Heroes Season 3

New season, new twist.

Season 2 left off with Sylar getting back his powers and resumes the latest season with our favorite villain finally cornering Claire and gets to dissect her brain. Thing is, he does not kill her for some special reason (which is still unfolding).

Then comes a new revelation: Peter, Nathan, and Sylar---siblings? Well, apparently, Sylar was given up for adoption by Mrs. Petrelli (reason still unknown). Now that makes Claire her nephew, right?

Sylar as the protagonist? After being captured (again) by the Corporation and "nurtured" by Mrs. Petrelli, Sylar is being groomed as unlikely partner of Noah Bennet to capture the escapees of Level 5. Will he be able to prove himself the heroe? Or, will he make a smorgasborg out of the escapees and steal all their powers?

The premise of the show remains the same---to change the future! Yeah, yeah, time travel is a bit unfair! Ok! It's unreasonable! Anyway, at the beginning of the first season, we had a lone time bender in Hiro Nakamura and by its season ender Peter inherits Hiro's powers and began using it in the second season. Needless to say, future-Peter changes the future once more when he goes back to the past and tries to assasinate his own brother, Nathan, whose decision to divulge the existence of people with special abilities leads to a tumultuous future. Does he die? Yup! For all you Nathan Petrelli fans, no need to worry because he was risen from the dead by the dead Mr. Lindermann! Now how the fuck is that possible?! I guess we'd just see as the new season unfolds!

Many male viewers went amuck as Nikki's character was killed the last season but I guess the producers saw the impact of Ali Larter's presence in the show and wrote a storyline for her to be back in the cast of the latest season as Nikki's identical sister.

As a whole, I find it still worth the watch time.

So far, 3 episodes have aired. Episode 4 is already out in torrent.

Prison Break: A Lesson in Project Management

I just finished watching Season 1 of Prison Break and boy---was it a classic example of what Project Management is all about!
Project Management is planning, planning, planning and more planning. It's thinking about all the "what ifs" that could break your project and making sure contingencies are in place for such an occasion. Michael Scofield devised a plan to rescue his brother from prison and a date with the electric chair. He had a plan so meticulously laid he knew what things he needed, where he needed to go and who he needed to cohort with to make it happen. He was so intensely keen on every detail of the prison. Now, in order to make sure that error is put to a minimum in terms of how they're going to escape, he went to the extreme of tatooing the prison layout in his body--camouflaged as ordinary tatoo art. Michael then had himself put into prison by committing a crime he knew would land him in the very prison his brother is awaiting execution---Fox River Correctional Facility.
Once inside, he immediately set his plan in motion. But as Murphy's Law states, "if anything can happen---it will in the worst possible way." Michael was confident that his plan was fool proof but as major blunders came his way we see what the character a true project manager should possess: patience and the ability to adapt to change! With each set back he was able to re-group and and make changes to the original plan until finally they were able to accomplish the planned escape!
It was real treat to watch I tell you! When I was first told about this series I was not at all interested. But as I watched a couple of episodes---I was hooked! Every time an episode ends it's "bitin" and it becomes an itch to watch the next! All 24 episodes are guaranteed to keep you at the end of your couch. Unfortunately, I did not find the escape scene particularly realistic where they had to unhinge the window bars by tying it to a descending elevator without alerting any guards! Still, it's worth all the watch hours! Check it out!

Missing You All!

The year 2008 is truly very special. For the first time in 11 years the complete brood of Macarayans from Blk 25 Lot 20(LAGRO) got together for a reunion! First to arrive, last December 12, was my sister, Conila, from Australia and her family(with her husband Arnold and daughters, Ella and Inna. Then came my brother, Bong, with his wife Fe, and siblings: Nico, Reujen, and Issa. The reunion was a real raucous!
My sister comes for a visit every so often but it was the first trip back to the Pinas for my brother in 11 years and it was a real treat seeing him and the rest of his family again!
Ten grandchildren were in the house for the New Year and a couple of occasions after that---it was a blast!! They were such fun moments that last January 10, 6:16am, my youngest son, Justin Matthew, decided to see what the fuzz was all about!! Now, that’s 11 “apos” loitering our household!
It was fun seeing the children bond! Chesca and Nico seemed to be lost talking about girly stuff; Issa, Colleen, Carl and Tim were playing all day; Reujen and Ringo squared it off on the basketball court. I would have loved to join in on the basketball court and play with the Macarayans vs Lagro game but my bum knee, asthma, and bad back prevented me to…old age, I guess…
Naturally, it was almost always a feast at home during this time---with my mother cooking up a storm to feed the idiosyncratic appetites of the family. Lucky for me, the cacophony of gastronomic fiesta ruined my appetite and I only ate in between washing the dishes(in small quantities, mind you!). Needless to say I didn’t gain much weight during the holidays! Well, not that I needed to anyway! 230 lbs for my 5”11 frame is already too much says my doctor!
Anyway, my sister went back to Australia last January 12 and my brother last January 18. Now all that remained were the reverberating echoes of screaming children and the boisterous laughter of reminiscing adults!
It’s sad that my brother and his family can only stay for 18 days. Everyday passed by so fast. Such a short time to catch up on things. Well, if you’ll ask my mother she’ll surely get sentimental about it. I guess that’s normal for mothers. But that’s something most would misinterpret until such time that we find ourselves missing our children when they have their own families…nonetheless, I’m thankful to God for giving us this opportunity to see each other once more!
Missing you all…

PS
To my dear nephew Reugen, in playing basketball with dirty players: (1) don't get mad---get even...discreetly(specially on official games; (2) play smart and let the ref see what needs to be seen(get my drift?); (3) practice, practice, practice and practice---great players made it big not because of talent alone!; (4) don't run too fast---"MADAPA KA!"

Goodbye, Nanay!

My mother-in-law died early morning of November 10 after a year long bout with a liver disease. We buried her in her last November 17 in her hometown of Dingle, Iloilo.
Nanay lived a very colorful life. Colorful in the tele-novela sort of way---but let's not go there. She was a very caring woman who was specially protective of her grandchildren. With her "apos", saying "no" took a real effort!
Knowing the value of hard earned money, nanay was very stringent about unscrupulous spending. However, she was very generous with her grandchildren specially when it comes to their basic needs.
Nanay was well loved by many. This was mainly because of the countless people she came to help during her lifetime. She would always find it in her good heart to help when the situation calls for it.
The ailment saw her getting in and out of the hospital---being drained of her bodily fluid since only 40% of her liver was functional. I have witnessed the calvary that she went through. It pained me to see her lying in the hospital bed with all those tubes stuck into her and unable to move on her own. Everyone was affected by her sickness.
As the hospital bills piled on Nanay's life-long savings got depleted. We all struggled to keep up with the bills. It was a very stressful situation which sometimes led to friction amongst siblings. It was a good thing that Nanay has got a good investment of friends who chipped in financial support during such financial crisis.
Nanay knew how much I hate mushy situations and she continually badgered me during her funeral---trying to make me cry...well, she succeeded and I had to immediately skirt away from the crowd and cried myself silly in my own little spot. She must have been laughing in her grave seeing me like that! Anyway, it was a good cry which let out a lot of my angst.
Thank you Nanay for all the support you have given us. We will surely miss you

Life

My boss would always tell us, "don't burn bridges". The wheel of life turns unpredictably. For all we know the people working for us today can be someone big in the future(maybe become our boss!). So it is very important that we never look down on people. Take the opportunity to be part of your subordinate's growth both personally and professionally. I am very fortunate that I have had good bosses(including my current one) who patiently took me under their tutelage and take me to where I am today. Now, I would like to do the same with my people and hope that I also impact their lives in as much as my bosses did mine!

Quid Pro Quo

In other words, "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours."
People often times forget that in any relationship there should be give and take. Often times the narcissist in us prevails and we focus only on what we can take from others. This is bad karma!
Being in the customer service business this Latin phrase have proven itself countless times as I deal with both internal and external customers.
Leading a project involves inter-department and vendor coordination. As such, it is important that you have a good working relationship with them, otherwise, support will be a very rare commodity for you---and your project---is doomed from the start!
Striking a smooth working relationship with other people entails a lot of giving and less of the taking. This like saving for a rainy day. The more you give, the more emotional bank load you invest. This way whenever you are on the negotiating table there is always a compromise to all conflicts and the willingness to arrive at a win-win solution.

Be Happy!

The most important component in finding true happiness is ACCEPTANCE.

This may seem to be a simple process but it is actually easier said than done. If you experience a nagging difficulty in any aspect of your life---it's likely that the cause of this problem is the failure to accept reality as it is.

There are certain things in life that we can change like job, address, haircut, girlfriend, boyfriend. However, there will be times when we cannot just change them on a whim. If you don't like your boss you don't just quit and say good riddance! Finding a job is hard nowadays. Your current house may not be as plush as you want it to be but do you have enough financial excess to move out and buy a new one? Or, you wanted to have a mohawk style hairdo but if you have a receding hairline like Bruce Willis there wouldn't be much hair to style. What I'm saying is---in order to be happy in life you should find contentment with what you have.

Resentment is a disease that eats up the soul! If you have an abundance of resentment in your heart there can never be room for happiness!

I cannot tell you what to do. All I can say is---IT'S NOT A GOOD FEELING TO BE RESENTFUL! So, I chose to be happy! Try it! You may find it worthwhile doing!

What Now, Brett?

And the Brett Favre comeback saga continues...
Apparently, the Packers organization has "moved on" to the post-Favre era and is now posturing Aaron Rodgers as their number 1 quarterback. Naturally, Favre wanted a release so he could show what he has still got in another team. Unfortunately, the Packers aint quite ready to release him just yet. Now, why is that?!
They've offered the number 2 spot which I think is an insult to Favre's stature! I'm sure Brett will not be amenable to this set up!
If I were the Packers---I'd let Brett play out the remainder of his contract (he's got one more year left) and have him redeem himself from last season's sorry loss to the Giants. That would be reason enough for him to really step it up one more notch to greatness!
But then, I'm not the Packers!

Dare to Dream!

"Mangahas kang mangarap!" That was what Dr. Onofre Pagsanghan was passionately preaching about during Jollibee's General Meeting last June 23, 2008. Dr. Pagsanghan or "Pagsi" as he is fondly called is an 81 year old Ateneo high school teacher whose teaching experience spans 57 years and counting!

I have had the privelege of hearing this man speak twice. The first one was during our department team building in Tagaytay. Although, he basically spoke of the same things, I was mesmerized a second time!

When I first saw him, I was wondered what this feable looking man has to say that will make me want to listen. He was close to balding and looked withered. There was, however, a certain spring to his stride as he went up the podium. To my surprise, he spoke with such energy, passion and the eloquence I couldn't help being capture by his every word! With his extra ordinary charisma he spoke of his life experience and transformed mundane moments into lessons that many of us can attribute to.

His message was simple, "Mangahas kang mangarap!"---"Dare to DREAM!"
Born from a poor family in Manila, Pagsi dreamt of studying in the Ateneo. A simingly impossible aspiration for someone whose family is barely able to make ends meet. But through the kindness of their parish priest coupled by persistence, perseverance, and an unwavering hope that there is life beyond the confines of poverty, he was able to prove that dreams can come true!

With S'Ato's declaration of the company's 2020 vision on international television, we find ourselves looking through the eyes of young Pagsi. Such a tall order for a small company to prance about in the land of giants!
The road towards this vision will definitely not be a walk in the park and considering that the international players are already entrenched and dug in, our path will be an uphill climb on rocky grounds.

"Mangahas kang mangarap!"---To open 4,000 stores world wide and be the best Asian food chain in the 2020 is definitely a long haul but with Pagsi's example he has taught us that YES, one can dream one's impossible dreams and try to reach for that unreachable star, only if one is ready to pay the price to make it a reality!

Talking About Brett Favre

I fellow football enthusiast told me last Thursday that Greenbay quarterback, Brett Favre, is mulling a return to active play after announcing his retirement a couple of months ago. Obviously I haven't been following the post-Superbowl news as of late---well, except for that teary retirement speech of Brett.

I root for two football teams in the NFL---the San Francisco 49'ers and the Greenbay Packers, but primarily the Niners. I recently shifted to the Packers when Steve Young retired.
When Brett got to the podium to bid his football career good-bye I was NFL comatosed. Who do I root for now that Brett decided he'd be fishing on the next football season? Anyway, the latest talk about a comeback stirred me from my slumber. True enough, when I logged in the NFL website, there it was---Brett is definitely coming back for, I'd guess, I more year! Can't blame him though. He ended last season with an interception filled game it must have like bile that wouldn't seem to wear off or a relationship turned sour that needed...closure.

Unfortunately, the Greenbay organization isn't about ready to get him back for the reason that they have already committed to the rebuilding of the team without Brett. So, I guess, it's going to be another team for Mr. Favre next season.

Question now is: "Who's going to gamble on a 40 year old quarterback?" I'm sure Brett won't settle for a secondary position. Well, if price wouldn't be an issue, I'm praying that the 49'ers would send an offer sheet. Their main quarterback, Alex Smith, didn't give impressive numbers last season. Maybe the 49'ers organization will see the possibility of giving Favre his last hurrah and at the same time let their young quarterbacks learn from the master. Wishful thinking? I guess we'll find out when the next season begins. For the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Note: This blog was a result of an excessive amount of ice coffee I just injested!

Choices

Life is all about making choices.

When I was still in grade school, I used to read a book that would have you decide what course the hero would take. Naturally, the book contained a couple of possible endings depending on the choices that you make---you can either end up triumphant or a failure. Since it's a book I had the chance to go through all the possibilities.

In real life, however, we only get one decision for every situation. The hard thing about making a choice is accepting the outcome---this is specially true if the decision made was not to our liking. The thing is, a bad decision should not be followed by the worst desicion of deciding on just to sulk at "what should have been".

There should never be a place for REGRET in life! It's counter productive and it pollutes the mind! The important thing in life is to have the ability to pick yourself up every time you fall and find the courage to move on. Failure should be viewed as an opportunity to do better. I'm sure you have heard of the saying "try and try until you succeed". In like manner that we should go about living life!

What is there to Classical Music?

When I took up Music Appreciation during my college years, I had no regard whatsoever to classical music. During those times I was heavily into the music of "Duran Duran" and "Spandau Ballet" to even take notice of the compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonio Vivaldi or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Before, it was like, "Classical? YUCK!"---I mean, what is there to listening to violins and pianoes---even an orchestra for that matter! However, after listening to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" did I come to realize the different experience of immersing yourself to the imagery of such pieces. It was like seeing without actually seeing, get my drift?
Anyway, most often than not people would regard classical music as an elitist art form and with this respect we cannot blame them, for classical music did thrive during the middle ages duing the time of kings and kingdoms. However, classical musicians like Mozart and Beethoven did not compose their works just for the enjoyment of the elite. Actually, people then had only two choices in terms of musical inclinations---church music or secular music---unlike today where there are so many musical styles that each classification is divided into other categories. Rock for instance has "heavy metal", "R and B", and "slow rock" just to mention a few. So now you know why there are so many award categories during the Grammy's!
During the 1700's these classical composers were the primary concert artists comparable to the following of Michael Jackson. People would flock to places where they played. Even the burial of Beethoven would rival that of John Lennon's! The thing is, the elitistic stigma of classical music prevailed together with its "deteriorating" following. But more than this, maybe the fact that calssical music is a purely instumental piece that people find it hard to understand unlike other musical forms which contains words to express the emotion they wants to convey. You look at the lyrics and you know what the song is all about. Nowadays, with the influx of music videos it's not just a matter of being heard---it's GRAPHIC as well! Hmmm...talk about spoon feeding!
Classical music is a purely listening peice where you see not with the eyes and understand without words---it's closing your eyes...let your imagination drift and allow the musical current take you places! Try listening to Vivaldi's "Spring" (from his symphony Four Seasons) and see yourself promenading in a park with the folowers in full blossom or be lulled to sleep by the goddess Venus as you listen to Brahm's "Lullaby". Now, if you're the action guy, Rossinni's "William Tell Overture"(remember the theme song of "The Lone Ranger"?) and Richard Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" would be a perfect piece to listen to!
The thing is, all you need to possess is an active imagination and afterwhich let yourself be engulfed into musical ecstasy! To hell with social class! But then, in order for you to break this barrier you need to take the first step and TRY listening to it.
Tune in to 98.7 DzFE FM and enjoy the classics on radio!

Picking Fights

"The good general knows when to fight and when not to fight."---Sun Tzu, The Art of War

When faced with adversity fighting is not always the right course of action. Blind action almost always ends up a disaster. When a war is needed to be waged a thorough assessment of one army's chances of winning need to be the primary consideration. Why bother fighting if there is no chance of winning? However, let us not mistake sheer number as a source of strenght. Superior fire power can only be an advantage if you can see your enemy. Case in point: the American invasion of Iraq. Why is it that after many months since the American led coalition forces moved in to "liberate" Iraq have they yet to secure the country? The so-called superpowers are virtually impotent in dealing with the war versus terror because they have no idea where they are. In the movie "300" it was three hundred soldiers versus a hoard of invaders. Just as it was with Emilio Jacinto's last stand in Tirad Pass. Clearly, strategy would play a vital role in each battle that needs to be won.

A co-worker told me that you should never to complain about the food in a restaurant or any food establishment for that matter. If your complaint is legitimate provide the feedback and leave. If you're complaining in the pretense of "the customer is always right", never demand for a replacement unless you can witness the actual preparation of the product---who knows what you'll get in return. Believe me, it may seem you've won with the power play but once you've known the "extra special ingredient" in your soup...well, you get my drift!

If you have an asshole of a boss, you need to evaluate your options---you can resign and wish him good riddance. But you need to think this through very carefully specially if your boss is a ver well connected asshole! If you're tied to a contract you can just suck it up and be the best you can. For all it's worth, the wheel of fate will turn and you may find this assholeof a boss in a situation where you can just smack him in the head! What goes around comes around, right?
Good thing I have a good boss! Nighty!

My First Blog Ever!

Well, well, well...look who's taking this Friendster thing seriously! I got this idea from a long lost friend of mine who I recently got re-acquianted with! Just read her blogs and I thought why not?! God knows how much I like to write and be heard---I guess this is my chance! I just hope I don't bore those who'd get the chance to read them!
I do believe that I will be able to impact other people by sharing with them my life experiences. Originally I have wanted to write a book out of it. I did start writing this book which I titled "Me, Myself and a Whole Lot of Crap!" I guess I was already on page 10 when my hard disk crashed and lost all my files! Yeah right, it was a real BUMMER! Then quite recently, I was awoken in the middle of the night by a drunk co-worker I was sharing a room with during our Department seminar in Tagaytay, that I got an epiphany to start another book-to-be which I titled "Gridiron Living".
Football(NFL) fan that I am I thought the title was a no brainer---until I realized that the NFL is not that popular here in the Philippines! Now I guess this book is going to be a wait and see thing! Or maybe...I can just compile my blogs here and make a book out of it! Hmmm...I guess sleep is alreay clouding my mind!
Gotta hit the sack folks! Over and out!