Friday, January 05, 2007

Events-ful Holidays

This is the busiest holiday season I have ever had. This is also the first Christmas and New Year that I spent with Karen. :) I've been waiting for so long to post something about the things I did during this time and I hope you can have the patience to read through this. Here we go!:)

December 17, 2006
We held our company Christmas Party at the PICC Forum 2. It was called eTel White Heat Party and the name states, we were asked to wear white. It was a fairly good party. A lot of people showed up. I was with Karen, Allan, CJ, Resty and Selle. The audio system was very nice and video/lights were ok. It was also nice to see old friends and acquaintances. I saw Happy (Granada) there. He was a teammate of mine back when I was still taking in calls as their SME (Subject Matter Expert). I also saw Miel (Talatala), a colleague of mine when I was in Matrix CTS, Dell's Consumer Tech Support. It could have been a better party if there were seats for the people who attended. I think they were hoping that since it was a party, people would just dance all night long. That would have been right but not while the party's program was not yet done, right? Hopefully, next year would be a lot better. Food was also a downer. Only a few was served and some of it did not taste that good.


Selle, Kha and CJ


Kha and me

We were supposed to wait if we would win the Php 50,000 Grand Prize or the Trip for 2 to Hong Kong in the raffle but because of the lack of seats we decided to just leave and go to Policarpio Street in Mandaluyong to check out it out. Policarpio is famous for its houses which are very well decorated during Christmas time. Unfortunately, we left the party a little too late and we only got to see one house with its Christmas lights still on. Nonetheless, I still took pictures of the house trying my best to hold my camera still because I did not have a tripod. While Allan and I were taking pictures, Karen and CJ took advantage of the 'tiangge' and shopped for things that they need as well as some gifts for Christmas. I wanted to take more picture but the homeowners had to turn off their Christmas lights because one of the electricity posts there had sparks coming off one of its line possible due to some old (and now) faulty wiring. Here are the photos I took.


Kha and CJ Shopping









After walking around and checking out the items for sale (Thank you Love for the wallet!Ü) we headed over to Allan's place for a midnight dinner. It was the best way to end a night of partying and shopping. Allan and CJ prepared the food that we ate, They cooked carbonara and roasted chicken plus Chocolate Marjolaine by Red Ribbon. I know I shouldn't be eating sweets but I just could not resist the temptation!ÜÜÜ I was not able to take picture of the food because we were all so hungry we immediately ate the food upon serving! TAKAW!Ü


From L-R: Allan, CJ, Selle, Resty, Kha and me (Overexposed photo. Forgot to adjust the flash exposure.Ü)

December 23, 2006
Karen and I went to Benjamin Ross Infantado's Christening held at the EDSA Shrine Church. It was my first time to enter that Church and sad to say we looked foolish when we went there because we were watching a wedding and we did not know that there was a separate place for the Christening. Had I not seen two priests past by us and go to the other side of the Church I would not have made it to my God-son's Christening! When I got there, the priest has already started the ceremonies and Benjamin had a lot of Ninongs and Ninangs. Unfortunately, I came from work that Saturday and I was going back to Gilmore to have my new computer fixed. Back then, it was not yet working right and they had to replace my motherboard with a different brand because the one I bought about week before was already out of stock. I was not able to go to the reception and also meet Aisha, an old friend from eTel which I have not yet seen for ages. Mish you Ish! (Hope your feeling a lot better now.) Good thing the computer got fixed and all I had to do was reinstall all the software I had in the old computer into the new one. :(







Infantado Family

December 24, 2006
My first Christmas with Karen... We didn't really do much last Christmas because we slept almost the whole day. So tired from the long wait in PCOptions and the lack of sleep. I was awake for almost 24hours on the 23rd!Ü It was nice to have Karen spend Christmas with us and I found it cute that she was happy to see a Christmas tree that she had pictures taken beside our tree. Afterwards, Karen and I went to her place and joined his brother celebrate Christmas. I was not much help by that time because I was still tired and sleepy and I only slept during my stay there. Sorry Kuya Kirby. Hopefully next year I can join your celebration.Ü


My Family and Karen (with Ricci, our Shih TzuÜ)






December 25, 2006
Christmas day, we had our annual family reunion (Father side) and it nice to see my relatives at least once a year. I hate to admit but because we rarely see each other, I do not remember all of their names. :( I guess a good New Year's resolution would be to attend as many family reunions (birthdays, Christenings, etc.) as possible. I also had work Last Christmas so I was not able to mingle with them.

December 26, 2006
I was almost not able to attend Ricci and Boss Alvs' Wedding which was held at the Chapel on the Hill, Don Bosco, Batulao, Batangas. You will pass by this Chapel on the way to Caleruega. Its the same Chapel where Kapau had his wedding. Place was very nice, small but very well designed. I liked the stained glass at the alter and its circular architecture. I hope to go back there soon and take more photos. The wedding was packed because of the number of guests they had. I was surprised to see Lars there. I even asked her if she flew all the way from Australia just to be there!Ü I also saw my former SM, now OOIC Zasha Garcia. The place was packed with photographers, professionals and enthusiasts. Of course I belonged to the enthusiasts.Ü I had to wipe my face because I was salivating over the lenses and camera accessories that the professional photographers were using. It was the first time I saw a Canon EF 70-300mmL USM lens. Not too sure about the focal length and if it was also an IS lens but it was definitely an L lens. Something that I wish I could have.Ü I only wished Karen was there to see the ceremonies. Unfortunately, she was not included in the guest list.






First Kiss as Husband and Wife


We went to Ville Sommet for the wedding reception. We had to walk a little because the parking slots near the reception was reserved for the VIP guests. It was a grand reception. It was all white and I think there were about 300 more or less guests. i know it was grand plus Dek told me how much the reception alone cost. The program was well organized and food was incredible! Some of the guests also offered to be part of the program by playing musical instruments. I can only recall the one who played the sax very well, Paolo Porquez. I hope I got the name right.Ü


The Reception


Vonage Team

They also had fireworks to end the reception. It was a good opportunity to practice for the Pyro Olympics that will be held at the Esplanade, Mall of Asia starting January 5 (tonight), 6, 7, 12 and 13.Ü I also took the opportunity to practice on the fireworks last January 31. I think I need more practice, though and probably read on tips how to capture beautiful fireworks.

That sums up the events that occured during the past few weeks. Up Next, The Second World Pyro Olympics!Ü

PS. Thank you Love for the tripod you gave me as additional gift for Christmas!Ü

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