The Big Boss

February 14, 2003

Valentines Day, 6th Grade.

Max, being Kim's legal name, was my mom's Valentines gift to me and my brother. I was 12 (turning 13) and my brother was 13 (turning 14) when he came to our lives. As mawkish as it sounds, I really feel that the song How Did You Know by Gary Valenciano is one of the songs I dedicate to Kim boy. Seriously, how did he know we needed someone like him in our lives? That there were empty spaces in our hearts? He came at the right time in our lives. I'll never forget how he brought the sun to shine in our lives; and took all the worries and fears that we had.

Kim boy is a pure breed German Shepherd. Before we had Kim, we had Pongo (in the Philippines we usually call his breed the "askal" meaning "asong kalye" or street dog. Otherwise, he's a mutt), Pearly (she was an askal given to me by our neighbor who died after 2 mos), Mikey (another askal/mutt who's still with us now but isn't really friends with anyone), and Bambi (a bulldog who stayed with us only for several months). That's four dogs before him, and he beat them in all aspects. Being probably the most expensive breed of the bunch, he really is the smartest. You would usually see German Shepherds as dogs who smell you/your things upon entering a hotel or a mall, go after bad guys, etc. They're really smart, and they're really guard dogs. Real dogs. Given that they're sorta like the soldiers, they have a very loving dog-nality (excuse the term. I was going for personality lol). They are very sweet and very loyal.

Kim boy was both. Very sweet and ferocious. Ferocious to people who don't live at home that is. Sweet, well, duh. His favorite person on earth is my dad cause when he was still a puppy, my dad slept on the floor with him. He would clean up his poop, his urine, feed him, bathe him, and all those things. As a child, I really didn't know how to do those. Second would be all of us. He likes staying with us as we eat, and he would stare at you and giving you the impression that he likes what you're eating. As for me, he knows how I hate having saliva on me so he would always come to me and shove his face all over me and then leave.

When my parents were in the States, I was talking to them on Skype and asked my dad to say, "Kim boy" over the phone. Setting the highest volume, Kim, missing my dad so much, ran around the house trying to find where the voice was coming from. That's how he is. That's how passionate he is. That's how he loves us. Whenever I am home alone, I'd stay at the garage, watch tv, smoke some cigarettes and eat. Knowing that I don't like being home alone because I'm fragile, he would stay beside me, watching the gate. He would guard me like that. He does the same for everyone else.

People who don't have dogs (or any pet) and people who have pets just for show will never understand the pain of losing a dog. Dogs aren't just dogs, they're your friend. They, one way or another, become a part of your family. Just like what my brother said on his Facebook account, "You'll always be someone, not something". Kimboy is not just our pet, our guard, our friend, but also our brother.

Now that we have Alex, we have someone to remind us of Kim. She is also a pure breed German Sherperd. She’s 6 months old and she’s also sweet. My mom didn’t have the intention of getting her, but she was very shocked to see the 98% physical similarity with Kim.

Kim boy, wherever you are, we miss you. Wherever you are, please keep on guarding us. We will always have you in our hearts.

Past Days' Paroxysm & Disarray

My friends would usually tease me as being the talktative one in the group. Obviously, being talkative means you have millions of words in your head and you just speak them out. Lately, I can't deny the fact that I still am very talkative when I'm around people; but when I'm alone or in the office, I am literally out of words. I can't even start this entry right.

I've had quite a number of disarrays for the past few days caused by certain extreme emotions. One day I'm too happy, and one day I'm in deep pain. As much as I'd want to remain positive, I'm really stuck in this cubicle full of sadness.

I'm very much on the verge of breaking down every minute because of the passing away of our dog. I am to create a separate entry for him because he is that special.

Having exactly 27 working days left is very thrilling. Having a very nice job offer is very flattering. Having everyone else around is such a blessing.

..all of these things are gifts to make me feel better but as of the moment, I just can't just let go of the pain.

Start of the Journey

SM North Fragrance Consultants: (L-R) Kuya Kenzo (Reymond), Lacoste (Alex), Gucci (Rannie)

Though I cannot put a lot of stuff into detail, I'm very proud that my second client for my Events Photography and Photobooth business is a well known company in the Philippines. It's such a huge step and will serve as a huge contribution to my/our portfolio.

We were hired to setup our photobooth on the second week of May at SM North, and we're currently on our fourth day at SM Megamall. It really feels good to have such a good start for this venture of mine. Of course, just like any other, I have my doubts and fears. But believe me when I tell you that the most effective key to success is courage. In other words, take the risk. Always remember that not taking the risk is the sign of your first failure.

I have big hopes for this business, and I'm working on making them slowly. Leaving my job is my first step.

Cheers to more and bigger events! ✌

SM Megamall Setup

Butuan, Mindanao

Camera: iPhone 5S

My dad was born and raised in the lovely place of Butuan. Well, not this hotel obviously. But this is an example of how peaceful it is in Butuan. I love going to this place because of several things.

1. Fresh air - Well, I guess there's fresh air in different provinces here in the Philippines. Then again, I don't have a province so this is the closest place I have to a province (well, next to Quezon but my mom didn't really grow up there). I was born and raised in Manila and I guess I've been used to pollution all my life. Being in Butuan gives me a different vibe every time. Sure there are a lot of cars there now, but it's just different.
2. Food - It's technically the same. As much as I love pork, beef (steak, to be exact), and chicken, I love fish. My colleagues would always see me buy fish for lunch and think I'm on a diet. Well, no. I just love fish. Fish here in Manila is great, but it's so much better in Butuan because it's fresh. There's nothing better than fresh fish! I would always tell my relatives to prepare my favorite fishes whenever I'm coming home. People shouldn't be surprised if I gain weight whenever I pay a visit to this place.
3. Chill-ness of the place (if there's such a word) - It may be a province, a province 495 miles from the metro, Butuan also has places I'd chill at. Although they don't have Starbucks yet, they now have Bo's Coffee, and of course the very famous (in Butuan) Margie's. I've tried it, and it's nice. I'm not saying this just cause I'm trying to plug this place, but because it really is good. It has that Filipino-taste in coffee: sweet, coffee-ish shiz. Can't really explain it. Margie's also serves cakes and pastries and it's got nice interior. You could visit this link to see the review. If you want more, you could check it out on Google yourself. Besides, they already have milk tea places so I can survive there. Just me, my cigarettes, a cup of coffee, or milk tea. There are also bars and ktv rooms around, if you're gonna ask.
4. Family - Well, growing up, I've always known my dad has 9 siblings (yes, there are 10 of them). But as a kid, I've gotten close to my mom's relatives more because they're geographically closer to me. Most of my dad's siblings and cousins are abroad, or in Butuan. I've been to Butuan as a kid, maybe twice, but I was too young to even care. It's really nice to get to know them because getting to know them means getting to know my roots and surprisingly makes me know myself more. It's funny how a simple vacation at your dad's hometown can make you feel at home in different ways.
5. Butanon / Bisaya - Okay, so I really sound funny when I try to speak in Bisaya. Forgive me, I'm more of a taglish person. I can't even speak straight Tagalog. How on earth do you expect me to fluently speak a dialect I seldomly hear? Silliness aside, I've always been touched by the fact that my dad's proud of me for always trying hard to speak his dialect. In fairness, kasabot na ko ug binisaya. Ga tuon pa ko, kaya gamay lang. Dili na ko ma-loko. Yep, no Google search on that! If ever you're Bisaya and you notice I'm grammatically incorrect, please do correct me. 
6. Culture - We're all Filipinos, but we know that there are certain things that are distinct in one province. Say, Ilokanos are known for being stingy (kuripot), Batangueños for being brave (matapang), and the Pampangueños known for being good cooks. I'd like to say Butuanons are very friendly. Although there are people who still don't know how to smile randomly, most of the people I've encountered greet me with a smile. 
   
   

   
    So there, few reasons why I love going back to Butuan.
   
   
   This photo was shot by me last year, as seen on the lower part of it. This was at our property by the beach. Next time I go there, I'll make sure I have a photo of the property. It's nice to know that when I'm out of budget, I have a beach property some place nice. Though it's not white sand, though it's not known for its clear waters, I know I have a place to go. :)
   
   
   
   

The Astounding Feeling

Hmm. I guess astounding is too much of a word to be used for this entry but I just really wanted to share the weird feeling I felt upon reading a few emails at work yesterday.

First of all, though I've told several of my colleagues that I have filed my resignation, I don't know how there were others I'm not relatively close to who know about it. Oops, my bad. I know how they found out. Lol ;) 

Yesterday, May 5, 2014 is the first day I saw an email that said, "our colleague Tina Cembrano has already resigned and we would like to *insert confidential message here*". Wow, just wow. I am happy that I'm leaving the company and that I am now able to do what I want, but it just hit me that there will be a lot of other things that are important to me in this company that I'll be leaving. I always tell my friends from work that I enjoy working there, but I don't like my job. As odd as it sounds, I also feel odd knowing that I'll be gone soon. I tell myself that I won't be much of a loss since I believe I don't really excel in the industry, but some people tell me otherwise. I even received comments such as "you're smart, just not trying hard enough" and "you don't excel because that's what you tell yourself and you're very distracted". Well, my sincere apologies. Maybe through time, I can really excel. But given all the other opportunities, I don't think I'll find myself falling in love with this job. I just don't see it. But when I come to think of it, I might miss the fact that when I don't have meetings, I'll be in the office, fully air conditioned, I receive my salary twice a month, other incentives, etc.

Before this entry gets longer and gibberish, let me just make it clear that the saddest part of quitting my job is leaving the people I've gotten close to. Though I know that it's going to be easy on my part and theirs to move on, or to get used to not seeing each other every day anymore, but it's just sad. This is just like graduation for me. I'm unsure with the future of our relationship, but I really hope that it will not end.