Iboto niyo ako sa 2010. Tatakbo akong Presidente. Ito ang mga programa ko pag nanalo ako:

1. Pararamihin ko ang mga babae sa Pilipinas
--> Upang ang mga OFW na mga lalaki eh bumalik at mabawasan ang mag-aabroad. Sa dami ng babae dito sa Pilipinas, hindi na sila mag-iisip mag-abroad pa

2. Patatabain ko ang mga baboy
--> In case na magkaroon ng krisis sa pagkain, meron tayong matatakbuhang ulam

3. Pabibigatin ko ang mga baril
--> Upang ang mga kriminal eh madiscourage na magdala ng baril at pag nagkagayo'y tatahimik ang ating bansa.

4. Lalagyan ko ng batterya ang piso
--> Upang ang piso ay laging malakas kontra dolyar

* Ilan lamang ito sa aking mga programa pag nanalo ako. Iyan ay kung masisiraan ako ng bait sa 2010. hehehe

This is the first step towards my MBA (Master in Business Administration) dream. I have been planning to take this course since 2006; unfortunately it never gets materialized until recently. I took the cudgel to browse the Internet for MBA program, asked my colleague about it, and there I was picking up the phone, inquiring about the MBA program in Ateneo Graduate School of Business (GSB), and scheduling myself up for the exam. The admission exam was held on May 24, 2008 in Ateneo GSB, and I only learned the result yesterday. I'm happy to tell you that I passed. Yahoo!!! Prior to taking the exam, I submitted the copy of my transcript of records, ID photos, and paid the registrar in Ateneo GSB, Rockwell, Makati. One of the requirements of entering Ateneo GSB is that your undergrad course's GWA must be at least 85% or 2.00.

The next step is to submit other requirements prior to the enrollment period in mid-June. Class starts a week after the enrollment. Now, the thing is, MBA is costly especially that it is Ateneo GSB, the brand so desired. My challenge now is to raise money for every term (2 months). I've limited financial resources but with strong determination, I will be able to hurdle the challenge. I know there are avenues where I can make money to support my MBA studies.I strongly believe I can. It's a matter of the power of postive thinking and possessing the can-do attitude.

You might be telling me why in Ateneo GSB given the fact that acquiring MBA is expensive? Spending money for one of the top business schools in the Philippines is all worth it. If you can raise the money for it no matter how hard it is, then go for it.

Let's see in the coming months how will I be able to hurdle all the rigors of taking the MBA course. Abangan ang mga kabanata.

I'm now back again in Thailand for a training. My last visit here was 5 years ago. Many things have changed in Thailand. For one, it has now a bigger and better airport (can't compare its airport of course with ours). The immigration counter has now a camera to take a picture of you.

The airport resembles a very modern airport. Thailand is also becoming an aviation hub in ASEAN region next to Singapore and Malaysia. When will be our time to be an aviation hub? Dream on my friend. :-)

At the moment, travel from the airport to the city center is via tollway. In less than few minutes (sorry I was not able to calculate the distance, but presumably it's like coming from Clark to Manila), you're already in the city center.

Not to lag behind Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand is building an elevated railway from the new airport to the city. Pretty soon, it will be finished, probably in a year or two, and mind you, it's longer than our present MRT and LRT's.

These are just the two changes I have observed since my last visit, not to mention several high-rise buildings sprouting around Bangkok like mushrooms.

One thing is so sure: our country is lagging behind. Another reason to sulk...Tsk, tsk...

A First-Ever Boracay Trip (May 2-5, 2008)

We stayed in Sanderswhite (Boracay's Station 2), but in one of our itineraries, we went to Asya Resort's private beach located somewhere. Our group numbering twenty-four rented a multicab which brought us to the place.

Diving in Bora was the most memorable to me.



That place was so serene. We paid for the beach's amenities. We did kayaking to the max, swam to the max, everything was to the max. It was only orgasm which was not to the max hehehe... Anyway, what I liked most in our sorties in Bora was the diving thing. Yes, people, your lolo did a dive. It was one of my best dives in my whole life (after all, I only did diving in my bed in my entire life)

Most of us of course are SMS alumni. Please read the links below for more of our Boracay activities as per the accounts of fellow alumni bloggers (They already described how it was to be in Bora. Perfect narrations)

http://apolthegreat.blogspot.com/2008/05/asmsi-2008-summer-getaway-boracay.html

http://maximus4life.blogspot.com/2008/05/bora-experience.html

http://binxjet.blogspot.com/2008/05/dahil-di-ako-kasinggaling-ni-kuya-apol.html

More pictures on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bora.may08

Indeed, the memories are priceless. Don't be a foreigner in your own land. Tour around the Philippines and you'll surely love your country no matter how it is besiged with problems, be it man-made or natural.

Kanina galing ako sa PLDT Pasay site (meron kaming ongoing trial for PLDT's Next Generation Network), at dumaan ako through F.B. Harrison (tama ba iyung street na yun?) then kumanan sa Buendia. Pag kanan ko sa Buendia, akalain mo na may isang jeep na hinahabol ng matanda na uugod ugod at langya sa gigil yata niya sa jeep dahil sa hindi tumitigil ang jeep, hayun tinakbo ni lolo at tinalon yung jeep. Tama namang nasa likuran lang ako at laking kaba ko na akala ko mababagok yung ulo ni lolo, pero gulat ako at ang higpit ng kapit ni lolo sa estribo hehehe. Grabe ang tibay ng buto! Nakita ko yung muscle ni lolo, tumubo sa buto hehehe...Iyan ang lolo! Only in the Philippines...

When my boss who is currently based in Singapore asked the Philippine OBS group from both Smart and Globe accounts (I work for Smart account by the way) who would want to attend Training For The Trainer next month in Bangkok, and out of sheer intention to get out of my comfort zone, I volunteered. The training for the trainer will mean that I have to train the Philippine team first for the new version of our Network Management System for both 2G & 3G networks.

This will be my first baptism of fire. If my colleagues will like the way I train them, I would then justify to my boss that I should train engineers in the region particularly our region, Asia South (Philippines-Singapore-Malaysia).

As early as now, I have to aim and expose myself to training other nationalities. Realizing this feat makes me shiver though, but then I really have to get out of my comfort zone, and do this so I can grow professionally.

It will be one of my greatest achievements in life if I would be able to train engineers in the region. The last time I taught was when I was with my nephew teaching him arithmetic (sounds good exposure? hehe)

Last year, I was designated as the new team leader for Operations and Business Software (OBS) group in the Philippines. However, the salary and car allowance adjustment didn't materialize yet.

Later in that year, I was able to figure out that the team leader position doesn't mean an automatic promotion to a new job grade level. Being a multinational firm and a high-tech firm, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) doesn't look at the position as the basis for the salary adjustment, but rather at the job grade level.

As of April 18, 2008, I'm at now at new Job Grade level (thank God!), and of course my next goal will be higher job grade but this will mean a bigger role, thereby, a bigger responsibility.

I lost money in R M F, but this promotion is a welcome development. At least, a better way to start from scratch.

Grabe ang tataas na ng bilihin.

--Bigas super taas na.
--Gasolina napaka-taas na rin.
--Pantalong GUESS ang taas-taas na rin.
--Bayad sa tuition ng pamangkin ko, ang taas na rin.

Lahat nagtaasan na. Panty na lang ang hindi tumataas, lagi na lang nakababa hehehe...

I have always been a firm believer of enterprise, of passive income, of anything about making money. But what is R M F going to do with this belief? Well, making money, that is. I admitted it was a mistake. It was a blunder putting all my money in just one basket. I thought I found a goldmine but I was really wrong.

I had been reading a lot about Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich-Dad-Poor-Dad series. I have been telling everyone that don't put all of your egss in one basket. But what did I do? Did I listen? Did I do what I preached? Had I listened to what I read, I would not have been sulking all day long about the loss of my money because of what this God-damned crook (C y r u s, president of R M F) did to all his trusting investors. 3000 investors lost all their money in an instant!

I always tell myself, move on! (though easier said than done). But I really have to learn from this mistake. What a &%$#*&^%@@!

The greatest financial ruin of all time in my life! I lost more than 800,000 pesos (500,000 for the monthly and 300,000 for the compounded).

Too bad it's happening to me. i just can't believe it. I may ask why include me? Why I didn't heed my intuition that it was about to crumble? Oh my God. Harsh isn't it? All of my money (as in my only money) were gone in an instant. They were gone in a betrayal. My friend whom I trusted was betrayed by his other friend.

For how many times will I learn? For how many times should I realize that there's no such thing as free lunch? I have no choice but to rise up, pick up the pieces and move on. I swear to myself never again. From now on, I will adopt the "sipag and tiyaga" of Manny Villar.

This is a humbling experience for me. Back to square one. :-(