Pinoy movies are nice to watch again...

A couple of friends from work and I decided to watch the 8PM G4 screening of Star Cinema's "A Very Special Love." Apparently, so did the rest of Makati. The line to get in the cinema was so long, it reminded me of my registration days in UP. Haha! Then, it was only when we got there that we found out that the cinema where the movie was showing does not have reserved seating. So we had to pressure the rest of the group to get to the cinema asap.

But it was all really worth it I thought. Excellent, excellent movie. Carlo once told me that all the possible stories have already been told, what would make the difference is how to tell an old story. He's right. The story of the movie is already familiar - average girl dreams of prince charming, prince charming is a rich snob up in an ivory tower, something happens, something even nicer happens. I won't spoil it so don't worry.

But the movie treatment, the way it was directed, the cast, the script, among others, was able to tell a familiar story in another way.

Initially, I didn't think the John Lloyd-Sarah tandem wouldn't really work. Maybe because I thought they weren't really bagay. But it was that very factor, I think, which made the movie even more interesting. It was my first time to see Sarah act ever, and she did well I thought. But John Lloyd, oh boy! This guy really just keeps on getting better! I've seen several of his flicks and man, I love the guy. He's really good. Really good!

And then of course, there's Cathy Garcia-Molina whose works I'm starting to like. I've seen a couple of the films she's directed and they've all been really enjoyable. Whatever method she's using to do her films is really working.

When the entire cinema laughs, when the entire cinema says "awwwww" and when the entire cinema applauds once the end credits start to roll, then there's no questioning that the film is good, right?

Lastly, it is only right that I mention one person who's to be recognized for the fantastic story and script - Raz Sobida Dela Torre. I don't know the person. I don't even know if Raz is a guy or a girl, but Raz is to be congratulated. Oftentimes, the audience only remember the actor or actress who played in the movie. But I have already reached that point where I know that while the actors are a huge factor in making the movie a success, it is the writer (and the director) who make it all happen.

And it is because of these people that Pinoy movies are nice to watch again.

Can you tell that I really loved the movie? Hahaha! This is starting to be a lengthy post. Hehe!

Alright, go watch the movie. You can check out the official site here.

And just to be cheesy, in my case, a special love would be more than okay. Kahit hindi na a very special love. Hahaha! Okay, you may now go ahead and throw up.

WHy Not Forum 5.0 rocks

Bam Aquino preps the crowd

Mike Luz

Joy Abaquin

Bong Mojica

Fr. Jomar Legaspi

Pilar Habito

The exhibit

The crowd

The forum

The Smartees

The Why Not Forum 5.0 held yesterday at the PETA Theater in QC, with the theme "Why Not: A Yearning for Learning?"

Last year, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the first Why Not Forum and the forum is addicting. (Unfortunately, I didn't get to attend the following forums until yesterday.)
As with the previous forums, Why Not Forum 5.0 was teeming with ideas and tons of thought-provoking questions. I'm quite sure that everyone in the room started formulating their "Why Not?" questions at the end of the forum.

Yesterday's set of speakers included former DepEd Usec. Mike Luz, Multiple Intelligence Int'l School Principal Joy Abaquin, Learn.ph Foundation President Fr. Jomar Legaspi, Cahbriba Alternative School Foundation's Cielito and Pilar Habito, R. A. Gapuz review center founder and owner Ray Gapuz, and Smart's Wireless Consumer Division Head Bong Mojica.

Each speaker had their own why not questions and in a short time of 18 minutes, they talked about their ideas passionately and got everyone in the room thinking.

Mike Luz opened the forum and talked about the state of education in the Philippines. His question was "WHY are we NOT yearning for more learning?" He gave a really good picture of the education landscape in the country - the present, the future (if we don't do something about the present), the reality, and ways to move forward (by implementing systemwide solutions).

Next was Joy Abaquin who gave a wonderful talk on MI. Her question was "Why not use one's intelligences to make a differences?" I learned about Gardner's MI concept when I had an Educ elective back in grad school in Diliman, and it was a theory that I really liked and believed in. Gardner's concepts breaks the traditional and it just shatters the thinking that some individuals are, forgive me for writing this, "slow." Abaquin stressed that a teacher should not just be a teacher, but a thinking teacher.

Following her was Rey Gapuz whose question is something I've seen on his review center's billboard not too long ago, "Why not pass an international nursing exam at the age of 61?" Gapuz shared how his institution helps the reviewees pass the exam by teaching them about functional concepts, test-taking strategies and giving confidence boosters.

Then it was Bong Mojica's turn. I know the guy as a boss and as an executive, but yesterday afternoon I saw him in a different way - a teacher. And he seemed like a teacher who enjoyed teaching. Mojica's questions were "Why not break the rules?" "Why not experiment?" and "Why not just do it?"

Meanwhile, Fr. Jomar Legaspi also offered several ideas that would make educators stop for a while and ponder on how they teach. The guy is not your typical priest. There are probably two kinds of priest-teachers - the usual who teach students to be good and be traditional and those who encourage learners to be thinkers. Legaspi definitely belongs to the latter. Kind of reminds one of Robin Williams' John Keating character in Dead Poets Society.

Closing the forum was the tandem of Cielito and Pilar Habito who talked about the Life Learning system they use at the Cahbriba School. The couple talked about the role of socio-emotional relationship in learning and the important of experiential learning in a learning community.

Bam Aquino hosted the event. DLSU Pops Orchestra entertained the audience with their music.

Why Not Forum 5.0 rocked! Wait for the videos to be uploaded on the Why Not site.

Get on the Peyups@SMART Bus (Happy Sunday Part 2)

Proudly maroon Peyups@Smart bus

Some Peyups@Smart peeps with big boss Doy Vea

Inside the Peyups@Smart bus

Iskos and Iskas


Happy rainy Sunday afternoon

The other thing that made Sunday fun and enjoyable despite the rain was the turn over of the Peyups@Smart Varsity Bus to the University of the Philippines.

On a recent informal meeting, UP President Roman mentioned to Smart bosses MVP and OBV (who also happens to be a product of UP) the need of the UP Varsity team for transportation. That meeting was just a couple of weeks ago, and the two bosses immediately agreed to donate a bus for the UP team.

The turn over ceremony was quick and short, but it was enjoyable because MVP and OBV were there, along with Pres. Roman, UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio Cao, among others.

Uhm, personally, the event is meaningful because the UP alumni of Smart also pooled in their resources to contribute to the fund needed to purchase the bus. Haha!

Some of the PA gang - Tey, Reena, Manny, and Rhyz - were there along with fellow Smartees Oliver and Joel. After the bus was donated, Reena, Rhyz, Joel and I had a little tour of UP to reminisce. Haha! We took the UP Ikot jeep to get to the Shopping Center. We had dinner at good, old Rodic's, then FIC ice cream from a neighboring stall.

Woohoo! It's always fun to go back to Peyups!

Here's Niccolo Sebastian (Happy Sunday Part 1)

Beautiful boy Niccolo Sebastian

Mommy Grace and Tita Rhyz with Baby Basti

Baby Basti with Mom and Dad and Tito Angelo, Tita Steph and Tita Rhyz

Though it was a rainy Sunday afternoon, two things still made it very bright and cheerful.

First was getting to visit colleague Grace who recently gave birth to baby boy Niccolo Sebastian. The kid is Grace and husband Elgin's first kid and everyone at the office is just really happy for the young couple. It's been almost a month since Grace took her maternity leave, because she thought she'd been giving birth already. But Niccolo Sebastian took his time and really waited for his due date before deciding to come out into the world. Hay, the baby is so cute. He's sure to be a looker when he grows up.

And while it was only Rhyz, Steph (and husband Chippie) and I from office who was able to visit baby Basti, I sent photos to the rest of the PA gang via MMS. In a couple of minutes, happy greetings already started pouring in. Don't you just love technology?! (For only P1, you can already share Kodak moments. Hehehe!)

Congrats to Mommy Grace and Daddy Elgin!

Project Runway for a day in Smart

Forgot the name of the leftmost guy

This supplier brought the PMAP boys

Trishan Cuaso and Ariel (I forgot his last name)


Marimar's Victor Aliwalas for another supplier


Victor A again

My boss volunteered me to be part of the office uniform committee. It's my first time to be in such a group so I thought, "Okay, this could be fun. How hard can it be to agree on a uniform, right?"

When I saw the meeting schedule for the first meeting of the committee, it was schedule for an entire afternoon. I wondered why a meeting on uniforms could take so long. In my head, I was like, "What the? Are we going to spend the entire afternoon selecting fabrics, deciding on the right shade of blue, or going through swatches?" The meeting didn't lasted for just about an hour so I was happy.

Yesterday was our second meeting. Suppliers were to present their proposed uniform sets. It was a whole day thing, but I only needed to attend the morning thing which was the slot for the male office-based suppliers.

Anyway, when I arrived at the venue for the presentation, I was really surprised because fashion show was ongoing. I didn't think it was going to be that serious. Haha! There were I think five suppliers and each supplier presented about 10-15 sets of corporate uniforms.

What really surprised me was that some of the suppliers really brought professional models. PMAP's Trishan Cuaso, Carlo Adorador (who was ICON's first coverboy), and Ariel (his surname escapes me) were there wearing what could be our uniforms. And then another supplier brought this guy from GMA7, Victor Aliwalas.

Going to the clothes, there were three suppliers that I liked because of the textured fabrics and the slim ties. But the pants were a little difficult to decide on. There was one supplier who presented an entire range of slim fit pants. Hehe!

But it was a fun Thursday morning. For a couple of hours, my mind wandered away from all the million other things that I needed to do. Hehe!

Get-together with Pahinungod people

Good friend Jean is in town for a week. She left for Singapore early this year, and it looks like she'll be staying there for some time. Last night, met up with UP Manila Pahinungod people. It's always nice to visit UP Manila. And it's always nice to go back to our office at the mezzanine floor of UP-PGH. Hehe!

That was my home for three years after I got out of college. (Faura was my home for four years before PGH. Hahaha!) And it was in Pahinungod that I learned a LOT of things I never learned inside the classroom. For that I will always be thankful. It was also in Pahinungod that I met really good friends like Jean. Anyway, last night was a good get-together. A mix of the old and the relatively new volts were there.

Maybe I can visit Jean later this year. Hmm, how about welcoming the New Year in Singapore? Hmmm, that's an idea. Hahaha!

The reason why

I've written before that I enjoy flying and that I love early morning flights. And I love window seats. I try to be early at the airport just so I can score a window seat.

What I don't like is when I'm on the side where the sun is also. And what I don't like is when an FA would repeatedly ask me to lift the blinds, no matter how cute the FA is. Haha!

I would always ask myself, "Why?" Last Friday I found out thanks to Jheng who's been flying with Emirate for two years now. It's for the simple reason that the passenger can see if the wings are on fire.

Okay now I know. So the next time, at least I wouldn't wonder anymore. Actually, I don't know why I never asked the FA why I was being asked to do that. I guess I just trusted that there was some big reason for it. Hehe!

Blast from the past evening

Saturday night date with the Dark Knight

Hung out with Bernice at Gateway. We met up around 6PM. I was at Gateway around 3 to get tickets and to do some work. She came from yoga class. Had a quick and cheap dinner. Watched the 650 screening of Dark Knight. Really, really good movie. Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart were good. Heath Ledger was awesome. People applauded at the end of the movie. Called it a night after our usual Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf session. Nice Saturday night. Relaxing. Fun. Good one. Bernice is leaving this August for graduate studies in the Netherlands. Hay, Will miss these Saturday get-togethers.

For sleeping 20 minutes more...

I paid dearly for sleeping twenty minutes more yesterday morning.

Because I left the house at 645, and because of the stupid heavy rain, traffic going to UST was horrible. By the time I got to Makati, I looked at my watch and saw that I wouldn't make it.

Argh! I was late by 11 minutes. First time, dammit! I was really annoyed. Hay!

But Tuesday night was fun. Went to Mag:net High Street for Broadwayoke and SPIT. That was a good night out.

Mamma Mia, a hoodie and a haircut

Not really an exciting weekend. Uhm, Saturday morning was spent at the office. There was a planning session for employee-volunteers who are part of the summer storytelling session for public school students.

In the afternoon, went to Shangri-la Ortigas to meet with friend/colleague from Magsaysay Grace because I wanted to watch the feature film of Eiga Sai. Of course, when I got there, I was told that the tickets for that film have already been distributed! Major bummer! (But I think there will be a repeat of the movies in CCP, and I hope to be able to catch the movie there.)

So we ended up watching Mamma Mia. Good film. I'm biased because I love, love, love musicals. Haha! It was my first time to hear all songs (though I have the Broadway soundtrack) and I think I will get a copy of the movie OST. Haha! (I just couldn't believe at how expensive the movie tickets were. P180. It was insane!!!)

Uhm, got myself a hoodie from Celio and two Pinoy indie DVDs from Astrovision. Both places are evil because there were so many things to be bought. Augh! I wanted to get another hoodie from Celio, but surprisingly, I was able to restrain myself from doing so. Haha! (Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam). The same goes for the titles I wanted to get at Astrovision. Haha!

Sunday afternoon, I had a date with the Big Guy at the Greenbelt chapel. It's been awhile since I attended Mass there and I kinda missed the place. I love that church because it's small and intimate. While I love the grand architecture of big, old churches, I don't feel that spiritually connected because I find myself staring at the artwork and the architecture and so on. Haha!

After Mass, I had my every two months date with this guy from Piandre aka trusted hair guy. Haha! I think I wouldn't know what to do should he suddenly decide to leave for another salon or worse, for abroad. Seriously, it took some time before I found this guy. Been going to this guy for almost five years now I think and he's the only guy who gets what I want to do with my hair. Hahaha!

Alright, that's it.

The Piolo hour

Alright, so the guy we met up with yesterday morning was Piolo Pascual.

Last Thursday, Tey got a call from Piolo's handler that the actor would be in Makati and that if we wanted to interview him, we could do so after his riding lessons. And that was it.

Friday morning, when we arrived at the Polo Club, he just finished his class. Other than the PAs from Star Cinema, he was on his own. We walked up to him, introduced ourselves and told him we were there for the interview.

The guy was very nice and down-to-earth. Uhm, when we found out that we couldn't do the interview at the clubhouse, he was the one who suggested we just do the interview at the benches by the stable. No aircon, no good food, no nice things celebrities are used to, but he was okay with it.

The interview was done by two girls from a PR group we work with. That was fine, because I had more fun taking photos. Haha! After the interview, we knew he was in a hurry but I had a mission and I needed to accomplish it. Haha! It's just great that he was accommodating.

First off, the souvenir photos for Tey and me. Hah! Another addition to the celebrity wall project. Haha!

Then, two surprises for friends. Office pal Monet asked us to get Piolo to autograph a "Hi Maver" note and have his photo taken while holding that note. He was nice enough to do that.

And then , I know Carlo is a "fan" of the guy so before I went to bed on Thursday night, I dug up an extra copy of Zsazsa Zaturnnah and brought it with me. I had Piolo sign it and again, asked him to hold Carlo's work while I take his photo. It was a surprise for Carlo. And I will always remember the tone of his voice when I told him over the phone what I did. Hahaha! That was fun!

Anyway, so that was the whole Piolo hour. Definitely a good one.

Another normal office day... not...

Today is one of those days where something good (in this case, REALLY good) happens and though it was only for just a short while, it's more than enough to keep you bright the entire day. Hehehe!

Tey went to my cubicle yesterday and had a very nice surprise for me. Hahaha! I didn't want to get too excited because I didn't want to jinx it. Hahaha! And just how special is it? Hahaha! Uhm, this morning, I tried on three shirts just to choose which one would make me look good. Hehe! I didn't eat breakfast because I didn't want to look (too) bloated in the photo. And I didn't go to the canteen because I didn't want the aroma of tinapa and tuyo on me, when I go meet this person. Hahaha!

A little after 9, Tey and I left Valero and drove to Ayala Ave., then crossed EDSA to McKinley. Our destination: Manila Polo Club. Our mission: Just to chat with this person. Hahaha!

Who's that boy?!

Acronym overload...

Just came from the pilot run of a seminar conducted by Human Resources. Basically, the objective of the seminar is to give a background about the telco industry to new employees. It was good, and I think it's something that new employees should undergo.

After the seminar, I must say that I think this industry is one of the most acronym-packed sectors. Haha! Within the first hour of the training, we've been told about MIN, SMS, MMS, SIM, IVRS, ICCID, IMSI, IMEI, HLR, BTS, CSD, HSCD, GPRS, EDGE, to name a few. Haha!

But as I mentioned, the seminar would be helpful, particularly for people like me who came from a non-telco company. I think it would be most useful when I find myself in situations where subscribers are asking about all sorts of technical stuff, and I can't really say, "Uhm, most of my assignments are on the social outreach programs of the company."

Because once you go out there and you carry the name of the company, they wouldn't be asking which department you're from. As long as you're from that company, you're somehow expected to know all the answers. Eeeep! And whether we like it or not, we are unofficial walking ambassadors of the company.

Anyway, more about acronyms. Whereas the government has a thing for slogans, I've observed that the sector I am in has a thing for acronyms. Hehe! There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just finding it really amusing. From my very first day, I already encountered all sorts of acronyms apart from the ones I mentioned above. There's NEO, SDP, SEP, IMW. There's FYA, RNSS, RFP and so on.

But the mother of all acronyms is PSF EEG MVP AEA. I had to say the complete meaning of the acronym during a hosting gig and I had to stop midway just to get some air. Hehehe!

Okay, that's it for today. And remembers, friends, BIONIC.

That's Believe It Or Not, I Care. Hahaha!

Uzzap naman us with Smart's Uzzap

This is an invitation to download and use--FOR FREE--the first all-in-one messaging service now available only from SMART--UZZAP!

UZZAP is an IP-based downloadable application which allows you to MERGE into one device (your trusty mobile phone) several messaging services such as SMS, instant messaging, and email, and take advantage of flat-rate, unlimited chatting.

Simply send UZZAP to 7272 (this is free, too!) and you should receive a message with the download link. Click on that link if your handset allows it, or just open your handset's browser and go directly to http://uzzap.com/download. The process is relatively quick and painless--the download server will detect the handset you're trying to connect from. It's quite SMART (yes, pun intended!) because it will even "push" the version most appropriate to your handset. :) The app file size is also relatively small. Unless your handset's bursting at the seams with photos and videos and other junk, mwehehe! UZZAP should fit oh so snugly into your phone memory.

UZZAP can swing it with the following phones:

Nokia S60, 2nd Edition:
3230, 6030, 6070, 6101, 6600, 6630, 6670, 6680, 7610, N70, N72 (note: some of these models provide limited support due to constraints with access to the phonebook contacts)

Nokia S60, 3rd Edition: 3250, 5320, 5500, 5700, 6110, 6120c, 6210, 6220c, 6290, E50, E51, E60, E61, E62, E65, E66, E70, E71, E90, N71, N73, N75, N76, N77, N78, N81, N82, N92, N93, N95, N96,

Nokia S40: 3110c, 5200, 5300, 6126, 6131, 6133, 6233, 6234, 6260, 6270, 6275, 6280, 6282, 6288, 6290, 6300, 6500c, 6500s, 6670, 7373, 7390, 7500 Prism,

Sony Ericsson: K550i, K700i, K710i, K800i, K810i, P910i, P990i, W580i, W880i, P1

Motorola: MOTORAZR maxx V6, V9, V3xx

Samsung A412, A701, A706, A707, A737, F400, F490, G800, J200, L760, M610, P920, U700, U900, Z230, Z240, Z400, Z540, Z560, ZX20,

Samsung Symbian: L870. I550W, G810, I560, I450, I400, I520

Your comments and suggestions on your user experience are most welcome. Please also feel free to post this on your blogs and to forward this to your friends and/or social networking sites. Don't forget to mention that it's available on a free trial basis until 20 July 2008.

Uzzap na us!

Could I be Dadoo Angelo

Yesterday afternoon, met up with good friends from Magsaysay Cathy, Shy and May. We drove to Cavite to join the celebration of the 1st birthday of JM, son of former Magsaysay colleague Lenly.

It was great because one, I haven't seen these girls for the longest time and two, because it feels good to see that I'm still connected with the girls even if we are now in different worlds. Lenly is with another shipping company, the three girls are with Magsaysay, and I'm, well, I'm where I am. Hehe!

Though we haven't seen each other for quite some time, there was no awkwardness. We are still the crazy bunch that we were so it's all good.

Ah, I should write about the celebrant. Hehe! He's the only child of Lenly and husband Genie (who works for that other telco...hehehe! Peace, Genie!) . JM is a bit of a miracle baby, because the couple has been praying for a kid for the longest time. So one can only imagine how happy the two were upon learning that Lenly is with child. And we the friends are also super happy for both, because we know how badly they want to become parents and we know they'll become good parents to JM.

Happy birthday, lucky baby boy!

I've written time and again that I want to be a father too someday. I have no idea how it's going to happen, but if it does happen, I'd be one happy boy.

Not sure about being a traditional husband, but could I have been one in another lifetime? Wehehe! Would I pass for a father to JM and a husband to Shyrel? Wehehehe!

A little poetry

How about a little poetry?! During my Dawson's Creek angst-filled phase, these verses just came tumbling out from my mind and on to the paper. Hehe! Uhm, it's been a while since my lacrimal glands have been put to use. I think the last time was two years and I don't know if that's something that should bother me. I'm reminded of Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) in The Holiday. Hehe! There's been reason to cry but the tears just won't flow. Darn it.

Somewhere on the horizon
Someone dreams on
That someone would hold his hand
That by his side someone would stand

Somewhere on the horizon
Someone holds on
To a hope about to be gone
To a feeling long forlorn

Somewhere on the horizon
Someone lives on
Facing each day without fear
Yet inside he grieves tear after tear

Somewhere on the horizon
Someone searches on
To the gods he ceaselessly pleas
To show him the person to bring him glee

Somewhere on the horizon
Someone is all alone
What the whole world doesn't know
That someone is...

Pizza and pasta overload...

It's sort of been pizza and pasta weekend. Hahaha!

Friday noontime, office people and I had lunch at Ponticello. Thank you for the treat. Hehe! And then in the evening, it was Amici with a different group of office people. Met up with Carlo afterwards at Podium for a round of drinks. Hehe!

Saturday evening was at Friuli in UP Teachers' Village. Cheap food. Good serving. Fantastic gelato cake. Haha!

Another one of those tests...

I'm such a sucker for these things. Haha! Found this on Francis' blog and Len's blog, and now here it is on my own blog. I must say it's quite accurate. I read the results for my friends and it's also the same. Hehe!

Take the test here. You know you want to.


Social Realist (SR)

Social Realists are popular persons full of energy. They are reliable, well organized and helpful. Traditional values are important to them. Founding a family also plays a central role in their life. Social Realists have a marked social streak. They are always ready to listen to the worries and problems of others and spare no effort when they are asked for help. With empathy and understanding, they can sense what other people need. Social Realists are always willing to highly regard the strong points of the other person and to excuse that person’s weaknesses. They are the most sociable of all personality types. Social contacts are very important to them.

Social Realists find it very difficult to cope with conflicts and criticism - harmony is their elixir of life. Acknowledgment and esteem are very important to this type. Differentiation on the other hand is not necessarily one of their strong points. At work and in partnerships, they are loyal, committed and always there when needed. They find it easy to make friends due to their open, warm manner and they have a large circle of friends. In love, they are faithful and attentive and care for their partners with a great deal of imagination and sensitivity. Social Realists show their feelings openly and honestly. Should a relationship break up, they tend to blame themselves. That is why they find it very difficult to end a partnership even if it has not fulfilled their requirements for some time.

Social Realists are more conservative types. They have a set system of values and rules which is orientated to the prevailing traditions. They prefer clear, structured surroundings and work processes; they find too much change und unrest unpleasant. Their strong points are carefulness and reliability and not so much flexibility and spontaneity. Social Realists are open-minded towards anything new only to a limited extent. But, should one be looking for someone to fulfil a task reliably and exactly, they are the right persons.

Adjectives which describe your type extroverted, practical, sentimental, planning, emotional, temperamental, energetic, tradition-conscious, loyal, helpful, devoted, reliable, caring, objective, thorough, organised, warm-hearted, open, friendly, sociable, chummy, obliging, self-sacrificing, public-spirited, sensitive, kind, demanding

These subjects could interest you
honorary work, parties, going out, music, hiking, cooking, craftwork, nature, literature

Shoot shoot-an on a Wednesday

Yesterday we had the photo shoot for the cover of our quarterly employee magazine.

Our photographer for this issue is Erik Liongoren. It's my first time to work with him and he's a great guy to work with. Really funny and just bursting with energy. Haha! One thing I've noticed about working with different photographers is that there isn't really a "photographer" mold. Some of the guys I've worked with are quite quiet, others are a bit astig, and then there are others who are just fun.

The shoot started a little past 3, and it was quite quick. We were done by 6PM. We did about three layouts. It seemed like our talents, employees from different departments, had fun so that's good. Usually, the challenge is how to make them relax in front of the camera. But Smartees being Smartees, they always rise to the occasion. Hehe!

I don't exactly know how I got involved with the quarterly employee magazine cover photo shoot. I think it was when I covered a weeklong event by the Customer Care department late last year, and that led to me being involved in the shoot.

Uhm, ever since getting a taste of photo shoots during my Icon days, I've always loved photo shoots. Haha! From pre-prod to the actual shoot, it's just always enjoyable for me because I can really feel and see creative juices at work.