post for today

I am supposed to report to work at night. I won’t be in the office on Monday so I need to finish my reports. My data won’t be available until the team take the last production/application support call ‘till 6am, Sat.

I thought I was prepared for another graveyard since I rendered double shift the other day. Hell, I was wrong! I woke up at 9am today, and couldn’t sleep since. So, I came to work at 4pm instead of getting myself bored. Goodluck na lang talaga sa akin mamayang madaling araw!

- - -

I’m so thrilled to go home. 9 days of rest. But it’s not why I am excited. I just can’t wait to give my mom her present. Yes, the phone that I got from Smart is gonna be my mom’s. By the way, I got a replacement unit yesterday.

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Stuff to do on my vacation:

1. Clean my room. This was my original room until we had an extension. I moved to a new room but my younger brother got married so we had to switch domain. Can’t believe that 2 years have passed since then and I haven’t had time to clean the entirety of it.
2. Exercise (again!). I’m so poorly conditioned and I gained a lot of weight. What I have is not baby fat anymore!
3. Work the piano. I really got no piano at home. That’s why I stopped taking piano lessons. I just couldn’t play what I’m supposed to play. 5 octaves lang kasi kaya bitin talaga for advanced pieces, plus alang damper pedal at touch response ang teklado. Anyway, I’m hoping to get my fingers (hands?) in shape. My cousin and our church deaconess (both music majors) rekindled my enthusiasm to be concert pianist (dream on!).
4. Study (read as: complete academic requirements). Good things UPOU has a 7 years deadline for completing a master’s degree, otherwise, I’ll be disqualified from my program. I’m just on my second year of study (in which I should be graduating), but I’m taking another year because I-am-working-and-I-just-could-not-take-full-time-course-load! Well, it’s not an excuse but it doesn’t mean that is should exert more effort. So Dean, sipagan mo pa!!!

- - -

Hopefully it won’t rain on All Saints’ Day. Ayoko kaya maputikan sa sementeryo. I’m just not sure if we are supposed to visit 3 cemeteries but I’m definitely going to my beloved lolo.

- - -

Happy Halloween!

- - -

Speaking of Halloween, the next occasion (aside from my birthday) would be Christmas. I’ll be granting my brothers’ wishes but I still got no idea gifts to buy for my mom, dad, lola, and aunt. 4 gifts, and I can’t think of anything. Hmmm… wonder how my mom will do her Christmas shopping. I’ll be entrusting her with my holiday bonus so she’ll be one to buy gifts for the other relatives on my behalf. Anyhow, wish I could buy gifts as soon as possible. Suggestions are most welcome.

- - -

Ok, ‘till next time. I’ll be gone for now.

random thoughts

It’s past 3am. I can’t believe that I am actually rendering a double shift. I haven’t done this since I was a QA in Sykes. My eyes are too tired and I’m hungry… can’t wait ‘till sunrise.

So what am I doing here at work? Hmmm… flashback to yesterday.

I was re-orienting one of my colleagues to my reports. Well, she will be taking over (most of) my responsibilities when I get rolled-off from the project. Our supervisor approached me to set a meeting. When I was done with my transition plan, I spoke with my boss. He told me about my roll-off date. FYI, that conversation has happened before and I am still here. Anyhow, I’m still hoping that everything will come as planned.

I still didn’t answer the question. Well, I’m just finishing some process documentation that will be used by the people who will be doing my job. No pressure whatsoever. I’m just excited. I wanna get things done ASAP so I can get out from my project the soonest possible time!

- - -

Our company had tied-up with Smart. Free phones to subscription plans for employees are better compared to those offered regularly. Considering my 3G use (well, I mostly use my Smart prepaid line for 3G services so I could have internet access at home) and the amount I pay for this service, I signed up.

I got my free phone last Monday. The line wasn’t activated yet so I waited ‘till today (or should I say yesterday since it is past midnight) before I tried out the phone. I was actually planning to sell the unit but my mom has been having troubles with her phone so I just decided to give it to her. Good thing I tried it out hours ago, and found out that the loudspeaker is not functioning. I can hear keypad tones but I can’t play music. The phone doesn’t even ring. I tried fixing the settings and resetting the phone and everything but nothing worked. I called Smart customer care hotline I was advised to proceed to one of their centers to have the phone replaced. Well, their 15-day replacement period warranty is real! (Hopefully… I don’t wanna have sub-manufactured unit.)

- - -

It has been raining non-stop for the past 2 days. Dyahe! Don’t get me wrong, I love rain – it brings cool air and everything under the sun gets washed up. I just don’t like to come to work soaked!

- - -

I’m tempted to buy Hip Hop Abs in eBay.ph. The TV commercial offers a package at Php2999++. It’s way too expensive. Folks at eBay sells it for a much cheaper price (I guess they’re selling “pirated” stuff). Anyhow, I must get it no matter what! I’m tired of my taebo.

- - -

I can’t wait for my 9-day weekend!

got nothing to do

philippine holidays next week:
oct 29
nov 1
nov 2

filed vacation leave for oct 30 and 31.

can't wait for the long weekend.

9 days. hmmmm... wonder what should i do....

it's only words

bartolina. deja vu.

it's my fault for not keeping my mouth shut (or at least not lowering my voice). but when my coworkers asked me about the knowledge/responsibilities transfer to my to-be replacement, i just couldn't help myself. it's been 4 months since my managers approved my request for transfer and nothing has happened since. i'm not getting anywhere.

the clock is still ticking, i'm not getting any younger, no significant work experience to add to my resume and i'm getting pissed.

so, i didn't care anymore if everyone in the floor overheard me saying implying that our performance objectives are just plain bullshit, that managers are too subjective, and our manager doesn't live up to his words. achim! puot na kung puot. angst!

then i found myself sitting with our manager and my lead. they asked me about the status of my transfer which was too ironic since i should be the one asking that question. well, it just made me realize more that they're just playing with me. anyhow, they discussed some possible duties that i might consider within the project. they asked me if i still want to be in the project. my answer: just get it done. i'm not falling for any promises now. the follow-up question was "do you still want to be in the project?". i didn't answer. my manager just said that he remembered me, based on our last discussion, saying that i wanted to be rolled-off from the project. fact is, i simply don't want to work with him anymore. talagang may puot!

managers. they can do whatever they want. me afraid? hell no!

tag-game

Ely tagged me to post 8 random facts about me. I've been tagged like this before so I'll just repost what I did but still add a couple of things.

- - -

The rules:
1. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
2. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
3. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

Eight random facts about me:

8. lastikman
despite my size and weight and age, i'm still flexible. i can do, splits: on the floor, jumping, kneeling...

7. laugh trip
don't get me started. whenever i see something funny, i laugh, then you laugh, and i'll keep on laughing, you'll keep on laughing as well. then i will still continue to laugh, and you will still laugh not because of the funny thing we saw but because of the way i laugh.

6. stars
everytime i read my horoscope, what it says is somewhat true to me. it doesn't matter if i read it from a broadsheet, tabloid or magazine. the situations described are true to my life. i can't say that such things are just coincidences. it's just weird!

5. doodle my name
i think this not too weird but i find doodling or scribbling my name amusing. well, i think some people do this too! it's my favorite pastime especially when everything else i try to do seems boring.

4. damped feet
i can't sleep without getting my feet wet. as a kid, my mom doesn't want me to sleep without cleaning myself first. if i am too tired to take a shower, i would have a sponge bath then srub my feet properly to remove all the dirt. plus, ayokong may maitim na paa sa bed ko!

3. it's all that cheese
whenever i cook tomato-based dishes - menudo, afritada, mechado, etc. - it all tastes the same regardless of the meat (even spaghetti!) ... i want the taste of my dishes cheesy!

2. guhit ng palad
the major lines on both of my palms are straight. i haven't met anyone who has the same lines. karaniwan kasi, mga guhit sa palad ng mga tao 2 tapos yung isa paatas, yung isa pababa. mine is really straight!

1. long hair fever
i need to have a haircut at least once a month. everytime i try to have a long hair, i get sick - literally. i don't know if there is a scientific explanation for this. anyway, this has a good effect for me since i could always excuse myself from work/school at least once a month!

- - -

won't be tagging anyone now though...

introductions

define: corny

• A term in common usage meaning sentimental, obvious or old-fashioned, out of it; "Critics dismissed Bob Hope's last special as corny and ...www.variety.com/index.asp
  
• bromidic: dull and tiresome but with pretensions of significance or originality; "bromidic sermons" wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

- - -

College. Baguio. Alone. I was 8 hours away from home. There was I, living on my own.

I knew no one when I entered my first class. I don’t remember where I first sat, but our Geology11 professor arranged our seats based on our surnames so I had to move. The person beside me suddenly uttered, “Matagal na tayong magkatabi pero hindi pa tayo magkakilala. Ako nga pala si Jeff” (We’ve been seated together for so long; however, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Jeff). He took out his hand then I found myself shaking his hand.

“That was weird”, I said to myself. First of all, we’ve only been seatmates for less than a minute. And, do we really have to shake hands?

- - -

Personally, I find a handshake during introductions too formal. I would do it without hesitations in a business setting but doing it for a simple introduction, say with a friend, would be too awkward for me.

Corny. Baduy. Whatever!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not being rude. Hindi lang ako sanay.

When I met my new boardmate this morning and took out his hand, I hesitated. Well, I just finished brushing my teeth and my hands are still dripping (take note: with clean water, not with my saliva). Anyway, I got my towel and shook his hands since I don’t wanna be misunderstood. Prior to that, I signaled that my hands are still wet but he didn’t take his hands back.

So, don’t expect me to offer my hands in case we (you and I, whoever you are) just met. A smile means I’m glad to meet you. An utterance of your name means with a smile I’m finally glad to meet you. A wink in an eye would mean that I like you.

take me back

warning: this is a very long post.
- - -
it's monday... the only day of the week when i feel my importance at work. well, i'm in-charge of our reports and my managers need those for their weekly call with our client.

my one week's work can actually be compressed to a day. yeah, i'm that good! but i can't live like this, so i need to balance my workload throughout the week. syempre, dapat magbusy-busyhan paminsan minsan ng hindi nasisita! matapos ang hindi kanais nais na performance review ko for last year, hindi ko na binalak magpabibo pa.

at dahil napakuluwag ng trabaho ko ngayon, ubus-ubos ang leaves ko. so pagkatapos ng final exam ko, tiempo nakaschedule ang trip ng paksyon ko sa bora, oct 6 - 9. at dahil masipag ako, nakaleave ako ng oct 8-10, syempre naman kelangan magbawi ng lakas, at kaya ko namang tapusin ang work ko ng isang araw. at akala ko magiging masaya ako... kung bakit naman kasi nauso ang Eid al Fitir, yung 2 araw na natitira kong ipapasok e nabawasan pa. at heto pa matindi, since anniversary ng team ko natural daming pinagawang ad hoc na reports sa akin para ma-award-an ang mga pabibo kong teammates. kumusta naman di ba? yung trabaho ko dapat, yun pa ang hindi ko nagawa. kaya heto ako, ngarag... 3 crucial reports dapat matapos ng alas singko ngayon!

i'm sitting at my new workstation, our airconditioning system is set to low, i'm still hungry and i don't feel well. ok, enough of intros. i didn't blog today to talk about work.

i wanna talk about my vacation. so take it away ida!

time space warp, ngayon din!

- - -

oct 5. late na ako natulog. actually, 1am na (oct 6) nung mahiga ako. dami ko pa kasi niplantsa, plus nag-ayos pa ako ng gamit dahil maglilipat na ako ng boarding house pagbalik ko. pinilit kong makatulog, pero problema ko na talaga simula pa nung bata ako na 'pag kelangang magising ng maaga e hindi na ako nakakatulog.

oct 6. bumangon ako ng 5am. text text sina grace at rej kung paalis na sila. syempre, ayoko naman maghintay sa kanila ng matagal. by 6.20, nasa domestic airport na ako. gutom. buti na lang may fit n' right akong baon na juice (asa pa talaga ako na last minute mamayat!) pero teka, walang garbage can. pasimple tingin-tingin sa mga tao... basta na lang sila nagtatapon ng basura. pero ako, may style magtapon. nilapag ko yung travel bag ko sa may wall tapos sa pagitan ng wall at bag ko, nilagay ko yung can ng juice. tayo ng tuwid. hintay hintay lang tapos dumating na si rej. kwentuhan konti then maya-maya dumating na si grace at yung papa nya na aussie. syempre, pasok na kami sa loob. ayan, hindi halata na akin yung can na naiwan! di ba! hehe!

so, ni-introduce ni grace si pete (yung aussie). yung more than 2 years experience ko sa call center, at take note: naging QA pa ako, e parang nawala. umurong dila ko. yung english ko naiwan ata sa apartment. pareho kami ni rej. dumugo ilong at tenga namin dun sa aussie. good luck na lang talaga sa aming apat!

kwento ni grace, pang 2nd time na raw ni pete sa bora. tukmol na yun, naunahan pa kaming mga pinoy dun! kaming 3, first timers! waah!

pag pasok namin sa loob ng terminal, syempre food agad ang hanap ko. hindi pa ko lumalamon e. nagyaya akong kumain. then mamaya may sinabi si pete sa akin. hindi ko na-gets syempre. yun pala nitatanong lang nya kung hindi rin ako nagbreakfast. tukmol na yun, di ba obvious na gutom na ko? hehe!

boarding time. supposedly, katabi ko si rej at pete. pero syempre, pinilit namin tumabi si grace sa amin. si pete dun sa kabilang side ng aisle. hay... sa wakas, bora here we come!

past 10am na nung nagland yung plane namin sa kalibo. daming nang-aalok ng van. syempre sakay naman kami dun sa isa. pero wait pa rin ng passengers yung driver, kaya hanap muna kami ng restroom nina grace at rej. tinuro kami nung mamang driver sa isang carinderia. nauna nagwiwi si rej, then si grace, then ako. pero si rej, sinama ng tyan. ayun, nagpoopoo muna... hehehe!! salamat na lang hindi kami sinita nung mga nagtitinda ng food kasi wala naman kami binili, gumamit pa kami ng banyo at tubig. hehe! pagbalik sa van, syempre nakasimangot na lahat ng tao. kaming 3 na lang kasi hinihintay. wala na palang ibang pasaherong nagdagdag.

andar na yung van. maya-maya, may mamang biglang tumawid dun sa curved road. ayan, nagpagewang gewang tuloy yung van nung biglang nagbreak si mamang driver. napasigaw kaming lahat. exciting! hehe! then maya-maya, tulog na kaming lahat.

pagdating namin ng port, after magbayad ng environmental eklat at kung anu-ano, sakay na kami ng boat. wala namang nangyaring kakaiba sa boat, pero pansin ko yung isang tao dun tumitig sa akin... hehehe!! may moments tuloy kami. sayang nga lang hindi kami pareho ng resort.

baba na kami ng beach. kala ko yun na, pero isa pa palang tricycle ride yung sasakyan namin. sabi ni rej, maganda pa raw sa kanila sa siargao yung beach. anyway, extra-challenge talaga yung trip dahil dun sa lubak-lubak na kalsada. kakaiba yung tricycle kasi parang jeep yung likod, except na 2 pasengers lang yung kasya (pero pwede ata 4 basta alang bag). kami ni rej, sumakay sa likod at halos mahulog kami dahil sa lubak-lubak na daan. tapos, tinaas taas ng sikat ng araw nung dumating kami, biglang umulan.

almost noon na nung dumating kami sa station 2. malakas na yung ulan nun kaya hindi na kami naipasok ng tricycle. pray kaming matigil na ulan pero hindi malakas prayers namin kasi hindi naman tumigil ulan e. may nakita kaming restaurant. sabi namin, since gutom na kami kain muna kami dun! since malapit lang, sugod kami sa ulan. hindi naman kami masyadong nabasa.

pagpasok sa restaurant, nashock kaming lahat! pano ba naman, beerhouse pala yun! upo kami sa isang mesa. nagrequest yung 2 girls ng ilaw. nagbukas nga ng 2 ilaw: incandescent bulbs. wa-epek! madilim pa rin. order kami food. chicken lang tinda nila. panay native chicken. ang kunat!

ask namin yung waitress kung saan yung resort namin. sabi nya dun lang daw sa likod ng beerhouse. super layo sa beach! nadaya si grace nung nagpareserve sya. sabi sa kanya 1 minute away lang daw from beach! decide kami na lipat. after kumain, maambon pa rin pero nauna na nagpunta si grace dun sa resort. ask nya kung pwede kunin namin yung ni-down para lipat kami. di sila pumayag kaya pagdating namin dun sa resort, niconsume na lang namin yung downpayment namin. lilipat kami kinabukasan.

punta na kami sa rooms namin. si rej at grace magkasama sa room habang ako at si pete yung magkasama. yung rooms namin, may door sa gitna para makapasok kami sa kabilang room na hindi lumalabas sa room namin. gets? basta ganun yun! si rej, nagbihis muna. so, niclose yung door sa gitna. si pete, bigla akong nichicka. dumugo na naman ang ilong at tenga ko, kaya naman call for help ako kay grace. nakasilent pala phone nya kaya alang epek. goodluck talaga! buti na lang maya-maya binuksan na rin ni grace yung pinto. usap na sila ni pete. nung tumila yung ulang ng konti, punta na kami sa beach.

kadiri yung daanan papunta sa beach. pano ba naman kasi, baha. plus yung resort, katapat ng garbage disposal nung beerhouse. eeew! as in uber eeew talaga! tapos, may dinaanan pa kami na parang talipapa. baha din! mega eeew na to! bago pa kami makarating ng beach, umulan na naman ng malakas. basang basa na tuloy kami.

pagdating sa beach, grabe, disappointed kami. sabi namin, heto na ang bora? parang over-rated ata. mas maganda pa bohol. tapos syempre, lakas ng hangin at ulan. parang may bagyo (e may bagyo naman talaga sa manila bago kami umalis). pansin namin, may "wind-shield" yung beach pero maginaw pa rin. labas ng wind shield thinggy. kami ni rej, nanginig sa ginaw! malakas hangin pero humina na ulan. then, lakad lakad kami to look for another place to stay. tiempo, may nakita agad kami at mas mura dun sa resort na nauna naming pinuntahan.

balik na kami sa rooms namin. naligo muna ako, then nakatulog. pahinga muna. lumakas pa yung ulan kasi.

nagising ako mga 7pm na. gutom na uli kami. punta kami beachfront para hanap ng makakainan. napili namin yung eat all you can. 260 yung buffet, pero hello naman sa 12% vat! laki na nga ng tax ko sa salary e dami daming pang vat vat na yan. anyway, dami namang food. naempatcho ata ako sa 2 balik ko sa buffet table. lahat timikman ko (pasta na hindi ko alam yung tawag, veggie salad, chicken, pork, beef, fish na hindi ko alam yung mga luto!), maliban sa osyters. sirang sira ang diet! pero hello naman, minsan lang toh! minsan na nga lang ako magbuffet at lalong minsan lang ako magbora! tinodo ko na! sa kabusugan, di na ako nakapagdessert. buti na lang at medyo umambon kundi, tatagal pa kami dun! hehe!

walk kami sa beach after magdinner. tingin tingin. picture picture! then balik na sa room. speaking of picture, dadagdagan ko pa sana yung mga nakapost na pero since sa flicker nag-upload si rej ng pics, hindi ko makita kasi blocked ang flicker sa office. next time na lang... hehe!!

oct 7. gising kami mga 7am na. nauna bumaba si grace at pete papunta dun sa may kainan nung resort. sumunod kami ni rej after namin magmumog at magwash ng face. buffet din yung breakfast. pero ako lang nagkanin! sila nakuntento sa bread at dun sa french toast. as usual, nilantakan ko lahat: hotdogs, scrambled eggs, daing na bangus, etc etc... basta ang hindi ko lang pinansin e yung red egg dahil ayaw kong mamula daliri ko. hehe! after breakfast, naligo na kami at lumipat na kami dun sa resort sa may beach front. nga pala, isang room na lang yung kinuha namin kasi magkalayo yung available rooms tsaka malaki naman yung room na nakuha namin.

pagdating namin dun sa may beach, natuwa kami kasi maaraw at naappreciate na namin yung beach. in fairness, maganda rin yung beach pero andun pa rin yung wind shields. hehe! daming lapit ng lapit inaalok ng tutuluyan namin, pero sorry sa kanila kasi may lilipatan na kami. after namin baba ng gamit at magbihis punta kami sa beach para sa picture picture. then may lumapit, ask kung gusto namin magboating boating. syempre dun sila sa puting aussie lumapit. lam nilang kuripot pag pinoy. usap sila. akala ko ok na, pero nagpabraid muna si grace at nagpahenna si rej. tapos pansin namin, yung mamang kausap nila sa boat ride naghihintay. e almost 11 na nung matapos mabraid si grace kaya sabi namin dun sa mamang boat, kitakits na lang kami kinabukasan.

lakad lakad kami para hanap ng makakakainan. syempre, kain kami ng maaga dahil wish namin mapanood ng live si pacquiao. lakad lakad kami papuntang d'mall. tapos sa hindi malamang kadahilanan nakita namin yung dating kaopisina namin sa sykes na si desiree! pagkakataon nga naman! small world! as in bilog ang mundo! huh? connection? basta ganun! matapos ang batian, tuloy kami sa paghanap ng food. pero maya-maya nakasalubong uli namin sina des. muntik pang pareho yung kakainan namin. habang wait kami ng order namin, dumating si des tapos sa photo ops ang more chika. ni-invite nya kami inom later that night, syempre, oo naman kami dahil wala kaming mahanap na iinuman the night before at malay namin kung may alam na gimik place si des dun!

after lunch, balik kami dun sa new resort namin. watch kay pacquiao. buti na lang nanalo sya! hehe! after nun, hanap ng UAAP game si rej at grace tapos nakatulog ako. pagkagising ko, syempre past 4pm na, so punta uli kami beach kahit mataas pa ang araw. picture picture uli then swim kaming lahat. medyo low tide kaya ang babaw ng tubig. ayaw naman namin pakalayo, mahirap na matangay ng alon! hehe! tapos, alis kami ni rej at iwan namin si grace at pete para mag-moments. gala kami ni rej papunta station 1 para hanap ng pwedeng puntahan sa gabi, pero wala pa rin!

an hour past na siguro nung balikan namin si grace at pete. ala na sila sa beach at nakita namin sila sa room. nope, walang censored moments kaming nakita. ligo kaming lahat then punta na kami d'mall para hanap uli ng makakainan.

wala kaming magustahan sa mga menu ng food establishments kaya nagburger na lang kami. busog kami sa quarter pounders naming 3 pinoy... si pete, half pound yung kinaing meat sa burger. lakad lakad kami pagkatapos then lakad lakad ulit para hanap ng matatambayan. maya-maya, nagdecide na kaming uminom. bad trip si rej kasi yung una naming napiling inuman walang red horse! lakad lakad kami hanggang tangayin kami ng mga buhangin bandang boracay regency tapos napatambay kami sa isang sosyaleng bar. yung waiter, naenganyo kaming pumunta dun sa underground bar nila kaya sumunod naman kasi. tig-isang redhorse kaming mga pinoy habang si pete nagbloody mary. kami mga pinakaunang guest sa bar tapos medyo maliwanag pa nun kasi may meeting pa yung band. si rej, picture taking galore tuloy dun sa loob ng bar at isinama pa yung isang bar tender.

umalis kami after maubos ang beer at paghatian ang 7 shots na inorder ni rej. lipat kami dun sa bar na sinabi ni des. dun, no choice kami kundi magsan mig light. si rej antok na kasi ang tagal ni des. si grace at pete busy sa moments nila... hehehe!! maya-maya dumating na si des para magpaalam na babalik daw sya sa amin dahil magpoopoo muna sya. tapos may nagsayaw bigla sa kalapit na bar na may fire-ball something. aliw naman kami... then, after 48 years bumalik sya tapos order kami ng cocktails at kwentuhan at pictures ulit. nag-eenjoy pa lang kami nung lumapit yung waiter para sana order kami pero sabi nya magclose na ang bar ng midnight. hello? nashock naman kami dahil ang aga-aga nagsara na sila. lipat sana kami sa iba pero halos wala na rin bukas. bye bye na kami kay des kasi kinabukasan balik na sya manila.

pagbalik sa room, diretso ako sa CR dahil wiwi na wiwi na ako. then si rej naman. tapos pumasok si grace. ayaw naman naming duguan ng tenga at ilong kaya nagpaalam kami ni rej na lalabas muna kami. lakad lang kami, kain ng isaw then pagbalik namin ng room, sleeping time na.

oct 8. nagising kami past 8am na. lampas na sa takdang oras para imeet namin yung mamang boat. lampas 9am na nung lumabas kami para magbreakfast. order kami, tapsilog, tocilog, longsilog. hehe! after namin magbreakfast, may kumausap sa amin na isa pang mamang boat. ayun, pumayag sila grace kaya natuloy na kami sa wakas magboat.

akala namin dun lang sa may station 1 yung sasakyan namin, pero dun pala sa kabilang side ng island. extra-challenge yung effort namin. biro mo, daan kami ulit sa talipapa, then sa isang eskinita na makitid, tapos dumaan pa kami dun sa isang drainage system na ginagawa bago marating yung sasakyan namin. sabi nila grace at rej, dun kami ibaba sa may pinanggalingan naming beach! kapagod naman kasi e.

nagboat kami, punta crystal cove, then snorkeling para makita sina nemo (pronounced with a short e and short o as in ne-mo... siguro pinsan nila yung nasa cartoon na nemo - with the long e and long o vowels)... tanghaling tapat nung nagsnorkeling kami kaya goodluck naman sa sunburn! pag-ahon ko sa boat, nagulat ako may buko! inom kami ng buko juice tuloy! then binaba kami sa isang island para maglunch, pero hindi kami naglunch. naligo lang dun sina grace at pete habang si rej pinalibutan ng accessories (bracelet, necklace, etc.) vendors. ako sandali lang naligo sa beach kasi naman tanghaling tapat!

binaba kami ng boat sa may station 1. diretso na kami naglunch dun sa may chicken inasal na resto. syempre, order ko yung fav part ko ng chicken na paa (leg and thigh). after kumain, napansin ko yung isang korean girl dun sa adjacent table namin. andun na yung food nya sa harap nya pero palingon lingon muna sya. saka ko lang nalaman na hindi nya alam kung pano kainin yung food. pano ba naman kasi, self-service yung resto at hindi sya binigyan ng utensils. atan tuloy, kung rice na nakabalot sa dahon ng saging e kinain nya na parang cake tapos pinapak yung ulam. gusto ko sana bigyan ng spoon and fork nung tumayo na kami kaya lang naisip ko, chopsticks nga pala gamit nila sa kanila... hehehe!!

balik kami sa room para maligo at magpalit ng tuyong damit. pagkatapos, nagshopping sila ng pasalubong. hindi na ako namili kasi wala naman akong nakitang maganda. kung may kakaibang delicacy sana dun e di sana bumili ako, kaso wala.

after mamili, ligo ulit kami sa beach. hinintay namin yung sunset bago kami umahon. paalis na kami ng beach nung narinig namin na may group na nagtatambol. syempre, usyoso naman kami. take namin sila ng pics at video. hehehe!!

nung pabalik na kami sa resort, may nakita kaming eat-all-you-can the seafoods. nagdecide kami na dun na lang kami kakain. after maligo, balik kami dun para lumamon. hehe! sulit yung kinain namin sa dami!

tulog kami mga 10pm na. maaga pa flight namin kinabukasan kaya dapat pahinga na.

oct 9. nagulantang kami sa alarm ng cellphone ni grace bandang 4:30am. madali kaming naligo. pagkatapos namin, hinatid kami nung mamang guard nung resort sa sakayan ng tricycle. hindi na namin nakita yung beach man lang. hay!

medyo matagal yung byahe sa van. dun na kami kumain sa terminal. pagod kaming lahat, pero happy. comment ko lang, walang singing duo sa airport unlike dun sa bohol... hehe!

anyway, i can't wait for our next adventure. next time baka sa palawan kami. pero may possibility rin na sa dakak o dun sa place nina rej sa siargao. sana lang, kasama na ulit ang buong paksyon!

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i wrote this blog for 4 hours. multitasking ako dahil habang download ng data e heto ako nagsusulat. hemingways, tapos na yung 2 reports... isa na lang!!

sige, 'till next blog!

seeing grey

i badly need to see grey's season 4, but i can't find any full episodes in youtube. help!

pictures

Ang Paksyon

3 days leave was the longest I’ve had since I started working.

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I was part of Team B, the 2nd wave of recruits for a new technical support account for Sykes. The 1st team, Team A, started 2 weeks ahead of us. After our product training, we had this nesting period and somehow, our training schedules and go-live dates for both of our teams has become the same. Moreover, our teams got so close that we had some “beer-storming” after each training.

One day, I, along with some of colleagues on the shift (mostly from teams A, B and C), had our QA process reorientation for new updates. Then during our question-and-answer part of our discussion we brought our concern about some issues relating to our stack ranking and newly rolled-in leads. We were just airing out our problems but somehow, the management took it negatively. We were all brought into a room to, supposedly, discuss more but it seemed that the more we talk the more negative we (the agents) became. Thus, we were labeled as “Paksyon”; the room, we called “bartolina”.

What happened brought my Paksyon and I closer. The Paksyon became my circle of friends.

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It was August of last year when one by one Paksyon left the company. Our bond is still tight that in November, we had this get-together activity in Baguio. Two months passed and we found ourselves in Bohol. Few months later, we were back in Baguio and planned another trip for Boracay.

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Sagabal talaga ang trabaho sa pagkakaibigan. Eleven people was expected to be on the next trip. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances (some left for Singapore, some changed employers, personal reasons, etc.) we were down to four: me, Rej, Grace and Grace’s friend – Pete (Aussie). Well, it will be our first time to be in Bora, so our trip went on.

just got back

and i'm tired, tanned, stuffed and got a lot to tell...

see yah in a bit!

family ties

“Txt k lang kung may problema k pa h”

This was the first message that I received this morning on my phone. It came from my dad.

My dad and I were not really close. Well, I could say that my family is not close to each other. We never tell anyone about our problems unless it is really big, like when my brother got his girlfriend (now his wife). There was even a point when I wished that my parents had to be separated. Anyway, we are still intact. I guess that it is just our nature to be quiet.

How I wish I could be open with each other. One time, when my mom and I had a little misunderstanding, we never spoke with each other for more than 3 months. Then, a lot has happened during that time and I learned from a cousin that my brother is about to be married. How sad because my brother had told our cousins about his problem first.

Three weeks ago my mom has been texting how I was. She knew about my issues at work. But she still kept on asking if I had some (bigger) problems. Mothers – they really can sense if something is wrong with their children.

Yeah, we all have problems. I got work issues to settle, delayed requirements in school, credit card crisis, apartment to stay on to, etc. The list just goes on and on. They say that we wouldn’t be adults if we didn’t face problems.

The bottom line is, we are not alone. I am not alone. I am glad to have received that message. Even if I don’t ask for any help, it reminds me that I could always count on my family.

paasa

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