Twisted soul

Only Child Syndrome

2008-04-14T00:15:00.002+08:00

Here's an excerpt from this blog about from an only child:

"Everybody needs people but I have a stubborn independence that denies my need of help. It must stem from trying to console myself for the lack of company. I crave it, but it also threatens me. I don't want to need anybody. I don't want to depend on anybody. I just want to take care of my own. This causes me to shut people out, especially when I need them most. I am unwilling to become vulnerable to someone, because I don't want to give them the chance to hurt me."

Bulls eye. This blog stated what I feel most of the time. My ME time can be attributed to my only child syndrome. I'm always out to prove that I can stand on my own and I hate it when people pity on me

A lot of people envied me when they find out that I am an only child; I don't have to deal with sibling rivalry and I don't have to share my stuff with anyone, especially my parent's attention. Well they've only seen the bright side. What they haven't seen is that I had to deal with loneliness at such a young age - by playing with toys on my own; not being to talk to someone from the same viewpoint about my family. And I need to learn about people skills on a daily basis (and when I think I need to take a break, then I'll spend time by myself).

One of my struggles growing up is that since I'm used with the attention that my parents gave me, I found it difficult for me to accept the real world. I had my own struggles back then and its hard to tell about it without someone about my age giving me advise back then. This experience somehow made me realize that life is not a bed of roses. Maybe this is the reason why I would allow my friends to make their own mistakes and not to become protective because I know that I will deprive them about the things that they need to learn.

Since I'm an only child, I'm the only one that my parents can rely on to take care of them when they grow old. I don't see it as a responsibility; it's my way of giving them back and showing them what I've become because of them. And that would require for me to be really strong. This is the reason why I opted to be away in the meantime; to learn all the things that I need to know in life and to prepare myself for that. I don't have anyone to help me.

Another misconception about being an only child is that we're spoiled. Think again. If you've read what I just wrote, you will see where I'm coming from. Everything has its own advantage and disadvantage. I just hope that I was able to show the other side of the coin.

On Solitude.. once again

2008-04-10T01:01:00.005+08:00

Recently I prefer to spend most of my free time alone. I want to have my own plans and I don't want to depend on others. I know that many people may find it weird, especially with the Filipinos whose accustomed in having a companion most of the time. Sometimes, people might ask why I didn't invite them or certain individuals to accompany me. I know that I would encounter these type of questions; but I opt not to answer because I don't think that I have to explain them every action that I do.

Weird as it may sound, I feel free when I'm alone. I don't need to worry about someone else's welfare. I can do anything I want without thinking about the others. And I must say that most of the memorable experiences that I had started with me being alone - I went through my course and stayed in a dormitory without knowing anyone; I was on my own in my first flight going to the US and I didn't know my onshore mates personally; the same thing happened when I started working in my present job. I had my own misadventures as well and I'm proud to say that I was able to get through those things.

Let me remind you that I am not a loner; I have my friends and I know that they treasure me as much as I value them. The last thing that I want when people hear me doing things on my own is pity. Also, I hate it when people starts to become overprotective because I know that I can take care of myself (eventhough I have a childlike disposition) and I know when to ask for help. I know that they're only concern about me but the way I see it, they don't understand the benefits of solitude.

And just like what I've said earlier, I don't need to explain myself any further.

Restless state

2008-04-10T00:10:00.006+08:00

I don't know what's wrong with me. I felt uneasy and anxious (in other words, hindi mapakali). inspite of all the things that I've been doing - busy workload, weekly rehearsals (which means that I have to study our music sheets), sight singing classes, piano lessons, gym and my household chores (whew!). I don't know, all of a sudden, it just feels like monotonous to me.

Last week, my piano teacher Soo invited me to attend Cafe Immaculatte; a fund raising project to generate funds for the World Youth Day in our parish. Soo is one of the organizers of this event - an acoustic night with an open mic session. Since I had nothing to do that night, I asked Joy, one of my friends here, to come with me since we wanted to do an activity like this for such a long time. Anyway, we had a blast that night and we really enjoyed it :)

And I realized that I wanted to break the monotony that I feel right now. Yes, I am busy but sometimes, doing the same thing makes me feel uneasy. I feel trapped, mingling with the same people that I see in the office, hearing the same stories all over again. If I don't get my ME time anytime soon, I know that I'll become moody and I don't want the people around me to suffer because of that. I think I haven't reached out that much with my choir mates and my church community. Too bad I won't be able to join the Music Camp next month in Singapore which is a good opportunity for me to mingle with my choirmates.

Anyway, I know that this will soon pass. I just need to find my sanctuary. This is the reason why I'd rather spend my weekends alone or doing my own plans. I know I had this before. Maybe I just needed to try on some new things. Anyway, I know it will just happen at the right time. :)

Next week, I'll be on night support. This will definitely keep my mind off from what I feel. At least, I don't have to worry about it during that time.

Falling into places

2008-04-09T01:17:00.001+08:00

Have you ever thought that when something happens in your life and its not something that you've planned, it could actually lead you to something; an event that is meant to have a significant impact to your life?

For example, a few years ago, I had no plans of working as an OFW. I was contented with my previous job; but when things did not turn out well in my career progression, I grabbed the first job offer that I received. Fortunately, it was a good opportunity for me to work abroad. My stint here in Malaysia had taught me a lot of things; which are necessary for me to learn the things in life that I need to know for the future, which pushed me to become a mature (hopefully) individual. Also, my experiences had taught me to love myself, to value my relationships (especially with my family) and to think about priorities in life. And I couldn't imagine myself if I could be the person that I am now if I went to another place.

The same thing goes in relationships. It may sound cliche but most people say that they don't things to happen and for love to come. Everything just fell into the right place and at the right time. I guess that's what the elderly would have to say when they found out that a 20-year-old person is still single: "Darating na lang yan!"

Anyway, wherever our journey leads us, I guess this is just a matter of faith to get through it. We should trust that everything that happens to us for a reason. And for that, we need to open and sensitive to all the lessons that we need to learn, or else, the same thing is bound to happen again

We will rock you

2008-04-03T22:47:00.002+08:00

Being a sucker for musicals, my friends Gilbert, Gen and Dru and I travelled all the way to Singapore to watch We will rock you the musical at the Esplanade. MiG Ayesa reprised his West End role as its male protagonist, Galileo Figaro.

We will rock you is a musical that paid tribute to the Queen's biggest hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody, We are the Champions and of course, We Will Rock you. I must admit that the plot is pretty shallow and I agree to what some reviews had pointed out that its weak. But I must say that the ensemble was excellent and the punchlines are funny. It was really entertaining. No wonder, most of the audience gave a standing ovation to the cast. Even though its actually a no-brainer, I enjoyed the show and I could say that the 5-hour travel that we did was all worth it. I highly recommend this show for those who just want to relax and just have a good time.

Paris Je T'aime

2008-03-19T01:20:00.004+08:00

I've been a fan for French romantic movies since I watched Amelie. I was intrigued with the plot of "Love me if you dare" but I can't find a copy of the movie with English subtitles (too bad). When I found out that this movie is going to be shown here in KL, I was excited.

Paris Je T'aime is a compilation of 18 short movies all set in Paris, dealing with what the city is famous for - LOVE. The movie have shown different aspects of love - love at its initial stages, love in times of sickness, love of a grieving mother, love for a dying wife and the list goes on. The theme is light, which makes it genuine.

The story that really struck me is "14ème Arrondissement", a story of a middle-aged single American traveller who studied to speak French in preparation for her "trip of the lifetime". Here is the famous quote in that particular story:

Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me. It was like remembering something I'd never known before or had always been waiting for, but I didn't know what. Maybe it was something I'd forgotten or something I've been missing all my life. All I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness. But not too much sadness, because I felt alive. Yes, alive. That was the moment I fell in love with Paris. And I felt Paris fall in love with me.

I highly recommend to watch this movie for those who have a chance to do so.

Searching my soul..

2008-03-15T03:15:00.010+08:00

When I was in grade school, I was very religious and an active participant in most of the church activities - I was with the choir, a member of the Children of Mary, was picked as a lector during our baccalaureate mass and was often asked to become the prayer leader in our school activities. I was once voted as the COM member of the year because of the commitment that I've demonstrated. My parents were usually teased by their friends because they're afraid that I'll end up entering the convent to become a nun (yeah, seriously!).

When I reached my teenage years, my commitment faded. I tried to join the youth ministry but I felt that it did not give me the fulfillment I need spiritually so I slowly drifted away from the Church. I was dealing with my teenage angst back then. All the things that I learned became meaningless. I was battling with my demons. Eventually, I started to question the reason behind every ritual that was imposed on me. I no longer join my parents in praying the rosary and novenas. But I know that this should be normal as I started to grow up; every relationship experience the its own stage of doubts right and without that, its not a real relationship.

But as my journey in life progresses, I can say that I feel His presence in my life. Being away from my comfort zone taught me how to trust Him, and made my existence more meaningful. It may sound cliche but I think its true. He may let me experience some difficulties in life and I know that's the time when He wants to remind me of my relationship with Him.

Allow me to share with you the phrase that really struck me from the homily that I heard 2 Sundays ago. The priest mentioned that as young people, we continue to search for wisdom. And as we go through that journey, it will eventually lead us to Jesus Christ. His teachings serves as a link between reason and faith. This homily gave me hope that even though I don't go to the Church most of the time, it does not mean that I no longer give importance to my faith. I may not read the Bible most of the time but I know that God communicates through the people around me. But by doing this, have I become a good example as a Christian even though I don't go to the Church quite often?

And Christ answered my question. On my way home last weekend from my piano class, I met an exchange music student from Africa. I mentioned to him that I am a member of a choral group. He asked me if I am a Christian because choral groups are associated to Christianity. I said yes. And I realized that by doing what I really love, and enhancing the talent that He gave me, I became a living example of His teachings.

Un-Hopeless Romantic

2008-03-11T01:03:00.008+08:00

On my way home from our choir practice, one of the topics that my choirmates and I chatted is about why both of us were still single. According to him, fate has not intervened yet and he hasn't found that someone that he's intensely attracted to. He said that his friends may think that he's naive and ridiculous (actually I do) but that's what he believes in.

I find his answer quite 'interesting' because its rare for me to hear that kind of point of view from a guy. I mean, I always hear my female friends saying those kind of things, probably because most of us grew up watching or reading fairy tales, and most of girls end up believing that someday, their prince charming will come and rescue them from all the evil witches and spells. But for a guy to say those kind of stuff is something that's really new to me. Or maybe because I haven't asked much around the POV of the opposite sex. Probably, that guy needs to speaks the women's lingo (you know, the happily ever after thingie and not about sex).

I mentioned this to some of my friends and most of them found that answer to be normal. I don't know. And then I realized that most of the people around me opted to become hopeless romantics.

I do not consider myself to be one. As much as I loved the movies The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Notting hill and While you were sleeping, I didn't imagine myself that the guy portrayed by Ben Chaplin, Hugh Grant or Bill Pullman will come along and save me from all the burdens that I'm been going through. I used to read the Love Stories and Sweet Dreams book series and I admit that I feel good reading these kind of novels but I really didn't get to the point of imagining myself to be the protagonist in those novels. Probably because I was also exposed with the stories that my mom (who's handling the women's desk) used to share while our family eat dinner - about the stories of women who were abused by their loved ones. At the end of each stories (which could be funny, absurd or heartbreaking), she will always tell me the lessons that I need to know.

Most of my hopeless romantic friends thought that I'm the one that they can into whenever they need to get in touch with the real world. Well, its still up to them to decide on what they should do. But if you think that being an unromantic is a good thing, think again. Unlike the hopeless romantics, the point of view that I usually give is always on the safe side. And love is all about taking risks, which makes it beautiful.

This now led me to ask myself - until when should I remain this way? Well, I know that when I meet my match, my opinions will changes and someone can make me take that risk. But while waiting for that person to come, I will still continue my role as someone to give my friends their own dose of reality check.

Super Mario

2008-03-08T13:16:00.002+08:00

One of my favorite games in my Nintendo Family Computer was Super Mario Bros. Of course, everyone play this game during my childhood. Of course, who would forget that pressing button A would make Mario/Luigi jump and B will make them run or fire a bullet on Koopa's monsters. I knew some of the cheats on how to get to the castle where the princess is hidden but unfortunately I wasn't able to save her.

And then there came Mario 2. Now that the princess is saved, there are four of them who's battling with Koopa. Its totally different from the 1st game because each character has a special power - Luigi can jump really high, the Toad has agility, the Princess can suspend longer while Mario has a balance of these abilities. Sadly, I wasn't able to complete this game :(

Anyway, I found this site where I can play some of Mario's games --> http://www.mariogame.info/. Unlike the Nintendo controller where I can use a different set of hands for shooting and jumping, I have to use the up arrow keys and right keys for the character to proceed. Just imagine how difficult it is for me to do that! Anyway, probably I'll get used to it. I'm just happy that I have this thing when I'm in a childlike mood :)

Rants and Raves for today

2008-03-06T00:51:00.005+08:00

As what I've mentioned, I think I was caught by love bug that struck most people around me. Well, being a listener drained me emotionally.. so I'm taking a few days off as a "shrink" and I'll try to keep myself away from all the hopeless romantics out there.

Starting this week, I was assigned to be the primary support for one of the high profile countries. The role is demanding and the users are quite sensitive; it would be a challenge for me to balance my musical activities and my work. However, it's a very goodopportunity. At this point, it would be better if I remain optimistic; my colleagues are nice enough to guide me with my daily tasks. At ang pinakamasaya sa lahat, ka-work ko ang crush ko! =P (pero innocent lang crush lang po yun)

Oh well, I need to focus on studying my music sheets for the choir. I tried to record our previous rehearsal and I realized that I was singing out of tune! I was really embarassed when Gen pointed that out!

I love you virus

2008-03-04T22:01:00.003+08:00

I don't know what's up with everyone lately. Most of the people around me are dealing with their own love problems. And its nothing like watching a Star Cinema trilogy where all the protagonists ended up happily ever after.

You see, love as portrayed by these kind movies is something that gives you that kilig feeling whenever the other person is near you; having someone to hold your hand or having a reason for you to wake up each morning.

But love in not like that. Its just the icing of the cake. Falling in love is a responsibility. You're accountable to that person you love, your loved ones and yourself. Unfortunately, most people would only consider their commitment to their special someone. They often forget the things that they need to do for themselves and for the people who care about them. They choose to lose their dignity and it really hurts their family and friends. This is the reason why most relationships are ruined.

And yes, I am one of those people who are affected by my loved ones who chose to fall in love. As a friend, the only thing that I can do is to listen and to give them an advice. Even though it breaks my heart to see them get hurt, I know that they need to experience that so that they would become wiser and more responsible with their actions.

I told one of my friends whose in an illicit relationship that in order for her to get out from that affair, she should not be afraid to be alone. Now that she already know what kind of love she could give in that setup, I hope that she'd realize how many people also get hurt when she tells us how hard it is to become a mistress. I wish that one day, she will realize that there's a lot of people who loves her, giving her the courage to set herself free.

Things that I wanted to do before I reach 30

2008-02-27T01:10:00.002+08:00

Previously, I had a post about pursuing my passion. Gen and I talked about it earlier which made me want to list down all the things that I wanted to do before I reach 30. Here's what I got so far and the closest thing that I did to achieve it:

- get into graduate school (I almost submitted my application form in Ateneo Graduate School of Information Technology)

- publish an article in Youngblood (can this blog make up for it? I'm still working on this one and I still have 2 more years)

- learn to play a musical instrument (I'm going to take piano lessons beginning this Saturday)

- join a professional choral group (I'm with YKLS)

- join a singing contest (I won 3rd place in Scope Idol)

- live independently (do I need to say more? I'm in Truly Asia)

- travel outside Asia (I've been to US due to an onshore assignment)

- watch a musical in Broadway (I've seen Chicago)

- watch Avenue Q onstage (still keeping my fingers crossed on this)

- perform in a musical, kahit chuwariwap lang (nag-attempt naman akong um-attend ng Trumpets workshop for musical theater)

- maging fashionista (well I'm still working on that =P)

So if you're going to look at this list, most of them are related to music and travelling.. career wise, well most of the time that I'm awake is spent in the office, do you think that I still need to daydream about it? Got my point?

Well the list should not stop there but these are the things that I've been working on.. and since I only have more than 2 years, I have to set my goals realistically. I just wish that I can achieve most of my goals. Wish me luck :)

Dancing thru life

2008-02-26T01:28:00.003+08:00

This past weekend, I spent 2 days joining 2 classes each day - Body Jam and Line Dance Funk. Its the only thing that makes me go to gym. I really love to dance; but before getting your hopes high, I just wanted to make clear that I am NOT a dancer. I'd rather sing (because I know that's where I'm good at). If you're going to look at my MP3 player, it contains the latest upbeat songs in the radio. And believe it or not, I usually dance in my room (usually in the morning; its something that wakes me up) ala Ally McBeal (but mind you there's no dancing baby involved) and imagine myself in bar with full blast hiphop music :) Even though I dance like a lunatic in my room, I haven't done that in public. One of the main reasons is because I haven't been in a bar where I really like its music and its crowd. Also, usually, when I go in bar, I wear heels and its really difficult to dance when you're all dressed up. This is why, I enjoyed going to the gym because I'm wearing the most comfortable clothes and shoes so I can dance like a party animal.

Pabigyan nyo na ako about this one.. Its been a long time since I last updated my blog. =P

Just a thought...

2008-02-25T00:56:00.006+08:00

If you would look back on how you've spent the past few years and ask yourself what have you accomplished so far, what would be your answer? What was your dream back then and what did you do about it?

Now that you found out where you are right now and that (hopefully) you know what you want, what is your plan to achieve that goal? Can you imagine yourself being on the same situation 2 years from now and just realize that you haven't done something significant with your life?

And why am I asking these questions? Well, I did that to myself a couple of months ago. Yes, I am 26 years old, which some people might see it as young while some thought that its old enough to get married. And then it hit me.. how come I did not do something significant with my life? What was my excuse back then? It's sad to realize that I haven't done something fruitful to seek my passion after all those years. I feel wasted when I found out that I'm stuck to where I was a few years ago. And I'm not getting any younger.

And now, even if its tiring and crazy to balance what I really want and what I have to do, I always tell myself that its gonna be worth it. And I should give myself credit that I'm finally doing it. At least I know that I gave it a shot and hopefully, I won't have any regrets on how my 2 years is going to be spent :)

Catchup Catchup

2008-02-24T02:32:00.006+08:00

Its been a long time since I last wrote a blog about what's happening with me. I hope this blog entry can make it up for those times that I did not write about it.

After our Bangkok adventure, we celebrated for Mars' surprise birthday party. It was actually an idea brought up by Ace at the last minute, so it was not planned very well. All i can say is that it was an event full of (comedic) errors. We ended up beingsurprised ourselves because Mars turned up at places that we never expected. But anyway, what's important was that we were able to celebrate her birthday with her closest friends singing Bakit di na lang totohanin ang lahat? *wink wink*

10 months had passed and 13 students had graduated from my Computer Fundamental Class in FWRC. It was a whole day formal affair held at Hotel Maya in Kuala Lumpur with some of the political figures from the Philippines (Pardon me because I really can't remember exactly who the guest speaker was). Anyway, after my stint here, I realized that teaching is not really one of my passions. I don't think that I can commit another year with them. But at least, I'm still glad that I tried it.

Once my weekend was free since my Sunday classes were over, I decided to keep my weekends busy by doing what I really love - singing. I enrolled in a vocal class at the International College of Music (ICOM) and this time, I tried pop singing (I used to have classical voice lessons at UP College of Music Extension Program) under Mira. It was good because the songs that we studied are Natural Woman, Sweet Love and Another Sad Love Song.

One of my friends, Gilbert, decided to work here with Scope. I'm glad (o hayan lolo, walang bahid ng ka-plastikan yan! =P) that I have another kakulitan here in PJ and Im looking forward for more misadventures with him.

Anyway, since I love to plan for surprises and I needed to redeem myself from Mars' disastrous birthday planning, I helped out to organize the surprise gifts for Gen's birthday party together with Minnie and Dru. With her friends' help, we were able to come up with a 100 things about her. It was fulfilling because she was happy :)

Remember my previous post about the Young KL Singers? Right after my weekend music class in Titiwangsa, I have travelled 1 hour to go to TTDI (which is far by KL standards) for the screening and went to KLCC (whew). But it was all worth it because I made it! =P I've always wanted to join a prestigious choral group (yung professional at hindi ung binubuo lang) so it was exciting for me to get into this group.

My parents and Aunt Emie visited me here in Malaysia for the holidays. It was our first time to celebrate it outside Philippines. We went to Singapore to spend Christmas with my cousins. All I can say is that Christmas is still not the same compared to the Philippines.

And talking about a memorable Christmas, since I need to get back for work, Gilbert and I decided to take the last trip going back to KL on Christmas day. Unfortunately, due to some unfortunate circumstances, i.e the confusion between Transnational and Transtar, we missed our bus and had to stay an extra night in Singapore (thanks Janjan for accommodating us). It was funny because earlier that night, I wished to have more misadventures in 2008.. but boy, that wish was granted so fast huh?

Oh, I almost forgot, my housemates organized a carolling to let our fellow Filipino colleagues feel the spirit of Christmas. It was a fun experience and it was fulfilling to see their reactions whenever we sing Filipino Christmas carols. And to top it off, my housemates hosted a Christmas party to all of our friends as a thanksgiving and a celebration of our friendship.

After my parent's spent their 3-week vacation here in KL, the next thing that kept me busy was the YKLS rehearsals held every Monday night. It is something that I look forward every week, even though I'm still struggling with reading a music sheet. Anyway, the group is composed of around 40 members (predominantly Malaysian-Chinese). The rehearsal is spent on vocalization, learning the song, ice breakers and lectures about performing arts. Aside from the weekly rehearsal, I have my sight singing class on Thursday nights.

For the Chinese New Year long weekend, I went back to the Philippines. I met with some f my friends (thanks for your time guys) and we celebrated my mother's birthday with my relatives. It was a short trip but I really enjoyed it.

Whew! That was a quick update indeed. Now you've seen how busy I was (not to mention my current workload) and you know why it took me sometime to update this blog :)

my first poem in this blog..

2008-02-16T00:51:00.003+08:00

when i first lay my eyes on you
i knew that it was love at first sight
and to myself i know its true
it was something that I need to fight

for weeks you're always in my mind
from the moment you've said hello
something that my mind can't grind
i never thought i could go this low

most of my friends would say hold on
i digress; they wouldn't understand
how myself was already won
by something that is not that grand

and finally i took the leap
not minding what other people think
i know the joy that it will reap
once i see you give me a wink

and finally when I started to touch
in my heart you brought such warmth
i told my myself its a different notch
i wont let others bring you harmth

and now we've found each other
i wouldnt allow for us to be apart
my keyboard, no one can hinder
a new song that could be the start

Ako at ang aking buhok...bow

2008-01-27T23:16:00.000+08:00

Nung bata pa ako, makintab at tuwid ang buhok ko. Madalas sabihin ng mga tao na maganda ang buhok ko - hindi tumitikwas, palaging bagsak. Kaya naman habang ako ay lumalaki, nakasanayan kong maayos ang buhok ko. Kapag ako noon ay nagpapagupit, ang madalas sabihin ng nanay ko ay "apple cut" - na mas kilala bilang bob cut at may bangs kung saan ang aking noo ay natatakpan ng aking buhok. Bagay pa sa akin noon ang maikling buhok sapagkat ako ay isang patpating bata. At syempre, naranasan ko rin ang magkaroon ng kuto at ito ang nagiging dahilan upang ako ay magpagupit. Kung makikita mo ang aking mga larawan, halos iisa ang gupit ko hanggang ako ay nasa Grade 4.

Nung Grade 5 ako, sinubukan kong pahabain pa ang buhok ko. Hindi ako nagpunta sa manggupit sa loob ng dalawang taon. Dahil dito, humaba ang buhok ko hanggang sa aking baywang. Wala na rin akong bangs. Marami ang nagsasabi na nagmukha akong matanda dahil sa ayos kong iyon. Nung panahon ring yun, madalas sabihin ng aking kamag-aral na marami akong patay na buhok. Dahil dito, tumatak sa isipan ko na hindi bagay sa akin ang mahabang buhok at marami akong patay na buhok (which is bad).

Pagsapit ko ng High School, minabuti kong paputulan ulit ng maikli ang aking buhok dahil sa ako ay lilipat na rin ng paaralan. At para na rin magmukha akong trese anyos. Bumalik sa "apple cut" ang buhok ko. Kapag nagsisimula nang tumikwas ang buhok ko, nagpapagupit na ako. Halos iisa pa rin ang gupit ko. Ang pinakamahaba lang ay nung 4th year ako kung saan umabot ito lampas balikat. Subalit ang hindi ko makakalimutan ay ang yearbook picture ko dahil flyaway ang buhok ko nun. Naalala ko pa ung kabarkada ko habang inaayusan nya ako dahil pinipilit nyang wag tumikwas ang buhok ko. Subalit sadyang pasaway talaga ang buhok ko kaya naging ganun ang litrato ko.

Pagtuntong ko sa kolehiyo, nagsimula nang maging wavy ang buhok ko. Ang resulta, madalas tumikwas ang buhok na sya namang kinainisan ko kaya ako ay madalas magpagupit. Dito ko naranasang paikliin ang buhok ko, to the point na parang panlalaki na ang gupit ko. Naiinis kasi ako dahil mahirap at matagal mag-ayos ng buhok sa umaga. Natutunan ko na rin palang magpagupit sa Davids at malaman kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng wash, cut and blow dry.

Nung kolehiyo, marami akong nakilalang naging kikay. Merong nagpapa-hot oil linggu-linggo; merong nagbigay sa akin ng anti-frizz products para hindi daw tumikwas ang buhok ko. Sila ang nagturo sa akin na maliban sa paggupit, ang parlor ay may prosesong tinatawag na relax. Sinubukan kong magpahaba ng buhok at gawin ang prosesong ito. Mahal man kung ituturing para sa isang mag-aaral na katulad ko subalit masasabi ko na dun ko lang naramdaman na sobrang ganda ko (syempre, ang ganda ng buhok ko e hehehehe). Matapos ang isang taon, nawala na ang bisa ng relax kaya naisipan kong magpa-relax muli. Ngunit sa pagkakataong ito, nag-downgrade ako sa suking parlor sa aming komunidad dahil kailangan kong makatipid. Ang resulta, nagmukhang tambo ang buhok ko at nasira dahil sa tapang ng gamot. Naranasan ko na ring magkaroon ng split ends. Dahil dito, nagkaroon ako ng unang alituntunin pag dating sa buhok: hinding hindi ko na babaratin ang buhok ko.

Nung ako ay naghahanap ng trabaho, sinimulan kong pahabain ulit ang buhok ko. May kwento kasi ako tungkol diyan. Nung nagkaroon ng job fair sa aming unibersidad, namigay ako ng resume sa mga employers. Nang iabot ko ang resume sa isang kumpanya, ako ay napagkamalang lalaki. E kasi naman, boy cut ang buhok ko tapos wala pa akong makeup. Kaya naman nabuo ang pangalawang alituntunin: magpahaba ng buhok habang nag a apply at maglagay ng makeup para naman magmukha akong babae. Dahil rin dito, natuto akong maglagay ng kung anu anong kulorete sa aking mukha.

Nang ako ay nagkaroon ng trabaho, taun taun kong pinapa-relax ang buhok ko. Ngunit hindi pa rin ito sapat, sapagkat napaka-humid sa Pilipinas at madalas pa akong mag-commute. Sa madaling salita, palagi pa ring magulo ang buhok ko. Umaayos lang ito isang buwan matapos kong magpa-relax. Isama pa ang dahilan na 2-3 oras ang byahe ko sa umaga kaya ako ay wala nang panahon para ayusin ang buhok ko.

Bago ako umalis ng Pilipinas, madalas akong nagpapagupit. Pero ewan ko ba, feeling ko minamalas ako kasi tingin ko ginago ako. Bago ako umalis papuntang Estados Unidos, kasagsagan pa ng F4 noon. Hindi ko alam kung fanatic lang talaga ung nanggugupit sa akin kaya naman naging ganun ang buhok ko. Dahil dito, wala akong choice kundi paiklian ang buhok ko na para akong lalaki. Ang nakakainis pa, kaka-relax ko pa lang noon kaya feeling ko, baliwala lang ang pagpapa-relax ko.

Dahil sa ako'y namalagi sa US sa loob ng 6 na buwan, humaba ang buhok ko dahil mahal magpa-parlor dun. Maraming nagsabi na mas bagay nga raw ang mahabang buhok sa akin. Kung ang buhok mo ay wavy at madalas kang mag commute, mahirap talaga i-maintain yun. Una pa lang, kapag sumakay ka sa jeep, tiyak na mahahanginan ang buhok mo sa iisang direksyon. Sa maniwala kayo o sa hindi, naranasan ko na ring magbandana para naman ndi forever flyaway ang buhok ko sa iisang direksyon.

Nang ako ay nagsimulang mag-trabaho d2 sa Malaysia, hindi ko na dinaranas ang katakot takot na pag-co-commute. Hindi rin masyadong humid kumpara sa pinas. Kaya naman nagkaroon ako ng oras mag ayos at sinimulan ko na ring pahabain ang buhok ko. Mas natuwa akong ayusin ang buhok ko - naranasan ko nang mag-experiment; naglagay na ako ng highlights, side bangs at higit sa lahat, naranasan ko nang magpakulot (kahit isang gabi lang).. at nagustuhan ko naman ang resulta :)

Bakit ko naman naisulat ito? Wala lang.. nais ko lang ipabatid kung gaano ako obsessed sa buhok ko. Hindi man masyadong halata pero babae naman talaga ako. Kapag ako ay stressed, madalas akong pumunta sa parlor. Bahala na kung anong gagawin sa buhok ko, as long as maganda naman ako.

Note: Ipagpaumanhin po ninyo kung hindi ko masyadong naayos ang nilalaman ng lathalaing ito. Inaantok na kasi ako at sinusulat ko na lang kung anuman ang pumasok sa isip ko. Ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit mas pinili kong isulat ito sa wikang Tagalog.

Comeback (na naman?)

2008-01-25T00:35:00.000+08:00

After a long hiatus, I'm finally back in the blogging scene. A lot of reasons kept me from updating my blog. Mainly, I wanted to complete my entry about our Bangkok adventure. Now that I've finished it, I can write about other things. As far as my blog is concerned, I have a lot of catching up to do - such Mars' surprise birthday party, FWRC graduation at Maya hotel, my Christmas at Singapore, which is my first time to spend it outside Manila. Of course, since its already 2008, I still need to write about how 2007 had been to me and my goals in the year of the Rat.

Since I still have a lot of things that I want to write, I don't think I can move forward with this blog if I'll do that. Not to mention that I've been busy with work and my extra-curricular activities - household chores, workout (as if!), social life and my passion, music :) I'll tell you more about this on my succeeding posts. So please bear with me my dear readers. In the meantime, I just wanted to let you know that I'm back in the blogging scene :)

Chronicles of a Globetrekker - Day 1 - Amazing Thailand

2007-11-19T00:31:00.000+08:00

After 3 months of planning, we finally headed to Bangkok! This is the second time that I've been into this country. I made my first trip exactly 2 years ago with my parents, when we had our first tour outside the country. At that time, since we came from Singapore (which is a very orderly country) and we found Bangkok to be very similar to the disorganized lifestyle in Manila. Honestly, it was really not among my favorite cities. However, since my friends are coming to explore this city, I decided to come along with them and try to experience it with a younger crowd. So let me share with you guys about what happened during the planning stage.

Where? The trip planning started with an idea of spending an out-of-town trip (probably in Redang) during the Hari Raya holiday among my office chatmates, Gen and Dru. However, we can't afford to travel 8 hours by land and to ride a 1-hour ferry going to the island, the remaining option that we have is to take the plane. Since we're taking the plane, Dru suggested that we go to Samui Island in Thailand since he has a friend who works there. When we checked the flights to that destination, we found the airfare to be expensive and it appeared that we have to take 2 planes to reach that place. So we decided to go to Bangkok instead. Even though I've been there before, I didn't object because I think it would still be a different experience if I go back once again with my friends.

Who? Now that we've decided our destination, we need to know who's coming with us. I mentioned about this trip to Rey and he said that he said that he's interested to come. We invited a few friends as well to come with us but they all declined (some of them stressed that they don't want to be the 5th wheel on this double date.. oh come on guys!). So this is going to be a trip of four tall people.

When? Our original plan was to take a leave during Hari Raya. However, our Malay colleagues would be the priority during this time so we thought of having it a week before Hari Raya. We chose to have on the 4th of October until the 7th. Fortunately, our leaves were approved with no questions asked.

Our itinerary has been planned for almost 2 months and now everything is set. We have booked our flights via Air Asia. We availed a package and decided to stay at Century Park hotel due to its good feedback from travelers.

And for the big day, we all decided to meet at KL Sentral at 7 AM. Everyone is excited about it (well who's not, right?). Fortunately, I was early (and I was able to blowdry my hair and apply my kikay makeup...bihira lang yun ha). We were able to make it to the 7:30 bus bound to LCCT on that day. After we checked in our luggages, we ate at McDonalds for our breakfast and started to take some pictures (take note, nasa Malaysia pa lang kami nyan ha).

Since all the four of us are tall (we're collectively known as the 4 towers), we all availed the Xpress Boarding option for Air Asia so that we could pick the most convenient seats for us, which are the seats at the first row. It took us 2 hours to get to Bangkok. It was my first time to sit on front and we got to observe the flight attendants during the flight.

Our plane landed at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. This is Bangkok's new airport. It was my first time to arrive in this airport and the first thing that I saw are the 2 demons, which reminded me of the huge statues seen inside Wat Phra Kew. There's nothing much to see at the arrival area. Once we got our luggages, we took some maps and hailed a cab to Century Park Hotel.

It took us 30 minutes to get to the hotel. Even though it was my second time to explore this city, I still can't help but feel amazed - with the way how the roads and fly overs are done in a looping manner and the colorful taxi cabs (blue, pink, orange, etc). It is actually similar to Manila, except for its alphabet shown on its signs and billboards (I don't know what it's called).

We reached the hotel at around 2 PM (Bangkok Standard Time). It was funny because upon check-in, the receptionist thought that all of us are couples. It took a while for the hotel to prepare the room for us. Too bad, our rooms were situated on separate floors.

After our check-in, we asked the receptionist on how we could get to Ayutthaya. She recommended us to go to the nearest TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand) office. A Mercedes Benz took us there for 200 baht (which means that I had to shell ot 50 baht, just to experience what its like to ride that car). Once we arrived at the office, we booked a cab that would tour us around the ancient city. The staff were friendly and told us a lot about Bangkok. We noticed that there's a display of bills on different denominations at their table. Rey gave the staff a 20-peso bill so that it could be included to their collection.

After we left TAT, we asked the driver to bring us to the nearest restaurant. We were sooo hungry because we didn't eat our lunch yet and its already 4 PM. The driver took us to a seafood restaurant. However, Dru is allergic to seafood, so we went to a nearby eatery (carinderia) where we had our first taste of authentic Thai food during this trip (yum!).

After we had our "lunch", we asked the locals on how we could go to Cabbages and Condoms, considered to be one of Thailand's best restaurants. It was located a few blocks away from Nana Station of BTS. The restaurant was still closed when we reached that place. We were an hour and a half earlier from its dinner time. Since we had nowhere to go to, we tried to have a foot massage.. and believe me, it was sooo good :) It was relaxing.

After pampering ourselves, we went to Cabbages and Condoms. As what the name suggests, the decors of the restaurant are made of condoms - starting with a giant condom hanging at the entrance. There's an intriguing sign with this message - "Safety First" and around its big letters are sketches of different sexual positions (interesting right? hahahaha!).

The dining area is quite dim, to which Dru commented as romantic (hell yeah, underneath a giant condom lamp hahaha!). The area is open and I think I got some mosquito bites. Enough about the place, the food is great and there was no doubt that it was indeed one of Bangkok's best restaurants. Here's one thing unique about this restaurant: each customer was given a condom after dining - like a fortune cookie to a chinese restaurant. I was glad that we included this place in our itinerary.

Our next destination that night was the Patpong district. For those who's living on another planet, this is the famous prostitution area where all freak shows are staged (which some of my friends labelled as "pe**ek" show). We almost went into one but due to "uncontrollable circumstances", it didn't push through (sayang, may condom pa naman ang mga guys hahahaha!!!). So we ended up hanging in our hotel room playing cards.

It was a long day for us. But it was fun. This is the good thing the first day during travelling - you'll always keep asking for more :)

Thailand Adventure Day 2: Ayutthaya

2007-10-18T23:10:00.000+08:00

After spending a night in our room, what a great feeling it is to wake up at the hotel, to be away from all the stress of coding, testing and catchup, and to know that I'm in a different country. I'M ON VACATION! Since I'm not really a morning person, I had to drag out of myself from the bed. Half-awake, I did my morning routine. Good thing, the Bangkok time is 1-hour delayed from my body clock (KL time) so even if I'm late, I'm still on time.. Get it?

Anyway, we had a sumptous intercontinental breakfast at the hotel - we had waffle, bacon, omelet, French toast, fruits, blueberry danish and the list goes on. I am not a morning person so I'm not really in the mood to chat that morning (usually I'm quiet at mornings as my mind is not awake). Well, I have no choice because the cab the would bring us to Ayutthaya, our itinerary for that day, came at around 8:30.

For the second day, we decided to go out of town. We had 2 choices - Ayutthaya and Koh Samet. Koh Samet is one of the famous beaches in Thailand. Some of my friends compare it to Puerto Galera and many tourists who wanted to experience the beach in Thailand go to this place because of its proximity to Bangkok (about 3.5 hours away). However, since travelling to the beach would take 7 hours of our time and we had booked our hotel, this plan didn't push through because we thought that this could be tiring. Ayutthaya, however, is nearer. I planned to go to this place when my parents visited Thailand but due to time constraints, we were not able to do so. Some of my friends who have been to this place gave a good feedback. Given this, we decided to visit this place.

Ayutthaya used to be a capital of Thailand from 1350 to 1767. It was a huge city with beautiful temples. In 1767, it was totally destroyed by the Burmese and the Thai people has not forgiven them for doing this. The gold that were stolen from them are now seen from Rangoon and what was left were enormous ruins which attracted a lot of tourists all across the globe. On December 1991, Ayuttaya was declared as a World Heritage Site in Thailand.

Since I woke up early that day, I slept at the cab on our way to Ayutthaya. I expected that the trip would take 2 hours but we arrived at Ayutthaya after an hour. Here are the places that we've visited:

1. Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
Located in the Southeast of the Ayutthaya Muang Island, the temple was established in 1357 AD in the reign of King U-thong (1350-1369). The Great Chedi Chai Mongkhon, a token of King Naresuan's victory over the Crown Prince of Burma in the duel on elephant back, was erected later in the reign of King Naresuan (1590-1605) at the same time of the temple renovation. Phra Phuttha Chaiya Mongkhon in the ordination hall is one of the most sacred Buddha images in Ayutthaya (excerpt taken from the Thaiways website).

2. Elephant ride
One of Thailand's famous symbol is an elephant. Most of the tourists who visited Thailand never fail to ride an elephant :) We all paid 500 baht for a 30-minute elephant ride that would take us around the ruins and a swamp. Each of us were provided with 3 pieces of cucumber which was use to feed our respective elephant. I am really scared of heights and based from my pictures, you can see that I'm scared while the rest of my companions were enjoying it. It may seem scary but believe it or not, I had a blast :)

3. Wat Mahathat
This is the famous site with the Buddha’s head inside of a tree. It almost looks like the tree is giving birth to him. Locals like to say that the tree lifted it off the ground since it was so holy. Wat Mahatat is perhaps the most historically relevant ruin in Ayutthaya. There are some very unique chedis here, but the main highlight remains the Buddha’s head in the tree (excerpt taken from the Ayutthaya Info website). Notice that in of these pictures, the buddhas were headless. It was believed that the heads of these statues were stolen by the Burmese.

4. Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Wat Chaiwatthanaram was built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong. One theory is that he built this temple on the location of his former home to make merit for his mother – or possibly stepmother. He also had Bang Pa-In Palace build in honor of a second maternal figure, which causes debate as to who King Prasat Thong’s mother actually was. A second theory is that King Prasat Thong (1629-1656) built it as a testament to his greatness and to quell the revolts caused when he usurped the throne. Another theory suggests that he built this temple to celebrate his recent victory over Angkor, using captured slaves and architects from that city to construct it. A final theory is that Wat Chaiwatthanaram was established as part of a campaign to ward off total destruction of the city at the end of the Buddhist millennial year. Buddhist monks predicted the annihilation of Ayutthaya at the millennium unless enough merit had been accumulated by then, so King Prasat Thong launched a massive campaign to build and renovate temples across the city. Whatever the purpose, Wat Chaiwatthanaram marks the beginning of the late Ayutthaya period. The Khmer-style Prang returned after a lengthy period of absence while replaced by bell-shaped chedis (influenced by Ceylon and the Sukhothai Kingdom) (condensed from Ayutthaya Info website)

Since we can get a good view of the temple from afar, we didn't bother to enter the vicinity (which means that we don't have to pay an additional 30 baht). We don't mind though because we spent our time with our new acquaintance =) (see the puppy, he's so cute! hihihi).

5. Wat Lokaya Sutha
The highlight of this temple is its enormous reclining Buddha Image (37 metres long and 8 metres high). It is usually wrapped in brightly colored orange cloth, which makes a beautiful contrast with the blue sky. Notice also how Buddha’s toes are equal in length. This is one of the better sites to visit while in Ayutthaya with little time (taken from Ayutthaya Info website).

6. Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the original site of the Grand Palace, but no monks lived here because it was considered a royal temple. The first two bell-shaped chedis were built in 1492 by King Ramabodhi II (1491-1529). The eastern chedi contains the ashes of his father, King Boromtrailokanath (Trailok). The middle chedi contain the ashes of his elder brother, King Borommaracha III. The western chedi, contains his own remains. At one time, each of the three chedis had a wiharn structure built between them, and they are still represented by the remaining staircase. Another wiharn was added in 1499, which contained a standing bronze Buddha image that was covered with gold. The Burmese melted down the 19 metre high Buddha image for its gold (taken from the Ayutthaya Info website).

Camwhores as we are, we can't help ourselves but to take a lot of pictures. And since the weather in Ayutthaya is quite hot, we treated ourselves with a coconut (notice how Gen took the coconut meat from the picture which caused her to become the butt of jokes once again =P)

7. The Vihara of Phra Mongkhon Bophit
The principal bronze Buddha image, Phra Mongkhon Bophit, is presumed to be built in the reign of King Sanphet VIII or King Tiger (1703-0708). In 1767, when Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese, the vicinity of the monastery was set on fire to remove the gold that gilded the stupas there. Phra Mongkhon Bophit was burnt too. The right arm from the shoulder fell off. A few years ago, the Fine Arts Department discovered lots of small Buddha images inside the left chest. (taken from Thaiways Magazine website).

Before we entered the temple, there was a young boy who's trying to sell us some flowers for the Buddha. He was talking to us in Thai and we can't understand him. We tried to take his picture but the little boy was shy (see the boy with a stalk in the picture below).

It was a tiring day for us. Since it was a hot and humid day, all of us got a tan (or to put it in jologs term, nognog na). We left Ayutthaya at 3:30 PM and we slept again on our way back to Bangkok. We were tired from that trip so we took a rest at the hotel until 7 PM.

We decided to go to MBK shopping mall for dinner. It is one of the popular malls in Bangkok. This was the first time where we ate at the food court. Eating at this kind of establishment required us to be adventurous because no one would explain to us what a particular dish contains unlike in a restaurant where the waiter can explain the ingredients. I ate Pad Thai that night and I was satisfied with it. When we're done eating, we did some window shopping, a few minutes before the mall closes. Fortunately, I managed to buy a city mug from Starbucks, which I told myself to collect in every city that I've visited.

Back at the hotel, we looked at the pictures that we took earlier and laughed at ourselves before we got back to bed. It was a tiring day for us but hey, this is expected. I'm glad that on this day, I've tried something that I've never experienced on my first trip to Thailand - to visit Ayutthaya. I really enjoyed it; in fact, I highly recommend this place for those who's going to visit this country for an authentic Thai experience ;)

Bangkok Trip - Day 3: Shopping Galore

2007-10-14T00:44:00.001+08:00

For our third day, what we did is why most people would do when they visit Bangkok - shopping. Bangkok is a haven for bargain hunters with a lot of choices to choose from. The great thing about Bangkok is that as long as you are good in haggling, you will get good deals when you shop. On my first Bangkok trip, the hotel that we're staying at have a lot of Filipino entrepreneurs who would visit Bangkok to shop for the supplies for their respective business. A proof that it is a shopping haven for every bargain hunter.

For this trip, I told myself that things when I shop, my priorities are 1) a set of spoon and fork for my mother (ang pinakamahalagang bilin nya sa akin; gusto nya kc ung makapal), 2) thai iced tea (I'm really gaga about this, do I need to say more?) and 3) Bangkok's famous spicy tamarind as my pasalubong to my friends in KL. I know where to get the last 2 items so the only thing that I need to find is my mother's cutlery set. The last time that we went to Bangkok, she restrained herself from buying all the cutleries that she saw. When she found out about this trip to Bangkok, the first thing that she said to me is to buy her a set. I asked her what's the difference between the cutleries in Thailand and Philippines and she said that she wants a stainless and thick one (okay fine..).

For our first stop, we went to Chatuchak Weekend Market at the Morchit Station of the BTS Skytain Sukhumvit Line. This market, covering an area of more than 35 acres, contains 15,000 shops and stalls offering a wide range of products from household accessories and Thai handicrafts. This is considered to be the Divisoria of the locals. I could say that the prices in this area is really cheap compared to other stores that I've been to. But just like in Divisoria, this place is crowded and is really hot. I would recommend this place if you have the luxury of time and the patience to shop because it will definitely worthy. But since its very hot that morning, we don't think that we can handle the heat (for our 2-hour stay, I think I've consumed 3 bottles of drinks). But we didn't go home empty handed though because Dru bought a lot of nice shirts for himself and my 3 companions haggled for souvenirs. I also managed to find the cutleries that my mother asked me to buy for her (its pretty expensive pala.. nautakan ako dun ha hahahaha!). Oh, and I think its worth to mention that I bought a half-kilo of Thailand's famous lanzones (my mother went gaga over this that she ate 2 kilos in just one-sitting!).

Since we can't bear the heat in Chatuchak, we all headed to the Platinum Mall, Bangkok's newest mall located near the Pratunam area. This mall was suggested by some of our colleagues who have been to Bangkok recently. It reminded me of Greenhills, thus there's airconditioning inside the mall, much to our delight. But before we proceed with our shopping, we had our lunch at the food center at the 5th floor where I had a Thai omelet with crab meet while my 3 companions had a spicy stir fried beef. After that, we all decided to have our shopping galore and set to meet at 6 PM at the KFC in food court. Rey went on his own while Dru, Gen and I went for shopping. Well, the clothes in that mall has small sizes (big girl kc ako) and the design is not really my style (it's too kikay for me). The same thing happened to Gen as well. So Gen and I ended up as fashion consultant for Dru, who willingly obliged to all our suggestion. We really like to dress him up - aside from the fact that he's willing to do buy whatever we suggest, he is tall, lean, cute (although he's not aware of it) and is a real gentleman. In other words, he can make a lot of girls drool (well, HE IS and he's clueless about it) and we just wanted to bring that out physically (for the record, he's not my crush and I treat him like a younger brother. I just wanted to clarify that). Anyway, he bought 2 tops and a pair of pants. As we shopped for clothes, Gen and Dru acted like kids playing the whole time - they won't stop bickering and teasing each other. Imagine, 2 people who are taller than me doing that.. and they treated me as their babysitter. Anyway, I'm used to it because they would always do that even during office time via Skype.

Since only Dru was the one who found some clothes and he already maxed out his budget, we decided to go to the Pratunam market, where I managed to buy a top, a tube, some souveneir shirts and tamarind for my pasalubong. We're a few minutes late from our 6 PM meeting with Rey, who also went to Pratunam because he wasn't able to buy that much in Platinum. I was really tired with our shopping at that time - imagine I was carrying my mother's cutleries and 2 kilo of tamarind (and the clothes that I bought which is not heavy at all). My feet was really aching at that time.

But it doesn't end there. Since most of us were frustrated from our shopping, we decided to go back to MBK shopping center. Since I was really tired from all the walking that we did, I just sat for more than an hour at the bench near the grocery. My feet was aching. I let my other 3 companions do their own shopping. When Gen and Dru were done with their shopping, I went to the grocery to hoard my Nestle Tea Time Thai Iced tea (I was able to hoard 8 bags, imagine that (the lady in front of me at the counter told me that I don't really like the Thai Iced tea so much haha!). Anyway, I managed to buy 2 knitted sweaters (wee!).

When I got back, we all proceeded to the store that sells Replay and DKNY pants at affordable prizes. All my 3 companions were able to buy their own pants. It was a funny experience because we found out a lot of things: The size of Gen's waistline and that its was Dru's first time to try some fitted pants (he's used on wearing loose ones). After that, we all headed to KFC for dinner.

To reward ourselves from that exhausting shopping experience, we all went for a 2-hour Thai Massage with herbs. It was not my first time to do so. Frow what I know, Thai massage is a dry massage and I have to be dressed while I was being massaged. I didn't know that the package that we availed is more that what I expected. Let me put it this way - we ended up having that typical massage. It was another funny experience for us because we had our own booboos and awkward moments with the masseuse. Hihihi..

The third day made me experience what it means to shop til you drop. It was a VERY tiring day for me. Imagine, we went to 4 shopping areas! Still, the Thai massage is a very good treat for all of us. Not only that, all the things that we did on this is such a great bonding experience for all of us. ;)

Bangkok Adventure Day 4

2007-10-12T23:17:00.000+08:00

Waah! This is the last day! Time flies so fast indeed and we need to make the most out of our trip on our last day. Still high from our Thai massage experience from the previous night, I had to drag myself out of bed. As usual, I woke up at around 7 AM, still half-awake for me to take a bath. Some of my stuff were in my luggage, leaving enough room for my toiletries. Anyway, I told myself to enjoy our last day, even if I barely slept (usually I'm grumpy when I didn't have enough sleep). But hey, this should be an exception because we're on vacation right?

We enjoyed our last breakfast at the hotel. Even though our breakfast consists a wide range of Western delicacies, I can't imagine myself eating that kind of breakfast for the rest of the week (in other words, nakakaumay). After we had our breakfast, we went back to our room to do our final packing (waah! This is it!) and we checked out from the hotel at around 9 AM. We left our things with the hotel after our checkout.

For our last day, our itinerary is to visit the famous temples in Bangkok - Wat Phra Kew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). Since we wanted to experience riding a ferry at the Chao Phraya River, we opted to take the train to Saphan Taksin (BTS Skytrain Silom Line) and then take the Chao Phraya River ferry at the Sathom station, just right below the platform.

I can compare the Chao Phraya River to the Pasig River in Manila. The water is muddy with a lot of water lilies (and other objects like water bottles or plastic wrappers). But its difference from the Pasig River is that its not stinky. I found the ferry ride to be relaxing, even though the river is nothing fancy for me since I grew up in Manila and most of the things that I can see are something that I've experienced in Manila, except for the temples and the monks. I spent the ride taking pictures (well what else should I do? I'm a tourist! =P). At that time, I really appreciate the wide angle feature and quick shutterspeed function of my camera =)

We arrived at Tha Chang pier, the nearest station to Wat Phra Kew and the Grand Palace. The weather is hot and humid, just like in the previous day. I had to setup my tripod for my camera so that all of us are in the pictures. But it was tiring to setup the tripod that day so I decided not to use it anyway.

Based from our research, we're supposed to wear long pants and closed shoes when we go to the temples. But when we arrived at Temple of the Emerald Buddha, I realized that there are people who's wearing sandals (and I'm wearing boots, can you imagine that?). Anyway, its a very hot day although it didn't keep us from taking pictures (camwhore kc kami bwahahaha!!). Even though it was not my first time to go there but hey, 2 years is still a long time for me to remember. During the last time that I've been there, the Grand Palace was under construction. Now, I'm proud to say that I have a picture of the new and improved Grand Palace.

After our stint at the Emerald Buddha, a man approached us that Wat Saket is open for only that day and that there's a free entrance to see the Lucky Buddha. He said that we can visit 3 other temples, all for the cheap price of 40 baht! Since we're all excited to see more temples and to ride a tuktuk, we all went for it. After a few moments, Rey felt that something's wrong and if we have read something about it. So we became alert on where we're supposed to go. After we saw a sign that points where Wat Saket is located and realized that we're heading the opposite way, Gen asked the tuktuk driver where we're going. Then the tuktuk driver told us that we should head to Thai Centre first. But since we had no time, Gen asserted to visit just the 2 temples that the man at the palace mentioned us. But the tuktuk driver was persistent to go to the Thai Centre since he has a free gasoline coupon that he can only avail once he brought us there. At that time, we knew that it was a scam where tourists are brought to a place that sells jewelries, and later, force them to buy some. We hopped off the tuktuk right then and took a cab going to our next destination, Wat Po.

The temple of the reclining buddha houses the largest reclining buddha of Thailand. It is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. This is the most famous backdrop of people who have been to Bangkok. During our visit, we did a ritual at the back of the status - distriubuting small coins in the bowls lined up at the corridor (parang lifesize na sungka). They said that it brings good luck :)

After Wat Po, we had lunch in a nearby restaurant (I forgot its name though). Rey, Dru and Gen had grilled chicken in basil sauce while I had chicken in green curry, which I've been craving since we arrived in Bangkok. This is the same restaurant where my parents and I ate after we visited Wat Po. Their menu includes Thai Iced tea with condensed milk, which I found to be tasty 2 years ago. But now, I found it to be bland and the reason why I ordered 2 glasses was due to my spicy (but delicious) meal. I left that restaurant with a smile on our face because of its good food and ambience.

Our next stop, Wat Arun. The temple is found on the other side of the river so we paid 3 baht to ride a boat that took us there at Tha Thien pier. Once again, I played with my camera and took pictures using different mode. This is one of the famous landmarks in Bangkok which I think should be viewed at sunset. The temple is made of Chinese ballase porcelain and is well crafted as the temple is decorated with plates and saucers of various multicolored sets of china. The temple is really tall but you can climb if you wanted to see a bird's eye view of Bangkok. But take note that the steps are very steep, so I did not dare to go at the highest level (I'm scared of heights). While my 3 companions explored the view at the highest level of the temple, I just entertained myself taking pictures of the temple (panalo pa rin ang wide angled!). By the way, I finally setup my tripod since its not that hot and there are less tourist so we're all in the mood for a group picture.

The ferry ride back to Sathorn pier was a relaxing one, probably because I was tired from our temple hopping experience. I almost fell asleep inspite of the noise coming from the speaker where a tour guide speaks about Bangkok.

We reached the hotel at around 5 PM, which gave us enough time to freshen up before we leave for the airport. At 6 PM, a taxi picked us up to bring us to the Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok's new airport. I was impressed at the departure area (unlike at the arrival area). It reminded me of Changi International Airport from Singapore and KLIA but I think its bigger. Two years ago, we departed from its old airport, Don Muang - Bangkok International Airport, which I find to be a bigger version of NAIA. I'm really impressed with Bangkok's new airport. Lucky for us that even if we flew with AirAsia which is a low-cost airline, we departed from Suvarnabhumi airport, just like the other international carriers :) Another thing that's worth mentioning here is that on our way to the depature gates, there's a lot of duty free shops inside that entices passengers to buy (as if the tourists' shopping in Bangkok is not enough!).

We're supposed to sleep on our way back to Kuala Lumpur. Gen and Dru sat at the right wing of the plane while Rey and I stayed at the left wing. Rey and I chatted about our entire stay in Bangkok - the place, the culture, the experience, things that we saw and how similar it is to Manila and things that we've noticed around us (*wink wink*). We talked and laughed in the plane and needless to say, the nap that we're supposed to do didn't happen. Time flew so fast that we didn't notice that we've chatted for almost 2 hours when we arrived at the LCCT airport.

Back at KL (waah!), we hired a cab that's supposed to take us to our respective houses. However, there was a misunderstanding so we ended up taking a bus from the airport going back to KL Sentral. That's where we took our nap. After we took off the bus, I realized that the 1 hour 45-minute bus ride is almost the same as our plane ride from Bangkok.

Rey lived in KL so he took his own cab to his unit while Gen, Dru and I took the same cab going to Petaling Jaya. The original setup was to drop off Dru first at Ehsan but since it was late, Gen thought it would be better if the cab driver would go to Menara Jaya (my place).

Overall, I really enjoyed our Bangkok experience, even though its my second time. On my previous visit, I didn't enjoy it that much, probably because I just saw a few things - I was confined at the Pratunam area and was only able to visit the temples in Bangkok. Also at that time, I can't help but compare it to Singapore - where people are disciplined and the city is neat and organized. But since I've lived in Malaysia for a while and I know what to expect, plus the fact that I'm in good company (naks), I love it! Now I'm looking forward to our next misadventures (san kaya? sana outside Southeast Asia naman *wink wink*). I realized that one of the reasons why I liked it this time is because I know that it's close to home - the culture, the friendly people, the scene, the chaos, the sights, the good food (syempre kailangang kong sabihin un). But even if Manila has the potential to compete with Bangkok, it is sad to note that due to the events that's happening to our country, we can't do anything about it.

Anyway, all I can say for now is Khop Khun Ka Bangkok! =)

Sleepless (and restless)

2007-10-09T02:59:00.000+08:00

Its been a while since I last updated my blog. As of this writing, I can't sleep because I received a page this morning (yes, I'm on production support). I still haven't had enough rest since I just came back from my 4-day vacation in Bangkok with Gen, Dru and Rey yesterday. We barely had enough sleep (and rest) during our trip and I'm still making up for it. But I had so much fun and it doesn't matter even if I sleep late and wake up early. I really had a blast with this getaway. I hope everyone did as well.

Sadly, this week is going to be a busy one for me at work and I won't be able to update this blog with our Bangkok experience (too bad because I think its better if I write it while I'm still high on my vacation). Hopefully, I'll be able to write about it during the holidays (Hari Raya) next week.

In the meantime, just look at some of the pictures that we took during our trip :) Just click on the picture below for an enlarged view.

Anything Goes..

2007-10-01T01:54:00.000+08:00

Due to insistent public demand, Avenue Q will have a rerun from December 14 - 23. Unfortunately, I won't be home since my parents are coming here in Kuala Lumpur and the flights going back to Manila during that time are very expensive. Waah too bad, because I didn't get it as a gift for myself on my birthday and then I will miss the opportunity to have it as a Christmas gift (sadness..). I just that it would be a hit once again so that there will be another round of performances and that I would be able to watch it. Or maybe, its meant that I watch it in Broadway bwahaha (libre lang ang mangarap kaya pagbigyan nyo na ako no!)

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One of the good things of being here in this for a musical freak like me is that musicals from West End are being staged here twice a year. The same thing also happens in Singapore. Six months ago, I was able to watch 2 musicals from West End - The Phantom of the Opera in Singapore and My Fair Lady here in KLCC. This season, 2 more musicals will be staged - Chicago in KLCC and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Singapore.

I don't think I will be watching these 2 musicals. I've watched Chicago previously in Broadway (much to my regret that I've watched The Boy from Oz instead) and for the other musical, well, I'm planning to go to Singapore twice on December and its too much for me to go there on November. Also, I'm not really a fan of that musical so I'll just pass. I just wish that the organizers (whoever they are) will bring all the other musicals that I wanted to watch (*keeping my fingers crossed*).

By the way, Lea Salonga will be coming here next year for the Asian tour of Cinderella the musical. I think that she's too old for the role, but I'm a big fan of hers and I really wanted to see her perform onstage.

@@@

Its confirmed that one of my idols, Beyonce, will be performing here in Malaysia a month from now (November 1) at Bukit Jalil Indoor Stadium. If I can get a ticket for her concert, it would be my second time to watch her live. All I can say is that she's a great performer and singer and I'm looking forward watching her again onstage.

However, Malaysians are known to be very conservative. In fact, some of the famous artists were asked to tone down their acts when they held their concert such as Gwen Stefani and the Pussycat dolls. If this is the case, I wonder how Beyonce will perform since part of her package is her sex appeal. Well, there's only one way to find out. The event will be held a month from now but its weird that tickets were not yet sold.

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In just 2 days, I will be off to another country aside from Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines. I'll be going to Bangkok with some of my friends. That's all I can say for now. I'm looking forward on eating authentic Thai food once again and hoarding lots of bags of Thai Iced Tea. (See? I know my priorities =P)

That's it for now. Until my next blog :)

To love or be loved by Cherie Ann Lo

2007-10-01T01:45:00.000+08:00

Note: This article is published from the Philippine Daily Inquirer from the Youngblood section on Sept 25, 2007. I like this article so much that I have to post this in this blog. I hope that you'll enjoy reading as much as I did.

OUR TEACHER in philosophy once asked our class whether it is harder to love or to be loved. I did not have a clue on how to answer the question, but I took it to heart. After a few bottles of cheap wine and nights spent until dawn, the question gained contour. But instead of finding an answer, the first thing that came to my mind was another question: What is to love?

I am not entirely sure if what I have arrived at is true, given the limited experiences I have. The only thing I am sure of is that love entails some letting go. It is allowing the other to grow, to pursue his happiness even if that pursuit does not include my own. Love keeps one happy with the thought that the one you let go will be happy, even if it means being without him. As Marcel would put it, "To love anybody is to expect something from him, something which can neither be defined nor foreseen; it is at the same time in some way to make it possible for him to fulfill this expectation." In setting him free, the only expectation I can hold now is that he will be happy. But it is by letting go that I can give him the possibility of being happy.

Even without this other person, loving transforms life into living. Love puts action into life. Life is not life when lived in passivity. Life becomes dynamic when one loves. Love colors the boredom that the routine of life brings. Breathing is no longer just for the purpose of keeping the self alive, it becomes living for the loved one.

Is loving the same as having? It is not. If I claim ownership of someone, he will not be the same person I loved when he was not my possession. Owning something is the same as personalizing it. If an object is personalized, it loses its character. It becomes a reflection of the self. When this happens, then what I love is myself, not the other.

Having someone makes it so much harder to let him go. But if one just loves with respect for the other person, then letting go becomes less difficult. It will never be easy, because there will always be a desire to have that person. Maybe it's human nature to be greedy and to want what one loves. But in the course of having, love disappears.

So loving someone is hard. It seems to be having but it is not. It is a conscious action so that it is not allowed to turn into ownership. It is a giving in to one's very nature, to one's desire to want the best for the loved one. But at the same time, it also entails some control over one's natural impulse to own.

But what is it to be loved? I believe that being loved entails utmost patience. Being loved is an act based on the other person. It is hard in the sense that one cannot control how the other loves. It is like having a stranger hold one's hand. There is fear that this person will lead one to an unknown place. There is apprehension that it will into a grasp. What if he does not let go? The only thing that can loosen this grasp is time.

Patiently waiting for time to knock some sense into the other or the self is probably one of life's hardest tasks. Time stretches into infinity when one is holding on to someone even if it is not reciprocated. There is again this notion that one can have this person but the truth is, one can never have him or anyone else for that matter.

Is it not hard to know that a person does not love you the way you want him to? It is one of life's greatest tensions: the incongruence between how one is being loved and how one loves. To be loved is also hard because it involves acknowledging the possibility that one can never control how the other person loves. It involves an uncertainty which can condense into fear.

So which is harder between loving and being loved? I still haven't come to a conclusion. The intensity by which love impacts a person can make everything both easy and hard. To love someone makes it easier to live, but at the same time, life can be harder because that someone can never be owned. To be loved entails patience which forms character. But it also involves a fear, an uncertainty.

The more important question is, will love ever be easy? I want to believe it is, but life proves otherwise.

Cherie Ann Lo, 20, is a BS Psychology senior at the Ateneo de Manila University

Move It Concert: The Young KL SIngers' 5th anniversary concert

2007-10-01T00:48:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last updated my blog (well 4 days is considered to be long for mer hahaha!!) since I've been busy chatting these past few nights hehehe.

Earlier, I watched the Young KL Singers' Move It Concert with Dru and Gen. The Young KL Singers is a chorale group under the Young Choral Academy here in KL. I found out about this group from the Kakiseni website, the site for anything related to the performing arts here in Malaysia. This concert is a celebration of their 5th year anniversary and was held at the Bangsar Shopping Center. This is my first time to watch this kind of event here in Malaysia.

The group performed some Malaysian songs, folk songs from some parts of the globe and of course, songs from the musicals such as Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Oklahoma and Rent(woohoo!). I have enjoyed their concert even though I'm not familiar with some of their songs. Most of their songs gave me goosebumps while they perform, which indicates how their rendition made an impact to the audience. I can't help but be amazed with all of their efforts. I have a short term stint on chorale singing (with the Bells and Balls and in other contests during my High School days) and I was able to experience how gruesome it is to prepare for only 2 songs, but it's all worth it when I see how people were touched by our efforts. Among all types of singers, my hat goes off to the chorale singers and musical theater performers.

Again, kudos to the Young KL singers for a job well done and I'm looking forward for their next concert :)

PS: It was my first time to hear the song "Music Brings us Together" by Russell Robinson, and I liked the lyrics. When I looked for the song in Youtube, it seems that its a famous song that chorale groups would usually sing. I'm still looking for the song lyrics in the web.

Radio Buff

2007-09-27T01:09:00.000+08:00

Finally, after almost a year of being a parasite for internet connection, our household is now an official subscriber of Streamyx Broadband Internet. One of the perks of having our own Internet access is that I don't have to be in a specific spot in our house for me to be able to connect to the Internet. I can now surf the Internet from room, unlike before where the strongest spot is in our living room.

One thing that I'm really enjoying for now is the radio streaming service. Eradioportal is currently on my favorites because it allows me to listen to my favorite radio stations in Manila. Since I'm a music lover, where else can I learn about good music? ;)

I can't help but recall all the stations and the radio jocks that I've been listening in the past. I can't remember if I've been a regular follower of a particular radio station when I was in elementary, so I don't have an identity back then. I only became aware about it when I was in High School. My school bus is usually tuned to Kool 106 in the evening for the countdown (Kaleidoscope World by Francis M was at its peak) and my classmates would usually listen to WLSFM (Triggerman was a very popular DJ and Filipino alternative bands were very popular).

During my senior year in High School, I started listening to RX 931 because of its morning show - the morning rush with Chico and Delamar (that was 10 years ago.. imagine how old they are right now!). But I became its regular listener when I got into college since I don't have anything to keep myself entertained aside from my walkman. I learned about their other DJs like Boom Boom baby, Trish, Francesca, Chinggay and Tom Alvarez (to whom we would listen at night for his Love Clinic).

But I am not a loyal RX listener. I also listen to Magic 899. My fave show is the daily countdown that used to be hosted by Mo Twister and Miles. I also listen to their weekend countdown and their all request countdown - wherein I would make a request. Sometimes onair but usually I do it via SMS. But my favorite is the sunday slow down every Sunday night where they would play all soul and RnB sentimental songs. In fact, this is a favorite among my dormmates and we would listen to it together using our own walkman (I miss it).

Believe it or not, I've been an avid listener of these 2 stations that I've actually joined their contest and won (usually I would join the contest at around 4 AM to take a breather from studying). Needless to say, I've visited their station and saw some of their jocks when I claimed my prizes.

Aside from these 2 stations which plays the latest from MTV, I also listen to Wave 89.1 for RnB, hiphop, soul and pop jazz music when I'm not into the latest songs. But if I'm into alternative, adult contemporary music, I'd stay tune to Jam 88.3 (formerly known as Citylite).

There are also other stations which I would listen occasionally depending on my mood. When I want to express my angst, I would listen to NU 107. Sometimes I would chat with my guy classmates which songs topped its daily countdown. When I want to relax and not to think about anything, I would listen to 92.3 Joey@Rhythms , 105.1 Crossover or 88.3 Citylite for jazz music. And believe it or not, I also listen to 98.7 dwFE for classical music. You see how eclectic I am when it comes to music. Hehe.

Anyway, I'm just so glad that we have Internet access at home. Now I can listen to Chico and Delamar's Morning Rush and look forward for their Top 10 list every morning :)

Ang Tanda ko na!

2007-09-26T01:09:00.000+08:00

In today's edition of Youngblood from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, they featured an article entitled "Fruit of Life". This is a birthday post of a 27-year-old teacher from Pangasinan. He asked himself if he "was getting older and wiser, or simply getting older?". He also asked himself that "if [he were] a coconut tree, has [he] borne fruits? If so, how many? How delicious and how much?". I am not going to answer that question since my birthday was about a month ago and I believe that I have written so many articles about it (next year na lang, para may kakaiba na naman =P).

The article made me realize how old I am right now. It hasn't sink in to me yet that my age is the age where most people get married (well most of my childhood friends have a family of their own). But the author obviously has a family of his own and has his own family as his priority at the age of 27. Meanwhile, I am 26 years old and I can't imagine myself preparing for a family of my own - and mind you, not even my own wedding (kailangan muna kc maghanap ng fafa ahaha..).

Don't take my previous statement as whining, since I'm still far from the path of settling down. Well, I still don't feel that "special kind of something". Maybe it's because I am a late bloomer. I remembered what Labatt (the Labour Attache from the Phil Embassy) said to us last weekend, that if a young person still doesn't want to become married yet (or doesn't feel that urge), its because he/she is happy with his family. And I'm really glad to hear this. That statement validated that I'm still a normal person :)

All Good Things (a random thought)

2007-09-26T00:59:00.000+08:00

I've been listening to Nelly Furtado's latest song, "All Good Things". This question lingers throughout the song is "Why do all good things come to an end?". I know that most people know the answer to this question. That good things must end so that we can move on and grow to become a better person. This question also made me look back at all the good things that happened to me in the past - which includes my happy childhood memories, my college life and my onshore experience.

Potluck dinner

2007-09-23T00:04:00.000+08:00

Since most of my friends here are on support this weekend, we don't have a choice but to put ourselves under house arrest. Gen was craving for a leche flan and she mentioned to Mars that she wants to make one but she doesn't know how. So they planned to make one this weekend. Jeng wants to make a chicken macaroni salad while I need to cook spaghetti since all the ingredients that I brought from the Philippine will expire in the next month. So we all agreed to satisfy our cravings by having a potluck dinner.

So aside from our assigned recipe, Dru gave a cake (with a Happy Toothie Anai message), Charisse brought some chicken wings while Ace and Joey (her husband) cooked a steamed lapu lapu (yummy!=P). Noah, their 1-year old son, is sooo cute and adorable that he kept everyone entertained and busy. Who would refuse to play with a lovable boy like him :)

After dinner, we played dominoes and had a little chit chat. Jeng occasionally checked on some jobs that need to be monitored. We learned that Joey has a third eye and he told us a lot of interesting stories about the creatures he had seen in the past. We learned that having a sixth sense is inherited. His mother can feel ghosts as well. It is highly possible that Noah might have it too (but I've read somewhere that a child has its third eye open until he/she reaches the age of 7). They were all teasing me because Noah keeps on entering my room and is talking to somebody as if he's seeing someone (baka may Casper daw sa kuwarto ko).

A few hours later, Rommel, Ian and Richard came to our house to eat dinner (kailangan na talaga namin ng tulong para ubusin ang pagkain). They didn't stay that long, so we only had enough time for picture taking (ala Familia Zaragosa) using my new tripod =P.

I really enjoyed this unexpected gathering. It was an intimate dinner (with no occasion at all) and I'm glad that I had a chance to talk with all of our visitors, especially Ace and Joey. We're planning to do this every month but next time, our theme would be mexican (now it's Filipino). I'm so full that I have to drink a cup of tea.

Bring It On

2007-09-22T10:32:00.000+08:00

The UAAP Cheerdance competition was held last Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum. Unfortunately, my alma mater, UST, ended up in the second place after 5 years of being on top. UP bagged the crown this year after 5 years of battling with UST and they finally got it.

Of course, since I still can't accept the fact that UST lost this year (nakipag-away pa ako kay Gen, who's an Isko by the way) and I have to see it myself if they deserve to win. So I immediately searched for its video in youtube. I checked out UST's routine for this year and I can't help but remember those times when I watched the cheering competition at the Big Dome to support the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe with my college barkada Eva and Lexie. This is something that we would do every year, and we would forget that we're friends with our Isko chummies for a while. The school spirit is overwhelming as we gather in the bleachers with our fellow Thomasians. We were provided with balloons that we can wave while the Salinggawi are performing. Once the Salinggawi starts to perform, everyone in the UST crowd are screaming at the top of the lungs, cheering for them and hoping to bring home the crown once again. I can barely hear a thing when they perform. All I do is shout and cheer with every stunt that they perform or sing the UST Cheers ("We are the Tigers, the mighty mighty Tigers..", "Go USTe!"). This is a totally different experience which cannot be captured by just watching the Salinggawi on TV. If I'm still working in Manila, I'll be probably one of the people screaming for the Salinggawi dancers last week.

Anyway, I've seen the routines of both schools (UP and UST) and I can't help but commend UP for their performance. I think they deserve it. I haven't seen the routine of FEU (which some people think deserves to be in the 2nd place but ended up in the 3rd place instead) but it's still loading in the Youtube while I'm writing this blog.

If there's one thing I liked about this year's competition, Samsung is the official sponsor and that the cheering squads do not need to perform a specific routine to endorse the major sponsor. In the previous years, Nestle Nonstop had been the sponsor and each squad needs to perform a routine for the product - which most of the time ends up to be cheesy.

Well, there's still next year and I hope that the Salinggawi dancers will be back with a vengeance (with a more exciting routine). In the meantime, I'll just cheer for the UST Growling Tigers who made it in the final four for this year's UAAP Men's Basketball. Go USTe!!

A peek into my parent's profession

2007-09-22T00:29:00.000+08:00

My parents used to work as soldiers. No, they were not trained in prestigious military institutions such as the PMA or PMMA. They went under a rigorous training (bootcamp) before they became a sargeant. As you all know, the military life is difficult. But inspite of all the hardships that they experienced, I know that my parents enjoyed their independence (being in the barracks and living with their comrades). It may not pay them enough money but it taught them a lot of experiences and exposed them to a lot of things. My father is usually involved in fieldwork (which includes being sent to Mindanao to fight with the rebels) while my mother is involved in clerical work. Because of the demands of their job, I was always left at the care of a nanny since they need to be away most of the time.

When Cory became the president, they had a choice to work in the marines or with the Philippine National Police. They opted to work in the PNP since the responsibility is lighter, the pay is higher and they're not sent in the battlefields (unless they get involved in a shootout, but its still different compared to the army). Sadly, the police had a bad reputation. It is currently considered as one of the most corrupt institution in the country.

My father worked with the Intelligence department. I remember when I was a child, he brings me to his office, which is quite hidden as we have to pass several passages, and a lot of doors had to be opened (but mind you, it's not the fancy passageway that you can see in the movies). Inside his office, there were a lot of computers and audio devices (I won't elaborate what they do). To keep myself busy in their office, I would play in one of their computers or sleep since it was airconditioned. Unfortunately, since the principles of some of my father's colleagues is different from his, he left the unit and opted for an early retirement.

Meanwhile, when my mother worked with PNP, she worked in the women's desk. She deals with domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. At the end of the day, she would tell stories - some of them are absurd and funny but most of them are heartbreaking. I remember her story when one woman complained that her dead husband has a mistress. Out of anger, that woman put a chain on her husband's casket and locked it. Another time, my mother brought a young boy in our house. This boy is a victim of child abuse and needs to be handed over to DSWD. The boy was quiet when he stayed in our house, where he was provided with food, shelter and care for a short time. When he had to be turned over to DSWD, the boy does not want my mother to leave him. It was heartbreaking but its part of her job.

Due to the nature of my parents' profession, I somehow developed this kind of paranoia - I don't want to talk to strangers and I usually project that I'm intimidating. I wear the modest clothes to avoid any snatchers or pickup. At home, emphasis is given on security.

Aside from being scared of petty crimes, I developed this habit of connecting events, paying attention to details and thinking of any inconsistencies. No, I'm not referring to detective type of things like Nancy Drew or Veronica Mars. Simple things only. But don't get me wrong, I'm not that paranoid to suspect all the people of having a motive. It's all harmless :)

Inspite of all these things that I mentioned, most of my friends are surprised that my parents used to work in the military because they don't appear to be rigid. And if you're going to ask me why I did not become a military, well I can't imagine myself possessing a gun as part of my profession.

Home Alone

2007-09-21T23:59:00.000+08:00

A few weeks ago, Mars and Agri went to Manila for a vacation at the same time. It was my first time to be alone in our unit for such a long time (actually, for more than a week). Since I am an only child, I am comfortable being alone, so its not really a problem for me. I can keep myself occupied and I'm happy.

This is not my first time to be alone. When I had my onshore assignment, I spent my first 2 weeks alone in my apartment. Imagine, being in another country for the first time and having the house all by myself. I kept myself busy with cable TV and learning how to do the household chores. That's what I call independence.

Anyway, while my flatmates are gone, I kept myself busy watching the first season of Heroes, doing the household chores (again), chatting with my friends and surfing the net. However, the thing with being alone is that I have so much responsibilities at home (and to myself). I need to ensure that all the sockets were unplugged, the gas stove was safely turned off and the doors and windows were locked. I was also paranoid during this time - no I am not afraid of ghosts or anything paranormal, I am scared with the bandits that might enter our unit. Well, its not only I who was paranoid, my mother always checks on me. If I don't reply to her text messages, she would call me right away.

Well, one thing that I don't like on being alone is that I come home to an empty house. I don't have someone to talk to when I need to tell something, especially when I'm upset (especially nung nag PMS ako hahaha). That's why I really appreciate my housemates and my family.

Well, I'm glad that Mars is now back here in Malaysia and Agri will be coming here in a few days. I'm looking forward to have our 'lively' unit back once again :)

Random Thoughts

2007-09-20T06:09:00.000+08:00

I'm on night support this week. I received a page at 5 AM and I'm now having a hard time going back to bed. So that's why I have this post. :)

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A few weeks from now, my weekend classes will be over. I could say that it's been a humbling experience for me - meeting other OFWs and listening to their stories, who are mostly working as domestic helpers. But I don't think that I can do this for another year. I really wanted to do this for a long time (since I was still in Manila) and I'm glad that I was able to do so. I really enjoyed teaching but its not something that I considered as a passion for me to commit. I think it's time for me to try other things and explore my other interest (*wink wink*).

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It's been less than a month since I turned 26 and sad to say, my quarter life crisis is at its peak. Where will I go? What do I wanted to do? I still don't have a direction.

Here is one thing for sure and this is the first time that I'm going to say this - I don't see myself settling in another country since I need to take care of my parents when they grow old. The main reason why I choose to be away is because there are things that I can only learn if I'm on my own.

In the meantime, I'll just listen to Princeton while singing Purpose from Avenue Q.

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In another Avenue Q related "thought", I love the song "There's a fine fine line".. It's a very emotional song and the lyrics are great. I have a copy of the version by Stephanie D'Abruzzo which most people find to be pitchy.

I'm really curious how Rachel Alejandro (who played Kate Monster in the Avenue Q Manila) would sing the song. Luckily, I found this video from Youtube which I think is her audition for this musical. I think she did well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjrFVEs6Yi8&mode=related&search=

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That's it for now.. I'll just take a nap so that I'll have energy for later. :)

The cook in me..

2007-09-16T23:56:00.000+08:00

I love food. You'll probably nodding your head right now based on my body built. Well, that's not what I meant. I love to taste different types of food and its flavor (yeah yeah, parang Ratatouille).

My father is a good cook. He told me that it runs in the family. My grandfather is a good cook whose talents were "inherited" by his children. I can attest to that because the food is really good after whenever we have our family get-together. My cousins were also interested in cooking as well and they love to experiment with cooking.

As for me, well, I'm not really pro-active when it comes to cooking. I let my father take care of that. Most of the time, he asks for my opinion about the food whenever he cooks. I am the "taster" of the family. I think this is where I developed my sense of taste - discerning good food from the rest :) Most of the dishes cooked by my father are Filipino and Chinese dishes (my grandfather is half-Chinese pero hindi halata sa mukha ko or sa tatay ko haha!) but he also loves to experiment with food. Meanwhile, my mother has her own specialty as well - I love her pinakbet and sinigang. She also makes great Filipino desserts as well - from her own version of Filipino fruit salad up to her maja blanca, which satisfies my sweet tooth :)

Actually, I really don't know how to cook since I've been passive when it comes to the kitchen. However, nobody knows how to bake in our home. I love dessert so my Tita Bing taught me to bake. My mother loves chocolate and she always asks me to bake some brownies, chocolate cake or anything with chocolate. My nieces and cousins do the same everytime they stay in our house for vacation (kaya gustong gusto nila sa bahay kasi nag-b-bake kami every week). This is the reason why I lost my penchant for chocolate because I always bake it and it became boring. I am now one of the few people who's not really fond of chocolate.

During my onshore assignment, I had no choice but to learn the "craft" of cooking. I heavily relied on the cookbook that I brought with me or the recipes that I found in the internet. Sometimes, I would call my parents for some cooking advise. It was a good thing that my roommate Hazel most of the food that I prepared :)

Since my father taught me how to distinguish good food from the ordinary ones, I love to try different restaurants. Whenever there is some dish that I like which my parents don't cook, I find the recipe myself. This is my way of sharing what I've tasted them - with my own touch of course. It's been a while since I last tried a different recipe.

Anyway, if you think that I can be a chef.. hell no! I can cook but I'm not really proactive about it. I don't really watch cooking shows or subscribe to a food magazine on a regular basis (wala rin kasi kaming cable hehe). Of course, nothing can replace singing as my passion :) As long as the people eating my food are happy with what I'm cooking, then I'm fulfilled :)

My paranoia..

2007-09-15T12:04:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I posted my 'real' entry. Well, a lot of things happened recently which made me think about some things.

A lot of things have been going on recently, many things were said and some of them are quite hurtful. It actually came to a point where I don't know what to believe and who to trust. I hate this feeling that of paranoia that every word that I say will be taken against me. I've been consumed with this feeling recently, it really makes me wanna puke and told myself that I really wanted a diversion.

I think the problem here was that wrong people were trusted. People whom I thought were not capable of doing things failed me, which caused me to have this betrayed feeling. What makes matters is that I'm starting to doubt the sincerity of some people and to think of the motive for every action done to me. And I really hate this feeling.

For me, it's really difficult to earn my trust. It is something that is gained after sometime, if I'm comfortable with the person and based on my character's judgement. I think that the best indicator that a person is trustworthy is when they respect you if you're not comfortable telling him/her.

The last time that I went to confession, the priest told me that the hardest thing to forgive is the anger caused by betrayal, especially that it comes with trust. It takes time to heal and to finally forgive.

Anyway, I hope I'll get over this feeling of paranoia. I really hate it. I think I'm trapped and I'm really suffocated. I badly need a diversion.

The Boy from Oz Hugh Jackman 2004 Tony telecast

2007-09-14T00:43:00.001+08:00

As you all know, Hugh Jackman is my ultimate crush. Aside from the fact that he's sooo handsome, he's a very talented actor.

I admit that it was because of my huge crush on him that I got interested in musical theater. He was the main character of the musical The Boy from Oz (which is the reason why I went to Broadway but unfortunately, I was not able to watch), where he won the 2004 Tony's for Best Actor in a Musical. Also, he hosted the Tony's that year and I watched it because of him. Good thing that I did because I learned about Avenue Q and Wicked (these two were the strongest contenders for the Best Musical that year).

Anyway, I have this clip of Hugh Jackman performing as Peter Allen in 2004 Tony's. He's so brilliant with this performance that you would forget that he's the actor who portrayed Wolverine and Van Helsing. He sung portrayed a gay man so well, wore flamboyant outfits and shook his booty.

Gosh, now I'm drooling =P

tony awards 2007 spring awakening cast performance

2007-09-08T02:27:00.001+08:00

Tonight is the premiere of Avenue Q in Manila. As what I've mentioned in my previous entry, this is one of the musicals that I really wanted to watch. I was happy when I found out that this musical would be shown in Manila and it was tentatively scheduled to be shown on August, just in time for my birthday holiday. Unfortunately, it was postponed to September, a week right after I came to Manila.. DARN!!

Anyway, to comfort myself, I spent the night watching musicals in Youtube - from Avenue Q to Rent; and I'm proud to say that I have added a new musical that I wanted to watch - Spring Awakening, this year's winner of the 2007 TONYS for Best Musical =) It is based from the controversial German play of the same title, which tells about a teenage coming-of-age story in an age where a lot of things were taboo. The plot is really interesting and the lyrics are well, explicit. The music is created by Duncan Sheik so expect its sound to be on the alternative side - something that the youth can really relate to. This musical is said to be the next 'Rent' when it comes to its impact in the musical theater.

Anyway, I really wish that I could watch this musical onstage. I really enjoyed the videos that I've watched from YouTube. It seems that I'm just watching a concert or an MTV and buying the soundtrack will be worth it as it have wonderful songs such as It's the Bitch of Living, Totally Fucked and Mama Who Bored Me.

Well, I'll let you watch this video from the Tony Awards and let you see for yourself what's the fuss is all about. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did :)

Stork's arrival =)

2007-09-07T00:36:00.000+08:00

I received 2 good news today.. my colleague Kathleen sent me an SMS this morning that she gave birth to a healthy baby girl this morning - the girl's name is Kareena Louis or Khloe.

One more thing, Sharon, my HS best friend, sent me a message in friendster that she had a caesarian delivery to a pretty baby girl named Grace.

Congrats on your new baby!! :)

Daydreaming..

2007-09-07T00:15:00.000+08:00

Yesterday morning, I was listening to the soundtrack of Rent and I thought what would it feel to go back to New York City so I checked how much would it costs by visiting the Expedia website. Eventually, I ended up checking out the airfares of my other dream destinations. I was chatting with Gen on our itinerary and how much should we save each month to make it to our dream destinations. We even thought on the other options as well.

Haay.. libre lang naman mangarap, so bakit hindi na namin lulubusin di ba? =P

My Birthday Holiday

2007-09-03T23:54:00.000+08:00

As what I’ve mentioned in my previous blog, I went to home to Manila without my parents knowing it. My plan was to surprise them. I got this idea when Cebu Pacific had a promo last February since I wanted to take advantage of the cheap airfares. I didn’t know when my planned vacation that I took last July would be approved. So the date that I thought would be the best to book a flight was during a long weekend - the Merdeka celebration which happened to be the weekend during my birthday. Woohoo! So I made this booking right away. I decided not to tell about this booking to my family and friends in the Philippines since I’m sure that a lot of people will think I’m crazy for going home for 2 consecutive months. But hey, this is MY birthday and I think that this is the best gift that I can give to myself.

A few weeks before my flight, Minnie met my parents because I asked her to give some stuff. She almost revealed about my plans of going back to Manila to celebrate my birthday. Good thing took it differently, so my plan to surprise was still in tact (whew!).

A few days before this trip, I chatted with Eloisa, my cousin who’s studying in Manila and who stays with my parents during weekends. I decided to tell her about my plans as I want to go home to an empty house or my plans would get screwed (ako pala ang na-surprise hahaha). Good thing she was a good accomplice =) and she never told anyone about my upcoming appearance. I learned from her that my parents were clueless about my trip which made it more exciting for both of us.

On my birthday, my parents had a celebration because a series of divine statues that have been rotating in our neighborhood “visited” our home. In lieu with this, they invited some of their org mates from our parish. They cooked a lot of dishes and my cousin, Mark stayed in our house that night to help my parents with the preparation. Unfortunately, he had to leave early the next day to make some errands.

I arrived our home at around lunch time last Friday. I didn’t know where the newly-installed doorbell was located so I just knocked the gate and whistled to call my dogs, just like the way how I used to do it. Anyway, it was my parent’s siesta (afternoon nap) time and they were about to sleep. When my parents saw me, they couldn’t believe it. The first word that my mother said to me when she saw me was “Walanghiya ka! Bakit ka nandito??” to which I only replied “Kasi wala ako sa Malaysia”. Of course, I know that they were happy to see me ;)

After they redeemed themselves, I called some of my relatives to let them know that I’m home. Mark, who left earlier that morning called me a liar and an impostor in disbelief. I was really amused on how people reacted when I tell them that I’m home since I just met them last month.

On Saturday, we celebrated my birthday by going to Trinoma, the newest mall by Ayala situated right next to the MRT North Edsa station. In my opinion, this mall is a fusion of Glorietta and Greenbelt in Makati. I went with my parents and my cousins Mark and Eloisa. Good thing that my favorite restaurants have a branch is this mall so I decided to have my celebration here.

We had our lunch at Gerry’s grill where we had sisig, inihaw na pusit, kare-kare and crispy pata (pampabata! Woohoo!!). It was their first time to eat at Gerry’s which they found to be a pleasant eating experience. After that, I insisted on having dessert at Café Breton, where we had the famous La Pinay and Strawberry Short Crepe (yummy!!). It was great to eat in my favorite restaurants once again with my family. I hoped that they enjoyed it as well =)

After pigging out for food, we went to SM Fairview to buy some groceries that I need to bring to KL. I also recorded a song at the Karaoke King and headed to the parlor to have my long-overdue foot spa and pedicure.

On Sunday, I just packed my things, attended the mass (it’s good to sing Papuri sa Diyos after a loong time) and did my Sunday morning routine in the Philippines - reading the national broadsheet with a cassava cake (or any kakanin) and hot choco (yum!). In the afternoon, before I boarded to the bus that will take me to the airport, I dropped by at Jollibee near our village to buy a bucket of Chicken joy for my pasalubong and my dinner. Good thing that I saw Rachelle, my childhood friend whose the manager on duty of this branch. It was nice catching up with her one more time.

I made it in the airport just in time for the check-in at 6:55 PM for my 8:55 PM flight. But I decided to chat with my parents and checked-in at 7:30 PM, which is just enough to make it at the gate during the FINAL boarding call.

Now that I gave my parents a surprise, my mother is expecting that I’ll do it again - she said that she’ll give me the keys at home (hahaha, nag-assume!). Of course, this means that I have to think of a different strategy so that my surprise will become effective.

Overall, it was a fun trip for me. Well, I like to give surprises and a lot of my friends can attest to that. It’s because I love to see their reactions. It is priceless for me. This trip was rewarding for me because I spent my birthday with my family. It was funny because a lot of people asked me where I would spend my birthday this weekend, and my answer was “just stay at home and probably go to the mall“. If you hear that response, you’ll think that I would have a lousy birthday, but if you know me, you know that it’s the other way around.

My 26th birthday

2007-09-03T23:50:00.000+08:00

The thing with having one’s birthday is that people around you will make you feel special. They try their best to be extra nice to you and they will spoil you and grant all the requests that you asked them J . Just like any normal people, I was able to have these advantages when I had my birthday a few days ago.

Last Wednesday night, I chatted with my few friends - Gen, Ryan and Jem, while I was writing my birthday blog. Gen and I called it as the birthday vigil. A few minutes before midnight, Dru greeted me with a text message. Gen can’t accept the fact that she was not the first one who greeted me, and she stressed that Dru texted me a few minutes BEFORE midnight when she made her call that night.

On the next day, it was like a normal day for me, except the fact that I received a lot of SMS from my family, friends and students. My parents called me up that morning to greet me. I went to the office and received a few greetings from my colleagues and friends via email.
I was really not in the mood to work that day. One of the reason was because my task for that day requires me to do a lot of documentation and it’s the last working day of the week. Malaysia is celebrating its 50th year of independence on the 31st of August.

One of the pleasant surprises that I got that day was when I received an email from Agri. She told me that she bought me an ice cream and cake. She asked me if I saw the cake (white chocolate macademia from Secret Recipe - my favorite) in the fridge with a candle in it. I told her that I didn’t notice it. I found out that she planned to give me a surprise that night but since I came home late on the eve of my birthday and that she’s sleepy, she was not able to wish me a happy birthday that night. Also, Mars left me with a drumstick, a chocolate and an orange at my desk. To all my housemates, it’s very sweet of you to do this. Thanks a lot! =)

In the afternoon, my colleague from Hongkong Michael, treated all of his project mates with a cheesecake. It was his last day in Kuala Lumpur and he flew back to Hongkong on the next day. It was very nice of him to do this. Thanks for the cake Michael J Also, he’s aware that it was my birthday and I told him that I have a flight back to Manila that night (yes I flew to Manila for my birthday) so he allowed me to live early that day. Woohoo!!!

Since it was the eve of Merdeka (Independence) celebration, a lot of parties were held for the countdown to Merdeka - like in KLCC, Merdeka Square and Putra Jaya, where a fireworks display will be shown to greet their independence day. My flight was at 1:20 AM in the morning but Putra jaya is located near the airport, I was worried that there might be a traffic jam going to the airport. So I opted to leave at 9 PM from our unit.

I met up with Gen at the Asia Jaya station at 9:15 and she accompanied me to KL Sentral (where the buses going to LCCT are located). I took the 9:30 PM trip to LCCT airport. The 1-hour & 30-minute journey was a good opportunity to reflect on my 25th year and think about the things that I wanted to achieve on the next few years. I got into LCCT a few minutes past 11. I was one of the passengers who checked in early for the flight. I ate dinner at McDonalds and surfed the net while I waiting for the boarding call.

Fortunately, I was able to take a nap in the plane. I arrived at 5:30 AM, which was enough for me to make it on my 7 AM meeting with Minnie and Ryan at Jollibee Boni Ave. The thing with this trip was that I didn’t inform my parents about this. Yes this is a surprise. Anyway, I am not really familiar at NAIA and I don’t know where I should take the bus that would take me to Boni Ave. Fortunately, with the help of the directions provided by some strangers, I was able to find my way.

At 7:30, I met up with Minnie and Rye, who both gave me a special gift. Minnie bought me a whole mango cake from Red Ribbon, which was her gift together with Gen and Dru. Meanwhile, Rye gave me sardines from bacolod and a half-dozen of doughnuts from Krispy Kreme, which I’ve been craving in the previous weeks J . It was great to catch up with you once again. Thanks for your gifts and most importantly, your time to meet up with me J By the way, Minnie and Rye are working on the same team and I’m really excited for them J
Just like my previous birthdays, I’m thankful that I was blessed with my family and friends who made me feel special on my special day, which only happens once a year. Since they gave me a special treatment, it’s also my opportunity to express my appreciation on having them in my life and how they made it meaningful.

My birthday post!

2007-08-30T22:57:00.000+08:00

Okay.. so its an hour before my birthday when I started writing this. Anyway, since I already wrote my birthday acknowledgement speech, what should be the theme of my birthday entry? Thanks to Gen, she asked me earlier what is the memorable birthday that I had.

It seems that I don't really have a birthday that stood out among the rest. But here are some of the things that happened to me on my previous birthdays (which I remember)

- Aug 30 was declared as a holiday in Bulacan to celebrate our provincial day. Usually, we don't have classes, so I usually stayed at home.

- On my 12th bday, I took the first NEAT exam. This is the first time that I took a national exam. I was quite unsure if I should had looked forward or had dreaded that day.

- Usually, my dormmates and I have a ritual that at 12 midnight, we will light a candle and sing Happy Birthday to the celebrant. I was sung by my dormmates for 3 years :D

- On my 18th birthday, I attended my dormmate's debut party and we had a sleepover at the hotel (so parang nag debut na rin ako pero hindi ako ang celebrant hehehe)

- On my 22nd birthday, I was diagnosed with acute bronchitis and was confined at St Luke's. I celebrated my birthday in the hospital. Good thing that my relatives, college barkada, Debbie, Janjan and Arnel visited me.

- On my 23rd birthday, I was depressed. It was sad that my colleagues whom I get to spend most of my time with, I didn't feel that I was special (maybe I expected too much from them). I was quite disappointed and I almost went home in Bulacan so that I could get a chance to spend it with my family. Good thing that I didn't because my housemates then (Mavic, Lee and Annrhee) gave me a surprise. I realized that the best gift that I received that day was finding out who are the people that I can rely on.

- On my 25th birthday, I celebrated my first birthday outside the country. Just in time, our company is celebrating its independence day and we had a contest that's similar to Project Runway. Since it was my birthday, I was chosen as the model. I guess you know what happened ;)

Anyway, a very common question for birthday celebrants is about their wish. So how should I answer that - world peace? Nah.. Actually, I have a confession to make. Last year, I didn't have a birthday wish. I didn't ask for anything. I told myself that if I make a wish, I would end up expecting. On my 25th birthday, I was contented with what I had and that I could nto ask for more. And I asked God to just give me what he thinks should be the best gift for me. When I look back on my 25th year, I would say that I had a blast and I felt truly blessed. I may have my ups and downs but I knew that I became a better person.

So what's gonna be my wish on my 26th birthday? Well, I won't tell for now.. I'll just let you know what happens to me next year ;)

Thank you..

2007-08-27T01:21:00.000+08:00

My birthday will be just in a couple of days, and I would like to make this an opportunity to thank all the special people who made my life meaningful.

My parents - Thank you for all the love and understanding that you've given me. Also, thank you for raising me up this way. Now that I'm an adult, I wanted to assure you that I always bear in mind all the values that you've taught me.
My relatives - Thank you for letting me feel how fun it is to have a big family once in a while. Thanks to my aunts, uncles and elder cousins for all your advises and for making me feel that I can rely on you no matter what happens. Since I am an only child, it through my cousins where I felt what it's like to have brothers and sisters. Thank you for making me feel that way.
Ate Elena & Annie Ignacio - thank you for taking care of me. I may not say this but I'm really grateful with the love that you've shown me.
My childhood best friends, Rizza Alaba and Anne Tuico - My first taste of real friendship. We were inseperable when we were kids but as we grew up, we have to part our ways. But I'm very thankful for the great childhood memories that I shared with you.
My other childhood friends Rachelle Farinas, Vanessa Farinas & Julie Ann Eseller - Thanks for the good memories. I remember all the games that we used to play and the kulitan that we had.
My HS best friend, Sharon Tayamen-Calapati - thanks for listening and understanding me in those difficult times. You know how tough it is being an adolescent and I thank you for sticking with me.
My HS barkada Lily Ann Dayta, Celia Bitas, Jemalee Mangrobang, Jenny Sabiano, Ivy Baldonado, Jeani Guarnes, Wednesday Carmelino, Roselle Aguilar & Jeanne Laguitao - thanks for keeping my sanity during my HS days. It is through you that I learned to be proud of who I am and not bothering what other people think.
My college barkada (Parokya ni Eva) Eva Egmilan, Jaymee de Guzman, Sunshine Cabatian, Jennifer Maglalang, Ulysses Dy, Kristin Garcia, Abie Espinosa-Alegre, Lexie Lane Racelis, Erika Claravall, Jenny Jane Siscar, Paul Dungca & Michael Olea - I had a blast with you and college won't be so much fun without you guys. You allowed me to become the person that I can be (well I guess pare-pareho lang tayo hehe). I'm so glad that we can still meet once in a while and I'm so lucky to have all of you as my friends
My blockmates at 4B Math 2002 - I didn't enjoy my HS life and I thought that I will still be treated as an outcast in college. Thank you for accepting my eccentricities and respecting me for who I am. It is through you that I learned how to trust people once again.
My SHLD dormmates Ruby Cacatian, Debbie Ramos, Kristina Ramos, Divina Ramos, Amihan Doctor, Nina Rizza Hernandez, Charo Manahan, Joseca Alincastre - Thanks for all the great college memories. It is through you that I felt what its like to have sisters and my first taste of independence. I've considered my friendship with you gals as one that I could treasure for the rest of my life. I love you all.
My teachers - thanks for inspiring me and preparing me to the real world.
My ADU batchmates Arnel Agbay, Paul Dy & Nina Marie Hernandez - Due to our batch's diverse personalities, I'm still thankful that I was able to find a niche in you. Also, thank you for keeping my sanity in my first experience in the corporate world. It was through you that I learned that I can still find genuine friends at work.
Cycling team (you know who you are =P) - My first team in Accenture; for the patience in teaching me as I struggle to learn things, for mentoring me in my career and for allowing me to share my knowledge as well.
Arnel Agbay - for being one hell of a friend. Thank you for showing me how I should live my life and for being a good listener. I really admire your courage. I know that you're very happy wherever you are and I know that you're just around. I miss you.
My onshore friends Hazel Ortiz, Margret Ortega, Ramon Lopez, Jansen Flores, Candy Sera Jose, Vench Garcia - you are my family during my second taste of independence. You're my family away from home. Thanks for the great memories - the road trips, the tambayan, the shopping. I don't think I would enjoy my onshore experience without you.
Myla Saret, Gilbert Sococ, Hazel Ortiz, Margret Ortega & Paul Dy - Inspite of the fact that we've parted ways, I'm still thankful that I can still turn to you. Thanks for all your stories and advices.
My Makati housemates Marivic Sevilla, Lee Vega & Annrhee Ong - although we've been together for just 8 months, I felt your warmth during my stay in our apartment. I was really touched when you surprised me on my 24th birthday (I was really depressed way back then). It was sad though that we had to part ways when I could have known you more.
Bells and Balls (you know who you are) - One of my dreams is to be a part of a choir that I'm truly proud of. In a span of almost a month, we were able to serenade the whole Accenture community and my wish came true.
My 1302B housemates Marison Rodriguez & Agripina Banigoos - I'm so thankful that you're my housemates. Thank you for the understanding, for the conversations and for your friendship. I know that I can always rely on you. You're my family away from home.
My students at FWRC - Thank you for allowing me to share my knowledge with you. It's been a humbling experience for me to teach you.
The morning rushers Gen Carlos & Dru Ballesteros - For all the amusing conversations that we have everyday. Its nice to know you and for allowing me to become myself when I'm with you.
My girl friends Minnie Sabilala & Gen Carlos - It was through once again that I felt a genuine friendship, the last time that I felt this was when I was in the dormitory. It was through you that I didn't feel that I'm away from home.
My Big Chill buddies Ryan Arguillo & Rey Palacios - It is through you that I was able to prove that friendship knows no boundaries. I don't need to elaborate how glad I am to have you as my friends, I think you already know it =)
To Logan - wherever you are, I wanted to thank you for making me realize of the things that I'm capable of doing. Thanks for the good memories and for allowing me to know myself more. (To my friends who's reading this, I would like to request if you can refrain from asking me about this, as this is one of the things I'd rather keep to myself).

ISCM Merdeka - Angel by Analyn

2007-08-25T09:07:00.001+08:00

Here is the video taken during the ISCM Merdeka celebration 2007. Heads up sa mga taong tumatalon sa camera =P

ISCM Merdeka celebration gig =P

2007-08-25T01:54:00.000+08:00

The Malaysians are currently celebrating their 50th year of Independence. In lieu with this, our company held some activities. Last year, there was a project runway challenge where I was picked by my team mates as their model (Imagine all the vegetables that I have to wear). Anyway, I am no longer the model (stepping stone ko lang yun), I am now a diva (bwahaha!!!).

As part of the program, the Scope Idol finalists were asked to sing for the celebration. I was supposed to sing the song Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the waves but since I've been sleepless and stressed during these past few days, my voice didn't come right when I sang that song. So I opted for the song that I'm most comfortable with - Angel. Well, this is the song that I'm most comfortable to sing and it would be a mortal sin to sing a song in public without practicing it.

An hour before the celebration, we had our sound check. I was the last one to do the sound check and it was a few minutes before the actual program started. People were starting to come to the lobby where a stage has been setup. When it was my turn to do the sound check, it hasn't sink in to me that I would be heard in the whole floor. Maybe its because I was in my comfort zone. As I started to sing, I realized that people are listening to me. But weird as it may seem, I didn't get nervous. I sang the song the way how I do it during our videoke sessions. I was glad that finally, I'm beginning to feel comfortable in singing in public :)

After our performance, we were presented with a token of appreciation for joining the contest. And guess what? It's WAY BIGGER from the prize that I won from the Scope Idol itself. Just in time for my upcoming birthday.

Anyway, I'll just let you see the video of my performance. I hope you'll like it =)

So Long Minnie..

2007-08-23T21:33:00.000+08:00

While all of us still had a hangover from the Scope Idol grand finals, it is sad to say that Minnie had to return to Manila for good to be with here son, Kyle. She got a job offer from our previous company which I think is a very good opportunity.

We had a couple of activities with her a few weeks before she left - the last night out with her as a Malaysian resident at the Loft, Skybar and Thai Beach Club, trip to Putrajaya with Gen and I, the farewell dinner hosted by their house owner and the surprise farewell dinner at CPK with people dearest to her. To conclude this, we all went to the airport to make her feel how she's important to us.

Minnie, Jeng, Charisse and Gen had dinner at Picadilly (the so-called last supper). After that, Dru and I met them at the Asia Jaya station. We all headed to KL Sentral, where the bus going to the LCCT airport are located. This is also where we met Rey and Marla (who's going to the Philippines for a vacation).

The trip from KL Sentral to LCCT was a long one but I didn't mind at all since I was chatting with Marla while Gen and Minnie were cooking up their story (Crispy Popia). When we arrived at the airport, we just spent most of the time picture taking, eating (thanks for the treat Minnie), laughing and goofing around. Earlier that day, we were wondering who are the people who's going to cry that night - no one did. As Minnie headed to the immigration for her final steps as a Malaysian resident, there was a moment of silence. It was a genuine feeling. Perhaps each one of us was saying a little prayer how thankful we were to have her in our life and to wish her good luck with the new phase in her life.

Minnie, I know that this is a very difficult choice for you but I believe that you did the right thing for your son. I hope that I have touched your life as much as you did to me. Even though we've been friends for just a year, I felt that the friendship that we have is one that I could really treasure for the rest of my life. I will definitely miss all the little things that you do - from going to my cube to take a breather from a stressful day at work to our serious talks. I'd like to thank you for entrusting me with your secrets and I promise you that I will remain as a trustworthy friend.

During your farewell party, you asked us how you made an impact in our lives. I was not able to tell you this that time but you're one of the people who made me feel good about myself and helped me accept how beautiful I am as a person. As a result, I became confident - not only with my physical appearance but in doing the things that I've been longing to do. It may seem just a kakikayan for others but how you boosted my self-esteem made a difference.

Anyway, if you're going to ask me if the tears that you're asking from me while writing this entry came out.. well I almost cried. But that doesn't mean that you're not that special to me. I met a lot of people who made an impact in my life just the way you did, and sadly, we have to part ways. This is the reason why I don't really get too attached with them and why I don't have a best friend.

Good luck my friend. I know that wherever you go, our friendship will never be thwarted by distance. I know that someday our paths will cross again.

Let me end this entry with this quote by Richard Bach - Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends

This is the moment: My Scope Idol experience

2007-08-14T05:40:00.000+08:00

As most of you guys know, I love to sing. I always sing in the shower, while walking, working, depending on my mood. I used to join singing contests when I was a child but I always get lost and for a child, I found it to be traumatic. I think somehow I've considered it as one of my childhood issues that I'm still dealing with. I had a fear of joining singing contests and fear of performing onstage. I hate the feeling of being subjected to other people's judgement or worse, ridicule (see? this just shows how scared I am).

Inspite of all these fears, I still told myself that as an adult, I will join a singing contest. In fact, I included this in the list of the things that I would before I reach 30. Even if I don't win, I know that the experience is something that's worth it.

The audition

So when our company conducted their annual singing contest, I registered for the competition. For the first audition, we were required to sing in acapella. I planned to sing Sweet Love by Anita Baker but unfortunately, I was in the Philippines when the audition was conducted. I told myself that maybe its not yet the right time for me. However, on the day of the semi final round, I asked Zairul (the representative of the committee in our project) if I can still join the competition. He asked the organizers and told me that I can join but I should not mention that I was not able to join the preliminary auditions.

Since the audition is just a few hours away and barely had time to practice, I just picked the song that I'm most comfortable with - Fallin from They're Playing our Song musical. Good thing that my lead, Lya allowed me to leave early for the audition =)

The venue of the audition is 30 minutes away from our office. The other semi-finalists, Minnie, Tza, Emma and Mark all left at 4:30 PM but we managed to find a cab that brought us to TPM after 30 minutes because the place is quite far. I did what Zairul told me to do - I told the organizers that I was not able to audition during the preliminaries and they allowed me to sing but I never said to the judges that I had an exempted case.

I was the 5th semi-finalist who sang in the contest. To my surprise, the judges were not familiar with the song, and I noticed that they kept on looking at the lyrics displayed in the television while I sing. After I sang the song, the 5 judges made their comments. Most of them are not familiar with the song but they enjoyed it. I can't deny that there was a smile in my face after I sang.

After the audition, I didn't even think about the contest at all (parang wala lang). As much as I wanted to sing though, I'm not really expecting about this contest, whether I make to the finals or not (maybe I was just busy with my work).

The finals

One afternoon, I just came out from a meeting when Gen is trying to tell me something. She looks excited but she can't utter a word, trying to keep herself from screaming (parang natatae hahaha!!). So I went to her place and she showed me the email that I made it to the finals. There were 4 of us from ISCM (our division in the office) who made it to the finals - Jumond, Mark, Emma and I (and all of us are Filipinos as well woohoo!). Minnie popped me in Skype and told me that she appointed herself as my manager.

Anyway, now the next problem is which song to sing. I have asked my friends to help me pick a song. Stand Up for Love was a popular choice although Ryan told me that it would be very risky to do so. So I picked Time and Tide instead.

After a few days of practicing Time and Tide, I showed Minnie and Gen my performance. They thought its a difficult song to sing. I admit that I had a hard time singing that song alone (Basia had a backup when she sang it live). Minnie and Gen suggested to look for another song. Two days before the contest, we decided that I'm going to sing Angel by Sarah Mclachlan (by the way Jeng, their housemate and one of my batchmates in Accenture, was also involved in picking the song for me). They thought that it's the best song for me to sing given the amount of time that we had to prepare for the contest. By the way, not only Minnie were fans of this song, Ryan suggested me to sing it before I picked Time and Tide

Now that I picked my song, the next thing I need to worry about is what will I wear. I don't want to shed a penny for this contest, except for the transportation. So Minnie raided my closet and looked for the best dress for me to wear. They thought that the best attire that I could wear with that song is a white long dress. Unfortunately, I don't have that in my closet. So the next best thing that I got was the dress that I wore during our annual dinner. For the accessories, hair and make up, Minnie and Gen took care of it.

The big day

On the big day, V, the lead of my project gave me a task that needs to be completed by EOD. Mind you, she has a fierce and stern reputation. She's actually based in HK who came here to foresee our project, together with Michael and Alain. Anyway, Lya, my other lead, advised me to let her know that I'll be leaving early for the contest. But upon the advise of Alain, he advised me to just sneak in early because he thought that V won't allow me to leave early. Lya said that I just forward her an email on what I completed for the day and she'll just inform V that I'm not feeling well.

At 5:30 PM, I sneaked out of the office. Serina, my colleague, volunteered to do my makeup because she's a self-confessed makeup freak (hihi). We went to the farthest ladies room so that I won't get caught. Now I know how CInderella felt when she attended the ball. It was Minnie's last day at work so she left early. By 6 PM, we left Crystal Plaza (our building) and hailed a cab going to TPM where the contest will be held at the auditorium.

When we arrived, we had a sound check and I sang onstage, sort of a rehearsal for the contest. I tried to fight the fear I have onstage, and it's very obvious that I'm nervous. Well, I tried my best not be but it's a good thing that we had a rehearsal so that I know how to move onstage.

At last, the contest started. I was the 15th contestant to sing. Jumond came in late while Mark and Emma were with me during the contest. I think Mark and Emma were lucky because they were the first ones to sing at the contest. Being in the last batch of performers is not good because the I will be nervous for so long. I was the last contender to sing under the female solo category.

A few notable performances during the contest were the group who sang Give It to Me by Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake - I think they gave a very entertaining performance; the lady who sang Too Lost in You by Sugababes - she's confident and her song fits her nasal tone (by the way, she won the Scope Idol last year), the guy who sang It's my Life who brought back the crowd to life; the girl who sang the Chinese song Applause - even though I don't understand a word in her song, for me she has the most oustanding vocals; and Jumond, who brought the house down with his rendition of Bed of Roses by Bon Jovi.

So what happened during my turn? Well, check out the video in this page and see for yourself. I was really nervous when I sang. Of course, my performance won't be complete without the judges giving their comments. The first one said that I looked gorgeous (woohoo!) but thought I was flat in some areas. The second judge told me that he didn't enjoy the song and the shifting of the song is not good. Personally, I don't think that these judges are familiar with the song. Good thing that the third judge heard the song a few days before the contest (that's what he said). He told me that I "did very well. (I) had the highs and lows, the tone and (I) captured the emotion of the song." That made my evening.

After my performance, I went immediately to the seat where my friends were located. Yep, all my closest friends were there to support me - Minnie (my manager of course!), Gen, Dru, Rey and Agri(who went with Gigi). They told me that I gave a decent performance although its obvious that I was nervous. Nevertheless, it's not bad for a first-timer. Knowing that they liked my performance, I thought it was good enough for me even if I don't bag a trophy.

I was thinking of changing back to my office clothes after my turn but I decided to just wait until the winners were announced. The emcees announced the winners of the male solo category first and Jumond won the first prize! I was very happy because got an award for ISCM. After that, they announced the winners in the female solo category and guess what? I won the 3rd place. I can't deny the fact that I was happy because I did not expect to win at all. Just like what my friends observed, they can't help but notice how happy I was that night.

The contest ended at 10:30 PM. We all headed to Midvalley Megamall to have dinner. Since we're not there just to eat, we went to Chili's where we had our celebration. Too bad Agri was not there to celebrate with us because she's on night support so she had to stay at home. Since everyone was in good mood, we had a good time laughing, eating, goofing around and posing at our newly-bought cameras. It was a fun night indeed and I thought that its one of those nights that I really enjoyed with my closest friends - simple yet intimate. Just the way I like it =)

Of course, this experience won't be the same without the support of the special people who made this possible (sige na, pagbigyan nyo na ako) - Lya for allowing me to leave early and for covering me up with V; Serina for taking the pager from me that week so that I could focus on the contest and for sharing your make-up expertise; Kathleen, Ryan and Ron for the tips that you gave me; Jeng for helping out with the song and the wardrobe; and for my friends who cheered me up during the contest - Minnie for being my manager (lahat nandun na) - I know that you'll be a great stage mom for Kyle hahaha, Gen for being the assistant manager (o hayan ah hehehehe), Dru for the support (weee!!! alam kong gutom na gutom ka na that night at muntik ka nang hindi makaaalis ng maaga hehehe), Rey for your encouragement and support (kahit hindi ka taga-Scope, you still managed to watch), Agri for coming in that even though you got paged earlier that night, you still went to the contest and Mars (although you're in Shanghai at that time, I know that you'll support me when you're here).

I know that most of you would ask me what's the prize that I got being on the 3rd place. Well, I got a trophy, glory (the right to brag as what others would say) and RM 50 (believe me, mas mahal pa ang pamasahe ko papuntang TPM). But the best prize that I got was seeing how my friends supported me. Cliche as it may sound but a few minutes before I performed, I told myself that even though I go home empty-handed, as long as I don't disappoint my friends and that they're proud of me, then I'm ok. That thing somehow motivated me to give my best shot. And that my folks is priceless.

Scope Idol - Angel by Analyn

2007-08-14T05:32:00.001+08:00

This is the video during the grand finals of Scope Idol 2007.

The Big Surprise

2007-08-12T01:44:00.000+08:00

Note: I was supposed to write my own version of this story but since I still have a lot of things to write and Gen had written this article very well, I have decided to post it in this blog (with her permission of course). I hope you'll enjoy reading this :)

It came as a surprise for most of us that my housemate and close friend Minnie will be going back to the Philippines. She came back from her 2 weeks vacation with the news, “I’m leaving”. It was a shock for most of us who knew her. It was a hard decision to make but nevertheless we understood that it’s for her son, Kyle. Though we are saddened that we won’t be able to see her anymore in a few more days, we decided to give her one last surprise, an unexpected despedida. Anai and I thought that it’s the best memory we could give her. We don’t want her to remember tearful goodbyes but fun moments with her closest friends.

It was Anai who brought up the idea of giving her a surprise despedida. It would be an intimate dinner with only a few invites. We wanted it to be among us since we know Minnie is always at her best ‘behavior’ when the people around her know her crazy antics. That being the idea, Anai and I thought of the 3 important questions when it comes to planning events: When, Where, How.

When…

Since Minnie will be leaving on the 9th (I am referring to her flight), the only dates that we can squeeze this dinner in is on a weekend. Added to this is that Anai and Jeng are both on night support. We thought of having it on a Friday or a Saturday but it was also the weekend of the PC Fair. So… the perfect choice was Sunday night, Aug 5. The time we chose was around 8 pm.

Where…

Okay… for this Anai and I kinda made a bias decision to pick California Pizza Kitchen. I told Anai that I wanted to try CPK KL since many people are saying that I should. Both of us are fans of CPK in Manila and since we haven’t tried it here in Malaysia, it was the perfect choice and venue for Minnie’s surprise.

How….

This is the difficult part. How to make it into a surprise. What Anai and I did initially was to choose the list of people to invite. We wanted it to be intimate so we’re inviting only Minnie’s closest friends. We sent the email to check with them if they are available on the Sunday. Most of the people we invited agreed. Some were not able to go because of prior commitments but majority said yes.

Then we thought of a way on how we are supposed to bring Minnie in KLCC without her ever suspecting that something’s up. And the solution came from Jeng. She suggested that we let Paul invite Minnie. (Btw, we’ve been teasing Paul and Minnie for ages… you get the picture?). With that in mind, Anai asked Paul if he can ask Minnie out to dinner on Sunday night. This is the perfect surprise since Minnie won’t have any clue that Paul is in cohorts with us.

The planning started on a Monday. By Wednesday, Paul still hasn’t invited Minnie yet. We are not worried though since we still have ample time before Sunday. Unfortunately, that night, the owners of our condo unit informed Minnie that they want to give her a despedida on Friday night. They will be the one to shoulder the food. They even suggested to just buy some pizza, KFC and a couple of beers. Minnie had no choice but to agree. So she invited some friends from work (the same group of people that we also invited for CPK). A lot of them got confused that this is the same party, we had to send out another email that this is different from Sunday.

Friday, Paul still has not asked Minnie out. By this time, Anai and I are already thinking of Plan B. But we’re still not losing hope that Paul would be our knight in shining armor. What we did was I asked the help of my ‘itay’ Onin (Paul’s friend) to give Paul a little nudge. And true to his word, Onin helped us out by telling Paul to hurry it up and ask Minnie out. He even said that Anai’s already frustrated with him. Obviously the little push worked because the message that Anai and I were both waiting for finally came around 3:04 PM: I HAVE A DATE!

So we’re all set for Sunday night. Unfortunately, come Sunday it was I who had a problem. I stayed at home for the rest of the afternoon hoping to get some shut eye before our big surprise. But Minnie had other plans for me. She wanted me to watch Silent Hill on DVD instead of taking a nap. (darn woman! she didn’t want me to sleep because she’d have no one to talk to) After the movie, I had to cook our lunch the following day. Then by 5 PM, Anai was already sending me text messages that we’ll be meeting at Asia Jaya at around 6:30. But I can’t make a single move because I can’t think of any excuse that will not make Minnie suspect anything.

By 6 PM, I made some feable excuse that I’m going to meet up with Anai and that we’d go to Midvalley. I took a shower, got dressed and I put on my contact lens, which I don’t usually use during the weekends (Minnie should have noticed this… thank God she didn’t. haha!) I got out of my room and found Minnie in the living room wearing white shorts. I should’ve panicked since I wanted her to wear something nice for the occasion. Good thing though the blouse that she was wearing was a little sexy so it would do.

The BIG problem came when she said that she’ll be leaving with me to go to Asia Jaya station because Anai and I will be meeting there. (Btw, KLCC is a 30 min train ride from Asia Jaya Station) I panicked so I texted Anai that Minnie will be coming with me. Anai called me up and I told her that I’ll just wait at the taxi stand. After Minnie and I parted at the corner before the station, Anai came carrying Rey’s Karavision. Haha! Now there’s our excuse! Our plan now was to tell Minnie, who by now is waiting at the platform, that we are going to KL Sentral to meet up with Rey. Good thing too that Paul hasn’t arrived yet by the time the next train arrived. Once the train doors opened, off we go to KLCC. And mind you, this is the only time we were able to breathe easily.

By 9 PM, all of the invited guests showed up and we were all just waiting for Paul and Minnie to arrive. When they came walking through the side corridor, it was funny because Minnie didn’t see us at all. She was really shocked that we cooked up a surprise for her. And that all her close friends were there. The night turned out as we expected it to be: full of laughs, very intimate, a little drama, lots of revelations… but overall… a night never to be forgotten.
Just like Minnie’s birthday bash, this surprise was well worth the effort that Anai, Jeng and I put in. To see Minnie with a big smile on her face that night and the day after, was enough to remind us that she’ll be leaving us with full of good memories.

One year in Truly Asia: A Retrospect

2007-08-11T16:23:00.000+08:00

Yes, I've been working in Malaysia for a year now. Time flies so fast indeed. I want to look back at the things that happened to me for the past year which I think has been a blessing for me inspite of the good and bad things.

I have my first taste of independence here in Malaysia. Yes, even though I stayed in a dormitory during my college days and had been in an onshore assignment for 6 months in the US, I was dependent during that time from my parents and my former company. This time, I am finally on my own. I had to find my own place and have to pay my own bills. I was caught in situations that required me to make my own decisions. This is the time where I felt that I am an adult.

Career wise, working here exposed me to a totally different culture. I was used in working in an environment that adapted the American culture - professional, encouraging, results driven and organized. I was advised by Hazel not to expect much when it comes to work. Good thing that I listened to her. My current workplace is not as organized as my previous job and I realized how important the process is. Also the work culture is different because initiative is very important.

It was also here that I was exposed to real situations that every OFW deals with - homesickness, long distance relationship dilemmas and the reason why most of the people are willing to be away just to bring food on their table.

The best thing about working here are meeting people whom I've considered my family away from home. It's been a long time since I felt being this close to my friends. I feel so blessed to have them in this journey. They've guided me to become the person who I am right now - lighter (hindi sa akin galing yan hahaha!!), fun-loving, independent, sensitive, more responsible, feminine and confident.

Also, I have the motivation to do the things that I've been longing to do - teaching, writing, playing my favorite sports and singing. Doing my passions help me determine (although not totally) what I wanted to do with my life. It was only being here that I started to think what my purpose is.

It seems that 1 year just passed briefly but this is not yet the end of the journey. I know I still have a long way to go. But a lot of things happened and I hope that I will continue to change for good. I don't have any concrete plans as of now but I know that I eventually realize where I should go. Anyway, in the meantime, I'll just enjoy life to the fullest =)

Home is where the heart is...

2007-08-07T00:44:00.000+08:00

On the second week of July, I finally had my 10-day long vacation to the Philippines. I had to complete my tasks that's why a few days before my flight, I had to stay up late. Anyway, since I would be on vacation for more than a week, I had to complete my task. On the night before my flight to the Philippines, I had to go home at midnight. I need to do my final packing and my flight is on 7:20 AM so I need to leave the house by 4 AM. Thus, I decided not to sleep that night.

That morning, my head was aching due to lack of sleep so I slept at the plane. But what the heck, I'll be home after 7 months of working as an OFW in Malaysia. I may not be showy about it but I'm excited.. first of all, my family would be there, I got to meet my friends whom I haven't seen in a year, I would get to shop for cheaper clothes, I can play with my pets :P, I can converse with anyone in Tagalog, I can eat all the food that want, and many more reasons :)

After 10 hours of travelling, my parents met me at the bus terminal. I was so hungry at that time so we went to Jollibee where I had a chickenjoy and mango pie (yum!). My mother paid all the food that I ate (bwahaha) and we went home.

My vacation was very fruitful to me. I met my friends (from work and from school) and relatives. Luckily, I was in the Philippines when the 5th movie of Harry Potter was shown and when the last book was released (woohoo!). I ate all foods that I think has Philippine mango as the flavor.

Also, I was able to meet my friends Daisy (met her boyfriend finally *wink *wink), Ryan (nakapag Big Chill na rin tayo after a long time.. thanks for your time kahit sobrang dami pa ng tasks mo, really appreciate it =P), former Cycling teammates (Kristine, Susan, Lois, Arthur and Abby), the Parokya gang (Eva, Jen, Uly, Jenny Jane & Abie), my relatives (Ate Jing, Kuya mar, uncle llano, Jing, Mae, Grace, Tita Ning, Ate Cindy, Tito Bebot, Kuya Wilzen, Ashley, Rea, Mabeth), my dorm mate Jopay (thanks for the day long kwento..sobrang na enjoy ko yung meeting natin hehehe), Celia (thanks for meeting me up kahit na pagod na pagod ka na..mwah!), Marge (thanks for the free lunch, sana makumpleto tayong 3 ni Hazel), Lee and Annrhee (former housemates, thanks for the time), Jen, Annie, Lois and Tita Mer (lam kong malayo pa ang pinanggalingan nyo pero touched talaga ako). Most importantly, I was able to spend time with my family ( I hate to admit it pero I missed the feeling of pagiging dependent and having somebody pushing me around, to the point of nagging na minsan.. that's why I'm back as your daughter just for 10 days =P)

So how do I find my vacation? I admit that there's no place like home. But I need to be away from it because there are things that I need to learn while I'm outside my comfort zone. And when the right time comes when I think I've learned all the things I need to know, then that would be the right time to go back :)

The Harry Potter fanatic

2007-08-05T03:18:00.001+08:00

I am a Potterite (a Muggle who's fond of Harry Potter) since college. I have done a lot of crazy things due to my addiction to this J.K. Rowling epic. It all started way back in college where most of my classmates would have a Harry Potter trivia quiz everytime we take a break from our review or while doing the thesis. The first 4 books were circulating among my blockmates and most of us have read the book. When the first movie was shown during our senior year, the whole class watched the movie. We only had 1 class that day and my classmates watched the movie and met at that class to discuss the movie. I watched the movie with my fellow ka-Parokyas (my college barkada) twice in the theater on that day (adik talaga no?).

We continued our Harry Potter gimmick on the next movie installment even though we have our jobs. In fact, it was also during that time when we accidentally joined the Harry Potter trivia challenge and represented National Bookstore Greenbelt branch. It was accident because we only wanted to play the game board displayed in NBS Greenbelt and we need to register in order for us to play. Since nobody else registered in the adult category, we were "forced" to play the game on the following week at Megamall Activity Center. Imagine our horror when we found out that most of the contestants were below 20 years old (I was 22 back then). Good thing because of the contestants from SM North is 31 years old... so we're not the oldest then hahaha!!! We ended up as the 2nd place among the branches but when we need to claim our prizes on stage once our name was called. We were sooo embarrassed when it happened and we wished that nobody from work saw us (or we should have put on the Invisibility Cloak on us). Good thing no one did..whew!

For the third movie, I was on my onshore assignment but for the heck of watching Harry Potter, I went from Phoenix to LA just to watch the movie with Katrina, my cousin who's a certified Potterite as well. This is the first time that I watched the movie only once in the theater because the movie in US is quite expensive.

For the Goblet of fire movie, I still watched the movie with the Parokya gang but I had a low EQ at that time so I treated my family for a movie on the 1st day of showing. Later I realized that it was boring to watch that movie with someone who's not enthusiastic as I do. Anyway, I still enjoyed watching the movie with the Parokya gang even though I already saw the movie.

To keep up with the tradition, I watched the 5th movie with my college friends. Fortunately, I was in the Philippines when the movie was shown =) and I had to keep up with the tradition. Woohoo!!!

When it comes to the books, I bought the first 4 books (paperback) as a birthday gift for myself since I got my first job. For the succeeding books, all of these are in hard bound. The craziest thing that I did so far was to stay in the office overnight so that I can get the book at 7 AM, which is the usual time for the worldwide release of the books. I managed to read the book after 2 days.

The month of July is the much anticipated month for all the Potterites. Aside from the showing of the fifth movie adaptation, the conclusion to the 7-year epic of Harry Potter was released. And my verdict? Well, it was worth the wait. The ending was satisfying but it was bittersweet because I don't have anything to look forward to :(

Now that I've completed the 7 books, I am now planning to buy the hardbound copies of the first 4 books =) I'm also planning to buy all the DVD of all the movies (I already have 2).

Harry Potter has been a big part of our pop culture. It was kinda sad that this would have to end. But thanks to J.K. Rowling for bringing us her imagination which brought out the child in us :)

CCMS Team Building - Reality TV becomes Reality

2007-07-12T21:12:00.000+08:00

I used to be a fan of Reality TV shows. My college friends have a big influence on this. Most of them are suckers for Survivor, especially Ulysses. I watched the Amazing Race because of them, which later became one of my favorite shows. I used to watch Survivor, Big brother, the bachelor (yeah i know this show sucks) and other reality TV shows whose title I can't remember.

Being a regular viewer of these reality TV shows, I always wonder what its like to be a contestant. Annie, our former helper, used to watch the Amazing Race and usually we would often imagine that we're among the,. Fortunately, for our team building, the main event was the Amazing Race. Last weekend, half of my project mates went to Genting View hotel for our annual team building event. This activity almost did not push through because our company has a strict policy when it comes to team bulding. A significant number of people had left our company which our management finally used as a reason for us to have team building in the first place; the human resource office finally granted us to have our team bulding event.

Last year, I was 1-hour late so I made sure this year that this won't happen. Gen and Zari made sure that I woke up early by calling me. I didn't eat my breakfast so that I could make it on the 7:00 AM "call time". There were 2 buses that brought us to Genting. Of course, 1 of them is a bus exclusively for the Filipinos since half of the population of CCMS who joined the team building are my fellow kababayans. Knowing how the Filipinos behave on a bus trip, it was a fun trip for all of us.

That morning, we arrived at the Genting View hotel when most of us had an empty stomach. Jega, the facilitator, had a series of icebreakers which in my opinion are not that effective.. because what we need was FOOD!!! Anyway, our first activity was to form teams for the entire team building activity. There were 6 teams composed of 6-7 people. My teammates (Chih Kok, Foo, Mazlan, Nurol, Kristin and Homer) decided to call ourselves DIE HARD 7 (from Bruce Willis' latest movie). Good thing that Homer is an artist which helped a lot when we made our banner.

Anyway, here are the activities that consisted our team building:

1. Amazing Race. This is the highlight of the team building. We were divided into teams and we need to perform several tasks to complete the race. Note that there will be no elimination.

For our first task, we need to form the castle of Atlantis. We were given a set of Lego blocks and build it based from the blueprint located at the middle of the pool. For our team, Mazlan swam to look for the blueprint and we were the 4th team to complete this task.

For the second task, we were asked to look for these objects: 7 human hair, 7 leaves, 7 stones with shapes (like a star, house, etc) and 7 kinds of mushrooms. It was funny because we had to search for these items in a place that is similar to Camp John Hay in Baguio. Also, some of my colleagues got lost while looking for these items.. fortunately, none in our team got lost!

Third task, we need to fill 3 500-ml bottles with water from the creek. The challenge here is that we were given a 1-ft tube (with 0.5 inch diameter) that we can fill in with water from the creek and that needs to be passed among the group members. It was one of the easiest task of the game and we managed to complete it within the 3 minute time frame.

The fourth and most challenging tasks is called the landmines. In this task, one member must cros the so-called landmines blindly; our foot should never step on the landmine and we had to rely on the instructions of our teammate on the other end of the maze. Believe me, it's really difficult because there are 7 teams shouting for the instructions and I can't really figure out who is my teammate. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete this task :(

The last task required us to use our brains. We were given a mathematical problem. Fortunately, Chih Kok figured out the solution easily and our team was the first one who completed that task.

And that concludes our Amazing Race.. after that, we ate our lunch :)

2. Survivor. Okay, the next activity is actually called Escape from Alcatraz. In this task, we were given an incomplete blueprint of the prison. We need to complete the whole prison map. The complete map is found at the other side of the hall but we need to rely on our good memory to complete this task because we can't use a camera or a pen and paper to complete the map. Before the start of the game, the facilitator said that there are two roles for this game: the saboteur and the non saboteur and everyone of us were given a piece of paper to determine if we're a saboteur or not. I got a paper that indicated that I am not a saboteur.

However, due to my poor memory, I committed a lot of mistakes which caused my teammates to suspect as a saboteur. Once accused by two team members, we needed to undergo a trial. There were 8 of us who were suspected of being a saboteur were given a few minutes to "defend" ourselves.

This scene reminded me of the tribal counsel in Survivor, where each team can pick the person to be eliminated based on whose the biggest threat to the team. After we gave our respective speeches, it was revealed that there was no saboteur at all.

3. Big Brother. All of us stayed in a villa with 3 rooms (similar to the rest house in Tagaytay). Each room has 2 people in it. The original plan was for me to stay with a fellow Filipino colleague but at the last minute, she swapped with a Malay colleague so I ended up as the only Filipino in our house. My fellow housemates were all Malaysians - 2 Chinese, 1 Malay and 1 Indian. I didn't this setup at all since I only planned to sleep that night. I had a chit chat with them for a few minutes before I went to bed.

The next morning, I was still lazy to wake up and take a bath. One of my housemates noticed this and asked me if I always take a bath. I found this question to be weird but it is more of a cultural thing. Anyway, this question paved the way to clarify some of my misconceptions which I would rather not say. Anyway, I managed to "survive" in that house which is a good experience.. it was my first time to stay in a house where I am the only foreigner.

4. The Apprentice. For our task for the second day, it was referred as East Indies Company. In this activity, we were divided into 6 countries - Philippines (my team), Singapore, India, Indochina, Indonesia and Borneo. Each countries were given with commodities such as timbre, silver, rice, and rubber. We need to do a barter trade among the countries and the period of the whole game is for 6 months. Each month, the profit of each country were computed. The winners will be determined based from 2 criteria: the highest profit and the trust given by the other countries which was decided based from the rating provided by the other countries. It was a very tiring but fun activity. We became the country with the second highest profit. Unfortunately, we were the 2nd lowest country when it comes to trust.

After this activity, we ate our lunch and the winners of the Amazing Race contest were announced. Fortunately, our team won!!! Woohoo!!!

I really enjoyed this team building activity. The location was nice and the activities were fun. =) I had a blast!!!

Buhay Kolehiyo

2007-07-05T23:11:00.000+08:00

Just a break from serious blogging, I came across this answer sheet from Friendster. Anyway just for fun, I wanted to post it =)

IN COLLEGE:

1.ANO'NG STUDENT NUMBER MO?- 98040290.. Shet kabisado ko pa kahit 5 years na ang nakakaraan haha =P

2. ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE?- BS Math major in ComSci

3. SECOND CHOICE- BS Commerce major in Information Systems Management

4. ANO COURSE MO NA NATAPOS?- BS Math Major in ComSci

5. NAG-SHIFT KA BA?- Almost.. nawindang kc ako sa kaka-program, nagbalak akong mag change ng major to Actuarial Science, kaya lang at the last minute I changed my mind.

6. CHINITO/CHINITA KA BA?- nope.. pinoy na pinoy hihihi..

7. NAKAPAG-DORM/CONDO KA BA?- yep. Nag-dorm ako sa may Sacred Heart Ladies Dorm sa may Dapitan. Sobrang na-enjoy ko ang dormlife ko :)

8. NAKA UNO KA BA?- Yep :)

9. NAG-KA 3 KA NA BA?- Nope :)

10. LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE?- Yes.. I was a diligent student.

11. MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA BA?- Nope kc may educational plan na ako

12. ILANG UNITS NA ANG NAIPASA MO?- Shucks ndi ko na maalala hahaha!!!

13. NANGARAP KA BA NA MAG-CUM LAUDE?- Hindi.. sa hirap ng course ko.. sapat na ang makapasa hehehe...

14. FAVE PROF- Prof Del Rosario (kahit terror sya), Prof Martin (the best Math prof for me), Prof Decena, Prof Benjamin (I enjoyed Integral Calculus because of her =P), Prof Ward (my Literature prof.. I enjoyed that class)

15. WORST TEACHER- Marami pero isa ang memorable for me - si Prof Grande (Physics). Tanong nyo na lang ako kung bakit hehehe..

16. FAVE SUBJECT/S - Statistics, Probability (latter part na), Analytic Geometry, Integral Calculus, C programming, PE (volleyball), Phil Constitution, Literature, COBOL Programming (nyahahahaha)..

17. WORST SUBJECT/S: Almost all of my English subjects - except Literature (kasi naman nagagalit palagi ung mga English prof namin kc bokya kami sa grammar), Solid Geometry (I really hate that subject), some Social Science subjects (except constitution and classes with Prof Sarreal hehe).

18. FAVE BUILDING- UST Main Building - my home :), Medicine Building kc ang daming cute na med proper students at ang Central Library (suki ako dun)

19. PABORITONG KAINAN: Jollibee, Merrie's, Brbs, Paotsin (influence ni Ruby sa akin, roomie ko), yung bilihan ng milkshake sa may P Noval (ndi ko na naman maalala), UST Coop.

20. NUNG ESTUDYANTE KA PA MAGKANO BAANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP?- Hmm.. walking distance lang ang dorm ko sa campus.. pero ang minimum fare na ata noon, 4 pesos (waah! hindi ko na maalala!!)

21. LAGI KA BA SA LIBRARY?- BWAHAHAHA!!! Kung wala ako sa dorm pag walang class, asahan mong nasa library, especially sa SciTech section.. I was branded by my classmates as the student who comes to the library the most..at hindi para matulog.. oo na, aminado na akong geek ako as a student - but I love being surrounded by books :)

22. NAGPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC NUN ?- Yep.. since libre naman kami sa UST Hospital.. why not? :)

23. MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS?- of course!John Paul Ong (Mr Nursing who later shifted to Math Actuarial Sci hihi) - naging classmate ko sya sa Phil Constitution (no wonder fave ko ung class na yun hihi).. Yung iba hindi ko na maalala ung name - yung 1 is yung look alike ni Matt Mendoza na matangkad na member ng UST Science Glee Club (course mate ko rin sya hihihi) tapos yung isa is yung cute na guy na naging partner ng dean namin nung nagsayaw sa Science Variety show na kahawig ni Vincci ng parokya ni edgar hehehe.. at lastly, si Jimbo ng Bio Acce (cute na, brainy pa hehe).

24. ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING PE MO?- Dancing, Gymnastics (lahat ng freshman, ito ang PE), Table tennis and Volleyball (buti na lang kahit papanu fave ko ang mga sports na ito hehe).

25.KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOCK NYO?- 4B Math 2002 is the best. Makulay ang buhay - sobrang diverse man ang personalities namin pero masaya hehehe.

26. MEMORIZE MO BA ANG ALMA MATER SONGNIYO?- Ang alam ko lang yung chorus part :)

27. MEMBER KA BA NG VARSITY TEAM?- Nope.. I almost joined the Science Volleyball team though (sayang)

28. NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM? - Yup.. geek ako e.

29. DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER?- Hmm.. good girl ako nung college - mahigpit ang mga madre sa dorm kaya may curfew wehehehe..

Updates

2007-07-05T22:42:00.000+08:00

It’s been a long time since I last updated my blog. Well there are 2 main reasons - first, we have no internet access at home and second, I was on support last week.

So many things have happened since the fire incident. Its been a long time since I last updated my blog and I really miss it before I fall asleep and it already become my habit.

For two weeks, Agri’s parents have stayed in our house for two weeks. Now I know where Agri’s genes came from when it comes to cracking a joke - her father. It is really obvious how Agri loves her parents; there’s a sparkle in her eyes every time she ‘s with them. I can’t help but feel amazed because I’ve seen a different side of Agri - that of a loving daughter. No wonder when her parents left, she was really sad.

====

One of my favorite sports is volleyball. One of my biggest regrets as a student was that I’ve declined to join the volleyball team twice because of my height - when I was in high school and in college. I was active in volleyball when I was in grade school and in college, I usually played with my classmates. During college, it came to a point that we would usually play after our class everyday and I lost a lot of weight because of that.

I missed playing volleyball. I joined the Accenture Volleyball League for 1 year but decided not to continue in the following year because the games are usually held late in the evening and I have to travel 2 hours to go home (much to my father’s dismay who does not sleep until I get home).

This time, I’m glad that there’s a league that was organized by FILSAMA - Filipino Sports Association in Malaysia. My colleagues in Scope formed a team and I decided to join. Unfortunately, I was on support on our first game and I didn’t get enough sleep so I don’t have enough energy to play. Next week is our second game but unfortunately, we will have our team building activity so I’m not sure if I can join the game (but I’m keeping my fingers crossed). Well wish me luck.

Anyway, I’m still glad that there’s a venue for me to play volleyball and that I mingle with my colleagues in sports setting.

===

My company had a singing contest - the Scope Idol. Since I love to sing, I just gave it a shot. Well, the prize is really attractive - RM 3000. But the main reason why I wanted to join is just to have fun and for me to experience what it’s like to be in a competition. Anyway, this is not an amateur professional singing contest so maybe its worth the experience. I just hope I wiill meet my goal.

There will be a series of auditions (I think there are 5) before the finals. Next week, the first 2 preliminary auditions will be held. I just wish that this won’t be in conflict with me going home next week.

For my audition, I’m planning to sing Sweet Love by Anita Baker. I just hope that I would be able to give my best on this one ;-) Wish me luck!

===

I just can’t hide my excitement. I’m going home next week! I’ll be staying in Manila for more than a week, just enough time for me to catch up with my family and friends. Some of the activities that I’m really looking forward to is the Harry Potter movie gimmick with the Parokya gang (my college barkada). I’ve watched all the 3 previous films with them (I was in the US when the 3rd movie was shown so I watched with my cousin) and I’m glad to watch it again with them. Yes, we’re all certified Potterheads. In fact, one of our favorite past times was to answer the Harry Potter quizzes online and later, we joined a Harry Potter trivia contest held in SM Mega mall a few years back (which by the way only happened by accident).

===

This weekend, our project will be having a team buidling. All the project members are required to attend the team building activity and the reason must be valid for us not to attend the team building. Good thing that it will be held at Genting Highlands Resort. One of the activities that will be conducted is the Amazing Race. Finally! I can finally play in a game inspired by one of my favorite TV shows! :) I’m really looking forward for it.

Explosion - Agri and Friends Version

2007-06-26T22:44:00.001+08:00

Here is the video that I am talking about.. here is Agri and friends' rendition of explosion.. (laugh trip ito)

In sickness and in health

2007-06-25T10:02:00.000+08:00

Note: I apologize for these late posts. Unfortunately, there's no Internet access from our unit so my entries were posted rather late.

Due to the incident with Kathleen, I realized the importance of having your family at your side especially at times of illness. I remembered those times when my family took care of me when I was in the hospital and I really appreciated it. I may have friends who can look after me if I get sick here but it’s still different compared to the care that my family can give me so I always pray that my friends won’t get sick.

I was admitted in the hospital twice - the first one happened when I had an appendectomy during High School a few weeks before my High School prom (that’s why I looked slim in my prom pictures) and the second one happened on my 22nd birthday when I suffered from acute bronchitis. Yes you heard it right, I spent my birthday in the hospital.

One thing that I learned when I had an appendectomy was that I don’t want to be undergo a surgery procedure as much as possible. I recalled the night after the surgery when I was screaming in pain due to the wound caused by the operation. I want to stand up but I was too weak to do so. That’s why I don’t understand why some people would consider plastic surgery even if it’s not necessary. Even though I was still groggy from the anesthesia, I felt my mother’s embrace. It may not be the cure for the pain that I endured but it really helped a lot, knowing that she’s there.

On my 22nd birthday, I can’t help but be grateful to my family who were with me during those times. I really appreciated my friends who visited me - Debbie (my dorm mate), the Parokya - Eva, Jayms, Shine and Jen, and my Cycling buddies Arnel and Janjan. I have considered being sick as the most vulnerable state that a person can be and for them to visit me strengthen my friendship with them because I know that I can rely on these people. For me that’s the true essence of friendship - being there without asking for it. It may not ease the physical pain, but at least their at my side to make me feel better.

Although I realized the meaning of friendship while I was sick, it also made me understand that I cannot rely on all my friends at all times. I was disappointed with my High school friends because they did not even bother to visit me (my birthday fell on a Sunday) even though I continue to reach out to them. That’s why I’ve considered the friendship that I had with them not that meaningful.

Since I realized the importance of being there during illness, I always try my best to be with my family and friends during those times. I hope that my mother felt it when she had her uterus and thyroid gland removed. I wished that this helped a lot while Arnel was battling with cancer, among others. This is why I would am willing go for the extra mile, just to make them feel that I’m there.

Caught on Fire

2007-06-25T10:01:00.001+08:00

Since I had to leave the office two Fridays ago to prepare for Minnie’s birthday party, I had to work on Saturday because I had to complete the task that was given to me because I had a deadline the next Monday. I worked at the office at around 6:00 PM because I hang out at Minnie’s place. Since I was no longer productive at around 9:10 PM, I decided to go home.

When I arrived at the gate of Menara Jaya Condominium, I saw Ace, Francis and Rommel, my colleagues here in Malaysia. It seems that Ace wanted to borrow my umbrella because it was drizzling outside, but got shy at the last minute.

When I reached the pool area on my way to the elevator, the fire alarm rang. I decided not to take the lift and waited to hear what happened. A lot of people were running around. One guy from Daniel’s Café (the canteen in our unit) talked to one of the residents who came down due to the fire alarm, and he said that there was a fire in the 14th floor (our unit is in the 13th floor). I immediately called my Agri to check on her. Fortunately, she was on her way to the airport to pick her parents. Mars is currently in Shanghai China for a business trip.

I spoke to Agnes and her Gio, my colleagues who were living in Menara Jaya Condominium as well. I remembered Kathleen who was living in the 14th floor. I got worried that she’s alone since I saw her housemates, Rommel and Francis at the gate earlier that night. I tried to call her but she was not answering the phone. I learned from our few neighbors that the fire was indeed from the 14th floor and that the fire was already gone. I went to the 14th floor and it turned out that my instincts were right - it was their unit that was caught on fire. I immediately called her and she was still not answering her phone. I went downstairs and looked for her and I saw her at the first floor, was in shocked and was crying hysterically. The thing with her was that she is 6 months pregnant.

What happened was that one of her housemates left the kettle boiling. Her housemates left and failed to inform her about the kettle. Kathleen just heard an explosion and saw that their kitchen was on fire. She grabbed a pale of water from her bathroom to destroy the fire but to no avail. After a few minutes, she went outside and pressed the fire alarm button. Then she put all the things that she can salvage in her balikbayan box and took it together with her luggage. Fortunately, a lot of the residents and security were able to respond quickly. One of them bravely removed the LPG tank from the kitchen. Talk about having an angel!

After a few minutes, Kathleen decided to stay in our unit. She was having difficulty in breathing at that time and due to her delicate situation, we decided to bring her to the hospital. There were 3 of us who went to the hospital - Kathleen, Rose and I. It was already 1 AM when we reached the emergency room of Pantai Medical Center. Only 1 companion is allowed in the ER so it was Rose who accompanied Kathleen since she’s a mother as well and can totally relate to her condition. While waiting outside the ER, I got a call from her housemates who were on their way to the hospital.

When Francis and Rommel arrived at the hospital, we were informed that Kathleen needs to be admitted and that we need to give a deposit of RM 3,000. Where the hell are we supposed to get that amount of money during that time? Part of our benefits while working here in Malaysia is hospitalization insurance but it is still different when we have a health card. That’s when I really appreciate the value of having one. Fortunately, Francis was able to plead to admit Kathleen and promised that our employer would come the next day to pay them.

Anyway, Agri called me because her family were locked out from our unit (the keys that she took with her were not complete). So I had to rush home to open our unit. It was already 3 PM when we got in.

I woke up the next day at 8 AM and cooked beef sopas, fish and longganisa. Ace went with me that day to the hospital. Good thing that Kathleen was doing fine that night and she was no longer suffering from chesty cough due to the medicines that were given to her. The doctor said that she can go home but were waiting for Edmund (our employer) to arrive to settle the hospital bills. Ace and Rommel went home at around lunch time because they need to settle things with regards to the fire that happened earlier. Francis and I remained in the hospital to accompany Kathleen until Edmund arrives.

Edmund arrived at around 3 PM and Kathleen was discharged from the hospital. They took a look at their unit to see the damages while I went ahead with my movie date with Gen to watch at KLCC. Kathleen stayed with me in a week until the carbons in their unit were cleaned.

It was a long weekend with me at that time. I can’t help but admire the camaraderie that the Filipinos show during these times. I also have a high regard for Kathleen’s housemates who demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility. Witnessing these things strengthen my faith in people. Thank God that nobody was hurt in this situation.

Minnie's birthday party

2007-06-18T22:50:00.000+08:00

Minnie was planning her birthday a few months back and she assigned me and Gen as her party coordinators. Fortunately, Gen and I love organizing events like this so we accepted the challenge hehehe. We want this occasion to become very special for her. So Gen and I took our role seriously, by meeting every weekend in our unit to plan for everything - from the blog (which will serve as our birthday present for her), the menu, the decorations, music (karaoke), invitation - in other words, everything! Kinarir talaga namin. We had a lot of options back then. Good thing that Gen and I both love giving surprises and we're both looking forward on watching Minnie's reaction.

Anyway, a few weeks before her birthday, Minnie had her so-called birthday tantrums. So we felt sort of pressured to make it a very special birthday. The thing that only Minnie was aware of is that she will have a birthday party at her unit with the menu that she requested from her friends. So here are the things that we came up to make it a special day for her:

1. Blog. Our goal was to make her cry on her birthday and we thought of the blog as a way to do it. The blog was a big challenge because it's hard to ask people if they can provide a write up for Minnie but all we got was birthday message. Second, not all the people whom we want to contribute was able to do so. We even made an attempt to ask for a video of Kyle greeting her mom but it was impossible to do so (hindi na talaga kinaya ng powers namin). Even the original template and the video code that we wanted to use are not cooperating. So we just did the best that we can do. When we gave the link of the blog, we put the URL inside a card. It was funny because when we gave her the card, some of them had to make last minute changes and we had to use her laptop to do post the entries hihihi (of course, we need to shut her out of her room). Fortunately, we were successful with our goal - we made Minnie cry.. but it was tears of joy. By the way, the blog can be found here.

2. Flowers. Every woman loves to have flowers right? What we planned a few months back was to ask her crush (let's refer to him as Mr Darcy) to deliver her the flowers that we're going to buy for her. We even had an accomplice to make it happen since Gen and I don't have the nerve to ask Mr Darcy to do that. But since there has been a significant development between Minnie and Mr Darcy (and it's not just a drooling phase) and we don't want to preempt things by doing that. So Gen and I had to rely on ourselves on giving her flowers. So what we came up was to give her a bouquet of flowers and place it in her room when she comes home on her birthday. Fortunately, a week before her birthday, Minnie and I stopped by a flower shop and I found out that she loves daisies and sunflowers - an unusual choice for a woman. Anyway, Gen and I barely had time on her birthday with the preperations to buy her flowers personally so we asked Rey to buy her a bouquet, who willingly obliged. It was funny because I suddenly realized that this would definitely leave people intrigued - and it did! But the thing is, our original plan still materialized - a guy giving her a bunch of flowers :)

3. Balloons. We told Minnie to have balloons on her birthday but she said that does not have a budget for this. Again, we want it to become extra special for her so Gen and I planned to still have it. Our initial plan was to buy 50 balloons for her birthday and have them all pumped with the help of Dru, Osang, Kristin and Em. But Gen and I were not able to plan ahead so our next best option was to buy balloons. We asked Donn, one of our colleagues where we can buy the balloons. Gen bought 15 green balloons and she had to pick it up from the store - I could only just imagine a tall girl holding 15 balloons walking on the street - it was definitely a picture worth shooting! hehehe.. Anyway, we're glad that Minnie loved the balloons :)

4. Videoke. Rey bought a Kara vision system from the Philippines and he wanted to give it a try. He brought it to our unit last Saturday and we had a blast. Minnie even rehearsed all the songs that she wanted to sing (I've Fallen for you, I think I'm in Love) but was not able to do so. Of course, we don't want to preempt things with Mr Darcy (*wink wink).

5. Explosion. Since Rey left his Karavision in our unit, Agri was ecstatic and sang videoke every night. One of the songs that she sang was Explosion by Menudo. We both got curious with its dance steps and we ended up searching for it in the Youtube. Agri and I later followed its footsteps and we ended up practicing (and laughing) every night. Needless to say, it was the much anticipated performance of the night! Everyone was laughing with Agri, who wouldn't want to start her dance number without shooting a video. And Minnie sang the song while 4 of us - Agri, Gen, Issa and I danced. As expected, it was Agri who carried the show (the Robby Rosa of the group). Unfortunately, the video was too big that I can't upload it in Youtube as of the moment.

6. Menu. Minnie prepared a lot of food for her birthday. Her menu includes Buffalo wings, shrimp with oyster sauce, chicken salad, some fruits (to which Dru got injured while slicing..aaw) and hotdogs. In addition to that, Minnie asked her friends to cook other menu - lumpia from Charisse, quesadilla from Deck (Jeng's BF), crispy pata from Bing, Revner and Monico while I cooked beep, I mean, beef stroganoff. Also, we ended up having 2 cakes that night - both of these are chocolate indulgence from Secret Recipe.

7. The Crush. Of course, I need to put this even though as party coordinators, the best thing that we can do is to invite him. Actually, Minnie was having second thoughts inviting him. Since we already asked Mr Darcy to contribute for her blog, we convinced her to invite him as well. A few days before her birthday, they had a date (whoops! am I revealing too much? Well this is my blog and I can write what I want) and everyone was looking forward on their interaction during her birthday. It was funny because while Minnie was overwhelmed, reading her blog in her room, Bing asked Mr Darcy to take her picture inside the room and Bing closed the door. Everyone was betting on whats going to happen, and as expected, nothing happened. Still, it was part of the fun that night and one of the reasons why the party was memorable.

That night we sang until 5 AM. We were really tired but we had fun - our goal was to made Minnie cry. And she did but those were tears of joy. Gen and I were kidding that we can put up an events organizer business (and why not) as both of us love to organize things and give surprises, especially to people who are dear to us. It was a memorable night indeed.

Of course, its now my turn to give thanks to those who helped us - for the people who contributed to the blog (you know who you are), to Jeng for not spilling any info when Minnie asked for it and for keeping Minnie off limits in her house while we prepared for it, to Dru for helping out with the fruits and other preperations, to Rey for buying flowers, to Bing sa pambubugaw (bwahahaha!!) and to my partner in crime, Gen for all the efforts that you've put into this. I'm looking forward for our next project bwahahaha!!! =)

PS: Sorry because I have limited pictures as of this writing. The only picture worth posting where I have a copy was taken by the bday celebrant herself =P Don't worry, I'll update this post once I get the nice pictures. Also, I'm still trying to figure out how to upload the video in Youtube so please bear with me =)

Back to Basics

2007-06-17T22:19:00.001+08:00

Dru, one of my colleagues here in Malaysia, asked me to contribute in his project for his Catholic community, Bukas Loob sa Diyos. His project is known as Back to Basics, which is a site that contains the reflections for each Sunday's readings.

When he found out that I have my own blog, he assigned me to write an article about the Anima Christi - which was the Gospel last June 10. Since I was on the writing mood last Sunday, I went to Coffee Bean right after the mass and wrote an article. Thanks to this article, it caused me to reflect more on the Sunday readings the way that I never used before - I researched in the Internet on the different interpretations of the reading, the way how I did my homework in school. Here is the article that I wrote:

Jesus said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty." They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets -Luke 9:14-17

PS: Thanks to Anai V. a Co-Filipino worker here in Malaysia who without any reservation witnessed through her reflection on the Gospel. May God bless the works of her hands.

June 10, 2007 Sunday Readings:
Gn 14:18-20
Ps 110:1-4
1 Cor 11:23-26
Lk 9:11b-17

Reflection:

My parents used to work in the Philippine National Police, which is sadly considered to be one of the corrupt institutions in our country. All sorts of temptations are there - with only a small amount of salary that they receive, they can use their power to "earn" extra money to make ends meet. Even though my family was struggling financially, they didn't abuse that power - we continued to live based on what they're earning. I was in college back then, studying in a private university and was staying in a dormitory, which makes it more expensive. Instead of abusing that power, they chose to fulfill their duty to the people. I remembered once that my parents had an argument when my mother brought home a few "confiscated" fruits from her office. My father did not let me eat those fruits - fruits that were taken by force from the vendors who's only source of income is to sell. For him, its like stealing the food on their plate. However, their sacrifices had paid off - I have graduated after 4 years in college and my mother was once named as the best policewoman for her outstanding community programs in her precinct.

The gospel of Luke tells us that we don't need all the material things in the world in order to be complete. Jesus Christ fed 5000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 pieces of fish. All people were contented with only a small amount of food that Jesus provided them. By receiving Christ in the Holy Communion, we become one with Him and by doing so, we made a covenant with Him - for us to continue have faith in Him and to live according to His teachings in exchange for eternal life. Anai V.

Song: Anima Christi
Artist: Hangad
Album: Acappella

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, give me strength.

Hear me Jesus, hide me in Thy wounds,
That I may never leave Thy side.
From all the evil that surrounds me, defend me.
And when the call of death arrives, bid me come to Thee,
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints, forever.

Coming out

2007-06-10T18:24:00.000+08:00

I am curvy - or what others call FAT. Its in my genes. My cousins from my father's side have the same body type as I do. I was born to have a big bone structure and a slow metabolic rate. So I gain weight easily.

When I was a child, I was a thin kid. I have no trace of bulge in my body. My mother was really worried why I was a sticky kid so she gave me a lot of vitamins and food supplement (batang Sustagen ako noon). Unfortunately, all those vitamins worked for only a few months..

When I entered the adolescence stage, it became evident that I need to watch what I eat as my body blew up easily (ala Aunt Petunia when Harry Potter got mad - nah! that's an exaggerated statement). My mother insisted me to do situps every morning and to reduce what I eat. Yes, I did it when I was a teenager because my mother only told me so. But at that time, I have limited choices when it comes to shopping. As a teenager, I would only stick to the clothes that would fit me - which is limited to jeans and shirt. In other words, I became a boyish kind of person and don't care how I would look like.

Even though I was aware at such a young age, I have a big body, I didn't starve myself to become thin. I'm not crazy to do that. It was only later that I realized why she wants me to lose all the excess bulge. People have offered me food supplements and tea but I did not take it as I was scared in its side effects. If ever I wanted to lose weight, I don't want to do it because I was pressured by people around me. I wanted to do it because of my own motivation.

You see, society in the Philippines is harsh for people like me - especially during commuting. I had a dose of dreadful commuting stories and in order for me to deal with this, I turn into this bitchy person. It was very difficult for me to shop as I can't find my size in clothes that I like, so that's why as much as possible, I don't want to shop. As if this kind of treatment of strangers were not enough, people whom I know (or worse, people whom I was related to) have also made insensitive comments about me.

At first, not wanting to embarass my parents, I just let go of this comments. But later, I realized that I don't want them to see me just as a body; that I'm also human and that I have feelings as well. It is a sad fact that people would not notice my good traits and the things that I have achieved is still nothing because of the way I look.

Being a woman, I was not spared from the "I-am-so-fat" whining of my friends. I know that guys have this kind of dilemma with their girl friends and I can totally relate with them. Most of the time, I am in a good mood and I just ignore these statements. But sometimes, when I had enough, the bitchy side of me comes out so I asked them if they ever bought clothes from the plus size section or if they ever experienced being rejected from an FX. This has been effective to shut them up.

A few years after I got a job, I started to become a member in Fitness first. I religiously did my exercise for 10 months. And I lost a lot of weight. I may not have the model-type of body at that time but it was at that time when I got in touched with my feminine side by wearing makeup. Maybe it was the effect of having endorphines in my body that I become partly confident of myself.

I stopped going to the gym during my onshore assignment; and I lived in an environment that is kind for people like me. I am not frustrated when it comes to shopping as I find my size in the clothes that I like. The average size of an American woman is size 14 - the same category as I have. People are sensitive about your weight and there are enough support groups to lose weight. This is one of the main reasons why I really treasured my onshore experience.

Unfortunately, due to my sedentary lifestyle in the US, I became huge once again. My job became demanding that it became so hard for me to go back to the gym. So my dilemma got back again. I sufferred from low self-esteem which is apparent on the way how I carry myself.

When I moved here in Malaysia, my weight problem became serious - I was obese and I was at my heaviest, partly becaue of my depression with my old job. My gastro-interologist advised me to lose weight to reduce the occurence of my acid reflux disease. With the new environment, I had enough time to go back to the gym and to plan what I eat. Among the Asian countries,it is the Malaysian women who have most weight problems. So the chances for me to find clothes that would fit me is bigger. Also, I find curvy women here who are comfortable with their own skin and I can't help but to be inspired by them. My mode of transportation are limited to bus, cabs and train so I don't encounter the horrible experiences that I used to have way back home.

I was also lucky that I have friends and family who were supportive and made me feel good about myself, and to help me realize that being sexy does not come from the size of the clothes that I wear but on how I look at myself. It helped a lot as I learned to accept myself, and I thank them a lot for their encouragement. And because of this, I started to become confident with the clothes that I wear and to explore with my feminine side. I have started to dress up and to put on makeup. I began getting compliments because of this and it really felt good. I started to became more confident to do the things that I love as well.

I later realized that being a curvy woman is part of my character. It was because of this that I learned to believe in myself so that others will accept me as well, that for others to appreciate me, it should come from me.

So will I wear a bikini when I go to the beach? Probably, not yet. I still don't have enough endorphines for me to do that. But who knows in the future? Only time can tell ;-)

Girl Bonding Moments

2007-06-06T23:22:00.000+08:00

One of my closest friends here in Malaysia is back in the dating scene. Actually, my friend has a lot of admirers here and most of them have asked her for a date. She refused because she's not attracted to them. Fortunately, after months of secretly drooling on her crush (checking him out while she's taking a break and chatting with me at my desk), he finally asked her out. I can't help but laugh as I recall what happened, because it seemed like it was my friend who asked the guy out formally when I relayed a message from her to confirm if their "movie night" would push through. The guy, who happened to be my teammate, can't help but laugh while he confirmed their date, probably in disbelief that my friend was seriously considering his invitation to watch a movie with him.

At this stage where women our age talk like the protagonists from Sex and the City, their story is like watching a Filipino teenage drama TGIS. Come on, their pace is so slow when in fact, it is obvious that they like each other. A lot of her girl friends would agree with me with this statement.

Another friend meanwhile, shares her sentiments on being single (pareho kc kaming NBSB wehehe). Since we have no experience, we usually discuss about this based from our observation. Also, both of us are not committed, we can't help ourselves but giggle on some men.

With these topics - sharing kilig moments with a crush and giggling (to the point of secretly stalking a guy sometimes), I can't help but remember the friendship that I've built with my dormmates. These are the kind of things that we usually discuss and everyone has been very open about it. Until now, we still keep in touch with updates with our lives. Anyway, it's been a long time since I last felt it and I'm glad to have found that kind of friendship once again :-) I hope that this kind of friendship is something that would last a lifetime =)

Reasons

2007-06-03T03:01:00.000+08:00

My previous employer has been aggressively hiring its former employees - the salary that they offer is really competitive. Many of my former colleagues who have left our previous company are currently making negotiations. I told my parents about this while they're still here in Malaysia. They've seen how I've lived my life here - going home late after a busy day from work, and doing all the household chores, to the point of staying up late. And because of this, they want me to look for a job in the Philippines if possible. This, of course is parent's instinct.

A lot of my colleagues were asking me if I have any plans of coming back. I would say that I would try my luck on the upcoming ISCM Idol (my current company's own version of the American Idol) and in order for me to join, I need to renew my contract. I admit that when I left my previous company, I had many issues back then but what I mentioned when I left was because of financial reasons (which is true in the first place). But it is not the reason why I wanted to stay here in Malaysia. In fact, I learned to free myself from all the angst and bitterness that I felt before and to forgive and let go so that I can move on. Looking back, I realized that I had a great work environment because I felt that a mentor was looking after my career growth and the workplace has the best professional atmosphere.

Since my job here is on a contractual basis, I learned myself to become emotionally detached from my job. I don't have to worry about the competition for me to climb in the corporate world. Yes, my job is not stable but the things that I learned in my current job are the skills required in other financial institutions as well, so there are lots of opportunities in store for a mainframe programmer like me. My previous job is one of the top IT solutions provider in the world but supporting a credit card system in a bank allowed me to develop my technical skills.

But the main reason why I decided to stay here is personal. First of all, I found real friends - people whom I laugh with during happy times and gives me a shoulder to cry when I feel down. I get to know people not on which project they were involved but on what are their values and what's important to them. It also allowed me to accept people for who they are and not to become judgemental. It was during onshore where I felt I had this kind of relationship with people and I was lucky that I was able to maintain friendship with some of them until now.

The next reason why I like to be here is because I learned to accept and love myself. It helped a lot that people around me made me feel that I am beautiful no matter how much I weigh and I am thankful to my family and friends who's been very supportive. The society way back home has been very harsh for people like me which is one of the reasons why my self-esteem was affected.

Being here in Malaysia allowed me to travel a lot as well. With the semi-annual MATTA fair event, my travel plans are attainable =) Also, since I am here, my parents are forced to visit me once in a while so my dream to bring them out of the country is fulfilled as well =)

Lastly, it is here where I find my identity. Doing my household chores tested my discipline and patience to endure all of these. I have to become responsible in every action that I take. My people skills needs to be applied everywhere I go - in the office and at home. Also, being here allowed me to explore my interests and passion. These are the things that I need to know in order for me to identify my purpose later on.

Updates updates

2007-06-03T01:43:00.000+08:00

I think I've been attacked by the so-called blogger's block so this is why I don't have the uber long blog entries that I used to do. I have a lot of topics that I'm planning to write and I don't have the energy to write about it. =( Or maybe, I think my life has become predictable and boring that I don't have something interesting to write. I also miss the times where I can just sit down in front of my PC and pour all my thoughts in writing (ala Carrie in Sex and the City) I'll try my best to update my blog in the next couple of days.

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Our visitors - Tita Wilma, Sunshine and Tita Marissa went back to the Philippines. But before they left, we had a dinner a the Little Vietnam restaurant in Midvalley. It was supposedly a meal treated by Tita Marissa; but when the bill arrived, Agri took it. It was funny how Tita Marissa chased one another to see who'll be the person who would chase the bill. In the end, Agri won so Tita Marissa treated us for an ice cream.

Anyway, I hope that they enjoyed their vacation in Malaysia. It's nice to meet these people, and I hope that they would come again hehehehe.

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My boss finally approved my leave on July. I'm excited to go back to the Philippines after 6 months. Unlike in my previous trip where I barely stayed at home, this time, I will make it a point to stay home. Also, I'm excited to meet my friends and catch up - including the Harry Potter movie gimmick that is a tradition among my college friends. =D

Worst Case of Pambabasted

2007-05-31T00:07:00.000+08:00

During office hours, my colleague Gen and I would usually chat at topics about anything under the sun - a breather from the work that we're doing. Most of the topics that we discuss is something that is usually discussed in the morning show of RX (in which we're both fans of). But usually, we would usually discuss things based from what we read - one of the sources is the website from Peyups. Most of the time, we would discuss about ourselves - an exchange of ideas. Sometimes, we would include other colleagues in our discussion.

One article from Peyups: Basted: The Female Experience became the source of our discussion. Based from this article, there are four reasons that a female is rejected:

1. The guy likes someone else
2. The guy has other priorities (career, outlook) and unfortunately you're not one of them
3. He has a calling
4. He's gay

I asked my colleagues about the worst case of pambabasted. Which reason could be the hardest one to accept? Some of us picked the gay factor. Although it may sound ridiculous and funny, its the hardest one to accept because its hopeless. But the winner in our survey is the reason that the guy does not like you back at all - regardless on whether he likes someone else or he has other priorities. The sad part is that no matter how you expressed how you feel to that person, it just does not work out.

Regardless of whatever the reason on why someone is rejected, the bottomline is that it still hurts if the intense attraction that you feel is never reciprocated. Believe it or not, even females feel this way.. ang nababasted.

Back again!

2007-05-30T00:26:00.000+08:00

After a more-than-a-week long hiatus in blogging, I'm back. Night support and Sex and the City marathons were keeping me from writing. Anyway, I decided to post even a single (short) entry.

Anyway, I'm happy that finally my high school best friend, Sharon, sent me a message in Friendster. We left almost left Philippines at the same time last year - she went to the US to continue her practice as a nurse while I pursue an IT career here in Malaysia. I haven't heard from her for a year. I'm so glad to hear from her :) I hope that with this, we'll communicate more frequently, just like the old times :)

Life's Curve Balls

2007-05-24T15:59:00.000+08:00

Note: Due to my being on support these days, I don't have the energy to update my blog. In the meantime, I posted this article below that I think is worth sharing. I rarely post entries from other publications in this blog but because I share the sentiments as with the author of this essay, I chose this as an exception =) Being an OFW does not mean that I choose money alone - it's mainly choosing independence, my personal growth and accepting the opportunities that life brings to me. Enjoy reading =)

YOUNGBLOOD
Life's curveballs
By Jennifer Galang
from the Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- Too many times I have been asked, by foreigners and fellow citizens alike, why Filipino professionals leave our country to work abroad.
On one occasion in Tokyo, a light dinner conversation took a more serious turn when my American friend brought that subject up. “Everywhere in the US,” he said, “There are Filipino doctors, nurses and IT and business professionals like you. If you all go back to the Philippines, you could easily drive your economy to a boom,” he said.
I was quick to argue. I am, after all, one of these professionals. “It’s not like most of them have a choice,” I said. “People leave because otherwise their families back home wouldn’t have anything to eat.”

“True, but not for you. Your families are well-off,” he said, referring to me and another Filipino at the table, a lawyer who’s also working here in Tokyo. I almost choked on my kimchi. My Filipino friend rebutted, “The economics of our present situation is not that simple. If all the professionals return, you have to deal with the unemployment and the loss of remittances. Our economy, our people, just can’t afford that right now.”
The debate went on for a couple of minutes more and, as expected, ended on a hanging note. If I only knew the answer to our country’s problems, I would have shut all the politicians back home up, and that would easily win me a Nobel Prize.

The interesting thing, though, is a few years ago I shared Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros’ fervent views about professionals leaving for work abroad. I lived a rather comfortable single life in Manila. As a CPA, I was paid enough to enjoy an apartment in Makati City and a few occasional luxuries. I didn’t have any reason to complain. I frowned upon the professionals who chose to leave (as opposed to those who had to leave for the dire need of a better income), for I thought life in Manila was quite livable. However, I gave up those views like someone would drop a hot potato when I received an offer to work abroad. I packed my bags without hesitation and left.

For most professionals, especially CPAs like me, I could have chosen not to leave. Clearly, in my case, it was not a question of needing a higher paying job. Nor was it a question of nationalism or lack thereof. I am here because of a desire for personal growth, to realize my potential as a young, skilled professional. This, I believe, is not essentially bad in itself, which is why I’m bothered that we, the “leavers” are branded to be the bad, unpatriotic youth.
On what basis are we Filipino professionals being criticized for working abroad? Will our going back to our own country be able to solve our economic problems? To tell you the truth, those questions are not even relevant to me anymore. I believe the more important question is, why should I be expected to live my entire life in the place I grew up in? Is there something fundamentally wrong with living and working outside your country?

I will not appeal for your empathy by saying that under my circumstances, what I’m doing is a sacrifice. It is not, and I might be the first one to admit that. On the contrary, I feel privileged for being given this excellent work opportunity.

Some say that living away from your family is a sacrifice in itself. Yes, it could be tough at times, but isn’t that true wherever you go? Life throws curveballs at you wherever you are. As a person who always sees a glass half-full, living independently for me is just a part of the appeal of living abroad.

The experience of stepping out of my comfort zone in Manila was nothing but exhilarating. I fend for myself, cook my own dinner and clean my own apartment. I have made friends from all over the globe, exposing me to new values and new realities. My office is a hodgepodge of cultures -- American, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, British and so many others -- that my accent is now all confused. My work is well appreciated in my job and that has made me confident enough to deal with clients from anywhere. I have countless choices I’ve never had before and numerous opportunities that I would never have had, if I had chosen to stay. I can choose to stay here or move to our office in another location, or I can take my MBA in the United States or in London. Even my overactive imagination as a kid never conjured that life could be like this. And all of these are because I am here.

This is not an encouragement for others to leave as well. I have my personal reasons, as I’m sure others have their own. My being here is essentially about living in another country, and not about leaving my country. I’m not here because I wanted to leave the Philippines. I’m here because I want to be here. Because I like being here. I believe that clearly distinguishes between being a sincere Filipino and an apathetic citizen. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with wanting to stay here. I have chosen to brave the other side of the fence with the purest of personal convictions, and without regret. I should not be condemned for doing so.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Galang, 24, left for Tokyo in June 2006 to work in an auditing firm. She is 100-percent Filipino, and proud to be one.

Thoughts of a sleepyhead

2007-05-22T05:12:00.000+08:00

Here I am, in front of the computer at 5 AM in the morning, writing this blog entry as I'm having a hard time getting back to sleep, although my mind is not that working right now, that's why I think I put one of the least creative title for this entry. I'm on night support once again and I received a call at around 3:45 AM. Good thing the page that I received is something that I've done before.. I have to bear with this thing for the rest of the week.

****

We have a visitor once again! Mars' mother, sister and a family friend, Tita Marissa are staying in 2 weeks for a vacation. And of course, they brought a lot of Filipino goodies that Agri told me that we have a sari-sari store at home. Just like any parent, Mrs Rodriguez and Tita Marissa cooked a lot for us - at the expense of my diet ahahaha!!! It is also nice to get to Sunshine, Mars' younger sister who has the same age as I do. I hope they'll enjoy their stay here in Malaysia.

****

One of my colleagues, Tza, found out that her father passed away this morning. I don't have the details yet on what happened but I heard that they're coming back to the Philippines tomorrow morning.

That call is the most dreadful one that most OFW doesn't want to hear - a death of a loved one, especially if it's from their immediate family. Many Filipinos would leave their families to seek greener pastures, leaving the opportunity of feeling the warmth of their hug, having a shoulder to cry on, witnessing all their loved one's significant events (like a wedding, a baby's first step, etc). Usually, its the OFW who's in the difficult position.

I can only imagine Tza's pain when I heard her cried when she found out about the sad news. She was not there to be at her father's side when he needed her most. I'll just pray that she and her family would have the strength to endure this challenge.

A tale of two musicals..

2007-05-21T01:41:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday night, I watched My Fair Lady Musical at the KLCC Plenary Hall. It was my first time to watch a musical alone. Many people thought that I'm crazy of going here, but hey, I don't have a musical buddy here in Malaysia (although I was expecting to be seated on a cute guy who's also watching that musical alone so that I can ask him to become my musical buddy hahaha.. wish ko lang hahaha). Just like my experience in Esplanade when I watched the Phantom, the audiences were dressed up (flop lang talaga yung Broadway experience ko kc mukha akong DH noon).

One good thing about going to the musical alone is getting a good spot even if I bought the tickets late. I was seated at the center of the most affordable section (I can't say its cheap because I still find it to be pricey), probably 30 rows away above the stage. The musical is presented by a London-based production (another West End musical yipee! =P) which was staged in Singapore early this year.

Here is the synopsis of the story from Rotten Tomatoes web site: Egotistical linguist Professor Henry Higgins bets his friend, Colonel Hugh Pickering, that he can transform Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle in time for an important society ball. His gamble could pay off--but the spirited Eliza is more of a handful than the Professor could have predicted. As she slowly becomes more refined, and less reliant upon him, Higgins realizes, to his confusion, that he can’t live without her.

Even though I'm seated at the farthest possible location, it was still okay. I have to give credit to the production since I think they did a good job. However, it is not the type of musical that has the spectacular entrance song which is usually what I'm expecting in a musical(no offense to the fans out there.. this is just my opinion). I can't help but compare it to the feeling that I had while watching the Phantom - probably because its in the plot which I find to be mushy (what can I say? Its a romantic comedy). Too bad, I don't have a camera with me to take my picture beside the poster (and besides, who will take my pic anyway?). But overall, this is the kind of play where I think I need to watch its movie first for me to appreciate it that much. As what Simon would put it, I wasn't jumping up and down.

The longest running musical, the Phantom of the Opera, was staged at the Esplanade since last month. As what I have mentioned in my previous blog, most of my musical enthusiast friends (like me) recommended this (If I have to watch a musical, it must be the Phantom). So when I bought the tickets, I made sure that we would have the good seats (at the expense of our wallets, but hey, it's a once in a lifetime experience).

In my opinion, it has the most spectacular production. With all the backdrops and the costumes which I learned to be imported from different countries. At the opening scene where the chandelier was brought up to the stage while listening to the overture gave me goosebumps - and it made me realize what to expect from this play. It was really effective to catch the audience's attention.

Maybe I'm not a fan of the operatic/classical music so I'm not that ecstatic compared to what my friends have been telling me about it (I found it to be overrated actually). I think my musical buddies- Rye and Mars, also think the same way. With regards to the actor's performance, there were some instances that we found the actors to be sharp in some songs.

One thing that I noticed about the reviews about the Singapore production was that the chandelier in the end of Act I was not broken, which is expected to create more impact to the audience. This is what's how the Broadway and West End productions were staged. I agree that it would create more impact but probably because its not part of the Singapore production. Anyway, it was a good experience to watch it finally onstage and I can finally say that as a musical buff, I can add the Phantom of the Opera in my list. =)

Anyway, I wish that I can learn more about musical theater by watching more musicals in the upcoming months. I just wish that I would have a chance to appreciate it better if only I can find a musical theater course here in KL. Oh well, in the meantime, I'll have to think if I should watch the King and I (to be directed by Bobby Garcia) on July and find out how I can go to Istana Budaya where the play will be staged.

On writing..

2007-05-17T00:12:00.000+08:00

When I was young, I used to maintain a journal, sort of a diary which I keep to write my thoughts. And when there are days where I felt like looking back at what I felt while I'm writing it, I would take a peek on those journals.

English was my weakest subject when I was a student. I was discouraged to write because of this, knowing that my essays would be subjected to criticism. The journals that I submitted in my class were just mediocre and I was not inspired to write at all. When I was in high school, our teacher required us to submit a poem to look for our class' representative for the poetry writing contest. It was my first time to create a poem and I had considered myself lucky to be chosen. But I was not confident during the contest itself as it required us to write a free-verse poem and I was never exposed in that type of literature (I only read Sweet Valley and Sweet Dreams/Love Stories during that time). During my college years, I don't have the opportunity to write. I was focused on getting my degree that time. But one of my favorite past times in the dorm or in the library was to read the Youngblood articles. I was amazed with the articles submitted, hoping that someday I could see my name under its byliner.

When I began working, one of my favorite past times was to read the articles from Peyups and Youngblood. Also, I became more confident in English writing since my job requires me to express myself in English (due to our onshore counterparts). It's a good thing that blogging became a trend.. and this blog became an outlet for me to express myself. But due to my lifestyle during that time where most of my time was spent on working and commuting, I can't update my blog regularly.

I write more frequently on this blog when I moved here in Malaysia because I got tired of writing several emails to different distribution lists (so that when people asks me for stories about my misadventures, I can just point them to my blog.. and some of my friends give up because my story is sooo long hahaha). I am pouring all my thoughts on this blog (as you may see it). It made me realize that my dream of seeing my name in the Youngblood section of the Phil Daily Inquirer is not impossible; I just need to write more.. and I'm glad to hear good feedbacks from my friends who read this which inspires me to write more =)

So what's instore for me? Well, I have created a list of topics that I'm planning to write about.. it's just that I don't have enough time and energy to write these. I'm also planning to enroll in a Creative Writing class but since I'll be having a vacation in the Philippines on July, it might not be worth it (damn, and I still haven't enrolled myself in a voice lessons aargh!). Also, I wish that I could do an article in Filipino - because the first time that I attempted to do one, I ended up writing the article in English after 2 paragraphs. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed! =)

Small world!

2007-05-16T23:36:00.000+08:00

I was chatting with my colleague, Dru. He found out that I love to write and asked me if I can contribute in their mini-project, Back to Basics. He is an active member of the Bukas Loob sa Diyos Catholic community and Back to Basics is a weekly reflection on Sunday's mass readings which will be sent out to the group. I asked if he know Ate Charo, my dorm mate who's also a member of that group. He said that once, he asked for an advice regarding his lovelife, which my dorm mates always do when we need advice on relationships as well. Anyway, as we talk, we realized how much we missed her.

Inspite of the distance, I have proven that I can still run to her for advice and I'm blessed to have her as a friend. Anyway, I know that she's really happy right now with her married life.

I'm so glad that even though I may no longer be with my closest friends physically, meeting people connected with them made me feel close to them as well. It is such a small world indeed =)

The Geek in Me

2007-05-16T01:13:00.000+08:00

Yes you heard it right. I am a geek and I'm proud of it.

As a student, I'm studious. I also love to do research. I don't rely on the books recommended by my teacher alone - I look for other books as well and use it as a reference. During my High school days, I was a diligent student when it comes to research - I usually have 2 different sets of homeworks/projects to ensure that my research are unique. Since our library in my previous school was only small so I'd go to the Quezon City Public Library and National Library. When I first saw the UST Central library, I was amazed - imagine, having a building full of books that's accessible for students.

The research junkie in me helped a lot to get through my college years as I was lucky that most of the books that I found are where my professors were taking questions for our exam (just to clarify, this is not cheating as I was just using these books as a reference in the first place, I always rely on probability if a question would be likely to be given in an exam), that's why my college friends were lucky to have me as part of their group.

Since I love being surrounded by books, my regular tambayan during my college years is the library. Even though I'm not studying, I stay there to read the newspaper and the magazines. I love staying in the library - just the feeling of being surrounded by books, it brings out the joy in me that I can't explain (cheesy as it may sound but its true). My college friends can attest to that - check out my Friendster testimonials. They even once called me as Hermione from the Harry Potter because we have a lot of things in common. =P

When I began working, I missed doing research (not the type of research that's related to my job - it's another story). Maybe that's why I've been longing to go back to graduate school. The only place where I can do express my passion (naks) in research is via the Internet by researching on subjects that I'm interested into.

On my visit to Singapore last December, Hazel brought me to the Singapore National Library. I can't help but feel amazed as we enter the vicinity of the building - it is modern and everyone is free to just sit back and read. I felt that I was Charlie who just entered the chocolate factory and it reminded me once again the happiness that I felt of being inside the library when I was a student. Too bad, I didn't have enough time to explore the place and its treasures =(

Anyway, I'm glad that I found another geek here in Malaysia - Gen. This weekend, we're planning to go to the British Council library and check out what's in store for bookworms like us. We hope that it would be a good venue for us to express the inner geek in us and to meet people who's not afraid to express their geekness.

Wazzup Wazzup?!?

2007-05-14T23:28:00.000+08:00

Aside from the vacations where I've gone in the previous weeks, here's what I've been up to..

After a long time, I finally managed to attend a body jam class last Saturday.. and the good thing about it is that the theme is hiphop! Okay, just to set everyone's expectations, I'm not a good dancer.. I just wanted to burn the calories and have fun.What can I do? I love hiphop music and I wanna dance to its beat ;-)
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Last Wednesday, Mars gave her second speech about our Singapore trip at Toastmasters. Gen and I were there to support her. Daniel Teh (I hope you remember him from my previous post) was there also as a guest. That night was full of booboos - first was when Gen and I tried to "run away" from Daniel as we're trying to avoid him calling us to the meeting early so that we won't speak up at the table topics. But unfortunately, we did. Another blooper that happened to me was that Mars took the pictures that she used for her speech from my website. If you're in that room with 2 managers from my project and the pictures that we took from the Phantom and Bintan were shown on the projector, you'll know how embarassed I felt at that night.
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Last Friday night, my former boss from Accenture, Rhom, met us at KLCC. He was here in Malaysia for a week to attend a training for senior managers. It was a bit awkward at first knowing that my previous company is aggressively hiring its former employees. Rhom met with me, Leo, Rey, Gen, Issa and Lawrence. He was with Emerson, another manager from Accenture, when he met us. We ate dinner at Bongsen, a Vietnamese restaurant and after that, we took some pictures at the Petronas. It was cool to meet him that night - it just shows that we can still maintain that kind of relationship even though we're not connected with Accenture. Just to clarify, it was just a casual meeting ;-) Thanks Bossing for your time =D

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In connection with my previous post, I have confirmed from Rhom that most of our old team mates are either engaged or getting married this year - Denise & Eric, Cindy &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Bong, Mylin & Kirk, Marilyn & Jeremy, Candy & Lance.. Congratulations to all of you and I wish you all the best as you prepare for your new phase in your life. =)
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That same night, Rey, Gen and I (gimik ng mga kapre ahahaha!!) watched the third installement of Spiderman at KLCC. Well, most people does not like this movie compared to the first two installments as they find it too cheesy. As what Gen would describe it - "Disney'ng disney!" - all's well that ends well. Anyway, I don't care, it was sort of a double treat for me - Tobey Maguire and Topher Grace. Although they may not be the typical heartthrobs, but they are the reasons why I watched that movie.
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Recently, I've been addicted with the peyups website. Even though the website is not updated frequently, I love reading most of its old articles. Good thing that Gen has been very patient with me, entertaining a lot of questions that I learned from its articles. Thanks for bearing with me Gen =P

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Our office has a lot of events promoting charity work. One of them is the upcoming Fund Run this coming Saturday, May 19. My agency sponsored all of its employees working with Scope (SCB) and all of us were asked to run 5 km for less than an hour. If we can't make it in an hour, "rescuers" will come to our aid.. I maybe working out in the gym but running is not my thing. Let's see if I'll become one of those who will be rescued..
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This Saturday, I'll be watching the London production of My Fair Lady at KLCC. This will be the second time that I'll be watching a musical this year and I'm so excited about it =) That's the good thing on being on this part of Asia - a lot of musicals from West End are shown!

That's it for now. Ciao!

Happy Mother's day!

2007-05-13T00:58:00.000+08:00

As an OFW here in Malaysia, it exposed me to things that made me appreciate the things that my mother does to me (and to others as well)..

--> I do all my household chores - from cleaning my room, doing the laundry, ironing my clothes, everything! Since I got to experience doing all of these things, I learned to appreciate what our mother do to us (hello! sarili ko pa lang, hirap na ako, yung sa iba pa kaya?).

--> Being on night support is a nightmare to me. Imagine, giving up the pleasures that things that I usually do at night (like staying up late to blog or watch TV - akala nyo na kung ano no? =P) and to get paranoid waiting for a damn phone call.. and when i get paged, imagine my horror and anxiety while resolving an issue! And if get lucky, I would stay awake all night to work for an issue and go to the office on the next day. Because of this, I thought, if being on support for a week is difficult for me, what about the mothers out there who have to be "on support" for their babies and be sensitive when they cry? Then, after catering to their children at night, they need to go to work to provide for the family.

--> As an OFW, I've met a lot of mothers who have no choice but to be away from their children to provide a better future for them. I have witnessed how they've tried to cope when they miss their children (parang Anak ba ito? hehehe..)... and how they hide their loneliness if they are away from home..

I know that this is not the melodramatic posts but the bottom line here is that I really appreciate what my mother is doing to me and that I love her for that. So to all the mothers out there, I wish you all a belated happy mother's day =)

Something that made my day today!

2007-05-09T23:37:00.000+08:00

There are times when I search my name over the Internet and see if what's with my namesake. This is one of those days. I googled my name and to my delight, here is what I found:

a day in Ghildon's life...
Hazel Ortiz, Tina Pazzibugan and Anai Villanueva – for the continuous friendship that never been thwarted by distance nor time zone. ...ghildon.blogspot.com/ - 91k - Cached - Similar pages

If you click on the above link, it came from Gilbert's blog entry that he wrote during his birthday where he thanked all his friends. This really made my day today =)

I'm so touched with your entry lolo (kahit palagi mo akong inaaway hahaha). And I also thank you for the friendship that we have. Kailan ba ang next chat session natin? =)

On love, part one..

2007-05-08T23:26:00.000+08:00

A friend just told me that she has a boyfriend for the first time. He seems to be the perfect guy - he manages his own business, has a PhD in History, intellectually stimulating, very mature compared to the guys she had met - he doesn't beat around the bush. But there's only one problem though, he's married and is in the process of annulment.

My friend and I have the same outlook when it comes to relationships, which is the probably the reason why we're still unattached at our age. We let reasons dictate our actions. In our circle of friends, we usually have the same stand with regards to love. She mentioned that it was not easy for her to decide if she should go for that guy. She suppressed her emotions and tried to do the most logical thing - to stop seeing him until the annulment is granted (which is hello, would take a long time to process in the Philippines).

But she know that she can't afford to lose him. She likes him so much. On what's supposed to be their last date, he gave his piece which convinced her to give him a nod. And now their a couple, to the disappointment of her conservative mother and shock of her friends.

This situation made me think that it is possible that no matter how rational I am right now, it could happen to me as well - to defy reason for the sake of emotions.

I'm happy that she finally met the man who made her take the huge leap. I guess that what's everybody is saying about love - take a risk =) i just wish that the gamble is all worth it. Good luck my friend =)

In memoriam...

2007-05-07T23:27:00.000+08:00

When I heard the news that Auntie Luding (my mother's youngest sister) passed away, I didn't cry - I was shocked because I didn't expect that it would happen. Honestly, I was quite bothered with this kind of reaction. Have I become cold-hearted and detached now that I won't cry with the loss of a loved one? Maybe it was due to the fact that I'm a thousand miles away and I won't feel their grief.

We are a tight-knit family on my mother's side. We used to go to Cagayan during summer to celebrate the annual fiesta but that was when my grandparents were still alive. Every New Year, we have a reunion where each year, there's a different host among my mother's siblings. Everyone is expected to be present in that family affair. However, we did something different this year (or should I say last year) - we had our reunion last Christmas at Cagayan where Aunt Emie (my mother's eldest sister) played as the host. Usually, the reunion is celebrated in Manila but since my Manila-based relatives rarely go home in Cagayan, everyone thought it was a good opportunity to go there.

That was the last time when I saw Aunt Luding. Aunt Luding is the most caring among her siblings. We really feel her warmth and hospitality when we visit her home in Tuguegarao. Also, she never fails to give us longganisa (whom she sent to my parents when they went here in Malaysia), peanut candy or carabao milk candy everytime we go home for our pasalubong. She was like a mother to all of us. What I won't forget during our reunion was that she hugged me so tight (see the above picture) as she greeted me a Merry Christmas (and mentioned that I lost some weight hihihi). I took a picture while her arms was wrapped around me =P

If there's one thing that I'll always remember about her, its the fact that she's a great mom. She struggled a lot, just to make the ends meet and to ensure that her children, Mark and Suzette, will get a better future. Both of them are studying Nursing but Mark recently graduated and passed the board exams. She's the type of mother who will give everything to her children, to the point that she ignored her own health. She was earlier diagnosed with a heart problem.

On April 13, while sweeping her own yard, she collapsed and was brought to the hospital. She was placed in the ICU that night and became comatose on Saturday morning. That afternoon at 4 PM, she passed away.

The way I see it, she wants to fight so that she can witness her children as they reach for their dreams. But given her comatose state, she knew that she might become a burden and she does not want that. She knows that her children are on good hands with her siblings and that we will do our best to support them. This is why she decided to move on. Most of my relatives are sad because she won't be able to see when her children achieves their dreams, which is the most rewarding experience that any parent could have. She won't be there to receive her children's treat when they receive their first salary, when they will be treated for a vacation, and so on.

On Tuesday night, I spoke to Mark (who's like a younger brother to me due to our 3-year gap) and Suzette. I asked how their family is coping with this. Mark said that Uncle Dante (her husband) would just sit with a blank stare. They were all shocked - Mark just went to another hospital to submit his mother's blood for an exam, only to find out that she passed away when he got back. Suzette, who's very dependent on her mother, was also is shocked and it hasn't sunk in that she died. What's more painful is that she celebrated her 19th birthday that day. I didn't realize that a tear fell on my cheek as I spoke to my cousins, encouraging them to be strong, while I can't imagine myself in their situation.

Then it hit me. I didn't cry when I heard about Aunt Luding's demise because I know that she's in a good place right now - away from suffering and hardships. I felt my cousins' grief and the pain of losing a mother which is what brought me to tears. I realized that I was not numb after all.

Langkawi Adventure

2007-05-06T00:35:00.000+08:00

Note: I apologize for this uber late post.. anyway, better late than never right? I'll try my best to recall what happened here. Please bear with me..

I am not the type of person who loves the beach because I don't like to swim (lahing pusa ako). I only like the beach because I love to take its photographs, especially during sunset. In fact, most of my favorite pictures that I took have the beach as my subject. But if given a choice between going to the beach or exploring another city for a vacation, I would choose exploring a (busy) city life.

This is the reason why it was a big question for some people that I availed a 3D/2N package in Langkawi during the MATTA fair last March. I really wanted to bring my parents in a famous place here in Malaysia which is away from Kuala Lumpur and my original plan was to bring them to Penang. This is the reason why I went to the MATTA fair with Minnie and Gen. What we found is a 3D/2N hotel accommodation in Langkawi, which is what Malaysia has been promoting as somewhat similar to Boracay in the Philippines. I decided to avail it right away because I thought it was a good deal. The package that I availed was good for 4 people, so Minnie decided to tag along with us.

The trip to Langkawi via plane takes almost an hour. Meanwhile, the road trip from KL to Langkawi is from 8-9 hours which includes a 7-hour bus trip and an hour-long ferry ride (whew!). Since we're on a stingy mode, we opted to go for the long trip.

On the April 13, my family and Minnie took the midnight trip from Pudu Raya bus station going to Kuala Perlis. The bus that we boarded was a Konsortium double-decker bus, which all of us found to be comfortable because we can stretch our legs. It was shakey at first because we were seated at the back of the bus, but eventually, we all fell asleep. We all slept soundly that we didn't notice that all the passengers took off the bus. We just woke up and found out that we're the only passengers inside the bus. So we hurriedly took off the bus.. and the bus left the terminal. We have no idea how long had the driver waited for us to wake up (but I think the driver should have bothered to wake us up ryt?). It was already 7 AM when we landed in Kuala Perlis. After that, we booked for a ferry that would take us to Langkawi Island. We were able to book to the ferry that departed at 7:30 AM.

The ferry that we took on our way to Langkawi is kinda gross - there were a lot of roaches (eew!). Another that Minnie and I noticed is that we crossed the Thailand border because our mobile phones were already in roaming mode (panalo di ba? nag-cross country na kami bwahahaha!!). Langkawi Island is so close to the Thailand border. In fact, there are some ferries that goes to Satun, Thailand from Langkawi. This is a good opportunity for some tourists to have a Thailand stamp in their passports =)

We arrived Langkawi at 8:30 AM. It was too early for us to check-in the hotel so we stayed in the port area in Langkawi. Good thing, there's a Starbucks where we can hang out. The thing about Langkawi is that its tax-free so duty-free shops are very common. All the prices are cheaper - its really tempting to shop! So Minnie and I went around the port area to do some "window shopping" and I ended up buying 2 shirts while my parents waited for us at Starbucks. When its their turn to go around, Papa bought 6 cans of Carlsberg (na-miss nya ito hehehehe).Anyway, at 11 PM, we ate lunch at the nearest KFC then we took a cab going to Langkasuka Hotel, which is 20 minutes away from the jetty and is very near the airport. In Langkawi, most of the taxis are paid on a contract basis and most of the cab drivers would take advantage of this. This is also one of the reasons why the car rental is a common thing in Langkawi. Unfortunately, none of us has a driving license so we can't rent our own car. Anyway, the taxi driver (Uncle Aminuddin) who brought us to the hotel seems nice so we asked him if he could take us around Langkawi.

We arrived at Langkasuka Resort (at the Cenang beach area) at around 1 PM. The room was big for 4 people - it has 2 queen size beds and has a veranda. The comfort room is big as well. But the thing with our room was that - the disinfectant really stinks and the room is not that clean. The toilet bowl has even stains in it and the bed has some insects crawling (eww!). Anyway, I don't think this experience deserve more space in this blog so enough about that hehehe..

While my parents snoozed, Minnie and I went around the resort and the beach. Of course, picture taking is included. I had fun taking pictures because Minnie is a willing subject hahaha and in fairness, she's happy with the pictures that I took (*wink wink). Minnie and I also inquired on the tour packages in Langkawi and we planned on availing the Island Hopping tour on Sunday morning and the Langkawi tour (by hiring the Uncle Aminuddin's cab) in the afternoon. While we explore a resort, we saw a beautiful black butterfly. I am not the type of person who believes in those type of things so I was not bothered when I saw that butterfly.

At 4 PM, we went to the grocery to buy some necessities during our stay in Langkawi. While we're in the store, I received a text message from Uncle Llano (my mom's brother) to call him back. I did and spoke to Aunt Genny. She informed me that Aunt Luding passed away at 4 PM. She suddenly collapsed while sweeping the floor and was brought to the ICU on Friday afternoon. She was comatosed on Saturday morning. Aunt Emie (my mom's eldest sister) was beside her when she died. When I received the news, my mother saw my reaction so she knew that there's a bad news. I didn't tell her right away. But since she knew something's wrong, I decided to tell her before we took a cab that brought us to Langkasuka. The whole 20 minute ride was silent. Before we hopped out of the cab, Minnie and I smelled a floral scent but there's no perfume no air freshener inside the cab. According to Minnie, her mother said that if someone passed away, there are 2 scents that can be smelled - if its a scent of a candle, that person has an unfinished business. If its a floral scent, that means that he person who died is happy. My mother was happy when she found out about this, knowing that Aunt Luding is happy.

After a looong talk, we decided to go back to KL on Sunday morning. I also spoke to the manager of the tour agency (Kembangan Holidays) where we got our package and asked if we could refund the rest of the amount that I paid him since we're planning to leave on Sunday morning. He didn't get back on us which was disappointing. Also, there's no available trip going back to KL on that day so we decided to maximize our stay in Langkawi.

Needless to say, we didn't go to the Island hopping tour as we're not in mood for that. So we spent the Sunday morning swimming. Oh wait, let me correct that =P Minnie and my mother swam while I took the pictures (as always) and my dad watched TV (hindi rin sya beach person katulad ko! harharhar)

On Sunday afternoon, Uncle Aminuddin (the cab driver) picked us from the hotel and picked us from the hotel for our city tour. We asked him to bring us to the Langkawi cable car. Man! The cable car is not for the faint hearted.. The cable car is mounted 45 degrees from the top (very steep indeed!). and the highest point is 710 m above the sea-level. My father is scared of heights so he opted not to join us. The 3 of us went for a ride. We were all scared from the view from top especially while its going up because we can feel that we're being pulled up - we're really scared. Once we arrived at the top, the view is magnificent. We got a glimpse of the Datai Bay beach, considered to be the best beach in the island and home of the most exclusive resorts in Langkawi. Notice that the small buildings in the picture below is actually our starting point (kakalula no?)

Our next stop is the Black Sand beach. The sand is black due to the tin and mineral ore deposits which were washed up on the shore.

Our last beach stop is the Tanjung Rhu beach, considered to be one of the best beaches in the Island. We took a few pictures again and shopped in the nearby bazaars.

To complete our Langkawi trip, we shopped once again for our pasalubongs at the duty free stores. I shopped for a lot of chocolates to be given by my parents to my friends in the Philippines. Uncle Aminuddin has been such a good driver to us that we asked to pick us up from the hotel going back to the Jetty on the next day.

On our last night, Minnie and I decided to take a quick dip at the beach (para hindi naman masayang ang ipinunta ko sa Langkawi maliban sa picture-taking). We're the only people at the sea so we didn't swim that long. We stayed at the beach and talked how we found our stay in Langkawi. Minnie has been very understanding for the entire trip despite our family crisis and she deserves credit for that. I just hope she enjoyed her vacation with us =)

On Monday morning, Uncle Aminuddin took us to the Jetty at 9:00 AM. We took the 10:00 AM ferry from the Jetty to Kuala Perlis and the 12:00 bus going back to KL. The bus trip took us 8.5 hours (whew!). Good thing that my parents are used on long travel because they would usually take a 10-hour trip to Cagayan from Manila.

Despite of what happened, I enjoyed my vacation with them. I just hope that my parents did as well, and so is Minnie. I would recommend Langkawi for someone who's looking for a tranquil and laid back vacation. If someone is looking for parties at the beach, then this is not the place. If I would be asked how beautiful is this island, well, I'll just show you the pictures that I took =)

Uniquely Singapore- Prologue

2007-05-04T01:53:00.000+08:00

This is my third time to visit Singapore. Unlike in Taman Negara where we've been planning for it for 2 months, we just planned this trip for a month! Originally, our plan was to watch the Phantom of the Opera in Singapore. There were 5 of us who bought the tickets for the April 28 Matinee show - Mars, Rye, Nina, Issa and I. We had good seats as we were seated 10 rows away from the stage! However, a few weeks before Nina and Issa backed out because they made other plans. So Nina had to sold 2 tickets.

Just in time, April 26 and May 2 were declared as a public holiday in Malaysia which means that it is going to be a long weekend (hooray!). Mars and I filed a vacation on April 30 to maximize our trip in Singapore. So Rey also decided to go come along with us as well. Once again, another episode of misadventure! Hehehe..

Mars booked 4 tickets at the upper deck (bunk bed) going to Singapore via the train but the guys thought that they won't be comfortable with the bunk bed so they opted for the bus instead. Our train departed at 10 PM and is expected to arrive at 8:20 AM at Woodlands terminal - that is a 10-hour journey, very loong indeed compared to the typical 5-hour bus ride.

Rye was back once again in Malaysia. He just got back from Bangkok and we're teasing him that he'll be doing his Southeast Asian tour - Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (whew!). He arrived on April 27 and was scehduled to go back on May 2 via Air Asia.
I was lucky because I completed my task earlier that day, just in time for me to meet with Rye at the Asia Jaya station. Even though I talk to him always in email and chat, it's still fun to chat with him personally, face to face. We went to section 14 to do his last minute shopping for our Singapore trip and had dinner at Secret Recipe. At almost 9:40 PM, we went to KL Sentral where we seperated as I headed to the train bound for Singapore with 13 of my officemates including Minnie and Gen while Rye went to Masjid Jamek where he's supposed to meet Rey.

We arrived at the platform 3 minutes before the train departed. So close right! Right after I placed my stuff on the bunk bed, the train left immediately. Mars and I were seperated from the rest of the Scope people. At 5'7, I can still lie with my leg stretched on the bunk bed but there is no other place where I can put my stuff in the train aside from my bed. So I ended up sleeping with my legs curled or my feet on top of my bag (which caused it to become numb huhu). Inspite of my unfortable position, I still got a good sleep on my way to Singapore.

At 8:00 AM, we arrived at Woodlands in Singapore for Immigration Inspection. Gen and the rest of the Scope people took off at this station while Mars and I went back to the train because its final destination, Tanjung Pagar, is where we're supposed to meet our friends. I think going back to the train was a big mistake because it took us 1.5 hour to get there - the train was very slow. We reached Tanjong Pagar at 9:45 AM! Imagine, staying in the train for 12 hours! Whew!

At 11:30 AM, I reached Ate Jing's place at Marine Parade Road. My nieces were very excited that they've been looking for me a few days before I arrived. Ate Jing met me in front of their building. Wee! My nieces, who just woke up, greeted me with a big smile as I played with them once again =P

And the misadventure begins...

Singapore Day 1

2007-05-04T00:47:00.000+08:00

The thing about watching musicals in a venue like Esplanade is that the audiences were expected to dress up. I remember the first time that I watched the Chicago musical in Broadway where I was dressed up casually while the others were wearing from smart casual to formal attire (good thing it was a matinee show!).

I'm not the type of person who wears a dress most of the time so I opted to wear a long dress that I wore in my friend's debut a few years back as I don't want to spend money on that. I brought 2 dresses during that time - the other one is a black dress that I bought in Langkawi a few weeks earlier. After asking my housemates which one is better for the occasion, I wore the long dress instead.

My nieces Gela, Sistine and Issa were having fun as I dress up - they wore my clothes, my accessories and even my sandals! They were also amazed with my makeup. Aba, mas kikay pa sa kanilang tita! Hahaha!! I left Marine Parade at 1:25 PM and the show would start at 2:00 PM. I was running late.

At 1:45 PM, I met Mars and some of her friends at the Esplanade. Rye had not arrived yet so we headed to the theater. Our seats were really good! =) The musical started at 2 PM sharp. Too bad, Rye came in late but he was able to watch the play from the television outside the theater. Overall, the musical was okay but I'm not really ecstatic about it. More about the Phantom in a seperate entry (feeling critic ako nito hahaha!).

After the play, we took some pictures outside the theater as a remembrance of our affair with the Phantom of the Opera. Funny because we didn't realize that we took some photos in a restricted area! Of course, being the snapshot addicts as we are, we did some funny poses - to the horror of some of the audiences who were also taking pictures at that time.

After our pictorial, Mars met her friends while Rye and I met with Rey at the Esplanade. In a span of 2.5 hours, he was able to take pictures around the City Hall area. We took a cab going to Bugis Backpackers Hotel, where the 2 of them were staying. Of course, we changed our wardrobes and rested for a while. At around 8 PM, we went to Suntec Convention Center to check out the Karaoke bar there but we found it to be expensive. As we were all hungry (and weak) at that time, we decided to eat in a Thai restaurant - Tuktuk where we had Thai Iced Tea (my favorite), Chicken Pandan, Bean sprouts and Prawn cake. It's been a long time since I ate Thai food. Yummy! =P

After dinner, we went outside Esplanade and took some pictures (syempre picture taking pa rin hahaha!). Our backdrop includes the Fullerton Hotel and the Merlion statue as well. We're supposed to go to Clark Quay that night but we don't have enough energy for that so we decided to hang out at Starbucks near the Merlion statue - just like our typical Saturday night - but this time, there's no webcam nor a computer in front of us. O di ba? Hantaray kc sa Singapore pa kami tumatambay hahaha.. Of course, the kulitan was still there but this time we talked about serious stuff as well. We talked until 1 AM.

It was a great day for me - reliving the Big Chill sessions but this time were no longer talking about our previous job or any work-related stuff but about who we are and our dreams. I'm glad that I was able to spend it with 2 of my best friends, face to face..

Singapore trip - Day 2

2007-05-03T01:35:00.000+08:00

On our second day of our Singapore tour, this was labelled as our QT day - a time for us to meet our friends. I decided to spend this time with my nieces.

I woke up at 9 AM at the Bugis Backpackers hostel. A few hours before that, I woke up because it was so cold. Being the cowgirl that I am, good thing that I brought a pair of socks and I used the dress that I wore on the previous day as a blanket. (O di ba? Ang bibo ko? Hindi ko na lang pinatay ang aircon hahaha!!). When I left, I realized that I left the bus book that Hazel gave me a few years back when I visited Singapore. So I texted Kuya Abe for directions on how to go to his unit. As I waited for his text message, Rey, Rye and I ate breakfast at the nearby McDonalds.

At 11:30 AM, I still haven't receive a reply yet so I went home with the directions that I remember - riding bus 36 from the Suntec Convention Center. That means that I had to take a train from Bugis to City Hall (which is just a station away) and to walk from City Hall to Suntec (which is quite far). Not wanting to get lost again, I bought a bus book once again at the first MPH bookstore that I saw. While waiting for bus 36 in Suntec going to Marine Parade, I learned that I can take the bus 48 from the Rochor Road (where the Bugis Backpackers hotel is situated) going to Marine Parade. Grr!

At around 12:30 noon, I arrived at Marine Parade and Ate Jing prepared a sumptuous lunch - munggo, squid and pork ribs. After that, I took a bath and watched ASAP in the Filipino Channel with my Gela, Sistine and Issa (my nieces who are 8, 5 and 2 years old respectively). I fell asleep at around 2:30 PM and woke up at 5:00 PM. We know that we can't make it at the evening mass that night to we decided to go to Vivo City - the most recent mall that opened in Harborfront.

Vivo City is considered to be the biggest mall. It reminded me of Rockwell Powerplant Mall in Manila. Anyway, we had dinner at the kopitiam where I ate Japanese food and then we strolled the mall. I found a white watch at Esprit that I really like but since I need to be stingy, I didn't buy it. Anyway, there was a time when I need to take care of Issa all by myself. When she started looking for her mom, I brought out my camera to take her pictures. I found her amusing because I don't need to teach her how to pose - she knows how to project! Just take a look at the pictures to see what I mean.

The mall closed at 10 PM and I bought 3 slices of Secret Recipe cakes for us to eat that night. It may seem like a very laid back day for me compared to the usual trips that I had but spending time with my nieces is enough to become a memorable day for me. =)

Day 3 - Bintan Trip

2007-05-03T00:11:00.000+08:00

Since Indonesia is just a ferry away and we wanted to obtain an Indonesian stamp, we included it in our itinerary. I've been to Indonesia 2 years ago with my family and Kuya Abe. We went to Batam, Indonesia and there's nothing to see there. So we opted to go to Bintan, which is famous for its beaches. It is a getaway for most of the Singaporeans because of its proximity and the beaches are nice, compared to Sentosa.

A few days before our trip there, we made an attempt to do an advance booking online for a day trip package at the Mana Mana Beach Club for 98 SGD each person. But the agent said that it was alrady full due to the holiday season. Anyway, we still persevered and decided to go for it anyway, hoping that we can still get a good deal when we get there.

Anyway, Mars, Rey, Rye and I agreed to meet at the Harborfront Center on April 30 at 9 AM. As usual, I was late for 30 minutes but Mars was worst because she arrived at 10 AM. Of course, Rey and Rye got annoyed with us being late hehehe. When we went to the Cruise Center in Harborfront Center, we found out that the ferries departing in that area goes to Batam only. All ferries bound for Bintan are found in Tanah Merah station, which is found on the other side of Singapore. So we all hurried up in order for us to catch the next train not to waste our time. (This was an opportunity for us to walk as fast as the Singaporeans do).

We arrived at the Tanah Merah station at 11:10 AM. The next trip available is a 2 PM so we had to wait for more than 2 hours before we board the ferry. The ferry round trip ticket costs around SGD 54.20. As usual, we entertained ourselves by taking lots of pictures and eating at the Kopitiam in the ferry, bwahahahaha! ;)

We boarded the ferry at 1:40 PM. The ferry ride took us almost an hour to get there. Bintan (Indonesian) time was an hour delayed compared to Singapore, so we arrived at around 2 PM there. Once we arrived, we booked our return trips on that same day (we took the last trip which leaves at 8:15 PM). At the Bintan ferry terminal, we looked for a good deal and found a taxi that would take us to Mana mana resort. The round trip cab service for the 4 of us costs 26 SGD.

We arrived at the Mana Mana beach club at around 3 PM. We paid 10 SGD so that we can use their facilities - shower room, changing rooms and use of towels. It was a fun-filled 4 hours as we spent it just laughing, picture taking, swimming and playing games (Rye, sana hindi sumakit ang likod mo nang dahil sa akin). We were the only ones who were noisy and I think the other tourists who were staying there found us to be amusing (what can we do? Filipinos loves to have fun right? So we're loud) doing all those jump shots. Just look at the pictures posted and you'll see what I mean ;-) The sand is not a white sand but it is very fine. The beach is not crowded and is very tranquil (we're the only noisy people there). But it's not as tranquil compared to Langkawi where there are only 2-3 people swimming in the beach.

We found the food to be very expensive in the resort. Imagine, a 500 ml bottle of mineral water costs 3 SGD (almost 100 pesos!). Since we're all in a thrifty mode, we didn't eat there and decided to eat in Singapore instead. We just ate what we got - choco chips, chocolates, choco mallows and some nuts.

We left Bintan at around 8:15 PM. All of us were tired from our misadventures. Unfortunately, Mars left her sandals in the ferry. By the way, notice that she wore a dress on her way back because she had a date (yihee!). We arrived in Singapore at around 11 PM. Mars went ahead with her date (*wink wink) while the rest of us ate dinner at McDonalds in Bedok station.

It was already late when I got home so I took a cab. When I arrived at Marine Parade where Kuya Abe lives, Issa (my youngest niece) was still in a playful mode. I was very tired that night so I was able to fall asleep even though Issa was jumping and playing on the bed where I'm lying. Very exhausting but I had so much fun! =)

Singapore trip - Day 4

2007-05-02T16:32:00.000+08:00

Note: I'll be writing from the most recent experience that I had since it would be easy for me to complete this. I know there's a lot of entries that I need to write..

On our last leg of our Singapore tour, we decided to go to Sentosa. That morning, Ate Jing (my cousin) and I had chatted that morning, talking about our experiences in Singapore - her life in Singapore as a mother, the misadventures that I had on that trip and updates with our family. I rarely had that kind of conversation with her for such a long time and I missed that. Ate Jing was like an elder sister to me - she witnessed how I grew up and its through her that I felt like on what its like to have a sister. Anyway, she's my parents' adopted daughter as well. We helped her when she was pregnant with her first child, Gela while her husband, Kuya Abe is working abroad. Its one of the reasons why I opted to stay in their house - to bond with them once again hehehe. And its a good thing =) Thanks Kuya Abe and Ate Jing for accommodating me during my stay in Singapore! =)

Anyway, I left their house at 9:30 AM and met with Rey and Rye in Bugis Village. I left my stuff in their hostel and we looked for good bargains for souvenirs. At 11 AM, we went to Harborfront for our Sentosa trip. Mars was supposed to join us for that trip but she was "tired" from her date (*wink wink) from the previous night so there were only the 3 of us who went there. We arrived at Sentosa at 11 AM and took the cable car on our way there. Ryan was afraid of heights but underneath the river is the sea so he's not that afraid (he's a swimmer). Our plan that day was to take some pictures in Sentosa, go to Underwater World and meet some of our friends there.

When we arrived, we walked around Imbiah lookout, starting at the Merlion statue and took some pictures there. We walked our way to Siloso beach; since it's a holiday (Labor Day), the beach was full of people playing volleyball. We spent too much time walking and envious of the people who were playing volleyball. We only realized that we're hungry when Janjan texted me where we're going to meet for lunch. So when we saw the delifrance restaurant near the Rasa Sentosa Hotel, we ate right away and told Hazel and company to meet us there. It was nice to see them once again - Hazel, Janjan, Khris, Mavic (my former housemate) and Joyce. We spent a few minutes as Sentosa and took some picture at the Siloso beach. Thanks for going all the way to Sentosa guys, really appreciate it =)

After a few minutes of chatting, we went to the Underwater World which is just nearby. It was my second time to go there. Rey, who had been to Aquaria in Malaysia, said that Aquaria is better than Underwater World. We spent almost an hour looking at the marine life and decided to leave Sentosa so that we'll catch our bus going back to Malaysia.

A funny thing happened on our way back to the cable car station - from the underwater world, we're supposed to take off at the Merlion park which is just a station away from where we came from. But we reached the other end of the red line bus so we had to take off and wait for the long queue for the next bus. Rey went ahead with the bus (madaming singit) and Ryan and I did not make it on that bus. Once again, we reached the underwater world station and that's when we realized that we should take off at the merlion statue to reach the cable car station. Talk about our misadventures! Hahaha..

It was 5:30 PM when we arrived at the Bugis Village to take our stuff from the hostel. We did our last minute shopping and retouch in a span of 30 minutes. We took a cab from Bugis Village and made it for our 6:30 PM trip going back to KL in Harborfront Center.

Our journey back to KL was a fast one. We left at around 7 PM and arrived at Menara Axis (near my office) at 11:10 PM. We all headed to my unit and invited Migs and Tza, Ryan's best friend who's also working here. We spent the night chatting until 4:00 AM. It was a tiring but fun-filled vacation for all of us. I had so much fun and can't wait for our next trip (kung san man yun ahaha).. Sa uulitin! =)

Red Box showdown..Again!

2007-05-02T13:19:00.000+08:00

There are lots of things that I wanted to do with my parents. These are the things that I've been planning while I'm still working in Manila. I wanted to bring them to a theme park, which was fulfulled by going to Genting (an upgrade from the Enchanted Kingdom which I've been "planning" years ago hahaha). Another thing that I wanted to do is to bring them to a Karaoke Bar. Fortunately, Gen expressed that she wanted to have a "break" and sing her heart out (bakit kaya? I will survive ang drama mo siguro hahaha), so I invited once again the rest of the barkada - Minnie, Rey and Agri for our Karaoke session. Agri wanted to try Red Box here in Malaysia so we decided there. So I tagged along my parents since my father loves to sing (suki ng videoke yun ahahaha!!). For Easter Sunday, we're planning to celebrate it with a bang - videoke! I booked a room at Red Box Low Yat for 7 people beginning at 1 PM.

I brought my parents to St. John's Cathedral to hear the Easter Sunday Mass. Rey also attended the same mass and met us since we're going to the videoke. But before we headed to Low Yat, we bought tickets for our Langkawi trip in Pudu Raya bus station which is very near the Cathedral. After that, we went to Low Yat and had ate Chinese food in Good Happiness restaurant. We were a bit worried because we might lose our reservation as most of us arrived late.

Minnie and Gen arrived at Red Box a few minutes earlier. It took us sometime to finally get it started because there's a lot of clarifications that we need to do. I think the receptionist must have been annoyed but hey, its part of her job right? The fares are higher compared to Green box and we don't think that we got a good deal compared to our Green Box experience - the food is not good and the drinks is not bottomless. The interior is quite old fashioned and the song selections are not good either. But anyway, we still managed to enjoy ourselves (kami pa! as long as may camera, masaya na kami! =P).

Of course, my father is quite shy (alam kong gusto nyo nang bumirit hehe) but still he managed to sing a few songs. Of course, My Way is part of it, hehehe. Anyway, in exchange for the not-so-good deals that we had, our room was vacant after our so-called shift. So we ended up singing for 7.5 hours! Woohoo! Of course, the night won't be complete without Agri singing any Korean songs. She sang a few songs from Rain. My parents were both amused with her antics. We sang One Love Blue as the finale of our songfest.

After that, we ate at the Hawker nearby and headed home. It was a fun night for me. I hope everyone did as well =)

Go Genting!

2007-04-08T22:49:00.000+08:00

Note: I've been very busy for this past few weeks that I barely have time to update this blog. I'll try my best to update this.

It's my parent's first weekend here in Kuala Lumpur and since they had been to the Petronas towers last week, we opted to have our next stop in another popular destination here in Malaysia - Genting Highlands. Genting is famous for its theme park, hotels and casinos. I can compared this to Las Vegas except that its wholesome (since the Malaysians are known to be conservative). It is located at the top of a mountain and is 45 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur.

We left our unit at around 11:00 AM because Papa had to go to the doctor for his vaccine (he was bitten by a dog a week ago before he came here). Since we were late, the next bus going to Genting when we arrived at KL Sentral would depart at 2:00 PM. Too bad because Abby (my teammate in my previous job who went to Malaysia for vacation) got a bus that left KL Sentral at 1:30 PM. So we ate lunch at KL Sentral and had chicken rice (yummy!). We spent a long time waiting for our bus to depart. Fortunately, I was able to find Abby at the platform and spent a few minutes catching up =).

At 2 PM, we boarded the bus going to Genting. The bus going there was full. Unfortunately, a metallic object hit my leg which caused me to have a wound (and to think that we're heading to the beach next week). I fell asleep at the bus (which is expected to have a length of 1.5 hours) on our way to Genting. On our way to Genting, Mars asked how are we doing because she's not feeling well. She's also away for the weekend for riverboarding with some of our colleagues.

At 3:30 PM, we arrived at Genting Highlands. We took the cable car on our way up there. My father is scared of heights and he can't move in the cable car. Riding with us on our way up there are 2 employees from Genting - one of them is a Filipina. Anyway, the way going to Genting is indeed steeper and longer compared to the cable car in Singapore. The cable car ride also made me wonder what would be the risk if *knock on wood* something went wrong with the cable car since there's a jungle below the cable car to Genting compared to the cable car in Sentosa where a sea lies beneath.

Anyway, after 2 hours of travelling, we finally get to Genting Highlands (woohoo!). We got into the Genting outdooor theme park. We first saw the Spinner ride, which is similar to the flying fiesta ride in Enchanted Kingdom. Again, my father is scared of heights so my mother and I took the ride. It was my first time to take my parents to a theme park and I'm amazed to find out that my mother is actually excited to try all the thrilling rides while my father feels otherwise. Anyway, my father ended up taking our pictures everytime my mother and I go for the exciting rides. In order for him not to end up as a photographer, we took the rides that are "family friendly" - monorail, antique car and mini train - those type of rides that even a 3 year old can enjoy (and I thought that we're gonna ride a carousel to complete this list ahahaha!). The only thrill ride that he tried was the Pirate Ship which is similar to the Anchor's Away in Enchanted Kingdom. Too bad, my mother and I was not able to try the flying coaster ride - a ride where you will be put in a cage in a position that will make you feel like you're a superman (maybe next time *wink wink*). My father and I tried karting at 8:30 PM which is not a good idea because it was foggy that I can't see a thing. It was very cold that night after karting so we ate dinner in First World hotel, which I find to be very expensive - three times compared to the price in KL. Getting around in the hotel reminded me of my experience in Las Vegas where the main activity is hotel hopping (take note, not mall hopping hehe) where the casinos are a must see (of course, adult entertainment is a no-no here and the ladies walking in their wedding dress are nowhere to be found). At 10 PM, we left Genting.

It was a good experience for me as I finally did one of the things that I'm planning to do - bring my parents to a theme park =P When I was young, I remember those times when we went to fiesta carnival and the joy that it brought me as a child. I hope I was able to make it memorable for them =)

Dream Job

2007-04-05T21:59:00.000+08:00

Meeting Stuart Dee made me think about my dream job. You see, I'm really envious of him because he's doing his hobby and he gets paid as well. So what's my dream job. If only I have the talent and money.. I would be:

1. a Broadway or West-end Musical critic, so that I can watch all the musicals for free and right in-front.
2. a member of a very prestiguous choral group (like the Philippine Madrigal Singers) and compete in different parts of the world.
3. a travel researcher for Lonely Planet to explore a new place and mingle with the locals
4. a stage performer in a musical.

Travel Journal with the Parents 1: Petronas Towers

2007-04-05T20:52:00.000+08:00

After 3 days of working at our house, my parents finally had a chance to go to Petronas towers last night and today. We went there last night so that I can show them how to get there and they went back again this morning to go to the sky bridge. The Petronas skybridge served as the national symbol for Malaysia and most of the tourist who goes here would take a look at the Petronas towers. So most of the time, a lot of tourist would flock in that area. One of those people who's taking a snapshot of the famous tower is Stuart Dee, a Filipino-Canadian travel photographer. He has published the photography book Philippines Rediscovered. He's in Malaysia right now to work on a project with Tourism Malaysia. It's so nice for him to take a picture of us hehehehe.

I also had my parents taste my favorite sweets - Roti Boy and 2 Secret Recipe cakes: White Macademia and Choco Banana (yummy!). They had a nice time and took a lot of photographs. Tourist na tourist ahahaha!! =P Our next stop: either Putra Jaya or Genting Highlands :)

Commercial lang

2007-04-02T00:05:00.000+08:00

I have 2 tickets for the Phantom of the Opera musical to be staged at the Esplanade Theater on April 28 at 2 PM. These are very good seats as it is located at the 10th row from the stage (Row J, Seats 16 and 17). Payment is via bank transfer. Price is around RM 400 for each ticket. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a note =)