Metro Comic Con - May 7, 2011

Dropped by Metro Comic Con this Saturday, for the sole purpose of getting my two other copies of Kikomachine Komix and my Zsazsa Zaturnnah signed by their respective artists.



As soon as I got in the event, I went around looking for Visual Print's booth hoping to see Manix Abrera and Carlo Vergara doing signing. I guess it took me 2 rounds of the whole hall before I spotted Manix walking around and totally looking like a typical con-goer.



Also spotted Carlo Vergara at the Trese booth. It took me quite a while before I could ask him to sign my ZsaZsa Zaturnnah; he was engaged in a conversation with someone from the booth. Thanks to the guy who took this picture. I forgot to get his name.

I originally planned to leave as soon as I get my comic books signed but then again, I remembered the PHP 120 entrance fee which is a bit pricey compared to typical conventions so I decided to look around.

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Secret Baguio

My officemate, who was also an alumni of UP Baguio, shared this article from Inquirer to me and asked what have I tried in this little list of unexplored places in Baguio. I felt a bit confident while scanning the list because I’m totally familiar with most of the restaurants listed.

However, when I got my pen to mark the places I’ve been and the food I’ve eaten, it turned out that I simply passed by most of the restaurants listed and went inside as a customer. There are also some listed restaurants that I’ve been to but haven’t tasted their best-eat food.

Here’s the list from the article and I've highlighted the restaurants I’ve dined in, food and coffee I’ve tried, and the places I’ve been:

THE BEST EATS

6) Pepperoni and mushroom pizza at Pizza Volante (the old Session Theater)

Out of the 10 items, I’ve only tried one - the pizza from Volante, which is actually good. I’ve been to the other restos such as Cafe by the Ruins and Bruno’s but haven’t tried their best-eat.

THE BEST RESTAURANTS

1) Café by the Ruins

2) Oh My Gulay (Vocas, La Azotea Building, Session Road)

4) Forest House (Loakan Road)

5) The Gang of Six (Rose Bowl, Mandarin Restaurant, Luisa’s Café, Session Delights, Sunshine Lunch and Star Café)

8) The Backpacker’s Delight (cheap but filling): Cathy’s on Carantes Street; Jack’s in four locations in Baguio and nearby La Trinidad, Benguet; Good Taste near Dangwa Bus station (Magsaysay Road); Tabligan’s (Scout Barrio); and Balajadia Restaurant at Slaughterhouse Compound (Magsaysay Ave.)

THE BEST COFFEE

1) Session Delights. Many were disappointed that the favorite media haunt, Dainty’s, closed at the end of the millennium because they served coffee that kept your head buzzing for hours. But the son of Ah Kong was wise enough to retain the coffeemaker.

2) Vocas. Artist Kigao Rosimo says this is the only French-press-your-own-coffee shop in town

3) Café by the Ruins. Served with cardamom and tira-tira stick

5) Cordillera Coffee at SM City Baguio

6) Zola (Session Road)

7) Pizza Volante (Session Road)

BEST HANGOUTS AND SIGHTS TO SEE

5) The Laperal House (Leonard Wood). People passing by there, especially on foggy nights, are reminded of the house of the Addams Family but the interiors are a masterpiece of pre-war interior design and artistry.

7) Asin Village holds many secrets. Look for the houses of Peter Pinder, National Artist BenCab, Ifugao woodcarver and environmentalist Lopez Nauyac. We go to Asin for the Ifugao Woodcarvers’ Village where we see saluting Indians, Igorots and many wooden delights. Although this is worth the half-hour trip, if you stray farther, you will see the soon-to-be museum of BenCab and the house of Peter Pinder where you see his fiberglass creations like that political chess set as well as the paintings of his twin daughters and the Viking dolls of his son. The Asin Sulfur Spring is also there to ease away your weariness.

10) The Baguio fog. “You can’t bottle it,” says Baguio writer Joy Muller.

I probably should make a separate entry discussing each items on the list. I’m really missing Baguio. It has been my second home ever since I started college and it will be forever close to my heart.

Oh for the love of the camera

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Went to Hidalgo this afternoon to help my officemate pick out a suitable digicam as a graduation gift to her younger sister. Incidentally, I also managed to get myself a Tamron 70-210mm K-mount lens for my Cosina C1s. Can't wait to try it our tomorrow so please, don't let it rain.

Oh, and another thing. I am once again considering to buy myself a DSLR after this trip. I'm starting to believe that I really need one. I'm currently looking at Canon EOS 1000D just because it's the only one that I can afford, not to mention that my cousin owns some lens that I can borrow. Maybe when I'm earning a bigger salary and perfected the art of photography, maybe I could buy a higher end Nikon.

Rose pops and heart donuts.

I know it's late but happy hearts' day, guys! So what have you guys been up to last Monday?

I know being single definitely sucks during V-day. I can tell you that first hand after being single for 21 years and counting. But I guess my situation doesn't suck as much as with those singles who spent the days prior to the 14th (and the 24 hours that follow) whining about why there should be a Valentine's Day at all. Here's a perfect illustration by TheOatmeal which perfectly describes what I'm saying.

So for me, I had a fairly special Valentine's:

Gave my female colleagues a rose-shaped lollipop and got heart-shaped donuts from the company HR,

went to a post-birthday dinner date at Tokyo Tokyo with my former college roommate,

and went book shopping at Powerbooks.

I got her a copy of Ricky Lee's Para kay B as a birthday gift and got myself Jessica Zafra's Twisted 9 just because I'm craving for Philippine literature and this is the best I could find.

Still, hope you guys enjoyed your hearts' day. Oh, and again thank you HR people for giving us heart-shaped donuts. I absolutely love the red one. It's red and strawberry-filled. Yum!

2-NE-10. You say goodbye and I say hello

Yes, just like how The Beatles said it. Forgive me, I was listening to The Beatles when I was conceptualizing this blog entry.

So moving on, like the other past 20 years of my existence, 2010 was full of memories, learnings, and experiences uniquely attached to it. However, unlike the other years, 2010 had a lot of life-changing moments that forces you beyond the point of no return. Join me in recounting the major highlights of the past year that made my 2010 legen-wait for it-dary.

College Graduation 2010

After almost 15 years of being in the academe, I finally obtained my hard-earned college degree and is off to see the real world.

My years in UP Baguio are probably the best years of my life, better than crispy fries, chocolate-covered almonds, and bungee-jumping. It has taught me more about living my life than anything or anyone could've done and I will forever treasure the freezing classrooms, the damp Oble grounds, the cold IB Lobby floor, the cozy Guidance office, the chicken-loving and the over

priced canteens, the naked running fratmen, the loud chants and antics of student activists, and the blazing bonfire that kept us warm every December.

College life has taught me to be independent by staying at a dorm 250 kms away from home with weekly allowance I had to budget, resourceful by having to please professors and instructors with creative academic outputs and productions, outgoing by dealing with different kinds of people - from the terror profs to schizophrenic classmates and back-stabbing friends, and brave enough by never saying never to any situation encountered.

To everyone - Journmates, CAC '06, Anime_HQ, UP Write, and Kikong Kikay - I've met in college that I had to say goodbye to, you'll forever be in my heart.

Anime_HQ's Cake Kissaten: Trip to Wonderland (02.14.10)

Kiko dormmates (4.23.10)

Interview with former Baguio mayor Peter Rey Bautista

BC 132 classmates

Photo op with our favorite Journ professor, Sir Rolly Fernandez

Unemployment Blues

Contrary to popular belief, life doesn't stop upon graduation but rather, starts with it. And believe me, it wasn't easy. I was unemployed from Graduation day until August and I nearly ran out of sanity. There were the frustration of not doing anything productive, the arrogance of dismissing call center job invitations, the shame of not getting a job despite being a UP graduate, and the constant pining for my college friends.

For three months, I was a total bum and I spent most of my time watching various anime and TV series, playing with Pepper, pestering people online, and sleeping.

My sanctuary during my bum days. Yes, it's The Big Bang Theory playing

My quest for a job was a hard one. During the span of three months, I have sent my resume to various companies, attended quite a number of job fairs, and received a lot of odd application invites. I was once considered for the position of a web content writer for an online adult website, put on training for a door-to-door marketing scam, and was invited to be an English tutor for Japanese students. I also have to deal with a lot of rejections for some of my dream jobs - assistant editor for a big publishing company, researcher and writer for a big network, and a media officer for a big advertising company.

Consider it solved

After three months of unemployment fiasco, I bagged a job with a large American engineering firm which any social geek yuppies have dreamed of.

HR's mugshot of me for the New Hire announcement. I'm a total mess. (8.9.10)

I love my job because, yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am now officially being paid to surf the Internet, update Facebook status, follow tweets, and watch YouTube videos.

Oh, and did I say that my team's the most awesome team ever? Since we're in marketing, everyone's witty, creative, and talented. We've got writers and graphic designers in our team, and we've got an a motherly manager to take care of us. And my mentor rocks!

Emerson Climate Technologies' Summit 2010 (11.18.10)

Team Building with Marcomm (9.17.10)

We bagged the first prize for the best decorated station (10.28.2010)

Team dinner with my mentor

La Union getaway

Last day of the semester, last weekend as a college student. We were probably crazy at this time when we planned an impromptu La Union weekend to celebrate our survival of yet another semester.

Taken with Jyx's lomo cam

LOVERAGE: UP Fair 2010

UP Fair is annual week-long event held at UP Diliman where the biggest local bands come together for a night of rocking out. It has been dream since I was a freshman to attend the fair, and on my senior year, that dream came true.

And I even got to try wall climbing.

Checking out the walls while waiting for my turn

Aerial view from the ferris wheel

Anime_HQ's acquaintance party

Anime_HQ is one of the major reason why my college life rocks. And believe me, I am so attached to this people that they keep me coming back to Baguio despite being a complete bum with no source of income. I have to use my transcripts and diploma as an excuse to catch the first Victory Liner bus to Baguio and attend the party.

It was a great feeling to be back in Baguio and meet old friends. It was even a greater feeling to torture and initiate these newbies into becoming full-pledged members.

Say hello to the new kids on the block. AHQ 2010 members

UAAP Cheerdance competition
Aside from the UP Fair, another event I've always wanted to see was the UAAP Cheerdance competition. UP may suck big time with UAAP's basketball game but we definitely own the stage when it comes to cheerdance competition.

Since the cheerdance is one of the biggest event of UAAP, tickets are extremely hard to find and pricey. I am deeply indebted to Jhang for getting me not one but two GenAd tickets for this event.

UP Baguio's Pasiklaban 2010
Blame my college life to my undying attachment to everything Baguio-related. Despite minor factors such as being an alumni already and filing for a leave without pay at the office, I have already planned going back to Baguio for the annual lantern parade and Pasiklaban.

I had Vince to tag along since he was even more ecstatic than me with the idea of going back to Baguio. He was with me during my September Baguio trip and it seems like he enjoyed himself and can't wait for the next trip.

It was great to see everyone again. It was even greater to feel like a student again.

21st birthday

I have to admit. I'm getting older.

And we have this inside joke that I am indeed a guy rather than girl since I celebrated my 21st birthday with my friends and not the 18th one.

Credits to Vince for making this cake for me.

Christmas roadtrip getaway
Instead of boring Christmas at home and an excuse to avoid the inaanak, we opted to celebrate it on the road. Breakfast at Tagaytay, lunch at Silang, Cavite, and dinner at San Pablo, Laguna

And yay for zipline!

And I guess that wraps up my 2010. It has been an incredible year, with incredible people and incredible experiences. I'm hoping for more exciting things this 2011. See ya!

Pre-"The Year That Was" blog post

Grabe, it's been months and I've got tons to tell and adventures to share. Since my last post, I've been to Baguio twice, went on a company outing at Nasugbu, Batangas, tried zip-line-ing at Tagaytay, and had an awesome Christmas roadtrip. Whew, I hope my December 31st would be enough to do all my last-minute whims - that holiday art and the annual "The Year That Was" blog post. Oh, and there's still Keith's house tambay and the girls' day out with my best friends.

I should prolly start with the countdown today. So all I have to do tomorrow and on Friday is to actually make the blog post. :P

Oh, and the pic above was from the Christmas roadtrip. Kudos to my cousin's second-hand Canon EOS 450D cam he bought from a friend. Gah, I'm jealous. : ))

BACK TO YOU: Pre-akwe.

* Same as what I have done at my Facebook account, I'm gonna be dividing the whole weekend getaway into four parts while maintaining a single blog title.

After thousands of excuses and weeks of bugging, my Mum finally gave in to my request of visiting Baguio just in time for Anime_HQ's acquaintance party for new members.

I called up some of my Manila-based friends and orgmates about the trip and found out that some had already traveled ahead in anticipation of the said org event. Haha, excited much? It's a good thing though that my friend Jasper still had classes until Thursday so he agreed to take the Friday midnight trip to Baguio. However, due to overfatigue, stress, and parents that came home late, we were delayed our trip until 6 am of Friday.

I dunno who's got the bad luck but we've certainly ran out of luck during the entire trip. The bus we boarded broke down while we're at Siesta in Tarlac City, and had to wait an hour for another bus. When the replacement bus arrived, it was already full so we have to wait for another bus to arrive.

Things went smoothly for the first half an hour until the bus driver pulled over a Bus stop eatery and declared a 15-minute break. I was like, "Oh-kay" at first but not until it seems like the bus driver vowed to pull over with every Bus stop he sees. You might think that I'm just making a big fuss out of it but believe me, it's just a waste of time for frequent Baguio travellers. There should only be two-three stopovers to Baguio - Dau terminal, Siesta at Tarlac, and Sison terminal.

Because of the delays, it took us almost 7 and a half hours to reach Baguio. Not good for someone like me who's terribly excited to see everyone. Upon reaching Baguio, we dumped our bags at SM's package counter and headed straight to UP. God, I really did miss the place. It's been months since last I've been here and it's a great feeling to pretend being a student once more.

Surprisingly, I found out that HQ have already occupied the right side area of the IB Lobby as the unofficial tambayan. It's such a shame that we've lost the Guidance office, but hey, this is better than nothing.

And suddenly, I was almost glomped by members trying to get my signature. How I wish I tried coming up with more interesting tasks for them to do than just having them sing and act in front of many people.

Just when I thought I'm having the time of my life toying with the new members, Gab dropped by to say hi! I've missed him so much that I made sure I'll have this picture taken. And also, I've managed to invite him to tomorrow's party.

We brought the whole gang to Good Taste for some dinner. It's the ideal place for large groups to eat out and spend less. It was chaotic bringing everyone (I think we were more than 15 people) but it was worth it.

And since I've missed Baguio so much. I vowed to enjoy every minute of my stay and no sleeping. We headed straight to Gamman's for some Rock Band session. It's behind the La Azotea building and just across the DENR office. Playtime's 60 bucks per hour. Not bad, eh?

Still strictly implementing the no sleeping rule, next stop was Zola Cafe at Session Road. It's a perfect place for pulling all-nighter doing acads stuff since they offer free wi-fi and free laptop charging (as long as you sit near the socket). Since we'll be brainstorming over the program for the next day's event, it's basically the perfect spot. Oh, and they offer free coffee by 3 AM. What can be more awesome than that?

In between brainstorming, we watched the live action version of the 20th Century Boys. Just click the link for the plot since I'm in no mood to discuss it. But believe me, it's worth watching.

After five hours, six cups of coffee, and 2 glasses of milk shake, we left for the market to do shop for the party's food and necessities.