Confessions Of A Neophyte Expat

It’s been a long while since I last opened this blog. I’ve been busy with a lot of things. The past few months were some of the most crucial part of my life in terms of decision making and my so-called evolution.

Yes. For the past month I’ve experienced one big “twist” in my life. Just when I thought I’d get used to the simplicity and stillness of my laid-back life with my family, here comes a big surprise. Oh well, maybe I should call it a “planned surprise”. Eccentric as it is, everything was already planned and yet it seems like everything happened too soon and caught me off guard.

One day I was there at home having a good time with my neice Isha, who has been my constant companion since I was out of my previous job. The next thing I know, I’m seated on the plane holding back my tears as I patiently wait for my 8-hour flying time to be over. There I was, the pretty little naïve girl, travelling alone to try her luck on the other side of the globe.

Now I’m finally here. Who would have thought I’d come to this place? Never did I imagine myself working out of the country, not even out of my hometown. Living away from my family was never a part of my plans, not until this one person came.

He walked into my life and suddenly plans were changed, some rules broken, and without any warning, my still life got twisted. All at once, the future I anticipated for myself got all messed up. Then, I found myself breakaway from the world I have always known.

This is absolutely a whole new world for me. I was agitated not knowing what to expect. But one thing that kept me sane was the fact that I know there are people I can run to for assistance, and for sure there’s someone who will guide me on this new endeavour.

The loveliest consequence of all these --- I kissed LDR(long-distance relationship) goodbye. Finally after three years, we don’t have to worry about time and distance anymore. I used to blame him for messing up my plans, but now I thank him for taking me here into this world of great opportunities. He pulled me out of my comfort zone and pushed me into this big busy world.

It’s not everyday that we get this chance, and not everyone is lucky to have someone who’s willing to give extra effort to make things better for us. Lucky me! I’m blessed with both.
I hope he realizes how grateful I am for everything he has done for me, and for all the things he’s willing to do. I’m doing my best to fit into this world and find my place here where I can do better. It’s the least I can do to show him that his effort and sacrifices are all worth it.

Today, I woke up with a smile on my face knowing that I have someone who will take care of me no matter what. I may not be everything he needs but I’m sure willing to be here for him as long as he needs me. Heaven is so good to me---I asked for a flower…but I was blessed with a garden. :)

New Home

Here I am again trying to set up a new home for my wandering thoughts and isolated sentiments. I hope this will be the last relocation, I'm quite tired of this transferring and yet I never get satisfied 'cause I always want something else. I started my first blog here on blogger, it was actually doing well. But then I was tempted to export everything to wordpress. Then I realized that wordpress is too complicated for me.So now I'm coming back to where I started. I realized I just made things complicated and difficult. Now all the comments on my posts are gone along with my other widgets and few friends & followers. Whew! I hope to make this new home better and more stable now. Good luck to me...

Experience of a self-confessed Late Bloomer

I grew up in a closely bonded big family. Sundays has always been a get-together day with aunts, uncles & cousins for as long as I can remember. No wonder I feel so attached to the family that living away them would be one of the most challenging experiences for me. But somehow as I get older, I feel the need to leave my comfort zone and explore the world on my own.

Before the end of 2008, I got the chance to practice my independence and be away from home for 23 days. It was my first time to live on my own in a city far bigger and more complicated than the city I’ve known for 27 years.(yeah I know it’s kinda late, I’m a self-confessed late bloomer). I was a little sad but excited. It was a test of my potential to be independent, and at the same time, an opportunity to enjoy my freedom.

The moment I stepped out of the airport, I promised myself I’ll make the most out of my stay in Manila. I knew I’ll have a lot of first time experiences, I was so eager that I wanted it to start right away. Few minutes later, I got what I wanted. A room for me, myself, and I. No parents to check if I’m already home, no brothers to play loud music, and no kids to wake me up on weekend mornings. I was so thrilled that I almost forgot I was sent there to work. Maybe a part of me felt like I was a tourist because of the voice I hear inside the car pointing out and describing every major street and structure we pass by. As much as I wanted to stay in the room and savor the moment of liberty, I had to leave my things and proceed to the office. I hate to sound weird but I enjoyed how the car moved slowly due to the traffic jam. I was amazed by all those wide lanes, tall buildings, noisy jeepneys & busses along with the busy people all over the streets.

The following days went on with me taking pleasure in the feeling of freedom. Everyday seemed to be an opportunity to explore and experience a whole new environment in the company of new people. I was lucky enough to have those guys around me willing to share their time with a big city neophyte. It was not really easy, but it wasn’t as difficult as I imagined it to be. The adjustment didn’t bother me at all; everything just went on smoothly except for those nights when I had to bother someone else because I just can’t seem to sleep. Good thing I also have friends who took the time to spend a few days & nights with me despite their busy schedules. Thank God also for my guardians (a.k.a. bodyguards 1 & 2) who never got tired of providing assistance all throughout my stay. From finding me a place to stay, treating me to dinners and gimmicks, teaching me to ride public transportations, being my escort while shopping, and even to the extent of accompanying me in a two-hour travel to the province to visit my grandmother, I never heard any complain. Maybe because the complaints came while I wasn’t around (hahaha...peace!)

The experience taught me a bundle of lessons and made me realize the things that really matter. It gave me the chance to see the real world in a bigger view, opened up my eyes to the realities I didn’t want to believe before. Wooohhh…I’m starting to sound complicated now. Well, let’s just say I found myself continuously discovering and learning more about people & places, work & leisure, values & morals, feelings & emotions, and everything else in between during my stay in what I call the Big City. I learned to value what I have; made me believe that everything has a reason and everyone has a purpose.

The first time I knew I’ll be leaving home for a few weeks, I was a little distressed. Ironically, I found myself enjoying every single day away from my comfort zone. I enjoyed it so much that I almost didn’t want it to end. But I had to go back to where I belong hoping someday somehow, I won’t have to be away just to feel independent.

Give until it hurts...

Whew! Just came back from Missionaries of Charity - home for sick and abandoned kids. Louraine and I took a little break from work this morning just to have a glimpse of the kids' situation there. We learned that they have almost 60 children ages 3 months to 20 yrs old. We got the chance to talk to one of the Sisters there who shared with us some information about the children. As we entered the place, we saw the kids quietly sleeping in their individual cribs. I directly headed to the area of the babies below 3 years old.

I have this fondness on children, and seeing 16 babies in one room all yearning for attention, waiting for someone to come and spend a little time with them, just fills my heart with sadness. Somehow it makes me feel so grateful that I have a family to come home to, parents to take care of me when I'm sick, and siblings to open the door for me when I come home late.

I was charmed by the youngest baby since it looked so adorable smiling warmly in the crib. Then all of a sudden the Sister called out..."Lawrence"! I suddenly looked up and saw Louraine laughing. Oh well, it turned out that the charming little angel I was playing with has the same name with my dear baki. Coincidence huh? As we were about to leave the kids, Sister called out again..."Christian"! (real name or Louraine's husband-to-be). We looked at each other and gave ourselves a good laugh. Of all the babies there, Sister called out only two names which are both significant to us. Great! Maybe the angels brought us there.

According to Sister Tapali, they really need help for the children and I've seen that myself. I hope to get more chances to spend time with the kids. I know they need assistance with their everyday needs, but I think more than the material things we can offer, what they badly need is time, attention, and comforting touch from people who sincerely care.

Lesson learned for today...give until it hurts. Just like Mother Theresa and her sisters.

Touching

I was browsing through FemaleNetwork's GirlTalk Forum and found this one simple and yet nice story. I was touched and felt a little guilty since I've been very busy with a lot of things lately. Just wanna share it and hope that it might help others realize what they are missing out.

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door. SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

DAD: "Yeah sure, what it is?" replied the man.

SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

SON: "I just want to know.. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."

SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down. SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $10.00 ?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy'squestions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started tothink. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man. "It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the$10.00 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied."

Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent sometime with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $20.00 worth of your time with someone you love. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.

*Special thanks to hotmom for posting this @ GT.

Karamay

I hate it when I can't keep myself from being too talkative. It's kinda annoying sometimes when I promise myself not to talk anymore but end up narrating in full details. I don't talk about other people though, I babble about my stray thoughts and feelings. And when it comes to matters of the heart, I always have my good friend Adelle to chat with. It's so amazing how she never gets tired of listening to a poor little sappy jerk like me. Maybe because we share the same sentiments. That's why we get along well talking about our hopes and daydreams as victims of long-distance relationship.

Gosh! I miss my friend. We used to be partners on our escape to Agusan. We only have office dividers between us before, but now we're cities apart. I remember how I used to cry in front of my pc in the office while we were chatting about how we miss moi & baki who are both in UAE. Sometimes I wish she's still here so we can cry our hearts out face to face. Or perhaps spend time at the gym or after-office gimmicks together with mutual friends Louraine & Billie.

Despite the distance, I'm glad I never lost the good friend who always listened to me even at my most cheesy moments. Moments spent singing lonely love songs to ourselves. We super love music. Never ending search for songs that relate to our experiences and singing them at videoke bars are few of the things we enjoy most. She recently got me a nice autographed Roots Of Nature CD as a belated birthday present---signed, sealed, and delivered via courier. I know how watching this band (who regularly performs at a bar near her place) helped her get through the "missing you stage". On the attached note she pointed out the song "Karamay" as nice. Now, after a few rounds of playing the CD, I figured out why.

Thanks to Adelle for the gift, and thank you to all my Karamay...life is so much better with real friends around.

Not-So-Good Day

Gosh! I woke up with a bad headache and came to work late again 'cause I didn't want to get up from bed. Yesterday was a not-so-pleasant day either. Had unfinised business, heard some bad news(read:declined requests), had my monthly visitor accompanied by Mr. Headache & Ms. Dysmenorrhea. Whoa! talk about a little stroke of bad luck! Today, still experiencing aftershock effect with less of Ms. D and more of Mr. H. But I can't let all this ruin my day, I've got important things to do. What I really want to now now is go home and burrow myself in bed...oh how I miss my pillows!I can smell them from here. Too bad I can't do it now.

Gggrrr....I really hate this! I want to get my brain cells to work but I can't seem to think straight. Concentration is an alien thing for me at moments like this. Guess I have no choice but to ask help from the pharmacist. I badly need a pain reliever now....hope it works as fast as the passing of the hours I wasted today.

I was there @ Bloggers' Night

We got the chance to join the gathering of Davao bloggers at the Pantawan Hall of Grand Regal Hotel last Oct. 21, 2008. I didn't know such event exists(I thought only chatters have eyeballs). The venue was nice, the food was great,and the crowd was cool. Not to mention the free drinks and groovy music played by the band.

I didn't expect the event to be that wonderful and little did I know that Davao bloggers have so much to offer. I consider myself a newbie in this blogging stuff(poor me, I don't even have page rank) but after seeing all those people that night, I'm more inspired to continue and make it my passion & fashion.*smiles*

When I first started blogging, my only objective was to have an outlet where I can release my thoughts and feelings about anything and everything. The whole thing is personal, just so I'll have something to look back to when I grow old and hark back to how I used to be when I was younger.

Now I got more interested because I know I'll meet a lot of fascinating individuals and learn from their posts. I've seen how many bloggers seem to help and inspire people with their simple pieces of writing. This, I think, is also a good way to meet and befriend people from all over the world and learn from them. I hope I'll be able to catch up with the growing trend in blogging and have a lot of fun doing it.

It was indeed a great event. I'm looking forward to more gatherings like it. Special thanks to Louraine and Badz for being my buddies that night, and Kuya Doods for inviting us.

A year smarter!

I just turned 27 lats Oct. 16. Oh my! This post is kinda late already, maybe I've been too busy (or lazy) to write these past few weeks.

Years seem to pass so rapidly, I'm slowly approaching the late 20's stage now and still experiencing the quarter-life crisis. At this age, I should be confident enough to know what I want and go for it. Well, I'm a self-confessed late bloomer in a lot of aspect but I always try to be mature whenever the situation calls for it.

Maybe it's time to focus on what I want to achieve. Of course I have set certain goals few years back but somewhere along the way things changed. I met different people, became part of their lives, learned things I never knew existed. Incidents and individuals who helped me recognize my capcity to face life. I realized there's still a lot of things to discover and a bigger world to see.

I have always been the cautious type of person. I was afraid to explore not wanting to get out of my comfort zone, I kept myself too protected from the jeopardy of life. I was safe indeed, but I was not that happy because I know I'm missing out a lot. I knew I need to face the world at its best and worst.

Now is the time to grow up and have my share of life in its real sense. I'm letting go of the naive me. I hope I'll be able to embrace life's challenges and stand up for what I deserve. To hell with my pride and apprehensions, I know I'm good enough to face them all.

Holiday Adventure

We failed to join the team of Mt. Apo climbers on the first week of October but found another adventure which took us(well maybe not at the peak) at least at the foot of the Mt. Apo. . . Kapatagan!

Our adventure started at 6 am of October 1. Oh well, we were supposed to be there at 5:30 but unfortunately only Louraine came on time while the other three girls(that includes me) were LATE! So there we were at Mercury Drug Toril all 4 girls at 6:00 am waiting for the early morning bus.

Took the non-aircon bus bound for Malita and paid P45 for an almost one hour ride to Digos. At the terminal we(or rather Louraine) hurriedly bought the famous Mer's bibingka for baon. We didn't stay there long careful not to be witnesses nor victims of those alarming bomb explosions. Then we got into one of those tricycles and asked the driver to bring us to the wet market where we can find a ride to Kapatagan, and paid P60 "pakyaw".

At the market, I felt like we were some sort of celebrities being stalked by motorcycle drivers trying to offer their service to take us to Camp Sabros. After a series of negotiations, we got ourselves one single motorcycle and agreed at P80/person special delivery to jump off point somewhere near the Information Center for Mt. Apo mountaineers at Sitio Baras, Kapatagan.

Off we go and swirled our way to a 29 kilometer up & down motorcycle ride feeling the cool wind and early morning rays of the sun on our faces. Public vans(earliest trip @ 9 am) were also available for those who want a comfortable ride. But because we're the adventurous kind, we opted for the "habal-habal".

We arrived at the jump-off point before 9 am and started our uphill climb to Camp Sabros. It almost felt like we were with the climbers group as we slowly hiked our way up enjoying the beautiful panorama of Mt. Apo with smiles of astonishment on our faces. Before we knew it, we were already there in less than 20 minutes, sight seeing and breakfast while walking included.(kinda fast? whew! mountaineers' pace huh)

Early birds catch the worms, but I guess we(the early birds) came earlier than the worms 'cause we got nothing to catch when we arrived. Upon arrival , we seated ourselves on one of those picnic tables & benches and took time to swallow our sandwiches with a little help from our bottled water. There were people around but nobody cared to talk to us so we went straight to the counter and listed our names under their P300 promo composed of 2 tandems and 1 solo on the longest zip.

Our turn to zip came, first tandem to fly were Louraine and yours' truly. For first timers, I should say shout your heart out while flying. It was my first time to try that sort of thing and I screamed to my heart's content---shamelessly! It was such an electrifying experience especially the solo zip on the 400m line.

I felt a little worn out after all the flying so we settled under the pine trees and found a nice picnic spot. Good thing our rover scout Mae brought her sleeping bag where we sat and scattered all our food. Would you believe we ate our lunch which we bought from a carenderia at Digos market straight from the plastic cellophane? We still had a hearty meal though, with all sorts of chichiria for dessert.

We just laid there with full stomach, almost feeling the fog on our skin, as we feast our eyes on the beauty of Mt. Apo peak at a distance. Spent a little time to rest and more time for pictorial. The place started to look crowded as tourists continued to arrive in groups.

After being recharged, we packed up our things and walked our way to the famous Agong House by Kublai Milan about 20-30 mins walking distance from Camp Sabros.There we kept on taking pictures of ourselves and all the unusual sight and stuff . It's already around 2 pm. while mr. sun was in his hottest hot moment, when we decided to end our pictorial madness.

Manong driver, who also served as our bodyguard and photographer, took us back to Digos proper on a thrilling roller coaster ride with his motorcycle. We bought few goodies from Mer's at the terminal for pasalubong then went straight to the bus bound for Davao.

The day was kinda short but the experience was great and adventure was fun. I really had a great time and I bet the other 3 girls felt the same. I think I'll be back for more one of these days...

For more photos of our adventure please visit http://www.annediary.multiply.com/

Model?

One of the few frustrations in my life...hahaha! Not bad huh?

Wanna see your photo on mag cover?

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

My quote for the day

Gathering my thoughts and feelings on everyday happenings & experiences leads me to these personal quotes you guys might be able to relate to. Here's the one for today. . .

The greatest challenge of being a woman is admitting that you can never be truly happy unless you’re completely honest with yourself.

Come on, I know you believe this one is true. We often tend to show a happy grin and appear fine despite all the stress & distress we encounter everyday. Somehow, we also want to prove that we are the stronger gender. But more often it is because we are trying to convince the world and ourselves that everything is under control.

I believe it is basically normal but when things get a little tough and frustrating, it's acceptable that we sometimes slow down to examine ourselves and honestly admit that we can't be always happy with what's happening in our lives.

Life gets monotonous from time to time, and when it does, it's just so hard to maintain that happy state. Sometimes I get so discouraged and pissed off with everything that I wish the ground would swallow me whole and take me to another world.

Oh well, I'm a self-confessed emotionally transparent jerk. People can easily see when I'm happy or sad, okay or not. I cry when I get sad or hurt. Who the hell cares! At least I'm being honest with myself.

Yogurt may help prevent Osteoporosis

I'm currently loving yogurt. It was actually my friend Yvve, who influenced me to give it a try. Last week we had the usual grocery rounds to check out some stuff we like. I thought of getting my box of full cream milk but ended up paying for some noodles and yogurt instead.

I think I had a bad experience on yogurt back in grade school when I tried it plain & at room temperature which means it tasted super sour & yucky. I never dared to try it again since then. Not until Yvve said it actually taste good and she's loving it.

I did a little web research on the benefits of yogurt and was amazed to find out its advantages to our health. According to the article by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD (http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-yogurt), some of the health benefits we get from having yogurt on our diet are as follows:

• Yogurt May Help Prevent Osteoporosis

• Yogurt May Reduce the Risk of High Blood Pressure

• Yogurt With Active Cultures Helps the Gut

• Yogurt With Active Cultures May Discourage Vaginal Infections

• Yogurt May Help You Feel Fuller

On another website (http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/18-reasons-eat-yogurt.html) I found an article by Lynn Greiger with the list of Nutritional benefits of yogurt. They are as follows:

• rich in protein (8 grams per cup)
• good source of calcium (plain yogurt has 400 mg per cup -- more than one cup of skim milk)
• contains as much potassium as a banana
• excellent source of the B vitamin riboflavin
• improves lactose (the carbohydrate in dairy products) digestion by aiding production of the enzyme lactase
• active cultures present in some types of yogurt protect against diarrhea and are helpful in strengthening the immune system
• may help reduce risk of colon and breast cancer by improving our immune system defenses

I didn't know that gross-tasting-bacteria-filled-thing I swore not to eat again years back can provide so much benefit. Now I think I'm a good fan of yogurt. I've only tried few kinds and so far what I love most is Nestle's Fruit selection yogurt in Mango.

Cupid's Message

Just this morning I received a forwarded message from Jo Anne (Catalan) which I found quite amusing that I really wanted to share it. Here it is. . .

To Boys From Cupid : Never leave the girl that destiny picked for you. Truly, distance makes the heart grow fonder but too much will instead make you wander. Always make your presence felt for all she needs is emotional assurance. There is one girl who is meant to catch my arrow for you and nothing can change that - not time nor circumstance.

From Cupid To Girls : A man's heart is as fragile as a butterfly's wing. Never hold it too tightly for in time, he will rest right on the palm of your hand.

New Pair

Hey! I finally got myself a new pair of rubber shoes. Yipee! Thanks to Kadayawan sale, most stores slashed as much as 40% of their original prices. I've been longing for a new one since my last pair is kinda worn out already from our badminton and jogging sessions for the past few years. Oh yes, also because we (read: Anna & Anne) are planning to go back to playing badminton but suddenly I bet would end up having gym workout instead(I desperately need to gain weight now) .

Nothing much to say here. I'm just glad I got something for myself --- a not-so-girly (and not-so-melody) pair of shoes!

Oh by the way, Anna Louraine also got one for herself that's why we're more motivated to hit the gym now.

The Best Things In Life Are Free...?

"The best things in life are free." I used to completely believe on this statement, until I came to realize that perhaps, nothing is absolutely free in this world.
I checked thesaurus and found out that FREE means "at no cost" or "for nothing".

I recently came across Mr. James S. Huggins' site where I found a list of the best things in life ( he didn't say they're free though),and found some items on the list quite worthy of note.

Here are some of those "best things" listed on Mr. Huggins' Refrigerator Door:
link (http://www.jamesshuggins.com/h/mot1/best_things_in_life.htm)

• Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends. -- I say...you must have done something good or maybe cracked a really good joke and made them laugh huh?! I don't think they'll laugh for nothing.
  

• Making eye contact with a cute stranger. -- Oh! Maybe it took you a few minutes of argument and battle with yourself whether to look straight into his eyes or not.
  

• Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. -- Of course you worked your way to appear beautiful and spent time (and money maybe) to achieve your look, unless you're an inborn goddess or something.

• The beach. -- Hey! The nicest beaches have expensive entrance fees, and besides, you really have to provide yourself with SPFs & sunscreen if you don't want to pay later on with skin cancer.

• A long distance phone call. -- Oh well, long distance phone calls are kinda expensive. And sometimes when you receive one, you somehow subconsciously feel the need to call the other party as well.

• Sweet dreams. -- Yeah right! Sweet dreams are free indeed, and yet, you suddenly wake up and find yourself feeling sorry that it was just a DREAM...

• Your first kiss./Watching a good movie cuddled up on a couch with someone you love./Getting butterflies in your stomach every time you see that one person./Holding hands with someone you care about./Hugging the person you love. -- Gee! They all sound so good, don't they? You have to admit you were imagining that one person while reading. Well, maybe at some point they come out free. Based on your own experiences, try to look back at what happened before and after that certain moment and ask yourself again...Was it absolutely free after all? (I'm asking myself that very same question now.)
  
  
• Falling in love. -- Great! This is # 1 on the list. It's pretty obvious majority of the population all over the world believes so. Maybe influenced by Jennifer Lopez's "Love Don't Cost A Thing" song.*smiles* Well, falling in love is undeniably one of life's best things. But is it really free? I'll just leave it for you guys to ponder.
  

Do I really believe on all those things I've just stated? Of course I do. It somewhat sounds reasonable(I suppose), and perhaps can be a subject for discussion and argument.

Well, maybe(I said maybe) nothing earthly or human is absolutely free in this life, not even love. But then, it doesn't stop us from yearning for it. People need love so we go for it no matter what price we pay. We give our time and effort, we get hurt, we make voluntary sacrifices, we even willingly give up our own dreams and change our life plans not because we have to, but because we want to, and doing so would make us happy---truly happy. And if I have to choose what "best thing" I wish to have more, I would say TIME to be with my loved ones and to do the things I love. Wondering why time and not love? Well, there are means to get back the love that's gone but the time you lost, you'll never get back.

Here's the link Mr. Huggins' site: http://www.jamesshuggins.com/
http://www.myephemerae.com/
http://www.eclecticpower.com/

Sun Dance Fever

I finally got the chance to watch the movie of John Lloyd & Sarah entitled " A Very Special Love" on its second week. I admit I really waited for that movie because of its interesting trailer which kept me fascinated by their tandem.

I'm a self-confessed hopeless romantic so it's not very surprising that I easily get captivated by these Pinoy romantic movies. I can't help but feel enchanted and sometimes imagine myself being in the same situations I see on those kilig moment scenes.

I must say that I got my money's worth after I watched the movie since it really gave me and my buddy Anna a very good (and loud) laugh inside the movie house. It's almost like the usual ordinary girl meets rich guy of her dreams movie but with a slightly different charm. It was great clever story with a lot of wit and humor. What makes it more praiseworthy is the fact that although it was a romantic-comedy film, family and professional values were also incorporated in the story which made it more appealing to me.

Perhaps Cathy Garcia-Molina works well with John Lloyd since she also got good reviews from the last JL-Bea movie "One More Chance"also from Star Cinema. Well, not surprising though. I personally think John Lloyd has this magic charm that makes him stand out regardless of who the leading lady is. Sarah, on the other hand, is naturally amusing with her seemingly innocent allure.

To top it all, it was a hilariously cute film worth watching not only because it gives us a hearty laugh but also because it shows us the importance of having a HEART for our family and colleagues as well.

Cheers to Miggy and Laida! Happy sun dancing everyone!

My Girls II

Now here comes the second batch of my girls. . . aka The MCO Pussyrat Dolls. Oh well, I can hardly remember when that name came about. And I personally don't know why we dubbed ourselves with such alias.(we don't really look like the Pussycat Dolls, do we girls?) lol




These girls are my partners in crime. We are of different personalities but we get along very well doing a lot of stuff together. Maybe because we have a few things in common, one of which is that we are all "victims" of LDR (long distance relationship). So not having the boys around gives us more time for exploration and exciting adventures.

Mama Anna, as we fondly call her, is the typical LNI (laagan na inahan). Asking her to join any after office gimmik or nature tripping adventure is never a problem. Sometimes, she would even bring her little angel Zaina with us. There are times when we feel like going out together after office for a little window shopping or food trip(read:bbq,durain,coffee shop). She's the vociferous type of person who would shamelessly shout your name in public, laugh at you when you try to shut her up and say "samuka nimo nang oi!"(tsk tsk tsk pasaway!)

Badet, also called Helen, is the "mapa girl"(because she works on project maps) and videoke queen who used to be the curly charm of MCO. We've seen her make-over and now she looks almost like a full-grown woman with her rebonded hair , skinny jeans , girly shoes and flattering tops. Hearing her laugh makes me want to laugh with her. She has this contagious laughter syndrome which strangely affects nobody else but me.(weird huh?!)

Mae, whom we call Maricris when she starts to get stubborn, is the little sister. Being the youngest makes her feel she has the right to be as adamant as she can be. Her presence in the office or any other gimmick makes the atmosphere lighter and more fun because of her childish stance. She frequently gets annoyed when we offer her food because she's dreadfully trying to lose weight but still ends up joining our "lafang" sessions. Not having her around makes us all miss her entertaining insanity.(babaeng insane jud!)

And yours truly here is the neutral girl (according to me). I've tried being left alone with each of the girls during those times when one is absent and/or another is on travel. I'm lucky(or maybe they're the ones lucky), that I'm resilient enough to bear each one's unique abilities & disabilities. (peace mga bayotz!) lol




Well, having the bayotz around makes each day better despite all the pressure & stress at work. Just seeing them in the morning means I can have a little distraction from my battle with endless account reports. Conversations with these girls, whether in or outside of the office, would mean endless "skems" talk that only the bayotz understands.




A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
-Bernard Meltzer-

My Girls

It's been around four years since I joined the workforce of MCO and this has been my longest employment so far. I should say that I certainly gained a lot from this office(except for weight) which includes the girls who played essential roles in my so called mind-numbing life.I actually have two sets of them since they came at different points in my MCO experience.

The first batch is composed of Adelle, Angel, Billie, and Michelle...plus the big sisters Jusa and Yam.


Being stuck in the office for almost 10 hours per day means a whole bunch of work to do. But having these girls around makes the day seem shorter and more bearable. I miss those lunch break times shared, those little chitchats in between boring working hours, those lunch or heavy snack treats during birthdays (hmmm...the pancit,cake & ice cream), and of course those out of the office activities we had. I just realized there's so much fun we shared although not with all the girls together.





Michelle was the most difficult to invite on outings and other activities outside office, you would actually think she is a "manang". In reality, the main reason there is because she would rather spend time with her husband Cyrus than with us.(peace Chelle!)

The big sisters Jusa & Yam were so in demand in the field so they get to travel very often w/c means less time for gimmiks.

Angel, who's actually the Manila girl, always tried to spare a little of her time for us whenever she gets the chance to be here in Davao. So having Angel here means gimmik, trip, and sleep over anywhere & everywhere.



Adelle and Billie here were the two girls I spent most of those adventures & misadventures with. From Camiguin, to Bukidnon, to Butuan, to GenSan, to Isla Reta, to videoke nights, to MTS gimmiks, and even San Francisco---Agusan del Sur.(that was only for me & Adelle---an act of vengeance to Billie because I was not able to join their Dinagat Island trip) *wink*



Gee! I miss those times, and I miss those girls...
Michelle is now In UAE with husband Cyrus. Jusa & Yam are still here busy with all their field travels as always. Angel is now also with her husband Ed in Singapore. Adelle, now a Makati girl establishing an incredible career as an engineer(char!). While Billie is now here in Davao living happily with husband Mark and adorable little Wil-Al.

"No lapse of time or distance of place can lessen the friendship of those who are truly persuaded of each other's worth."
- Unknown

Wondering where the second batch is? Still coming on my next post...

What Tarot Card Am I?

You are The Lovers

Motive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse.

The Lovers represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made.

Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that the you have or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Dirky boy

My nephew Dirk just turned 4 last Friday (4th of July). He is one of the closest kids to my immediate family since we live in the same compound where he usually do his "house hopping" during good-weather days. Having him at home mostly after dinner or during weekends would mean hearing him open and bang the door while saying out loud "naa mo biswit?" (do you have biscuit?) or "naa mo mani?" (do you have peanuts?). Sometimes he would come inside and greet us with "lido na to" (I've taken a bath) and proudly present himself for you to kiss & smell.


On days when he gets the playful mood he can be found on another house playing with his cousin John2x, together with Dave & Mai2x who are technically his uncle & aunt. Sometimes when the other kids are not around, he stays at home with his ate Toten, ate Baby, and baby sister Isha scattering toys around or watching those animals on DVD.

On the day of his birthday I intended to come home early, although it's a busy Friday in the office, so I can bring home the ice cream his "papa Anin" (my brother) asked me to buy for him and the cake I bought for the little boy. I smiled as he blurted out a big "wow" when he saw what I have on my hands. Although they already finished the ice cream his mother bought for them before I arrived, he still asked for another scoop of the newly opened tub.

























with Dave & Mai2x (John2x is already at the other side of the globe)



Never fear spoiling children by making them too happy. Happiness is the atmosphere in which all good affections grow.
=Thomas Bray=

Cheessy Project

Amidst the demanding work schedule in the office, I still can't help but look forward to weekends like I used to because it's the only time I have with dear baki. Now that we're oceans apart day after day as I slowly go insane...we still get to meet during weekends --- in the chatroom.

Being away from a loved one is an exceptional challenge not everyone is capable of handling gracefully. During those times when I really feel gloomy, I tend to be ironically productive and feel pathetically sentimental watching this kind of "project" custom-made for the person I'm missing badly.



Whew! that was kinda chessy huh?! Well, maybe you guys really have to bear with it. I'm sure those who are in the same situation understand exactly how I feel. ;-)

Climb every mountain...

I was excited and at the same time nervous of our planned Mt. Apo climb scheduled at the 1st weekend of June.Unfortunately, we were not allowed to enter any trail since it's off season and they're having some red alert stuff due to I-don't-really-know-what.

So, since everybody in the group wanted to do something out-of-the-ordinary during that long weekend, and we were not allowed to climb Mt. Apo, we opted to settle for the second highest peak in the Philippines --- Mt.Dulang-Dulang (aka D2) in Bukidnon. I seem to sound arrogant with that statement huh?! hehehe...





We started our trek around 2:30 pm of June 7 after the tribal ritual. This experience was quite different from the previous climb we had at Mt. Hamiguitan because of the rain that accompanied us the whole time. It took us approximately one and a half day to reach the peak where we endlessly whined on the freezing cold atmosphere.








Both campsite (1st one near the creek and the other one at the peak) were so cold we can hardly move around. Most of us girls covered ourselves and settled inside the tent. The crack of dawn breeze felt like we were in a "winter wonderland" but still brought out the photo addict part of us and got us to pose like we're in a Koreanovela.







One of the best part was feeling the cool early morning breeze on our faces with the fog & morning mist along with rays of the beautiful sunrise touching our shivering bodies. I never felt that close to nature so far. It's such an overwhelming experience watching the neighboring Mt. Kitangland and the sight of the gigantic Mt. Apo at a distance.











I never imagined I could make it 2,938 MASL. I'm just a newbie in this mountain climbing stuff and yet I already made it to the 2nd highest peak in the country.
It's considered a major climb by mountaineers and I consider it as a major achievement I can truly be proud of. Thanks to the MINSSAD Mountaineers who gave me the chance to explore this kind of adventure.

Watch out as I dare to climb Mt. Apo...hope to make it. ;-)



“It is important that you recognize your progress and take pride in your accomplishments. Share your achievements with others. Brag a little. The recognition and support of those around you is nurturing.”
=Rosemarie Rossetti=