In Happy Company (Christmas Party)
Last December 6th, my project had its Christmas party at the Great Eastern Hotel (I know, the place sucks) in Makati Av. The place maybe cheap, but the party was one event we had been anxiously waiting for. For 3 weeks, we had slaved our assess off for 3-hours a night, 3 nights a week practicing our performance.
The party’s theme was Broadway, and everyone was expected to come in an attire inspired by a musical or a Broadway play. Aside from that, each team within the project was to join the contest for the best musical presentation. We got Moulin Rouge, and I was picked to play the role of Satine, Nicole Kidman’s character. Of course, it was an honor, but for the first few weeks it was burdensome. Instead of going home after work, I had to extend my stay in the office for the next three hours of practice. That meant spending more on food, reaching home at 12, and (more often than not), being late for work the following day. As a newbie in the project, I also had to join the rest of the newbies in our division to perform in front of the rest of the project.
Anyway, our hard work bore fruit when we were awarded the second place for Moulin Rouge. Yes, that’s right, just second place. Another team from the same division as our team won the coveted first place award. I got to admit, they had stunningly artistic props in their presentation of Lion King, although the rest of the team were a bit lacking in acting. The guy who played the high priest in their presentation, however, won the award for the Best Male Performer. He deserves it (though I don’t completely agree), as he made the audience laugh with his crazy antics (by the way, he was nominated as the joker of the project, too). I, on the other hand, won the award for (surprise!) the Best Female Performer; and (more surprise!), I shared the award with a male teammate who played Pink in our rendition of Lady Marmalade. Talk about a laugh fest. Haha. My division’s newbie team (which I am a part of), also won the newbie performance competition. What a sweep! 
Another highlight of the event? I won a 1GB iPod shuffle in the raffle. Yay. I was actually pining for the consolation prizes, such as one of the dozens of desktop electric fans, or one of the few 500-peso Starbucks GC, or the tiny teddy bear that came with the wacky awards (I was nominated for the female Fashionista of the project award), but I won an almost major prize, so no more qualms. Hehe. By the way, thank you Mark and Ceslie for being patient in teaching us the right dance moves. We wouldn’t have made it without your teaching efforts, so THANK YOU!
I’d like to thank the SAP/BW boys from whom I stole some of the photos above. Hehe. As well as Kuya Mike for some of the photos. The video of our presentation and the rest of the photos are in my Multiply. Fun fun night. 
We Made it to the Summit: The Mt. Pulag Experience
I am proud to say that my boyfriend and I reached the summit of Mt. Pulag on December 1st, 2008 via the Akiki-Ambangeg Trail. The fact that it was our first time to climb a mountain takes the experience to the highest level. Never mind the aching muscles, the windburned and sunburned skin, the stuffy nose, and the sleepless days after the climb, it was the best adventure we had so far.
The climb to Mt. Pulag was a year-ender organized by KalayLupa Mountaineering Club, of which I am an honorary member (hehe). I invited my boyfriend Red and my high school friend Andrea to share the experience with us. It was a three-day climb aptly scheduled for the long-weekend in between November and December. We met up with the rest of the climbers (a total of 21), the night of November 28th to board the bus to Baguio. After much chaos in the bus terminal and a dizzying 6-hour trip aboard the Victory Liner, we finally reached the City of Pines. Greeted by the refreshing cold and the warmth of Baguio folks, we were more than excited when we boarded the hired jeepneys for our trip to Kabayan, Benguet.
The 4-hour trip to Kabayan was the most dizzying ride I’ve been in. The road was winding, narrow, and bumpy. Add to that, the driver was trying to make the jeepney fly around the bends and curves of the road. I’ve never been a biyahilo, but I was made one by that long jeepney ride. About an hour into the trip, we stopped by Ambuklao Dam to take pictures. A few hours more, we stopped again to have breakfast at JangJang Eatery, a small diner in the mountains. Food was [not] surprisingly expensive: one piece of fried chicken (thigh part) costs 50 pesos, rice is at 10 pesos a cup, and scrambled eggs at 12 pesos a piece. Finally, we stopped at the DENR center for briefing/orientation, head count, registration, and log in.
We freshened up a bit, secured our belongings, and psyched ourselves up before we boarded the jeepneys again to reach the jump-off to Akiki Trail. At the jump-off, we took photos and braced ourselves for the long climb up until lunch time. It was a hard start as we climbed up concrete steps. We finally reached a shed in a clearing where we stayed for a while to have lunch, and of course, take photos. A few minutes after, we embarked on a long trek down the mountains to reach Eddet River. After almost a two-hour trek, we reached the campsite at Eddet River, where we stayed for the rest of the night till the following day. Dinner was a crazy hodge-podge buffet, potluck-style, but was definitely filling. Socials was even crazier—I slept through the entire night, while my boyfriend drank and got merry with some Kalay members.
The following day was killer. We embarked on a day long trek to other mountains in the Akiki Trail. It was a day long climb up a steep and zig-zagged trail. Halfway through the day, my legs were almost ready to give up, my thighs were in pain, my ankles were crying for help, and my shoulders were begging for mercy. Thank goodness, we made quick stops (read: 10 second breaks) when we already could not bear the fatigue of the tedious climb up. Thank God, too, for the water sources along the way where we stopped by for longer breaks (read: 20 minutes max).
The breath-taking view of Marlboro Country, the Helipad, and the Mossy Forests were enough to ease the tiredness of our muscles. Despite the obvious physical fatigue, our minds felt relaxed and at one with nature. The scenery was picture-perfect, pristine, like a safe haven. Pine trees are bountiful in most areas of the mountains, wild flowers are in bloom, and different species of animals and insects are everywhere. In some slopes near residential areas, crops such as lettuce and cabbage are planted in well-cared for plots. The mountains of Benguet, we know, can also be a dangerous place despite its serene beauty. Mother Nature, still as unpredictable as a woman with a crazy temperament, can change its course on a whim.
