How do you deal with this?

What and how does it feel to be working for an inconsistent boss? Actions and words don’t match. Always finds fault in what you do and feels that he’s always right.  Asks for suggestions but shoots point blank your suggestion at your face. Egocentric. Self-proclaimed that he’s a pro-active leader but in reality he resists change. Feels he has a strong connection with people but in fact has so many strained relationship with colleagues (even with his family). Feels connected with his staff but staff feels zero sincerity. Flares up on petty things. Easily rattled. Can’t go to a meeting on his own, needs a staff all the time! Can’t relay correctly to his staff what the higher up wants. Too “PRANING”. Afraid to ask a question to the big boss. Makes you think and develop too many options when in fact only one option is needed and practical. Revises your write up by just making the active sentence into a passive sentence (goodness, the thought is there already, form over substance). Here’s the worst: Always wants to be perfect when reporting to the big boss, so at times, he gives your report to the higher ups with his name on it as the author. And mind you, you already have this feeling that you’re even better than him in terms of all attributes (physical, mental, family and social life, etc.). The thing is you’re the staff, he’s the manager.

How do you deal with this?

 

Almost four months ago . . .

Stage 2 of the Sky Way construction at the South Luzon Express Way began during the 3^rd week of March.  That’s almost 4 months ago.  It caused terrible traffic during the first few weeks of construction.  Going to the office and traveling back home after a hard day’s work were a nightmare.  We had to start earlier than our usual time leaving the house and we had to contend with the bumper to bumper vehicles on the expressway!  Thank goodness, “counter flow” was invented.  We probably would never arrive at our Makati office on time if not for those precious counterflows that we took.  It’s just sometimes we always have to keep our fingers crossed that the counterflow opens before we even get to the opening!  Otherwise, we go thru the experience of roving the horrendous Alabang to Bicutan stretch!  And imagine, that’s just going to work and that we’re just half way thru.  The other half is this:  the normal 1 hour ride going home has been doubled and for me it was truly a waste of precious time!  It meant lesser time being with CJ all the more.  Hahaha.  How about on weekends?  We don’t try passing thru SLEX, at all!!!  We’d rather take the Coastal route.  And besides we usually stay at home on weekends.  If it’s not that important, our cars our parked Saturday and Sunday at the garage!

We have to thank God the construction’s progress is steady fast.  A lot of posts have been built and it seems workers have been working round the clock!  Compared to the construction of Sky Way’s 1^st stage way back the 1990s, I guess Stage 2 will be done sooner!  More visible are the equipments, construction people and pre-fabricated steels and thrushes.  They are beyond doubt so quick.  I suppose we can attribute it to the enhanced superior technology nowadays.

At present, there’s still traffic but it’s more manageable.  There are still traffic jams but before was super worse.  Probably, the ease was brought about by the fast progress in the construction and probably also because of the notion that people are more acclimatized to traffic already!  Everyone seems to be expecting it. 

Noteworthy though that the flow from Alabang to Calamba is so much better now.  My brother said his travel from Alabang to Sta. Rosa is so smooth.  It only takes him 15 minutes to arrive at home.  Now, isn’t that wonderful?

I wonder if Sky Way Stage 2 is completed how fast could traffic flow from Makati to home?  Haaaay, I’m sure it’ll be a breeze!!!  What’s not a breeze is the pricey toll fees that may be imposed!  Well, I can only hope that it’s not gonna be that unreasonably steep.  =)

 

Antonio’s

My dad, my mom, and my family (Cloyd and CJ) went to Antonio’s (at Tagaytay) on a cloudy Sunday.  It was actually a lunch treat for Mama who just celebrated her birthday a day before.  Eating at Antonio’s was really on my list of things to do this 2009.  Since we still can’t travel (because of the little kid), we opted to do things that are within reach.  Now, you’re wondering why my brother and his family weren’t with us?  My nephews Don and Dongee have the itchy chicken pox virus.  They’re banned from joining us since CJ is susceptible to these kinds of viruses and I wouldn’t want him to get it at this early stage.

 Anyway, making the reservations was a breeze.  I just called 0917-8992866 (Liezel was the one who took my call) and in no time we have a table reserved for us already.  Thank goodness, they weren’t running full. 

 Finding the place was also easy.  There were visible signages after the Mendez traffic light.  Directions were easy to follow and it accurately led us to the talked about place.  The huge wooden gate of Antonio’s welcomed us. 

Antonio's gate

As expected, there were already lots of cars parked inside since it’s a few minutes pass noon.  We were seated at the main dining hall because the receptionist saw that we have a baby.  I wouldn’t risk having CJ getting rained on so even without a garden view, seating at the main dining hall was the best option.  Besides, it was near the kitchen so I suppose the food will get to us faster.  And gauging from the cars parked outside, I knew there were lots of dining guests so there was really no choice.

 And so we ordered.  Cloyd and I had the Grilled Certified Angus Beef Prime Rib Eye Steak (with mashed potato and rice with olive greens), my mom had the Antonio’s Trio Sampler, while my dad tried their Seafood Sampler. 

Antonio's Trio Sampler

All entrees were served as set meals, which includes the fresh house salad with raspberry vinaigrette, soup of the house (oven baked tomato soup at that time), the sweet desserts and coffee/tea.  I upgraded my salad to Foie Gras Potato Truffle Tempura and I just love it! When it was served, we all start digging into the salad.  I did not get a chance to take a picture of it.  The main entrée were all delectable, although nothing really mouth-watering.  It was cooked the way we expected and wanted it.  What was notable was the service.  It was the experience of having the courses served one at a time at your table by the courteous waiters.  Of course, CJ was kind of restless while waiting for each course to be served.  In between, Cloyd, Mama or I take turns in distracting him. We had to bring him out in the garden at times (good thing it was just cloudy and not raining).  He particularly got amused with the koi pond and he liked the mashed potato (that came as side dish with our main entrée’) I gave him in minuscule amounts.

 Anyway, back to the food.  Since I really have a sweet tooth, I just had to overindulge on their desserts.  What my mom, dad and Cloyd couldn’t finish, I finished.  As in, I literally ate everything on their dessert plates after they said they don’t want it anymore! 

Antonio's Flourless Choco Cake

Papa had the Dark Chocolate Souffle.  Mama had the Pana Cotta with Caramel and Chocolate Notes.  Cloyd had the Poached Pear in Port wine with Mascarpone Ice Cream and the finest of them all, my Antonio’s Flourless Chocolate Cake!  To be exaggerated about it, “It was to die for!” (Hahaha!).  I just love the sweet bitter taste of their chocolate!

 After the meal, we also got the chance to wander at the well-manicured garden of Antonio’s.  It’s just awesome. The garden was simply beautiful and I’m sure the owners are really proud of their gardeners for having done a great job with creating and maintaining this garden.

 Here is a view of the garden from the staircase.

 

Antonio's Garden

Antonio’s is every bit grand and gorgeous.  It’s beautiful!  You get to really experience a remarkable dining ambiance.  There’s not even a pressure to dress up (like you would have to in hotels, for instance), and you get an overall pleasant meal with exceptional service.  But of course, exceptional service always comes with a price.  It’s worth paying a few thousand bucks anyway.

 Good thing we were able to take pictures in the garden.  A few minutes after leaving Antonio’s, heavy rain poured.

 

Scandal

The Kho-Halili and Kho-Reyes videos continue to shock the whole Philippines. Everyone is just so interested in watching them. For one, I am so curious that I had to copy the video files from a friend who has a copy. It’s all over the news and it’s been widely commented by most people especially by the Senate, my officemates, group of friends, in the department store (imagine, the cashier and the bagger was talking about it!) and even in corporate meetings (as side topic, hehehe).

Well, I have to give my 2-cent opinion on this. When I watched the video, it was like watching an x-rated movie. The actors or should I say the victims, made all the flesh come alive given that almost all the sex positions were done. I couldn’t even imagine that the act would last for more than 20 to 40 minutes or so! They were really some kind of a ‘total performer’ and all these were caught in video! Dr. Kho must have really some kind of psychiatric problem for recording his sexual acts with his girls, or both he and the girls must have taken drugs. I just can’t figure it out why it had to be taped/recorded, why it wasn’t discretely kept by the videographer (allegedly Dr. Kho), how it was obtained by other people and why it has to be released for public consumption. Is it money, fame, betrayal, revenge or just for the sake of art?

The videos may or may not have been probably gotten with the girls’ consent. But something has to be done about women’s right to privacy and exploitation. The Senate must really enact a law and not just do this for a show just because it’s near election time!

Here’s my other cent: Come to think of it too, why did the girls engaged themselves with Dr. Kho knowing fully well that he and Belo are still together and very much publicly known as a couple? Why did Katrina Halili come into the open knowing fully well that she’d have to go thru a very tormenting ordeal although that video shows it’s as if she likes what they’re doing?

Wonder why Belo took Hayden back? Must have been love or should I say could it have been the “performer” quality of Hayden?

Scandal? Perhaps. Just my opinion. I’m entitled to it, right?

 

Simply unexplainable and plainly lazy!

I don’t know what’s with being pregnant, most of the time I get so lazy.  Probably because I easily get tired.  J  I hate staying too long at the computer unless there’s really nothing else to do like watch dvd, read a good book or arrange my closet.    This explains my long absence.  I really still don’t feel like jotting the words.  I’m really so tamaaaaaad!  I’d rather talk with my baby in my womb (almost 6 months now).  Words just don’t come easy to me these days.   My emotions are just so hard to write.  Really don’t know why.  Just so unexplainable!

 

Halt the travelers!

I texted my travel agent friend the good news that I’m 2 months on the family way.  She was very happy and excited for me.  She had been praying (like everyone else) that I conceive a baby soon, and indeed it was answered.  But you see, I guess it also meant for her “no business with Cloyd and Charity” because I suppose traveling won’t be an option to us for the next 2 years or so.  Actually, the fact that I won’t be traveling for quite some time saddened me.  Not that I like traveling better than having a child, but because it means our happy “couple only” traveling days are over.  Our responsibility now is to our child.  Gone are the days that we would only think and spend money on ourselves.  I will surely miss those days when I and Cloyd would just book a flight, get a tour package and off we go.  Good thing is, we have enjoyed somehow our 4-year honeymoon stage.  We have been to the States, been to various places in Asia and have experienced cruising!  Somehow, these travels made us better persons.  By now, we probably understand each other better.  We probably know how to please each other already and learn to love the idiosyncrasies of each other’s person! And on a more positive note, probably, we have half-fulfilled each other dreams.  Cloyd always says that we were just readied by time and I would like to believe that our castle in the sky has been built in a strong foundation.  Truly, everything happens for a reason.  

 

But back to the point I’m driving at.  It would really be painstaking for us not to be traveling the way we were used to.  Just recently, we were even eyeing Macau as our next destination, until the pregnancy test pack showed two clear lines.  J

 

At any rate, the next time we travel again, we’re not just a couple.  We’re a family!  As to where on earth, what country, what beach or what place will be heading for, via land or an airplane or in a cruise ship, we will have to plan it well, save and set aside enough money for leisure, execute the plan smoothly and enjoy.  By then, no one or nothing else can ever halt the travelers!  Now, that sounds comforting to me!

 

What’s with the color pink?

Why is the color pink usually associated with girls/ladies/women in the same way that the color is blue is associated with men?  Why is it some girls’ favorite color?  (Although I know a lot of women too who just dislikes the color pink)  Why pink ribbon as a symbol for support to women with breast cancer? 

But really, why pink? 

When I got wed in 2004, I personally chose the color pink to be my motif.  Luckily, my husband didn’t oppose the idea!  He wasn’t that particular anyway.  He specifically told me that weddings are really a lady’s “thing” so I could take care of anything and arrange everything.   Anyway, again why pink?  I don’t know.  For me, it’s a feminine color.  I like it light in particular: light pink.  Probably because, I thought of myself having my “debut’ on my wedding day since I didn’t have one when I turned 18. J  In my mind, once I enter womanhood, everything has to be prim and proper or shall I say “pink” and proper.   

Or maybe, there’s still a child’s voice in me that still wanted to cry out for childhood when everything is but a bed of pink roses. J (Unlike now that I’m grown up, responsibilities and problems go hand in hand!) Well, the color pink for me is dainty, neat, delicate, exquisite and graceful.  Probably femininely flimsy but beautiful!

 

I’m no writer!

I’m writing my first ever blog to be published in the internet.  It’s no joke doing the english but I was inspired by one of my bestfriends, Kelly.  It’s a way to express myself and hopefully I get the hang of it in the next few days. 

I’m no writer but I’ll try.  Watch out for me!