Hiking
This month’s playdate is about hiking. When we were little kids, some of us wonder how it’s like to climb a real mountain, thus we enjoyed playing and climbing on piles of rock, sand, or soil, which served as our “mountains” way back then. And now that we’re all grown ups, an opportunity of climbing a “real” mountain must not be missed. Excited as we were, we’ve planned and scheduled the date of our adventure trip. After that, we secured all the necessary permits/documents that were needed for us to make this adventure possible. Our adventure destination is at Mt. Banahaw, an active volcano which is about 2,170 m above sea level, and is located between the provinces of Quezon and Laguna. Since most of us are first-timers, and we’re not to camp overnight, our itinerary was just to reach the first camp or Camp 1 of Mt. Banahaw via Tayabas Trail (Banahaw de Tayabas) which is roughly 1 – 2 hours climb from the jump off point. And so, with our bags packed with lunch, snacks and “hydrations”, we set off and began our journey. From Lucena City, we commuted to the city of Tayabas via jeepney, and got off at the city proper, then from there, we took a tricycle going to the jump-off point of Banahaw de Tayabas, which is located at Brgy. Lalo. After final briefing and preparations, we began with our trek. At first, the trail seemed to be smooth and easy, so we’re just joking and laughing around as we climb. But as we went further up, we started to feel tired and exhausted, as the trail becomes harder, muddier, and rockier. It was then that we started to take some 5 to 10 minute refreshment breaks, which we took very frequently. đ As mentioned earlier, most of us were first timers, so minor accidents like slipping, being bitten by land leeches (which are very prominent in those areas), and getting minor cuts from thornbushes, were really inevitable. After two hours of trekking, we finally arrived at Camp 1. Since it was almost lunchtime, we’ve washed ourselves clean then we prepared our table by lining it with fresh banana leaves where we placed our foods. It’s time for boodle fight! After we finished lunch, we left the camp. Nope, the adventure is not finished yet, rather, we’re up again for another one. Our colleague-slash-guide told us that there is a nearby waterfall in the area, so we decided to go there and pay a visit. The trail going there is not that easy. We can say that the real adventure started here. There were many rocky and muddy slopes along the way and most of us experienced a hard time going there, but the journey was really rewarding. After a short splash of refreshment and enjoyment, and it’s also getting late in the afternoon, we decided to pack our things and go home. All in all, the experience was indeed very challenging for all of us, but we can say that itâs all worth it. Hope to see you again on our next...
read moreRadio DJ 101
This month’s playdate is Radio DJ 101 We hear them almost everyday in our radio sets or thru our cellphone’s FM radio. They entertain us and keep us updated on what’s hot and what’s not in and out of the music scene. They’re the radio DJ’s. Well most of us are a bit curious on how it is and what are the basics of becoming a radio DJ. And since some of us here have actually experienced being a radio DJ for quite some time, weâve decided to share with our fellow colleagues the experience on âhow to talkâ on the radio, hence DJ 101 becomes the topic on our playdate. The original plan is that weâll drop by at a local FM radio station here and weâll do some on air greetings. But unfortunately due to the bad weather outside, it did not pursue, so weâve come up with the idea of setting up our âown radio stationâ here in the office…err, we mean recording ala radio. After the needed software was installed and tested weâve proceeded with the discussions about the basics of being a DJ. One of our colleagues who also become a DJ was assigned for the task. The subject focused more on picking up your radio name or alias, the personality of a DJ, preparations, using headphones, music selections, playing song requests, and of course, how to talk on air. After the discussion, weâve prepared a script that weâll use for recording which consists of the common jokes that we share here in the office. Weâve enjoyed the recording process and after the editing and adding some effects, here is the final outcome of what weâve recorded: Hey, you might want to try it too! All you need is a voice recording software and your headset (with mic, of course!) and youâre all set to becoming your own DJ. Before we forgot, hereâs the bonus part, our bloopers!...
read moreBNP Sportsfest: Palaro ng Lahi Part II
This month’s playdate is Palaro ng Lahi Part II. The Christmas season has been a sinful month, what with all the dangerously appetizing feast laid on the table for the holidays and the long-awaited vacations we’ve all worked hard all year to secure. Because of this, we thought it’s time we straightened our acts a bit and give our idle bodies some much needed exercise. Gyms are a little too expensive and too stiff for us, though, so we opted to do something more fun instead — and of course what would be more fun than playing at work? Nope, we don’t mean fancy adult games like golf and all that. We’re talking about the good old games we used to play in our childhood. Games like the ones on the list below: Ubusan ng Lahi For those who are not familiar with the game, no, we’re not bloodthirsty people out to wipe some clans from the face of the earth. “Ubusan ng Lahi” is actually a game where a group of players chooses an “it” that will be tasked to eliminate the players one by one by tagging them. Any player tagged will then become an “it” himself or herself. He or she will then chase the remaining players together with the original “it” until no one else is left. The fun thing about it is since you’re busy running for your “life,” you don’t usually see who gets tagged, so you can’t let your guard down when you’re around the other players. We caught most of the players this way, but one of our main illustrators was too cunning to be tricked so he was left as the last one standing and duly got his well-deserved bragging rights. Chinese Garter Few kids who grew up in the Philippines before the year 2000 onwards are not familiar with this game, especially the girls, so no introductions were needed for this one. We simply proceeded to dividing ourselves into two groups by doing a “maiba-taya” with most of the girls ending up in one team and most of the guys ending up in the other — much to the latter’s dismay. The guys did try their best to keep their pride and managed to clear the first couple of levels without much trouble, but the latter challenges proved to be a little bit too much for them. In the end, the girls claimed the victory amidst the guys’ lighthearted boos. Dr. Kwak-kwak Dr. Kwak-kwak is a game that that is played by having a group of players loop their arms into complicated twists so that no one can tell how the loops ended up that way anymore. It then becomes the task of the “it” to figure out how to “untangle” these loops until the players are back to how they were when the game started. For people who seldom get any exercise, we were worried for a minute that our limbs would not be able to take the punishment … oops… we meant challenge… but surprisingly, our aging bones turned out to be unwilling to go down without a fight, so we were able to successfully finish the game in spite of the complicated mess we ended up finding ourselves in. Saksak-Puso Playing Dr. Kwak-kwak allowed us to rest for a bit while the “it” figured out how to “untangle” our arms, so when the game finally ended, we were ready and raring for another fast-paced round. This time, we chose saksak-puso (come to think of it, why do these games sound a bit too violent?) to satisfy...
read morePainting Birdhouses
This month’s playdate is about painting birdhouses. As there is an aviary being constructed here within the office compound and along with that are 10 white-washed bird houses made of plywood, we, as employees of a design studio, have our own creative ideas to turn those plain looking bird houses into something more pleasing to the eye. But before we start splashing in some colors to those birdhouses,we have to know first the do’s and don’ts in painting them. Bird houses are made as temporary shelters for nesting birds. Basically, its function is to protect the fledglings against preys and from changing weather. We’ve learned that on painting bird houses, an ordinary paint that we commonly use in our homes may not be suitable for the birds. Acrylic paints and toxic paints can be poisonous to the birds that will temporarily use the shelter. Water-based latex paints, eco-friendy paints, and natural stains are more advisable to use in coloring the bird house. Painting around the lip of the entrance hole and inside the bird house is also prohibited as the birds inside might peck on these surfaces causing them to ingest paint chips. Also, we have to make sure that the colors we’ll use will blend to its environment to avoid attracting preys. After the discussion, weâve set another schedule for the actual painting of the birdhouses so that we would have more time to prepare the materials that weâll be needing. Unfortunately, we have not painted the birdhouses at the appointed scheduled. Weâre sad to say that it is because the birds that have occupied the newly-built aviary have died due to unknown reasons. Some says it might be because of the paint that was used in the aviary, while others mentioned that it might be due to drastic weather change. And since the reason of the birdsâ death was not clear, we do not want other birds to be at risk of being exposed to paint chemicals, may it be water-based or eco-friendly paints, so we decided to let the bird houses to just remain plain and white-washed. The important thing is, it is safe enough to be a nesting place for the birds. Thatâs about it for this month! Do watch out for more of our playdates for the coming...
read morePunishment Game
This month’s playdate is Punishment Game. If you ever had to look after a younger brother or sister, youâll know better than to leave them on their own, especially when theyâre bored out of their wits. Of course, there arenât any kids around the office, so we thought we could take it easy, but apparently leaving eight bored adults with nothing to do isnât such a good idea either. Itâs a good thing weâre not too keen on the idea of spending a day in jail or in a courtroom because instead of causing some damage around the office, we ended up playing a punishment game instead after some technical problems gave us some unexpected downtime. Before we proceeded with the game, though, we decided on the punishments first. We already had some ideas before then, so we just wrote them on several pieces of paper, folded them, and placed them in these egg-shaped toys lying around the office. After that, we asked everyone to pick an egg and show everyone what they got. The first punishment was proposing marriage to the first guy the one being punished would meet outside the office. By chance, the lot landed to a female illustrator who had to propose to the gardener on the spot. Luckily, her proposal was received favorably, so they lived happily ever after. The second punishment was walking around pretending to be a cat. This was drawn by one of our writers who is, incidentally, a cat lover, so the task didnât turn out to be particularly difficult, although we highly doubt she’ll be looking forward to meowing her way around the compound on a regular basis. The third punishment, on the other hand, was following commands from a military officer. The lot was drawn by one of our writers who was sent marching around the compound under the strict guidance of our commandant… errr… newly-engaged illustrator who was all business during the task. Thankfully, the punishment was limited to marching and hand salutes so we found no need to call the paramedics in. For the fourth punishment, someone was designated to act out a loversâ quarrel… with a tree — a task that fell unto one of our male illustratorâs hands. Lucky for him, there werenât too many people passing around that time of day so he was able to express his regret and undying devotion to the tree in question without any reservations. The fifth punishment was logging everyone’s time card off for one week. It wasnât exactly a punishment, but itâs something we wouldnât mind passing to someone more willing to do it, so we had no problems adding it to our list. It was considered the easiest out of all the punishments so everyone was hoping theyâll get it for themselves, but lady luck favored our lone computer programmer — probably because he was the one brave enough to draw the first lot. For the sixth punishment, a person was chosen to have random doodles drawn all over their face. Unfortunately for our male illustrator who was chosen for the part, most of the staff does not come close to his drawing talents, so it didnât take long before his face became an outlet for our drawing frustrations. If the sixth punishment was slightly fueled by envy, the seventh punishment was largely motivated by need. For this,  one of the staff was sent out to ask for some change from the first person sheâd meet. This one took some time because weâre obviously not the only ones who have a strong attachment to our hard-earned...
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