absorbing all the drama.

I was watching WILD THINGS last Sunday night. Yep, the Denise Richard - Neve Campbell - Matt Dillon thing. I was staring at the screen for the longest period of time and I bet my mum's ass, you'll laugh out loud and prolly tease me with.. "Huuuuuuuy.. ang manyak mo naman! Titig na titig ka ah!" But in the middle of the dirty steamy hot scene, I felt a lump in my throat and started crying. No reason. I just cried. I realized I was staring at the monitor for the longest time but my mind is really somewhere else.

I'm sure.. at any given time.. I was not the only one feeling that way. I don't know.. Nostalgic, maybe?

Here's the thing with me I remember every happy moments in my life vividly. With someone. With some friends in the past and then I'll start feeling sad. Yeah, you can call that nostalgia. But don't make me wrong, I'm not hung up with these memories or with the someone else's.. because looking back, I can never really trade my place in my life right now. But there are times when you just want to go back there and stay in the moment for a while. I hope I'm not being weird.. but that's just me.

It was a particular moment in my life that flooded me last Sunday night. I was young, carefree and streaming with great dreams. Its the time of someone's life where you feel that you can be who you want to be. A rockstar. A model. A flight attendant. A photographer. A broadway actress. A famous writer. Its the time of someone's life where you feel that the world is yours for the taking and that everything is easy and simple. You are young. You hear that all the time. You have so many things ahead of you...

I was in love. He asked me to get married and live somewhere out of reach. I was 22 years old. He was 27. He gave me a choice.. and very little time. I was kissing him in the rain and people were all around us.. that night but I never really cared. It was drizzling.. my world stopped.

I said NO that night. Because its unfair for everyone involved. Most of all, its unfair for me. I am just starting to see the world, he had seen almost everything. I need a chance to grow up emotionally.. alone. As much as I want to say YES because I can't really imagine myself letting him go.. I stayed for the rightest reasons. Its not worth taking that shot because I know that If I did, I will end up losing every person who loves me yet I get to keep him.

You get to keep the person you love but lose all the others who love you and see you differently. Thats just not a way to love.. or to live. Thats not love.. Its something else.

He got married after a year. I was broken hearted. Just broken hearted. Not shattered. Because sometimes you need to sacrifice your heart in order to understand life's reasons. You have to let go to know the importance of healing. You need to let down your guard to understand self worth. Sometimes.. you have to do it.

I remembered that and I cried. Because I remembered at that very moment before I entered the door.. I said goodbye and I love you..

And I have never felt so alive in my life...

because right at that very moment.. I was in two places at once.

Leaving and loving him.. all at the same time.

"Values daw.." Values, my ass.. POTASHET!

"Based on the initial verification conducted by *********, you allegedly committed the offense of Distribution/Dissemination of pornographic Material via Manila **** email. Pertinent specifically on the incident of sending an email on April 5, 2008, with the subject heading "who has the nicest cars?" with attachment of photos of foreign celebrities showing their private parts."

This really made my day last Tuesday, I was so pissed I swear I could have lost self control as I speak to the HR representative. Because to be perfectly honest, this is so fucking dumb. I said I forwarded the email to seven of my closest friends at work and I really think that the email was so funny.. eh putah sino ba namang tanga ang magfo forward ng email sa kaibigan nya kung sakaling nakakasaket ng damdamin ang sinasaad ng email di ba? Tanga-ers lang. Eh kaso, va-jay-jay ang pinag uusapan dito.. nila Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Beyonce Knowles, Paris Hilton at kung sino sino pa.

Eh sa internet nga nagkalat ang mga pictures ng pekpek nila! Sa news din.. pagkatapos sasabihin nila WE violated the company's values? Ang arte naman.. eh baket kaya hindi na lang nila ituon ang pansin sa mga bagay na mas kailangan nilang tutukan katulad ng payroll inquiries ng mga empleyado? Hindi nyo mako control ang mga taong bastos.. Hindi magiging maayos ang kumpanya nyo kapag nabigyan nyo ng sanctions yung mga nag forward ng mails..

May virus ba yung na forward na mail? Magalit kayo kung may virus.

Pero sa isang banda may mali rin naman kami. Kasi nga kung magfo forward kami ng email eh dapat yung talagang nakahubad na para hindi kayo nabitin...saka sa totoo lang nakakahiya nga naman yun sa mga onaks na kasama namin sa trabaho dahil baka pag isipan namin sila na hindi sila nagpa-panty occasionally. Wui.. hindi naman kami judgemental.. hindi naman kasi namin naisip na may babae pala talagang hindi nagpa panty kasi lumaki kaming may pambili ng panty at talagang nagsusuot kami ng ganun. Uso yun dito sa Pinas eh. Kumbaga.. IN ka kapag may panty ka. Ganito talaga kaming mga pinay.. hobby namin ang magpanty. Maliban na lang dun sa iba na hindi nagpapanty minsan kasi may hadhad sila.. see.. may excuse naman. Pero given the situation na wala silang hadhad.. I'n sure magpa panty ang mga yun.

Pero feeling ko ang dapat talaga naming sisihin eh yung mga celebrities na hindi nagpa panty. Nagsuot na nga ng sobrang ikli na mini skirt.. ampotah hindi pa nag-panty. Eh samantalang ako nung elementary ako palagi pa akong naka bloomer shorts sa loob ng palda ko. Eh kamusta naman kung halimbawang bigla kang datnan ng RED CHINA moments habang naglalakad ka at nagtatampisaw sa may fountain?? Mega tulo yun, girl.

Kamusta naman ang mga langgam, surot at isang pulutong ng mga gumagalang kulisap? Hindi na nila kailangang mag effort na umikot sa singit ng mga bilat na to dahil diretsong diretso silang makakapasok ng walang kahirap hirap sa lugar kung saan malapit ang bagsakan ng itlog.

Nagagalet ako at nambabastos..

Titigil na ko...

Just because...

I was not aware that people know about US. It didn't occur to me that there are numbers of people in the office that are interested about what happened. Did it come from you? Because to be perfectly honest.. I don't give a flying fuck. I was single. You were single yet confused. Indecisive.

Why they know that there was no closure between the two of us, I really don't know. I did not talk because it was something that I'm really not proud of.. walking away from US. And what we have is not their business. Its ours.

Once upon a time we were involved. It was a time when comfort meant a lot of things between you and me. I was alone and you were lonely. I made you laugh.. you made me cry. Because all the times that we've been together you were never sure of your feelings for me but I stayed anyways because even if its really heartbreaking.. I figured you are worth the try.

I waited.. for I don't know what.

All the times that we were together I say to myself.. "This is how love should feels..." because being with you felt like I was doing all the things that I have never done before yet I cannot find the perfect rationalization to justify why I'm still holding your hand amidst of all the chaos around us. Everytime, P. That is how I feel.. when we were still together.

Its a different story when you're not around tho. Every happy moments spent magnifies the pain of not being with you. I was surprised to discover the significant amount of pain that you can give me even when you are not around.
Can you still remember??

When I told you one night inside your car.. "That it doesn't matter if you love me or not because I'm not sure if I love you but I was willing to take the chance to make things work.. to have a part of taking care of you through the high and the low times.. I was willing to hold your hand until you let them go.." It was fucking corny but I gave it a shot anyway because thats what I really feel.

You said that you will always be there for me..

But when I asked you one day what I am to you..

You said..

"You made me realize that I love her..."

You know what they say about being alive? That you never know how it is to live until you die. And I did.. that night. I gathered all the strength inside me and I laughed out loud.. because even if I'm losing grip of myself I know that there was nothing to lose losing you. I never had you in the first place.. why feel pain now? Why cry now?? When all we ever had was chances.

And you said you want us to be friends.. but there are some things that we say to other people that we both know is just plain stupid. We both know its not going to work out. We can never be friends.. maybe.. but not at that moment. So I went away.. whats the fuckin point of staying?? You tell me.

And then..

After a year.. when everything is working fine with me.. when everything was far from pain and loneliness.. you came back.

Closure, you said.

I didn't go... I didn't move. I didn't care. Maybe you are in pain.. or maybe not.

"You made me realize that I love her..." it echoed in my head.

There's just so much pain then.. bitterness and insecurities. Eating me alive..

So what's your greatest realization now?

That she made you realize that you love me??

I was never that girl, P. Because all the time that she was on the pedestal..

I was the girl on the side.

I read this somewhere... can't remember where. But it was saved in my Draft folder.

This is a speech from John Gokongwei given one night when he was asked to deliver something inspiring to the Philippine Ad Congress gathering.

Before I begin, I want to say please bear with me, an 81-year-old man who just flew in from San Francisco 36 hours ago and is still suffering from
jet lag. However, I hope I will be able to say what you want to hear.

Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Thank you very much for having me here tonight to open the Ad Congress.
I know how important this event is for our marketing and advertising colleagues. My people get very excited and go into a panic, every other year, at this time.

I would like to talk about my life, entrepreneurship, and globalization. I would like to talk about how we can become a great nation.

You may wonder how one is connected to the other, but I promise that, as there is truth in advertising, the connection will come.

Let me begin with a story I have told many times. My own.

I was born to a rich Chinese-Filipino family. I spent my childhood in Cebu where my father owned a chain of movie houses, including the first
air-conditioned one outside Manila . I was the eldest of six children and lived in a big house in Cebu's Forbes Park .

A chauffeur drove me to school everyday as I went to San Carlos University , then and still one of the country's top schools. I topped my
classes and had many friends. I would bring them to watch movies for free at my father's movie houses.

When I was 13, my father died suddenly of complications due to typhoid. Everything I enjoyed vanished instantly. My father's empire was built on
credit. When he died, we lost everything our big house, our cars, our business to the banks.

I felt angry at the world for taking away my father, and for taking away all that I enjoyed before. When the free movies disappeared, I also lost
half my friends. On the day I had to walk two miles to school for the very first time, I cried to my mother, a widow at 32. But she said: "You should
feel lucky. Some people have no shoes to walk to school. What can you do? Your father died with 10 centavos in his pocket."

So, what can I do? I worked.

My mother sent my siblings to China where living standards were lower. She and I stayed in Cebu to work, and we sent them money regularly.
My mother sold her jewelry. When that ran out, we sold roasted peanuts in the backyard of our much-smaller home. When that wasn't enough, I opened a small stall in a palengke. I chose one among several palengkes a few miles outside the city because
there were fewer goods available for the people there. I woke up at five o'clock every morning for the long bicycle ride to the palengke with my
basket of goods.

There, I set up a table about three feet by two feet in size. I laid out my goods soap, candles, and thread and kept selling until everything
was bought. Why these goods? Because these were hard times and this was a poor village, so people wanted and needed the basics soap to keep them
clean, candles to light the night, and thread to sew their clothes.

I was surrounded by other vendors, all of them much older. Many of them could be my grandparents. And they knew the ways of the palengke far more
than a boy of 15, especially one who had never worked before.

But being young had its advantages. I did not tire as easily, and I moved more quickly. I was also more aggressive. After each day, I would make
about 20 pesos in profit! There was enough to feed my siblings and still enough to pour back into the business. The pesos I made in the palengke
were the pesos that went into building the business I have today .

After this experience, I told myself, " If I can compete with people so much older than me, if I can support my whole family at 15, I can do
anything! "

Looking back, I wonder, what would have happened if my father had not left my family with nothing? Would I have become the man I am? Who knows?

The important thing to know is that life will always deal us a few bad cards. But we have to play those cards the best we can. And WE can play to
win!

This was one lesson I picked up when I was a teenager. It has been my guiding principle ever since. And I have had 66 years to practice
self-determination. When I wanted something, the best person to depend on was myself.

And so I continued to work. In 1943, I expanded and began trading goods between Cebu and Manila . From Cebu , I would transport tires on a small
boat called a batel. After traveling for five days to Lucena, I would load them into a truck for the six- hour trip to Manila . I would end up sitting on top of my goods so they would not be stolen! In Manila , I would then purchase other goods from the earnings I made from the tires, to sell in Cebu .

Then, when WWII ended, I saw the opportunity for trading goods in post-war Philippines . I was 20 years old. With my brother Henry, I put up Amasia
Trading which imported onions, flour, used clothing, old newspapers and magazines, and fruits from the United States . In 1948, my mother and I got
my siblings back from China . I also converted a two-story building in Cebu to serve as our home, office, and warehouse all at the same time. The
whole family began helping out with the business .


In 1957, at age 31, I spotted an opportunity in corn-starch manufacturing. But I was going to compete with Ludo and Luym, the richest group in Cebu
and the biggest corn starch manufacturers. I borrowed money to finance the project. The first bank I approached made me wait for two hours, only
to refuse my loan. The second one, China Bank, approved a P500,000-peso clean loan for me. Years later, the banker who extended that loan, Dr.
Albino Sycip said that he saw something special in me. Today, I still wonder what that was, but I still thank Dr. Sycip to this day.

Upon launching our first product, Panda corn starch , a price war ensued. After the smoke cleared, Universal Corn Products was still left standing.
It is the foundation upon which JG Summit Holdings now stands.

Interestingly, the price war also forced the closure of a third cornstarch company, and one of their chemists was Lucio Tan, who always kids me that
I caused him to lose his job. I always reply that if it were not for me, he will not be one of the richest men in the Philippines today.

When my business grew, and it was time for me to bring in more people my family, the professionals, the consultants, more employees I knew that I
had to be there to teach them what I knew. When dad died at age 34, he did not leave a succession plan. From that, I learned that one must teach people to take over a business at any time. The values of hard work that I learned from my father, I taught to my children. They started doing jobs here and there even when they were still in high school. Six years ago, I announced my retirement and handed the reins to my youngest brother James and only son Lance. But my children tease me because I still go to the office every day and make myself useful. I just hired my first Executive Assistant and moved into a bigger and nicer office.

Building a business to the size of JG Summit was not easy. Many challenges were thrown my way. I could have walked away from them, keeping the
business small, but safe. Instead, I chose to fight. But this did not mean I won each time.

By 1976, at age 50, we had built significant businesses in food products anchored by a branded coffee called Blend 45, and agro-industrial products
under the Robina Farms brand. That year, I faced one of my biggest challenges, and lost. And my loss was highly publicized, too. But I still
believe that this was one of my defining moments.

In that decade, not many business opportunities were available due to the political and economic environment. Many Filipinos were already sending
their money out of the country. As a Filipino, I felt that our money must be invested here. I decided to purchase shares in San Miguel, then one of
the Philippines ' biggest corporations. By 1976, I had acquired enough shares to sit on its board.

The media called me an upstart. " Who is Gokongwei and why is he doing all those terrible things to San Miguel?" ran one headline of the day. In
another article, I was described as a pygmy going up against the powers-that- be. The San Miguel board of directors itself even paid for an
ad in all the country's top newspapers telling the public why I should not be on the board. On the day of reckoning, shareholders quickly filled up the auditorium to witness the battle. My brother James and I had prepared for many hours for this debate. We were nervous and excited at the same time.

In the end, I did not get the board seat because of the Supreme Court Ruling. But I was able to prove to others and to myself that I was willing to put up a fight. I succeeded because I overcame my fear, and tried. I believe this battle helped define who I am today. In a twist to this story, I was invited to sit on the board of Anscor and San Miguel Hong Kong 5 years later. Lose some, win some.

Since then, I've become known as a serious player in the business world, but the challenges haven't stopped coming.

Let me tell you about the three most recent challenges. In all three, conventional wisdom bet against us. See, we set up businesses against
market Goliaths in very high-capital industries: airline, telecoms, and beverage.

Challenge No. 1 : In 1996, we decided to start an airline. At the time, the dominant airline in the country was PAL, and if you wanted to travel
cheaply, you did not fly. You went by sea or by land.

However, my son Lance and I had a vision for Cebu Pacific: We wanted every Filipino to fly.

Inspired by the low-cost carrier models in the United States , we believed that an airline based on the no-frills concept would work here. No hot
meals. No newspaper. Mono-class seating. Operating with a single aircraft type. Faster turn around time. It all worked, thus enabling Cebu Pacific
to pass on savings to the consumer.

How did we do this? By sticking to our philosophy of "low cost, great value .."

And we stick to that philosophy to this day. Cebu Pacific offers incentives. Customers can avail themselves of a tiered pricing scheme,
with promotional seats for as low a P1. The earlier you book, the cheaper your ticket.

Cebu Pacific also made it convenient for passengers by making online booking available. This year, 1.25 million flights will be booked through
our website. This reduced our distribution costs dramatically.

Low cost. Great value.

When we started 11 years ago, Cebu Pacific flew only 360,000 passengers, with 24 daily flights to 3 destinations. This year, we expect to fly more
than five million passengers, with over 120 daily flights to 20 local destinations and 12 Asian cities. Today, we are the largest in terms of
domestic flights, routes and destinations.

We also have the youngest fleet in the region after acquiring new Airbus 319s and 320s. In January, new ATR planes will arrive. These are smaller
planes that can land on smaller air strips like those in Palawan and Caticlan. Now you don't have to take a two-hour ride by mini-bus to get to
the beach.

Largely because of Cebu Pacific, the average Filipino can now afford to fly. In 2005, 1 out of 12 Filipinos flew within a year. In 2012, by
continuing to offer low fares, we hope to reduce that ratio to 1 out of 6. We want to see more and more Filipinos see their country and the world!

Challenge No. 2: In 2003, we established Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc. and developed a brand for the mobile phone business called Sun Cellular.
Prior to the launch of the brand, we were actually involved in a transaction to purchase PLDT shares of the majority shareholder.

The question in everyone's mind was how we could measure up to the two telecom giants. They were entrenched and we were late by eight years! PLDT
held the landline monopoly for quite a while, and was first in the mobile phone industry. Globe was a younger company, but it launched digital
mobile technology here.

But being a late player had its advantages. We could now build our platform from a broader perspective. We worked with more advanced
technologies and intelligent systems not available ten years ago. We chose our suppliers based on the most cost-efficient hardware and software.
Being a Johnny-come- lately allowed us to create and launch more innovative products, more quickly.

All these provided us with the opportunity to give the consumers a choice that would rock their world. The concept was simple. We would offer
Filipinos to call and text as much as they want for a fixed monthly fee. For P250 a month, they could get in touch with anyone within the Sun
network at any time. This means great savings of as much as 2/3 of their regular phone bill! Suddenly, we gained traction. Within one year of its
introduction, Sun hit one million customers.

Once again, the paradigm shifts - this time in the telecom industry. Sun's 24/7 Call and Text unlimited changed the landscape of mobile-phone usage.

Today, we have over 4 million subscribers and 2000 cell sites around the archipelago. In a country where 97% of the market is pre-paid, we believe
we have hit on the right strategy.

Sun Cellular is a Johnny-come- lately, but it's doing all right. It is a third player, but a significant one, in an industry where Cassandras
believed a third player would perish. And as we have done in the realm of air travel, so have we done in the telecom world: We have changed the
marketplace.

In the end, it is all about making life better for the consumer by giving them choices.


Challenge No. 3: In 2004, we launched C2, the green tea drink that would change the face of the local beverage industry -- then, a playground of
cola companies. Iced tea was just a sugary brown drink served bottomless in restaurants. For many years, hardly was there any significant product
innovation in the beverage business.

Admittedly, we had little experience in this area. Universal Robina Corporation is the leader in snack foods but our only background in
beverage was instant coffee. Moreover, we would be entering the playground of huge multinationals. We decided to play anyway.

It all began when I was in China in 2003 and noticed the immense popularity of bottled iced tea. I thought that this product would have
huge potential here. We knew that the Philippines was not a traditional tea-drinking country since more familiar to consumers were colas in
returnable glass bottles. But precisely, this made the market ready for a different kind of beverage. One that refreshes yet gives the health
benefits of green tea. We positioned it as a "spa" in a bottle. A drink that cools and cleans thus, C2 was born.

C2 immediately caught on with consumers. When we launched C2 in 2004, we sold 100,000 bottles in the first month. Three years later, Filipinos
drink around 30 million bottles of C2 per month. Indeed, C2 is in a good place.

With Cebu Pacific, Sun Cellular, and C2, the JG Summit team took control of its destiny. And we did so in industries where old giants had set the
rules of the game. It's not that we did not fear the giants. We knew we could have been crushed at the word go. So we just made sure we came
prepared with great products and great strategies. We ended up changing the rules of the game instead.

There goes the principle of self-determination, again. I tell you, it works for individuals as it does for companies. And as I firmly believe,
it works for nations.

I have always wondered, like many of us, why we Filipinos have not lived up to our potential. We have proven we can. Manny Pacquiao and Efren Bata
Reyes in sports. Lea Salonga and the UP Madrigal Singers in performing arts. Monique Lhuillier and Rafe Totenco in fashion. And these are just
the names made famous by the media. There are many more who may not be celebrities but who have gained respect on the world stage.

But to be a truly great nation, we must also excel as entrepreneurs before the world. We must create Filipino brands for the global market place.

If we want to be philosophical, we can say that, with a world-class brand, we create pride for our nation. If we want to be practical, we can say
that, with brands that succeed in the world, we create more jobs for our people, right here.

Then, we are able to take part in what's really importantââ'¬"giving our people a big opportunity to raise their standards of living, giving them a
real chance to improve their lives.

We can do it. Our neighbors have done it. So can we. In the last 54 years, Korea worked hard to rebuild itself after a world
war and a civil war destroyed it. From an agricultural economy in 1945, it shifted to light industry, consumer products, and heavy industry in the
'80s. At the turn of the 21st) century, the Korean government focused on making Korea the world's leading IT nation. It did this by grabbing market share in key sectors like semiconductors, robotics, and biotechnology.

Today, one remarkable Korean brand has made it to the list of Top 100 Global Brands: Samsung. Less then a decade ago, Samsung meant nothing to
consumers. By focusing on quality, design, and innovation, Samsung improved its products and its image. Today, it has surpassed the Japanese
brand Sony. Now another Korean brand, LG Collins, is following in the footsteps of Samsung. It has also broken into the Top 100 Global Brands
list.

What about China ? Who would have thought that only 30 years after opening itself up to a market economy, China would become the world's fourth
largest economy? Goods made in China are still thought of as cheap. Yet many brands around the world outsource their manufacturing to this
country. China 's own brands like Lenovo, Haier, Chery QQ, and Huawei are fast gaining ground as well. I have no doubt they will be the next big electronics, technology and car brands in the world.

Lee Kwan Yu's book "From Third World to First" captures Singapore 's aspiration to join the First World . According to the book, Singapore was a
trading post that the British developed as a nodal point in its maritime empire. The racial riots there made its officials determined to build a
"multiracial society that would give equality to all citizens, regardless of race, language or religion."

When Singapore was asked to leave the Malaysian Federation of States in 1965, Lee Kwan Yew developed strategies that he executed with
single-mindedness despite their being unpopular. He and his cabinet started to build a nation by establishing the basics: building
infrastructure, establishing an army, weeding out corruption, providing mass housing, building a financial center. Forty short years after,
Singapore has been transformed into the richest South East Asian country today, with a per capita income of US$32,000.

These days, Singapore is transforming itself once more. This time it wants to be the creative hub in Asia , maybe even the world. More and more, it is
attracting the best minds from all over the world in filmmaking, biotechnology, media, and finance. Meantime, Singaporeans have also
created world-class brands: Banyan Tree in the hospitality industry, Singapore Airlines in the Airline industry and Singapore Telecoms in the
telco industry.

I often wonder: Why can't the Philippines , or a Filipino, do this?

Fifty years after independence, we have yet to create a truly global brand. We cannot say the Philippines is too small because it has 86
million people. Switzerland , with 9 million people, created Nestle.
Sweden, also with 9 million people, created Ericsson . Finland , even smaller with five million people, created Nokia. All three are major
global brands, among others.

Yes, our country is well-known for its labor, as we continue to export people around the world. And after India , we are grabbing a bigger chunk
of the pie in the call-center and business-process- outsourcing industries. But by and large, the Philippines has no big industrial base, and
Filipinos do not create world-class products.

We should not be afraid to try even if we are laughed at. Japan , laughed at for its cars, produced Toyota . Korea , for its electronics, produced
Samsung. Meanwhile, the Philippines ' biggest companies 50 years ago majority of which are multinational corporations such as Coca-Cola,
Procter and Gamble, and Unilever Philippines , for example are still the biggest companies today. There are very few big, local challengers.

But already, hats off to Filipino entrepreneurs making strides to globalize their brands.

Goldilocks has had much success in the Unites States and Canada , where half of its customers are non-Filipinos. Coffee-chain Figaro may be a
small player in the coffee world today, but it is making the leap to the big time. Two Filipinas, Bea Valdez and Tina Ocampo , are now selling
their Philippine-made jewelry and bags all over the world. Their labels are now at Barney's and Bergdorf's in the U.S. and in many other high-end
shops in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East .

When we started our own foray outside the Philippines 30 years ago, it wasn't a walk in the park. We set up a small factory in Hong Kong to
manufacture Jack and Jill potato chips there. Today, we are all over Asia . We have the number-one-potato- chips brand in Malaysia and Singapore . We
are the leading biscuit manufacturer in Thailand , and a significant player in the candy market in Indonesia . Our Aces cereal brand is a market leader
in many parts of China . C2 is now doing very well in Vietnam , selling over 3 million bottles a month there, after only 6 months in the market. Soon,
we will launch C2 in other South East Asian markets.

I am 81 today. But I do not forget the little boy that I was in the palengke in Cebu . I still believe in family. I still want to make good. I still don't mind going up against those older and better than me. I still believe hard work will not fail me. And I still believe in people willing to think the same way.

Through the years, the market place has expanded: between cities, between countries, between continents. I want to urge you all here to think
bigger. Why serve 86 million when you can sell to four billion Asians? And that's just to start you off. Because there is still the world beyond
Asia. When you go back to your offices, think of ways to sell and market your products and services to the world. Create world-class brands.

You can if you really tried. I did. As a boy, I sold peanuts from my backyard. Today, I sell snacks to the world.

I want to see other Filipinos do the same.

Thank you and good evening once again.

I was a fan.. I guess I still am.

There's a funny story behind this NKOTB post. I'll make kwento when I get enough sleep na.

the CONFESSION...

This happened a long time ago. Maybe two years ago. I haven't told anyone in the office..

But yes.. I dated Brian. I'm done feeling so insecure because I dated such a hot guy. The only reason why I didn't tell anyone is because I don't want to explain anything. Or to be perfectly honest, I was scared of being judged by other people who, after all this time, think that I am a perfect person. I am not the ICE QUEEN as you think I am. I have emotions... and sometimes I act on it without thinking.

Yes, we dated. It didn't work out but we ended up as good friends.

What we had was intense. In the end, we realized that there are greater things in life that are bigger than the two of us.

And yes, the song in the background was his song to me.

We happened a long time ago. I can't even remember his face.

But..

I remember all the things that we've shared in a short period of time. The feeling of being liked and all sort of things.

They made me smile when I feel like hell.

Yes, I dated Brian. I don't know where is right now....

But I still have all our memories together. And I'm good with that.

adonis day

Maraming beses na naming napag usapan to ng mga prens ko... kung anong gagawin namin kapag nakita namin si Papa Piolo. Ang pinaka wild na suggestion nung kaibigan ko ay maghubad ng panty habang tumatakbo at hinahabol si Piolo. At oo, babae sya. BISEXUAL nga lang..kaya minsan minsan lang sya tablan ng kahihyan.

Nagising ako kagabi at napasimangot. Late na naman akong nagising.. pero ok lang yan. FLEXI-TIME naman kasi ako. Isa yan sa mga perks kapag boss ka. Kaya lang naman ako nagmamadaling pumasok ay sa kadahilanan na ayokong mauna pa sa ken yung BOSS ko sa office... baka kasi maisip nya na hindi ako nagtatrabaho ng 8 oras sa isang araw.

Nagmamadali akong pumasok ng building.. Nag-iisip kung masyado bang makapal ang blush on ko sa pisngi. Eh ano naman ngayon kung makapal? Darating ba si Papa P??, naiinis kong tanong sa sarili. Ah, basta. Pag may nagtanong kung baket sobrang kapal ng blush on ko.. sasabihin ko na lang na hanggang next year na yan kaya makapal.Hindi ko nga nakasalubong si Papa P.. tama ako. Pero narinig kong may tumunog sa leeg ko nang bigla akong mapayuko para hindi mapansin ng papalapit kong onaks na kras. Yung client ng building namin na kamukha ni Wentworth Miller. Naglakad ako na kunwari ay may hinahanap sa bag.. parang TANGA lang.

IMBISIBOL AKO.. IMBISIBOL AKO...paulit ulit kong sinasabi. Konti na lang.. lalampasan na nya ako.. hindi nya ako mapapansin.. nang biglang....

"KELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!,"

Gusto ko nang mabaon sa lupa. Hindi ako lumingon.. pero lumingon ang lahat ng tao. Huminto ang oras. Dahan dahan kong inangat ang ulo ko para batiin ang taga bundok kong kaibigan. Hindi ko alam kung anong hiwaga meron ang moment na yun dahil sa hindi naman palasigaw ang kaibigan kong ito (limang buwan lang kaming hindi nagkita). At mas lalong hindi nya alam na may kras ako kay WM.

"Hey you.." hindi ako ang nagsabi nyan. Yung kaibigan ko pa rin na taga bundok. At hindi para sa ken ang bati na yan.. kundi kay.. kundi kay... WM! Magkakilala sila. At makapal ang blush on ko. Potah naman....

"Heeeeeeey," kunwari pa raw tong si WM na hindi nya namukhaan yung kaibigan kong agaw pansin. At sympre.. nangyari ang hindi dapat mangyari. Pinakilala nya kami. Tumingin ako sa kanya ng saglit lang.. pagktapos ay kunwari may hinahanap sa bag habang nagkukwnetuhan sila sa gitna ng hagdanan. Hindi ito ang pinapangarap kong paraan para makilala si WM. Baket ba ako nag-blush on, potah??? Mamatay na ang nakaimbento ng REVLON, sabi ko sa sarili habang nag uusap sila.

Nag-ring ang cellphone ko.

"Guys, I gotta run. Nice meeting you." sabi ko kay WM.. pero nakatingin ako sa kuko ko sa paa.

Saglit syang napangiti sa ken. Halos tumirik na ang mata ko para lang makanakaw ng tingin sa kanya kahit na nakayuko.

"Nice hair," sabi nya, "though I really like your hair long." eto ang moment kung saan parang hindi ko magawang maglakad palayo sa kanila dahil parang nanigas lahat ng mga daliri ko sa paa. POTAH.. kinilig ako ng 45 seconds!!

Biglang nag echo sa utak ko ang boses nung adik kong kaibigan.. "KRAAAAAAAAAAAAS KA NUUUUUUUUUN.."

Tumingin ako ng saglit sa kanya.. Tapos ay ngumiti. Tumalikod at umalis...

At saka ko lang naalala...

Sa sobrang pagmamadali ko kanina....

TANGINA, nakalimutan kong mag toothbrush.