| Wednesday, August 30, 2006 |
| Birthday Entry Ü |
I forgot my flash drive with me last night so I was not able to bring with me my official birthday post hehehe.. But anyway, I’m still thankful for the past 25 years that God has given me; my loving family who supports me in all the decisions that I made. To all my friends who have made my life enjoyable and to all the people that I met who made an impact in my life.
Anyway, tomorrow is the Merdeka (Independence) Day here in Malaysia. This is a festive event for the locals here. In the office, they have posted flags and balloons and games have been conducted. At midnight, there will be fireworks display at the KLCC where the Petronas Towers is situated.
This lunch, Mars and I bought a roasted chicken, ice cream and a chocolate indulgence cake from Secret Recipe (thanks Mars! Ü). Then we ate the Filipino spaghetti that I cooked last night. Tonight, I will be having dinner with my Filipino project mates. This is an acquaintance dinner so that we would get to meet our Ates and Kuyas (elder sisters and brothers) in our project. I cant wait to eat Crispy Pata again hahaha! Ü
Tomorrow, I invited some of my friends here to celebrate my birthday at Red Box Karaoke. I just wish that they have OPM songs hehehe..
More entries to come about my birthday. |
posted by subhuman @ 2:06 PM  |
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| Thursday, August 24, 2006 |
| Housework |
I really like the unit where I’m staying at and it really motivated me to clean the house every weekend. I spent my Saturday doing household chores: went to the wet market, cleaned the house (including wiping all the furnitures and mopping the floor) and cleaned my bathroom as well. This is the huge disadvantage of getting the master’s bedroom: I have to pay more and there’s a huge area to clean. But my bedroom is my sanctuary so I have to take care of it.
I am also learning to cook a lot of Filipino dishes. I used to cook our meal when I was in Phoenix but it was limited because not all the ingredients of the food that I like are found in the US (like pinakbet). Now that I can find the vegetables in the market here, I can experiment.
My parents will be proud of me when they read this post. I am slowly becoming a domesticated person. But don’t get me wrong.. I’m not yet a desperate housewife. |
| posted by subhuman @ 12:48 PM |
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| My last name crisis |
A lot of people are asking me why I have that email address in the office. Here’s why..
For most of the contractors that were hired by our client, our email address has our middle name as our last name. In my case, the email address setup for me, for example is analyn.sibilance@xxxx.com. When I sent out a note to most of my friends, most of them ignored it because they though that it could be a spam mail from a pesky credit card agent. Many people also thought that I got married but I told them that I became a TNT.. That’s how desperate I was to quit my job in Manila.
As a result, I asked the MO department to change my email address using my last name and guess what? It was wrong again with just 1 alphabet! And if you think that’s the worst, well, I have to maintain 2 email addresses which means that I have to check 2 inboxes (not sure if this is the right term). If I ask to correct my email again, then that means that I would have to maintain 3 email addresses. So I’ll just settle with my current email. |
| posted by subhuman @ 11:54 AM |
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| Moving on |
I have a friend who’s transferring to another company but I won’t reveal who she is (yes, she’s a female, now that’s a clue!) since she’s not yet ready to disclose it to everyone. She said that she’s really sad and emotional since she’ll be leaving her friends which she treated as her family for the past 4 years. This actually reminded me how I felt before I moved here. Here are my pieces of advise:
- Cherish the last remaining times that you get to spend with your friends. Once you finally leave your office as an employee, let go of those things. Don’t expect for it to happen again. You can still get in touch with them, yes.. But remember that you’re going to live a different life. It is better not to live with the past.
- Don’t expect too much that it will be the same as with your previous company. Don’t expect that you’ll meet people who are as fun as your old colleagues or you‘ll end up disappointed.
- Don’t forget to pray.. I do believe in this and it really helped me a lot. Do I need to say more?
To you my friend, good luck. I admire you for having the courage of stepping out of your comfort zone. Yes, it is hard but that is a sign of maturity. Good luck my friend! |
| posted by subhuman @ 11:50 AM |
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| Mi Casa |
I have finally moved to a new apartment! After 3 weeks of looking with my agent, Kim, I have transferred to a new apartment near our workplace. It’s a three bedroom apartment at the 13th floor (yes! The lucky number). Actually, I learned that 13 is not considered as a bad number for Malaysians.. They are actually scared of the number 4 because it means death in Chinese. So most buildings in Malaysia has 3A after the 3rd floor. My roommate Mars and I are not superstitious so this won’t be a problem for us.
We’re lucky that we got an apartment that is newly renovated. Also, most of the furnitures provided to us are new. The tenants before us are actually the owners, Mr. Rama and Ms. Juduth, who just moved to a bigger unit at the 14th floor (same building). They were actually nice and generous to give us all our appliances and furnitures. They were nice but they have a condition: we should never conduct a party in our house and we must maintain the peacefulness of the place (as long as our neighbors won’t complain). It will be hard to break this rule since our unit is just a stone throw away from their house.
Anyway, the living room is composed of 2 sofa sets: 1 big couch with a blue and white checkered upholstery and another set composed of 1 three-seater and 2 one-seater couch with red and white upholstery. Can you imagine, red and blue! It is nice when put separately but the combinations seems weird to me though. Nina actually teased me to put on some yellow throw pillows with stars, sun or moon designs so that it would match the Philippine or Malaysian flag (tamang tama sa Merdeka day haha!). The TV rack was also placed away from the couch so Mars and I moved it in front of the couch; only to find out that the cable connection is actually near its original position. But its okay though since we’re not planning to get a cable anytime soon. When we opened the television, it can only retrieve 2 stations but its not clear though. Mars and I thought that it will be better if we either buy a DVD or an antenna. So in the next couple of weeks, we’re not going to watch television so we have to entertain ourselves. I don’t think this would be a problem since we can keep ourselves busy doing household chores.
A few steps away from the living room is the dining area. It is composed of large marble table with 6 wooden chairs and 2 cupboards where all the dining sets should be placed. Actually, Efren described it as something that is similar to a grave. We joked that since we ‘re in the 13th floor, we could just light a candle and play the ouija board (I hope I got the spelling correctly). In front of the dining room are the 2 chairs that used to be a part of the living room but since we placed the TV rack in its original position, we moved it there to become the receiving area. The living room and dining area is filled with old rose-colored tiles.
The kitchen has a lot of wooden cabinets which was only varnished with a neutral color to give a beige theme. However our major appliances - the ref and the washing machine, are both gray in color which makes our kitchen’s theme as beige and gray (kinda weird huh?). Beside the kitchen is the laundry area. Since we’re on the 13th floor, it is windy and is a good place to hang our clothes as it would definitely be dry within a day. However, the owner warned us to close the window near the stairs because a strayed cat once entered the laundry area by passing at that window.
My (master’s) bedroom has a beige and brown theme; the floor is beige and the varnished wooden cabinets and dresser. I bought a cream colored bed sheet to blend with the room color to fit my queen sized bed. My bathroom has a gray color; it has a gray door and gray tiles. I’m planning to put a carpet to serve as a resting place where I could read magazines (or perhaps write a blog) but I’m still thinking about since I’m so lazy to clean and I want a low maintenance room.
My friend Nina commented that our the parts Pardon me if the description that I put in this blog seems vague. I am not really good at it but perhaps you can take a look at the pictures so that you’ll know what it looks like and see for yourself.
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| posted by subhuman @ 9:27 AM |
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| Happy birthday Arnelli! |
My blog has always been late when it comes to entries (except for the entry about Ruby). August 15 is a birthday of one of my dear friends… Arnel! =) He’s celebrating his 27th birthday (uy, pero ang aaminin, 24th! Binuking na kita! Hahaha!!)
Arnel is my batchmate when we joined in Accenture. He is labeled as the most jologs in our batch because he knows the latest buzz about our local celebrities. In fact, he’s an expert with all ka-jolog-an that he knows as to which particular group a celebrity was in That’s Entertainment. He’s also the makulit in our batch with all his one-liner where most people would laugh. He’s very jolly and that there is never a dull moment with him.
When we started with our project, we rolled in to the same team (together with Janjan) and he became my constant companion during lunch and other team activities. We also happen to share one passion: singing. During karaoke, most people would expect that we’re the mic grabbers. We also love to watch concerts and musicals. Arnel is one of my confidantes at work and I always value his advices.
Three years ago, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Yes, it was big blow but for someone who’s been battling with this type disease, he carried it well. He is a very strong person who has demonstrated a jolly disposition. I remember that when he had a radiation therapy and he cannot speak because of the treatment, he didn’t fail to entertain us by telling us stories (even without a voice!) and he never failed to amuse us.
Arnel is one of the strongest person that I’ve met. He inspires me to face all the challenges that I have and to be optimistic no matter what happens. |
| posted by subhuman @ 9:26 AM |
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| Friday, August 18, 2006 |
| Cheers! |
This entry is a tribute to my friend, Ruby. She passed the medical board exam and she’s now a full-pledge doctor! =D
Ruby was my roommate in college for 3 years. I’ve never met someone as disciplined, dedicated, diligent and driven as she. I remember that she would read her lessons a month advance and after reading those, she would make a quiz for herself (and that’s only for her advance reading!). Unlike most of us who would cram in studying for the next day’s quiz, she studies for an exam a week ahead. Even if she’s really tired with her shift when she was just an intern, she would still open her books to study or just for advance reading. Because of her study habits, I was influenced to study as well (bonding activity nmin ang mag-aral hahaha!!) Due to her perseverance, she finished her pre-med as cum laude and she was a topnotcher in Nursing Licensure Exams (to think she was in med school when she took the Nursing board exam). She was also a consistent dean’s lister when she was in med school.
Ruby is the type of person who does not settle for just a passing mark. She aims to be the best and I would like to congratulate her that she finally achieved her dream of becoming a doctor.
By the way, Ruby used to tease me when we were still roommates that I should admit that she’s pretty. I promised that I would only acknowledge her beauty once she becomes a doctor. So after 5 years, I could finally say that she is beautiful indeed, inside and outside! (Ruby, are you happy now? Hahaha!!)
But I think the best compliment that I could give her is that, knowing how she pursued her dream of becoming a doctor, I would entrust my own life to her (sounds religious? Hehehehe..) because I believe in her. |
| posted by subhuman @ 11:30 AM |
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| Thursday, August 17, 2006 |
| First team building |
Our project had its team building on Saturday, July 29. The venue of our team building is called Lembah Pangsun, which is an hour away from our office. Based from the leaflets given to us, the meeting time at the office is at 7:15 AM and the buses will depart at 7:30 AM. Since I leave on the other side of the city, that was a challenge for me (I used to live 30 – 40 minutes at work). Even though the time zone is the time zone is the same as with Manila, the sun would usually rise at 7:00 AM and will set at 7:00 to 7:30 PM. I guess Malaysia synched its time with Hongkong. Usually, I wake up at 6:30 AM but it is really dark and I get lazy to get up.
Anyway, I woke up at 7 AM (hey! It’s a Saturday) so needless to say, I got into the office at around 8 AM. It was too embarrassing because everybody is waiting for me! Pero pinanindigan ko na hehe.. I boarded the 3rd bus, where all my fellow Filipino co-workers had stayed and the funny thing is that the bus was labeled as a school bus (BAS SEKOLAH) – field trip! Of course, the Filipinos in the bus are funny. There was no dull moment on our way to Lembah Pangsun. At around 10 AM, we arrived at the venue. Our first activity: breakfast. We were served with Malaysian food – Nasilemak (this is the typical Malay breakfast that is a mixture of rice, fried peanuts, anchovies and chili), scrambled egg and tea (their tea has its own creamer). After eating, an ex-military gave us a description of the place (the equipments that we’ll be using and the activities that we’ll be doing) and some safety precaution.
For the team building, there are 8 groups composed of 9-10 people. I’m with the chocolate (brown) team. All teams must to the following activities: flying fox, river crossing and obstacle course. For flying fox, we need to slide 10 meters above ground while we are hanging on a harness with 2 cables. The good thing about it though, was that we got to do it in pairs (at least it was not scary). For river crossing, there are 6 life-preservers (pardon me.. I don’t know the exact term of salbabida in English) that were tied together with a rope and wood. This was our so-called boat. Meanwhile, the obstacle course, each team were given a pail of water and we need to ensure that the bucket is still full after we pass the obstacle course.
Flying fox
 The Green and Brown teams were asked to walk on a 45-degree slope (it was muddy) to get to the starting point. I was really scared when I saw the view from the top. I don’t think I have the guts to go for it. Good thing that we had to do it by pairs. My team mate Kirpal, the manager who did my final interview, motivated us by saying that we should learn to conquer our fears. The fear is still there if we decide to stay and we would not know what its like to “fly” and the fear is still there. If we conquer our fear, it will be gone after a while but we would know what its like to “fly” if we let ourselves do it.
Our turn finally came and my partner, Man Peng and I just motivated each other (we were both scared!). Finally, we were tied to the cable and we both jumped! IT WAS FUN! I really enjoyed it and I’m not that scared after a few seconds! =D This is the activity that I really enjoyed.
Obstacle course
Each team were given a bucket of water. We need to go to an obstacle course and all 10 of us would need to pass through. The obstacle course includes the abseiling (7 ft high), climbing on a block 5 feet high and passing a tunnel with its diameter just enough for a person to crawl (take note, I’m a big woman! Haha!). Can you imagine doing that with a bucket of water! Teamwork is really essential to survive this activity. My body ached the day after our team building because of this. We ended up on the top of an elevated area that is near the starting point of the flying fox. We need to go down and pass on a steep staircase that has inconsistent gaps. So we all need to hold together as team to assist each other as we go down the stairs. Just when I thought that we’re done with the obstacle course!
River Crossing
There are 7 of us who rode the so-called boat. Half of our body is submerged in water; from our waist to our feet. The river crossing is the longest activity and it came to a point where I got bored (we sailed for an hour). The river is pretty shallow but its not that clean though because I saw some empty bottles, plastic bags and Styrofoam containers floating on the river. The river has some obstacle course as well such as branches or trees blocking the way and rocks that would keep the boat from sailing so the people riding the boat would need to push it. We had to be careful with this because one of my colleagues got injured while pushing the “boat” because his leg hit a rock and he got 2-3 stitches. We also saw some spiders and snakeskin while crossing the river. Most people liked this activity most and it also required teamwork.
After river crossing, we took a bath and ate lunch – rice, beef curry, egg and some veggies. After lunch, everyone gathered in a hall. This was the cheesy part (and corniest) of the team building because we need to share all the things that we learned in the activities that we did earlier. The activities that we did are sleeping (seriously!), massaging each other to the tune of Macarena (yeah baby!), sharing what we learned and playing an activity where we need untangle our arms (more known to Filipinos as Dr Quack Quack) where communication is needed to last on this activity. This was also the time when I was introduced to my teammates at work; there are 10 of us with my Malaysian boss, 3 Filipinos, Chinese, 2 Muslim women (1 is a Malaysian and the other one looks like a Persian).
After our hall activities, we had our snack – laksa, which I can describe as the spicy sinigang, gulaman and a dessert that is similar to maja blanca. After the snack, we rode the (school) bus back to the office. I was so tired that I fell asleep. After an hour, Zari (my bus seatmate) woke me up and I found myself staring at a Brad Turvey poster with the ad in Bahasa Melayu.
This was the first time that I experienced a real team building activity that emphasized the values needed at the workplace and I enjoyed it (even if we relate each obstacle as an issue in UAT or the steep stairs in after the obstacle course as a production issue). The team building activities that I attended in my previous company only allowed us to bond with my teammates (but I liked it as well) and I’m glad that I got a chance to know these kinds of team building activities.
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| posted by subhuman @ 1:17 PM |
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| Wednesday, August 16, 2006 |
| More Train Misadventures |
If you think I’ve had one is enough, well think again. The next day after I got stuck in the LRT, I was having a hard time getting inside the train in the morning. At that time, there were more people who were waiting for the train compared to the previous day. Since I was a little bit early, I decided to take a round trip (which I usually do in the EDSA MRT in Manila) since Setiawangsa is just 5 stations away from Terminal Putra which is the farthest station in the North. I looked at the lady beside me and took note that she was wearing a pink veil and took the north bound train, hoping to get a seat for my entire trip to Asia Jaya station.
The scenery on the way to Terminal Putra has a lot of trees and is actually more in touch with nature. There is only a few residential and commercial buildings. Even though it was 5 stations away, it was really far! (15 minutes away from Setiawangsa station). When I arrived at the Terminal Putra station, I transferred to another train, only to find myself standing again. So my purpose for going north, 5 stations away is defeated. When we arrived at Setiawangsa station, the lady with the pink veil is no longer there (maybe she went to the north as well or decided to take a cab instead), so I was not able to take a seat, and the lady in pink is no longer there. Aargh!
With my daily journey in LRT, here’s what I learned:
· Always ensure that your prepaid card has enough credit balance or you can’t get out of the station. My prepaid balance is only RM 1.00 and my fare from Setiawangsa to Asia Jaya station costs RM 2.60.
· KLCC is where most of the people take off if I travel from Setiawangsa. Also, this is the station where at least 2 people who boarded in this station have a bag of Rotiboy which would make me crave a lot! Yummy! =D (my new addiction! This is a bun with butter inside and it tastes sweet; usually served fresh from the oven. It only costs RM 1.50 and really smells good.. just like when smell the goodies when you pass Bread Talk)
· The best place in the train would on the front window (where the driver is supposed to be placed). Even though you’re standing, you’ll feel like the navigator of the train ;-) |
| posted by subhuman @ 5:47 PM |
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| Tuesday, August 15, 2006 |
| Lost in KL (and in Translation) |
I’m going to meet Nina and Massi at the KLCC Suria at 7:00 PM to watch The Pirates of the Carribean. At exactly 6:00 PM, I packed all my stuff and left the office quickly so that I could make it on our meeting time. There are a few people who are taking the train from the Asia Jaya station and I was lucky to find a seat when I boarded the train. After 3 stations, our train stopped for 20 minutes at the Universiti station; the railway system has been experiencing some technical difficulties. As we proceed to the next stations, I noticed that our pace is slower than the speed during normal operations.
A few meters after Pasar Seni station, our train stopped. Since this happened during the rush hour, the train is full. We can also barely feel the aircon. It was suffocating. I texted Nina that our train stopped in the middle of the tracks and I don’t know if I could make it on time. Seeing my phone, the lady beside me (who does not speak English) asked if she could borrow my phone to call her husband who’s probably waiting for her as well. I lent it to her. The middle-aged Muslim lady in front of me felt dizzy and the people beside her gave her water and a liniment. Then, I offered her my seat. Unlike the train in Manila where there are windows that can be opened, the LRT does not have one. The non-Muslim people beside the lady asked her to remove her veil so that she could breathe but she didn’t. We asked the people near the door to look for the emergency button. They actually did and they were able to open the door which made it more dangerous to those who are standing beside the door. The thing with the railroad is that it has a voltage of electricity and stepping on the tracks is fatal. Some people inside the train got angry because of this.
After 45 minutes, all passengers were asked to leave the train and to walk to the nearest station. The railroad for Putra LRT line is an elevated track. I have a fear for heights and walking on the tracks is actually quite scary for me but I realized that I’m still lucky since our train was not stuck in a tunnel. Since I’m not familiar with the place, I asked the lady beside me on how to get to KLCC. She’s also not familiar in the place as well and told me to go to McDonald’s where most of the buses pass. Pasar Seni in KL reminds me of Quiapo (can you imagine getting lost in a place like this?) Unlike in Manila where you’d know the bus route by looking at its sign board, here in Malaysia, you need to know the bus number. There are a lot of buses that passed in front of Malaysia but none of them would actually go to KLCC. So I went inside McDonalds and called Nina to ask for directions. She’s also not familiar with the area so she advised me to take a taxi instead. Outside McDonalds, there are a lot of stores (stalls) beside it so I asked its people how to get to KLCC. All the people that I had asked can be classified to 2 types: (1) people who does not speak English (now I know what it feels to be a contestant in Amazing Race) and (2) people who can speak in English but does not know how to get to KLCC. Given this situation, the only choice left for me is to wait for a cab that would get me to KLCC. After 2 hours, I hailed a cab (finally!) and arrived at KLCC around 9:15 PM. Haay, it was a relief to be sitting in a movie house with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom on the big screen =)
The next day, it's in the newspaper. Here is the link to the Star article. |
| posted by subhuman @ 3:17 PM |
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| Monday, August 07, 2006 |
| First day at work..again |
I woke up again at the sound of the Islamic morning prayer and fell asleep again. At 7:00 AM I finally woke up and jump at my feet, after snoozing my cell phone for the past 30 minutes.
Nina’s house is near to the Setiawangsa LRT (Putra Line) station which is just an overpass away. Our work hour is from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Nina and Massi warned me that I should leave early, preferably before 8:00 AM since it would be hard to take a train during rush hour. I told myself that riding trains won’t be a problem since I used to take the MRT when I commute in Manila. I reached the LRT station at around 8:00 AM. I’m not surprised with the people who are waiting at the platform but when the train arrived, it was fully packed (parang sardinas). I told myself to take the next train but it was fully loaded as well. This actually reminded me of the MRT Shaw Blvd station where people are really aggressive so that they can enter the train. Needless to say, I became aggressive or else I would be late on my first day (and I have no idea yet how far my office is). It’s a good thing that most of the passengers took off at KLCC (5 stations after Setiawangsa) and I was able to take a seat after a few stations.
In a span of 35 minutes, I arrived at the Asia Jaya station which is 16 stations away from Setiawangsa. I have to walk for 5 more minutes to go to the office. Fortunately, I didn’t get lost and I found my way to Crystal Plaza building.
My company is located on the second floor of the bulding. Since I am a new employee, I don’t have a security badge yet. It’s a good thing that a female employee arrived and let me in. I sat at the chairs in front of the door and waited for any familiar face that would lead me to my project mates. Later, Minnie and Myla arrived who both stayed with me on the front door. At around 10:00 AM, Cecilia (the marketing manager) gave us an orientation about the company and the things that we need to do and then she gave us a tour around the office.
One thing I noticed about the office is that there are a lot of aquariums and that the fishes are the characters that can be found in Finding Nemo – there’s Nemo, Marlin, Dory and Scar. Also, the workspace is big as just one person occupies each cube that comes with a phone and a white board. The employees are so diverse - there are Chinese, Malays, Indians, Filipinos, Caucasians, African American, etc. The pantry is also big; and has the basics – ref (which is cleaned twice a week), coffee machine (and serves chococinno, espresso, milo, tea with creamer), 3 small round wooden tables and 1 long table where all newspapers (in English, Chinese and Bahasa Melayu) are all piled up, and the coolest things – it has a billiard table and a fuzz ball!! We were later introduced to our respective bosses (mine is a Malay).
Minnie and I belong to the same project. Since we don’t have a workstation yet, we spent the whole day chatting. It’s a good thing that there are 2 of us rolled in to the team as we won’t get bored to death.
By the way, since I’m still new to the team (and is probably charging to Bench), the thing that I’ve never enjoyed for such a long time is that I don’t have to worry about the charge number! |
| posted by subhuman @ 3:41 PM |
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| Thursday, August 03, 2006 |
| A busy Sunday |
July 23 is my first official day in Malaysia. At around 4:30 AM, I heard a strange sound that seems like a chant. It turned out that this was the morning prayer for the Muslims and it was a recorded prayer being played just like how the rosary/angelus is being played in SM, in schools, etc. Then I fell asleep again. At 8:00 AM, I woke up seeing the KLCC skyline for the first time. It was a fascinating sight and this gave me a good mood when I woke up. I took a bath and texted Rey and Hazel on how we’re going to meet. I told Rey that we’re going to meet at the KLCC near the Petronas towers at 9:00 AM since this is what Hazel had told me to be the first thing in their itinerary for their trip in Malaysia. Hazel went to Malaysia with her housemates Gracia and Khris, who used to be my colleagues in Triumph.
I’ve actually worked with Khris on the last project that I had with my previous company. There were 3 of us who worked as designers; me, Khris and Rey. The project that we’re involved has a reputation where all people assigned to that requirement always end up resigning. We never broke this pattern and the three of us are now working overseas; Khris is now based in Singapore while Rey and I are here in Malaysia. I remember our brainstorming session where we discussed our designs and ended up sharing stories and laughing, so it seems like we never worked at all.
Anyway, Hazel texted me that we’re going to Putra Jaya and that they will meet us in KL Sentral station. I must have been exhausted from my flight because she might have probably told me the night before that we should meet there instead of KLCC, which is a 5-station gap in the Putra LRT line. I called Rey and told him that Hazel and company are in KL Sentral and that we should just follow them. Hazel told me that they will take the 10:50 AM trip to Putra Jaya. Rey and I met at Suria KLCC at around 10:30 AM. Needless to say, we were late. We arrived at the KL Sentral station at around 11:10 AM. We took the 11:30 AM trip to Putra Jaya via the KLIA Ekspress train, which is labeled as the fastest train in Southeast Asia. It is a long ride but it was never boring since we amused ourselves with the latest “news” about our colleagues in Manila.
We arrived at the Putra Jaya station around noon. Hazel asked the tour bus driver to wait for us. They’ve been waiting for us for the past 20 minutes and it’s a good thing that the other foreigners did not kill us because we were very late. The tour bus driver and the tour guide are both Indians and behind them seated are tourists such as Koreans, Caucasians (I’m not sure which country they come from), Japanese and an Indian. At the back of the bus, I saw my friends and former colleagues Hazel, Khris, Gracia, Milay, Efren and his girlfriend, Nieva.
Putra Jaya is a city where the government’s main offices are situated such as the prime minister’s office, the supreme court and the central bank. There is also the Putrajaya International Convention Center that is constructed on an elevated area (I know I’m not good in describing things..so please forgive me). Since I don’t have my own computer yet, I won’t be able to attach some of the pictures of the buildings that we saw.
At around 2 PM, we had our lunch, my “initiation” for Malaysian food. I am not really adventurous when it comes to food that I’m not familiar with so I had Chicken BBQ and roasted rice for lunch (I know, safe choice). Since Malaysia is a Muslim country, there’s no pork. Malaysian food is really different from the dishes that I grew up with - Chinese, Italian, Spanish, American and Filipino.
We were done with the tour at around 3:10 PM. We arrived at the KLIA Ekspress station 5 minutes after the train going to KL Sentral stopped. The next train would come in 30 minutes and we spent our waiting time chatting at the station. At 4:00 PM, we arrived at KL Sentral and we all parted ways. Too bad, Hazel and I were not able to chat that much since we had too little time but I’m glad that we met anyway. She said that she’ll come back to watch the F1 race and that she will stay in my apartment. You’re very much welcome Hazel! =)
Rey and I went to Masjid Jamek where the nearest Catholic Church, St. John’s Cathedral is located. Masjid Jamek reminded me of Recto in Manila. Since we’re one hour early before the next mass, we went to Mydin which is one of the cheapest stores that KL has. Rey described it as the KL’s Uniwide. I bought a towel, a foundation and a lotion (so kikay!). After that, we bought a Digi SIM pack because I haven’t talked to my family yet since I arrived. Unfortunately, since we’re foreigners, the Digi SIM was sold to us for 18 RM, only to find out later that the normal price is only 8.50 RM! Hindi lang pala Pinoy ang manloloko! Aargh!
After buying all the stuff that I need, we heard the mass and ate dinner at the nearest Burger King. We chatted for another hour chatting and reminiscing the old times. At 8:00 PM, we went home.
I haven’t rested from the previous day’s flight and this is one of the most tiring days that I had but it was fun seeing my friends whom I haven’t seen for a while =) |
| posted by subhuman @ 5:47 PM |
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| Tuesday, August 01, 2006 |
| Malaysia.. Truly Asia! |
At exactly 8:50 PM on July 22, MH 0705 landed on Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after a 4-hour flight from Manila. I took my hand carry bag with me and walked to the aircraft’s exit. KLIA reminded me of Changi International Airport in Singapore because of its structure and its interiors. I texted my friends Nina and Rey to inform them that I had finally arrived in Malaysia. I also received an SMS from Minnie, a colleague from Accenture who I met in a theater singing workshop and who’ll be working with me in Standard Chartered. We were picked up by Mr Quek who brought us to our respective residences here in Malaysia. There were actually 3 of us who were picked up from the airport; me, Minnie and Myla who used to work with Citibank Manila.
Our journey from the KLIA to Petaling Jaya (another state near Kuala Lumpur) lasted for more than an hour. We passed through their expressway, which has more lanes compared to the expressway in Luzon. It was dark at that time and all I can see are the silhouette of the trees. I suddenly realized that I missed the billboards that I used to see in the Philippines especially during road trips. Minnie and Myla arrived at their house at around 11:15 PM.
I had asked my friend Nina if I could stay with her briefly until I find a decent place to stay. Nina was my co-start group in Accenture. We became roommates for a few months before she left for Denmark to take her graduate studies in Petroleum Engineering. After 2 years, she transferred in Malaysia to work as a petro-physicist (I’m not sure if my term is correct, please correct me if I am wrong). She’s living in a condo near Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) where the Petronas Towers is situated.
The travel from Petaling Jaya to Kuala Lumpur took us 30 minutes. On our way to her unit, I looked at the window, waiting to get a glimpse of the Petronas Twin Towers. When I finally saw it, I took a picture of this building using my cellular phone. If only I could send this to my family and friends to tell them that I’m finally in Kuala Lumpur, but too bad, I don’t have a SIM here in Malaysia yet and sending MMS using my Globe SIM would be very expensive. After a few minutes, I have arrived at the Serimaya Condominium near the Setiawangsa LRT station at around 11:45 PM. Nina is waiting for me outside her building. As I enter Nina’s unit, she introduced me to Massi, her Italian boyfriend. We ate adobo and okra (o di ba parang nasa Pinas pa rin ako? hehehe). Hazel, my roommate in Phoenix who’s working in Singapore, contacted me since she’s in Malaysia for a vacation and we’re going to meet on the next day. Haay, it’s the end of a long day (and very tiring) for me but hey, it’s rare to be on 2 places (and phases of my life) on the same day =) |
| posted by subhuman @ 4:10 PM |
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| EXODUS.. |
This is it. I’m finally leaving. I hugged my father so tight. I took my luggage and turned my back, trying to hold my tears as I enter the airport.. going through a new phase of my life…
I entered the vicinity of NAIA and looked for the counter of Malaysia Airlines. Looking at my luggage, it was obvious that it was overweight. When I had it checked-in, I was surprised that it was 32 kilos so I have to pay $84 ($7/excess kg). Yes, it’s indeed expensive! I should have asked my parents (via Air Asia) to come with me and bring my stuff in excess. But on the bright side, I have all the stuff I want with me.
I had waited for a few hours in the lounge since I was 2 hours early. I bought a magazine and a hopia that costs 60 pesos (which normally costs at around 20 pesos). Since I have some peso coins left, I called my family, Ate Jing (my cousin) and Arnel to say goodbye. I had also sent an SMS to my friends as well. This is it. |
| posted by subhuman @ 3:39 PM |
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| Packing |
Sweaters, check. Socks, check. Medicines, check. Documents, check. COBOL book, check. Cookbook and mama sita mixes, check…
Our house has been in chaos in the past few days. I only have a day to pack all my things before going to Malaysia. I should have followed my cousin’s advice to take a week long vacation before leaving. Being the “responsible” (and workaholic) person that I am, I was stubborn and took only a 2-day vacation so that I could complete my tasks from my “beloved” project (blech! And to think that I’ve been complaining that I really hate what I’ve been doing for the past 6 months).
The first day of my “vacation” was spent by attending the PDOS seminar, completing my company clearance and immigration requirements, shopping for the last minute and meeting my friends from my previous workplace for the last time. It was an emotional day for me as I know that I will be leaving what I’ve considered my home for the past 4 years and the friends that I had. In fact, when I stepped out of MSE, I cried. I can’t believe that it’s the end of my career in Accenture. Feeling depressed, I had a haircut and went to my aunt’s house to get my stuff since I stay there on weekdays and to say goodbye to my cousins.
Meanwhile, my second day was a packing day for me. Good thing that Annie, who used to be our helper, went home to help me pack and to prepare my “pasalubongs”. My baggage allowance is only up 20 kilos and I was really worried that I would exceed this limit. The funny thing was that the weighing scale we borrowed is similar to the one used in the wet market, in the meat section. It has a hook right below the scale and the object being measured should be put under the hook. What we did to determine the weight of my baggage was to put the partial contents of my luggage in a plastic bag and record it’s weight until we noted the weight of all my stuff. Then I added these to find out the weight of my luggage.. and yes, it was overweight… it was 27 kilos. This is the weight of Rey’s baggage when he left and he told me that the carrier did not ask him to pay. I wished that I had the same luck. |
| posted by subhuman @ 3:35 PM |
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| New life, new look |
If a woman is depressed, she goes to the parlor to look good and to FEEL GOOD. I went to David’s Salon Greenbelt since I was sad after my last day at work. I need a new haircut to go with my new life (ala-Felicity itech hehe..). I liked my haircut and the stylist knows how to make his clients feel good. The assistant also gave me a relaxing massage that is what I really need after a stressful month. I was very satisfied with their service and I gave both of them a huge tip. Okay fine, this may be a shallow topic but it’s a girl thing ;-) |
| posted by subhuman @ 3:24 PM |
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| Forget regrets |
| Since I quit my job to pursue a career in Malaysia, my colleagues from work were thoughtful enough to prepare a scrapbook with letters and a bottle containing messages for me. I was really moved and touched by the messages that some of them have written, especially from my superiors. It was fulfilling to know that I could manage a team when in fact there was a point that I doubted my capabilities as a leader. It’s sad for me to leave that path when I know that I had a good start. But don’t get me wrong; I have no regrets when I made the decision of quitting my job to go to Malaysia. I chose financial rewards, independence and the opportunity to gain technical skills over my family, a stable career, my friends, my “singing career” (yeah right!) and my life in Manila. I know that in this experience, I will learn a lot of things; technically, spiritually and emotionally and I will meet a lot of people who could help me deal with homesickness. |
| posted by subhuman @ 3:22 PM |
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| About Me |
passionate about music; an aspiring teacher; a frustrated mathematician; an explorer |
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