Communion from the Pope

Communion with Pope JPII

I was going over my files in my old zip disks since I just installed the iomega zip driver in my new notebook. I came across this photo which was one of our most memorable trip.

My parents and I were given the privilege to hear mass near the Pope and most of all receive communion from him.

Actually the other members of our tour group were ecstatic since they were allowed to sit right in front of the altar where the Pope was saying mass (Well dad was the only St. Gregory Papal Awardee in the country during that time). There must have been several hundreds of thousands of people out in St Peters square during that time since it was Easter Sunday. It was telecast live all over the world.

Yes it was special and solemn but guess what? Something went wrong with my contact lens before we left the hotel so had to wear my eyeglasses.

I knew the Vatican official photographer was going to take our photo while we receive communion so I took my glasses off (haha vanity indeed!). Now the problem went like this. The middle aisle was an incline. There were some cobbled stone, so I had to walk so slooooooooowly in order not to trip. Yes still crazy me in spite of the solemnity of the situation.

Visiting the patient

DOV

Norelyn and I visited Dennis last night at his very mediterrenan abode in makati.

Here is our patient with his brace ordered to lie down in bed for a month so his bones will heal fast. The workoholic though that he is, I learned he calls meetings in his make shift suite at the ground floor of the house.

His mac is always by his side so he wont miss an important detail at work. As we entered his house we noticed a Globe Broadband van parked just outside. It seems he is shifting from pldt to globe due to some unfortunate experience of outages which I sometimes experience with my infocom account specially past midnight.

I guess after a month our good old friend will be back in the golf course and with his other loved sport, underwater hockey!

A helicopter crash?

helicopter crash

A few weeks ago while I was meeting at the Pen, I received a call from Norelyn saying our good friend Dennis Valdes was involved in a copter crash in India as gathered from the wife of one of his companions.

I got so shocked and thought of calling Paolo to confirm and get an update. Paolo said someone in the family was going to fly to India and it seemed it was more of a hard landing, whatever that means, and maybe Dennis is going to be on braces for sometime.

I texted Dennis then but then realized if his phone was with him then it might no longer be functioning.

A week or two later I received a text from Dennis which at first I didnt really recognize since aparently he was using a smart phone (I just had his globe number). I just realized it was him when I got a similar text from Edna who forwarded the same message from him.

I didnt know that he was at makati med when he texted. Edna just mentioned it later. Although we wanted to visit, we are sure he would prefer to rest and be with family.

A few days ago, Dennis sent the photo above and emailed a blow by blow account (almost Robert Grisham-like) of what really happened when they tried landing in Mumbai from New Delhi.

It was just like in the movies! Imagine an SOS ambulance suddenly materializing and airlifting him from Mumbai straight to Manila!

I wondered why the Inquirer didnt carry the story :)

The South Beach Challenge

Its been more than two weeks and I sometimes feel like a bunny with the all the greens I have to eat for lunch, snack or dinner.

There is usually one "heavy' meal made up of either fish, lean pork or meat. The meaty portion is usually served dinner but if so, lunch is only cold soup which I am not used to.

I like the breakfast which is almost always an omelette or my favorite spinach ricotta square. Am trying to check on the recipes in the book so I will be able to cook the meals myself later.

Unfortunately I dont have an oven in the condo and I think the ricotta squares are baked.

Lost some 10 pounds when I was faithfully following it but then after a week, there were times I cheated specially when I have a meeting outside so average loss is only around 8 lbs.

Not bad I guess for I am sick and tired of fast weight loss. It just comes back as fast.

I finished phase 1 (two weeks) and just started on the modified phase 1 with some fruits being added to the daily meal.

Gosh this is expensive but maybe worth it.

Dinner hosted by Thai Minister

thai hosts

Last year some of the heads of various IT organizations were invited by representatives from the Thai Minister of Information Techonology in order to promote a major Asean IT event to be held in Bangkok.

Invited also were DICT Exec Director Ver Pena.

An Impromptu FCP reunion

fcp

One of the most memorable part of my career was my stay at FCP Credit (Ford Credit Phils), then a subsidiary of Filinvest Credit which was ultimately bought by BPI.

Memorable due to the rich experience, learnings, extraordinary camaraderie and the leadership of our boss, first an expat, Keith Dill who has gone back to Canada, and later Ric who also became my boss later at BPI Family Bank.

Twenty years after Ford left the country and we all went back to Filinvest, we had a reunion at Una Mas at greenbelt. Ric treated all of us. Most have left the bank. Some are with another bank, other auto dealers, migrated to Canada or US, the latest was Romy who just left a few weeks ago.

An Unexpected Award

powerful photos

More than two years ago, the editor of an IT magazine asked if I could forward to our organization's list, an announcement requesting nominees for the Most Powerful Women in IT. I did and some people posted some nominees including the President of our country who has been supportive of he industry.

A few months later, much to my amazement, I received word that I was one of the awardees. I didnt actually believe it thinking I must have misheard till I got an official letter.

Wonderful things in my life usually are unexpected and this was one of those. I offered the award to my mom and dad of course. Cant help but shed a tear during my acceptance speech when I mentioned dedicating it to my mom.

Made a photo collage above. Photo way below are with close friends who attended the awarding rites.

Photo also shows whenSenator Magsaysay treated all of us at the Tower Club much later. He as well as Senator Mar Roxas sent us congratulatory letters.

I was on the cover!

emag cover

I was on the cover! Yup it was actually a surprise.ss When online banking was a very new service in the country, a new magazine then requested to interview me so I agreed.

Much later they asked to bring some photographers since they wanted to capture some images at work to be placed within the article. Fine I said but later much to my surprise they made us cover! Us because another college classmate also in the banking industry was interviewed so we were both there in one of their new issues.

Notebook panic

Last Sunday afternoon, after I installed a printer driver, the display and power of my new notebook suddenly went kaput! I thought the plus was loose so I tightened it. Still zero power.

I then moved moved my notebook to another electrical outlet just in there was something wrong with the last one. Still zero power. Panic time!

I called Electroworld and told them I will be in makati and to wait for me. Bryan, the technician was so confident it was just the battery. I said how can it be! I knew it, I said thats why I didnt want to get another compaq blah blah, - was still on panicky state considering all the new data without any back up :(

He later took out the battery pack, pressed something, placed it back and pushed the power. It worked!

He explained to me that it already happened before and his previous client also panicked. If the notebook was shaken it could happen so there was a reset button inside.

He also said that when the notebook is plugged electricity travels to the battery first then to the unit so the notebook will not work if the batter is not installed.

Comforted by an angel?

Had terrible insomnia the other evening, couldn't sleep till 5am. Upset, worried, depressed...hmm all negative sounding words I noticed.

All of a sudden in the afternoon I decided to text mawee asking for prayers. I remembered when our two balikbayan high school friends were here last year, she told us about a brother joseph who communicates with angels and we all prayed before she left.

It seems after I texted her and she told me again to ask brother joseph to help pray, she took the jeep and went to his house. I called her up and she gave the phone to him. I requested prayers for some special intentions.

Well, maybe faith or psychological but I felt better after. It was also the last day of my novena to St. Rita and apparently I realized it was also the feast day of St. John Bosco.

DMAP then and now

dmap

As I was reviewing some old files, I came across a black and white photo of our oath taking in the Direct Mktg Assoc of the Philippines. This was perhaps mid 90s when I was still handling Direct Marketing of the bank. It was the then VP of the country, Erap Estrada who admistered the oath at the Manila Polo Club.

I left the DM marketing scene when I moved to the Internet Industry. Several years later, 2004 when I moved back to consumer lending, I went back to DMAP which was being resurrected once more with similar directors except a few who moved industries.

The photo below was the 1st DMA Phils nationwide conference held last August 2004.

Finally moi on South Beach Diet!

south beach book

Been planning to order this diet from the various referrals given by friends as well as listed in the newspaper but never got to it till Winnie called. She was talking to a Swiss Chef who cooks only organic materials and needed another person in the group so they can deliver. Voila! Its been almost two weeks and the food so far is good.

I bought the two south beach books trying to learn the recipe. Went to Market! Market! at the Fort for the first time so I can buy some organic veggies and others so that when I get hungry I will have something 'allowed' to munch :)