Goodbye Blog Break! Hello Summer Break!

As much as I like my recent posts, blogging has not been easy for me lately. Blogging has become somewhat of a chore. Not to say that I don’t like blogging anymore, it’s just that other things take more priority than blogging and they basically drain me of any enthusiasm to blog or even blog surf. I think I only have enough of an attention span for 5 or 6 blogs, before I get bored out of my mind. I somehow enjoy twitter because I get a quick glance of what’s happening to some of the bloggers I still read.

I wonder, since summer break is upon us, will this encourage a fresh surge of bloggers? Will the blogs once again be teeming with posts almost every day? When I started my blog, it was on a summer break and as I remember it, every blog I visited was - for a lack of a better term - teeming with life both from the blogger and the readers. Everyone was so inspired or maybe excited to blog, even comment on posts! Of course, reciprocity is the key.

Will it be the same? I believe after this coming week, everyone will basically have free time (not referring to the working class of course. LOL). There will be time for excursions, time for cavorting, and time for oneself. Lots of free time. And finally, even some time left for blogging.

I however, feel sad, well disappointed in the fact that there are thousands of dead blogs out there. No posts for years, and they just stay there to rot. These blog hosting sites should really clean them up. Some of those blogs even have good titles! LOL! A while back, at one point in my blog life, I wanted to change the name of my blog. And every name I wanted was taken. It was such a waste because all of those blogs’ latest post was around 2000 or 2001. I wonder if can request to have those blogs deleted…Hmmm…


Do you think blogs will come alive again because of the coming summer break?

Erratic Excursions

Let me start by saying, RATS! I didn’t win 100 bucks! Haha! Anyway, a big congratulations to the top ten emerging and influential blogs of 2007! May you guys prosper and continue to be as influential as ever. As for those who weren’t fortunate enough to influence others or didn't influence enough, there’s still 2008 so I suggest creating a new blog after August and start influencing people’s lives! Same holds true to the current top ten! Weeeee!

Forgive my bluntness, I find myself lacking of an artistic approach to the whole thing. Soooo, new topic! Exposure trips are common events when you are in Business Management. An excursion would usually consist of three company tours and visits, a little sight seeing, and a quick stop to a mall right before going home. The first excursion trip I was a part of was for my Financial Management subject. It was good enough for my first time. A visit to the Stock Market, a conference with an apparent “big time” stock broker and a tour of the Philippine National Bank was the main agenda of the day. But my classmates had other plans. We spent a good 5 hours roaming Mall of Asia. My feet were killing me after the whole ordeal. Even sadder, was the reality that I didn’t really learn anything or take home with me, other than a few fake rejected bills from PNB (yeah, we manage to get some, haha!), and a Pizza Hut doggie bag from the unfinished meatlovers my friends and I had for dinner in MOA.

Just last Wednesday, we had another exposure trip. This would be my fifth time to go on a “business” trip for students. This time went to 2 Production Factories of Nestle’ (one in Quezon City and the other near Rockwell) and to Pilipinas Hino which makes, assembles and distributes buses and trucks in the Philippines.

Nestle’ was as expected neat and very strict about their policies: No sleeveless shirts/blouses, no open toe footwear, no picture taking, keep quiet and maintain two lines. I knew they would have lots of restrictions. We were used to it since most of us have been through several factory tours. Despite the restrictions, the lady giving us the tour was very entertaining and witty. She could totally keep up with more than 240 rowdy students (separated in two batches). Unfortunately, our factory tour was not as expected. They were experiencing technical difficulties and had to stop production completely, so we basically didn’t get to see their products (ice cream, yogurt, and other chilled items) get made. So much for that experience! At least we got free ice cream! Haha!

Next stop was Pilipinas Hino, where they made buses and trucks. They actually made the buses we were using during our trips. The factory tour would have been very interesting if it wasn’t for the overwhelming stench of burnt steel, paint and thinner. For the whole experience, we all had handkerchiefs over our faces. The assembly line was very ordered but nonetheless chaotic and noisy. Thank goodness it only lasted for 15 minutes! What was interesting though was the different customers they had and how customized the designs can get. I couldn’t take any pictures so I can’t show them to you. It was very entertaining though to see only one company making buses for different universities like UST, Ateneo and CEU. Each bus was so cool looking and expertly designed.

As a finale, our teachers decided to pass by Tagaytay to get some sight seeing and shopping done. On our way to there, it started to pour. Yes, it was raining, and mist started to cover Taal Lake and the volcano. When we got there, the sprinkle subsided. We got to take some pictures and shopped as many pasalubong as our poor hands and arms could carry! I bought a whole bunch of yummy specialties! Choco Flakes, Sweet Pineapples, realy small bananas, Cassave Cake, Espasol (to name a few) and of course, my all time favorite, BUKO PIE! I had several plastic bags filled with yummy delicacies. Add to that four boxes of buko pie and two boxes of cassava cake! Never mind the fact that we have no idea on how to carry everything home! Haha! That's not all for me you know! I'm gonna give it to different people as pasalubong for them! Going back to Manila, we had one final stop, TriNoMa. It was huge and elegant, but far from complete. I wasn’t impressed at all, maybe because most of us were spent and just wanted to go home. We went around and saw what the mall had to offer. But for now, I shall reserve my full interest until the time the mall is finally finished.

It was a long day, and I know you guys wouldn’t probably read this whole post (maybe because it can be considered as a “what I did today” or narrative type of post), but I know most of you will read this last paragraph. As much as you plan every detail of an outing, an expedition or a trip, everything can fall apart even before you can say “Tara lets!” What salvages the voyage however, are the people along for the ride. Their overall demeanor and attitude towards the expected and unexpected makes the experience memorable.