Begin With the End In Mind

Attending the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People seminar this week....

"Would you tell me please which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat
"I don't much care where..." said Alice
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

- Alice in Wonderland


also..

"Life is a result of your decisions, not your conditions"

A Blessing for One Who is Exhausted by John O'Donohue

When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight,

The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before
Now become laborsome events of will.

Weariness invades your spirit.
Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.

The ride you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.

You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken for the race of days.

At first your thinking will darken
And sadness take over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.

You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.

Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.

Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.

Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.

Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.

Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.

--John O'Donohue, from "To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

Bikram Yoga

   Today I was able to muster up enough verve to get myself to yoga. Just enough, to get my sleepy ass to the the 630 am class. It was nice to see Al again, who was surprised to see me back after ages. The front desk girl, and the usual students-- some still remember me.. Actually one, I forget her name though.. But i know her for sure. When I step into the hot room, she says "Oy, Ina! Bumalik ka!" Which was really nice to hear for some reason. I still see familiar faces from my yoga intensity days.
   The most important thing in the hot room is your breathing. Master it, and you're all set. No more fainting and the need to reach for your water jug. Today I noticed how screwed up i breathe. My mother has called me out on this a number of times when were in silence and she hears the rhythm of my breathing. It seems like at the end of each breath I stop it abruptly and hold it for a bit before i exhale. I was in the verge of fainting inside the hot room, my vision slowly blurring and I was trying to focus on my breathing today that I noticed how I do breathe like that. I don't breathe in the entire way. I don't notice I do this and as I struggled through class, I'd catch myself breathing abruptly like that when my mind would drift away to the pain, the heat and other distractions I had in my head. When I was aware of my breathing, I felt how much better it was to take the full breath in. As much as my lungs could inhale smooth, without hesitations. Comfort.
   Could my breathing be a manifestation of the way I live my life? That I stop short--for reasons unbeknownst to me-- before fully taking in the experience? Perhaps because I'm constantly looking forward to the next breath? And only when I'm paying attention to the moment-- not at whats next-- can I truly take it for all that its worth?

I need to practice my breathing.

I got the picture from Al's Facebook.

:)

Purple Feet

Jeff, our International Sales Director was in town for our bi-annual meeting on the 30th of April. Lanie and I always take him out for Filipino food, thinking he's a foreigner and we should take him to the best of what the country can offer. In the past we've taken them to Cafe Juanita, C2, Dencio's and Barrio Fiesta. Okay, maybe not exactly the best of what we can offer but after Cafe Juanita and C2 i was stumped. I guess we overlook how good home-cooked Filipino food is. This year I couldn't think of anywhere to take him and figured he'd probably grown tired of Filipino food--although he is fond of Tinola. "Okay, something not Filipino" "How about Japanese?" but he usually does his rounds and Japan is his territory aswell so we figure he's probably had his fill of the best Japan can offer. We think "How about Korean? Korea Garden?" It's right by my office and to me is the best Korean food in the country, a family favorite but was still iffy about that. Then I ask myself "Where do businessmen take VIP's out to lunch?" I remember my dad and how he always knew of the best restaurants and the best dishes to order. He would always order for us and put stuff in our plates without asking "Try this, its really good!" So I ask myself-- "What is the best restaurant I know?" And then it hits me, Purple Feet! My favorite restaurant and it's 2 minutes away from the office. I don't know if it's the food or the ambience but I just love the place.

We started lunch pretty late, 115. Lanie picked Jeff up from EDSA Shangri-la at 1230. This meeting is the biggest of my year so the nice light and comfortable ambience helped ease the pressure building up in my head. Jeff is easy-going by nature and very easy to talk to -- its just that I'm still feeling my way around negotiating and after the first quarters turn of events I really had to level up my game. Again lunch at Purple Feet was perfect.. It lifted my spirits and calmed me down. I was able to squeeze in a few pictures. I wasn't entirely sure if picture taking in front of Jeff was appropriate or not..

Medium Prawns

I ordered the Medium Prawns with a three cheese topping and a side dish of grilled Zucchini. The Zucchini was cooked perfectly.

Tuna Steak with Moroccan Sauce

Lanie and Jeff ordered the Tuna Steak and they were both surprised at how spicy it was. What they thought was tomato was actually a chili sauce. I didn't try it but they said it was really good it just caught them by surprise. The portion size was also huge, good enough to share. Neither of them finished their plates. 

Bread Pudding

Which is the best thing about Purple Feet for me. And it's only 180 pesos. Bong loved it so much too-- "Nakakainis ka, sobrang sarap naman nito!" Bread Pudding is a wonderful childhood memory for my so I've always fancied it. My mother used to collect the outer parts of the bread-- what do you call those again? Crusts? Haha! She's save them to make bread pudding. This bread pudding is not too sweet, perfect on the palate, I think. :)

I forgot to order soup which is the second best thing here. Was thinking of the diet too much that it slipped my mind. I usually order the soup of the day and every single one I've had been better than the last. My favorite one, although I don't remember what it was called was orange and had ground beef in it. Should take note next time :)

Light, pleasant conversation about different cusines, travels over good food was a perfect prelude to a 4 hour long meeting. Thank you Leo Cabredo for helping me prepare for it :)

Potipot, Company Outing

I took the company on a sort of impromptu outing to Potipot Island in Zambales. 

Tuesday and Wednesday April 27 and 28.

We had a tough first quarter at the office and my mind had been on more pressing matters. We weren't able to think about celebrating out 3rd year anniversary as a company. Frankly, I didn't feel there was much to celebrate during that time-- which was April 1st. I was traumatized with all the financial hooplah I had to endure that i was repulsed at the thought of expenses. But as I started to do damage control-- or better yet a complete change of work ethic not to mention lifestyle, might even go as far as a complete overhaul of priorities and values truly a life changing experience for me-- talking incessantly to my people i saw the need to boost morale. I caught wind of plans made by the sales department to go out of town somewhere of their own expense so I decided to take them somewhere-- but on a tight budget :)

Lanie and I brain stormed one day on where we could go. We made a list of possible places and how much we were willing to spend. I set Lanie out to do her research so we could better decide. During one of my insomniac nights where I would wake up at 245am delirious with ideas i thought..

POTIPOT PERFECT!

I was able to go there with the Jose's in December but I was sleeping most of the way there (and back) while Diego and Fonts drove. All the arrangements were also already set. I didn't have to worry about a thing. All I did was sleep in the car hop on a boat, leave the rest of the world behind and relaxed.

I asked Diegs for help with their contacts on the island because I had no idea of how things went down there; whether the boats would just be there waiting to cross to the island or if you could just go there and camp.. There were people preparing all our food there in December so I didn't know if we had to bring cooking gear.. Luckily Diegs was able to help, Thanks :)

We rented what was supposed to be a coaster for 30 people but it was more of a bus. One of the best buses I've been on in this country mind you. We paid 19,200 for the coaster to Candelaria, Zambales which turned out too good to be true. The company called after we had already settled the payment on the day before we were leaving saying that they had made a mistake on their quotation. They had quoted Candelaria, QUEZON and not ZAMBALES. Unfortunately for them the Conforme clearly stated Candelaria, Zambales so it was only fair for us to demand the original price of 19,200. The only downside about the bus was that it came with a driver that would not stop talking. We left at 2am Tuesday morning to miss any traffic and so we could spend the entire day at the beach. It was hard to get much sleep with the driver talking to himself the entire way there.

I brought Kace by the way because I know she's been wanting to go to Potipot! And just because! :) 

We got to the town of Masinloc at around 6 in the morning. Ate Glen is from there and she had arranged for her sister to get us the food that we were going to eat on the island. I told her to get Tuna, Tilapia and Mangoes which are on my list of things to eat. We stopped by the market; looked around had some coffee and pandesal, got the food and bought some snacks to bring on. 

Before the bus stopped I saw a small Bakery, which I love. I love fresh Pandesal and floor wax which I think is officially called Pan de Regla ( the ones that have the red filling, sometimes purple. They have them at Blue Kitchen ) and Spanish bread. I remember how we'd always get Spanish bread on the way home from school when we still lived in Ayala Heights. That was my favorite mirenda. When I saw the Bakery I say "Yay! May Bakery" and Melvin, one of our best technicians who was sitting upfront with us said "Mahilig pala kayo sa tinapay" or something like that-- but I wasn't really paying attention because I was looking at the bakery and excited about it. Hahaha :)) So Kace and I went around the Market first. She was looking for cigarettes and I was following her but was distracted by another bakery i found with Pan de Regla. 

Their Pan de Regla was SOOOOO GOOOOOD! Kace can attest to that. I don't think she actually looks for Pan de Regla like I do but when I had her try one she goes "GRABE AND SARAP NITO!!" The filling wasn't like the others that has a tendency to be dry, this one had a thick, jelly-like, creamy red filling and the bread Kace says is "Parang Monay." I don't know what "parang monay " is but it was soft. yum... :) too bad I wasn't able to take a picture. You know me, when good food comes, I forget about documentation.

When we got back to the bus, I was so touched that Melvin bought a plastic bag full of bread from the Bakery I was gushing over earlier. He bought -- tantantantan-- SPANISH BREAD. How could I refuse such a sweet gesture just because of a diet? And Spanish Bread is Spanish Bread!! So even if carbs aren't on the list and I had already ate Pan de Regla, Spanish Bread narin may kasama pang Coffee na 3-in-1! You see, I have ever since reading "Skinny Bitch" drank my coffee black. Yes just plain coffee no milk and sugar, not even fake sugar mind you. Just plain coffee-- which I have grown accustomed to. One time when I asked Ging-Ging to make me black coffee at work it tasted strangely sweet which bothered me because I specifically asked for black coffee and Ging had said "Yes, black coffee."I though maybe there was something wrong with the coffee. So I called her back and asked "Nilagyan mo ba ng asukal to?" and she gigles "Ay, napansin mo? Nilagyan ko-- konting konti lang naman. Ang Pait kasi!" Hahaha :)) She has since then learned never again to put anything in my coffee. In Skinny Bitch, they talk about how milk was made for babies to exponentially grow. And exponential growth is not on my list of things to do. They also say that the only thing bad about coffee is really the milk and the sugar so I gave that up long time ago. But sometimes I have the occasional White Chocolate Mocha which is a treat reserved for special occasions. Kace, since starting her diet, has also adapted this black coffee regimen. When she took a sip of my coffee (she refused my first offer) she goes "Grabe ang sarap ng 3-in-1, Sige na Pahingi na!" And so Good-bye diet, at least for this trip.

We finally hop on the boat to take us to the island at 8. The boat ride cost us 350 pesos per boat back and forth. Our group used 6 boats we were able to get a discount of 700 pesos on the total amount. It took us a while even though signs say that Candelaria was only 11 km away because our coaster/bus was too big to the shore near Potipot Gateway Resort which our original meeting place with Mackoy, the contact Diegs sent us. We were getting caught in power lines but still braved the way. We were forced had to turn back in the end because there was construction along the road which was impossible for us to get through. We had to go back to the highway and find another port-- which turned out to be many. 

Staying overnight o the island is 200 pesos per person and a day trip would cost you 100 pesos. We rented 1 cottage for 1,500 pesos to keep all our stuff in. I had instructed them to bring tents, but I figured that it was just one night and we probably wouldn't get any sleep anyway. Kace brought a hammock and a mosquito net, I just brought my beach chair. For them to take care of all the food preparations they were asking for 4,000 pesos, 3 meals for all of us. I said that was too much. Ate Glen being a Zambales-an (hihihi) got the price down to 2,500 pesos. 

So, we forget the worries and wiles of the world and diets too...

Tong-its and Poker

Drinking Wine and Eating Chocolates while watching the sunset.

It was probably a bad idea to bring the hoard of chocolates that Eugene gave me....

Finding a bunch of starfishes on the sand and throwing them back in the water.

Kace will get mad "If you have your church, I believe in environmental stuff."

I tell Ging "Naku, wag kang magtapon diyan! Pagagalitan ka ni KC!" and she overhears. "Bakit ka nagtatapon diyan? Wala na tayong babalikang beach pag ganyan ka!"

Just sitting there.. talking about North Port, Politics, Washing Machines and Peppers. What does pepper mean again? I know it means gay but the origin-- Pa men-ta? Pa men? Tama ba Bong? Hihihi. We were silenced when these 2 cute guys walked by the beach in front of us. In my head I'm thinking "What are these cute guys doing here on a weekday?" When they disappear down the stretch of sand Bong goes "Yan ang mga pepper sa kaibilang tent!" Hahahaha :)) Kace goes "What?! Mukha naman silang okay. Gwapo nga yung una. Sakto pa yung muscles nya. Pero yung isa may man purse." hihihihihi ;))

Taking a naps, feeling like its been forever but really only half an hour

Spending time with my best friend, yes that's her in the picture. Getting drunk on wine ( wala na ngang diet dito-- at wine na nga lang e) while wading in hot water. Seriously hot water, it felt like a heated pool which I loved and KC hated. Talking about loves lost, paths to choose, lessons learned, passions to pursue, truths of ourselves and the world around us, Craziness. Coachella.. Resting on weekdays to live on the weekends. Writing classes, adventures, dancing lessons, spontaneity. I almost forget FREELOADERS at mga malas sa buhay, wrong decisions and people who just don't get it-- or pretend not to to hide their malicious intentions. I honestly think that time frying under the 130pm sun in the heated Potipot waters was the best time I've ever spent with Kace-- but after being constantly together through 8 years of being best friends this may not be entirely accurate. Even after all these years, theres still so much to discover about Kace-- maybe because she tends to keep her problems to herself.. I kinda feel bad that it taken me so long to find out about some things but happy enough to finally find them out and get closer to my best friend. I love you Kace.

And now for the best part..

Were these the best mangoes ever? Or was it just the beach and eating them this way... aaaaaaaahhhh :)

Inihaw na Tuna, or at least what's left of it

Gallunggong, one of my favorite fish! Pa loved these

What do you call this again? Lata?

Inihaw na Tilapia at Talong with THE BEST BAGOONG EVER!

Kace and I were contemplating buying some on our way home but said, "Wag na, hindi naman natin yan pwede kainin. Were going back to our diet when we get back remember??"

I wasn't able to take a picture of the Inihaw na Liempo and Pork Chops, again when I get TOO excited about the food KALIMUTAN NA! I haven't had pork in what? A month! We did eat to our hearts content-- No rice naman e :)

We had dinner before it turned dark at around 6. After dinner around 7 in the evening, still half drunk from the wine; Kace and I said we would rest. "Hindi pa kami matutulog, magpapahinga lang muna kami." So she got into her hammock and I reclined on my beach chair. When I opened my eyes it was 2 in the morning. I counted the hours.. "Oh no I already slept for 7 hours. Good Morning world." Kace was still sleeping so I walked over to voices I heard and found Ate Glenn, Sir Darry and Aque talking by their tent. They had also woken up because the winds died down and it was hot inside their tents. I said "Hindi kaya mainit. Ang Sarap sarap ng tulog ko sa chair ko!" Pretty soon Kace woke up too and everyone else started to wake up, except those that had gotten drunk and passed out snoring on the beach. They were getting hungry "Sabi ko sainyo magugutom kayo kasi ang aga natin magdinner!" Good thing I had Lanie buy hotdogs and Marshmallows for a bonfire which turned out to be forbidden on the island. So Ate Glenn set out to cook the hotdogs in the cooking area. "Sobrang Sarap ng hotdog na to! And I don't like red hotdogs!" Kace says. Ate Glenn and the others had basted them with ketchup and oil and it was really delicious on a warm summer evening under the moon. Kace and I stuck our hotdog sticks on the earth between my chair and her hammock. When we woke up we were surprised to find so many "Ang dami pala nating hotdog na nakain?!" Lets keep the number a secret.

It was such a treat to wake up to this sight. With a summer evening breeze and the sound of the waves. I had the best sleep on my beach chair under a tree a few feet from the water. "We should download wave sounds" I tell Kace. Usually I wake up at 3 in the morning with so many thoughts that I can't go back to sleep but the sound of the waves distract you from all those thoughts.. Wave sounds, i need.

In the morning, Sir Darry says "Sino ang Patron kagabi? Parang may Fiesta kasi!" Roland, one of our Sales Promodizers was so drunk he passed out on the sand and when they pulled him into the water the next morning he seemed to be cast away washed up on the shore. I had to call someone to make sure he was okay. Ging had also had some to drink which I think was her first shot. "Bat ka namumula?" "Lasing na ata ako e, pinainon kasi nila ako e-- ano ba yun? The Bar ba yun?" Haha she comes back 15 minutes later. "Ay nakalimutan ko yung tubig mo... hihihihihi ;))"

We left the island at around 3 in the afternoon and got back into our bus. 

It was a relaxing trip for me, was able to sift through a lot of thoughts in my head. To me a perfect summer outing on a budget :) I hope the others had fun.

Enjoy the Summer <3 Tysons Global Exchange

Writer's Workshop

Part of the reason why we went to S&R Sunday was because Mom had to get food to serve her guests because she was hosting Writer's Workshop for her friends tonight. She invited me to join them-- Usually I'm a bit shy when her friends are around especially for activities like these but for some reason I really wanted to join. Writing is something I WANT to get better at and thought it might be interesting to listen to them critique each other's writing. 

My mom e-mailed me the pieces that would be under scrutiny for the night so I could read them ahead of time. Apparently this is how this goes. I didn't get to finish the readings so I couldn't really follow the story but despite that I still learned so much from listening to these writers convene.

They broke down the pieces by structure, by motivation. They analyzed what the writer wanted the reader to feel.. Where the author wanted to take the reader. Feeling sympathy for the characters. 

There were two stories. A travelogue, my mother said was a difficult read. I AGREE!! I had such a hard time reading it and couldn't really understand all the art mumbo jumbo-- I was confused merely by all the french names and big words. Hello? this was a group of English teachers, serious literary types-- with me who reads Dojo of Wisdom. Hehehe :)) But when they discussed the piece they described as a cubist novel where time is interspersed-- i saw what a complex piece it was full of hidden metaphors and allegories. 

When I write I kinda just talk, aimlessly... But I think I know the voice I write in, or like to write in. This was my first foray into the real world of writing... Very interesting. A lot of new ideas still simmering in my head. My mother actually, in my opinion-- without bias gave the most substantial comments in that discussion. I was impressed. She's a three time Palanca awardee. I am so proud of her for this. She is a brilliant writer.

It has been a secret dream of mine to write. I think it's because my mom writes and you know how you sometimes want to be like them. So many people ask my mom for help on their writing, I don't see why I don't....

The group!

YakiMix

Ate at YakiMix in Tomas Morato with Eugene and Lola Sunday Night. There was a long line outside. Good thing they had gone there early to make sure we got one of the 7 free tables. The buffet opens at 530pm. For only 580 pesos per person, a steal.

Shabu-Shabu

Mushrooms and tofu were the only ones I could eat though.

A good selection of sushi. As in ang dami, I just wasn't paying much attention because I couldn't have any. I only had tuna sashimi.

They also had a lot of veggies and side dishes. But not a lot I could eat. They only had one dish that was perfect. Pechay and mushrooms. They also had String Beans with minced pork-- which is my favorite so I had to have some. They also had shrimp and crab stick tempura at the "cooked" section.

So much stuff grill. All kinds of meat, seafood, even hotdogs and sausages and fishcakes and mushrooms with bacon. They had korean beef pa. Dami, I was impressed. They even had cuttlefish.

Grilling Shrimp

The desserts weren't that impressive. The ones i tried at least. The cheesecake was yucky and so was the chocolate mousse. But they had a lot of nestle ice cream flavors and even popsicles. Eugene had 3 melon sorbetes popsicles. They also had mango sago and fruit salad but I didn't try those.

I SURVIVED A BUFFET ON MY DIET!! YES I CAN :)

All for only 580 pesos?? This buffet is super sulit!

They have 3 branches, MOA and I forget.

The old Anton, Nate and Em would love this!