May 31, 2006

Tree-planting

by , in
Dear Me,

I once participated in an activity organized by a mountaineering federation in its bid to contribute its share in preserving the environment.


It was a tree-nurturing project for the
Angat Watershed. A watershed, as defined by dictionary.com, is a ridge of high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems.


Before conducting the tree-planting activity, everyone was ushered inside the Angat River Hydroelectric Plant operations building for a mini-lecture and tour. Right after everything was done there, we took our lunch.


Afterwards, the organizing group made a small lecture on how to handle the seedlings for planting, how to plant them, where to plant them, etc.


This very significant watershed was being (and still is) abused by illegal loggers. They provide a serious threat to this used-to-be-the-best preserved watershed in Asia. During that time, soldier troops were being pulled out from the area and illegal loggers took advantage of the situation. The forest rangers guarding the said area where being ambushed by these timber poachers.



The principal river, Angat River, originates from the western flank of the Sierra Madre Mountains. It then cuts through the mountainous terrain in a westerly direction to the dam site. The elevation within the watershed rises to a maximum of 1,115 meters at the Sierra Madre Mountain range and is lowest at the dam site at 100 meters. It has three major tributaries, namely, the Talaguio, Catmon and Matulid Rivers. The Angat Watershed has a moderate to intensive forest cover and has a drainage area of about 568 square kilometers, which receives an average annual rainfall of about 4,200 millimeters.


The Angat Reservoir and Dam are located at the Angat River in San Lorenzo, Norzagaray, Bulacan. The facilities were constructed from 1964 to 1967 and have been operational since 1968.

They have multi-purpose functions:
  • To provide irrigation to about 31,000 hectares of land in 20 municipalities and towns in Pampanga and Bulacan;
  • To supply the domestic and industrial water requirements of residents in Metro Manila;
  • To generate hydroelectric power to feed the Luzon Grid; and
  • To reduce flooding to downstream towns and villages.


    The Angat Dam is a rockfill dam with a spillway equipped with three gates at a spilling level of 219 meters. Its storage capacity is about 850 million cubic meters. Water supply to the MWSS is released through five auxiliary turbines where it is diverted to the two tunnels going to the Ipo Dam.

    About 76% of the water supply for Metro Manila comes from the Angat Reservoir, with the rest of the supply coming from the Ipo and La Mesa Watersheds and from groundwater. The Ipo and La Mesa Watersheds contribute about 14 percent and seven percent of the total supply, respectively, while only about three percent comes from groundwater.

    (info derived from Manila Water)

  • May 31, 2006

    Writing & Poetry Links

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    I am a frustrated writer.

    I attended writing workshops before but I never fully focused on it. I had met some good writers and they really made me envious.

    I just wish I can be as passionate as they are. Problem is, I do a lot of things.

    Here are some good links:


  • E-Writer's Place
  • Nanowrimo **
  • Scriptologist
  • Travel Writer's Life
  • WOW! Women On Writing **
  • WriteLit
  • Writers' Bloc
  • Writers' Digest
  • Writing Bliss

  • Bubbles In My Head

  • Freelancer



    POETRY

  • E-Manila Poetry

  • Emily Dickinson
  • Pablo Neruda
  • May 31, 2006

    Clean-Up

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    I need to tidy-up my sidebars. As you can see, I have more than a bunch of links. Some people who passed by here are either happy to see them while some are complaining.

    The reason why I have a lot of them because I want my blog to be my virtual library, my go-to-place. Since I do a lot of stuff and I am with my blog, more frequent than I do with my bf, I feel it best that I make things comfortable here.

    Anyway, it's time to categorize and round them up in proper order. Besides, it will look cleaner and easier to manage.


    *****************


    I am having fun posting photos lately. I just wish I have the time to write more about it. But at the moment, I'll just try to scribble bits and pieces about those postings. Hmm.
    May 30, 2006

    Co. Outing

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    This coming Saturday, we will be having our annual outing. It will be in a countryclub.

    I saw the list of activities to be done and I found it less taxing than the past ones. On the contrary, it seem boring...for everyone.

    It is supposed to be a group activity (well, we have a group activity actually: bowling & dining).

    And as far as I know, such outings are held to forge and promote camaraderie amongst one another.

    I am not yet sure if I'll go but in case I will, I will indulge myself in doing these two (2): playing squash and fishing. I miss playing squash and I want to learn how to fish.

    So as not to be branded as a snob, I can invite my colleagues to play billiards, tennis, badminton or we'll pamper ourselves by having a Shiatsu or Swedish massage.

    Does it sound boring to you?
    May 30, 2006

    Sony Ericsson Da Vinci Code Trail

    by , in
    May 29, 2006

    Book List Update (May)

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    I only finished one (1) book for this month. Hope to finish the backlogs this June.

    I was hoping I could re-read DVC but I was very lazy. I had read it the moment it arrived in RP and had watched the movie version on its first showing day. Re-reading didn't provide much excitement anymore.





    May 2006
    . Stone Heart by Luanne Rice

    April 2006
    . Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler
    . Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler

    March 2006
    . Vixen 03 by Clive Cussler

    February 2006
    . 4th of July by James Patterson
    . 3rd Degree by James Patterson

    January 2006
    . Still Waters by Tami Hoag



    . Random Hearts by Warren Adler
    . Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
    . The Elements of Style, 4th edition by William Strunk, Jr. & E. B. White
    . The Secret Language of Girlfriends by Karen Neuburger


    Book Synopsis
    Stone Heart by Luanne Rice
    Nomadic archaeologist Maria Dark is returning home again to the Connecticut shore -- a magical place where she, her sister Sophie and their brother Peter spent their childhood on the banks of Bell Stream. After fifteen years away, Maria hopes that she can rediscover the joy and optimism of her youth in the arms of her family. But things have changed. Maria’s siblings and her mother have weathered difficult times...and Sophie and her children are not as happy as they seem. Now Maria will embark upon an emotional journey–navigating the memories of a tender past–toward the truth at the heart of her family and the chance for a new beginning.

    Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler
    On an isolated Greek island, a World War I fighter plane attacks a modern U.S. Air Force base -- a mysterious saboteur preys on an American scientific expedition -- and Dirk Pitt plays a deadly game of hunter and hunted with the elusive head of an international smuggling ring.

    Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler
    Dirk Pitt, death-defying adventurer and deep-sea expert, is out to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex -- a fog-shrouded sea zone where dozens of ships have vanished without a trace. The latest victim is the awesome superb Starbuck, America's deep-diving nuclear arsenal. Its loss poses an unthinkable threat to national defense. Pitt's job is to find it, salvage it, before the sea explodes. In a furious race against time, Pitt's mission swirls him into a battle with underwater assassins-and traps him in the arms of Summer Moran, the most stunningly exotic and dangerous toward disaster, Clive Cussler plummets his hero onto an ancient sunken island-the astonishing setting for the explosive climax of Pacific Vortex.

    Vixen 03 by Clive Cussler
    1954. Vixen 03 is down. The plane, bound for the Pacific carrying thirty-six Doomsday bombs -- canisters armed with quick-death germs of unbelievable potency -- vanishes. Vixen has in fact crashed into an ice-covered lake in Colorado. 1988. Dirk Pitt, who heroically raised the Titanic, discovers the wreckage of Vixen 03. But two deadly canisters are missing. They're in the hands of a terrorist group. Their lethal mission: to sail a battleship seventy-five miles up the Potomac and blast Washington, DC. to kingdom come. Only Dirk can stop them.

    4th of July by James Patterson
    Bright, tough SFPD Lt. Lindsay Boxer is battling police brutality charges while chasing down a clan of murderers. When a botched police arrest of two gun-toting minors expands from a shaky preliminary hearing to what promises to be a nerve-rattling jury trial of Lindsay, she flees the pre-trial media frenzy for the serene
    haven of sister Cat's house in Half Moon Bay. But instead of finding relaxation and romance with her Homeland Security beau, Lindsay becomes embroiled in the ruthless crimes of a troika of killers who've been slashing and flogging victims all over town.

    With surprisingly little aid from the Murder Club, Lindsay performs her detective handiwork (and steps on the toes of Half Moon's police chief). As more bodies surface, sketchy suspects like a smitten grease monkey and a slimy porn star emerge, then the murderous threesome set their sights on Lindsay.

    3rd Degree by James Patterson
    While jogging with her dog, Lindsay witnesses a bomb explosion that levels a house and kills several people inside. A group calling itself "August Spies" takes credit for the blast.

    Lindsay learns the August Spies have a horrifying agenda, using gruesome homicidal acts to target corporate greed. They must be stopped before the world’s high-profile economic leaders meet in San Francisco for the G-8 conference.

    Still Waters by Tami Hoag
    The deepest waters hide the darkest secrets.
    Life's a bitch and then you die.

    When Elizabeth Stuart starts looking for a new home for herself and her son, somewhere she can recover from a particularly bruising divorce, Still Creek seems the answer to her dreams. Hidden in the lush Amish farmlands of Minnesota, Still Creek offers a sanctuary to the splintered family who look forward to settling down there. But on their arrival the locals are distinctly cool to the newcomers. And when Elizabeth becomes involved in a murder case, she realises that there is a lot more to life in Still Creek than meets the eye.
    May 29, 2006

    Cool Change

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    It's an old song.

    I used to hear it played over the radio when I was still a little girl.
    My father usually turns on the radio every Sunday and a lot of
    good, old, nice songs hum in the air.

    This one's my favorite:
    http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/little_river_band/cool_change.html

    If there's one thing in my life that's missing
    It's the time that I spend alone
    Sailing on the cool and bright clear water
    Lots of those friendly people
    And they're showing me ways to go
    And I never want to lose their inspiration

    Time for a cool change
    I know that it's time for a cool change
    And now that my life is so prearranged
    I know that it's time for a cool change
    May 26, 2006

    BMC

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    I have been climbing since I was in the university (last 2 years actually). I used to "sneak out" during weekends, fabricate lies most of the time. Sorry, folks. I hated lying but I knew that what I was doing was for my own good. I thought then (and up until now) that I had to learn how to be independent, assertive, take good care of myself, etc. So, I joined a lot of university orgs, participated in other activities. But it didn't give me any fulfillment (except for one - Pahinungod). I found my other self and soul in climbing.

    I actually did not join the university's very own mountainclimbing group. They were a different breed (my own impression and I have my reasons).

    I almost stopped doing this activity when I joined the country's work force. I had to. I had to set my priorities and there were other activities I got myself into.

    Mid-2003, a friend invited me and 2 of my officemates to an open climb organized by her company. I was so excited. But 2 weeks before that, I had to decline for specific reasons. To cut the story short, I was still able to join them. From that day till this time, I have been sort of active in mountainclimbing. =)

    Mountainclimbing is a fun sport but if you are not equipped with the basics and the proper knowledge, you will just be risking your life, your group's safety and the balance of nature.

    Our mountaineering group requested to have an exclusive lecture on basic mountaineering course or BMC through the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines, Inc (MFPI). Sir Elmer Cabotage of PALMC conducted the 1-day lecture on BMC at the UA&P. (We also had our BMC practicum, a day-trek at Mt. Manalmon).



    BMC is a course about the "introduction of outdoor leisure activities to the novice mountaineer." Introducing this sport to anyone entails understanding on the fundamentals, skills, fitness and safety of the activity. It aims to develop and incorporate appreciation and awareness of the environment, desirable character, physiological capabilities and individual satisfaction.


    My "classmates" and I learned and re-learned various terms and concepts in the mountaineering world. We also acquired tips on planning and preparation, backpacking, equipment, trekking and environment ethics. More so, the Leave No Trace principle was significantly emphasized.

    Sir Elmer was such a good lecturer. We didn't get restless or even bored. It was such an interactive and enjoyable lecture, coupled with guffaws and giggles. My most favorite part of the lecture was the funny way he delivered the so-called
    "1001 ways of using the malong."


    It was such a fruitful and informative lecture. I just hope that all of us will put into practice the theories that we learned that day.

    The rest of the photos can be accessed in the photos' page.
    May 25, 2006

    Get-Together With Friends

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    It had been quite a while since I've seen them. I missed their last invitation before this. Finally, I made it. Why not? I was the one who initiated the invitation upon
    Jon's prodding. Hehehe.

    So, who was there? Hmm.
    Jon, Jary, Kerwin and me. Well, all of us share a common bond. At least, I used to.


    Once in a while, I meet Jon and Jary. But it was a surprise for me that Kerwin showed up. I think it was more than a year since we hooked up. It was in Baguio when I had a brief vacation and it was a good timing that Kerwin was on vacation, too. He hails from Baguio.

    We had a sumptuous dinner at Shakey's MegaMall. We devoured a platter of fried chicken, a basket of mojo potatoes and a round of pizza. Hmm. Mojos makes my mouth watery. Yumyum.


    Aside from wanting to see them, I had another reason for coming. I want to hear some answers to some questions that in one way or another relate to me. Honestly, I didn't get anything straight but I made some deductions and I sort of figured out the answers for myself. Should you guys wanna know, what I learned from those deductions were shed in positive light; so there would be no reasons for you all to worry about. =)


    I wish we can do this again. I just miss everyone.

    PS. Photos are already uploaded here.
    May 25, 2006

    Travel Links

    by , in
    May 25, 2006

    Descending to the Top

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    I was honored enough that
    Mr. Butch Jimenez visited my site a few weeks ago. He dropped by to share with me his latest speech he gave during a university's graduation rites.

    Read on. It's very inspiring.


    93rd SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
    Luce Auditorium Lobby
    March 26, 2006

    Descending to the Top
    Delivered by Mr. Menardo "Butch" G. Jimenez Jr.
    Senior Vice-President, Retail Business Group PLDT
    OIC, Wireless Consumer Division, Smart Communications

    It is a privilege of mine to be here. In 2003, I was requested to be the
    commencement speaker for the graduating class of the University of
    the Philippines-Diliman. And after I gave that address, I said to myself
    -and this is true-the only other invitation that I will accept after UP
    Diliman is Silliman University. I have actually been waiting for almost
    three years. And I would have waited 30 more years to address you.
    You may be asking, "Why is that?" It is simply because of the Christian
    roots and the Christian heritage that this university has; the same roots
    and the same heritage that my great grandmother, my grandmother,
    and even my mother have tried to instill in my life.

    That is why I am here. So thank you very much for the privilege. I am
    actually quite excited to address all of you.

    One of the questions running in your mind today as you graduate and
    move forward is, "How do I reach the top?" A fair question and one that
    needs to be answered. And since I now presently handle marketing for
    both PLDT and Smart, let me share with you some marketing principles
    that I have learned, that may guide you on your quest to the top.

    A battle for the mind Success in marketing is a battle to be the first
    in the mind of the consumer. That is the principle proposed in the '80s
    by two authors, Al Ries and Jack Trout, in their classic book, "Positio-
    ning."

    Ries and Trout said that success in marketing is a battle to be the
    first in the mind of the consumer. If you are first in the mind of the
    consumer, in most cases, you will rise to the top and become the leader
    or number one. So, the battle is to be the first in the mind.

    Let's give a couple of examples. When I say cola, what comes first in
    your mind? It's Coke. And today, Coke has risen to the top and is number
    one. When you say beer, the first thing that comes into your mind is San
    Miguel. They are first in the mind, they are at the top, and they are
    the leader. When you say toothpaste, in most cases, what comes to mind
    is Colgate. The same rule holds true. Colgate is at the top of your
    mind, and they are number one. When you say photocopier, it's Xerox.
    They are first in the mind, they are the leader, and they have risen to
    the top. Let's try something more hip for the new generation kids. When
    you say mp3 player, what's first in your mind. I can actually read your
    mind. The iPod. They are first in the mind, they are at the top, and
    today, they are number one.

    So, in many instances, the rule actually works. If you want to rise to
    the top, you have to be the first in the mind.

    The second thing that Al Ries and Jack Trout talked about, aside from
    being the first in the mind of the consumer, is burning an attribute or
    a characteristic in the minds of the consumers.

    For example, Volvo did that. They burned into the mind of the consumer
    the attribute of safety. If you want a safe car, Volvo is it. iPod, for
    example, is burning in all our minds the attribute of being cool. They
    want to drive into our minds that the Ipod is the coolest gadget in the
    universe today.

    So, two concepts we learn from Marketing to reach the top: Be the first
    in the mind and burn an attribute in the mind. Then, you start rising to
    the top.

    So what does this all mean to you, as you go out into the workplace?

    If you guys want to start rising to the top, you have to do the same
    thing. You have to be the first or the top of mind amongst the people
    that you work for specially your boss. When the boss needs something
    done, you have to be the first in his mind. If you're just the third, or
    the fourth, or the fifth, or the tenth in his mind, you're just like a
    company that is in third, fourth or fifth position -- far, far away from
    rising to the top.

    But like I said earlier, being top of mind is not enough. You also have
    to burn an attribute in his mind. Now, a slight word of caution. Burning
    an attribute in your boss's or co-worker's mind is a double-edged sword.
    You have to make sure that you burn a positive attribute and not a
    negative one. Ries and Trout explain that it is very difficult or next
    to impossible to dislodge an attribute in ones mind once it has been
    established. If you go into the workplace and the attribute you burn in
    your boss's mind is tatamad tamad ka (you're lazy), mahirap kang
    pakisamahan(you're not a team player), or di ka mapagkakatiwalaan
    (you're not trustworthy) then chances are, that attribute will stick in
    his mind for years to come and you'll have a hard time rising to the top.

    How many classmates do you know have been branded "lazy", "a flirt",
    "playboy", "cheater" etc. Think about it, no matter how hard they try to
    change their image, it just sticks and is so hard to dislodge from your
    mind isn't it? That's how powerful burning an attribute in the mind is,
    positive or negative.

    So, key lessons if you want to rise to the top is, you have to be the
    first in their mind and you must burn positive attributes in their mind.

    Discipline

    This leads me to the question, "What attribute should you burn in the
    minds of the people in today's world?" There are many attributes that I
    would have wanted to share with you, but in the interest of time, I will
    focus on two.

    The first one is the attribute of discipline. If we want to be able to
    compete not only with our peers, but with the best in the world, we have
    no choice. As a person, as a people, and as a country, we have to be
    disciplined.

    Discipline is a very fascinating thing. In the world of competition,
    you're always competing with somebody else. There is Smart competing
    with Globe, There is GMA competing with ABS-CBN, there is Sony competing
    with Samsung, and the list goes on. But when it comes to discipline,
    you are not competing with anybody else. You are only competing with
    yourself. And if you lose, guess who actually loses, only you.

    A year and a half ago, I went to a leadership conference in Singapore
    that put together and assembled some of the best speakers in the world.
    I actually had to pay a huge amount-probably my whole month's salary-
    just to be able to enter that conference. Al Ries was speaking. Film
    legend, Francis Ford Coppola was speaking, Rudy Giuliani, who led New
    Yorkto rise from the 911 crisis, was speaking and Lee Kuan Yew, Prime
    Minister of Singaporewas one of the speakers.

    I wanted to listen to Lee Kuan Yew and what he had to say. Lee Kuan Yew
    shared how he built Singaporefrom nothing to where it is today. He
    shared that Singapore, barely a generation ago, was far worse than many
    of its peers. But today, it is an economic superpower. He narrated that
    when he first started to lead Singapore, he asked his think tank to
    visit neighboring countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam,
    Laos, Cambodia, and figure out what they don't have. He said they all
    came back with one conclusion: These countries lacked discipline. So to
    differentiate Singaporefrom its neighbors, he decided to build his
    country on discipline. This meant that if Singaporepromised something to
    its people, to its foreign investors, and to other countries, it will be
    fulfilled. A disciplined country and a disciplined people-that's what he
    built Singaporeon.

    Discipline is a very important attribute all of us must have to be able
    to bring this country up from where it is today. If you want to reach
    your goals and dreams, you cannot do it without discipline.

    One of my good friends is the president of Alaska Milk, Fred Uytengsu. I
    used to see him on the baseball field when he used to coach his son's
    team and I was an assistant for my son's team. One day, I saw him
    wearing a shirt that said, "If you don't have discipline, you don't
    deserve to dream." No matter how harsh it may seem, the point is true.
    If you're 350 lbs. overweight and you're dreaming to become the next big
    hunk, but you don't have the discipline to watch what you eat, to
    exercise, and to make it happen, it isn't going to happen. Don't even
    bother dreaming, if you don't have the discipline to make it a reality.
    You'll just get frustrated. That's how important discipline is in
    achieving success.

    In the world of business, discipline is defined as work ethic. I'd like
    to share with you an anecdote from a great man who epitomized what work
    ethic is all about. Thomas Alva Edison. At the age of 82, the President
    of the United States said it was about time he was honored with an award
    for his lifetime work. So they put together a huge event in honor of
    Thomas Alva Edison. Being 82, he felt a bit sick that night and fainted.
    Good thing they were able to revive him and he was still able to go up
    on stage. Edison upon accepting the award simply said, "I am tired of
    all this glory. I want to get back to work." 82 years old, and all he
    can think of is going back to work.

    That is work ethic. That is discipline. And that is one of the
    attributes we need to burn in people's minds if we are to rise to the top.

    Execution

    The second attribute we should burn is execution. We need to be able to
    drive in the minds of the people that we work with that we are the
    "go-to" guy. That if they want to make something happen, you are the guy
    to go to, because you are the person who can execute. Execution is one
    of the attribute that will help you rise to the top.

    I'd like to quote one of the greatest mentors of all time who said to
    his pupil: "Luke, there is no try. There is either do or not do." You
    know who that is? That is Yoda teaching Luke Skywalker of Star Wars one
    of the most important lessons in life: execution or making it happen.

    An icon of execution, of course, is Michael Jordan. He is arguably one
    of the greatest basketball players that ever lived, but not without
    getting the ball, taking that shot, and executing the play. Can you
    imagine what would have happened to Michael if all he ever did was to
    plan on shooting the ball but never did? One of the things you have to
    remember about execution though is that it doesn't mean you have to be
    successful every single time. Part of execution is learning how to fail
    yet rising up again.

    Michael Jordan says this, "I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career
    and lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to
    take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and
    over again in my life, and that's precisely why I succeed."

    When you go out to the real world, you will realize that there are many
    people out there who have great ideas and great plans. And that is good.
    But like I always tell my team in PLDT, what separates the good from the
    great is execution. We can spend endless hours and tons of money
    strategizing, planning, team building, and analyzing to come out with a
    great plan. But until we execute that plan, that's all it will ever be,
    a plan.

    When something goes wrong in a company, the question the leader or the
    CEO almost always asks is not, "Who has the best grades?" "Who has a
    diploma?" "Who has all the awards?" "Who is the summa cum laude?" "Who
    graduated from an Ivy league school?" The CEO just asks one question:
    "Who can get the job done?" That, dear graduates is the importance of
    execution.

    Let's learn a lesson from Mickey Mouse. Well, maybe not from Mickey, but
    from his originator, Walt Disney. Walt had four mantras: dreaming,
    believing, daring, and then doing. Of the four, "doing" is what turns
    everything into a reality. Walt said, "Dreaming, believing and daring
    without doing is just like Dumbo, the elephant, without ears. It just
    won't fly. ABRAKADABRA will never work." Only execution does.

    Descending to the Top

    In my UP speech, I talked to them about "what's better than," and I
    juxtaposed what's better than this versus what's better than that. Now,
    all of us want to ascend to the top. No doubt about it. And we should.
    We should plan on ascending all the way to the top. But I will pose the
    same question I did three years ago: "What's better than ascending to
    the top?" The answer is DESCENDING to the top.

    That may actually baffle a lot of your minds. "What is he talking
    about?" "How can descending to the top be better than ascending to the
    top?" It is a biblical principle. The Bible tells us that he who wishes
    to be the greatest must be the servant of all. That is the concept of
    descending to the top. What I want to share with you is that as you rise
    to the top, the more you have to be a servant. The keyword is humility.
    The more you start rising to the top, the more humility needs to become
    an important place in who you are and in your life.

    I want to share with you what happened to Steve Jobs the founder of
    Apple computers and now the Ipod. We all know what a great visionary
    Steve Jobs is. But if we chronicle his career, Steve Jobs, as he was
    ascending to the top, as he was rising towards greatness, forgot all
    about humility. While he was hitting his peak, all he thought about was
    how great he was, how fantastic he was, and how the world and his
    company revolved around him. That is ascending to the top. The higher
    you go, the bigger your head.

    What happened to Steve Jobs as he hit the peak? He was driven out of his
    company both in failure and in disgrace. Then after having failed in
    many other endeavors, he started again and went on to make an indelible
    mark in the entertainment industry, and with the extraordinary success
    of the iPod, regained his reputation as the "greatest innovator of the
    digital age". And so Steve Jobs, after having ascended to the top and
    then unceremoniously booted out, now gets the chance to lead Apple
    again. But something was different about the man this time. People
    started to feel Steve had changed. And so in a big conference at the
    MosconeCenterin San Francisco, there he was, listening to the chants of
    his people, demanding him to come back and run Apple again. Let me
    share with you how the new Steve answered the call. No longer ascending
    to the top, but understanding what descending to the top is all about.
    And I will quote from the book, "Icon: The greatest second act in business".

    For the first time in his public life, there on stage, Steve appeared
    genuinely touched when the people were starting to ask him to come back
    and take the CEO position. He wasn't brash or cocky anymore. Maybe his
    four kids and the complete failure of a company and the near failure of
    another taught him something. There on stage, he fought back the tears
    as he mumbled something to make it clear that yes, even Steve Jobs can
    change.

    He had made the transition into a world where feelings and passion could
    partner with business and technology. Steve Jobs said, "You guys are
    making me feel funny right now. I get to come to work with the most
    talented people on the planet at Apple and Pixar. The best job in the
    world! But these jobs are team sports. I cannot do it alone; I can only
    do it with a team."

    A team sport. Fifteen years ago, it would have been a lie. It would have
    been all about him and how great he was. But now, everything was
    different. He now understood that it was really the many others who
    helped him succeed. He did realize it wasn't all about him. That Apple
    is a team sport.

    That is descending to the top - the higher you fly, the lower the ego.

    If you're able to get a copy of Time Magazine's issue where they
    declared who their Man of the Year was for 20005 you'll see their choice
    was Bill Gates. But not because of what Bill Gates has done for
    Microsoft. Not because he revolutionized the computer industry. But
    because of what Bill Gates has started to do for humanity. If you read
    that article, Bill realizes that this is probably the generation where
    if health care were given enough resources, he can actually make a big
    difference in millions of people's lives. And that has become the man's
    passion and advocacy, donating billions to uplift the health of poverty
    stricken nations. This today is what truly defines him; no longer his
    technological achievements. It is now about serving and helping other
    people. In other words, descending to the top.

    A heart for our Country

    Finally, as you rise to the top you should never lose your heart for our
    country.

    I always tell my team in PLDT, that yes, we have a business to run, but
    let us never forget we also have a country to serve. And that is the
    same thing I will tell you as you guys rise to the top. You will have
    businesses to run, you will have your own careers to take care of, and
    you will have your own dreams to pursue, but never forget you have a
    country to serve.

    You may ask, "How? How do I serve the country?" One way is actually
    quite simple. I'll give it to you in one word. If you are great, if you
    are smart, if you are the best, if you have a Silliman education, then,
    please STAY. Just stay in the country. You would have actually done a
    great service to our country just by staying.

    But if you can't stay, or you don't want to stay, that's fine. If you
    think you want to make it out there in the world, that's a-ok with me.
    But I want to ask two things of you.

    First, go out there and show the whole world how great the Filipino is.
    In whatever field you're in, prove to the world how special we Filipinos
    truly are.

    Second, don't just plan to COME back. Plan to GIVE back to the country.
    If you do that, if every Filipino who goes out there into the world --
    and there are millions of us already -- proves to everybody how great
    the Filipino is, and not only plans to come back, but actually plans to
    give back to this country, in less than one generation, we will be an
    even greater nation.

    I will end with what I told the UP students in 2003. You must be asking
    yourselves, "How do I reach my dreams?" or "How far can I go?" I told
    them this: In the last 42 years of my life, I have realized one thing,
    "There is no destination beyond the reach of those who walk with God."

    So when you go out there in the world, take God's hand and walk with
    him. Because when you do, whatever destination it is you are hoping to
    reach, if God walks with you and takes you through, there will be no
    destination beyond your reach.

    To the graduating class of 2006, I will meet you at the top and nowhere
    else!
    May 24, 2006

    Life's Simplest Pleasures

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    I was tagged by Jen.

    I have done this before albeit on a different note.

    Most of the time, we take a lot of things for granted; even the little things.

    Here's my list at random:
    1. reaching the summit of a mountain
    2. receiving posts from long, lost friends
    3. sight of fresh green grass wet with dew
    4. a baby's innocent smile
    5. catching the sunrise and sunset
    6. hooking up with close pals
    7. seeing my mom's & dad's smile of contentment
    8. sharing a hearty laugh with my siblings
    9. satisfying feeling when my body touches the bed =)
    10. papi's tight hug
    Instructions: Name ten (10) of life’s simple pleasures that you like the most, then pick ten (10) people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

    You've been tagged: Jon, EA, Jary, Katz, Gemma, Brandi, Marhgil, Ma'am Vicks from BWI, Mariel, Jamie.
    May 24, 2006

    3 Pinoy At Mount Everest

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    This is kinda late but all I want to say is congratulations to the 3 Filipinos who made it on top of the Mount Everest.

    To
    Leo Oracion, Pastor Emata and Romi Garduce, hail to you all! You made us all proud of being Pinoy! =)


    ********

    42 climbers summit Mount Everest
    Posted on 18 May 2006 - 19:44

    KATMANDU, Nepal -- Forty-two climbers took advantage of improved weather Thursday the 18th of May, to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, from its Nepalese side, mountaineering officials said.
    American, Australian, Austrian, British, Canadian, German, Korean, Philippine, Polish, Spanish and Swiss climbers, along with their Sherpa guides, reached the 29,035-foot summit, said Rajendra Pandey at Nepal's Ministry of Tourism in Katmandu.

    Teams using the popular south route to the peak had been holed up for days at base camp because of heavy snow and high winds, but a break in the weather allowed at least 15 climbers to scale Everest on Wednesday the 17th of May.

    Climbers on the northern side in Tibet, meanwhile, have experienced better conditions and were able to begin summit attempts earlier.

    May is considered the best month to climb Everest. Climbers in Nepal have to complete their mission by May 31 before the weather deteriorates during monsoon season.

    Since Everest was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953, more than 1,400 climbers have scaled the peak, and some 180 people have died trying.


    Leg amputee conquers Everest
    Posted on 18 May 2006 - 14:54

    A New Zealand mountain climber who lost both his legs to frostbite has become the first double amputee to conquer Mount Everest, despite breaking one of his artificial limbs during the ascent.

    Mark Inglis, 47, called his wife, Anne, on Monday night to tell her he was standing on the summit of the 8,850 meter (29,035 foot) peak, the world's highest mountain, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.

    "He's dreamed of this all his life, probably. He's over the moon," the the newspaper quoted Inglis's wife as saying.

    Media reports said one of Inglis's carbon-fibre legs snapped while climbing at around 6,400 meters and was forced to repair it with spare parts.

    In 1982, Inglis lost both his legs from below the knees due to severe frostbite suffered after a blizzard trapped him and a fellow party member in a cave in New Zealand's Mount Cook for 14 days.

    New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark hailed Inglis's climb.

    "To reach the summit of Everest is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for any climber, but for Mark Inglis it will be even more satisfying," she said in a statement.

    New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to conquer Mount Everest in 1953.


    Garduce makes it triple treat for RP
    1st Everest conqueror Hillary hails 3 Filipinos


    GARDUCE has climbed 15 other mountain ranges around the world including Cho-Oyu (26,906 feet) in the Nepal-Tibet border in September.


    First posted 01:08am (Mla time) May 20, 2006
    By Alcuin Papa
    Inquirer

    Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the May 20, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

    AND ROMI GARDUCE makes three.

    The Philippines' most accomplished mountaineer has achieved his dream and added Mt. Everest to his cap of accomplishments, capping a banner week for Filipino climbers.

    New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, who first reached the peak of Everest with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953, congratulated all three Filipinos for their feat.

    "I have nothing but the greatest respect for the [Filipino] expedition, for the determination and the will to battle on and go to the summit," Hillary, now 87, said in an interview yesterday with GMA 7.

    "My heartiest congratulations to Leo, Romi and Erwin for their success in getting to the top. Very good luck to them. They must have been strong and determined," he said.

    Garduce, 37, made it to the top of the world's highest mountain at 11:20 a.m. Nepal time (1:20 p.m. Philippine time) yesterday with the aid of oxygen despite deteriorating weather on Everest's south side.

    For full story, click:
    http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=76386
    May 23, 2006

    Da Vinci Code Quiz

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    Before I left Manila last Friday, I promised myself that I would watch the movie,
    Da Vinci Code , no matter what it takes. And I did last Thursday with papi.

    To ride along with its popularity, I took this quiz entitled "
    Are you the Sophie Neveu of quizzes?" As everyone knows, Neveu is another character in the novel-turned-movie, Da Vinci Code. She is a French government cryptographer, who studied at the elite Royal Holloway, University of London Information Security Group. In the movie, Neveu is portrayed by French actress Audrey Tautou.

    photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    I got satisfactory results when I took the quiz.

    Want to know how well you know Da Vinci Code? Take the
    test.
    May 23, 2006

    Entire Week

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    Our plane from Cebu touched down at the Manila airport early morning yesterday. My two siblings reported for office as planned while I didn't as expected. I recapped everything that happened for the past few days and now, I am facing reality. Vacation is over and next month will be the beginning of another roller-coaster year at work. I still have a few more days to bum around here at the office.

    Anyway, I have a number of things to do this week. I think it's better for me to list it down so I can keep track of it. I am not actually a lover of make-a-list-of-thing-to-do but I guess I am turning into one, especially if most of the things listed are being crossed out one by one. Ask anyone who does this and you'll get the same answer that I have.

    This list is comprised of everything: personal, work-related, very important, nonsense (but still needs to be done), urgent, coded, etc.

  • mail letters
  • file vl forms
  • audit c-outlay
  • update Fr sht-t
  • rundown of cbu exp
  • monitor cc charges
  • update flckr photos
  • pay credit card bills
  • clean corporate inbox
  • choose new book to read
  • submit id photo for membership card
  • update guests' list re liaison meeting
  • decide between Nokia and Samsung phones
  • check which is more interesting to visit: Ilocos Sur or Ilocos Norte
  • review Renaissance Hotel's conforme
  • burn cd copy of Cebu trip for papa
  • research about Tacloban, Leyte
  • accommodate new BE renter
  • watch 2 movies via dvd
  • email T-M re b-card
  • read Yahoo mails
  • clean-up fl-mem
  • update planner
  • browse Fr bltns
  • entry on DVC
  • upload photos
  • check G's bs
  • update links
  • fb on Fr msg
  • update blog
  • surf BE

    I am hoping that I will be able to accomplish everything in a week as my target timeframe. But just in case, I am allowing myself to have another week as extension. Two weeks is all I have.
  • May 22, 2006

    Friendster Survey

    by , in
    Go to your page and list the last fifteen people
    who gave you a testimonial. If someone has
    commented twice, skip to the next new
    commenter. Answer the questions pertaining to
    the people below.

    (I skipped those testimonials given by friendster groupies)

    1. Trekkers
    2. Abby
    3. UP Alumni
    4. Czahreena
    5. jerrick
    6. carrera habagat
    7. jireh
    8. alma rose
    9. mariel
    10. jon
    11. franz
    12. milky
    13. elyza
    14. louise
    15. reden

    1. Have you ever kissed 4?
    - yes, a beso-beso between friends. =)

    2. What's the best memory you have of 10?
    - most of them are the best but if I have to choose,
    I think it was when he treated me to Cafe Breton
    and we talked about stuff and others.

    3. Why are you friends with 9?
    - I read her testimonial again and the answer was there.
    Together, we laughed like hyenas. You can even hear us
    laughing now. Hahaha.

    4. When's the next time you're gonna see 6?
    - Haven't seen any of them. It's a mountaineering grp.

    5. Tell something juicy about number 15:
    - Ow? He dared not meet me because he has to accompany
    this tall, pretty girl in her shopping spree. According to him,
    he was the one carrying most of the shopping bags. Hehehe.

    6. What do you like about 8?
    - She is a true-blue Bulakenya. Amiable, fun and intelligent.

    7. Is number 1 attractive?
    - If that friendster logo is what it is, then how can I know?
    It's representing a mountaineering grp.

    8. What was your first impression of 7?
    - He is such a sweet, friendly guy. Very full of life! =)

    9. How did you meet 3?
    - I took my university life there.

    10. Do you think 13 could kill someone?
    - Goodness, no! She's nice and sweet.

    11. Is 11 your best friend?
    - No. We are friends, nonethless. =)
    I sort of miss her. We haven't seen each other for eons.

    12. Have you seen 12 naked?
    - Nyahaha. Should I? She's a very good friend of mine.
    For one, I'm no lesbian.
    Second, we didn't grew up together as kids.
    *peace* milky way. Miss you, girl. =)

    13. Would you ever kiss 5?
    - My bf will kill me if I did. But a beso-beso will do.

    14. Do you think 2 has a crush on you?
    - No, I don't think so. She's a girl and beaming with
    happiness at the moment because of this new boy.
    Uy...hehehe.

    15.Who do you spend the most time with?
    - Most time with? None but basing on the list,
    it has to be #10.

    16. What is the last thing you did for 1?
    - I climbed Pico de Loro.

    17. Have you ever hung out with 2 outside of school?
    - No. She's based in the States and I'm here in Phil.

    18. Have you ever been to 3's house?
    - Yes. Hehehe. I studied there. Spent most of my 4-5 years
    of life there.

    19. How do you know 4?
    - We met through PEx.

    20. Have you ever slept with 5?
    - Hell, no.

    21. IS # 6 sexy?
    - How shall I know that?

    22. Where is the last place you went with # 8?
    - UP CB tambayan, years back.

    23. Are you real close to 9?
    - not real close, but close enough, I guess.

    24. What kind of relationship do you have with 10?
    - Good, everlasting friendship

    25. Have you ever kissed 11?
    - Should I? Asking the wrong questions to wrong people.
    Hehehe.

    26. Have you ever been to the movies with 12?
    - We never got to do it. But we've watched plays then.

    27. Have you ever gotten in trouble with 13?
    - No. We rarely hook-up.

    28. Would you ever make a move on 14?
    - She's a girl. Grr.

    29. What do you and 15 talk about the most?
    - work, Nihonggo, japan, life and stuff.
    May 17, 2006

    Everest, Da Vinci Code, BE & Renter, Cebu

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    I'm just so excited for the Philippines (my beloved beautiful country) right now. As of this writing, a kababayan is just minutes away from standing and planting the Philippine flag on top of the highest mountain in the world,
    Mt. Everest.

    As everyone knows, we have an official team and several independent climbers climbing their way up to Sagarmatha (Sanskrit for "Forehead of the Sky" as referred to Mt. Everest). It doesn't matter to me who arrives there first. What is important is that their efforts and previous Pinoy risk-takers can finally claim that we, as Filipinos, have reached the summit of the most daunting mountain ever. My only prayer is that they will be safe at all costs.

    To the media, please don't take your unhealthy competition with these people who only want is to give glory to their country and to themselves. Stay away from them if you can't.


    *******

    Yahoo! Finally!

    After much debate, anxiety and anticipation, the movie
    Da Vinci Code will be gracing Philippine cinemas on May 18.

    Goodness.

    I'm going loco over this movie. Okay, I'm just uberly-curious about this movie. Nothing else.

    I'm not Catholic so I won't understand the apprehensions of the Catholic Church and other groups.

    The movie is just based on a fiction book and nothing else. Well, Dan Brown says it is fiction. Of course, some of the contents of the book are factual.

    Point is, why be scared if there's nothing to hide?

    I don't want to raise any eyebrows, earn a smirk or spark a debate. I'm not Catholic so maybe I really won't understand...at all. It's complicated.

    But there is one thing I'm gonna say, despite the fact that sure-seats at Glorietta and Greenbelt are fully-booked,
    I am going to watch that controversial movie on its first day, May 18, tomorrow.

    Thanks to papi for securing it.

    I have a ticket.


    *******

    I got a new
    BE renter. Her name is Gemma and she is blogging at Live. Love. Laugh.

    In a nutshell (based on what I know...hehehe), she is Pinay, blogs at Friendster, has a cute daughter, loves purple and pink (like I do). She seem nice, friendly and simple. =)

    Anyway, she's my blog renter at the moment and if you wanna know her more, click that small box shaded with my favorite color. You know what to do. =)



    *******

    I won a lot of credits today from BE.

    I won 2 credits, next was 3 credits and the major was 25 credits, just by surfing the site.

    I also won 35 credits for aggressively initiating a BotB.


    *******

    I just wish that it will not rain on Friday. I'll be flying to Cebu with my siblings. It will be their first time and my mom is sort of agitated with the weather since it was only a few days that typhoon Caloy hit the country.

    I still wish that we can frolic in Bantayan Island. Hmm.
    May 17, 2006

    Pinoy Nearing Everest Summit

    by , in
    Oracion at Everest summit ridge, hours away from peak

    ABS-CBN News
    17 May 2006 (as of 1:20pm TODAY)

    http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=38981

    Filipino mountaineer Heracleo "Leo" Oracion, lead climber of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition (FPMEE) has reached the mountain's summit ridge and is expected to raise the Philippine flag atop the highest peak in the world before noon Wednesday, ABS-CBN News learned.

    "In two hours at most, we can make the announcement after Leo calls us by radio, " FPMEE leader Arturo Valdez told a DZMM interview conducted past 6 a.m. in Nepal (9 a.m. in Manila) Wednesday.

    Valdez, the rest of the team, and ABS-CBN News correspondents Abner Mercado and Vince Rodriguez are stationed at Everest Base Camp.

    Valdez said that with the weather near the summit, each step Oracion makes would take a minute to complete.

    "The wind there is so thin. The wind in the area has only one-third oxygen [composition]," he said, adding that the temperature in the summit ridge is -30 degrees Celsius.

    However, he said that Oracion remains focused. "In less than two hours, the Philippine flag will be..on top of the highest mountain."

    The 32-year-old Oracion packed his bags and gear and left Camp 4 past 9 p.m. Tuesday. He went with only one Sherpa guide.

    Camp 4 is the last stopover before the summit of the earth's highest peak. Everest's peak is at 8, 848 meters above sea level.

    A second member of the expedition, Erwin "Pastor" Emata, was also headed for Camp 4 from Camp 3. He will try to scale the summit Thursday.

    The team decided to climb the summit one at a time, a strategy to ensure that at least one of them will reach the highest part of the mountain.

    Both Oracion and Emata trained for three years before beginning their ascent on Everest.

    The Philippine expedition is supported by Asia Brewery's Summit Water, Philippine Airlines, Globe Roaming Services, Coleman, ABS-CBN, Stratworks, MedCentral, Mozcom, National Sports Grill, Fitness First, PowerUp, the Rudy Project, Kodak and the Philippine Accident Manager's Insurance.
    May 17, 2006

    Pinoy Race To The Everest

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    The Philippine mountaineering circle has been in its peak of emotions as a number of Filipinos scale their way up to the summit of Mount Everest.

    To know more about the official RP mountaineering team and other independent Pinoy climbers such as Romi Garduce, etc., drag your mouse and click the links hereunder.


    1st Philippine Mount Everest Expedition
    ABS-CBN 1st Philippine Mount Everest Expedition '07
    Flash updates from ABS-CBN
    Romi Garduce's Everest Blog
    GMA Mount Everest Expedition


    Our very own Romi Garduce's name is included in Wikipedia's Timeline and Trivia.

    @@@@@@@@@@


    "Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, when measuring the height of its summit above sea level. Everest's summit ridge marks the border between Nepal and China." (quoted from wikipedia)

    The Route
    Everest is our tallest mountain. It is difficult enough to have killed many climbers in horrible falls and deep crevasses. Its altitude and the technicals of the climb are not not to be underestimated.

    The death zone above camp 4 has taken many strong and skilled climbers lives. That implies that Everest require intensive training. You might be lucky and the climb might go well even if you didn´t do your homework. But you will certainly notice that Everest live up to its fearful reputation should the conditions turn against you. By then though, it might simply be too late if you are not well prepared.

    Everest is also an extremely beautiful mountain. And just as we continue to launch ourselves into space even though missions sometimes turn into tragedy, mountaineers will always try to climb Everest to experience the majesty, beauty, and adventure of our closest frontier to Universe.


    Base Camp
    5400 m / 17700 ft.

    Base Camp is like a Formula One car racing depot. Satellite phones buzz in international tents as the worlds languages mix in thrilling accounts of the latest. Journalists, families and climbers exchange news and emotions between the mountain and the world. For no alpine peak fires imagination like Mount Everest.

    You handle the latest tech gear, but wash your clothes in frozen lakes, where you crush the ice and work quickly before it freezes over again. Drying up, the damp clothes freeze into strange ice formations at night. The same happens to your wet hair. And your toothpaste. You finish your meal quickly for it immediately cools on your plate. You eat buffalo meat. It´s fresh until it starts to smell. Then you wait. After a few weeks the odour vanish. At that point your BC sherpa-cook start to include it in your diet again, as a very special buffalo jerky.

    You listen to the frequent avalanches coming down Nuptse, Lho La and Pumori. You throw silent glances at the icefall and listen as it collapses with a horrendous crash. Base Camp is a place of hope, fear, frustration, conflicts and life-long friendships. Some climbers will experience their dream fulfilled, others will have to return home with an unfinished task. You´ll look around you and try to guess. But only destiny will know which fate is to be yours.


    Icefall
    5500 m - 6100 m / 18000 ft - 20000 ft.

    This place is similar to a huge horror-chamber at an amusement park. Only this one is for real. There are countless scary things that can happen here.
    A crevasse might open under you. An ice-pinnacle can fall on top of you. The entire area can collapse. It's simply not a place for a picnic and most of us just concentrate on getting out of there as quickly as we possibly can.

    Be sure to always clip in to the ropes. But also to unclip fast if an avalanche strikes. Should that happen, take cover behind a wall or a pinnacle. Jump into a crevasse as a last resort. The avalanche could be small, but hurl huge ice boulders at you. Watch carefully for ice pinnacles posing in a nasty angle. Do definitely not have your snack brake below one of these. They snap in a second.

    Check the ropes and the screws before entering a ladder. Cross the ladders slowly and carefully. Try to fit your crampon between two rails. Sometimes, a nearby avalanche or heavy wind sets the ladder in motion. Just stay calm and focus on each step and you’ll be fine. It helps to lean on the ropes, either backwards or forward, depending on the angel of the ladder. The ropes are slack, so leaning on them stretches them and provides a better balance. Even more helpful is if your climbing buddy stretch the ropes for you while you cross the ladder.

    Occasionally, you will encounter a large wall of ice. Those walls are usually roped, use your jumars. Climb the ropes by kicking your crampons into the ice and then lean on your legs. Don’t hang on the rope, it is exhausting and dangerous.

    Climb the icefall early in the morning. Climbers usually head out at 4-5 AM. Don't leave BC later than 6 AM. The icefall thaws later in the day and avalanches become more frequent. Plus you'll boil.

    (Climb time: 5-8 hours not acclimatized, 3-5 hours after acclimatization)


    Camp 1, Valley of Silence
    6100 m - 6400 m / 20000 - 21000 ft.

    This is a vast, flat area of endless snow, deep crevasses and mountain walls frequently washed by avalanches. Here we set up camp 1. At night we listen to the deep, murmuring cracking sounds under our tents. It is the crevasses opening and closing deep down in the glacier beneath. You keep your fingers crossed that it won’t happen right under your tent. At least not just now, while you are in it. Pounding headaches torture you. But it is here that for the first time, just a few steps around a corner, we gain first close sight of Everest.

    Be sure to set camp away from tiny cracks, those possibly hiding the mouths of large crevasses.

    Climb this area clipped to the fixed ropes, since crevasses lay hidden everywhere under the snow. You could remove your crampons on this climb. Sometimes, weather can turn this usually easy part into a difficult one, due to deep snow and whiteout. Always start out in good time. Stay away from the walls, they avalanche frequently. Later in the season (end of May) this snowy area starts to rotten and can turn quite nasty.

    (Climb time: 4-7 hours not acclimatized, 3-5 hours after acclimatization)


    Camp 2
    6400 m / 21000 ft.

    After an endless, slow march through the silent valley, you reach at last a rocky patch, at the foot of the icy Lhotse wall. This marks camp 2. This place is absolutely stunning. Clouds roll in from the lower ranges of the Himalayas, up the valley and into the camp. While acclimatizing, we spend time looking for cool old climbing gear; left here by all of Everest's climbing history. This is also the last chance to get a decent, prepared meal. We eat all we are handed because soon we´ll be surviving on instants only.

    Don’t camp too close to the Everest face, since it avalanches once in a while. Although tempted to idly hang around camp, bring yourself to take walks to the Lhotse face. It will speed acclimatization and relive altitude problems. The walks force you to breathe deeper and faster, thus saturating your body with more oxygen.


    Camp 3, Lhotse wall
    6800m - 8000 m / 22300 ft - 26300 ft.

    Imagine sliding a fun, icy slope on a sunny winter’s day. Only this one is 1200 meter (4000 ft) high. This is not a place to play. The dangerous part is to hang on to rope of dubious strength and to change carabiners between the ropes. You might feel not too clear in your head, especially upon coming down, but it’s crucial to concentrate. One slip and you are gone, far higher up than you had intended really.

    The camp here is a true eagle's nest, placed right out of the wall. Going to the toilet at night is a tedious task to dress and secure oneself. In addition, just to find a spot for it on this narrow platform is tricky enough. But the view is grand and by now you are well on your way to the summit.

    The climb towards the wall is a flat walk that gets you nicely warmed up. At the wall, you will step in to the ropes and the icy incline begins immediately. After an hour or so, you will reach the "Ice bulge", an icy, bumpy part. After that, it is a pretty uneventful, steep ice climb to C3. Occasionally, you will hear a howling sound and watch rocks catapult down the wall. Blocks of ice sometimes come falling behind climbers. Watch your head, lean on your legs (not the rope) and rest on the lines only occasionally.

    The climb will be either easy or hard, depending on weather. A dry, cold season means sheer, blue ice. Maintain your crampons sharp. Deep snow makes the climb easier, but increase the risk of avalanche.

    After C3, you will traverse the wall towards the Yellow Band and the Black Turtle. These are rocky sections on the wall, secured by a tangle of old and new ropes. Check the ropes well and watch for rock falls from climbers above you. Another traverse takes you to the foot of the last wall to C4. This part is steep but not very high and soon you’ll put your nose above it’s edge, thus entering the land of the spirits – the Deathzone.

    (Climbing time: 5-8 hours not acclimatized, 4-6 hours acclimatized.)


    Camp 4, the Deathzone
    8000 m / 26000 ft.

    Camp 4 sits on a plateau resembling a moonscape. You are at the edge of the atmosphere and the sky owns a strange, dark blue color. It is surely the closest you can get to space on earth.

    Only a small climb above camp, you look down the Tibetan plateau with it's vast brown plains, white glaciers and the other alpine giants - Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu -in the distance. It's all magic and unreal.

    Yet, this is also the place were the media, fame and fun of BC definitely are gone. Only fear remains on everyone's face. People don’t talk a lot. Resting in your tent, feeling weak already, you try to get some sleep as night falls outside. In a couple of hours you will start to put on your gear for the final part of the adventure - the summit push.
    The wall towards the summit is steep and dark, you are in the death zone and you can´t help thinking that within the next 48 hours, there is a very real risk that you might not live.

    Go over your gear in daylight. Have everything neatly organized. Drink at least 3 liters of fluid or more if you can. Bring another 2 liters of hot fluid on the climb. Get your axe ready, prepare the Hot Tronics. You will feel great as long as the day is bright but lose spirit fast when night falls. The cold, scary darkness outside is anything but inviting. The wind rustle the tent canvas. You will probably not be able to sleep a wink. Take it easy. As soon as you start out on the climb you will feel much better. Fear is always worse than reality.


    The summit
    8850 m / 29035 ft.

    Finally, the hour is come. At about 11 PM we put on the final gear and step out in the night. There, in the distance, we can see a worm of light slowly moving up a dark wall. It´s climbers head torches flickering in the dark. It’s completely silent. Nobody talks. If you do, you whisper. It is absolutely terrifying and you climb and climb, awaiting fthe first ray of dawn. It’s desperately cold. It's steep and at parts very icy. The ice axe and the crampons cut skin deep into the ice. You need to pee. Forget it. Someone turns around. "Can´t go on, good luck".

    A cold, white moon rises from below, but you hardly glance at it or even the bright twinkle of Universe above. The adrenaline keeps your body moving. And then, suddenly, after hours and hours of despair, you notice a thin blue beam of light at the horizon. Sunrise! If you are lucky, now is the time for the fabled mountain ghost. The mountain projects itself onto the morning fog. The shadow towers in front of you like a giant mirage. Beneath lies the world in all its glory, glowing in the rising sun. You feel the warmth and all hope returning.

    You kick your feet to beat the oncoming frostbite. You are at the Balcony, having a short rest, changing to a new oxygen bottle. A ridge lay ahead, and just above you, not far at all, is the South Summit. You begin to enjoy the view, and the possibility of success. Finally, you step up onto the small plateau of the South Summit, and there - just around the corner - is the Everest summit itself!
    You have watched it so many times from the distance, and suddenly it is so strangely close. Just right there, only 95 meters / 310 ft away. You can almost touch the white tail of snow.

    This is as far as we came in 1998, so our report on the site had to end here. On this update however - following our 1999 attempt - we are very happy to at last be able to guide you all the way - to the summit!

    When you reach the South Summit you are just a couple of hours from your dream come true.

    But there is one more obstacle in your way. The Knife Ridge. You will grasp your breath upon seeing it. It is steep and looks truly nasty. The ridge towers almost freely over Nepal and Tibet, it’s sharp and very steep. Hillary Step is in the middle somewhere, a rock climb in the sky.

    You step onto the ridge via a small, half open tunnel from South Summit. You climb with your crampons at a sharp, crooked angle towards the side of the ridge. Occasionally, the snow gives way and you slide down for a hairy second. This is not a place to climb without fixing ropes. Clip in carefully, focus on each step and keep moving.

    If there is a lot of snow, the ridge could be almost wide and quite nice. We had a dry, sharp climb.

    The Hillary step was, in our opinion, not too bad. Although very exposed at parts, the climb is fast and feels safe, given the conditions. The danger is to get tangled in the ropes. Bring a good knife. Check the ropes well for strength.

    After the step, you will spot white, strange wave-formations of frozen snow pointing out from the summit. Keep climbing towards them. This section is usually unroped, yet not too steep. Still, be careful and use your axe. You might eagerly look for the summit now, yet all you’ll see is a white edge on the horizon. You will not know how far you have left and feel frustrated and tired.

    Then you reach another white edge, but this time – it doesn’t continue. Behind it, there is instead a slope down. You are peeking down at the North side of Everest. You have reached the summit, friend.

    (Climbing time: 8-16 hours)


    Coming down
    Most accidents occur upon climbing down. Be sure to have enough oxygen to come back. Don’t relax for one moment. The climb is tricky all the way down to the Balcony – the final ridge before the wall back down to camp 4 and the South Col. Even the wall after the Balcony is dangerous if unroped. You will encounter a couple of bodies of deceased climbers here. In 1998, the last part of the wall towards C4 was not fixed, causing 8 people to take pretty bad falls. Luckily enough, all climbers survived that time. We climb this part roped to each other if the fixed ropes aren’t there. If the weather turns bad, the fixed ropes might get buried or you won’t be able to see them. Make memory maps on you climb up for this situation. Bring a compass.

    A blue ice bulge will mark the last obstacle back to camp. There are some crevasses there, usually recognizable as streaks of white snow. Avoid them.

    Finally, you will stumble back down onto the flat, rocky South Col. And take the last exhausted steps towards your tent, throwing yourself into it. And now – after almost 30 hours of strenuous climb, terror and doubts – you'll fall into the deepest and happiest sleep of your life.

    Exceeded only by your awakening in the morning; the suns rays softly warming you, as you slowly come to a wonderful, triumphant realization; that you actually, really, really made it.

    You are an Everest summiteer!

    (Climbing time: 4-8 hours).
    May 16, 2006

    Excerpt From A Love Letter

    by , in
    Dear Me,

    Do you remember what it feels like when you chance upon something, of which you thought you lost a long time ago? And then when you find it, memories of it keep flooding back? Together with the memories are the surge of emotions that relive your entire being.

    I was cleaning my pc files last night and I found this email from my papi. It was a love letter from long ago. I had saved it in a notepad so I could keep it with me.

    He wrote it when we were just a few weeks old in our relationship as a couple. It was self-revealing (for him), sweet, honest...and funny. =)

    We've been together for a long time. By June, we will be celebrating our 3 years together. I never thought for one moment then that he could last that long with me. But he did and still does. =)

    Here's a portion of that love note. Hahay. *love sigh*



    Importance: High
    -----Original Message-----
    From: dex
    Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2003 6:26 PM
    To: ivan
    Cc: ______@yahoo.com
    Subject:

    i love you. these words are not enough to express how i feel for you. they do not justify the affection that i have toward you. i will stand by you for all the days of our lives. i will be your knight in shining armor however corny that may sound. kakayanin ko. k? i hope makaya mo din ako. let's just keep an open communication and never give up on each other. i will do my best also... na di kita papahirapan. kilala ko sarili ko. and you are right.. some discussions are better done face to face.. para na din may kiss. :-)

    i care for you a lot. i respect you and your feelings. if i am being too possessive, please tell me so. but i hope you'd be considerate sa feelings ko din.. thank you for coming into my life. i thank God for you.. i will always be thankful and i promise to take care of you for the rest of my life.. i just hope that i won't die of gingivitis..

    through good times and bad times. it will always be you.

    always,
    dex




    Isn't he sweet? =)

    About him dying of gingivitis, it was a joke that we had. There was this entry I posted in my blog a long time ago. It was about life span and how one would die. There was this link wherein you would typed in your birthdate and then it would calculate your remaining hours and how your life would end. If I remember it right, it said that I would die either through water or fire; papi through gingivitis. Hehehe. What a shallow way to die. =)

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