Since it's Ate Charo's birthday today, I sent her a message in Friendster last night. She replied back immediately and found out that it will be her wedding on March 10. She will become Mrs Charo Santos (aba celebrity!) in 10 days. Her wedding will take place in New Jersey where her fiance, Lester is based while Ate Cha is working as a resident doctor.
They met a few years ago in Libis while Ate Cha was a med student. She accompanied her classmate who turned out to be Lester's cousin. When Lester first saw her, he knew that she's going to be the woman that he's gonna marry (well, that's based from their engagement video).
Well, I'm just happy for Ate Cha and Lester. I remember our dorm days when she shares us her love stories - the men who swept off her feet and the men who broke her heart. I'm really glad that she found the guy whom she can spend the rest of her life :-) So to Mr and Mrs Lester and Charo Santos, I wish you all the best as you enter the married life.
Just a warning. This posts may seem to be kikay but hey, I'm a woman and I can write anything here right? So heads up to the guys who may be reading this, you may get bored.
Since I didn't go out during the CNY holiday, I went shopping last weekend to buy clothes for our company's annual dinner. The theme for this year is the Oscar's night, which means that we have to dress up in a glamorous manner. It's been a long time since I prepared for an occasion like this.
So the first thing I looked for when I arrived at Sungei Wang was a dress. I am a big and curvy woman and looking for a perfect dress here in Asia is a challenge. I tried on 2 dresses from the Metrojaya but I know its not yet the right one. Later, I met with Mars and Issa who had been in the area to look for a dress as well (but Issa already bought one at the time when we met). Fortunately, we saw a specialty store selling clothes for formal occasions. Fortunately, I found a dress with the perfect fit! So I didn't think twice about the dress and bought it immediately. Mars and Issa were amazed with me because I got a dress so fast. Since Mars and Issa were planning to go to the parlor after that, I looked for a sandals and bought one in a span of 15 minutes. See? I'm a man when it comes to shopping hehehe.. Since I can't decide the right accessories for my address, I texted Minnie and found out that they were in Midvalley so I went there right away (nag mall hopping daw ba?). On my way to our meeting place at the Midvalley, I saw the right accessories for my dress, all I need was just their opinion to see if it looks good on me, and I got their approval. Needless to say, I was able to prove once again that I shop like a man.
Anyway, to complete my shopping spree, I bought a makeup set. I really wanted to buy a makeup when I got here in Malaysia but it was only at that moment that I got a valid reason to buy one. The last time that I bought one was when I attended my college graduation 5 years ago. So I think it's just time for me to buy one right?
I'm so excited with this event. The last time that I had to prepare for a formal event was when I attended our High School prom. I was not keen about it because I was an anti-social party pooper during high school. So I guess I can say that I'm a late bloomer.
By the way, did I mention that I received my invitation today for the Annual Dinner with my table and seat number?
Two weeks ago, Mars gave her icebreaker speech at our company's Toastmasters chapter. Most of her friends, Gen, Minnie, Owen and I attended as guests to give her moral support. For those who do not know what is Toastmasters, it is a worldwide organization that aims to develop someone's public speaking skill. Each venue has a chapter which is similar on how the Rotary Club is organized. To become a certified toastmaster, one is required to complete 10 speeches with different themes based from their handbook.
One of the guests that night as a general evaluator was Daniel Teh, who is one of the mentors from Toastmasters Maxis KLCC Chapter. He had worked in the Philippines before and had attended some Toastmasters meetings there. It is evident during our meeting that he has developed a fondness for the Filipinos. During our dinner, he only talked to the Filipinos (most of us attended as guests). In fact, the first thing that he asked that night was who are the singers in our group - Minnie and I. He then asked Minnie to sing the first stanza of Sana'y Maulit Muli, which is his favorite Filipino song. After hearing that, he mentioned that he would ask us to sing before a crowd. Before we parted, he asked for our contact number.
After a few days, I received a call from Daniel, who was preparing the Chinese New Year celebration for their chapter on Feb 27. He requested Minnie and I to sing Gong Xi and Sana'y Maulit Muli. We didn't think he was serious about what he said. Well, he's a persuasive speaker so we agreed eventually.
Personally, I don't think that I can pull the song Sana'y Maulit and I believe that it is one of the most overrated OPM songs since it was revived by Regine Velasquez. But since it was chosen by Daniel, we gave in to his request. Good thing that Agri went to Manila for the Chinese New Year so we asked her to buy a videoke collection of Regine Velasquez. It was only the night before the event that Minnie and I practiced the song.
The event was supposed to start at 7:00 PM. A few hours before the event, we need to attend a training (and we only found out that day that we need to attend) so the earliest time that we can leave the office is around 7:00 PM. Four of us - Minnie, Owen, Mars and I, hurried up to the LRT station to go to KLCC (near the Petronas Towers). We arrived at the Maxis KLCC towers at around 7:50 PM.
The Menara Maxis tower at KLCC (which is situated right beside the Petronas Towers) reminded me of the RCBC building in Makati - the automatic doors, the high tech security and the ambience. I missed the feeling of working in a commercial district once again because my current office is located at the suburbs. Daniel, who was wearing a Chinese KungFu master costume, met us at the lobby and told us that we only have 5 minutes to settle before he'll introduce for our song number. He was the Toastmaster of the Night in that meeting.
When we arrived at the venue, a warm crowd (who were all dressed in their Chinese costumes) greeted us. They were warm and were very accommodating. A few minutes after that, we were introduced by Daniel to the crowd. We sang 2 stanzas of the English version of Gong Xi and of course, Sana'y Maulit Muli. Unfortunately, the vocals in the CD was present and it did not play in the minus one mode so Minnie and I got distracted by it. We don't have a microphone so our voices was overpowered by our "background's vocals". It was good that at the birit part, it was not bad. Because of this, Daniel gave us ang pao as our talent fee hehe..
After our song number, 4 people gave their icebreaker speech. My comment is that most of the presenters were prepared as they successfully presented their speeches - with confidence, proper enunciation and right humor. My favorite among them is Benny, who I think is a natural comedian (he should become a stand-up comedian). A lot of good speakers come up at the podium to give their evaluation to the speaker (very encouraging) and feedback about the meeting. It was the first time that I attended a Toastmasters meeting and really enjoyed it. By the way, all of us were happy because we were given fortune cookie, ang pao (aside from what we got earlier) and a ponkan.
The meeting ended at around 9:45 PM and we had a picture taking. It was good to mingle with these people from different backgrounds and whose not working in the same company. I am now thinking of joining that club due to the diverse people who are attending but the only challenge is if I can find enough time to attend their meetings. I am looking forward on having my next meeting with them.
Since it was a long weekend, most of the people are out of town. Unfortunately, I was on support (as what my previous blog is all about) so I just stayed at home and did the household chores. Also I had some visitors who came all the way from Singapore - Hazel and her parents, Janjan, Malen and her BF, Howard. They decided to go to Malaysia to spend the Chinese New Year. It was Hazel's parents' first time to go to Kuala Lumpur; Howard's first time (the reason why Malen brought her) and Janjan's second time. I was not able to accompany them when they go around KL but since most of them were not first-timers, I was not worried that they would get lost. Thus, my interaction with them is only during dinner time. They all arrived on Saturday morning.
On Saturday night, I cooked some spaghetti and made a fruit salad for dinner. Fortunately, everyone liked my spaghetti so everything was consumed that night (janjan - kailangan maluto mo ung recipe ko kapag pumunta kami sa Singapore hahaha!!). At midnight we watched the fireworks from the hotel nearby and we were lucky because we're on the 13th floor so we got a good view of the fireworks display.
On Sunday night, I spent the night chatting with Janjan and Hazel, catching up the good times. Malen and Howard left for Singapore that night and Hazel's parents were tired. Hazel and I relived our onshore days by looking at the pictures that we had. It was fun to look at the pictures with someone who has been a part of that great experience. Also, just like the onshore days, we took some pictures with creative poses =P
On Monday morning, Hazel and her parents left for Singapore. Mars wanted to go to Batu Caves so she and Janjan made some plans. Rey, Minnie and Gen later went to our house in the afternoon - Rey to surf the internet while Minnie and Gen went to upload some pictures. All of us were convinced by Mars and Janjan to go to Batu Caves, including me. Good thing that my secondary Paul allowed me to go out until 7 PM. At the Batu caves (a place of worship offered to the Hindus), we spent the afternoon taking pictures (well what can you expect?). We also climbed the grand staircase with 272 steps. Since there were 6 of us who went there, it was a fun afternoon =) That night, we ate at Picadilly's where we had Nasi Lemak, Pattaya and Kuey Teow.
On Tuesday, Janjan left for Singapore that morning so I spent the day sleeping, watching Chinese shows on TV (can't understand any single word) and ironing my clothes. See? I'm domesticated! Actually, I'm the type of person who can't stay at home during weekend and spending most of the time at home on a long weekend is a "miracle" haha (and it was because I'm on support). Well, at least I tried something new again this time.
Note: Most of the terms that I'll be using here are what most of the mainframe programmers can relate to so I apologize for the article below.
As what every mainframe programmer need to go through, I was put on production support from last week until the Chinese new year. Unlike in my previous job where the system is really stable that we don't get that much tickets in our queue, the current system that I'm supporting has a lot of loopholes, so every night I receive a page.
In my old job, the batch schedule follows the US time zone which means that the system I'm supporting would run at their night time which is around afternoon in Manila. So if there are any problems encountered, we can support it during office hours. In my current job, the system follows the Malaysia time zone which means that our jobs would run during our night time - in case our system is down, then we have to work on it during night time. Since our current system is not stable, the trend is for the production night support to get at least one ticket - one wake up call for each ticket.
Well, probably I was "lucky" on my first turn as a support because the connection from my laptop is not working. The helpdesk people were "fast" enough because they only responded on the ticket for this 3 days after it was opened! It was found out that the connection does not match the laptop's operating system and the only way to fix it is to replace the laptop. It was already Friday when it was decided to replace the laptop so during the long weekend, I don't have a laptop with me.
And as expected, I received a wake up call every night - at 1 AM, 3 AM, 4 AM.. and after each call, it would take me 1 hour to fall asleep again. On my first 2 nights as production support, I had to stay in the office because I don't have a connection. On the 3rd night, I slept at Minnie's house which is nearer so that I can go to the office when I got paged (and I did, twice). On the succeeding nights, I have arranged with my secondary support - Niru (who has been very helpful and kind) to take the page for me. As of this writing, I haven't got enough night sleep.
You may think being on support is bad, but a lot of good things happened also. On my first night as support, Niru (an Indian) and I had to stay in the office all night to ensure that we can address any issues that come up. So while waiting for any beeps, we talked about anything under the sun - our interests, his marriage, having a date, palmistry, etc. On my second night, I talked to my colleague Handy (an Indonesian) and we talked about his family and his experiences in Malaysia. On the next day, I didn't bother to think that I am dateless on Valentines day (mwehehehe) because I was preoccupied with myself being on support. See? It's not a bad thing at all.
Anyway, even though I hate being on support, it's a part of my job and that I have to accept it. I still consider myself lucky that I only get to do this once a month and not every night. You see, I just need to look at the good side of things for me to keep my sanity. Hehehe..
Since we had a pleasant experience on our first night out in KL during the New Year, we decided to do it again for the second time. On the night of Feb 10, Minnie, Gen, Zari and Rey decided to meet at KLCC for our Friday night gimmick. Earlier that night before we went home from the office, we agreed that we're going to wear a skirt that night for the gimmick. Imagine my horror when all the girls showed up wearing pants and I ended up as the only person wearing a dress (which I bought from Manila). Needless to say, I was the butt of jokes that night.
Anyway, our initial plan was to check out Zouk, which I can compare to the Embassy in the Manila. Most of the people who hang out in this club are "the" high-end people based from the cars that they were parked and the way the people dressed up. Earlier that day, when we mentioned to our officemates that we're planning to have our gimmick in that place, they looked us from head to toe. Seeing the crowd who gathered in that place, I no longer wonder why my officemates had that kind of reaction.
We arrived 15 minutes early before the door was opened for non-members but after learning that the theme of that night was techno, we decided to look for another bar with good music because we wanted to "dance the night away". After walking for a few blocks, we ended up at the Thai Club, which is located in front of the Beach Club where we had our first gimmick. The Thai Club has 2 floors - the ground floor earlier that night looked like a pub while the higher floor played some music so that's where we first went that night.
We went upstairs and the crowd is composed of students and yuppies. We liked some of the songs but it's not really danceable though. We just entertained ourselves by dancing the "pearly shell" songs to whatever songs that were played and of course, the pole dancers (the good and the trying hard hahaha!!). After a few hours, we went downstairs to check what's going on and we found that the music is better! So we danced the night away and had so much fun!
As usual, the night won't be complete if one of us won't be picked up right? And of course, Rey is the consistent heartthrob - he was picked up again by another tall (drunk) Chinese guy hahaha! Our first time when we went clubbing, we were not dressed up and I thought maybe that's why he was picked up but this time, all of us were dressed up. So iba na talaga ang charm mo nyan Rey hahaha!!
Except for the fact that I had an aching feet that night, I enjoyed spending it again with my friends. And I'm looking forward in doing it again the next time =)
Since I was a kid, I know that I love to teach. I remember that I would form a mini classroom in my bedroom and play as a teacher with my stuffed toys as my pupils. As a student, I also love to share my knowledge to my classmates (that's why my friends are lucky to have me as a part of their group, tama ba mga ka-Parokya? hehe). Many people think that I am too nice (again) to share my knowledge with them but the thing is, I can also learn what are the things that I lack when I share my knowledge and correct my misconceptions. So the more I share, the more I gain knowledge. Because of this, I'm even considering of having it as a career in the future - probably after retiring from the corporate world.
Because of this passion in teaching, I volunteered to join the Philippine Embassy's FWRC classes as a teacher in Basic Computing. I really wanted to do this but with my previous job, I wasn't able to do so (I almost joined Hands-On Manila foundation but can't attend their orientation due to schedule conflicts). Fortunately, Nina know some people from the Philippine Embassy and she asked me if I wanted to join her in teaching Computer to our fellow Filipinos so Mars and I joined the league. I am scheduled to teach on 2nd and 4th Sundays every month from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. The duration of the school year is for 10 months (that is loong!).
Anyway, if I ever I'm going to pursue teaching, I will be teaching in the tertiary level. However, I observed that the atmosphere in the FWRC is similar to a public high school in the (Philippine) province based from its house rules and activities. Anyway, fortunately I have the freedom to do anything with my class.
As expected, I am younger than my students - some of them worked in Malaysia for 10 years. It's just for me that they call me "Ma'am" because I'm not used to it. In return, I always put "po" and "opo" when I teach (ala Sarah Geronimo and Nora Aunor hehe). I find it funny though when my students converse with me in Malaysian english when in fact my medium of instruction is in Filipino. I have a total of 23 students and according to the admin, my class has the most number of students because my schedule is the most convenient for them.
Today, we had our first lesson. I taught them the elements of the computer system, the parts of the computer and minimize, maximize and close buttons in windows. It's a good thing that Mars (a former Computer professor in Mapua and La Salle), who was scheduled to teach earlier, had her notes on the board so I used it is a basis. It was really hard to recall those stuff because I learned it 8 years ago! I am really nervous that my students would get confused when I discussed about the megabytes, storage devices, etc. Fortunately, they were satisfied with our lesson today =)
I just hope that I would be able to retain this enthusiasm that I have for the next couple of months. Also, I hope that I would have the patience to deal with them as well and for me to motivate them. It is really my first time to teach formally and there are a lot of things that I still need to learn as a teacher and as a person =)
Last Christmas, I volunteered for our office's carolling group and we sang Christmas songs for our company's Christmas celebration. Originally, there were only the two of us who registered for the carolling - Allen and I. Fortunately, Allen is cute enough to gather more members - so more female joined the carolling.
Again, there was a celebration for our company's Chinese New Year celebration. Jumond (a Filipino) formed the choir. Some of the Christmas carollers were also a part of the group - Jumond, Minnie, Allen, Jo (the guitarist), Mark, Chze Siang, Hsu Kim, Angeline and Way Hong. We sang 3 songs - Happy Birthday song (in Pakistani) for our CEO's surprise birthday celebration, Gong Xi for the Chinese New Year and Seasons of Love for the valentine's day (from one of my favorite musicals - Rent).
I won't say much about our performance. I'll let you be the judge. While YouTube is still in the process of updating my profile with this blog (I can't upload the video itself here), please check out this link below:
PS: Our guitarist is so talented (he doesn't need a copy of the chords to play a song), that I have a little crush on him :-) I think he's cute as well (although some people thinks that he looked like a cartoon character like Astroboy hehe) hihihi..
Another random thought. Well, I have this "weird" feeling that some people are taking me for granted. I admit that I am a nice person.. I am so damn nice that it makes me think, do people care what i feel at all when they become too frank (not sure not if this is the right statement) even if it would hurt me? And being the NICE person that I am, I still remain polite. I wonder if this is a sign of maturity by not stooping down to their level or maybe I'm just passive enough and allow people to say those things?
Why is it easy to become a bitch with strangers compared to the people whom I consider as my friends? This is the reason why I'm reclusive and put a cold treatment to people I'm not really close because I'm afraid that when they see how nice I am, they would just use and take advantage of me.
I don't know. Is this just a mood swing? I know I'll get over this.
No, this entry won't tell how pathetic my life is. This is actually a tribute to one of my favorite musicals - Avenue Q, the winner of the 2004 Tony Awards for Best Musical.
Avenue Q tells about the challenges that the people in their 20s are facing today - finding a job, finding one's purpose, falling in love, homosexuality, racism, promiscuity, avoiding commitment to name a few. These are the problems currently faced by the generation who grew up watching Sesame Street, so most of the characters are puppets and the songs are associated from this show as well. In fact, some of the characters were based from the Sesame Steet - Nicky and Rod reminds me of Ernie and Bert while Trekkie monster is based from Cookie monster.
I was "introduced" to this musical when I watched the 2004 Tony's where Hugh Jackman was the host (the reason why I watched this show in the first place). It caught my interest when I heard the song "It sucks to be" sung by several puppets on an upbeat tone. I managed to get a copy of the whole musical from Raquel, and after watching that, I was determined to watch it onstage. I even asked my colleague onshore to buy me the Avenue Q soundtrack. I always listen to the CD when I'm depressed and it never fails to amuse me (because they sound so happy even if they're pathetic). I really like this musical so much. Fortunately, I was able to build a fan base where I recruited Lolo Gilbert and Maddy (miss you guys!). Sometimes we would even sing some of the songs altogether.
To my delight, I heard that there will be a Manila production of this famous musical! It will be produced by Atlantis Production and will be directed by Bobby Garcia (the director of Rent Manila production). This will be shown in Manila from August-September. Just in time for my birthday! I'm planning to go home on that month and I wish to watch it with Gilbert and Maddy onstage :)
Anyway, let me share some of the lines of the songs that I really like:
What will it be, where will it be? My purpose in life is a mystery. Gotta find my purpose, gotta find me. I wish I could go back to college, in college you know who you are. Except for death and paying taxes, everything in life is only for now. Life maybe scary but it's only temporary. There's a fine line between reality and pretend; a fairy tale and a lie.
And below are some interesting phrases from the songs:
The Internet is for porn, grab ur d*ck and double click for porn Everyone is a little bit racist Schadenfreude, happiness at the misfortune of others You can be as loud as you want (when you're making love)
Anyway, enough about this blog, I'll just listen to the soundtrack in the meantime.
Since I posted what happened to me on Christmas, I'm going to post what happened to me on New Year, which is the first time that I celebrated it in another country. How come I celebrated my New Year here in KL? My employer advised me to be here in Malaysia on Dec 31 and Jan 1, these are the critical dates that I should be here (as expat) to be considered as a resident during tax assessment. As a resident, I am subjected to 6-8% tax and if not, I will be charged with a whopping 28%. Although some of my colleagues who have a similar case as I do arrived here on Jan 2, I don't want to take that risk.
My flight was an hour delayed (via Cebu Pacific) and I arrived in our unit at around 4:30 AM. I barely slept that night and woke up at 10 AM. Agri and I went to Midvalley to buy the ingredients for our Media Noche. There were a lot of people who were also buying for the New Year's eve dinner (but not as many compared to the Philippines). Agri and I arrived at around 6 PM and we had to rush to the kitchen because we have to catch the fireworks at KLCC. There were 2 occasions that we celebrated that night - Agri's birthday and New Year's party. Mars arrived that day as well and we invited our friends to come and celebrate with us - Rey, Minnie and Zari. The last 2 arrived on that day with Mars as well.
Our dinner consisted of spaghetti, nacho salad, ham, wine and fruit salad. Rey brought some brownies while we bought a chocolate indulgence cake (the cake of the year) for Agri. It was a fun dinner as everyone gamely posted for pictures (with different themes). At around 11 PM, we all left for KLCC to watch the fireworks. There were a lot of people from different races who were there to witness the event but some of us got paranoid with the people so we left the place to go to the bar area. Because of this, we missed the fireworks =(
That night, Bukit Bintang was a busy street that night since most of the people were celebrating the New Year. We chose to go to the Beach Club because according to the magazine reviews, it's the bar to check out to taste the real life in KL. Mars and Agri were not in mood for partying that night so the 4 of us went inside while the 2 of them stayed at coffee bean. In my opinion, the music sucks and its weird because everyone was enjoying the music while all of us were just standing (mga KJ kami). We went outside to meet Mars and Agri at Coffee Bean, who later went home. When we got back, the music got better and we danced to the tune of Shakira's Hips Don't Lie, Daddy Yankee's Gasolina, Snoop Dogg's Next Episode, to name a few (I love hiphop music). We gave all our energy and danced to the max (bigay na bigay) and we were only able to dance for 5 songs! Kakabitin aargh! We didn't realize that it was already 3 AM. And by the way, the last song that they played is Always by Bon Jovi (talk about saving the "best" for last huh?)
A funny thing happened before we went home. Unlike in Manila where the bars closes when before sunrise, the bars here in KL closes at 3 AM. We searched for other places to hang out but everything was closed. While resting, a young Chinese guy approached us and talked to Rey, offering him RM 200. At first, we thought that he might had mistaken Rey for a pimp but it turned out, that offer is for Rey (who was hit that night twice hahaha!! the other one is from a Norweigan guy). We only realized that after the guy left us.
With an aching feet (dala ng kakiyan sa pagsusuot ng mataas na sandals - ang hirap maging babae!), the 4 of us went home in our unit. Minnie and Zari were exhausted from their flight so they slept at the sofa (who later moved to sleep in my bedroom). Rey and I spent the rest of the night watching the AMEX Idol video that Ryan gave me, criticizing each contestant (including Ryan of course), reliving our experiences since moving to KL. We didn't realize that it was already morning and he left at around 8:30 AM while I woke up Minnie and Zari.
Even though I'm away from home, I didn't feel sad at all because I had fun that night. I may not be able to do the rituals that we Filipinos used to do during New Year (like jumping or lighting the firecrackers) but it was fun because I celebrated it by having a taste of KL's Night life for the first time with my friends :)
When Jopay arrived here in KL, we relived on how we had so much fun in the dormitory. This is the reason why I have this entry posted.
I stayed in a dormitory for 3 years. During my first semester in college, I had to wake up at 4 AM daily to get into my 7 AM class in UST. It wasn't bad at all since my classes ended at 1 PM at the latest. It was not that hard to get home since it was early. On my second semester, my first class is at 7 AM and would end at 4 PM. Commuting at that time was a challenge so my family decided for me to stay in a dormitory. Since I am a "sheltered" daughter, my parents wanted me to go in a dormitory managed by nuns. I stayed in the Sacred Heart Dormitory in Dapitan which is ran by the Augustinian sisters.
Since I am an only child, I didn't know what it's like to have a sister. Living in a dormitory allowed me to experience what it's like to have one. Also, I was one of the few people who did not take up a pre-med course in our group so it was a "breather" to interact with people who does not talk about formulas and syntax. I am staying at the 5th floor and we were out of the authorities' sight (mwehehe). These are the 8 people whom I consider as my sisters:
Ruby - my roommate, the most disciplined and focused student that I know. She studies her notes a week before her exam and is not used in cramming. We barely spoke to each other when I'm still new (because she's always studying) but eventually we became close. I remember when we're noisy at the dorm, somebody would say "Huwag kayong maingay, nag-aaral si Ruby".
Debbie - the most bubbly among us. She's the opposite of Ruby because she's an expert when it comes to cramming (and she always managed to get good grades). One thing that she's known with was that she does not wake up easily. When she planned to wake up at 3 AM for her review, the whole wing wakes up because she did not hear her alarm clock (kasi mantika matulog e)
Mik - the art chick. Her dad is a painter and her mom is an interior designer. She's also a writer as well. I love how she "decorates" her stuff with her drawing, her room with flowers (simple but vibrant) and other art stuff. She likes things that many people would find as eccentric. What should I expect, she's an artist and they see things differently. :-)
Tin - the musician. We jived because we both like music, in fact, she's the one who exposed me to jazz music. If she didn't take up a Medicine, she'll be probably pursuing a degree in Music. By the way, we have lots of things in common - music, likes green color and we almost had the same bday (hers is Aug 29, mine is Aug 30). By the way, she's the sweetest person that I know.
Ate Charo - the eldest among us so she's our Ate. Another performer at heart, she loves to pursue singing if she didn't pursue medicine. We always seek advise from her - from lovelife to kikay stuff. This woman has beauty and brains, in fact she was a first runner up in the Miss Medicine contest.
Jopay - sister's pet. She always plays the piano during our monthly mass or leads the rosary. She's OC as well, maybe because she took up Microbiology in college. She's always quiet but when she's in the mood for chatting, she would go to the 5th floor to chat with us.
Nina - the other non-premed student in our circle. I usually ask her to teach Accounting because I really don't get that subject hahaha! She might be quiet but I always chat her about her lovelife.
Divina - the athlete. She was the MVP in the provincial basketball in Pangasinan. The youngest in the group, she's the bunso and as expected, she's one of the sweetest people that I met.
I miss how we would squeeze ourselves in 1 dining table just to share what happened in our day, how we sing in the bathroom altogether (Time & Tide and Keep this Love Alive are our favorites) and how we would listen in our walkman and tune in 1 station then later sing along with the songs from that station. The best thing with the people in the dormitory is that its easy for me to share my problems with them because they do not know the people involved and the support that everyone gives when someone is down.
Too bad we seldom meet each other (some of them are resident doctors now while some are working abroad), and I regret that I didn't take many pictures back then to capture the fun that we had. Half of the reason why I enjoyed my college life is because of these people. It won't be the same without them.
I know that this entry has been long overdue but I think its still worth posting :-)
Honestly, I had mixed emotions about going home. I'm excited to go home because I would finally meet my family and friends after 5 months of working here in Malaysia. But when I found out that we had to celebrate Christmas in my mother's hometown in Cagayan, I was not happy. That meant that we had to travel for 10 hours on the bus a few hours after I arrive from Malaysia. It was tiring right?
And so it happened. On December 23, my parents picked me up at the airport and we went directly to the bus station where we met Jen and Lois, my cousins who are currently staying in our house, who took my luggage so that they can bring it to Bulacan. Since it was a few days before Christmas, there were lots of passengers - some who were able to get the tickets by lining up at the ticket counter at 4:00 AM (that's what my uncle did so that we could get tickets); while the others were hoping that they could catch a bus if 1 passenger missed the bus. Anyway, there were 8 of us who went home that night - Uncle Llano, Auntie Genie, Auntie Linda, Zaira, my cousin Ryan (cge na nga kc big boy ka na haha!!!) and our family. It was a long trip and it was freakin cold inside the bus. It's a good thing that my mother was really prepared because she brought sweaters, bonnet, socks and blanket (laging handa! ahaha!!). It's a good thing because we all managed to survive the 10-hour bus trip to Cagayan. The bus departed at 9 PM and we arrived in Tuguegarao at 7:00 AM.
It was refreshing to see the familiar surroundings - all people are speaking Ibanag and there are tricycles everywhere (Tuguegarao's main transportation is tricycle). Also, since we're in the province, people greet everyone. It's been 4 years since I last visited this place (the last time was when my grandfather died). We went to Aunt Luding's house where we had our breakfast :-) Also, it felt good to be reunited with my cousins, Mark and Suzette with whom I hang out with everytime I go back in Cagayan.
After filling our tummies with longganisa, fried rice and milkfish (yummy Filipino breakfast!), we went to Penablanca, my grandpa and grandma's hometown. I felt nostalgic because I remembered how I spent my childhood every summer in this place. For someone who grew up in the city at that time, it would be a nightmare because there was no electricity, I can't understand their dialect and we always had monggo everytime we eat (good thing I was a cute little girl when I complained or else..). It was not bad because there were lots of things that I did with my cousins - swam the river, picked fruits from the trees, climbed a 30m hill, played in the corn fields, slept in my grandpa's nipa hut, hunted for duck eggs (sa itikan) and explored the Callao caves. Everytime I leave this place, I always cry because I had so much fun.
When we reached our ancestral house at Penablanca, I saw everyone - my aunts, my cousins and my nieces =) I was tired after my 24-hour trip so I really didnt mingle with them. I just slept and slept (malamig kasi). I just had enough energy in the afternoon and my cousins spent it catching up while wrapping the Christmas gifts. There were around 20 of us in that house so it was fun.
A few hours before Christmas eve, everyone was sleeping. Aunt Emie, who came from the church, woke us up because nobody prepared the noche buena yet. And its 30 minutes before midnight! So everyone was rushing in the kitchen. At midnight, we started the occasion with a prayer led by my father, who was already drank. A blooper happened because he fell asleep in the middle of the prayer and there was a 5-minute silence (which left everyone wondering what the hell happened). It only ended when my cousin shouted "Amen". It was an icebreaker and everyone was laughing as we hugged each other. After that, everyone distributed each one's gifts.
The next day, a lot of people came in to receive gifts as well (namamasko). That morning, we visited my grandparent's tomb. In the afternoon, there was a brownout (yeah on Christmas day) so we can't do anything. Out of boredom, my cousin suggested that we climb the hill and go to the river once again, to relive the things that we used to do when we were still young :-) My nieces tagged along with us and they had so much fun, in fact they don't want to go home.
Unfortunately, my family had to leave at that night for Manila because I had lots of things to do and I had 1 week for my vacation. Though it was tiring, it was one of my memorable Christmas, it allowed me to go back to my roots and reminded me what are the important things in life.
