Viaje de Descanso a la Casa San Pablo

What an excuse to get away.

The Friendster Team went on a team-building activity in Casa San Pablo, San Pablo City in Laguna. Having teen-aged kids, I took my sweetie along for the trip. Well, I needed help in case the kids (the Friendster team, that is) went rowdy and needed a mom…haha.

Living in the south has its privileges. We didn’t need to wake up so early since San Pablo City was only an hour-and-half’s drive from my place. We met the rest of the team at Seattle’s Best in Caltex, just before the Sta. Rosa exit of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

There are actually two ways going to San Pablo City from the Calamba exit. One is through Calauan via Pansol in Los Banos, Laguna. The other, which me Sweetie took, was via Sto. Tomas in Batangas. Coming from Sto. Tomas, Casa San Pablo is at the right side of the street where the main Puregold entrance is located.

Casa San Pablo was formerly called “Kay Inay”(Mother’s). “Inay” was the endearing term for the grandmother of Boots Alcantara, Casa San Pablo’s owner and resident manager. The place is almost unnoticeable from the main street except for its old steel gate with a security guard. Casa San Pablo covers a huge tract of land in the city. The Alcantara family used to own that one-hectare property before selling it to Puregold recently.

Upon entry, the security guard shall guide you to the parking lot. Walking through a path, the swimming pool is the first refreshing site you see. Crossing a small footbridge over a creek, you’re guided to the main reception area which is like your old grandparents’ lanai where old furniture abound.

The rooms are strategically spread out in almost cabana style. Boots said that the rooms were originally designed by popular potter Ugu Bigyan of Tiaong, Quezon, who’s a an old friend. “That was before Ugu decided to concentrate on doing pottery,” Boots confided with a smile.

Trellis entrance

Old iron marks Room 8

Other rooms

Lanai, Lounge area

Sweetie

Casa San Pablo in itself is art. Besides its interiors and furnishings, the paintings and little works of art abound. From the red paper mache horses on the small study table in the living area to the old Lambretta scooter somewhere at the back of the dining hall, everything’s worth a camera shot.The rooms have their own personalities. One was even decorated with Boots’ collection of Matchbox cars. Many paintings and sketches were done by the famous Saturday Club (of artists) who meet Casa San Pablo once-in-awhile for their sessions.

Our Room

Hammock break

The boss is working

Bric-a-brac

There are hammocks tied to pine trees in the garden. At night, candles in small bottles light the place, making it almost surreal. The big garden leads to the Alcantara’s residence where Mommy Vinya lives. Boots jokingly told us that, “My mom is Casa San Pablo’s official guest relations officer.” Indeed, she is. Mommy Vinya was the first to greet us when we arrived. It’s as if you came home to your Lola’s house.

Ýummy food!

Working

Just pictures

Dining at Sulyap

Sweetie & I @ Sulyap

Dining area @ Sulyap

Old stairs

What’s Casa San Pablo without the food? Again, the home-made cooking will always remind you of your grandparents in the province — with a touch of San Pablo’s style and taste. And when I meant the food was super “sarap,” this meant all meals. It’s even as if Lipton’s hot tea tasted more delicious there.

During our brief stay, there was a retreat being conducted for the Southridge School. Our host Boots said he even gave a talk. Interestingly, the rooms and dining halls of Casa San Pablo can be arranged to fit small and big groups alike. Our room was even turned into a honeymoon suite!

Sweetie with Mommy Vinya

Alcantara residence

A pose with Boots

A Lambretta scooter

Besides retreats and seminars, there are many other activities that can be done in Casa San Pablo: videoke, frisbee, stargazing, billiards, and in-room or group massage. For those wanting to catch up with the outside world, there’s free wi-fi. (Yey!)

Scenic Sampaloc Lake

Sampaloc Lake & Mt. Banahaw

The Boatman @ Sampaloc Lake

Since Casa San Pablo is part of the Viaje Del Sol chain of suggested tourist places to go in the south, there are a number of spots to visit, and use Casa San Pablo as your home for a few days. Nearby is Sampaloc Lake, Sulyap Restaurant and Ugu Bigyan’s House.

In all, Casa San Pablo was worth the trip. We went there to re-charge. And re-charge we did.

Scam Alert! Anna Marie Velasco SMS

“An angel crying for help.”

Wow, what a tag line! This SMS scammer should have been a copywriter for the advertising industry. It pinches the heart, doesn’t it? Then again, beware!

I received this text (in Fiipino) through my Globe number last January 25, 2010:

“Pued po b akong humingi ng 2long sa inyo? I’m marie, 21yo fresh grad po from Bacolod City. Gagawin ko po ang lahat ng kapalit na gusto nio, ma2lungan nio lng po akong makapunta sa mynila.My job hiring n asana po kc ako jan sa san mig-ortigas, syang po kc kung madissolve lng..Im willing to take the risks ng kpalit na hhngin nio. Un nlng tlga pgasa ko na mkluwas kgd pra mhbol deadline ko po. My pic & supporting docs po ako sa http://www.mariebacolod.tk – marie”


In my terms, it was “tagos sa puso.” I worked for San Miguel before and was sure this was indeed a great opportunity for new grads. If you had the money to give for fare for the sake of charity, why not? Forget the part “she’ll do anything in exchange” as it is so un-Christian. So I checked her site and read it. I researched on the web and alarm bells already sounded. It was a scam.

A few days later, this is the text I got:

Name: Marie Velasco
Age: 21
Birthdate: Feb 21, 1987
Height: 5'7"
Complexion: Fair
Vital Stats: 35-25-36
Hair: Long and straight
Other: joined some provincial pageants for allowance
Course: BS Information Management (Computer and Accountancy)
School: DOST Scholar in University of St. La Salle – Bacolod
Parents: Anna and Mario Velasco (both deceased)
Picture: www.mariebacolod.tk

So I just played along and texted back and asked how I could help and this was “her” initial reply:

“My deadline na po sana kasi ako dis coming Feb 1 po.. 9am sa San Miguel ITServices department pos a ortigas. Junior IT Specialist po ung position na inaapplayan ko.. Sayang po tlga kc dhl related sa course ko.. Final briefing nlang po sana..”

Then I asked how much money was needed for fare, “her” reply was:

“Depende po kung saan nio ko pasasakayin.. Barko o eroplano po? Ung boat fare sa superferry is 2,350 po with 4 trips per week. Monday, wed, fri and Sunday po. While ung plane po is 3,268 with 3 flights EVERYDAY po”

By this time, it was obvious that this scammer has cut-and-paste answers. The actual fares were really cheap. The deadline was supposedly February 1 so the option of taking the boat was out of the question as it will take 2-3 days to get to Manila from Bacolod City. Besides, the fact that it takes the texter between 12 to 24 hours to respond means that “she” is not really that desperate and changes SIM cards, the one being used to scam not a permanent one.

Here are the websites the scammer built for a tinge of legitimacy:

www.marievelasco.tk
www.mariebacolod.tk
www.avelasco.cjb.net



This text scam dates back to June 2008 from the first time a blog about it was posted and many other earlier posts on the subject. It has been active the whole of 2009 till this year as per my personal account.

Be careful out there my good-hearted friends. Wolves abound.

-Homer

Some links to other posts on the Anna Marie Velasco Text Scam:

http://makeuseoftime.blogspot.com/2009/03/annamarie-velasco.html
http://docmnel.com/2008/06/04/anna-marie-velasco-another-scam-in-the-making/comment-page-1/
http://menardconnect.com/2009/08/01/sms-scam-marie-velasco/comment-page-1/#comment-2417
http://kokoro15.multiply.com/journal/item/35
http://bluemaldita.livejournal.com/13298.html
http://blog.richardorlino.com/2009/12/the-anna-marie-velasco-scam/
http://www.filipinowriter.com/marie-velasco-mag-ingat-sa-manlolokong-ito

Life Isn't by Chance

Purpose. This is what life is really all about.

If you haven't found yours yet, don't be so hard-pressed in finding what it is. It will come to you. Purpose in life is sought out or sorted out. It simply finds you wherever and in whatever state you are.

I was five years old when I had this sudden feeling of panic. I was so young then but when I gazed upon the setting sun through a window of our small Makati City apartment, it hit me -- "What am I here on earth for?"

The sun, so big and majestic on it's heavenly place, represented the mighty Creator. It seemed to look down upon me. I imagined the billions of people on earth who might have thought the same. The sun looking upon each and every being on earth. Amazing how God saw us on an individual basis!

If that was so, would life unfold just by chance? Could we really do anything and not be noticed? Not a chance for sure!

Everyone and everything that we do MUST have a purpose. Even the people we meet and make part of our lives have a reason.

There are no mistakes in life. They normally are planned bumps on life's road or in many instances, detours. Happy victories are not because of our individual circumstances or by coincidence. They are part of the plan. You see, if you believe in a Supreme Being who has created each and every cell in your body, then you should wonder "for what purpose?" He has a plan -- an individual plan, that is.The only thing that will make things go "wrong" is when we defy "the plan."

I have always believed that the most important thing created in us is the heart. This is where the "will" resides. The "will" is both God's will and our own that drives us to our direction. I believe that God's plan and timing are ALWAYS PERFECT. Nothing He does will be by accident. So we are definitely not here by accident. We just need to examine our heart more to know of our purpose. Remember, God resides in and speaks through the heart. Listen.

Our conscience is our compass. It is not connected to our brain but is wired to our heart. It works on a database of experiences and learnings. Thus, if we just meditate and pray for wisdom and discernment, we will definitely know where and when to go. As timing is also crucial, this bit has to be specifically prayed for as well.Just remember that prayers are always answered. We just have to accept the answer even if we don't agree with it.

Choices. Why are we always faced with crossroads? This is the exciting part of life. This is also a gift that God has given us. We are free to choose what door to open or what road to take. Scared to choose which door to open or which road to take? Pray. Listen to your heart. Besides, even the angels had their choices, right? One chose to be king and above the Creator and was given the key to hell.He should have stayed loyal to His Creator instead.

So life which resides in all of us isn't by chance. Let's not wait till we're in mid-life to ask ourselves "where to?" but instead always pray and seek your heart on "where to now?"
It's the "now" that's really important. Yesterday ended last night and tomorrow may never come.

Throw the dice away. You don't need it.

That Joy You Bring

Joy is the word I would describe
The way I feel about you.
It might be because of your charm
That accompanies your smile,
Or the way you do your hair
That captures me to a constant gaze.

You astonish me with your wisdom;
And the strength of your soul
Encompasses my world,
As nothing in me and within me
Escapes the aura of stillness and calm
That you bring into my life.

I am enchanted by your inner being.
Happiness rules your life.
Your faith and will are impregnable.
Your naive but complete honesty
Betrays the innocence of your heart.
There lies the strength of your character.

Tomorrow may bring sadness,
But surely it will never overcome
The joy you continue to bring into me
For there will always be more days
Of sunshine than rain
Knowing you’ll always be around.

(a poem for Jinky during our anniversary 2006)

The 10 Commandments for Those Over 40

1. Focus on enjoying people, not on indulging in or accumulating material things.

2. Plan to spend whatever you have saved. You deserve to enjoy it and the few healthy years you have left. Travel if you can afford it. Don't leave anything for your children or loved ones to quarrel about. By leaving anything, you may even cause more trouble when you are gone.

3. Live in the here and now, not in the yesterdays and tomorrows. It is only today that you can handle. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not even happen.

4. Enjoy your grandchildren (if you are blessed with any) but don't be their full time baby sitter. You have no moral obligation to take care of them. Don't have any guilt about refusing to baby sit anyone's kids, including your own grandkids. Your parental obligation is to your children. After you have raised them into responsible adults, your duties of child-rearing and babysitting are finished. Let your children raise their own offsprings.

5. Accept physical weakness, sickness and other physical pains. It is a part of the aging process. Enjoy whatever your health can allow.

6. Enjoy what you are and what you have right now. Stop working hard for what you do not have. If you do not have them, it's probably too late.

7. Just enjoy your life with your spouse, children, grandchildren and friends. People, who truly love you, love you for yourself, not for what you have. Anyone who loves you for what you have will just give you misery.

8. Forgive and accept forgiveness. Forgive yourself and others. Enjoy peace of mind and peace of soul.

9. Befriend death. It's a natural part of the life cycle. Don't be afraid of it. Death is the beginning of a new and better life. So, prepare yourself not for death but for a new life with the Almighty.

10. Be at peace with your Creator. For... He is all you have after you leave this life.

When nothing I did worked

(an email from Perry Marshall)

Did you ever have some relative or teacher or parent or grandma
or grandpa or friend who would always say, "Buddy, you're
really gonna BE somebody. You're gonna make it. You're gonna
make a big dent in the world. You're going to be successful some
day. I believe in you."

They would make you feel so good, so confident, so inspired.

Then later on....

You wake up one morning - or maybe you receive some
phone call or orange envelope from your bank - and say
to yourself, "What on EARTH was he talking about? I am
getting absolutely NOWHERE!"

You look in the mirror and say to yourself, "I'm good
enough, I'm smart enough, and people like me"

...and then you think to yourself "This is total BS. Who
you kidding, pal?"

Until I was almost 30, very little that I attempted
to do in business ever really worked at all.

I got to experience my first of many firings at age 21 (someday
I'll tell you that story, it's very funny, it's funny NOW but
it wasn't funny then)... there was the whole Amway saga,
which never made me any money - despite superhuman
persistence including 118 NO's in a row.

After college I went into engineering, designing car
speakers. And yes while I designed speakers for the
94 Ford Probe, the 95 Acura Vigor, the 95 Jeep Cherokee
and the 96 Honda Civic, none of my "really interesting"
projects - the ones I truly put my heart into - ever saw the
light of day.

For example the speakers I designed for the Civic were
actually really crappy speakers because Honda had
these rigid requirements and they rejected this super
cool design that I cooked up for them.

The only reason they were even buying from us at all
was some law about foreign vs. US parts content in the
cars.

Most projects I worked on got shelved. Eventually I
got laid off.

Then I went into sales and my boss Wally said "Now this
guy Perry, this is a sales guy waiting to happen." Wally hired
me right away. Super great guy. And Wally waited... and waited...
and waited....

Every single major deal I worked on failed to close and
finally 2 years later Wally gave up on me.

It's pretty depressing when every item on your resume is,
truth be told, a dead end story with no real results to brag
about.

Every time I'd walk in the door at 9:30 in the morning
and tell Laura I'd been fired again, she'd encourage me
and tell me she believed in me and I'd march out into the
raging blizzard of life one more time and try again.

Man did she ever put up with a lot.

This eventually forced me to do some pretty serious
soul searching. I was a square peg trying very hard to
shove myself into round holes.

See, the thing was, everything I was trying to do was
ALMOST right. It was ALMOST a fit.

Just not quite.

I started looking real hard at what about be a perfect fit.
I didn't need no sex change operation; just a reshuffling of the
details:

-I needed to be in a place where my writing ability was
put to good use. None of my jobs had ever had any place for it.
-I needed a sales job where my technical skills were an asset,
not a liability.
-I needed to be able to use marketing as a tool to position
myself as a problem-solver instead of a peddler trying to
schmooze purchasing agents.

I got real clear about those things and started looking for a
spot that would satisfy those criteria.

You know what? When you get super clear about what
you want, it gets real easy to ELIMINATE all the stuff you
don't want. You've gotta get ruthless about not compromising
on that.

I'm not saying be a prima donna. I'm saying, be willing to
WALK AWAY from situations where you know you're just
going to be a square peg in a round hole all over again.

A few months later, the right opportunity presented itself.
It just FELT right. And it matched the criteria.

Suddenly it was easy to sell stuff because I was positioned
properly and not fighting my own nature anymore. The very
first commission check was the biggest I'd ever gotten.

The negativity was suddenly reversed. A positive spiral
began that continues to this day.

This did NOT instantly solve all of my problems, but the
texture of everything was different after that. My assets
were no longer liabilities. They were assets.

I couldn't possibly overemphasize how important it is to
really know yourself. Because you know what?

The things that have gotten you in the most trouble are
probably the very things that make you successful. The
things that annoy people the most about you are the things
that are most impressive about you.

When you're in "the zone" you create mischief.

Or...

When you're in "the zone" you create magic.

Mischief and Magic, they're usually two sides of the same
coin.

One works against you, the other works for you. I cannot
overstate how big the difference is.

You wouldn't be reading this email if you weren't a misfit like
me. If you were a happy little conformist you'd be blithely
involved in some bureaucratic meeting, performing your
assigned role. Not reading this email.

The reason you're out on the Internet working to find your
fortune is because you're a geek and a freak and a misfit
just like me.

Only a misfit would still be reading this email right now.

Be proud of it.

Know thyself, and: Harness your talent for creating mischief.

Don't apologize for who you are or what you're trying to
become. Just become MORE of what you already are.

Be more of who you are and find the people in the world
who want that.

Seize the Day.