2010 in review

If you've been closely following (yeah right!) my blog, it's surprising that I wasn't able to make a review for 2009. Well, past is past.

This entry is specifically dedicated to everyone who have been a part of the year that was 2010.

• 2nd day of January was my first ER checkup due to my frequent headache, fever, and vomiting. No diagnosis given, just meds for the pain.
• 3rd day of January, I was confined at SLMC for a week. Diagnosis: meningitis. So I was pretty much bedridden for the first 5 weeks of the year.
• 3rd week of February was my first official work day for 2010. Thank God it fell on the off-peak month of the year.
• March - I can't remember any significant happening on this month.
• April - Dave. Oh yes DAVE! The mother of all segmentations, meaning, countless overtimes and overnights!
• May has been the month that equalize the low point that January gave me. Finally got my promotion.
• June - Dave pa rin. And iba pang mabibigat na projects. June also was the time I got to know Baby Jon Angelo and Breathe Hope. And from then on I promised to myself that I'll always be there for Jon.
• July - my birth month. And yes, my first time (finally natuloy din) to travel alone. Celebrated my birthday in Cebu, one of the best birthdays I've had. My version of my alone time with myself. LOL
• August - more projects, more projects, and more projects
• I was supposed to be in Bohol on the 2nd week weekend of September. But since it fell on the same date of the UAAP CDC, I let it pass. Good thing it was worth it.
• October was work work work again
• Spent a weekend of November in Iloilo...alone! And I'll continue "my" city tour until I've visited all major cities here in the Philippines.
• 2010 started off with a very very low point in my year. But thankfully, as 2010 comes to a close, blessings kept pouring in. December had been my highest point for 2010. Success of the PSRC Rock party which I headed, Mega-B surpassing the quota set for the year and the "bonggang" yearend/ Christmas party. And best thing that happened was finally getting the W.O.W award. Looking forward to that Palawan trip.

So to everyone who have been a part of my rollercoaster year, my sincerest gratitude. Hoping, wishing, and praying that come 2011, as I draft my review for that year, you'll still be a part of it.

Cheers to 2010!

party #2: Mega B's pimps & whores

Fresh from the success of PSRC Rock, Mega-B has leveled up its annual department party. And since we exceeded our quota for the year, we can party to the max!

This year was the first, I think, that Mega-B held its party outside the office. And it was really amazing that the bosses and the RATs chose Victoria Court (yes the motel chain) as this year's venue. Pimps and Whores, that's our theme. And yes, everybody needs to dress up or pay P1000 as fine. So I just had a shirt done with PIMP shoutout.

And as expected, it was a complete success. Let's just say the current Mega-B has evolved. And yes, I like it!

For complete pics, just click here.

W.O.W

I'd be a hypocrite if I say that I didn't wish I get the W.O.W. (Work of Wonders) award. By far this has been the highest commendation given to any PSRC employee. Not to mention the perk of travelling to one of Philippines' tourist destination. Ever since winning runner-up honors for Rookie of the year in 2003, this has been my next target. But to no avail, every year, somebody else wins it. It even came to a point that I got hopeless. Since my bosses (director and manager) left, it felt like no one recognizes our efforts. I was even justifying to myself that I deserve it given that we were standing by ourselves even without a manager supervising us. And that's all I've been doing for the next X years, justifications!

Since I came back in 2006, I've been nominated twice (not counting this year). And given the load that I've had this year, I was thinking that if I didn't get it, then I won't be winning it in this lifetime. And that would be my last string, I thought.

So come December 16, judgement day, I was completely nervous. I kept myself preoccupied by making everything work for the Christmas party. And when MD announced this year's W.O.W. awardees, I got speechless even to the point of crying (good thing I didn't reach that point!).

Again, I'd like to say thanks to those who nominated me. I don't know everyone, but still, many thanks for these comments:

• He's very professional when it comes to work, but he's also full of life.
• On subjects that he is not familiar with, he takes time to research books/internet so he can explain it to us.
• He's just so helpful.
• He adds so much energy to PSRC events.
• Caloi has also been a model employee for me. I can clearly see his dedication for work. His passion for work is incredible. He always sees a diffiicult task as an opportunity to grow and learn. He has also been an encouraging colleague and friend. Even if it's not his project and/or expertise, Caloi lends his help when we ask for it and volunteers if we do not seek his help.
• Very easy to approach for consultation with regards to sampling, questionnaire and stat analysis concerns.
• Where would we all be without him? The stat department for years has been neglected and he has kept the boat steady. Maaasahan.
• Also, very hardworking. Stat may have been under-appreciated all these years since the team works in the backroom. As the senior in the group, he's led the team to put out and deliver.
• A very valuable resource who has helped us in the many complicated projects we handled this year. I really appreciate his eagerness to understand client objectives and provide or experiment with the appropriate statistical solutions that can address these objectives. He's very reliable and is always there to help. Open to suggestions and creative in his approach. He is also willing to help out the Accounts team to explain to clients the science/statistics behind our analyses.

These words really put a big smile in my face after I secured a copy. I wasn't able to understand anything while on stage. Everything was a blur that moment.

Thanks also to the ExeCom for considering me. And thanks to everyone who made my 2010 more bearable. If not for you guys I would have lost it. Funny that it took me almost seven years and six (or seven?) segmentations before fate gave me this moment. Nevertheless, I am thankful and honored.

Quoting what MD said before and what my boss posted in my FB wall: "What will you do if you know you cannot fail? Even more Work of Wonders, I bet." It really takes courage for one to know one's limits. I'm glad that they've pushed me hard, really hard. If not for them, I would have stayed back in my shell and not explore further what I have to offer. Thanks again mga bossing.

Also, congrats to us Ayah, Rudy, Andrea, and my good friend Jean! PALAWAN...here we come!!!

party #1: PSRC Rock!

Last December 16, PSRC held its annual Christmas party to celebrate the company's success for 2010. And when I say party...I mean PARTY!!! This year's theme was ROCK and the people didn't disappoint us as everybody took their time off to dress up and rock the night out!

We literally rocked Chef & Brewer while Breakaway Band was playing in the background. This year, Mega A has defended their title they won last 2008 (no contest in 2009). Mega B came close second and Qual came in third.

This year was very special for me for two reasons. First, I headed the Christmas party committee which came out a big success. Second, I'll explain in my future post. =)

All in all, 2010 was a big success for PSRC. And we ended the year with a bang through PSRC ROCK!

Some highlights of the night:

For complete pics, just click HERE!

adidas sale part 2

Better bring your cash since the credit card terminals aren't working...

1 week to go!

Thanks cyndi for this link...

so proud to be a Kapamilya

Ngayong Pasko magniningning ang Pilipino!!!

spark of brilliance

Just a follow-up to my previous post. The promo cards distributed during the first day contains 1 free sticker. So from 17 drinks, you only have to purchase 16. That's 100+ savings already. You can also combine a maximum of 2 promo cards provided you have the minimum number of Christmas blends required (which is 9). So if you're brilliant enough (like me!), you can secure two promo cards during the first day = 2 free stickers meaning a 200+ savings already.

And since I need at least 2 planners, I got four promo cards = 4 free stickers!

'tis the time of the year again

Hurry up! Drop by the nearest Starbucks and indulge yourself to their signature Christmas blends - Praline Mocha, Peppermint Mocha, and my favorite Toffe Nut. For every christmas blend you buy, you get 1 sticker. Complete the required 9 stickers (Christmas blends) and 8 stickers (any regular drink) and you get their limited edition 2011 planner. Just like last year, they come in 3 designs. Though I'm still checking out planners from Korea and Malaysia.

By the way, if you happen to get yourself a drink today (Nov.3), you get one sticker FREE!

team aguinaldo

It was really a surprise for me when I learned that Dad is running again. I wasn't consulted nor informed before he filed for his candidacy. Maybe because he knows that I will say no. For me, the more than 2 decades he served our barangay as captain is more than enough public service. But then again, the call for service is much stronger for him that he can't say no to those asking him to run. I think it was 2 days before the deadline that he finally decided to run. He settled for the Kagawad position since he didn't have enough time to form his lineup. Even his former alliances were caught by surprise that they already said yes to another party. So in the end my Dad ran as an independent candidate.

I admit that I wasn't able to join him during his campaigns because of work. So when I was told that we will still have our signature motorcade, I made sure that I'd be there. Indeed, I was there....with these:

The motorcade was a success. We were really surprised by the number of people who joined us. Who believed in my Dad and his plans for our barangay, that is to get back the school that he dreamed our barangay to have. Sadly, with the incumbent's lack of plans, we lost the school that my Dad worked hard for.

Sadly come election day, the number of people who attended the motorcade didn't really translate into votes. Dad ended up #9 trailing by a little over 100 voters from #7. It was really unfortunate that voters chose not to give my Dad a chance to fulfill his legacy. He wasn't given the chance to get the school back. Hope they made the right choice...

REALIZATION #1: Sad that there's animosity with old alliances. Dunno what's the issue but even my sister felt it. Just awkward...

REALIZATION #2: no matter how good your track record is, Iglesia Ni Cristo wont support you if you're running independent. Double sad...

REALIZATION #3: No matter how good I do a poker face, seeing those who betrayed my Dad/Nanay b4 gets me angrier as if it was just yesterday!

oyster spotted

There you go. I'm the one at the lower right. This is actually a framed wall art that will welcome you at the 21st floor of our Ortigas office. Was really surprised na isa ako sa napiling model. LOL. Yung nasa gitna pala yung big boss namin. Lumelevel up si oyster! Same frame with Bossing! Haha

spot the oyster

mangan na kita

What I missed about Stat was our lunchouts. When we were still at Main, we do lunchouts almost every week. Not to mention the bondings and open forums done once a month. These somehow made us bonded not only with work but how we relate with each other. I really miss that. So I'm starting this lunchouts every payday to relive the fire of the bond. Hope it's not too late...

run for hope II

See you there!!!

5k runners from Run For Hope (Sept.12):

oyster's way of eating fries

UP PEP SQUAD bagged 6th title

Ooohhh. Thanks to our workload I forgot to blog the 2010 UAAP Cheerdance results. Tsk tsk. Thanks to my trusted Lumix DMC-FZ35, was able to capture the routines in HIGH DEFINITION!!!

UP Pep Squad - Champion (Fiesta Theme - 440.9 points or 88.18%)





FEU Cheering Squad - 1st Runner-Up (Samurai Theme - 421.4 points or 84.28%)





UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe - 2nd Runner-Up (White Tiger Theme - 407.5 points or 81.50%)





Congrats again UP Pep Squad. I must say everything was worth it. Cheerdance over my supposedly Bohol trip. P1000 Patron seat tickets from scalpers. UP Pride! UP FIGHT!

For complete set of videos, visit my YOUTUBE site.

run for hope - the aftermath

The Run for Hope was held last September 12 (Sunday) at the AFP Grounds of the Camp Aguinaldo. Organized by Rai and Sol Mata, ardent supporters of big boy Jon Angelo. Even if less than a hundred attended, the event was still a success. It held to its objective of creating awareness towards big boy's condition and what we can do to ease whatever he's experiencing.

Through this fun run, we were able to solidify our commitments to big boy and his Breathe Hope campaign. I decided to take the 5k run (since most of those who chose the 3K were girls haha). It was really tiring. For a minute there I would have borrowed big boy's oxygen tanks coz I really had a hard time breathing. So what I did was I ran the 2k and walked the 3k. Honestly, I did more walk than run. Need to practice more for the second edition of the Run For Hope come October 9. I finished the race in 48 minutes. If and only if I decide to run again, I will make sure that I'll beat this 48 minutes. Maybe shed off a couple of minutes to my time clock. LOL

Tet delivering her emotional speech:

And the winners:

Happy family despite all the lows. Hold on a little bit more JoniTet. In His time everything will be okay. Big boy will recover. And we will be there to witness it.

vamos rafa

Rafael Nadal won the elusive US Open trophy to complete his career Grand Slam by winning all four majors. He is just the 7th man in history and 3rd man in the Open era to complete such feat. He beat Novak Djokovic in 4 sets (6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2). He now has 9 grand slams in his record, 7 shy of Roger Federer's 16 titles.

Rafa is poised to win next year's Australian Open to complete his Rafa Slam by winning 4 consecutive majors (French 2010, Wimbledon 2010, US 2010, Australian 2011).

VAMOS RAFA!!!

JB and UAAP

Just double go large any burger meal and get a free limited edition UAAP tumbler of your choice like this one...

UP Fight!

run for hope

Remember Jon Angelo Viado, the Breathe Hope baby? There’ll be a fundraising project for him this Sunday (Sept. 12) called RUN FOR HOPE. The fun run will be held at the AFP Grounds at Camp Aguinaldo 630am. Registration is P400 inclusive of the Run for Hope shirt and bracelet. All proceeds will be deposited to his account.

If you can’t make it to the fun run, you can still help by donating the P400. You’ll still get the limited edition Run For Hope shirt and bracelet.

Hope you can spend your Sunday with us and help continue Breathing Hope for big boy Jon Angelo.

Good news, he’ll be getting his very own mechanical ventilator soon! Thank you for helping him through the Breathe Hope bracelets. But this doesn’t end with the mechanical vent. He still needs to undergo several operations for him to be seizure-free. And he still needs to undergo several therapy sessions for him to learn how to breathe on his own. So please do include him in your daily prayers. J

For more info, you can visit his sites:

http://jonangelo13.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/jonangelo13

http://www.twitter.com/babyJonAngelo

http://www.twibbon.com/join/Breathe-Hope-Small

adidas sale

Don't forget to print the invite!

wear white, UP Fight! 2010

Exactly 7 days from now, all roads lead to Araneta Coliseum for this year's UAAP Cheerdance Competition. So can the FEU Cheering Squad successfully defend their title? Or will our UP Pep Squad bring back the crown to Diliman? Can the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion prove us wrong that last year's 2nd Place finish was pure luck? And can the La Salle Animo Squad keep up with the competition given that their archrival have already placed last year? Or will UE, AdU, NU break all odds and win this year? Oh yeah, and will UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe continue their streak of being out of the winner's circle? How I wish. =)

My fearless forecast for this year's top 3: UP Pep Squad, FEU Cheering Squad. Last spot is a toss-up among Ateneo, La Salle, and UST. By the way, my top 3 is in no particular order. But I'm praying that it will be.

So if you wanna support our beloved UP Pep Squad...

gold card

Finally! After more than 3 years naka-gold din! haha. Next step... PLATINUM!

3 and counting

Today, three years ago, I decided to start a blog. Not really adept in site building and HTML's so I asked a former colleague to help me with the layout. All I have were thoughts to share, grievances to voice out, and memories to ponder. And those proved to be vital in surviving those three years. Last year I decided to have my very own domain name (kaloyster.net) to give my blog a more personal touch. Then I started incorporating different items such as pictures, videos, etc. to simulate a mini-website. But it all goes back to the things I blog about. The very backbone of this site.

And today, I'm celebrating my 3rd year in the blogosphere. Cheers to more thoughts, memories, and even grievances to share! Blog on!

an afternoon with Jon Angelo

My first visit to big boy Jon Angelo was during Independence Day. It was the first time I interacted with the miracle big boy. Next was on my birthday eve while he was admitted at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center. Those are June and July in the attendance sheet. So I won't let August pass by without seeing him.

Even if my colleagues backed out the last minute, I still pushed through to Tandang Sora just to see Jon Angelo. Seeing big boy again is refreshing. He's like an oasis in the desert. Even if he's just lying there in his hospital bed, you'd feel his presence. And just staring at him makes me smile and wonder how strong big boy is. He's my idol.

It's just weird that in my last three visits (including this one), big boy is sleeping. Not getting any luck of playing with him. So instead Tet and Joni got me preoccupied with stories from Tet's Fanneatics gigs to big boy's series of seizures lately. Right then and there it happened. Jon Angelo suddenly moved, opened his eyes then his arms started to shake a bit. I was told that he was having a seizure again. At that point I was a bit scared since I know that seizures mean there's not enough oxygen entering the brain. And that's bad. And I wasn't ready to witness it. But they assured me that it's not that serious really. Neuro said that seizures of more than a minute are the more serious episodes which might damage the brain. Jon's seizures usually last about 6 seconds. I got my consciousness back.

On a lighter note, there are big plans for Breathe Hope. Given that the Breathe Hope bracelet was a success, they will follow it through with the release of the Breathe Hope shirts which I'm positive that will also be a big hit. Rai Mata, a big supporter of big boy, is also planning a fun run entitled RUN FOR HOPE to be held this September 12 at Camp Aguinaldo. Hope more and more people will show their support and help breathe hope into Jon Angelo so that he'll be given a chance to experience a normal life.

And I saved the BEST for last. Finally, big boy will have his very own mechanical ventilator. Thanks to everyone who supported Breathe Hope. This is just the start. Let's continue breathing hope for big boy.

congrats stat

timezone addiction

If there is one station in Timezone that I won't let pass, that's the shooting range. Everytime I visit Glorietta, I make it a point to shoot several hoops here. It was a long drought for 2010. Not until I shot 532 in Timezone Galleria. Not a career-high but a season-high all the same. LOL

Next to the hoops, I like trying my luck at the stuff toy section wherein you try to transfer the toys to the receiving bin. And if you do, then the toy's yours. Now, this bear is my biggest prize to date. Will reserve this to someone special that would come along. LOL

And after three years, I think, I finally qualified for the Timezone Gold Card. That's 5000 accumulated peso balance. Next stop...PLATINUM!!!

tekken

Based on the long-running and highly successful Namco video game franchise of the same name. TEKKEN is a high-octane, action-packed thriller.

Set in 2039, the story revolves on an amateur fighter, Jin, who seek revenge for his mother's death under the hands of the Tekken masters. On the process learning that the person he was seeking revenge to is his father.

Oyster's rating; 3.5 tickets
Okay I'm kinda bias since this is the only arcade game that I actually play. =)

samsung 1-day sale

who is salt?

Angelina Jolie stars in Salt, a contemporary action thriller from Columbia Pictures. As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor, and country. Hey loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains:  

"Who is Salt?"

Oyster's rating: 5 full tickets (LOL)

Not your typical spy movie. Full of action scenes, and Jolie was superb! Not to mention the surprise twists...

cebu city tour - day3

Third day was pretty boring. It was my last day in the city and check out time was 12noon so I pretty have just a few hours to spend. I decided to drop by Paseo Center for my next Starbucks branch. It was way out of the city, maybe 10 to 15 minutes cab ride from the hotel. But it was all worth it given that there, I was away from the bustling city traffic. I was able to meditate. LOL. I just realized that in a few hours, I'll be missing Cebu. But I promise to be back soon.

Told kuya, the cab driver, to fetch me at the hotel by 12 noon. I hired him to drive me to Mandaue City for my next Starbucks branch at Benedicto I.T. But before that, we need to get Cebu's famous lechon. So we went to CnT Lechon at Guadalupe. I ordered 4 kilos of Lechon for just P340 per kilo. With an additional P20, they'll box it for you. So we headed straight to Mandaue for my last Starbucks stop in Cebu. And in just under 30 minutes, I'm already at the Mactan Airport. And in a few hours, I bid Cebu goodbye. Til we meet again come February 2011!

Click here to view Day3 pictures.