Out for a While

At first, I hesitated joining for a number of reasons: (1) I might not know the people going anyway (but I realized that was the main reason of the event - to meet and know new people) (2) my father refused to drive 60 miles for me since he said he is not familiar with the place and he’s not that confident in driving in UK motorway yet – so how much more for a new driver? (3) I have dimensioning deliverables due for the end of the week. But, I have signed up for this months ago and it’s a shame if I cancel at the last minute and our team leader gave me the go-signal. Most importantly, it will be held in an old historical castle right in the heart of the forest. Just my kind of thing hence I decided to join after all!!!

So last Monday, 4th of September, I found myself sharing a ride with our lady project manager and off to Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire for a two-day teambuilding for UK and Ireland Consulting and Integrating Group. It was facilitated by Ashridge – a management school offering executive education and held at Ashridge House – a castle set in a 150-acre country estate and in a course of a history spanning for 700 years, it has been the home of a religious order, then briefly a royal residence of Henry VIII and eventually her daughter Elizabeth I. Later, it became a mansion for dukes and earls including the Duke of Bridgewater. And this is mainly the reason why I decided to join. The moment I stepped in, my small eyes widen in amazement - the place is truly posh and historical.

Ashridge House


Main Entrance leading to the Grand Hall

The other side of the castle


One of the many beautiful gardens - just my kind of hues


Such a neat and well-trimmed garden


Going back to the teambuilding, it was fun and instructive. We had a balance of room discussion and idea sharing, which aided the getting-to-know you stage, and physical and outdoor activities where we went to the woods and had the usual games and challenges (like tight-rope walking, spiderweb challenge, and all those usual teambuilding stuffs) that facilitated the whole idea of cooperation and working as a team. The fun part is getting to know people and associating names read in emails with rightful faces.

Later in the evening, we all went to change for evening clothes and gathered in the main hall for cocktail and a 4-course sit-down dinner. It was just so majestic that I literally felt that I was some kind of a royalty. The food and the setting were just the best combination. It was a dream-come-true. Though as the evening deepen, some of my colleagues, just can’t get enough of the overflowing wine, made a mess of themselves that somehow ruined the regal scene (Brits and their obsession for liquor). But it was still a good laugh, anyhow. (As much as I wanted to take pictures of the great hall and dinner that evening, I was not able to because of a funny and embarrassing reason. huhu!!!)

After some glasses of wine and slight intoxication, I retired to my suite and thank the Lord for a wonderful experience and looking forward to more fantastic days such as this.

Life and Stress

I’ve been rambling about stress lately and just in time I got this forwarded mail that made me realized a lot of things and brought me back on the track. Here it is…

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and then began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee.

See?!!! Indeed, it is very true. We tend to focus our attention, time and efforts on our career and work performance, on earning more money and being ahead of everyone else that we don’t know we are missing the most essential of all…living a LIFE, enjoying it and sharing it with everybody. We should relish every moment of our life because surely when we are old and gray and looking back to our years behind, what will matter most is how we lived our life and enjoyed God’s creations.

Stop…and smell the flowers!!!

They Are Here!!!

It was a good thing that the past weekend was a long one having Monday as Bank Holiday (has something to do with end of the summer). Whatever! It was just great that it was in time for meeting friends visiting the country and treating my parents out for sight-seeing and some (mis)adventures. Hehe!!!

Dodie, the ex-colleague/friend I was talking about in my previous posts, finally arrived just after the foiled bombing hullabaloo in UK airports seemed to subdue a little. I was really looking forward to seeing her since I really miss her and all the guys and gals back in Globe. Talking to her definitely eased up my longing for some fresh-hand chismis. Indeed, we spent the whole time talking. Non-stop!!!! Actually, I have planned up the itinerary for the day like visiting the National Gallery, a number of museums around and going to the Docklands and Greenwich. But the moment we saw each other…we talked, chuckled, talked again and giggled a little. Hehe!!! In between, we expressed our disbelief that we are actually meeting up and seeing each other in London. Who would’ve ever thought that we can reached this far? Maybe, for her it’s quite plausible since she has sisters living and working here. But for me, well, it’s purely due to Divine intervention.


While waiting for Dodie at Trafalgar Square - Can't fight the urge to pose with the pigeons.

It’s funny because we forgot about the planned itinerary and ended up riding a bus, while talking of course, and off to where the bus brought us. We finally got down on Kensington Gardens and walked our way to Diana Memorial, Serpentine, the Peter Pan Statue and of course the Kensington Palace (which is the birthplace of Queen Victoria and home of Princess Diana). All the time, we were talking and forgetting where we were actually heading to. Haha!!! It was one of the things I missed about Dodie most. We can talk about almost everything and she can tell you things that other people in the office have not known about. It was really fun spending time and catching up with her.

In the upper deck of the London bus where we yak our way to nowhere



The 'Ilongga Beauties' posing in the Diana Memorial



The Marvelous Albert Memorial



With the swans in the Round Pond across the Kensington Palace

Me and my current obsession: flower gardens!!! Wish this garden is mine....


Dodie infront of the exhibit entrance of 'Diana, Princess of Wales by Mario Testino' - an exhibit showcasing the most beautiful images from this last portrait sitting, displaying Diana in a state of relaxation and intimacy unlike any other.


The Kensington Palace - birthplace of Queen Victoria and residence of Princess Diana


Later, while walking in the palace grounds, I received a call from a college classmate and we agreed to meet at Harrods. He was here in the country for a final job interview. I was so happy for him and I really wish he will receive positive words soon though I am really sure that he’ll get the job. I'll tell more about him and post pictures as soon as he has announced it to the world. For now, I'll just keep the whole thing in a hush-hush!!!