Goodbye gym, I'm going to miss you. Ever since I took up a teaching load at my training center, I couldn't go and work out anymore. Classes start at 2pm and end by 8pm. I spend my morning doing business and my afternoon gym sessions are replaced with teaching. I'm not complaining though. Additional income is a sweet sop to my conscience. Payday always bring a smile to my face...

I'm having a hard time toning up my abs. I'm a relatively slim guy and whenever I feel like I'm getting excess poundage, it shows on my belly. I'm going regualrly to the gym for a month now, the instructor gave me a 3-day workout program and it seems that I need at least 3 months of hard work to see the results. Enough bitching, my bad eating habits and sedentary lifestyle aren't helping much to reach my goal of having 6-pack abs. It's hard work being a gym bunny...

I'm back. After a month-plus hiatus, I feel the need to get my thoughts in writing. I just finished my training more than a month ago. I submitted most of my papers to a placement agency in Canada and I have my brother to follow up on any concerns that might come up. I hope to sumbit the last requirement this week, mailing charges can be quite a killer. I opened a new food outlet in my training center and I'm happy that I have an additional source of income. I'm also teaching a one-week basic French module in the center. Freinds say that I'm spreading myself too thin, I'm just doing what I need to do to earn a living. I have to save for the rainy days...

Wicked weekend ever. A bunch of close friends and I went to Apo Island to snorkel and pig out. After a 30-minute boatride, we swam for a while, then ate lunch on the boat we chartered. The food was delicious and the beer was ice cold, what more could a simple guy like me ask for? We swam, snorkeled again and went to the other side of the island to do some hiking to the lighthouse on the highest point of the island. The view was amazing but we were dying of thirst. We forgot to bring water with us. We had to drink from the rainwater in the reservoir near the lighthouse. The island has no fresh water, so I guess the people had to do ingenious ways to get water. We had to go down after a while and leave for home. It's a great way to spend the day. Clubbing follows later...

A client phoned the store yesterday, looking for me. I wasn't available since I was at the canteen, my staff had to painstakingly repeat the direction to my client's house since she wants to meet me there. She and her husband want to hold a party on June 3 for their house blessing and their son's 4th birthday. They want me to cater the event. So let the good times roll...

I opened a new canteen in the training center today. It was quite a rush when a horde of hungry students crowded the display counter during lunchtime. A great way to start, I should say...

Weekend. Two days devoted to twiddling my thumbs and sighing. Sigh!

Sigh!

Sigh!

I saw Jamaican Nights last Saturday. I took the 5-hour busride to Cebu and headed straight to one of the malls there. X2 was showing and I just had to see the movie. It was definitely better than the X-men1. I had dinner at Don Henrico's, doled out serious money for a dinner that totally sucked. My best friend, Melvin, picked me up afterwards and we headed to Mactan Island where the beach bash was held in one of the resorts there. It was hot, both the place and the show. Hundreds of peeople hanging out in a single place sure raised the temperature. There was a lingerie show before the main event. There were 24 contestants in all, 12 guy and ladies. First there was the bikini competition and followed by the wetkini competition. The guys were working it and the ladies were strutting their stuff. It was a great weekend...

It's a quiet Friday for me. It started out with a great morning and better things are yet to come. I got a call from Melvin, my best friend. He invited me to this yearly beach bash in Cebu- Jamaican Nights. A very tempting offer: a bunch of half-naked sexy boys and girls prancing around in their skimpy beachwear. It's going to be on Saturday night, that's tomorrow, so I have more or less 24 hours to decide. Hope I make the right one...

I had a meeeting with the couple whose wedding reception I'll be catering on the tenth. We were ironing out the details of the reception and we had a great time. We'll be having a taste test on Wednesday. I hope all will turn out great...

At 2pm, I've just started on my lunch. I'm having fish fingers and Pepsi. I had a late breakfast because I had to cook it since the staff were out this morning. It's still a sweltering Wednesday and still no sign of relief for the rest of the week. The a/c unit in my room is working overtime and I'm preparing myself for the electric bill. I'm going to my skin doctor later this afternoon. I need to look my best for the coming weekend. There's a family reunion coming up...

I'm having a cup of instant coffee while I'm doing this blog. I missed my daily dose of caffeine, instant or otherwise, since the cafe downtown closed. I missed the simple pleasure of reading a good book along with a cup of latte or capuccino. I hope a new cafe opens soon...

The temperature today is too hot for comfort. I can't chill in my room all day because I don't want my electric bill to shock me. I thank the heavens for internet cafes: airconditioned comfort plus all the world wide web can offer. I was planning to get a haricut this afternoon but when I passed by my favorite salon, it was closed for renovations. Bummer. So again, I availed of the chilly treat the internet cafe offered me. A cool, refreshing way to start this hot week...

Power's out today. The heat wave is on, so I took a long shower and got the hell out of my house. I'm cooling off in a cafe downtown. One might not consider it cooling off since the aircon is out but it's way better than the sauna in my room. I watched Sayaw 2003 last night with my buddies, Ian and Moe. Dance troupes all over the country worked their stuff on stage and was good entertainment for me. Oh gawd, I'd give anything for long, cold, non-alcoholic, calorie-free drink...

I'm at loose ends this morning. I'm free until 3pm, I got a meeting by then. Since I arrived from Bacolod, I have only one party to cater and that would be on May 10. I hope to get more catering engagements before that day...

My acne worsened during my ten-day stay in Bacolod. I had to go to my doctor and have my zits treated upon my arrival. Two days have passed since my return and I'm at loose ends. Good thing though, I'm meeting my classmates this afternoon...

I just arrived from Bacolod last night. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing: happy that I'm done with training, anxious of what's to come next, etc. Ten days of my elderly practicum are up and I'm just waiting to get my certifiacate and make applications for work abroad. I'm eyeing Canada, where my brother and his family are residing. I know that my prospects there are good and I hope I'll come up with a great resume and the required supporting documents. I got a big wedding reception to cater in ten days so I'll just take things one day at a time...

My schedule for today is free. I just came form the dermatologist to get my zits zapped. The doctor injected a few big ones and each time she did it, I got teary-eyed. No pain, no gain- that was my mantra during the procedure. Tomorrow, my group will be attending the orientation for the volunteer work for the home for the aged in Bacolod. I hope all goes well...

On the first night of my stay, I got laid by the last person I expected to have sex with. I was looking forward to a suck and fuck session with my cousin that night. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. His wife and kids postoned their plans to leave for Dumaguete that night. We were to go home together on Saturday. I was bitching about this over a bottle of beer when I got a SMS from Keith, Ian's semi-love interest and Gideon's roomate. He was all alone in his room and was getting ready for bed. I then asked him if I coud stay over because my cosin's house is too far and it was aready late. He said ok, so I made my excuses to the group and told them that I need to go home. I took taxi to Keith's place and the lovin started...

I spent three days and two nights in Cebu. On the first day of my stay, I accompanied my sister in law and nephews to the airport and gave them a short and dry-eyed send off. The rest of the day was sent at the Land Transportation Office with my younger sister. We had to straighten out some papers for the AUV my brother owned and sold to a couple in Manila. That night I had a reunion of sorts with my close friends. Melvin, a medrep, Gideon and Pamoi, both doctors, are my best friends who are based in Cebu. Ian and I decided to meet up with them since we're both free to go. I sent my Odette, my sister, to the bus station for the 6pm trip to Dumaguete. Afterwards, I had dinner at Mevin's house, had a short nap and a quick shower before getting ready for a night out with the gang. I wish life could be this good all the time...

Whew! The past week has been a rollercoaster ride. I just wrapped up my volunteer work at the orphanage in Bacong. Our group prepared the food and a short program for the kids during lunch time. We distributed some clothes for all the kids and they did some dance during the culmination program. The rest of the afternoon was spent by our group playing poker on the beach. I won thirty bucks and I left the game, giving room for another friend to take my place. That evening, I spent a few minutes to pack up some clothes. I was going to accompany my sister in law and the kids to Cebu. They were going to take the plane bound for Vancouver via a one-hour in Hongkong. A cousin vounteered to pick us up at the pier the next morning and drive us to the airport. Saying goodbye was harder than I thought it would be. I got to hug my sister and my nephews as they got ready to check-in at the departure area. Their flight was scheduled at 12 noon but we had to say our farewells three hours earlier. I hope to see them soon...

The past few days have been physically exhausting. My volunteer work officially starts at 8am and ends at 5 pm. We get to do our assigned tasks amidst the summer heat that pervades every nook and cranny of the orphanage center. A cool breeze blows in from time to time, bringing with it irritating dust. I just grit my teeth and work it. Despite all these, there are good things that make our work easier to bear. Aside from being able to help the kids, we get to bond with each of our groupmates. Each of us brings his or her own breakfast and lunch. What we all try to do is pack enough food for two. During breakfast and lunch breaks, we get to have an improvised buffet and taste home cooked meals that are loaded with calories. A friend would bring instant coffee, we talk and kid around over java and marloboro's. We take a siesta from 1-3 pm although we don't ever nap most of the time. We sometimes play poker or get foot and hand treatment by the ladies in our group. Come 3pm, the local baker delivers some goodies that we all take time to enjoy and afterwards, we're off to work again. We go home by 5, all hot and dusty, but satisfied with the day's work...

I just had my old mobile line cut off. I'm off with the old and on with the new. I just hope that I made the right decision. So far, everything has been doing okay. For my practicum, I only worked half day. I had a couple of appointments to make and one of them was to go to my old cellphone network office. Today is okay. I'll give it a score of 8 out of 10...

I'm now getting rid of my bad habit. I'm not procrastinating anymore. I got tons of jobs to do; business, schoolwork and personal. I'm getting things in order and not waste my time doing nothing. There, I said it...

Sporadic blogging, that's my middle name. I don't seem to find quality time to get my thoughts together and put them into writing. A lot of stuff have happening lately and I know I have to take the time, sit down and blog. I'm now doing my practicum or OJT, as some would call it. My friends and I formed a group of seven, 2 guys and 5 women. We're starting out with child care, doing volunteer work in an orphanage just 20 minutes away from the city. We had to deal with cleaning the mess hall, the children's laundry, as well as babysitting. We have three weeks to do this then we'll be off to do elderly care. This is an eye-opener for me. I see orphans and abandoned children in the center and I get to be a part of their lives. For this short period of time, I do hope that I could give them something of myself and make it count.

Just finished all my modules a few days ago. I'm off to my practicum together with my groupmates. We'll be starting on Monday and I'm quite excited about it.

Tomorrow's the last day of school.

I went to Dunkin' Donuts last night to do some reading.They were offering two cups of brewed coffee for P25.00. Single serving costs P21.00 so I guessed it was a good bargain. I had choco-marble and apple-raspberry filled donuts to go with the coffee. I asked the waitress to hold my second cup since I want to take my time reviewing my module handouts. I finished my first cup and requested for my second coffee. My bad. The caffeine rushed through my system giving me this "high" which led to a sleepless night. It took four hours for the caffeine rush to wear off. I only got three hours of sleep before I had to get up for my 8:30 am class. No more coffee at night for me.

I got a free cellphone from Globe. Yay! It was just the thing to get rid of the blue funk plaguing me. I'm now in circulation and my friends are happy for me. I guess they're relieved that I'm now easily reached for spur of the moment outings and important updates. To top it off, my sister offered to give her cellphone to me the day before I got my new unit. I guess its true when people say, "When it rains, it pours." Sigh! La dolce vita....

Got no classes today, so I woke up an hour later. I just finished my shower when my two friends, Faye and Juvy, arrived. I hurriedly dressed up and met them downstairs. After a cup of green tea, I planned to go to one of my clients to collect their payment while the two get to finish their research. I got the check, went to the bank, deposited it, then caught up with the two girls. After finishing our assignment, we ordered some roses for Grace, our friend who had her birthday yesterday. We wanted to surprise to her in class tomorrow. Hope she likes it and treat us out for lunch. Fair exchange. I'm looking forward for tomorrow. Tuesday here I come..!

Post valentine blues. I never got to wallow in a pity party yesterday. I was too busy working. Today's the day. I got nothing to do but unwind and replay my valentine night. I had no date so I had an intimate dinner with friends. I got drunk on red wine (which was a good vintage, by the way) and was too tipsy to go the happening places with my cousin and her friends. If not for my successful party catering last night, this day would be just a waste. Another consoling pat on the back for me.

I catered a party last night. The buffet looked great, the table setting just perfect, then it rained. It was a recipe for disaster. Thanks to my staff and my quick thinking, catastrophe was averted. The client was satisfied. A pat on the back for me.

Three more days to go before Valentines Day. The clock is ticking and I still don't have a date.

Iloilo, my mother's home town. I went there over the weekend with my older brother, his wife and family, and my younger sister. We took time out to visit our ailing grandmother, who has colon cancer. We had to drive for 5 hours, ride a 1-hour ferry trip and take the jeep bound for Cabatuan. We had a family reunion of sorts upon our arrival. We settled down for a nap, had dinner then went to the hospital to visit Nanay Bada, that's my grandma's name. It was a somber time as we saw that she's very sick and we realized that it won't be long until she'll pass away. We spent 2 nights in Cabatuan and left for home afterwards.

Ten long days have gone by. When I said long, I really mean long. I felt that time was dragging its ass and rubbing shit over me. I'm in a blue funk right now. I can't really make a list of the reasons why I'm unhappy, I just am. I finished a class module yesterday, I got one more to go before my friends and I will go to Bacolod to start our practicum. The teacher for our next class is my classmate from high school. Go figure...

Sunday. It's supposed to be a lie in day for some. But not me, I had to get up early to catch an 8AM appointment. I had to do a site check. It's SOP for every party that I'll be catering. By 10AM, I'll be delivering a bunch of special orders for a 40-guest luncheon party. Come this afternoon, my staff and I will be doing pre-preparations for an early dinner party tomorrow. My week has begun.

I just had another exam yesterday. I think I passed. I woke up early today and planned to go to the salon/ spa to have a maintennance check. I guess I woke up too early, the place was still closed. I ended up in this internet cafe to read a story. I was left high and dry. It seems that I have to wait for another four days for the next part...

I went to Cebu last weekend for a two-day partying. It was Sinulog Festival and beautiful people were all over the place. My good friend picked me up at the bus terminal with his SUV and proceeded to update me with the newest hotspots and our plans for the weekend. We had lunch at the golden arches with some more friends. Our table was the noisiest and I had fun catching up with the latest talk. Later, I joined them in a religious procession. It was a celebration of their patron, Sto. Nino, the child Jesus. I'm not a Roman Catholic though, I got nothing to do so I walked the walk with them. We went home hot and tired. I took a short nap, showered and dressed up. We went to two parties and hung out at the Ayala Entertainment Center, a section of the famed mall where all the beautiful people hung out. It's the place where people go to see and to be seen with a number of resto-bars to choose from.

I had my finals today. Our class was divided into two groups, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. I joined the afternoon group, as my friends did. Upon our arrival at the school, the people who took the exam ahead of us were moaning and groaning. Obviously, they were agonizing over the exam. I went past them and bought myself a glass of soda. I'll just take the exam and get it over with. There's no use getting negative vibes from people that never mattered much to me. I finished the test in less than an hour. There were two sets of exams, I felt that I gave it my best and there wasn't any point going over the questionsand checking my answers over and over again. I hope I did well.
The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out at our friend's house. A bunch of my friends were doing some work over the pc and three of us were vegging out, watching tv and channel surfing. I fell asleep in the middle of the program and woke up half an hour later. I gave a friend a ride and then headed for home.

My old high school friends gave me a call last night. They just finished some shopping and planned to eat at my place. I was downtown that time so I agreed to give them a ride to my store. We ate succulent barbecued pork and chicken breast fillet. For dessert, I treated them to a sneak peek at the newest addition to my porn tapes collection. They sure had an eyeful! After a couple of hard, pumping action scenes, we went to the boulevard and hung out at the Coco Amigos, a Fil-Mexican restobar. Nina, one of my high school friends, brought along her labrador pup. Our group made a dramatic entrance as Kisses, the pup's name, pooped on the restaurant's patio. The waiter had to bring out water hose to clean up the spot and prevent another customer from stepping on dog poop.That set the tone for the rest of the evening. After a pitcher of draft beer and two plates of nachos, we called it a night. Promises to text and call one another, one by one, we parted ways.
Today's boring. I had to go to the bank to get some cash and pay some bills during my class break. I had a hurried lunch with some friends and then off to more boring lessons. I fell asleep in class...

I watched the Tel Aviv Trio concert last night. Piano, violin, cello, and three young men making beautiful music. I was seated on the third row--- eye candy to go with the music. Hehe. Needless to say, the concert was good. Afterwards, during my dinner of carbonara and crusty garlic french bread, I had a good talk with my friend, Ian. A few minutes later, Moe called me up on my mobile to join the party with the trio and the concert coordinators. We went and boy, I was in for an anticlimax. Over hot tea, I was just sitting there and got nothing to contribute with the general conversation. I smiled at funny comments and clapped after someone gave an impromptu song. I wish I went home.
Tuesday became my salvation. I sat at the back of the class, paying no attention to the teacher and shot the shit with my friends. I had a nice brunch with the gang and then more lessons. I got home and much to my surprise and delight, I got a package from Mark. He's my schoolmate from Cebu and he's now in Manila, studying law.
Today's a good day for me.

Lazy Suday afternoon. I'm killing time until 5pm. Sunday service starts by then. Yes, I do go to church. Every Sunday. Almost.I droppped by one of the cinemas and watched Josh Hartnett charm his way out in 40 Days and 40 Nights. I forgot to tell you, we're virtually months behind when in comes to showing movies in our local movie houses. I got in at the end part of the movie, I didn't wait to watch the earlier part. I had to go out and do something else. I have low boredom threshold today. So here I am, writing my blog.