Livin high and takin it easy

I found this information on one of the newsletters I am subscribed to, and heck, I wanna go! The thing is, do I really have P3,600 (or more) to waste, spare? It’s not like I will seriously benefit from this.. though the idea of going is very, very appealing… but I guess not for hobbyists/novices like me.

Maybe in the 17th or 18th.. or maybe even the 20th? *straight face*

The 15th Graphic Expo 2010
June 17-19, 2010
SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia

Graphic Expo lives up to its reputation as the country’s premier trade show and marketplace for creative and graphic design, digital photography, digital imaging, pre-press, print production, large format advertising, sign making, out-of-home, web publishing, multimedia, and animation.

Graphic Expo connects you with trade buyers, decision makers, businessmen, top suppliers, and industry professionals. It is an ideal trade show to expand business, meet serious buyers, and customers, source for digital technologies and innovation, upgrade existing tools, and network with Industry Experts.

The Graphic Expo Seminar Series is where creative professionals harness their skills and learn software applications that enhance their digital work flow process and efficiency.

Over 8,000 visitors were registered in 4-day exhibition in 2008 with high proportion of advertising & creative professionals, businessmen, entrepreneurs, corporate communicators, printers, multimedia specialists, web masters, service providers, and advertising suppliers, amongst others.

SEMINAR TOPICS AND SCHEDULES

Registration Fee: P3,600.00 per day, inclusive of attendance to 2 sessions (morning and afternoon), snacks and seminar kit.

Click here for more information on the event.

You may also visit this site for more information.

As a result of today’s horrifyingly huge failure at work, I have come to the realization that aside from a planner slash organizer, a daily check list of little goals to accomplish is now an absolute necessity.

I used to just go about my day doing whatever came to mind. I used to say I do not need a planner as there is nothing to write except:

• Do laundry
• Iron
• Clean bathroom
• Bathe the dog Ewok

…once a week, and

• Clean house
• Take care of baby

…day after day after day after day.

Now I’ve got “work” coming in from all directions, though mind you very few of them are actually “money-making”, and I find myself in need of some serious time management skills.

Indeed, failures are nothing but lessons we need to learn, for as a result of today’s failure, I realized a lot of things.
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As evidenced by the absence of blog posts the past week, I have been out of town and been generally busy.

Three days after Ryan and I’s trip to Calaguas Island and Bagasbas Beach in Camarines Norte, Lia and I boarded the ITI plane to El Nido, Palawan – Lia’s first trip ever to El Nido and mine’s after two whole years.

In El Nido, I visited close friends all over town, old haunts, hung out at the beach, did island hopping, reconnected with the school which was my home back in 2005 and 2006, saw my old students and attended the graduation of my then-2nd grade advisory class from grade school. It has been 4 years since I last taught at Potter’s Place School and my, how my students have changed – both physically, emotionally and perhaps, psychologically.
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This is a photo of my father taken for his high school graduation book. I believe he was sixteen in this photo. Today, he is sixty-one. Happy birthday Pops!

I found a photo of us taken on the day of my wedding. I wish I have a better photo of us two.

Yesterday’s stress levels were an all-time high. It was the only day in this week that I was gonna go to work, having failed to show up for work on Monday as I was picking up the baby from in-laws, and dog from sister’s, and just unpacking stuff. As opposed to the healthy happy baby we left last Friday evening, we got one back who was running a fever, had watery eyes and runny nose. I spent all afternoon trying to get in touch with her pediatrician and all evening giving her medicine.

We went to the pedia very early in the morning, 7AM actually, and was informed our daughter had a viral infection, got prescription for 5 medicines and got advise and certificates for our travel for today. I was supposed to go to work all day. I did not get to leave the house as I could not leave my poor sick daughter like that.

I posted a status on Facebook and got a whole hullabaloo because of it. I was dumbfounded. I spent the rest of the day crying my eyes out, not only because I was tired from taking care of my baby, I was frustrated that I did not get to go to work, I did not know what to do anymore as my daughter kept crying at the simplest things and I got all kinds of flak on my own Facebook and from the person whom I least expected it from. No, erase that. I did not expect any flak at all from anyone. I had no intention to inflame, incense, offend – to make such a big deal to put it simply, with the status I posted. It was just a status. What a horrendously big deal that status turned out to be! I am still dumbfounded as of the moment. Maybe staying dumbfounded is best.

I made an unexpected S.O.S. to the husband who was at work so he could join me in a pity party I badly needed. Actually, that was not a pity party. It was a mature conversation about the whole thing because I was there, totally lost, and caught up in something that got out of hand before I knew it. Wow. Again, maybe staying dumbfounded is best.

That whole shebang actually led me to thinking I should stop posting Facebook statuses, making tweets and blogging in general. That’s of course understandable if you talked about social networking with someone who works on internet security for a living.

What a learning experience the past 5 days has been for me (I’m counting from Friday last week), and oddly enough, that whole experience reminded me I have not posted any music in a long time.

It’s time for some music. When your own words fail you, use someone else’s. I love you Green Day.

21 Guns
Songwriters: Armstrong, Billie Joe; Bowie, David;
Pritchard, Michael; Wright, Frank E.

Do you know what’s worth fighting for?
When it’s not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?

Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart inside?
You’re in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

When you’re at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul

Your faith walks on broken glass
And the hangover doesn’t pass
Nothing’s ever built to last
You’re in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

Did you try to live on your own
When you burned down the house and home?
Did you stand too close to the fire
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?

When it’s time to live and let die
And you can’t get another try
Something inside this heart has died
You’re in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

We got our caterer and venue for Lia’s birthday party through our events planner. I was only supposed to get their kiddie party package but when we communicated online, the events planner told me she could also help me out with the venue as well. We have been looking for venues all over Quezon City and even considered the clubhouse in the village but there was nothing really concrete about our plans. It was a good thing the party planner got this venue for us.

The use of the venue/function room for 4 hrs is free with a minimum food catering booking of P15,000. In excess of 4 hrs, standard rate which is P1,200/hr applies.

Here are the following amenities as listed in Baby Nathan’s Kitchen’s website:

Amenities:

tables and chairs
mantle and tablecloths
flower arrangement for the buffet table
centerpieces for each table
stage
overhead screen
podium
sound system (amplifier, speakers, microphone)

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Our party planner, Cinco de Mayo Events, booked this photo booth supplier for us. It was just our luck that Funshots Booth was having a promo for April to June 2010 bookings, that we got our 3-hr photo booth for only P6,000 instead of the regular rate of P8,000.

I would like to extend my most heartfelt thanks to my U.P. Rep family who sponsored this photo booth and made this [dream] possible. Thanks so much! The best gift you guys could have ever given! (Love you guysts!)

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Right now I would be (or at least I hope so) in the island of Calaguas in Camarines Norte, having fun with friends and doing grown-up things, I suppose. No, I am not bloggin’ all the way from some remote island – this is a scheduled post.

I set this trip a few months ago thinking I would be able to bring Lia with me and not miss her a lot. I mean, not bring her with me to the island where we will be sleeping in tents, but I thought, maybe I could fly to Naga, leave Pili in the early morning of Saturday and get at the Vinzons port just in time for the arrival of the other beach bummers from Travel Factor and from then on, hook up with them to the island. The going back plan was leave Daet for Naga after lunch and be back to Pili in two to three hours. All things considered, I would only miss Lia for one night. But I had not factored in the event that I would have an actual job that has responsibilities and would not be able to fly out of the city whenever I wanted to.

Thus, the flying plan was scrapped and the bus plan came in. To be brutally truthful, I hate taking the bus. I cannot remember the last time I took a bus going to Bicol. I will not elaborate now as to why, but this much I will say, I never look forward to travelling overnight by bus. Just the thought of traveling by bus makes me think of not going..

.. but I guess (or at least I hope) I am now in the island and survived the bus trip. I am (probably) laughing and having so much fun with friends frolicking in the beach…

Only trouble is, I miss you, Lia love…
 
 

 
 
My dear little one,
 
 
I wish you are laughing here with us just like we did in Matukad Island in Caramoan.
 

 
 
And you are enjoying the sun on your face, the breeze blowing your hair, and the sand on your feet..
 

 
 
We will play in the sand and splash water all around us, and over our legs and even at our faces..
 

 
 
I promise to put as much sunscreen on you and all over you so that you do not get burned like you did here:
 

 
 
We can be castaways. You can stay naked all the time (isn’t that what you always want to be anyway?) and I will take care of you.
 

 
 
I miss you Lia and I wish you were here with us.
 
 
Love,
Mama

Edwin Guillermo, my friend from college and a fellow U.P. Rep alumni, will wed his girlfriend of four years, Dece Anne Mondigo, my friend who brought and introduced me to the educational institution that is St. Paul College Pasig, today.

They will be wed at the Parish of our Holy Sacrifice at our alma mater and the reception will follow at the Balay Kalinaw. A true-blue U.P. wedding indeed!

I am looking forward to shooting the wedding and I am very happy for the two of them. I wish I were of more help during the wedding preps. I know how Dece has looked forward to this day and although the initial plan of August 8, 2008 or even September 9, 2009 (Were those the actual dates or I just made them up?) did not come true, here we are now.

Congratulations Edwin (like really! You are such a lucky guy with your bride!) and Best wishes Dece! I love you both as only a true friend would, does, will…. you know what I mean. *wink wink*