Taiwan Tales

A few weeks after my Singapore trip, I went to Taiwan. It was a bit stressful because I had to process my visa myself for the first time. I was so tensed because I did not know if it will get approved or not. Fortunately, at that time, I already had my UK visa and my Schengen visa, so that should have convinced them I will not overstay. I also had a letter from Academia Sinica inviting me to speak in the International Symposium on Grid Computing.

After three days (or was it a week? I can't remember anymore!) I was able to get my visa and was pleased to know that they approved my visa. I was pleased and relieved because I already bought a ticket! If you are going to apply for a Taiwan visa, their embassy is at RCBC and you have to acquire a number from the reception and wait outside alongside human chimneys! On my first visit, I was able to go through the process without a problem but on my visit to claim the visa, I was annoyed that I was to claim the visa in the afternoon and I did not see the time thanks to the small notice at the back of the receipt!

My mom had to get my visa for me.

I had minimal budget so I decided not to take the taxi from the airport. It was around 1,500 NT from airport to the university. I was going to stay at the University guest house, however, to get there, I had to take a bus from the airport and alight at a hotel and then walk to a bus stop and ride another bus.

When I got to the lobby of the airport, I went to the tourist information center first and obtained all the maps and then proceeded to the bus booths. Everything was in Chinese characters! I was lucky that there was one person who could speak a little English. She gave me a bus number to ride. I had to wait for a few minutes for the bus to arrive. The bus was very luxurious! I think I failed to capture it in the picture above. I left the memory card of my camera so I had to just use my phone camera. The old Taiwanese was getting freaked out from my cam-whoring so I had to stop after a few attempts of self-portraits.

The driver only spoke Chinese so I had to get my Chinese map and point to where I wanted to go. Apparently, the bus number 5 had two routes! There was a blue route and a green route! I was to take the blue one but I took the green one! Crap! I was a bit off from where I should be so I took a taxi going to the hotel. It was pretty near so I did not have to pay so much to the driver and I did not want to drag my suitcase all over Taipei.

Once again, the Lord sent me an angel in the person of a bellboy who knew how to speak English and he pointed me to the direction of a bus stop. I rode the bus there. An old lady told me that my stop was to be the last one. She also told the driver to let me know if it is already my stop. I waited for the last stop and guess what?! I ended up in the bus yard!

Though I felt like I would never get to my destination, I began to pray and a driver who spoke English came and he took me into his bus. I had no more coins left and their machines do not give change but he said I did not have to pay anymore. Thank you Mr. Bus Driver!!!

My stop was two stops after the bus yard so the lady was more or less right. I dragged my suitcase out the bus and rolled it across the street. I asked a Taiwanese to point me to the direction of the Guest House and after a few blocks, I finally got to the building. I was so happy to see my Taiwanese friend! Whew!

He found my adventure rather amusing! He let me rest for the afternoon since I was already able to attend the tutorial he offered. I went up to my room (which was pretty nice considering I only paid 800 Php a night) and discovered that I have left my lens tray! Immediately, I decided to go to the city. With a city map and a few instructions from a newly found Taiwanese friend, I went to the city.

This time I took a bus and transferred to their nice subway. I walked and went around their many malls! They had really big malls filled with designer stuff. The fanciest was Taipei 101 which happens to be the tallest building in the world as well! I got my lens tray first and then went around the shops.

As I was cam-whoring again, a Taiwanese guy took pity on me and took my picture. He also asked what I was doing in Taiwan. He was a salesman and he was sellin SK-II products but of course I did not buy. After that I went to New York, New York and Taipei 101. The sales ladies were so nice and acommodating that they even asked me to try a Cartier ring and a Tiffany & Co. saleslady was insisting that I try a Tiffany diamond ring! I said no. I should not even be looking at rings! I so wanted an engagement ring at that time. Little did I know my ring was coming very soon!

I was soh tired when I got home! I almost forgot I was going to give a talk the following day! I prepared still! I think I slept early morning already!

The following day, I gave my talk. I met a Filipino woman who works for CERN! How cool is that?! We also had our picture taken that day. I am the one wearing the pink jacket in front. The dinner was also during that day. After my talk, I got to meet people who were into Grid computing and I was able to meet a German guy who is now offering me a PhD position (as in research assistant) in his supercomputing institute. I might take it next year around September...

That night, I went with the Filipina whom I just met, along with a Vietnamese who I met in Thailand and the Malaysian who I met in Manila's APAN. We went to the night market which devastated me because everything was so darn expensive! I was only able to buy some cellphone charms and not particularly cheap but really cute cherry earrings!

We also went to the supposedly market for techie gadgets. They had cheap flash drives but apart from that, everything else was so darn expensive! Even the laptops made in Taiwan are more expensive there than here or in Malaysia or Vietnam. I checked when I was in Europe and yes, it's even cheaper there! I do not know why but it is expensive there.

So, defeated and tired, I went home with the Viet and the Filipina. The Malaysian guy was too tired and so he went home before the three of us did.

It was fun getting lost while looking for the techie market but it was no fun knowing that they do not have accessible money changers (only in hotels and banks and the banks were already closed) and knowing that everything is so darn expensive. It was probably better that way though because I did not spend too much.

I had to go home the following day. I knew already how to commute in Taipei like the back of my hand but I knew I had to be early because I had to catch the bus. Fortunately, I was just in time and the bus driver knew exactly where my gate should be. Whew! I do not want to miss my plane!

At the airport I met an old woman with such a cute granddaughter. Her daughter married a Filipino who was working for a Japanese firm in Taiwan. She only had a tourist visa so she had to go home already after a month of stay there. She was very sad about leaving and I felt bad for her. I made sure that she was able to board the plane properly but I did not see her get out but she probably got out before I did because my seat was at the far end of the plane.

I was seated beside another Filipino who worked in Taiwan for two years. She worked for a nursing home 24/7 because she lived in the nursing home. She was younger than I was yet I know she has aged more than I due to the kind of life she lived in Taoyuen. This is a town near Taipei and according to her, this is where the bargains are. It's 45 minutes away from Taipei if I remember correctly. She has never been to Taipei because she had a curfew in the nursing home.

Soon she will be applying to UK. I do hope that her fate there will be better.

My mom picked me up from the airport after Taiwan since my boyfriend still had work when my plane landed.

Sing Singapore

After Malaysia, I headed to Singapore with three guys and a girl who I work with. We decided to stay for two days there. I have been there when I was 11 and I did not find the city that charming so I figured two days should be enough.

We took a train from Changi airport to Lloyd's Inn. It's near the house of the prime minister and a few blocks from Orchard Road and it's only 40 Singaporean Dollars a night. It smells a bit of cigarette but because I did not have a big budget I am not going to complain. On the first day, it was drizzling so instead of goin to the Safari, we decided to just go around the city. We were able to go to the St. Andrew Church there, the Parliament, supreme court, a museum, the Merlion, the Durian (hehe) and the strip of bars by the river.

We were to meet a colleague that night but I got bored waiting so I decided to go to the night bazaar alone. I went to a temple first, and then to Sing Lim where the electronic gadgets are cheap. True enough the cameras there were cheap! I also went to some malls there. The bazaar was a bit pricey compared to Bangkok but it was a bit cheaper compared to some things sold in Malaysia.

I had to go home before eleven because the subway closes early and the buses stop their operation early as well. I decided to wander around Orchard Road a bit before heading home.

The way home was a bit scary as it was very dark but I remembered I was in Singapore! Besides, I was in the street where the prime minister of Singapore lives!

I got home before all the others did. They had to take the taxi because they did not realize that the subway and buses stop their operation at around 11 at night.

The following day, I just went shopping. I was able to buy a Sennheiser earphones for 600 pesos and this is from Digital Mall. It's a fairly decent price. I looked up the price of the Sennheiser earphones that I bought in Germany (yes, I went to Germany, more of my Europe trip next time) and it was so much cheaper in Sing! I was also able to buy a Lacoste bag that was on sale. It was 50% off! So what was originally 3,500 Php here in the Philippines was just 1,250 Php in Sing! I had to buy it but it took me a while before I bought it!

I was actually contemplating on buying another one but it was a good thing I was able to stop myself!

I was not able to go to Sentosa because I ran out of time. We tried to extend it but we had to pay more money if we did. It's alright though, I can go back with my fiance next time. :)

The Proposal

A day after the day, I am still very high from the euphoria of getting proposed to, by the only man who can love me for the raving lunatic that I am! I really love this man and I cannot believe that the guy I have met more than two years ago was bound to be the man who will be my husband!

So on to explaining how he did the thing that I could hardly wait for. I swear, I thought he would never ask! I know it has only been two years but you see, I am already 27 years old and I made a deal with my best friend that if at 27 I am still not bound to marry, I will go to a sperm bank and make an in vitro baby! Well, a few years after, I realized (with the help of my brother) that it is unfair to bring a baby into this world without a father. As you know, in sperm banks, you cannot know who the donor is. The kid and myself will never know who the real father is and is it not the right of the kid to at least know who his or her father is. Upon this new realization, I knew that I should not turn 27 without a husband! Of course this an order too tall since there are a lot of jerks walking on the planet. I was just blessed that the right man came into my life more than two years ago.

I know I am dragging the story needlessly... So let me continue.

June 20, 2008, it was a day as normal as any, I did not feel like taking a bath yet, I was still in bed when the phone rang. It was my boyfriend. He was making sure I was awake. Normally, he would call and I would hear busy people on the background, this time it was quiet. He said he just got to the building and he does not know where everybody was. This also happens to our faculty room so I just shrugged it off and moved on to the next topic.

He nonchalantly asked me what time my classes were for the day and I answered because it's a habit of his to ask about my schedule even if it were to really just that, to ask me. He reminded me not to be late for my 1140 class so after I hung up, I procrastinated for a few minutes and then braved the warm shower.

An hour later, I got into our faculty room and already, some of my colleagues were smiling widely, asking me about what I did wrong. Lo and behold, there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my messy table! The bouquet had carnations and gerbera and stargazers my favorite! It smelled lovely in my cubicle! There was a card that said, "I hope this will make you smile" Hugs and Kisses, vince. I was surprised that he was able to leave the flowers on my table. I do not know when he left them.

I was wondering what was the occasion yet no matter how much I rack my brain, nothing was coming. It was definitely not my birthday and most definitely not our anniversary. I just could not figure it out until I realized, it was almost time for class.

The class went well, we just discussed the thesis guidelines and such. After class, there he was when I turned for the stairs. I was so surprised to see him clad in jeans and a blue shirt and white sneakers. With him was his laptop and charming smile! I was so surprised, I think I yelped!

We had lunch at the Animo Canteen where we first had lunch together. (This was two days after I saw him for the first time), that time we had Japanese food. This time, we had Japanese food again! :) We spent lunch discussing my class and how I was going to deliver it. I was still thinking of how to go about it. I thought of a charades game over lunch so it would be fun for the students in my personal effectiveness class.

After lunch, I gathered my things and went straight to class. He followed me because he said he really wanted to sit in. So I let him. He just sat on one side of the room. He also participated in the activities.

We had the charades game first and the students had to charade words like love, respect, trust, partner, marriage, engagement, infidelity, commitment, faith, boyfriend. It was fun because the students really felt comfortable and were shouting words like sex, intercourse, virgin, etc.! Very candid and relaxed was the class!

My students were very participative that day because we were discussing relationships. Some students shared their past heartaches and why they ended the relationship. Some described painful breakups and so on. It was very touching that they shared. I really liked it that they chose to share.

I did not know that there are defined stages of a relationship:

• Sampling This is when you are finding someone interesting or attractive


• Bargaining This is when you try to evaluate a person and the consequences to come should you choose to go deeper into a relationship with the person. You analyze the cost and rewards.


• Commitment This is the part where you will leave all the others behind and choose just one you really want to have a serious relationship with.Evaluation of the person and the relationship will not stop here.


• Institutionalization This is when you sign a contract that says you will really work on the relationship. This is when you recognize that you want the relationship to be permanent.

Some of the other things that were discussed the phases of relationship failures:

• Lack of tolerance for the other


• Drifting Apart


• Ending

I asked the students to form a human collage that will show a scene of a stage in a relationship. They were supposed to just pose and then the class was to guess what they were posing... This was also fun particularly because a group insisted on moving! We were calling them gif's! (Well now it sounds corny but we were having a great time then) And yes, my boyfriend participated in this activity as well!!!

We also discussed climates where a relationship can thrive:

• sponteniety


• openness and trust


• descriptiveness


• not imposing on the other your opinion

There was also the ABC on love. Each letter has to have some tips to use to make relationships work. The students were also asked to come up with the words.

After I have handed out the assignments, I asked the students if there were any questions, they answered no but Vince raised his hand. He said he had a question but he wanted to charade the question. So he did, Sounds like: Wheel You Merry Me? I was like an idiot on the platform because I did not know what he was acting out I was screaming "Bike" instead of Wheel! It really helped that the students figured it out. I was flustered and I did not know what was happening really. All I know is that I wanted to throw things at him for making me think he was not up to something! I forgot that I was supposed to say yes, and that I was supposed to stand still so he can kneel. He was able to catch me and he held my hand, he knelt and asked me again, "Will you marry me?" I answered, "Yes.". And with his hand really cold and trembling, he put the diamond tiffany set ring (after a few attempts) on my left ring finger! I wanted to cry but I could not cry in front of my students. I was maroon from blushing!

My female students were so giddy about what happened and they were screaming "I want to be a teacher too!", another said, "I am going to tell my mom of what happened" (I hope her mom takes it well, I don't think Vince asked the Vice-Dean if he could do it in class). My male students yelled, "Right place, right time. Galing!". Yup, my boyfriend will forever be those kids' hero.

I love you baby!

Thank you for risking and laying your dignity on the line. Thanks for making your proposal so memorable for me and for my students.

Thanks for choosing to take our relationship to the next level. I don't know how things will go or what the future holds. One thing is for certain though, I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you so let's get through this wedding thing.

Thank you Lord for leading me to him and him to me. This has always been my prayer over the years (started when I was in high school). Finally, I am in the arms of the one who loves me and the one I love so much. Lets hope that won't change as we begin to plan the wedding.

It's hard to express love in words as the letters disrobe it of its too profound meaning we spend a lifetime of discovering.














And so the planning begins...

Penang, Malaysia Experience

A day after going back to Manila from Boracay, it was time for me to
leave again for Malaysia for another conference. This time around, I
was going to be the speaker. This is definitely nerve racking. Once
more, I asked my mom to drive me to the airport. My sister was a bit
sad that my brother and I were leaving on the same day. My brother was
bound for Hong Kong that day.

There were more faculty members who were able to go to Malaysia. The
plan was to go to Malaysia and then to go to Singapore after. I bought
a nice swim top for the beach since the Seventeen top that I got was
already falling apart (literally) after only two days in Bora!
Seriously! This has justified why I spend so much on Speedo tops! They
do not give me anxiety attacks for fear that my rack can do a
'peekaboo' anytime. I got one from Speedo this time. I was so excited
for this Malaysia trip because I was told that Penang has a nice
beach.

We had a stop over at the Singapore airport. The new airport (last
time I was there was hmm... 1990) was a lot bigger and there were more
shops! I don't think the prices are that great though, well at least
for the high end stuff. There are also internet terminals which
allowed me to check my mail (yes, such is the plight of someone
without a laptop with wifi and a working keyboard haha). We also ate
at McDonald's because we did not want to eat anything weird yet that
is cooked by a hairy Indian man no less. :) We got so busy that we
almost forgot it was almost time for boarding. Lo and behold, when we
got to the gate, we discovered that our flight's gate has transferred
to an opposite wing... Whew! We had to run! :) It was good fun though!
We had plenty of time left when we got to the gate.

The Shangri-la Rasa was so far from the airport. We were staying at
Golden Sands Shangri-la but the conference is at Rasa. The beach was
adjoined. It was already late in the afternoon when we got there so we
could no longer swim. We took a walk by the beach instead. The strip
was not as broad as that in Boracay. Any beach here in the Philippines
can beat what they have back there. I was soh disappointed.
The sand was very rough. It was golden but very rough. There was a
sign that said, "Swim at your own risk. Jellyfish infested.". They
sure know how to burst my bubble!

There was also a night market, which according to a write-up is
another attraction and that people actually go to Penang just to shop.
Again, it was a disappointment. The night market was nowhere better
than (not even as good, not even close) to Bangkok's night market. Add
to that, most items they sell are not even their products! Save for
the paintings that they have.

The conference was okay. My talk went well too though I might have
fumbled for a few seconds. After my talk a lot of people approached
me. None of those I have kept in touch though which is unfortunate.
Motorolla even approached me but for most conferences it's like that.
I was happy though that I was able to submit a proposal alongside
people from Asia and France. I just don't have any updates yet as to
what became of it. :)

The food though was excellent as always! hehe... Shangri-la food is
yummy which explains why I am still trying to shed inches and inches
from my waist and thighs! Crap! Malaysian food is definitely worth trying! Yum! Even the smaller restaurants there have five star food!

I don't know if I'll be able to lose the extra pounds ever!

Bora Bora Bora!!!

It was around six in the morning and I was already in the airport. I just hitched with my mom and my sister on their way to my sister's school so I was in the airport already even though my flight was at ten.
I ran out of cheaper seats so I got into first class going to Boracay but on my way back I was going to take the economy class. My ticket was around 7,000 Php all in all. I would still say it's not so bad except that the budget I got for this trip was only 7,500 Php which I already blew on the plane hehe... On the brighter side, I got to spend the next few hours at the Mabuhay Lounge. I liked it that there were Internet terminals but I did not like it that there were only two and were occupied for my rest of my stay there. There were also flowing drinks and buffet that was refilled. I was thinking to myself, "This is the life.". At the same time, I was also wondering how miserable my stay in Bora will be since I am not with my boyfriend. There will be some faculty members there but most of them are with their loved ones. I mean, I did not even have a place to stay yet. I was imagining myself reading a book on the sand... Not so bad but definitely far from what I would love to do.
As I was wondering how my presentation would go and figuring out a way to snatch the cute PhilAm two-year old kid in front of me away from her mom, my phone rang. It was my baby calling me at around nine in the morning. I was surprised (well not that surprised actually) that he was not in the office yet. It was kind of noisy in the background, he told me he was at the airport and that he wanted to see me. He kept on asking me where I was. I told him I already went inside and that I was at the Mabuha Lounge (yes I just had to tell him that). I went out of the lounge, and saw a bald guy (My boyfriend just had his head shaven) and I thought for a while it was him. What was I thinking? Of course he won't be inside Terminal One. I was about to consider going out of the passengers area when I saw a guy in Ducati Oakleys on the phone. It was him!!! I could not believe my eyes. How did he get a ticket to this flight? How was he able to file a leave? I did not care, I was too surprised, to ecstatic to care. It was so sweet of him to do that. Considering that a week before we were having problems and a few days ago we had a big fight. It was mostly me fighting with him. :D
I felt like I was in a movie running towards my boyfriend and we hugged then and there, not caring about the people around us. *sigh* I would love to tell my kids this story! I was not going to be lonely in Boracay after all.
We did not get to ride together on our way to Bora as my ticket was first class and his was economy. I wanted to switch with the person next to him but she was also with a friend. It was alright though because the flight was only around 45 minutes to Kalibo.
From Kalibo, we road a van and paid 200Php per head (this includes the boat ride from Katiklan to Boracay). I think it's a fair price already. The van is faster than the bus by the way so I suggest you take the van if you are planning to go to Bora from Kalibo. It was just great being with him. For one, I had someone to hug and he carried my stuff hehe!
They have created a port for the boats so you no longer land at Station 3, rather you land at a new port and you have to take a tricycle. We took a tricycle and found ourselves looking for a hotel with a woman who greeted us at the Katiklan terminal. She was nice enough to help us find a cheap place, 500 Php per head, with aircon and bathroom, it was clean and not that far from the beach front too. The name of the place is Tan's if I remember correctly.
It was so hot the day we arrived that I fell asleep and then he had to wake me up so we can have lunch and swim. I was so ecstatic to be back. I love Boracay!!!Bora Bora Bora!
Swimming was not that great though because the water was jellyfish infested. Little jellies were all over the place. They couldn't stop me though hehe... I still swam with my boyfriend until it was too dark and too cold. We had dinner at the Mongolian buffet, yum! We ate by the sea and sat on futtons. It was a great experience! To think I could have been there alone... Oh, it would have been miserable!
After eating, we strolled around and checked out the different places. There were a few new resorts. One had hammocks outside its resort and since the place was deserted, we decided to lie on the hammock. I fell asleep haha! :) I did not have to pay for my room after all haha! I could simply sleep on that hammock! We also saw a restaurant where the tables are in a hut and there are to hammocks on each end of the hut. It looked romantic and cozy. we decided to eat dinner there the following day and so we did have dinner at Waling-Waling. Good food and great ambience. We stayed there until morning I think.
We also loved the shake in one of the cafes there but I already forgot their name, it's at Station 2 near Boracay Regency.
When we got to the Kalibo airport, we asked around about the Sampaguita Farm and it turned out that the Farm is just a few minutes from the airport. When we got to the place, it was no farm at all, it was an amusement park. A Precious Moments amusement park. This place was featured in Rated K before. It held a collection of Precious Moments dolls and they sold them too. I got one for my sister.
When we got back, we had lunch at RP and we were on our way back home.
Thank you baby for the wonderful memories and for surprising me yet again! It was a beautiful surprise. Thank you very much!
And thanks to the Philippine Computing Science Congress, I got there with minimal expense since I presented a paper. I loved the venue. Hope next time I can submit again! :)

My Valentine

My baby picked me from the condo with no flowers in hand. While in the car, amidst the traffic, he asked where I wanted to go. Wheels in my head started turning, "Why doesn't he know where we are going?". I distinctly remember him saying months before that we would spend it at Barbara's a cozy, romantic restaurant in front of San Agustin Church.
A few minutes later, in front of San Agustin was where we were parked. I was thrilled that he remembered! The night was beautiful, there was a couple playing on the piano. It was a five course set meal. The food was great and the ambience is unbeatable. There was even a three piece string ensemble that plays for each table. You can request any song you like. they did not know how to play the newer songs but I love the song Moonriver by Sinatra so I requested that. It was sooh romantic!If you want a nice sit down dinner that is romantic, I'll recommend Barbara's any day. The place is near and the food great!
Thanks baby for the romantic evening that you planned! I had a grand time as always! I love snuggling up to you and being with you! Can't wait for our next Valentine's Day!

Cebu City

Five days after my spa experience I was on my way to Cebu for the first time. I went to the airport with a colleague. Our flight was on Cebu Pacific and yes... as in my flight from Cagayan de Oro, it was delayed. I can't recall if I mentioned it here but during our flight to Manila from Cagayan de Oro, during our boarding time an announcement was made, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the plane of the flight going to Manila is still in Manila.". Reason: the runway was being repaired and so the planes had to taxi to the runways in Terminal 1 alongside the international planes. Can the flight be more delayed than that?
Apparently, yes. Our delay took two hours. The delay of the flight of our colleague was 6 hours and yes, in the same carrier. They did not state the reason. Just a word of caution, if you are trying to catch a meeting or a conference on the same day, you have to take another carrier.
Not counting the delayed flights of Cebu Pacific, our stay in Cebu was fine. We stayed at a hotel near University of Cebu called GV Tower. The rooms in this hotel are... surprise... Pink! the hotel was alright if you switch off the lights so you do not see the pink background. There are nice paintings along the walls though. Or maybe my judgement has been tremendously altered since my visit to Europe. Really, I have seen horrible accommodations from rooms that have sheets that were not changed to shower rooms that are as big as a phone booth and these are purportedly three-star hotels! Boy, did I miss the Philippines!
The location was near the Sto. Nino Church. We were also able to have dinner at the famous AA. Their grilled food there is great although I was a bit disappointed taht they did not offer the roasted whole cow anymore. The iced tea was also great! I also got to eat a rice delicacy but did not really like it much. On our second night, we had dinner at Tequila Joe's. At that time i did not know that I was in the presence of a dancer hehe... Had I known I would have insisted to party. Anyway, at that time, I also got to share about a confusion that I had and it was at this time that all became very clear to me. I am very grateful for that night because it was a time I have thought so clearly. I thank those ears who willingly listened. The following morning, we were able to get some pasalubongs like danggit and dried mangoes and of course, my ever favorite squid rings!!!
I extended my 2 day stay at Cebu for another extra day so we can go to the beach. I was hoping to go to Bantayan Island but it was too far. Too far that Bohol is actually closer than Bantayan and to think Bantayan is still part of Cebu! We could not go to Bohol because it was already late in the day. We decided to scout for a beach near the airport instead. The beach was not that great unfortunately. The beach is called Hadsan. Not that great really. The beach is manmade, the cove too small and the seaweeds were everywhere but if you walk to the far out part of the sea then everything becomes more clear. There are a lot of fishes and corals. I think Hadsan is really known as a diving spot than a beach. I even got to witness some fishermen fishing using a sharp metal stick (I know, how technical, hey I'm no fisherman)!
After a few hours in the water, we had to wash up already so we are sure not to miss our flight. Fortunately, our flight home was not that delayed and all in all our stay was great!
My boyfriend picked me up from the airport and then we proceeded to Sto. Nino de Paz parish so we can hear mass. As we were hearing mass, a miracle happened. It did not seem much of a miracle at that time but now I think of it that way. It saved us. It's not quite how I planned to do it, but it was enough for me in retrospect. I am just glad that we talked about it and we were able to fix things. It did not happen instantly, but one step at a time. Thank you baby for being patient and for trying so hard to make this work.
In case you are wondering, we are now as happy as ever! :)

Spa Virgin

My boyfriend picked me up from Cagayan de Oro! :) I was so tired but I think we went to the Mall of Asia first before going home. We grabbed some food to eat and strolled for a while and then we went home.

The following day, my boyfriend said he wanted to surprise me. I was so eager to know what his surprise was. He asked me to close my eyes. Being the impatient one, I kept on asking him where we were going and he told me he was taking me to a place nice and quiet. He was taking me to a place where I can relax. When he finally let me open my eyes, I saw the big sign... The Spa!

I was soh thrilled because I have never been to a spa before! I did not want to look like an idiot so I was determine to watch other people first before I did anything hehe... There weren't so many people so I was not that conscious and I found myself becoming more and more comfortable in my skin. Yeah... I was butt naked! Sorry to the visual people!

I thought I would suffocate in the sauna but after a while it began to feel really great. I can't wait to be in another sauna soon! There was a jacuzzi too... I was like a female Mr. Bean! I wanted to go for a dip but I did not want to take my towel off! Haha! It was hilarious! I was wrapped in my towel and when my body was submerged already, that was the only time I let go of my towel. Note, I did not want to wet the towel too and the Jacuzzi is in the wet area. It's not called wet area for nothing! There was flowing water even outside the Jacuzzi! And then another girl entered the room. I could not get out of the water and I was wishing so hard she would not go for a dip in the Jacuzzi! Whew! She decided to sit, Indian manner (naked) in the sauna! I wanted to transfer to the sauna but I did not want to see her! After a while she walked out and that was the time I got out of the pool and transferred to the sauna!

I felt so relaxed after the cold and hot bath. I had some ginger tea at their waiting lounge and after a few minutes I was called to the massage room.

The massage was pretty rough for my boyfriend and me! I wanted the massage to be more gentle but they were bent on hurting me! Hehe!

After the massage, I felt pretty! Loved my skin more!

Thanks baby for the wonderful treat!

Eavesdropping on a Jeepney

As I was waiting for more passengers enough to fill the jeep going to the UP campus, a father and son (around 8 years old) sat adjacent to where I was sitting. The father then began telling his son in Filipino, "Did you see that man sleeping earlier in the bus? That man did not want to pay so he pretended to sleep.". To this the boy replied unbelieving what his dad said, "No way! Really?". The father, determined to prove his point added, "Didn't you notice how he suddenly woke up when the conductor said Ayala?". The boy just had to nod and that was probably enough to convince him.

When I heard the father say all these things, I was indignant. Why is the father corrupting this child's mind?

Before I can further berate how this man is leading his child to a path to hell, the father explained to the son, "The jeep won't leave yet because we are still waiting for another train to arrive. When a train gets here, more people will be riding the jeep. When the jeep is filled to its capacity that is the time we will move.". The son just listened intently to what his dad was saying. The father, eager to share so much to his son pointed to the direction of a small wooden structure and said, "That's where the goat lives.". The son peered out and was pretty impressed. The father began talking again and brought out one of the books he carried in a plastic bag, it was a book about volcanoes, "Did you pick this out yourself?...".

Then it dawned on me. All the father was doing was to teach his son about things that the father feels he needs to know. I understood now why he had to say the harsh realities of the world to a child so young for how can a father teach his son the ways of the world without corrupting him?

Cagayan de Oro

Continuing about my travels...

My boyfriend picked me up from Terminal 1 the night I got back from Bangkok. While the people I was with were looking forward to resting during the weekend, I had another flight to look forward to in a few hours. I got into my boyfriend's car at around 8pm and I will have to board another plane at 5am the following day. I was going to Cagayan de Oro the following day. My boyfriend who lives in the South cannot come that early from his house but he wanted to make sure I can safely get to the airport so he decided to spend the night in his office.

Before he decided to spend the night in the officel, we decided we wanted to spend more time together and besides, I was not feeling so tired yet, we went to the Mall of Asia. I missed Razon's Palabok and Halo-halo so we had some. After eating, I was already feeling the fatigue and I had to attend to my stuff because I have not packed yet.

I went home and my boyfriend went to his office. A mere three hours later, my phone was vibrating already. I had to force myself out of bed and take a bath. The deliberation of whether I should get up or not was long and arduous, eventually I was able to convince myself that getting wet in the shower that early in the morning will not kill me. Because it took me forever to decide whether to get up or not, my boyfriend waited for a long time for me to go down.

I was in no hurry because I was thinking since my flight was domestic anyway it would probably not take a long time to get to the plane. I mean, no more immigration line and so on... (Yes, this was my first domestic flight and I was alone!) Boy, was I wrong! I almost was late! It's a good thing my boyfriend knew I had to hurry up! True enough I was one of the last few people who was able to check in. A man who got to the counter a few minutes later was refused to check in.

I took the Cebu Pacific plane, I was toally scared because I have never taken Cebu Pacific before and I have heard of crashes. Across my seat was Giselle Sanchez, but I left my camera phone so I was not able to take her picture. As I was disembarking from the plane, I also realized Blakdyak was behind me.

When I got to the airport, I immediately was able to spot the van of Ridgeview Chalet. I was asked to bring a swimsuit because according to the other Cisco people, the pool was nice. It was my first time in Cagayan de Oro and I assumed that since there was a nice pool the weather is probably warm. NOT! It was Baguio kind of cold since it was morning. Nonetheless, it was cold and all the clothes with me were summer clothes!

Fortunately, for the actual Instructor's Summit, I had with me a pair of jeans and my vendor shirt. Whew! I was soh tired that after facilitating a group and assisting in registration, I was found out cold! I am not usually someone who will fall asleep in a public place but I was so exhausted because immediately after I got to Cagayan de Oro we were on our way to the Polytechnic University there.

At around 3pm, we headed back to our cottage and decided to rest a bit and swim. Ha! My roommate and I just slept through the entire afternoon! The guys woke us up at around 7pm and at this time I was still very groggy I actually thought it was already morning. I thought they were just asking me to have breakfast! I did not even get to change clothes! I went out wearing my Havaianas, vendor shirt and pants. The same things I was wearing in Baguio just a few weeks back, well save for the Havaianas!

Before I knew it we were on our way to Big Bys (I don't know if I got the spelling right). The steak was great though I have to say I would still pick Tagaytay Highlands Steak any time! The price difference is very big though so Big Bys would still win in terms of economy. After eating, we met up with another guy. He was one of the officers. He had with him 1G USB drives that he sold for 700Php! Cheap huh? I was waiting so long for a cheap flash drive! I bought one even though those units were not for us to buy. Almost all of us ended up buying.

He took us to a bar, where to our distress, played ballad songs! I was in the mood to dance the night away! I don't drink nor smoke but I loved dancing and this is the only reason I go to bars! A few hours later, they started playing upbeat songs and I got to dance finally!

We went home at around 2am but some of the boys still stayed on to party their kind of party. Eww!

The following morning, I had breakfast and swam. Not my usual number of laps though becauuse the pool was just 25 m., maybe less.... It had a slide but I did not attempt because I hate it when my butt hits the pool so hard, it brings back the spanking memories!

After swimming, I took a bath and packed my stuff... Not so much to pack this time because we did not get to go to pasalubong hubs. We ended up buying goodies like cashew nuts, peanut kisses, and more peanuts from the airport. Our flight was delayed. The Cebu Pacific girl announced that the flight we were suppose to take during boarding time that the plane is still in Manila! Whoah! It was because according to them the runway was under repair. We had breakfast at a nearby restaurant and looked at more pasalubongs.

My regret during this trip was that I was not able to make the most out of my stay. I was not able to go white water rafting and go for an underwater cave dive. Maybe next time...

Four Nights in Bangkok

The following weekend after Lipa, I was packing my bag again for another getaway. Last December I applied to go to ENGAGE Thailand. It's a conference with European people and I thought it would be a great opportunity. I was still in a different high due to the fellowship awarded to me and at that time I felt I can do anything.

I applied and luckily, I got in!

So that Sunday, my mom took me to the airport and I suddenly remembered that I left my Ipod and my camera at home. My mom decided it was still early and so we decided to go back. After my mom gassed up, we decided I can live without my Ipod. I later on found out that my camera was already in my bag. I was so in a hurry in packing my things that I did not realize that I have actually packed my camera.

It has been 12 years since I was last in Bangkok and though I really never liked Bangkok a lot because of its humid air and boring temples, I was excited because this trip is free and I love going to conferences and meeting people who are into grid computing and other research areas!

I was thrilled to find out that when we got the airport, we were picked up by a chauffeured, red Mercedes-Benz! A few minutes later we were already at the Conrad Hotel. The lobby was pretty simple but the hallways and the room was fantastic!

The bathroom is my favorite because apart from it having aroma oils plus a bathtub and a separate shower and a yellow elephant ducky, the toiletries smelled great! The bath robes were so soft and soh comfy! The walls were all glass and it just had a curtain that can be drawn open and close by an electronic switch! Haha! At first it was cool but after a while it got kind of annoying since I would always mistake it for a light switch. There was even one time I did not realize the curtain was drawn open because the maid just made our room up!

The beds were pretty with a bolster with silk as its pillowcase, on top of it rested a silk Elephant stuffed toy. Now how cute is that? Everyday a fresh bowl of fruits is left in the room.

By far, Conrad Hotel is the most beautiful hotel I have stayed in yet.

During the first day I was able to go to Central where I was able to buy a Wacoal on sale! Was soh happy with my find! After which we took the train to go to MBK! It's similar to the Greenhills Shopping Center. I was able to buy preserved mangoes that tasted soh soh yummy!!! I loved them! So much so I brought home a kilo and 6 kilos of sampaloc which later on turned out to be not sampaloc haha... How careless of me!!!

After MBK, we went to Suan Lom, the night market to hang out a bit and to look at the night bazaar. I could not shop much because I only had with me limited cash.

The following day, we went to MBK again and this time I asked how much a Shiseido sunblock and I found out it was soh much cheaper there. I decided to buy enough so I can get the free suitcase. I needed a place so store all the 7 Kg worth of preserved fruits!

I had to carry all 7Kg back to the hotel, it was the most exhausting thing I had to do in Thailand! I had to drag the suitcase with all the preserved fruits aggghh!

We were in time for the opening ceremonies of ENGAGE and the cocktails. I had fun because I met a lot of people. I was intimidated at first because we had to talk to Europeans who appeared snobbish at first but I found out later on that they were actually very friendly! I ended up meeting a lot of them!

On the second day, I enjoyed meeting more people and getting to know the researches of the people in Europe and other parts in Asia. After the cocktails, we ended up going to Suan Lom again because it's just a good 15 minute walk from the hotel. This was after we had coffee, hot chocolate for me.

On the third day there were more talks but in the afternoon I got to go mall hopping! I walked and walked from one mall to another. :) After the malling, we got back in time for dinner where I got to sit with Europeans and the organizer. It was fun but it took a really long time. After dinner we headed for Pat Pong and I finally got to see the sexy girls. I did not enter though because for one it would have been expensive and two, they say it's really gross. Maybe I'll go with my husband there someday. :) They say some of the naked girls are gays!

On the fourth day there were less talks and more networking (or was that just for me?) I got to meet a French guy who I am now collaborating with to produce a proposal. The proposal is already done and I am really hoping that it will work out! :) I would love to stay in France! :) There was no free dinner on the fourth day so we went to Suan Lom to eat at the food court and scoured the night bazaar more meticulously this time!

As you can guess, I have gained so much weight after Thailand because of all the buffet breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner a few more and I could have turned into a hobbit! :)

Lipa-suction

After my Ortigas 5-day conference, I had to wake up really early for Lipa. I was going there with Cisco people for the Cisco Quality Assurance Instructor Summit. It was a difficult trip especially since I was riding at the back of an SUV.

By the time I got to Lipa my brain was blended! :) I loved the La Salle Lipa campus. The walls had paintings and I really liked the idea that they had replicas of the classics there. It will make the students more cultured! I got to taste my first kapeng barako there! It was yummy though the other people I was with told me it wasn't all that good. I already thought it was good enough. My barako was my second cup, the first one did not really taste so good and it was back in Baguio when we were checking hotels out.

After the summit we headed to Cavite where a skills competition was taking place. I was already very tired and hungry at this point in time but nonetheless, I had fun!

I liked this trip because I got to go home at the end of the day and just fall asleep. :)

I love Cisco!

Ortigas Getaway!

After getting back from Baguio, I slept the entire day! I was so exhausted. After hearing mass with my family and strolling 'til 8pm at the Mall of Asia, I trudged back to the condo to pack my stuff in the still smelling of strawberries suitcase. I was fortunate that my boyfriend volunteered to drive me to the Malayan Plaza where I will be sharing a room with a complete and total stranger. I was excited because though this APAN conference is just in Manila, I got in because of a fellowship grant. Everything was paid for by APAN. All I had to do was show up and learn.

The Malayan Plaza is situated in front of Podium and I have never been there. I was thrilled that I was going to live in a hotel for five straight days! I was more thrilled (Really!) that I was attending the conference packed with Grid people in no less than Edsa Shangri-la Hotel!

The talks were very intresting, I met people working on Grids and some of these people I am in touch with. I am now presented with an opportunity to go to Taiwan because of a person I met there working on EGEE. The team will be subsidizing my air fare plus they are asking me to talk about grids here in the Philippines!

The experience was very enriching for me. I got to learn a lot and I was filled with new ideas! It was really absolutely fun! I am looking forward to the 24th APAN and I hope to be able to participate again. However, this time, I might end up paying for my own air fare. If I am meant to go there, God will provide I believe!

I even got to talk to the guy who approved my application! It's such a small world. A group of Indonesians asked me to accompany them to SM Megamall because they wanted to taste our ice cream and they wanted to shop for souvenirs and one of them, I later found out, was the one who approved my application. I almost kicked myself when I realized I do not have a business card on me when he asked for one. Darn it!

My stay in Malayan was great, the breakfast was always a feast (for me at least at that time) and the food in Shang was so sinful but I was a weakling. I had spare tires around me torso after a week of Shang food. My menu for an entire week was Malayan Plaza's buffet breakfast, AM buffet snack, Lunch buffet, PM snack buffet, all by Shangri-la and Kamayan, Dad's, Saisaki dinner!

Now was that a fun week or what?! I forgot to share that during which I had to come up with an exam and answer key and a PhD report. hehe... I lost a lot of sleep during this time but the learning experience and the food and the stay at the hotel was all worth it!

Baguio Bliss!

For the past few weeks that I have not been blogging I have been doing my own version of Amazing Race!

I do not want to recount the dates as that means I will have to dig into my planner for that and I'm too lazy for that. Some time last January, on a Friday midnight I went up to Baguio for the first time in 21 years. I was a bit disappointed that I was not able to ride the luxury coach or the de luxe bus as we were unable to reserve seats. How was I supposed to know reservation was necessary? The ride took two hours longer because of the stops for the restrooms. When I got to Baguio, I felt as though I was in another country! I had to explore the place right away. No more sleeping, inspite of the fact that I was not able to sleep in the bus.

I was sent there by Cisco for a Quality Assurance Summit for instructors. Our host university was the University of the Cordilleras. After half a day of working we went to the University of Baguio and then scouted for nice hotels for the conference that we will have there on March 28. Yup! Am going back! :)

That night we ate at a pizza place by Session Road called Volante's. I ate Caesar's Salad with salmon and it was amazing! The salad made me so full that I no longer ate the pizza. We all were too full with our order so we ate the pizza for breakfast and it was still heavenly! A must try! After pizza we went to Padi's Point because I felt like dancing. I always want to dance.

Usually I dress up when on a night out but because that was unexpected, I did not come prepared. I was wearing a vendor shirt when I went to the bar. I was wearing my Nike Shox, jeans and a big white vendor shirt while all the rest of the bar population wore something sexy and clingy. Darn! Talk about underdressed. For a while I actually decided against on dancing. I mean I would look so out of place but the call of the dance floor was too much for me not to heed and before you can say "Push the button..." I was already there partying. Just in case you're wondering how the others reacted... A guy (possibly a teenager) danced with me! Haha... Beat that! Haha!

After the dancing a contest started. They were asking for females to go up the stage and dance their sexiest. It was a battle between young girls (No, I did not attempt or even contemplated to join). A girl got so competitive that she stripped down to her underwear! My jaw dropped! I can't believe she did that. Up to this day I simply can't!

The following day, we went to Minesview Park, bought jars and jars of yam at Good Shepherd's and went to the Ride Park where I got to ride a horse for one entire hour! How cool is that?! The horse ran every 1o meters or so hehe... My body ached all over the day after. I got to hang out with a friend of mine at a cool coffee place called Coffee By The Ruins. Amazing food and ambience there! Must try for people who visits Baguio! If you're wondering how I know the place, a friend of mine told me to try it out. We ended up walking around the entire City Hall rotonda looking for the place until we almost made a full circle! Apparently we took the wrong turn when we decided to circle around the rotonda. After exhausting ourselves, we began to doubt our navigation skills and decided to take the taxi. We forgot how much cheaper it is to take a taxi in Baguio. The rate in Baguio is way different. I don't understand why but I'm not exactly complaining. We stayed in the taxi for a few seconds (?) and found the place! We stayed here from merienda 'til dinner.

If you are into acoustic music, you might want to visit also Kofeeklatsz. May the establishment and its patrons forgive me for not being able to spell their name correctly. What were they thinking giving an establishment that name anyway? It's hard to pronounce and it's hard to spell! How are people going to talk about the place?

I got to buy kilos and kilos of strawberries! Yummy! For only 80 pesos a kilo! Coming from Manila, I know this is a great deal but the natives tell me it can go for as low as 25 pesos per kilos! Whoah!

Thanks to my newly found friend, I also got my first Ukay-ukay experience. I ended up buying a nice Louis Vuitton looping bag. I do not know if it is fake or the real thing but the inside of it is velvet to the touch and the stitching almost perfect. The price I got it for anyway is cheaper even if it were fake so I still think it was a great deal.

We stayed at Bloomfield and I really have to say that the location is great. It's near the Session road and across SM. So if you like gimmicks you might want to stay there. The rate is also reasonable.

On the way home, I finally got to ride a De Luxe bus and it was not as wonderful as I imagined it because for one, we were at the back and we were tossed like a salad. I do not like riding at the back of any vehicle. Especially not the bus.

I was so nauseated by the time I got to the Pasay station where my wonderfully sweet boyfriend picked me up. He said he could not find me because my head was buried in my arms. I was so glad that he, yet again, rescued me. If he were not there I really would have fallen asleep amongst strangers and who knows what could have become of me!

Thank you baby for waiting until the bus left Manila. I know you were tired and hungry that time. Thanks for getting up from bed so you can pick me up so early in the morning when I got back from Baguio.

Paskuhan

Christmas was a blast this year! I got to attend my boyfriend's reunion with his father's side of the family and it was just great! It has been a very long time since I attended a reunion. Our family is not big on parties and get-togethers. Normally, we'll just have relatives come over our place but they are never all there at the same time.

Anyway, there was a program and there were parlor games as well... Each family was asked to introduce themselves and they came up with unique presentations. I was introduced as part of my boyfriend's family. I had fun!

There was also of course, my boyfriend's favorite part, videoke. I have this feeling that apart from his bald head, his nonstop videoke session in La Union might have been the cause of his bronchial asthma. His doctor mentioned pneumonia as well... I sang just one song... I did not want to shock all his family members!

I got to meet some of his cousins as well! In their family, people fall in line and get money presents from uncles and aunts and cousins who are already working! I got a total of 950 hehe! Next time, I should bring money to give out too... Must make up for the aguinaldos 1 that I got from all of them. :)

After the party, my boyfriend's lola whom we fondly call Mama asked me if we can watch Judy Ann's movie Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo. The whole family decided to come along and we ended up watching the movie with my boyfriend's parents, house help and Mama. It was surprisingly a nice movie. I loved it. I saw it again the other day with my sister and she loved it too.

I can't remember when the the last time was since I enjoyed Christmas this much! I feel like I am once more a child!

1 gifts

Knight in Shining Armor on a Sick Leave

***News Flash***

I now have my Starbucks Planner. Thanks to my boyfriend who shamelessly (and I love him for it) asked strangers for their receipts. He does love me! Hehe... Nothing makes me go gaga over a guy more than when he risks embarassing himself just for me. :D Thanks to my sister who decided to try out Starbucks just so I can have the darn stickers and to my cofaculty who generously donated five stickers. :D

Okay... That sounded like an acceptance speech more than a news flash... But what the hell... Get your own blog if you have a problem with that. :D Just kidding!

***News Flash over***

Happy New Year!

My Christmas was a pretty quiet one. I spent it mostly in bed. After Christmas was when all the action took place! I was in Tagaytay the whole day of the 26th! It was soh relaxing. Cool wind gushing and the greens have therapeutic effects on me.

My boyfriend went home December 26 from La Union but texted me as soon as he got home that he was rushing himself to the hospital. I was already lying on my bed then, ready to fall asleep as I was very exhausted from the long but fun day. I had an adrenalin rush though as soon as I found out he was having a hard time breathing. I did not have much time to think of an outfit so I just wore the clothes that I just got out of and drove off to the hospital.

I found my baby in the emergency room looking great with his newly shaved head. Apart from his wheezing, I would not have known that there was something wrong with him. He was also running a fever. He was given Ventolin on a nebulizer but that did not work and that was enough to have the doctor say, he will be kept overnight for observation.

I stayed the night. I have never stayed the night for anyone. Not even for my brother and sister. When they were confined due to Dengue, my mom stayed and I stayed in the house. I was the runner then. This time around, I had to stay. There was no one else who can. His oldest sister had work the following day, the youngest was still in La Union along with his parents. His aunt had to work too.

It felt nice that for a change, I was able to do something for him. The second night, his parents came to visit him along with his sisters but they were too tired from the 8 hour drive and so I stayed the night again. I got to go home to take a bath and have some dinner but after that, it was hospital duty again.

I was totally glad that we did not have to stay the third night.

I am glad my baby is back on his feet again. He's back to being my knight in shining armor... okay... he coughs still every now and then and he is now equipped with a Ventolin puff but no worries because I know he loves me and I'm loving him back.

Christmas So Far

Last Sunday, I was able to hear simbang gabi ¹. I did not sleep the entire night, I decided to wait for the simbang gabi of 4:30 am. Hmm... After that I went straight back to bed. Sad to say, after two early morning masses, I could not do it anymore. A lot of activities were slated for me that Monday, the third of the nine masses to be completed.

I have never completed all the nine masses, closest I got was six masses out of nine. I hope next year I'll get to finally complete it. I really want to. Not because I have a wish, I did not make any wish for all these years that I have been trying to complete them. I just really want to.

Also, last Sunday I got to go to Market! Market! with my boyfriend and my not-so-little sister. It was the first time in so many months that they got to spend some time together again. My sister's comfortable around him, I mean she laughs and jokes about and that's enough for me. My other two exes pissed her off, so much she won't even bother a slight smile. Kudos to my boyfriend a.k.a. Boyoyong hehe...

My sister who insists she's all grown up insisted that she go around the mall on her own. I had to make her call my mom so I know that it's okay to let her loose in the mall. Hmm... Apparently she is a bit grown up already. *sigh* She has grown up so fast.

She bought her classmates and friends some gifts while I also scouted for gifts for my brother and some friends. I'm still not done shopping, it's quite a shame really, I got so many gifts from friends and I did not give out a lot of gifts. I did not have much time with my teaching load at NCC.

Speaking of NCC is okay. I mean my students do their assignments. Sure they're late most of the time but we're doing good. We're still on schedule. Like we all have a choice, we really have to follow the syllabus or else... Time will not wait for us.

Anyway, after Market!Market! we dropped my sister off because she has believe it or not, her quarterly exams. She's doing okay in school even without studying much and she figured since she's in her senior year, she doesn't have to work her ass off. Why did I not figure that out then? She's so smart I tell you. :D Going back to my always-interrupted part of the story, I got to go to the Christmas Bazaar and I got myself some stuff. My boyfriend was able to buy gifts for his godchildren and officemates... Note to self, must buy gift for my inaanak within striking distance. I got to buy two bags! I also saw really cute Precious Moments dolls! I told my sister about it and she was telling me how she wants those dolls. Oh well... I thought she wouldn't appreciate them. Maybe we can go again some time before Christmas. We can ride the bus because I sure don't want to drive going there... super traffic. Or maybe we can go early during the day to avoid the hassle of playing Trip to Jerusalem with twenty cars.

My boyfriend and I decided we were just going to take a peek at the bazaar since I had so many things to check and record and he had to go home early so he can prepare for the following day and spend some time with his family too. Lo and behold, we spent three hours in the bazaar, maybe even more. I lost track of time.

After the bazaar, I felt kind of sad when I realized my boyfriend was sad because he was going to go home late again. I mean it wasn't my idea to go there that day. I already told him we did not have to go. I could have gone on my own anyway. That way he would not have to feel so bad that he was going home late again.

This made me re-evaluate things. Am I stealing too much of his time from his family? True, most of that week was spent outside of his home. Monday last week he came from a basketball game and picked me up. Tuesday, he was color coding and I figured maybe I could come around and pick him up this time around only to realize when I got there that he drove his father's car. We decided to have coffee instead, and this made him go home a lot later than he should, or probably intended. Wednesday, he picked me up again and I think we went to MOA to have some Starbucks stickers (remember my addiction, I don't go there to drink, I go there to acquire stickers)... or was it Blue Wave? Thursday I went to MOA to have dinner with co-faculty members. I got to drive someone else's car that night hehe... My palms were all so sweaty! But I pulled through! He met us there since he also needed to buy a gift bag for his Kris Kringle. He got home late again since I had some hot choco and he had coffee (guess where... ) and then Friday, he picked me up again from UP so he got home late again. Saturday, we went to MOA to meet someone and to buy some presents and then Sunday.

I guess he did really not see his family. Anyway I figured that so this week, I decided to let him go home early. :D That way, he get to spend time with his family and I get to spend time with my siblings and friends. A relationship after all is about growth and we grow through others too.

¹ The simbang gabi is a Filipino tradition done nine days before Christmas. It begins December 16 and the last mass is December 25. According to our chaplain, the Misa de Gallo is an offering to Mama Mary. Most Filipinos believe that if you wish for something, and complete the nine masses, their wish will come true.

Sticker Crazy

I have gone down to the level of those who drink at Starbucks to get a freaking planner! I don't know... I just got sucked into the blackhole and now I have degenerated into void.

Thank you baby for loving me still and for holding on to my hand and getting sucked into nothingness. Thanks for gulping down more sugar and caffeine than you have to, or need or want just so I can have my @#$@$@% sticker. :)

I don't know what the sticker does to people but it has somehow motivated me to freaking drink unreasonably priced hot chocolate cups. It has even made me contemplate about drinking coffee. :D Blech... I thought about it until I felt my pulse rate increase, then I was reminded why I should steer clear of coffee.

I have gone sticker crazy so if you don't want your Starbucks receipt... I can use them. :)

Driving Myself Crazy

I never thought I would miss driving soh much. I haven't driven in a long time since I live literally a few steps away from where I work. I missed being able to listen to my car radio, smiling and talking to myself. I know it's really weird but I do talk to myself while I am in the car. Thanks to the wireless devices I don't look so weird now as I did ten years ago. :)

It is so therapeutic to drive! It feels so great! At least I was thinking this ten minutes into driving going to UP.

After that thought, everything went downhill. Literally.

There was even this one car who had a bumber sticker that said, "Don't act stupid", there were little letters but I couldn't read them anymore. This car cut two lanes so he can turn right when he was in the lane for turning left! I can pretty much guess what the small letters say, "like me".

Driving in the Philippines can be so infuriating! I got to UP in less than 1 hour even with the bugger traffic at Quirino and a bit in Araneta Ave. It's around 30 minutes less than the travel time if I take the MRT. This is minus the stairs workout care of MRT and LRT and the sauna at the jeepney terminal.

Still if you ask me, I would take the LRT, MRT and jeep. It is soh much cheaper. It only costs me 44 Pesos to get to UP if I use public transportation. I don't know yet how much it costs to take my car. However, going home is another story. My mom is not comfortable with the idea of me taking a cab at 9pm. My boyfriend isn't happy with that either. In fact, he hates the idea so much so that even though he works in Makati, he bothers to pick me up. :) Thanks baby!

Love on a Higher Level

My boyfriend loves me and I love him.

That alone should make me happy. Still I find my self finding faults in an almost perfect relationship. My boyfriend has surrounded me with so much love and yet I am searching for romance. I look for surprises like those he gave me in the past when we were still starting out.

Now that I think about it, he has not ceased surprising me. He surprises me by picking me up at UP without me telling him to. He just shows up every night to make sure I do not take a cab home. Still the knight in shining armor. He surprises me every time I pick a fight, he would always pick the words to use, fix what's wrong and patiently listen even when I refuse to speak a word. He surprises me whenever he is willing to give in to my requests and preferences. He surprises me in so many ways that I cannot enumerate all.

There was nothing wrong with him. It was me. I failed to see the romance in all the love he was pouring out on me. I am glad I have realized this before everything has gone.

As I was wondering and fumbling about this, I came across an e-mail of his that's almost a year old. It's a forwarded message but it's a really nice one. I don't normally post forwarded messages and most of the time I do not bother to read them but this might help you as it helped me.

This is my favorite part in the passage:

"That's life, and love. When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of
excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in
between the peace and dullness.

Love shows up in all forms, even very small and cheeky forms, it has never
been a model, it could be the most dull and boring form.. . flowers, and
romantic moments are only used and appear on the surface of the
relationship. Under all this, the pillar of true love stands... and that's
our life... Love, not words win arguments... "

The whole passage is pasted below.

My husband is an Engineer by profession, I love him for his steady nature,
and I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders.

Three years of courtship and now, two years into marriage, I would have to
admit, that I am getting tired of it. The reasons of me loving him before,
has now transformed into the cause of all my restlessness.

I am a sentimental woman and extremely sensitive when it comes to a
relationship and my feelings, I yearn for the romantic moments, like a
little girl yearning for candy. My husband, is my complete opposite, his
lack of sensitivity, and the inability of bringing romantic moments into
our
marriage has disheartened me about love. One day, I finally decided to
tell
him my decision, that I wanted a divorce.

"Why?" he asked, shocked. "I am tired, there are no reasons for everything
in the world!" I answered.

He kept silent the whole night, seems to be in deep thought with a lighted
cigarette at all times.

My feeling of disappointment only increased, here was a man who can't even
express his predicament, what else can I hope from him?

And finally he asked me:" What can I do to change your mind?" Somebody
said
it right, it's hard to change a person's personality, and I guess, I have
started losing faith in him.

Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered : "Here is the question, if
you
can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind, Let's say, I want
a
flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that
picking the flower will cause your death, will you do it for me?"

He said :" I will give you your answer tomorrow...." My hopes just sank by
listening to his response.

I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper with
his scratchy handwriting, underneath a milk glass, on the dining table
near
the front door, that goes....

My dear,

"I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to explain the
reasons further.."

This first line was already breaking my heart. I continued reading.

"When you use the computer you always mess up the Software programs, and
you
cry in front of the screen, I have to saved my fingers so that I can help
to
restore the programs.

You always leave the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to
rush
home to open the door for you.

You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city, I have to save
my
eyes to show you the way.

You always have the cramps whenever your "good friend" approaches every
month, I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your
tummy.

You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by
infantile
autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your
boredom.

You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for your
eyes, I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help to clip
your nails, and help to remove those annoying white hairs. So I can also
hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you enjoy the sunshine
and
the beautiful sand... and tell you the colour of flowers, just like the
color of the glow on your young face...

Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you more
than I do... I could not pick that flower yet, and die.. "

My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting... and
as I conntinue on reading...

"Now, that you have finished reading my answer, if you are satisfied,
please
open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your favorite bread
and fresh milk...

I rush to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching tightly
with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread....

Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does, and I
have decided to leave the flower alone...

That's life, and love. When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of
excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in
between the peace and dullness.

Love shows up in all forms, even very small and cheeky forms, it has never
been a model, it could be the most dull and boring form.. . flowers, and
romantic moments are only used and appear on the surface of the
relationship. Under all this, the pillar of true love stands... and that's
our life... Love, not words win arguments...

Through the Darkness, Let Us See Your Light

Last Sunday, I was at St. Luke's to visit my boyfriend's uncle. He has had Lung Cancer for four years now. He does not smoke, does not drink and yet he was struck by this fatal disease.

A few weeks ago a two-month old baby of a co-faculty vomited. Two days later the baby went into coma and died after a week. The baby was found to have aneurism caused by a congenital disorder.

A few months back, a friend of mine, after one year of marriage had a daughter. Two days after giving birth, his wife suffered a heart attack. She was a dancer and was healthy.

Another friend of mine gave birth a year ago. This year, the father of the baby died due to dengue.

I say a prayer for their souls. I also say a prayer for those they left behind. I say a prayer for myself, for my loved ones, that we may not have to experience such things. I do not think my faith is strong enough.

In times like this, I do not know what to say to them, so I just keep quiet hoping that somehow, they know that I am very sorry for their loss and that I know that there is nothing I can say that can lessen the pain in their hearts.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord
Let perpetual light shine upon them
May they rest in peace.
Amen.

I pray for those they have left behind that they may continue to be strong amidst this great trial they are facing. Keep them with you Lord that they may not go astray. Give them strength from day to day. May they feel your love through other people, through events of everyday. I raise them up to You Lord. I raise up to You my fears and anxieties. I raise up to You my loved ones that You may keep them healthy and away from harm and away from untoward accidents.

Thank You Lord for all the blessings, for the people around me and for all the love You give me through them everyday.

A Series of Random Events

Still not finished with my report. I move in such a sluggish pace. I got distracted by the Magic Sing. I got to sing with my sister today. Now that is always fun!

I was supposed to go to Divisoria today with my friend but she had a sudden bout of high blood pressure. She got it earlier than usual. So instead of going to Divi, we went to her place instead so I can see my godchild who was unfortunately in a bad mood today due to his bad cold and cough. Poor thing. I hope he gets well soon.

After the visit, I got to go to a salon in our building's ground floor. For a long time now, I have been thinking of getting a hot oil. Yes. My hair has never tried it before. It was my first time today and I have to say it was rather lovely. :D It was cheap too. Well, I think. I got mine for five hundred which came with a foot spa, pedi, hair cut (I did not avail of this because I do not trust them yet, so far Propaganda is the only one I can entrust my hair style to since I have curly hair, I got a trim instead). I paid for an additional manicure. I did not like the manicure though, the woman was rushing and she got me so scared. No tip for her. The woman who took care of my hot oil treatment, blow dried my hair which is probably next to the suffering one can get from hell so big tip for her. It was my second time today for a foot spa and surprisingly, it tickled less this time. Anyway, I can't imagine how heavy my foot's weight was on the woman's thigh, plus I cannot imagine having to scrub other people's feet for a living so big tip for her too.

Over all, I will be coming back for the foot spa and the hot oil but no more manicure from that cruel lady. She did not even have customers waiting. Agh!

After the visit to the salon, I got to see my baby! He just got out of his bowling tournament where his team finished fourth out of so many teams! Hurray! We went to MOA to shop for Kris Kringle. I ended up at Terranova and since they had this sale adn there was this cute blouse for only 299. I just had to get it!

Might come back tomorrow for more finds. :)

So though my day did not work out quite as planned, I liked that I was able to still have fun. Maybe even more fun than I have hoped it would be.

Just Humming

It's 3 in the morning and I have just finished half of my repor on my PhD! My teacher sure was not kidding when he told us that the report this time around will be longer than the first. Whew!

I have been slaving away in front of my computer since 12 midnight because I got to spend half past nine til 12 midnight with my Prince Charming. No, we did not go to a ball, what I was wearing was far from a gown (a.k.a. flip-flops, shorts and a shirt) but my heart danced to the beating of our hearts. Holding his hand in mine, I felt everything was calm and certain as though midnight will never come.

It was an ordinary date and we're ordinary people but what we have is special and that's good enough for my heart to sing...

So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of
So this is love, Mmmmmm
-So This is Love, Disney's Cinderella

I thank the Lord for sending me a miracle that is you.

Window Shopping

Lately, my boyfriend and I have been finding the Mall of Asia rather small. We have the shops memorized like the back of our hands already so we have decided to take our window shopping to the next level, the more literal sense. Only, we're not just shopping for windows now but the roof, door, walls, the entire thing! We have been checking out condos and houses lately.

So far, we have only gone to one site, since my schedule has been so hectic for the past few days. We visited Chateau Elysee just last Saturday. They have developed the clubhouse already, they have a 25m lap pool. The buildings are only 6-storey high and the place looks fairly nice. It reminds me of Saudi Arabia actually. Houses looked like that in Saudi.

The payment scheme I think was also fairly easy so my boyfriend and I were thinking if maybe we should have a unit reserved. We're planning on reserving two. Each is 20 square meters. We told ourselves, we'll think about it for a week.

When we were checking out the condo where I live with my siblings now, I was able to picture myself living here. I felt that it could be home. When I visited Chateau, I felt that same feeling but I also had a few concerns like some cracks that I saw, the road to the Chateau is rather narrow so it might be a source of traffic in the future. There will be 6 buildings there and if each unit will hava a car, I am sure the traffic in the morning won't be so good. The site though is very charming and yes, I can picture my own kids playing there. It's better than a condo because the kids will have a place where they can play.

Then of course, there's the thought of not having our own land. It's just after all a unit that we'll be getting. However, the place looks safer than an actual village, I think kids will love it better there than in an actual village. The kids can ride their bikes inside the compound. Hmm... Now where do they store the bike? I must raise that concern to my boyfriend.

I will pray about this so that we may make the right decision. It's exciting to look at houses with the man that you love. :) It's a glimpse of the future that we are going to share after all. This is better than shopping for clothes!

A Humbling Experience

Last October 16, 2006, I embarked on a journey. I just jumped in without knowing the implications, cost and risk. I knew it will dramatically increase me market worth. It will make me versatile, allowing me more choices in terms of career. I had no idea what was to come.

I have agreed to take on the challenge of taking two semesters of Cisco Networking Associate training for instructors in two weeks. Now, I have taken one semester for a student before and on the third day of my training I got sick. Now, I have forgotten how hard it was that I got sick, all I remember is that I got sick and got better and passed the final exam and skills test. I thought I could pull the two semesters off with PhD reports and projects, teaching load, committee work in tow. I was able to pull off the first sem with some nice co-faculty members substituting for me and my boyfriend putting up with my tantrums and of course very little sleep. I loved what I was learning.

Come Sem 2. I knew I was drained of my energy already. I just wanted to get it over with. I still studied but half-heartedly this time around. I did not really love what I was doing anymore. The things I learned were just things I had to learn and nothing I really wanted. The skills tests were fine but the final exam was not. The day I took it, I was so dizzy and tired that I just wanted it to end but when it ended, the outcome was horrible!

It was a very humbling experience for me though. I had to study again, this time loving every word. It was hard for me to bounce back but I did not have much choice. I had to take it again in a few days. I had to read eleven chapters again. I was humbled and depressed. I only had God to look unto for guidance because I knew by this time, that no matter ho much I try to exhaust myself, I will not do well if not for his guidance.

My boyfriend was feeling helpless not knowing how to help me get through it. Worse part is, my first take was on the eve of our 18 months together. He tried to understand me, I know he did but it was something only I can help myself with.

A few days later, I took it again and with the help of the Lord and so many people praying for me, I got a really good grade. Whew! Now that's done, I'll be sure to read Semesters 3 and 4 ahead of time. I'll be sure to pray to the Lord for help and I'll be sure to love what I am learning because in the long run, it is really all that matters.

Thank you to all those who prayed for me, gave me pep talks, and were nice to me for the duration of my review.

Thank you baby for bearing all you had to while I was in distress. Thanks for patiently waiting until my schedule cleared again. I would not have bounced back if it weren't for you. I love you.

Last October 16, 2006, I embarked on a journey expecting to learn Cisco but I have learned so much more.

When an Eagle Takes Its Flight

There are days when the height frightens me but you have a way of nudging me enough to take my flight. I have moments of self doubt but your faith in me overshadows anxiety. You make me believe I can do anything I want, that I can conquer the world. I sense your fear whenever I spread my wings to explore the horizon, to own all that I can, yet you never stand in the way. You let me wander to the unchartered, trusting that whenever I do, I shall always find my way back.

And I will always do.

For my heart murmurs your name and my soul longs for your warmth. My wings will take me not to greater heights if not for your love, if not for your trust. So let me soar above the blue canvas and let me do so for you. Let me paint my hopes and dreams and know that when I do fly it is because your love has taken me so high.

---

Thank you for the words you say, but more thanks for the words unsaid, the actions that spell out love in ways more than one. I am grateful for the things I see you do for me and more for those things I do not see. Thank you for the thoughts you share and for those you keep to yourself for now.

It's Raining Blessings

The previous post was written September 8, 2006.

That was PMS talking. I just posted it because I thought it was kind of cute and besides, that might prove useful one day when I need to see a psychiatrist.

When it rains it pours.

I'm not just referring to the nightly downpours that we have.

I got my letter of permanency the other day. At long last! Along with the letter came so many blessings!

• I was invited to be a guest lecturer of systems analysis and design at NCC


• I was invited to be Software Engineering specialist of the SPIDER (Sweden's Program for Information Communication and Technology Development for Developing Regions)


• I was invited to become the Cisco QA for the Philippines


• I was invited to take CCNA for instructors


• I was invited to go to Palawan for the CIO conference of the Commission on Information Communication and Technology


• The partnership with an adjunct faculty from Monash University was approved


• My baby still loves me!

Of course, these will be a lot of work but I am already very excited.

I have enrolled Graph Theory this trimester and I don't know what will happen next. Hopefully, I will be able to do good in my subject and be able to deliver in my other activities. I hope I will not neglect swimming. I can see I have already neglected my Aikido. I hope to be able to come back soon. I miss it terribly. I am glad, I am back to swimming, stair climbing and crunches.

I cannot help but thank the Lord for all of the blessings that He is sending my way.

Thank You Lord.

It's raining blessings and I'm not complaining! :D

Missing the Beat

What do you do when you begin to question what is? Is it a reason to panic when doubt eats you up because you begin to wonder if everything that you have worked so hard for is beginning to fall apart?

I have always been the pragmatic one. I look ahead and I worry of what is to come. When I worry of what is out there, then I begin to doubt what is in the now. In the past, I have taken trips into the future, but lately, the loneliness in the struggle to paint a better picture of what is to be is taking its toll.

When finally, this was brought into the open. Gently, the cold fact revealed itself to me, I realized that I will just have to learn how to look past this because though we may be dancing to the same music, we were dancing in a different beat. While dancing in the same beat without stepping on the other's foot is already difficult, it gets harder when you are not in the same beat.

It is not my wish to stop dancing, nor do I pray to follow a different beat. I do not wish for another partner but I do pray for acceptance, that I may see beyond this and that we may eventually, without forcing ourselves find our feet one day move to a common beat, the beating of our hearts united as one.