Day 293, Jan 26, 2012

View form the Facilitator's table:

This is what you'd see if you'd be sitting at the chair behind the Facilitator's desk - that is, if you'd be sitting. After all, a great number of the time, you'd most probably be standing and moving around, just like us.

In this particular case, this is an Application Testing School conduct which lasts for two day and is normally handled by two facilitators - in this instance its me and Tess doing the honors, and we'd normally be dividing the conduct between AM and PM schedules.

Since I'm normally coming from afar (Global1 is the farthest location for me to go to from the perspective of having to bring Barbie first to her office in Paranaque), I let Tess handle the AM session - which she likes because it means she's free in the afternoon to check on a few shops in between my lectures.

Nothing spectacular about how I took the shot - tried a few samples to get lighting capture properly - then took the shot. What made it unique is the fact that I haven't (to my limited knowledge) taken a shot form this angle - or view yet.

Day 292, Jan 25, 2012

New Hangout!

This is Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Eastwood mall. On a Wednesday morning, while I await my turn to talk in the Testing training with Tess, I went here to get a good mug of coffee - and yes, open my internet sites (including this one). It was sparsely  - filled which allowed some semblance of privacy, and the music wasn't so distracting (most of the time, anyway).

Most importantly, it allowed for WiFi Internet access - one that I was somewhat hoping for when I brought my laptop with me this morning. So here I am enjoying this blogging experience while sipping coffee - yes, I just had to order for coffee... unlike their Greenhills counterpart where a minimum meal cost of around Php300 is needed to be given WiFi access. So I'd say I definitely prefer hanging around here - at least, whenever I find myself in Eastwood with some time to burn.

Yes... that's my current background - none other than NCC 1701.

Day 291, Jan 24, 2012

Money tree:

Well, not exactly... more like a prosperity charm that will hopefully attract money where its placed. I bought this for Barbie, who complained that her office looked a bit gloomy without a plant - any plant.

But of course, if possible, she wanted one that would give her luck - yes, I know we make our own luck... but why not let fate intervene as well? Anyway, this little potted plant was set atop my aquarium - which explains why there seems to be light coming from under the leaves. I was taking this shot form above the plant - looking for a dynamic angle. Apparently I got the angle, and the shot looks great (if I say so myself).

Day 290, Jan 23, 2012

A Prosperous New Year!

Today is the Chinese New Year, and as my family and I went to Greenhills (as today was declared a non-working holiday), we witnessed the Lion and Dragon dances being performed in all the stalls/stores of the different buildings in Greenhills Shopping Center.

Tradition dictates that these dances happen as a form of inviting prosperity for the establishments - which will translate to business success. So I was happy to take a few shots here and there - not really following them around, but trying to get a picture of the moment, wherever and whenever I chanced upon it.

It was amazing to see how the 'Lions' or the 'Dragon' would try and grab the 'ampaw' located, at times, in hard to reach places (usually at a height that one person would find hard to reach). Of course, for the curious observer, it was a delight to watch; though for a few old men wanting some peach and quiet in a particular coffee shop, the noise was deafening and a big bother... oh well, it only happens once a year, so they had to just suck it up and bear the noise of the loud drum noises.

A missed opportunity for me was not having the chance to take a picture of a really large and long dragon which was moving around the Greenhills shopping center's street block - said dragon was even lighted inside to give it a surreal look. I'd estimate said dragon to be roughly 10 cars long... maybe more. Oh well... maybe next year.

The picture above is a bit blurry, as things were moving fast, and I had minimal time to prepare - still, I chose this over my other (clearer) shots because it gives one an idea of how long this dragon is. You can see its tail at the left-most side of the picture, and its head obviously moving away from my vantage point.

Day 289, Jan 22, 2012

New look:

The sofa and curtains are definitely new - in fact, that sofa is less than a week old and the curtains just came fresh from the department store. I was a challenge finding curtains to match the sofa, but I think Barbie and I managed to luck into a good combination.

So this is what friends and relatives will be seeing when they come into our place - this is the reason why I can now have Bacardi nights at home again - since our place... more specifically our living area, looks more presentable. In this picture, Buffy almost blends seamlessly with the background. Had it not been for the camera's flash making the sofa and the pillows shinier, Buffy would be harder to spot.

Day 288, Jan 21, 2012

Sashimi:

I normally bring Bryce to school Saturday mornings - after which, I go to Greenhills every other week to check out a weekend market and see what seafood items I can get for us to cook during the weekend.

This particular week, I got shrimp, squid, salmon belly, oysters and marveled at the tuna and salmon being sold. I thought they would be great if the market vendors sold as sashimi - which is basically these fishes sliced to near bite size and eaten fresh. I then went on to buy some fruits and vegetables and on my way back to the car, I spotted this man slicing some salmon into sashimi cuts. It was only then that I realized that they did sell the fishes in sashimi slices - I just had to ask them to do it.

So ask I did. I bought half a kilo of sashimi and proceeded to have this for lunch with Barbie. Salmon, is, after all, one of the better tating sashimi - so long as they are fresh. So aside from my getting the items I said on a regular basis, I will get salmon and tuna sashimi on a semi-regular basis.

Day 287, Jan 20, 2012

Prosperity:

This is Virra Mall in Greenhills in the middle of a Chinese New Year preparation frenzy, hence all the red decors hanging in the mall's lobby. Whereas once the Chinese New Year was not seemingly practiced, this year is more celebrated by way of being a holiday (a first, far as I can remember).

Whether this is because Filipinos just look for an excuse ot party, or whether we are finally recognizing the fact that we have a relatively large Filipino-Chinese community - the fact remains that the Chinese New Year is becoming a marketing pitch for people who wish to sell their wares with the excuse of these items ably attracting luck and prosperity to its new owners.

Add to that fact the situation that majority of Filipinos feel and one can understand why people - specially the non-Chinese, are willing put into practice all the suggestions of Geomancers, so much so that these selling of lucky charms or totems may very well match the sales of gifts for Christmas. Me? I've been practicing some of these things for personal prosperity. I get the usual luck totems, and my home has some Chinese-oriented Feng Shui items - after all, if it can help, I'm willing to get them to at least make sure I've favorable chances with business, prosperity. health and family.

Day 286, Jan 19, 2012

Piazza's Food Adventure:

I was invited (by way of Jinkee) to the Marketing launch of this promo where for Php600 anyone would get to sample dishes from 14 establishments...  invited were bloggers - and Jinkee thought of me because 1) I blog... and 2) this was happening in the Piazza - and I happen to be teaching in Campus One (literally a stone's throw away from the Piazza).

After my class, I went straight to Piazza and discovered that Jinkee was already there and registered. I then went to the registration booth, got the necessary items (passport and wristband), got escorted to a table and proceeded to experience my very first foodie sampling and review.

This was definitely a gastronomic encounter, and I'm sure this evening set me back a bit with my exercise regimen... but hey, how often does this come one's way? Naturally, I intend to blog about this by writing about the program - and writing about my experience with the different dishes, this way... I can spread the word - as it is.

I hope there will be future instances of these launches where I get invited - be they food or other products. After all, I like taking pictures and writing about stuff, so I will most likely enjoy such launches - and lets not forget whatever freebies that may come our way with the marketing kit. Once I have my blog entries done, I'll post links in my FB page.

Day 285, Jan 18, 2012

Shades:

This is my new shades - a Christmas gift by Barbie, and I, in turn gave her a similar one.

Its been a long while since I had a Ray Ban - a decade ago if I'm not mistaken. I believe it was during my I/ACT days. That one got lost - and I hope this one lasts longer with me.

Still, its nice to have this - or any shades for that matter, since these days seem (and at times) feel like summer. So while I'm driving, I need this to prevent the bright sunlight's glare from hurting or distracting me. These Aviators were made for pilots, and I can feel like a pilot when behind the wheel. Minus the mach speed, of course.

Day 284, Jan 17, 2012

Clock without hands:

What's the use of a clock without its hands? How can it tell time - which is the essence of its creation, without these hands? It simply can't. It becomes useless... and if not fixed - left to age and just rust with stagnancy? Well it eventually turns into an eyesore... and should the clock be large enough to be seen a block or two away - then what an eyesore it would be, right?

And yet... this is what I see whenever I look at the clock tower of Eastwood mall. A clock that is not being used - one without its hands. The tower seems to be slowly going into disrepair, with no signs of anyone doing any maintenance work. Too bad, though, after all, this was the landmark of Eastwood for years.

So now, whenever I overlook the pantry area of Accenture, I see this once proud landmark just staying there. Maybe its because its not the tallest edifice around these days, as it is easily dwarfed by the other condo/hotel/office buildings surrounding it. But even then - this was the first commercial establishment with a Big Ben-like landmark. People used to refer to this tower whenever they wanted to synchronize their time... not to mention New Year countdowns (at least, this is what Tess told me once). I hope that somehow, some way, there are plans to revive this clock... or replace it with a better one. After all, the people working, eating and living in the general vicinity deserve more.