Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Art by Marco, graphics by Leo.

The SWS-TAF friendship games

The Asia Foundation (TAF) has been mother station's longest institutional partner, going way back in 1980's when TAF gave SWS its first grant.

In my career in social research, my most memorable and fulfilling projects had been with them.

After so many years working with TAF, it was good to see them -- for the first time -- in their sports attire, talk about something else aside from projects, and engage them in a friendly competition last Saturday at the Timberland Nature and Sports Club in San Mateo, Rizal.

TAF did well in the 3-on-3 basketball, free-throw and 3-point shootout, volleyball, and three-to-five-legged race, while SWS excelled in cheering competition, billiards, "going to market", tug-of-war, wall climbing, and pool relay.

By evening, we all shared that love for wine, beer, and videoke (and Glee! Haha!).

Cheers, TAF!

(Excerpts from my personal blog. Photo credits to Mae L.)

Merry christmas!

Postcard design by Marco Mercado

Not ready

The news has been out months ago: there will be no Christmas party this year.

No programme. No parlor games. No contests.

And most of all, no costumes.

Just merienda cena/dinner, drinks, and perhaps a little socials.

I was emotionally prepared for that. Marco can enjoy the title of supreme cosplay/costume guru without fear of any challenger this year.

Until Papa O called me for a meeting yesterday.

Agenda?

Mas-Mas Committee.

I guess there are those who are not ready just yet to let this year pass by without the traditional fanfare.

But will others be ready for it?

Will Techie make the cut, and prove that last year's second place was no fluke?

Abangan.

Always a reason

I'd love to think that there's always a reason when things don't go as planned. It may not always be better than what's intended, but a good reason nonetheless.

When the much-awaited Puerto Gallera Techies trip failed to launch a few weeks ago despite careful planning, I was ready to believe there's a good reason why we're missing the chance to enjoy a relaxing weekend at the beach before the heart-attack pace of the year begins.

Thanks to the fun-loving souls who refused to let that Friday night pass by without something to make up for the lost Galera getaway, we ended up in Pork Barrel along Kalayaan Avenue.

The place may not have the sun, sand, and sea we long for, but it has good-looking service crew, nice drinking ambiance, and, as far as I know, the cheapest beer in that part of Sikatuna Village.

And for that few moments of transparency, I say the sun, sand, and sea can wait.

I'm sure we'll get that dream getaway, soon. Cheers!

Last look at 2008

Excerpts from my post at my personal blogsite...

The days leading to Christmas were, as usual, toxic at the workplace.

It has always felt like we have to earn our vacation, and considering the length of the holiday break ahead and the deadlines that await us, it’s going to take a lot of work to earn this one.

But I was able to keep my flight schedule intact this time, thanks to everyone’s hard work (I believe we share the same plans of spending a worry-free vacation), and Joan, who booked our flights early on in September.

My sincerest thanks to the two new members of Techies who made our lives easier beginning second half of the year: Anne, for doing most -- if not all -- of the hard work in the project that is legendary for driving any Techie to the brink; and Liz, for taking some of the tech-related stuffs off my hands.

And thanks to Mae and Liz for the last two media releases of 2008 -- it felt good seeing the stories at the frontpage of newspapers that manage to reach our rural hometown.

Looking back at a not-so-good news...

The segment of the year-end report by a TV network featuring my discussion on one of the regular political survey findings of SWS was taken out by producer. About a week before the airing, she wrote me an email informing me about the omission, and apologizing for the inconvenience.

After three postponements in the taping (and the extra days I have to wear smart casuals haha), that 30-minute interview will never see the light of day. *sigh*

I'm just glad I haven't told my mother about the interview. She's got the most active "text life" I've ever seen for someone of her age -- she could spread the word to hundreds and hundreds of teachers and friends across the region in no time. *shudder*

Anyway, at least the public didn’t have to see my haggard face on TV. No amount of studio make-up could conceal the fatigue in my horrible mug back then.

I wasn’t the only one running short on spirit and temper – the pressure of deadlines was eating away at our reserves (pitpitan ng bayag, ‘ika nga), slowly dashing out my hopes of the Techies redeeming its glory at the Christmas Party Presentation Contest. Finding the time and the right mood (yes, mood!) for us to rehearse for the contest was almost impossible.

It’s been years since the Techies won the coveted title of being Champions in the Christmas Party Presentation Contest, with 2007 seeing our worst defeat by far: we ended in seventh place, out of seven competing groups.

Oh, the humiliation!

But my prayers were answered when somehow the Techies pulled off a decent number on the night of December 18, and ended up in second place, besting six other groups.

We’re not the champions, but it was more than I wished for. THANK YOU.

Thanks to this year’s Mas-Mas Committee – Anne, Ched, Liz, Micko, and Pierre – for putting together the party. Here’s wishing you all a fruitful and fulfilling time with the station.

Thanks to our surprise judges, Ate Ana and Diana. The outcome of the contest reminded me of what the competition was like when I joined the station waaay back: more than just dazzle, a presentation has to have substance.

And thanks to everyone for such a wonderful year, and for the equally great way to end it! The Best Costume award may have eluded me again, but at least I know better now than to choose a sidekick/bestfriend character to cosplay. Sanosuke Sagara is a fascinating character and definitely one of my favorites, but cosplaying someone who is barely known among the typical NGO crowd (trust me, I surveyed) was just not worth the trouble.

Next time, I'll stick to someone classic, maybe someone like Son Goku.

Cheers!

...SWS Techies Love SWS

We Love SWS (The Techie Song)

We love the numbers, we love the percent sign.

We love statistics, and always asking “why”?

We love opinions, and their diversity.

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

We love the sampling, and all replacements.

We love to write the news, even on a weekend.

We love to work late, postponing all our dates

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

We love our Saturdays, working in the office.

We love to go fast, checking all the visuals.

We love the bowling sheet and all its craziness

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

 We love tough projects that make us sweat and stink

We love rough clients that take us to the brink

We love the whole world of research and survey work

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

 We love to run fast, from here to MM’s room

We love adventure, beating all those deadlines blue

We love FGDs, here, there and everywhere

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

 We love respondents who get the questions right

We love the DP and their accuracy

We love the data hiding in the library

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

 We love the Admin and all their money

We love the field group and all their bravery

We love the Admin boys and their rush delivery

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

 We love Gerardo but we call him Super Jay

We love Tita Da and her pep talks in our heads

We love MM and his urgent requests

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

 We love the tough jobs

We love the color blue (isda)

We love survey work

We owe it all to you

Survey world is awesome

That we’re discovering

We love the survey world its a brilliant world

Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada Boom-deyada (2x)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A month before Christmas, I again spent days after agonizing days of designing the official postcard for the stations.

It's not that I am running out of ideas, but creativity was so hard to come by when you're swamped with a hundred other things to worry about (yeah right. Excuses!).

This year's SWS postcard underwent the most toxic process of revisions I've ever had since I volunteered to do this annual tradition, and all those effort doesn't even show in the final product.

But the whole process reminded me of the things to be thankful for, and ultimately the postcard carried the question that sums up all we've been wanting to say (or rather, ask):

What is the best Christmas gift you have ever received?

Here's what our kababayans answered.

Mine's the gift of life and love.

And just recently... forgiveness.

The year 2008 has been one that makes us appreciate every little blessing that comes our way. Every single lull in between problems, every little good thing -- is a gift that makes up the many best gifts this year.

What's yours?

Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and healthy year ahead.

Fade

The glory of redemption flashed before my eyes...

Then slowly fade.




Swet, I don't want to end up seventh again.

Again

Here I go again, begging the stars for inspiration. That the cosmos grant me just a little bit of creativity to get through this.

It's that time of the year again when we have to defy spatial laws, and fit thirty-plus faces in a half-letter sized postcard.

The quest for this year's SWS Christmas card is on.

I hope the smiley in the night sky brings forth ideas.

Time is running out.

Kaya kami pollsters...

dahil siguro magaling kaming magtanong, makinig, at mag-analyze.

But we're not PR specialists or sales executives which, more or less, involve persuasion, selling, campaigning, among others.

Bakit ko ba naisip ito?

Bago nag-RnR sa Laguna hot springs (blog on this to follow!) about two weeks ago, nalaman ko na meditation session pala ang gustong i-promote ng mga nasa nakatataas (i.e., the VP and the HR).

Pero anong nangyari? Dahil naniniwala kami sa democracy, nag-offer ng isa pang activity para may mapag-pilian ang mga tao.

Ang second option? Hot springs.

Hot springs!

What do you expect people will choose?

Anyway, moving on...

Ngayon, theme naman ng christmas party ang pinag-pipilian.

Ang mga bagong staffs ang bumubuo ng Mas-Mas Committee, at sa tuwing christmas season, itong ang pinaka-makapangyarihang kumite.

In short, ito lang ang kaisa-isang pagkakataon na sunud-sunuran kaming lahat sa gustong mangyari ng mga baguhang staffs. Sabi nga noon ni Papa Bear, "Make it good, guys, this is the only time you could make us do anything."

Pero democratic process pa rin syempre -- kailangang may botohan.

Ang Mas-Mas Comm ay may pet and preferred theme: "MTV Becoming".

Personally, I think it's an awesome theme, at suportado ko sila sa ideya nilang iyon.

At mukhang okay rin ang mga lumalabas na other options: red carpet, masquerade, and others that are of similar complexity, difficulty, and challenge-factor.

But when the routing slip came to me, I died...

Someone placed "Sporty" as one of the options, and it's getting most of the freakin' votes.

Okay na yung iba options: Anime, Masquerade, Arabian Nights, and Animal Costume, eh. But... Sporty?

Oh well.

As I said, we're not very good at selling or promoting an idea.

Pero dahil personally ay hindi ako sold sa ideya na Sporty ang mananalong theme, gumawa ako ng maliit na campaign para sa aking napipisil na theme (see flyer below).

Good luck na lang. ^^ Balita ko puspusan din ang kampanya ng Field para sa "Arabian Nights".

....whois drunk

office. 12.12 am on my pc clock.

anyone who did not have anything rush rush to do can go home 2 pm. -- thai is anytone but techies, and admin and jeanette and her minions, namely marco and the newbie techie/admin liza.

immediately after 6 pm. the tequilla suddenly found its way on the white table....with the lime following closely.

leo took the 1st 2 shots.

then mae decided to join leo. d along withb leo raided mm's fridge for some food, and the admon kitchen for drinking paraphernalia, like knife for the lime and some "pulutan".

more tequilla.

relatively new tecghie anne was coaxed to take her first sip of tequilla, ever.

and then more tequilla.

more stories...and firstr impressions from anne.

more tequilla..

mear was watchingbth tye telen0vela by abc-cbn.

more tequilla.

and stories about you-know-who and the old guy with the pinkhhj nipples came out flowing

more tequilla. thank not it's cuervo and not the damnable "mojitos"

more stories to share -- who can master whom? who;s more likely to leave when-not if but when? thankfully, not who's heavier, or who's more drunj.

more tequilla.

with chips and pancit canton in between.

more tequilla.

and then the worlddf syarted to swirld.

as in seeing anything and everyone in double vision.

more tequilla.

more stories.

and then the reklativelty newbie anne started to call the "uwak" somewhere around the tech cr.

no more tequilla.

t5hanks to mear, the only one sober to call mcdo for some food...actually the one sober to look after 3 people who consumed about 300 ml each of ci\uervo tequilla, with 38 percent alcohol volume.

no more tequilla..

anne's asleep...and her beloved sergey's suddenly oneline @ ym.

what shouuld 2 drunk techies tell ajother drunk techies' sigfnificant other? -- that she forgot to log-out- that's safer.

no more tequilla


leo's drunk.

mae's dizzy and about to call the "uwak"

sustenance finally arrived.

thanks mear.

anne's drunk to the world, dead asleep.

leo's drunk.

i amm drunk. and i'm blogging...and i can't even spell correctyklyu...who cares..i'm drunk...that's a valid excuse, right?

all thanks to jose 1+liter of jose cuevo..that's about 300 ml of tequilla each for the 3 of us.

god, please no hang-over the next daty.

Happy 23!

A staffer from a major broadsheet called last Thursday asking me for a one-liner about why surveys are important.

I declined and told her, “For a question as significant as that, I might give an answer lesser than what has already been written, emphasized, and told many times over by Dr. M.”

“Tama ka,” she said, “he is, as far as we all know, the one who fought the hardest for survey freedom. I better try and ask him.”

“Before you call him, read this first,” directing her to the link.

I suggest we all read it, too, again. ^ ^

***

Last Aug. 8 marked the 23rd birthday of the stations, and celebrated it with the traditional pictorials (oh yeah! It’s always fun sitting and waiting under the hot sun for that precious picture-perfect moment), a simple salo-salo, and whatever program our beloved HR can think of.

That “whatever” was handed down to me last, last Friday – a week before the anniversary – while we were all neck-deep with all sorts of deadlines and reports.

A video presentation, she said, something just like the 20th, but this time focusing on the people.

I was staring at her blankly. ”Do you know how long it took me to do that eeny-weeny, little show? Weeks! With an ‘s’!”

But hey, it’s the anniversary. Why not give it a shot like we always do?

And so the little show was slapped together, presented, applauded, protested, criticized, and is now back in my hands for improvements.

At least now I have 18 calendar days to do it.

The most common comment about the show?

Not enough old pictures.

I agree.

Sometimes we have to look back and remind ourselves where we came from, and why we are here in the first place.

Happy 23rd birthday, Mother Stations! Cheers to us all who are, and have been, part of it.

A visit to Coolwaves

Just when my love for hard drinks was about to be resurrected, along came this so-called tequila to shoot it down and bury it back six feet under.

Here's a shot of the teh-killah that killed us all.

A closer inspection of the label would show that agave is not even in the ingredients.

Anyway, we were in Coolwaves, Bulacan sometime first week of April not to kill our brains cells but to spend some quality time with Lynn who, as of blog time, is now with her hubby in Australia.

It was an evening trip from SWS office in Quezon City to Bulacan (thanks to Ar and Ahmed for the ride) which showcased the outstanding tracking and guiding skills of Vlad, who was then on a separate trip with his wife, in-laws, etc.

With Mike describing our whereabouts through the cellphone, Vlad was able to track us down and finally tailgate us along NLEX. I say it was an amazing feat, considering how heavy the traffic was in that area.

Getting to the resort was a bit tricky (watch for the flags, said Vlad), especially at night. When we got there, the place was so packed it took Mae a while to bag a cozy room for all seven of us.

Lynn did a great job of concealing the bottled goodies in her bags by covering them with uhm swimwear and undies. I guess they were effective barriers against the security guard's poking stick. Peace, Lynn!

The guard did let the harmless-looking local wine through without corkage fee. How kind of him.

And so we drank, ate barbeque, and talked about Lynn's life in SWS.



I blacked out on my nth shot of teh-killah. Shucks, I was hoping to see Lynn cry before I crash, but no -- I was never built for hard drinks, much more for killer teh-killahs.

Maybe the other Techies could fill-in the gap in the story. I was just told the next morning that everyone else took a dip at one the pools while I lie wasted on the bed.

I woke up with a nasty headache and no recollection of how I ended up in bed. This worried me a lot, knowing I have done really stupid things in the past after having too much liquor. It was a relief to be told later that I went to bed quietly and just blacked out.

Everyone who've had the teh-killah suffered major headache that morning.

The resort's main attraction is the artificial waves which, unfortunately, never happened during our stay.

The resort staffs kept telling us, "Ayan na. Paaandarin na." Pero namuti na ang mata at nangulubot na ang balat namin sa kahihintay, walang tinamaan ng kulog na waves.

But hey, forget about the non-existent waves and the killer tequila. It is a nice place, and it's the people around you that makes it better.

Cheers!

And all the best to you, Lynn!

WANTED: Ice Cream

The Birthday Ice Cream, February 28, 2008, 24 days after my actual 23rd birthday:

Double Dutch yum yum :) Unfortunately, we didn't know that it contains peanuts and almonds. Too bad for Vlad, a fervent lobbyist for the ice cream since my birthday, who can't eat anything with peanuts/almonds because of his gout problem :(

WANTED: ICE CREAM

-----
From VLAD2 To 15:58.19, wed 06

ICE CREAM SA MINI STOP
Sa ganitong mainit na araw
Ice cream ang masarap kaulayaw
Sa nakaraang nag-birthday
Ikaw huwag malumbay
Dahil ang ice cream sa mini stop ay mura lang
At hatid nito'y saya sa bawat nilalang
Kung kaya't sa iyong bulsa ay dumukot
Upang mawala na itong ating pagkabagot


p.s.

samahan mo pa ng song and dance number, baka magpabili na ako ng icre cream...


mae

Checklist

... lambanog, sandals, batteries, insect repellant, hard-boiled egg, eaji, spam, camera, vodka, adobo, kumot, paalam sa misis, bus tickets, jacket, bigas, social obligations, ahit ng balbas, spooning, panlaban sa lamig, bomika, flush toilet, nilagang aso, yakap, shotgun, sunblock, bonfire, charger, palay...

The Techies are up to something...

Abangan!

Almost famous in December

The office Christmas party is considered by the staffs as that single day of the year when everyone can drop everything, let loose and let go, and be anyone you want to be -- just for one evening.

And this year's theme pretty much gives everyone a shot at their most cherished fantasies: "Famous Movies".

Shown in the photo, from left to right:

Papa Bear, as Indiana Jones Sr. The props: leather cowboy hat and a real rope-whip. Good thing he never carries that thing around the Tech area. Imagine this: "Mike, I need that sampling! Hwabish! Leo, where's that media release? Hwooopak!!"

Ooooohh! *shudder* Just kidding! ^^

Mae, as Hermione Granger. The props: a witch's hat made by Ramon, a necktie, a toga, and a wand. Wingardium Leviosa!

Mike, as the rock and rollin' Dewey Finn of the movie School of Rock. The props: plaid shirt, denim jeans, and his very own electric guitar. Melt their faces, man!

Ramon, as the legendary ninja. The props: a complete ninja suit! and a black short staff as sword. You sneaky, sneaky you.

Mear, Lara Croft. The props: all-black kick-ass outfit, leather belts, pistols, and the hairdo that completes that Lara-look.

I came as Eric Draven from the movie The Crow. The props: improvised trenchcoat, all-black outfit, black straps, ropes, a wig, and dog chains. Thanks to Joan for my make-up. ^^

Vlad, as the late Arturo "Bomber" Moran, a huge (literally) villain who was a favorite cast in the 80s to 2002-something Pinoy action-comedy films, best known for his brand of portraying "kontrabidang palpak".

Over half of the staff came as witches from Hogwarts, an evidence maybe of the film's recent hit. The talented Marco put his skills to use and came as Optimus Prime, with armors made of old vertical file boxes and used cardboards (given the chance, I'd award him the Most Environment-Friendly Costume).

The most daring costume would be that of our Field Anchor, Con, who came as Tinkerbell. I need not describe this one. Vegetable salad, anyone?

More about the Mother Station christmas party in the next post! Happy holidays!

Game na!

Before everyone gets busy with the holidays, let us pause to remember that just this Tuesday, December 11, at 11:30am, time and work stopped at Mother Station. For half an hour, history unfolded as all staff gathered in one room, watched in one TV, and shouted in one voice...

"Go Lynn!"

There she was, on a primetime TV game show -- beaming, vibrant, and seemingly heavier by ten pounds (TV always does that to anyone, they say, so no worries) -- poised to conquer nine other contestants for that coveted cash price and the chance to be lead dancer of "Papaya".

How many of us know which of the first ten words of the song, "Pangako sa 'yo", starts with the letter "N"? Not me, that's for sure, nor anyone of us watching at that time. But, with a fluid swipe at the sensor (or was she just trying to fix her clothes?), Lynn nailed this question to be the very first contestant to leave the elimination round and rise to the next level.

And be the first to be interviewed by the game show host.

The exchange was a blur, but I've never seen the host so star-struck. Way to go Lynn! Haha!

The next level features the "atras-abante" maneuvers. While she was overshadowed by two married contestants and got the nasty "atras" from a gasoline shop crew, Lynn showed a stellar performance by answering the trickiest of questions ("Ano ang tawag sa nakababatang kapatid na lalaki ng iyong Lola?") and showing compassion to fellow contestants (by not using her "Atras" powers).

Cheers to you, Lynn! Congrats for your winnings! And thanks for the blowout (hindi yata lahat nakakain. Isa na ako doon)! The Techies are so proud of you! ^^

Happy!

The age-old tradition that is the SWS Christmas card just had a breath of fresh talent.

Behold, (drum roll) the art of Marco.

This year we are sharing a question, which personally I think is quite apt amid the turbulent times:

Sa pangkalahatan, masasabi po ba ninyo na ang inyong Pasko ngayong taon ay magiging..? [On the whole, would you say that your Christmas this year will be..?] (Masaya [Happy] code 1, Malungkot [Sad] code 2, Hindi masaya at hindi rin malungkot [Not happy and not sad] code 3)

Wishing everyone a code 1 Christmas 2007!
Maligayang Pasko at
Manigong Bagong Taon 2008!