Samu't Sari Vol 1

Msta sa lahat! Happy May month! Naka tatlong buwan na pla ako, di ko man lng namamalayan. Tatlong buwan pa at makakauwi na din ako. tiis tiis lang!

Happy birthday muna sa aking asawa! Naku, up to now ala pa syang sinasabi na gusto nya gift. Hirap mag isip. Dapat matalbugan ko ang gift nya sa kin nung bday ko. Hehehe.

***

Happy April din pla to... 30th anniv ni papa at mama... 1st bday ni gian... and nabili ko na din yun lcd tv pra sa bahay. Thank you Lord.

***

Just gone to the grocery knina for my May supply. Grabe nagmahal na bilihin pati dito. I spent $30 for 4 pringles, 5 cup noodles, 3 century tuna and 10 chocolate bars. Expensive! Ala pa corned beef at spam nun ha.

***

Medyo bibilis na oras ko sa Afghan kc madami na pinagkakaabalahan ngyon. Meron na ako boxing sa gym (ako lng daw gumagamit nun eh), boot camp, volleyball, billiards, nintendo Wii at ngyon nman eh nagpadeliver sila ng synthetic grass pra sa soccer games. Yehey!

***

Thanks naman at nakauwi na si papa sa Ilocos and mas maraming thanks kc ok naman si tatang dun. TV daw request nya, hehehe, no problem. Uuwi kmi dun pagdating ko sa Pinas by august. isa yun sa mga bakasyon namin ni belle with the family.

***

Juve nsa Indo ka na ba? Bait sa tin ni Lord, biruin mo tagal mo naghintay sa Pinas. Inip na inip ka masyado at ala ka work tpos ngyon nagsabay sabay. Eh di kasama mo pa buo pamilya mo magcelebrate ng bday mo sa Indo? See, just wait, in His time darating din yun sobra sobra pa. Ispin mo na lng na nagtour ka sa Bangla at gumastos ka ng $2.5 grand. Bigtym!

***

msta pla sa mga dabarkads natin sa suncell at sa buong panig ng mundo. cyensya na sa helping hand pero don't worry, pag uwi ko aayusin ko yun. Busy daw tlga sila sa Sun at ganun din naman ang ibang expats. Si batol na lng naiwan sa Bangla. No, ok ka ba dyan sa Ethiopia? kasama mo naman si diana dyan eh. Jepoi, san na email mo? hehehe. Si archie, di pa din kmi nagkikita since dumating. yoko kc masyado lumabas lalo na at madami happenings sa compound. Kita kits na lang ulit sa December. Oo nga pla, congrats kay Joemar at Myzel.

***

Oh, I miss my wife so much. Lalo na yun pic nya (tignan mo sa baba). Swerte ko tlga sa kanya. Wag nyo na lng pansinin yun alalay nya na naka sumbrero. hehehe. Luv u baby! Super ganda mo sa dress mo. Luv u tlga!

The Next Golden Boy!

So happy when I got back here in Kabul because we have new equipment in the gym. Well, the gym is one of the precious places for me here in our compound aside from the billiard hall and the courtyard. But the latest addition that I was so happy about is the Everlast heavy bag. Yes, its boxing time!!!

Because of this, guess what I bought for myself as a bday gift... boxing gloves...

No more weightlifting in the gym, just going there for the boxing sessions as well as some stretching exercises. And we have the boot camp too every Saturday.

Got the Samsung LCD TV

Already got the LCD TV as promised to papa for his 58th b day. So happy dahil nabili ko ng mura tlaga but brand new ha.

Well, kala ko nun pangarap na lng makabili nito. Kasi before when I was working in the Philippines, sobrang hirap mag ipon. Makaipon ka nga eh may iba ka naman paglalaanan na mas mahalaga. Kahit mag OB ka araw-araw at matulog ka pa sa sasakyan, di kakayanin sa sweldo ko. Hehehe.

Actually dpat eh paguwi ko pa bibili but when I browsed sa e-bay, yes sa e-bay ko lng sya nabili, it was 20% cheaper compared sa prices in malls. Wow, 20% off just imagine. Hehehe. And the good thing, napakadaling kausap ng seller. If you're planning to buy one, check e-bay user satchel72, highly recommended to, madali kausap. The good thing about it is sa mall pinick up nila erpats at kumpleto sya as in with reciept, warranty and free assistance from samsung personnel. and with free dvd player pa.

They are enjoying it right now back home. Excited na tuloy ako umuwi, hehehe. Sakto sa laban ni Pacman at Hatton at sa NBA playoffs.

Why Samsung? Considering a budget of only a grand for a LCD TV, I need to maximize my reviewing to find the best HD LCD TV. This 37" is well in the budget. Resolution at 1080p and DCR is 30000:1, the higher it is, the better. And I like the design.

Enjoy watching!

New models of Samsung LCD TV, hehehe.

Injured Hand

I failed, I'm sorry.

Just a week away and its the month of May already. And up to now, ala pa kming nagawang project for our group, Helping Hand.

Mahirap pla mag organize lalo na at nsa ibang bansa ka. Di mo rin naman mapwersa ang iba na nsa Pinas kc syempre may work din sila lalo na ngyon learning from Betchay na iba na pla sistema sa Suncell.

Nothing to blame but me na masyadong advance mag isip. Anticipated too much from all the responses I've got. At the end, only two or three people lng pla ang tlgang concern for the group.

Lessons learned, time to move on. Just concentrate on what I have now. Kahit naman papaano may napapasaya akong mga tao.

But I promise I'm not quitting on this. Itutuloy ko ito but maybe not at this point that Im doing consulting jobs.

I know I can make a difference in other people's lives.

One Year Old na Pamangkin Ko

One year old na ang pamangkin ko. Happy birthday Gian!

Eto yung batang nagbibigay ng bagong sigla at saya sa bahay namin. Matakaw na daw sya kumain, kita naman sa pic nya di ba. Kaya paguwi ko, jamming kmi sa pagkain, hahaha.

Unfortunately today eh sinugod sya sa ospital kc continuous daw sya nagsusuka. Hay, sana gumaling ka kc tomorrow nila celebrate ang kanyang 1st bday party. Pra naman ma enjoy nya ang kanyang party.

Happy birthday and love you!

Playoffs Starts Sunday!

All have been said and done! The 82-game season is over and the real drama of basketball will start Sunday... Predictions??? Here you go...

Ok, before that, I'll give my awards... Hey, the play offs won't affect anymore the voting so here goes...

MVP - Lebron James - Great offensive game as always and well-improved defensive play... 28-7-7 and they have the best record in the league, there's no denying his first MVP award. At 24, I wonder how many MVP awards he will win... If he develop his killer instinct ala Jordan, he will be the best player in years to come.
ROY - Derrick Rose - The Bulls got it right this time with their draft. D-Rose will definitely a figure in the point. Needs more consistency with his outside shooting. Good rookie year, leading the Bulls back to the postseason. But for me, not yet in the same company of Paul and Deron.
Coach - Mike Brown - Best record in the league. But beyond that, the transformation of Cavs to a feared defensive team is the factor that let him win the award.
Sixth Man - Jason Terry - He plays better off the bench and his impact on the Mavs rotation is undeniably positive.
Improved Player - Devin Harris - Dallas owner Mark Cuban may be sorry for giving this kid away for Jason Kidd. Devin showed really what he can do especially with a coach having his plays set for him. (I picked Nene before during the midseason to win but he just slowed down.)
Defensive Player - Dwight Howard - He led the league in rebounding and shot blocks. He deserves it. (I picked KG before but injuries made him miss the last two months.)

Playoffs 2009 here we go...


Western Conference - It will be a Kobe & Co. show. Nobody will stop them especially right now that the Spurs lost Manu Ginobili for the playoffs.

1st Round

Lakers vs Jazz - Lakers 4-1 - Lakers will be too much to handle for the Jazz.
Nuggets vs Hornets - Nuggets 4-3 - Chauncey Billups will definitely provides the playoff composure for this team. And he can play defense too.
Spurs vs Mavs - Spurs 4-2 Ginobili's absence will not be badly felt yet as of this time. Spurs' defense will carry them over the Mavs. Too much Parker in this series.
Blazers vs Rockets - Rockets 4-3 Best series in the first round for me. I'll have Rockets winning in game 7 in Portland.

2nd Round

Lakers vs Rockets - Lakers 4-2 - They have Bynum now to play center against Yao. Gasol will definitely exploit Luis Scola down low.
Nuggets vs Spurs - Spurs 4-2 - Spurs' experience will be the x-factor for this series. This will be a Tim Duncan vs Nuggets big men series.

West Finals

Lakers vs Spurs - Lakers 4-2 - No Ginobili = no match for the Lakers.


Eastern Conference - The theme of the playoffs for the East will be the KG Effect. Celtics has no chance at all winning against Cavs if KG will really sit down.

1st Round

Cavs vs Pistons - Cavs 4-1 - This is not the same Pistons team anymore. Cavs will just have an easy time in this series.
Celtics vs Bulls - Celtics 4-2 - Without KG, I think they can still get through the first round.
Magic vs Sixers - Magic 4-2 - Who can guard Dwight Howard? ...Dalembert? ...Speights? Come on...
Hawks vs Heat - Hawks 4-3 - This series can go either way but I'm picking the Hawks considering the tough experience last year against the champs.

2nd Round

Cavs vs Hawks - Cavs 4-2 - King James vs Josh Smith... Wow! The veteran big men of the Cavs will outplay the young guns of the Hawks.
Celtics vs Magic - Magic 4-2 - It's over for the Celtics. No KG means a lot of defensive lapses.

East Final

Cavs vs Magic - Cavs 4-2 - Forget the last game where they routed the Cavs. This is the playoffs.

NBA Finals - Cavs vs Lakers - Lakers 4-2 - This series will be all hype, Kobe vs Lebron, the two best players in the game right now. I'll have the Lakers winning because of their team play and knowing Phil Jackson, Lebron will be having problems with the defensive plays set for him. But he will be better in this Finals compared against the Spurs in 2007. It will be Kobe's first without Shaq.

1979

Wow, 30 years of love together! Papa and mama, happy anniversary!

I will always admire your relationship kc khit anong daming hirap at problema eh talagang you stood by each other. And thank you for sharing the love to me and my brothers.

Me and Belle will definitely have that influence in our relationship. Thank you so much!

To the best parents in the world, more anniversaries to come! Love you!

Losing Confidence

I'm losing confidence towards my work...

Opo, di ko alam pero yun feeling na ala ka na desire to work. Hindi ko tlga alam kung bkit pero madami factors eh, di ko lang ma pinpoint ng sakto kung ano dun. This is the second time I had this feeling. Well, ABS-CBN days is coming and catching up on me now.

Una, feeling ko nbobobo ako sa trabaho ko. Hindi ko alam pero lately eh nagsulputan ang sandamakmak na complains. I'm doing a lot of checking and analyzing pero parang ala improvements. Nakakainis kasi usually sa Pinas, one shot lng eh ok na.

Pangalawa, hindi naman sa pagdodowngrade sa mga locals pero medyo mahirap sila turuan. I'm doing lecture classes din dito tulad ng ginawa nmin sa Pinas pero unlike sa mga engineers sa Pinas, medyo mabagal sila maka pick up or sadyang ala silang desire na matuto. yun tipong kakaturo mo lang kahapon eh kinabukasan itatanong na nman sau. hay... Syempre as expat, di ako habambuhay dito sa Afghan kaya gsto ko din sila matuto pra naman pag umalis ako eh may capability na sila na tlgang magwork na di na kelangan umasa.

Pangatlo, feeling ko nawalan na ng trust at confidence ang amo ko. Unlike nung bagong dating ako, talagang puro puri ang maririnig mo sa bibig nya sa work ko. Ngyon eh prang dissatisfied sa nangyayari sa network. Feeling ko sa dami ng complains at ala masyado naaayos eh.

Pangapat, siguro professional courtesy na din siguro na mahiya ka kc ang laki ng sweldo mo pero ala ka naman masyado nagagawa or nasosolve na problem. Stats-wise eh ok naman ang hawak kong area pero sa mga complaints lng tlga namomoblema. Sa ganang aking lang, mas tiwala ako sa complaints at drivetest kumpara sa statistics kaya feeling ko kahit maayos ang stats eh sawi pa din ang work ko.

Panglima, di ako makapagdrivetest pra makita ko ng sakto ang problema. Madalas yun mga logs na ibinibigay sa kin eh kulang ang data kaya mahirap mag analyze. Khit gs2 ko na ako ang lumabas eh di nman pwede dahil sa security issues. Pati na din ang mag audit ng cellsites. Kya mas nahihirapan ako dito.

Pang anim, iba din cguro kung may kasama kang kalahi sa department. Kc dito lahat ng expat sa engineering eh Pakistani. Hindi ko matantya ugali nila. Mahirap kc may nagpapanggap na magaling sila at may nagpapabibo kid. Hahaha. Minsan nakakainis kc magcocommit tpos iaasa sau o kaya sa meeting kung anu-ano sinasabi eh ala naman related sa problem. hay.

Pangpito, naiirita ako kc di ako makakain ng mga gsto ko. Ewan ko pero it goes something with the food towards my work. Sa pinas kc, excited ako sa work ko lalo na sa mga drivetest o khit sa opis lng. Kc after work days or after matapos ang work, I reward myself with good food na tlgang gsto kong kainin.

Hay, I never had this feeling in my three-year stay at Suncellular. Sa Sun, feeling ko naglalaro lng ako tpos pasyal. Never na timamad ako sa work ko dun unlike dito na 6 months pa lng ako eh prang ala na desire.

Time to move on???

Just pray, pray, pray... All these doubts and worries, mawawala din kasi I've surrenderred it already sa prayers ko. Everything's gonna be alright soon. Just believe.

Thank You for Celebrating With Me...

Akala ko lilipas lng ang bday ko dito sa Kabul ng ganun ganun lng, hindi pala... Naging masayang araw pa ito kasi double celebration... Hehehe...

May konting salu-salo sa Pinas. Syempre naghanda din si ermats khit na di nila ako kasama for the first time sa bday ko. May pansit, spaghetti, lumpia (miss ko na to!), palitaw at buko pandan.

May bday cake ako!!! (kasama pati eded, hahaha!!!)

Ang aking families

Cyempre, dito sa Kabul, may handa din ako. Nagtreat din ako sa office kasi syempre mababait tlga ang mga kasama kong local sa skin. Bumili lng ako ng cake at mga pastries sa knila. Nung dinner naman ay nagpadeliver ako sa isang Pinoy na nagcacater dito. May sisig, kare-kare, lechon kawali, adobong baboy, sinigang na hipon, lumpia at sweet and sour fish. Sarap ng kain ko kc pork eh, first time since umalis ako ng pinas. Tpos may regalong cake si Mehdi (at niregaluhan pa ako ng relo na Breitling) at ice cream pa mula kay Cynthia at Ems.

Parang children's party, may cap pa!!!

Maraming salamat po! Sa lahat ng bumati, sa paguwi na lng ulit ang celebration!

2009 Fight of The Year

2009 Fight of the Year... Yes, that's my prediction for the upcoming May 2 fight between our very own Pacman and Ricky Hatton. And why??? It's all fireworks... Both fighters are sluggers and KO artists with good boxing IQ... Plus, they have the two best ever trainers in the sport. No good fights (and fighters so it seems) scheduled within the next few months. Unless, Pretty Boy Floyd comes out of retirement and fight Pacman by year ends.

So the details...

Pacman - As always, his hand and foot speed plus the punching power will be his main arsenal for the Hitman. You all know that I'am a Pacman-unbeliever when he decided to move up to 140-147 but what I saw with the DLH fight, I can say that no speed and power was lost and he can give beatings to top fighters in thses two divisions except maybe to Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams. The only thing for Pacman is his confidence. He is fighting a fighter who is in his prime and already learned from a KO loss. Hahaha... But seriously, if you'll try to recall Pacman's fights since going bigtime in Vegas, only JMM is in top boxing shape. Mostly, from Morales, MAB, and DLH, these fighters are on the downside of their careers. Pacman's speed and power will be the story (again and again) of the fight.

Hitman - The last fight with Paul Malignaggi was a very good "tune-up championship fight," sorry but it was one-sided fight. Good, because he fought a guy who, as many boxing experts believed is faster than him. He just showed that he can fight and neutralize hand speed unlike the fight he had with PBF which he lost by KO. Mayweather Sr. really improved Hatton a lot in terms of adjustments and in-fight strategy. If he will stick to their plan of timing counterpunching like what his trainer boasting in the media, he has a good chance of winning the fight.

Overall, the fight will be a very, very exciting one. I'll go with Pacman winning by TKO'd in late rounds maybe within rounds 9-11. And the result will be like...

"New IBO lightwelterweight champion of the world, Manny Pacquiao!"