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To all you loyal followers of this blog, wishing you all an awesome 2012!!! :)
Being in a long distance relationship was something I wasn't ready for. I've heard of horror stories from friends but as we Filipinos like to say "sa awa ng Diyos", everything turned out ok. I was fortunate to have been allowed by my parents, Misha's parents, (and my boss) to visit Misha in Switzerland. It was a good breather for the 2 of us. It was good to have quality time after some time being in a long distance relationship. I got to see the headquarters of my company, I got to visit a chocolate factory, and most important of all, I got to be with Mish :)
San Diego Comic Con
It was Disneyland all over again or getting that satisfaction when you open Santa's gift on Christmas morning. Comic Con gave me that blissful feeling that will forever remain in my heart. I got to meet Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Jonathan Hickman, etc. I got to see the most awesome and coolest things in the Geek World. Comic Con is something that should be done by geeks on a yearly basis! Everything that you ever dreamt of seeing or want to see, it can be found in Comic Con!
Boston Trip
Jonty and I did our other pilgrimage by visiting the place where our family lived for 3 years as political refugees. Boston or Beantown as we like to call it. I personally enjoyed this trip as we got to visit the house on Commonwealth Avenue that our Grandparents lived in. My Mon says that it was te happiest 3 years of their lives. We also got to visit the home of our beloved Boston Celtics, the TD Garden! It was my Mecca of Basketball. Seeing the 17 banners was amazing. We also got to see a live baseball game of the Boston Red Sox! Even though they lost, it was still awesome watching in Fenway Park!
Nescafé Dolce Gusto
I was blessed to have been given a good assignment from work. I was tasked to launch a new product in the market. Being a coffee lover, it was just sheer joy to be handling a product I love. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto was launched in September (sa awa ng Diyos) :) I really believe in this new product and it is just absolutely awesome! I got myself one on the first day in the market and I get to make cool and delicious beverages! Cappuccinos, Latte Macchiatos, and even Hot Chocolate! I wouldnt be putting this on my blog if I didnt believe in it! :) this is awesome stuff!
SKY Broadband
I got a call one day from an ad agency representing SKY Broadband and was asked "Jiggy, can we talk to your manager?" I said that I didn't have one. Next question was "OK, what is your TF?" and I asked what TF was and then I immediately say "Oh! Talent Fee! Uh... I don't have a Talent Fee either, can I get back to you?" After that call, I asked help from my Mom and my Tita Kris. After that I talked to them and a couple of weeks later, I was shooting my very first TV commercial! Never in a million years did Inthink I'd be in one. Of course I got a lot of Star Wars jokes after. I have never been so happy with my Internet connection at home! It's sooooo fast! It's just fantastic!
Young Star
Doing things in tandem with my brother had been cool. Surprisingly. You see, just like any other pair of siblings, we fought a lot when we were little. It was comics that brought us together. Though I have this loyalty to Marvel and his loyalty lies with DC, there's still that competition between us geeks! Haha! Jonty and I are now lifestyle writers for The Philippine Star! We have been blessed and we're writing a lot of Geeky things for Young Star! Our articles come out Fridays! :)
Singapore F1 Grand Prix
Vroom Vroom! Another surprise I got was getting chosen as a SHELL V-Power Champion. I use SHELL gasoline and I tweeted during the time SHELL had problems with their gas lines that I'd rather wait the next day to fill up my car with gas just as long as it's SHELL. I was used to it and Ive been loyal all these years :) Little did I know that they were following me online! I was supposed to be in 3 trips. London, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi were spread throughout the year. My schedule only permitted me to go to Singapore. The F1 race was loud! Really LOUD! But I loved the sessions SHELL had for us about engine health! It was a once in a lifetime experience!
Malaysia
I went to a new country this year and it was the first time Misha and I traveled outside the country. Mish had work in Malaysia so my friend Ben and I tagged along for the weekend in Kuala Lumpur! It's always nice visiting new places and trying new food! Malaysia was a country that was just so clean and developed! The Petronas towers were pretty cool too!
The Hundred Islands
As a Filipino, YOU MUST see the hundred islands! How can a hundred islands be in one place? It's astounding! It will be one of the coolest things you'll ever see in your life! Do you live in Manila? It's just 3 hours away! You don't have to ride a plane! Go on a road trip! When you meet foreigners, you'll have something to brag about! I'm telling you, astig na astig! The hundred islands is a must see!
Hosting Comic Book Events!
2011 had a lot of surprises for me. One of the biggest and pleasant surprises was that National Book Store and Komikon got me to host for them! I'm really not a host mind you but for some reason unknown to man, National Book Store and Komikon believed in me! I hosted the launches of Trese: Last Seen After Midnight and the 2nd Edition of ELMER for National Book Store. It was cool getting to interview Budjette Tan, Kajo Baldisimo, and Gerry Alanguilan LIVE! After that I hosted the 2011 Komikon awards at the Bayanihan Center. Thank you very much to Mr Miguel Ramos and Ms Sherry Zamar for getting me to host your events! It was an honor! :)