run event although it wasn't a full run, i get to realize i need to do more physical workout. unlike when i was in my previous job, i get to carry big boxes when i do inventory so i get a free workout even when working. running regularly is one of my "wants" but getting time out for this is the difficult part for me. now that i get to work six times a week, i only have Sundays for my personal stuff. and the day must also be divided with church and my family so planning to run got more blurry. that's why somehow, even if still unfit, i'm thankful that i was given the opportunity (since there are no other choices) to run for this sponsored event. i also realized that i need to get a good pair of (an all-around) rubber shoes. Ren was kind enough to take photos of the event. "Takbo Para Sa Kalikasan," was initiated by the provincial government of Cavite and was held in Trece Martires. this coming Saturday, another cause, this time for the senior citizens, will also be held in Cavite. the fun run will happen in Imus where our company also took part of as sponsor. I'm not just sure if I will be representing our company again to run, or maybe we can tap someone to run for this event while i do the documentation. whichever, both are okay to me.

this week, my family gets to stay in Mandaluyong for a couple of days. it means i'm near my work place. Yay! i can get longer sleeping hours! and yes, living-rich mode, haha! i'm looking forward to bring my two girls in one of our projects in Cavite tomorrow. we'll be doing some preparations for a BIG event by mid-week. it's holiday tomorrow in celebration of the country's independence day but we need to work. well, at least my colleagues are nice enough to offer me to take my two girls during our ingress. :)

busy days ahead... as always. but being busy is better than doing nothing at all, right?

the return of the games i used to play

wifey & i got this new PXP yesterday at Toys R Us. we've been eyeing this unit since last week. it definitely brings back good old memories... yep! PXP features games from the (old) Family Computer! name it: Bomber Man, Galaxian, Donkey Kong Series, Charlie Circus, Mario Bros Series, F1 Race, Contra, Sky Destroyer (one of my favorites), Load Runner, Battle City, Pro-Wrestling, Mappy, Ice Climber, Legend of Kage, and many, many more! Geez... can't wait to bring it to work and flaunt it to Doy--- the boy who is fond of electronic, portable games. haha! there are some games i'm looking for that aren't available on their cartridges on sale: Punch Out & Double Dribble. We got the PXP at P1.7k and an extra 101-in-1 game cartridge at P300. sort of, gift to myself! ;)

i'm back to childhood days...! :D

11.11.11

so today is the 11th of November, year 2011. In another way of writing, it's 11-11-11. I remember writing my first post for this blog and the date was, of course as the blog name suggests, 03-03-03. today marks the second to the last chance that we live a day with a triple numbered date... at least in our lifetime. we only have up to next year to anticipate the last triple numbered date: 12-12-12.

and since i consider these dates amusing (and once in a lifetime happening,) i'll just have eleven random "number" posts for today's blog entry.

1. i went to college freshman twice: first, taking up BSIE in UST and after two years, shifted to ABMC in NEU.
2. i have 2 official best friends in real life: 1 boy and 1 girl. but then again, i've managed to "expand" the number into 5. does that ruin the real definition of the word "best?"
3. the birth of my blog was March 3, 2003, hence, the 03.03.03
4. four local bands which i admired: Side A, Southborder, The Dawn, Neocolours ...what, no E-heads? yeah. not in my top 4. perhaps they'll be on my fifth.
5. i've had five different resident addresses in my entire life.
6. the longest job i've had was almost 6 years.
7. seven pretty news personalities for me (from GMA News) are: Pia Arcangel, Mariz Umali, Tricia Zafra, Saleema Refran, Cata Tibayan, Rhea Santos, Vicky Morales. In person, Vicky has this very pretty aura when you see her. :)
8. 08.08.08 is a memorable date for me!
9. 9 is the jersey worn by my favorite PBA player back in the 90's--- Samboy Lim.
10. i've had 10 jobs in my entire career life--- 5 of which are temporary jobs.
11. well, today is 11-11-11. remarkable, isn't it? :P

and before i wrap this post up, i'd like to wish my colleagues, Bambam & Roxanne, congratulations & best wishes! they're tying the knot today, 11.11.11. one of the many couples who'll be exchanging their vows today for a lifetime commitment to be together for the rest of their lives. ;)

what's up, kulisap?

patapos na ang buwan... ramdam ko pa rin ang epekto ng hindi pagbabayad sa akin nung kumpanyang pinanggalingan ko, pinagsilbihan ng halos anim na taon at basta na lang ako iniwan sa ere pagkatapos kong maghintay ng oportunidad ng pagsulong sa loob nang mahigit dalawang taon. at nang dumating na nga ang pagkakataong dapat na akong magdesisyon, hindi man lang halos matanggap ang pag-alis ko kaya marahil bokya ang naiuwi ko mula roon. anyhoo... sayang naman ang nasimulan kong "2011 positivity" kung magmumukmok lang ako eh sa pagmumukmok ko, hindi naman madadagdagan magkakaroon ng laman ang pitaka ko.

mabuti na lang, happy happy joy joy ang dinadatnan ko lagi sa bahay... at kung lalabas man kami para mag family day/bonding, kahit walang pera, ayos na ayos na!



magbi-birthday na si wifey sa Wednesday. at dahil sa-id ang bank account(s) namin, simple lang ang regalo ko sa kaniya:

1. (isang bagay na ayaw niyang ipasabi in public)
2. isang damit pantulog
3. isang __________ (sikreto pa ito.. sana di muna sya magbasa ng blog ko)
4. at ang aking sarili nang buong-buo.

...yun lang. pagkatapos ng birthday niya, ilang mga araw lang, si little girl naman ang magbi-birthday. sa gulang na dalawa, marami-rami na syang alam gawin. minsan ikinagugulat namin. syempre ayokong masyadong maging hambog sa mga nalalaman na ng anak ko dahil baka sabihin eh masyadong self-serving dahil nga naman magulang ako. isa lang ang masasabi ko... i'm surely a proud dad! eto ang ilan sa latest pics nya... hindi ko mai-post yung first pedal nya sa bike at yung pagsabay nya sa kanta ng Hi-5 kase malaki raw ang file kaya file upload unsucessful... eto na lang muna:

[caption id="attachment_2132" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="ang masayahin naming anak, nag-iisa lang yan... buong buhay ko ibibigay ko alang-alang sa kaniya"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2133" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="hahabol pa ba tayo sa summer, anak? tag-ulan na!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2134" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="eating and sleeping. My Little Girl\'s Got Talent! woot! woot!"][/caption]

MAY-time

I'm turning 35 but i don't look that old and it doesn't feel that bad. really. May is my month. I don't know but May seems to be the next best month after December. May is the peak of summer in Manila and weather abnormality says that it's also the beginning of the other season--- the rainy season. last minute vacations happen in May especially for students. Beaches become full, cool places like Tagaytay & Baguio become congested with tourists and bookstores are flocked by school shoppers.

Birthdays make you contemplate on how long you've gone in life. I feel blessed. My friends make me feel i am blessed. My family is my blessing. I have my spiritual treasures. My faith is above everything.

But everything can not be perfect. No. Nothing is perfect in this world. I wish for more income. Not only to pay our monthly bills but also to have more money to help the needy. I'm not a charity person. But i give to those who deserve help. I also want to give more to my better half. She takes care of our household and she attends to me and our little girl selflessly. Small things mean a lot to her and I can't even give her those "wants" due to financial priority. I'm maintaining her list, though. When bounty times come, i'm sure to mark that list and cross them out one by one. For the meantime, I'm still looking for a 2nd job that will complement my prime bread & butter.

Speaking of happy times, my dear wifey saved some money to buy me this (advanced) birthday gift:



She's been telling me to change my mobile phone which is already more or less four years old. My Nokia 6233 was a fruit of my own labor few years back. I have changed it's original battery and also changed its back housing. But that's it. It's still a good use. But now that i have my new Nokia C3, I can now retire my old phone. Thanks, wifey! ;)

On another note, this is my 2nd time to take a leave at work. Choir practice is scheduled tonight for the special worship service on Saturday. I always feel good performing my duty. :)

today is a Good Friday

because:

> naka-raket ako today
> work load is lesser than usual
> program airing is earlier than usual (it means, maaga ang uwian)
> it's Saturday tomorrow! :D
> nakapag-KOPI ROTI with colleagues
> FREE LUNCH AND DINNER! woot! woot!

pap-parap-pa-pap... love 'ko 'to! :D

probinsyano ka ba?

alam mong nasa probinsya ka kung:

1.
may bumabiyahe pang calesa sa lugar ninyo

2.
nakakabasa ka pa ng tagalog na road signs sa kalsada

3.
kapag kapitbahay mo ang mga bundok at ang tabi ng "highway" ninyo ay palayan

4.
kapag may nagbibilad ng palay sa lugar ninyo... pero mas classic kung hanggang ngayon, sa kalsada pa nagbibilad ng palay ang mga magsasaka sa lugar nyo. tulad nito:


sa iba, kapag binansagan kang "probinsyano", parang napaka-negatibo ng dating. pero ang totoo, masarap maging probinsyano. minsan nga mas marami pang karanasan ang mga probinsyano. marunong sa maraming gawain na karaniwang hindi alam gawin ng mga taga-syudad. at ang pinakapanalo sa pagiging "probinsyano"--- mas malayo ka sa magulong buhay ng kalunsuran.

magaling lang mag-project

ang post na ito ay isa na namang pagngi-ngitngit tungkol sa kawalan ng pera. pero para maiba naman (at dahil napakarami ko na yatang "no money rant" sa blog ko na ito)... ibahin natin ang anggulo ng kwento . :P

bakit kaya kapag sinabi kong "wala akong/kaming pera" ay wala ring naniniwala? para bang isang napakalaking krimen ang nasabi ko at hindi talaga mapaniwalaan. meron pa ngang nagsabi sa akin... "kuya, mawalan na ng pera ang banko pero ikaw.. hinde!" --- o, pamatay di ba?!

ganun ba talaga ang husay ko/namin (ni misis) na magtago ng tunay naming kalagayan? pero hindi naman sa pagiging OA, kumakain pa naman kami ng tatlong dalawang beses sa isang araw (skip breakfast, kape na lang) at minsan ako eh hindi na rin nagha-hapunan (by choice). at hindi naman din nauubusan ng diaper at gatas ang aming little girl (number one rule sa amin ngayon yan--- daughter first before parents!). well, it's either artista kaming mag-asawa (magaling umarte at magtago ng tunay naming nararamdaman) o kaya naman eh we just choose to have a positive outlook in life (naks!) i think it's the latter (or pwede ring both, hehehe). wala naman kaseng mangyayari kung magmumukmok kami pareho. pag nagmukmok kami, hindi naman biglang susulpot sa harap namin yung muntik nang hindi napanalunang jackpot sa lotto noon na daan-daang milyong piso! although sa aming dalawa ni wifey, mas siya yung positive thinker kaysa akin. siya yung nagpapaalala sa akin na hindi ko dapat ikalumo ang kawalan ng pera naming mag-asawa.

pero teka... define "walang pera". sabi kase ng isa kong kaibigan, wag ko raw sabihing wala kaming pera dahil hindi naman daw totoo. sabagay, exaj nga namang sabihin yun dahil may pambili naman kami ng pagkain araw-araw (kahit pancit canton lang sa tindahan). actually, kapag sinabi kong "walang pera", ang ibig sabihin nun eh wala kaming panggastos para sa mga kaluhuuan namin... minsan din, hindi namin nababayaran yung mga dapat bayaran sa loob ng isang buwan. at may pagkakataon na kahit kailangan naming mag-asawa ay hindi namin nabibili. kase nga, "wala kaming pera." yun na yun! siguro may kaunting inggit lang kami sa ilang mga kakilala na pabaka-bakasyon kung saan-saan, at pabili-bili ng mga gamit na hindi naman necessary. at pagkatapos ay ibabandila nila sa facebook... hmmm... i-shutdown na lang kaya namin yung mga FB accounts namin? good idea? haha! wag naman. isa na lang yun sa pinaglilibangan namin kapag hindi kami makalabas ng bahay (dahil walang panggastos, hehe).

di bale, bilang bahagi ng aking kampanya na 2011 positivity... yayaman din kami! ;)

Welcome to the 21st Century!

*our communication - wireless
*our phones- cordless
*our food- fat-less
*our sweets-sugarless
*our labor- effortless
*our mistake-countless
*our attitude- careless
*our youth- jobless
*our ladies- topless
*our needs- endless
*our situation- hopeless
*our future- clueless!!!

- received from my inbox, re-posted just for the lighter side of life

11 Things for 2011

today is 1.11.11 and giving credit to blogger pal Ely for the idea, i'm now listing my 11 Things for 2011. Here it goes:

1. My sister's homecoming. It's not happening until December but yeah, still it will be under this year, 2011.
2. My cousin An's wedding. It's not just an ordinary wedding but it's also marked as our cousins reunion, father side!
3. Our little girl turning two! They say that little ones learn how to speak real words at the age of two and i can't wait for that!
4. A new career! (fearless post, hahaha!)
5. Income flow! :)
6. Loose weight. :P
7. 365 Days Project completion.
8. Travel.
9. Recognition (of any pleasant kind).
10. half-way to forty (yaiks!)
11. stay young (looks and at heart)

2011 positivity! ;)

Children's Thanksgiving & Family Day Weekend

it was a 'look forward to' weekend--- Saturday for the annual (year-end) children's thanksgiving worship and Sunday for family day. the week-long devotional prayer once again proved to be effective as the graces of God outpoured during the actual day of thanksgiving. It was my 4th time to be with my daughter for this special church occasion and it's simply priceless! telling the kids how good God is all the days of our lives is something i want my daughter to be aware of when she starts to understand things. at the latter part of the day, the in-laws and us strolled in the 'kitchenwares' section of SM and gifted ourselves new teflon frying pan each. now, our fried ulam is never going to be the same again! looking forward to yummy days of having fried chicken, fried hotdogs, fried eggs, fried bangus, fried tilapia, and fried rice on our dining table! :P

the following day, Sunday, wifey & i, together of course with our lovely daughter, met with soon-to-be-groom, LA. he handed our invites and shared a some time talking about his upcoming wedding. i was busy being a dad at the same time. our little girl wanted to play and walk around. by the time that we have to go home, we drove LA to his home and we called it a day!

now facing a busy, busy week...

(see weekend photos here.)

feel good friday

this is the first friday of the last month of the current year. too many things to look forward to before this year ends, mostly are gatherings. i still need to get my (pile of) work done so as not to create any backlogs on the new year. besides, i want everything cleared (in relation to work) before this years ends.

i`ve uploaded a couple of videos in my multiply account. first video was taken last november 29th when we stayed in my aunt`s place. i was taking a bath when my wife & daughter had this `bonding`in bed:



^ i think its cute. your baby calling you with her baby talk is simply priceless! dads can relate, for sure! :) on the second video, we went to Rustans Supermarket last night to consume the gift cert i got from PEx. normally, we will put our daughter inside the push cart. but last night, she was insistent to walk while we do the rounds. and we were surprised with her doing the shopping for us:



hayy... time flies. soon, our daughter is no longer a baby, no longer a kid. soon she will turn into a woman and so i think i made the right decision of not leaving them because these moments do not really last that long.

Disyembre Na!!!

happy month?! yay! anu-ano nga ba ang inaabangan ninyo kapag disyembre? ako eto:

1) 13th month pay!!! (top ito!)
2) incentive (bonus - kung okay ang performance sa whole year)
3) too many holidays. sabi ko nga, holiday = family day. yay!
4) thanksgiving worships (one for children, one for adults)
5) too many generous people (bakit ba pag december ganito ang atmosphere? di ba pwedeng all-year round?)
6) metro manila film fest (opo, taga-suporta po ako ng pelikulang pilipino--- sana may magandang entries naman)
7) fruit salad tradition kapag new year!
8) warm greetings with people in greeting the new year.
9) family reunionsss
10) expiring year welcomes a new year--- a new beginning.

o, di ba ang lalim nung huli? ;)

update lang

marami nang kwento, pero tinatamad akong mag-blog. kaya eto muna ang isang mainit-init pang video na kinuha lang kani-kanina nang kaunti...

naligo ang anak ko, nagbihis nang maayos, umingit at nagpunta sa playpen, tapos kumain ng fudgee bar at eto ang naging resulta...



for the meantime, alis muna kaming mag-anak. punta lang kami dyan sa tabi-tabi para kunin yung ilang bagay na makakapagpalayas sa amin tungo sa malalayong lupain ;)