Trip to the Cincinnati Museum

Tech Team is very fortunate again to be given free tickets to go to the museum.. and again, we're very thankful to CFO - Gary, in making this happen. :)

The museum was broken into 3 categories - Cincinnati History Museum, Dinosaurs Unearthed, and Museum of Natural History and Science. Actually, there's one more museum - I think it's for kids.

Tagged - Ako ang "Taya"

got this tag from Reyane. Thanks sis.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I think it was vacation time still, I was an upcoming Senior in high school. This was the month my grandfather died too (my mama's father)

2. Five things on your to-do list today:
Attend Mass
Go to the Museum with Team
Training Team Meeting
Update Blog
Do Facebook

.. can it be more than 5? i have so many things to do today
- revise modules
- start training guidelines
- clean my ref
- start packing my suitcase
- weigh bags...

3. Places where you've lived:
Tondo

4. Places you would like to Visit.
New York, Canada, Rome or Europe in general, different islands of the Philippines

5. Things you would do if you were a Billionaire:
Complete the needs of my family and extended fam, Be a Business Tycoon, Give back to the Needy, Put Up Quality School and Hospital, have a family to travel the world with

6. People you want to know more about:
You - who's reading this. You just got tagged! :)

Fire Alarm @ Extended Stay America

believe me, I wasn't really happy then. I guess when I'm excited and my heart's pumping fast, I can't help but smile

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

Past 8PM earlier tonight
I was alone and busy in my room, sitting on my bed while working on 2 laptops.. watching House.

Suddenly I heard a very loud screeching-like noise. It was continuous, irritating and really loud.

Hotels nowadays are equipped with so much sensors - one time that my friend was frying a fish in her small kitchen.. she made her smoke alarm ring.. It didn't really cause panic, the receptionist just called us at once and told us to close the door... I am positive the sound I heard was totally different. I was even looking at my own kitchen just to check if I caused it, but hell no.

Not knowing what to do.. I opened my door and saw that the Fire Alarms at the hallway are already blinking, and the sound is everywhere not only in my room.. I quickly went inside and called the receptionist to ask what's wrong (I don't know what I was thinking, it doesn't seem like I understand the urgency - can you believe that I actually found time to call the receptionist?!?) Anyway, receptionist said he's not sure what's happening and suggested I just go down. Quickly.. I packed both laptops and ran down the stairs shaking, my heart beating fast.

My team mates who were downstairs already were very calm. They laughed when they saw me and asked my why I have a bag.. I simply said "I packed what I can and ran at once" (LOL, in reality, I was the only one left upstairs!)

Few seconds... maybe 10, firetrucks came..

It was a false alarm. They didn't see any fire or anything like it. I went back to my room, laughing and shaking still.

... whew, what a drill!

New Toy

.. i would be smiling wide if this is really mine. meet Marvin's new toy. A Compaq Presario CQ60. Check bestbuy.com. You wouldn't get anything closer to this in Manila less than 30k.

Bye Lola

.. i don't know why i missed my mom's text. i just recently realized that my Lola has already passed away. this means everyone else is growing old too.

.. please help my family and offer prayers to my Lola Teodora.

Taste of Cincinnati

Had a long weekend :)

Memorial day this year fell on a Monday so we were off from work from Saturday till Monday. This is the best opportunity for others too, to visit their relatives, family and friends.. and so 3 out of 8 from the team went to NY, LA and VA.

The remaining peeps (which is us) decided to celebrate with the locals and join their Taste of Cincinnati festive. It all happened in Downtown Cincinnati in the long strip of Fifth Street, from Race to Broadway. There were roughly around 40 establishments there which showcased their best of the bests.

taste of cincinnati

the famous Fountain Square

it all happens here

Intel Commercial

here's one of Intel's commercial that caught my attention.. cool commercial. :)

My Food Creations 2

my food chronicles eh?

Baguio Beans with Soy Sauce... Sorry, just learning how to cook. :)




what do you think ma? Does this pass?

.. I guess the problem with me is that I don't taste the food when I'm cooking it. This turned out to be 'maalat'. hahaha.

Bye Post Paid

The Post Paid Team went home today.

They got stuck in Minneapolis because of plane mechanical failure. They will stay in Japan overnight because they missed their flight by 6 hours.

.. then we're next. We'll be home by 14th. :)

Day 1 at the office
April 5, 2009

Mini Golf in Kentucky

so many activities.. i'm just thankful they are all free, otherwise I may have to choose which ones to join.


Tuesday after work we were invited to do mini golf somewhere in Kentucky. This is my second time to do mini golf, so I got a hole in one in the first HOLE, and hindi na nasundan. LOL. Beginners luck.

it was a little cold during that time, my leggings wasn't enough though I survived

nagiinarte lng

Mother's Day 2009

I just want to greet all the mom's in the world a HAPPY MOTHER's DAY!!

LOVE YOU MAMA!

TODAY

I also got to watch MLB again. Reds vs. Cardinals

Kentucky Speedway

The list of my 'firsts' just keeps on going.. today I get to watch LIVE car racing... FREE!!

I didn't set any expectations although I know watching it will be something different. FUN is totally an understatement of the experience. I can't even put it into words. Since the account we're handling is one of the major sponsors of the event.. we get to watch from their Suite, free food, booze, drinks.. everything unlimited.

When we found the suite, we immediately asked for drinks and quickly started to fill plates with spaghetti, salad, sausages and burgers.. we sat down and ate.. super hungry!!

Eventually we spent some time taking pictures.

Soon enough, the suite started to be filled with familiar faces from the company.. great.. this means the race will start in no time at all. At around 8PM, the race began. Few minutes after nagkayayaan na.. we went down to the general admission for an up close experience. At first I was disappointed.. sabi ko why are the cars slow? I thought its really like that.. I thought since it's not F1 or NASCAR, they have speed limit too.. heck, they were preparing their engine for the race.. after two or three lapses, the stadium roared ... it was truly deafening.. you won't hear anything, just the noise of their engines, you'll vibrate on your seat as they pass by.. and I keep on shouting when the cars pass by me, as if they can hear me :p

.. the rest was history..

.. it was amazing.. beyond amazing, I will never think of racing the same way again.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible.





F1 naman or NASCAR.. meron bang free?!? :)

Royal Pains

The promotion for this new USA Network series has been airing for quite some time arleady. The series, HOUSE and GOSSIP GIRL were a big hit.. so this new series would most likely get the attention of many viewers too? It made me search the internet out of curiousity. The teasers are good..

ROYAL PAINS, new USA series- 2 min preview - Watch more Funny Videos

OVERVIEW

USA network is proud to introduce the HAMPTONS' newest doctor-on-deman, Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein). After Hank, a young doctor on the fast track to success, falls from grace when he is blamed for the death of a hospital trustee, he inadvertently stumbles into the world of private medical service for the elite denizens of the Hamptons.

With the encouragement of his younger brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) and an ambitious young woman who volunteers to be his physician's assistant, Hank reluctatnly agrees to be a "Concierge Doctor" for the summer. But will he be able to treat his hihg-flying client while still managing to keep his own feet on the ground? Co-starring Reshma Shetty and Jill Flint with Christine Ebersole and Campbell Scott

... seems interesting enough to me.. :) Premiers, Thursday, June 4, 9PMc

my 26th Birthday Bash

Yes! I just turned 26 and it was a blast!

This year is my longest birthday thus far. :p Though I'm far away from home.. I got to celebrate it differently today 1- the fact that I'm currently overseas and away from 'lutong bahay', 2- my unusual kind of birthday w/o breaking the bank, 3-I get to blow candles at this age :) hahahhaha

Why long birthday?? Because people and friends started greeting me last Friday (note, my birthday is due Monday pa).. until Saturday, Sunday.. and finally Monday morning and evening still.. people wouldn't just stop greeting me.. and I am totally overwhelmed. :) LOL, just pardon my english,, my head's spinning already.. i have to sleep soon...


Sunday evening, I cooked spaghetti sauce for breakfast the very next morning. Uhmm, I think mama forgot to tell me that after I put one cup of water, I have to wait until it's turning dry again. Because after the water, I added the tomato sauce.. hence sauce turned SOPAS! Well, I paired it with rice and it was ok naman. :p

I call this spaghetti soup

Here's my chocolate cake.
I also got Caramel Turtle Cheesecake from Patrick and
Choc Cupcake in Belgian Choc Icing and Curls from Yna

Celebrating far away from home

Pleasant morning visit from Yna and Marika with the cupcake and sparklers

We went to Dave and Busters for dinner after work. The entire team celebrated with me :) Thank you guys!

Dave and Busters offers eat and play combo.
The amount of your food lets you play in their Game Lounge. After several games I got enough tickets to buy myself a cute stuff toy.. hon, I need a name for my teddy :)

It was 9PM when we arrived at the hotel. I had a great day today. Though I miss home, I am absolutely doing fine here.


PS... I want to go back to Dave and Busters to get more toys!


THANK YOU LORD FOR THE BEAMING 25 YEARS! ITS TIME TO ROCK @ 26!

Pacquiao: Living Up to the Expectations

by Yahoo! Sports

LAS VEGAS – It took just 359 seconds to add the latest devastating chapter to a legacy that will last for decades.

Manny Pacquiao’s flurried fists made short work of Ricky Hatton on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and delivered the most emphatic proof yet that boxing has a superstar for the ages operating at his peak.

Pacquiao sent the Englishman crashing to the canvas twice in a frenetic first round, then sealed the contest with a brutal left hook that had Hatton out cold on his back with one tick remaining in the second round.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have announced his comeback from a brief and scarcely-believable retirement on Saturday morning. But there can be no doubt that Pacquiao is boxing’s undisputed king as he continues to ride a remarkable wave of momentum.

“Our strategy was the one punch,” Pacquiao said. “Left hook. Right hook. That was going to be the key to this fight.”

The Filipino fighter is a quiet and reserved man out of the ring, but between the ropes he morphs into an electrifying machine – and Hatton felt his full force.

The Hatton camp had hoped their man’s power would be telling, yet he simply had no response to Pacquiao’s pace and precision. A right hook put Hatton down with 54 seconds remaining in round one and proved to be the beginning of the end.

“I knew it was over,” said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer. “Ricky fights the same way over and over. He doesn’t have the ability to adjust.”

As Pacquiao moved in for the finish in the second round, Hatton tried to cling on only to be sent down again with a fierce straight left. Doctors immediately rushed to the aid of Hatton, who eventually and thankfully was able to walk from the ring under his own steam.

“I am surprised this fight was so easy,” said Pacquiao. “I did work hard in my training camp and it paid off. This is as big a victory for me as when I beat Oscar De La Hoya.”

That December triumph over De La Hoya did not convince the entire boxing fraternity of Pacquiao’s ability, primarily as the Golden Boy’s powers had so clearly dimmed from his prime. Now there is no speculation. Pacquiao is the top dog, until someone proves otherwise in the ring.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. was a no-show at the postfight news conference, leaving Hatton’s co-trainer, Lee Beard, to explain the mauling by Pacquiao.

“We knew about Manny’s speed and that it could play a factor in the fight,” Beard said. “What you saw was two rounds of action and Ricky got caught.”

Roach’s status as a trainer grows in line with each victory his top fighter posts and it became clear his game plan was perfect. Hatton could not avoid Pacquiao, who landed with 73 of his 127 punches. The Brit could only land 18 of 78.

“This is no shock at all,“ Roach said. “Hatton pumps his hands before he throws a punch, and it makes him a sucker for the right hook.

“Manny is a monster. He is the best fighter ever. There is no surprise here.”

Defeat was a bitter blow to the thousands of Hatton fans among the 16,262 in attendance who had journeyed across the Atlantic but saw their dreams dashed within a few brutal minutes.

The typical symphony of chanting carried on even after their man had been sparked out, but it may not strike up again. Hatton, who was alert in his locker room before being taken to the hospital, is one of the most popular boxers ever with an incredible fan base, but his fighting future is now in serious doubt.

For Pacquiao, the future is brighter than ever, and his legend continues to grow.

Said Pacquiao: “I can fight anybody.”

I watched it Live during HBO's PPV, thanks to MS. Jackie and her lovely home :) Too bad the wireless internet connection during time was very low and my laptop battery was almost dying that I had a hard time reporting back the blow by blow action. Nonetheless, Pinas wasn't late in knowing the good news because SM aired it Live simultaneously.

What a good fight! Congrats Pacman! :)

Rock Bottom Restaurant at Downtown

Yeah, food chronicles..

again...

Because of our tight training schedule, we we're given only 30 minutes as lunch break. And because I hate coming to class late, I've decided to bring light sandwich every day that I can microwave (because I'm maarte, dapat mainit ang food kahit sandwich pa yan) so I don't have to go outside of the building to get food. Our cafeteria downstairs takes cash only.. so either you spend cash, rush in buying food, bring/ prepare your own lunch, or don't eat at all.

What's my packed lunch today??---> I had grapes and cookies. I got my own drinks too -- Starbucks bottled coffee and water. Coffee to keep me awake during the lesson, water to keep me sane!! (too much info!)

filet mignon

they were all teasing me that I pay for the food - birthday treat ba.
sabi ko nga, sure.. di ko naman pera gagastusin ko... hahahaha

Yna, Marika, Me & Cherry

this is the real reason we went here, just to eat Ice Cream..
hey, its Graeters!!

P.S.

Just want to say the back pack was given by the local company.. just in case my family or anyone else wonders... but I know you don't care LOL..

Swine Flu Outbreak

by Yahoo News

Concern that the world could be on the brink of the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years escalated Sunday as France, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Spain reported potential new cases in which people had been infected with swine flu and Canada confirmed several new cases. In the U.S., where 20 such infections have been confirmed, federal health officials declared a public-health emergency and are preparing to distribute to state and local agenciesa quarter of the country's 50 million-dose stockpile of antiviral drugs. Meanwhile, in hard-hit Mexico, where more than 80 people have died from what is believed to be swine flu, the government closed all public schools and canceled hundreds of public events in Mexico City.

Though the World Health Organization (WHO) is referring to the situation as a "public-health emergency of international concern," the apparent emergence in several countries of an entirely new strain of H1N1 flu virus has led some scientists to believe that it is only a matter of time before the WHO declares pandemic status, a move that could prompt travel bans to infected countries. "We are clearly seeing wide spread," says Michael Osterholm, a pandemic risk expert who runs the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. "There is no question." (See a photogallery on swine flu hitting Mexico.)

Health officials in Washington were quick to point out Sunday that none of the 20 cases identified in the U.S. so far has been fatal; all but one of the victims has recovered without needing to be hospitalized. Officials also noted that only one American has been infected so far who had not recently traveled to Mexico - a woman in Kansas got sick after her husband returned from a business trip in that country, where he became ill - but that could change as more intensive disease surveillance begins. "As we continue to look for more cases, I expect we're going to find them," said acting Centers for Disease Control (CDC) director Richard Besser.

In the U.S., where cases have also been found in California, Texas, and New York City, the declaration of a public-health emergency is part of what federal officials termed an "aggressive response" to the outbreaks. In addition to releasing from the national stockpile some 12.5 million doses of the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza - which scientists say has so far been effective against the H1N1 swine flu virus - the Department of Homeland Security will begin "passive surveillance" to screen people entering the U.S. Any traveler coming from a country with a confirmed human swine flu infection will be questioned, checked for symptoms and potentially isolated if they are found ill. Though the CDC has issued public warnings about the more serious outbreak in Mexico, there are no recommendations from Washington against traveling to the neighboring country. (Read about the vaccine being prepared in case of a pandemic.)

That is in contrast to the more extreme actions of some other governments, including Hong Kong, where officials on Sunday urged residents to avoid going to Mexico. Hong Kong officials also ordered the immediate detention in a hospital of anyone who arrives with a fever above 100.4 F, respiratory symptoms and a history of traveling over the past seven days to a city with a confirmed case of swine flu infection.

But Washington officials Sunday did their best not to overstate the situation and emphasized that their response wasn't out of the ordinary. "I wish we could call it declaration of emergency preparedness, because that's really what it is in this context," said Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. "We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size or seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."

Please take care.

We Won, Go Reds!

I had a good day today.

For this first time, I watched a live Major League Baseball Game :) Food and Drinks were absolutely free! We got good seats too and yes I've been saying that over and over.. its because I'm short and visual is very important to me :p And today, it wasn't an issue at all... XYZ company is one of the major sponsors of the Reds and so they have their own designated area where employees and their families can use if they want to watch.

I can't tell you how sunny and bright the weather have been this past few days. Weather is currently at 31degrees with humidity. It's getting warmer everyday. And so I got a little 'brown' after watching the game. Sure, you have the option to be in an aircon spot but we opted to stay outside - open air, on stools.






Win More Reds!!

Free Tickets!!

We are very lucky to be handed free baseball tickets for Sunday's Game of Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta.

Yipeeeeeeeee, perhaps after mass we can go straight to the game. I don't play baseball, I don't even know how its being scored but I'm more than willing to go, especially if good seats have been reserved with free food and booze... no complaining! :)

I'm just happy its weekend.

Have a good one y'all.

Freedom Writers

.. times like these when my inspiration is at its peak that I am at my toes updating my blog. I've just watched Freedom Writers this boring Wednesday night.

It was worth making and watching. I am a 'Trainer' sort of a teacher and movies like this makes me love my job so much more... because I know at the end of the day, you don't only teach, you may touch lives too.. in so many ways.

So inspirational and challenging at the same time..