Extra Extra!!!

I have written somehing about Paris but let me post that next time... I have more exciting news!

I just found out today that Josh Groban (one of my favorite singers... the roster includes Michael Jackson, yes, I am weird so sue me) will be coming to the Philippines, October 17! It will overlap with my Cisco training but I really want to go and see him perform live!!! I wonder how much the ticket costs... It's a concern because I am going to Budapest a few weeks before the concert and I know I will be spending a lot because though they are shouldering air fare and predeparture expenses my accommodation will not be shouldered by CERN. Yikes... I hope I can find a cheap place. I heard October is peak season too so good luck to me. I will be going there for Enabling Grid for E-SciencE 2007. I am very excited! I will be there for seven days! More travel, more backlog in my blog hehe... :)

Also, Avenue Q, a really cute, funny, naughty musical from Broadway (or West End if you are from London) is here in the Philippines. There's a show on September 5. My fellow faculty members and my sister plan to watch. I am not sure yet if Vince is up for this one but just in case I ordered (thanks to the sister of a friend) an extra ticket.

Lost in London

You may view pictures at my Multiply Account .

I can't say I was absolutely looking forward to the Europe trip because I had to leave a lot of work at home. Then again, how do you pass up the chance to go to Europe?

Our first stop was London but since our carrier is KLM, our hub airport was Amsterdam. We had to stop at Amsterdam before going to London. I love their airport. Biggest by far among the other countries we have been to. During the flight from Manila to Amsterdam, my mom discovered that she has left ALL her credit cards and ATM cards in the Philippines... it's that or she has dropped them somewhere. *gasp* We do
not have money! And we have not even landed yet!

Fortunately, I had my card with me, which is a card that will access my mom's account as well but we were not so sure yet if it would work since I have never used that card before. My mom had some cash on her but we don't think we can survive on that.

I was worried but I could not ignore how exciting the trip was by the time we landed in Amsterdam. I started clicking away with my camera. As soon as we found an ATM my mom tried my card out and it worked! I paused for a while to thank the Lord for the miracle.

We boarded a smaller plane that will take us to London. I was so thrilled to see the city from the plane as we landed. It was pretty!

First Night

We took a London taxi, that was also so very cute! I have seen these in the movies of course but it was a thrilling experience to be riding it. Hehe... The buildings were a beauty to behold! We stayed at the Holiday Inn at the Oxford Circus. It's a very nice location because it's walking distance to the train station. First thing I looked for? Where to buy tickets for Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. :D Hey... This is my chance to finally see the musicals of my dreams! :D

First Day

We went to Picadilly Circus where the tickets are. This is also your stop if you intend to watch Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables since their theaters are in this area. Phantom was showing in Her Majesty's Theater and Les Miserables is showing in errr.. Hmm... forgot already. :D We took the Hop On Hop Off bus since a Malaysian from one of my conferences recommended that we take this rather than getting lost most of the time. This took us to the different spots like the White Marble Arch, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Stephen's Clock Tower (Big Ben), The Parliament (which is basically in the same building as Big Ben), Tower Bridge (we call it London Bridge but London Bridge is not what we think it is, it's another fugly bridge), Tower of London, Victoria Station, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's Cathedral and so many more! We also took the cruise on the Thames River! We also got to see the house of Benjamin Franklin! I thought he was American!

We spent most of our mornings standing in front of Buckingham for the Changing of the Guards which in retrospect, was soh not worth it! You just see a bunch of guards marching to the music. Maybe it's an impressive display but it's not worth standing around for uhmm... three hours? Not doing that again. But if my future husband and I will get to go there together, maybe I will do it again for him. :D On the same day, we tried to get into Westminster Abbey but it was closed since it was Good Friday (I think). We also got to visit the National Gallery for a bit. Really beautiful! The artworks were breathtaking. It was during this day that I got to see Virgin on the Rocks of Leonardo da Vinci. Yes, the painting mentioned in the Da Vinci Code. Apparently, Leonardo created two versions. One is in the Louvre in Paris and another in the National Gallery. The first one created was the one in the National Gallery. A man commissioned him to do it but he sold the first one to somebody else so he was forced to do another one or the police was going to get him. We did not get to finish all the rooms so we told ourselves we'll come back again.

The bus ticket is only good for a day so I took note of the Underground stops (MRT in London :)) so we can just take the train the succeeding days. I already obtained a map and their Underground is pretty easy to navigate. We bought our tickets for Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera that day as well. :D The tickets were pretty pricey at 50 Sterling Pounds each. It's 100 PHp per 1 Sterling Pound. Never mind, I was sure it was going to be well worth it.

Second Day

On the second day, we went to Westminster Abbey and finally, we were able to go in. We were not allowed to take pictures but it's also a very nice place. Mostly, you'll see a lot of graves of the people. Yes, this is another Da Vinci Code place. This is where Sir Isaac Newton is buried. This is where the "orb" is hehe... Bodies of kings and queens are in this place, Queen Elizabeth I is here but Princess Diana is not. This is used for worship still but they have very limited seats since there isn't much space inside anymore. There's also a school in the grounds. They say the school there is very expensive. Also famous music people are buried in that place like Handel. Famous poets like Robert Frost and more (Sorry, I cannot recall everybody) were also there. They made us pay a lot of money too...

After the Westminster Abbey, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. At this time I was already very much addicted to Paul (a chain of bakeries in Europe) croissants and other pastries. :D My mom and I keep on buying everytime we see one! We went inside and it was pretty too. All the churches they have there are all grand that after a while, all the grand things, begin to seem ordinary. When I got home, all the churches I go to seem to be so bare now. All the stained glass seem to be too simple and elementary but I do not care, hearing mass here beats any mass in Europe. :) I missed the Philippines.

We had lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant. We were not very happy with their food there because everything was bland. They're not into salt. People there are trying to live healthy lives and eating right.

Afterwards, we went to the National Gallery to view more paintings. I got to see one of the Sunflowers of Van Gogh. There was only one painting of Picasso. Famous impressionists like Manet and Monet were there as well. I did not know there was a Manet! :) I was overwhelmed by the beauty of all the artworks! There is no entrance fee to the National Gallery.

Since the Trafalgar Square is in front of the National Gallery, we also hung out there.

After the National Gallery, we had some dinner and went on to see Les Miserables. It did not disappoint me at all. It was amazing. Still I had to wonder, how amazing it would have been if Lea had been Eponine. Lea never performed in London since she did her stint in Broadway but still I had to wonder.

Third Day
I think our third day was a Sunday :), so we heard mass. We were surprised that the church was following old rites. It was a bit weird. We just had to follow what everybody was doing. The priest's back was turned against us. I was amazed because I got to experience how masses were said before Vatican II. I like the post Vatican II masses better. :)

After this, mom chose to stay at the hotel while the three of us went to the Tower of London. It was an old castle of King Richard. Famous people got executed there including those who planned the November 5th bombing of the Parliament which inspired the movie, V. It was nice, but the highlight was the precious crown jewels of the Royal Family they had in display. I have never seen precious stones as big as the ones set in the different crowns, scepters, punch bowls (yes punch bowls!), laddles and other trivial things!

We also went to the Tower Bridge and saw... nothing but what was beneath us hehe... It was nice too though it's just that it's nicer from the outside. Going up to the bridge is not really worth the entrance fee. After, we went to the Imperial War Museum near the Elephant and Castle stop. This Underground stop used to be a bomb shelter.

Unfortunately, by the time we got to the Imperial War Museum, it was going to close already so we decided to save it for the following day.

We went to Harrod's after and then went home finally. My mom got so bored in the hotel so the following day, she said she was going to go with us.

Fourth Day
On our fourth day, we got to see Phantom of the Opera! But before that we went back to the Imperial War Museum. The tanks used for the war against Germany were there. My brother's eyes twinkled since he has always been very much into weapons and warfare. He has a lot of books on WWI and WWII and he even has a whole set of Weapons and Warfare encyclopedia! He wandered around the museum while my sister and I went to see the children of war section. After a while, it got a bit boring too... hehe... So we just waited with our mom by the Berlin Wall (part of it) until my brother was finally done.

After the museum, we also visited other museums like the Science museum. My sister had fun. We did not realize that it was her first Science museum. My first was in Saudi Arabia when I was nine. It was fun for her and we were all glad that she had fun. After, we proceeded to Her Majesty's Theater to see the Phantom of the Opera. It was a grand, grand play. Our seat was in the third row so the view was spectacular! I shall never forget my experience watching my favorite musicals!

Fifth Day

The following day, we went to Salisbury to see the Stonehenge. They still do not know what the Stonehenge is for. Some say it was used as an altar. Some say it was used as a calendar or clock. They also do not know how those rocks were placed there. If you see it, it is indeed gigantic! And there are no rocks around the area but only those. It felt like we were inside Windows XP while we were in Salisbury since it was just fields and more fields. Green fields! The train ride was pretty long and one of the stations was not working so we had to take a bus going to the next station which took a very long time. After this ride we were too tired.

Sixth Day
We went to the Windsor Castle during this day. It was a luxurious castle with a lot of gold in almost every corner of the castle. I cannot bring justice or even attempt to put into words the grandeur I have laid my eyes on. I will try to post pictures here instead. I do not remember if we were allowed to take pictures though. There was also a doll house with working plumbing and electricity. Even the objects in the house was adorned with gold! There were also a collection of dolls! Beautiful, delicate porcelain dolls with clothes done by the famous designers of Paris. It was a gift from princesses of France. Wow!

Seventh Day
I think we went to France on the seventh day. Not before we discovered my sister's ticket was cancelled so we had to purchase all her tickets right then and there. I did not get to go around Heathrow Airport because we were going to be left by the airplane already. Thanks to the delay caused by the cancelled ticket. We found out later on that the travel agency here in Manila made a mistake. Sheesh...

London is nice but the people there are snobbish (as in!) and the food is bland. It's a nice place to visit but I would not want to live there. I still think the beaches in Boracay can whoop their snobby asses anytime. :) They have the intricate architecture and lavish castle decors but we have the natural beauty exuding from our land and our people. I have never been more proud to be Filipino than when I was in Europe.

Rant, Rant and Rant!!!

I have been lagging on my posts here because I have been too busy updating our wedding blog, Getting There .

I don't feel like talking about the Europe trips yet especially since I still can't find where my sister put the DVD with our pictures.

The trimester is about to come to an end and now I find myself once again going nuts with soh many things that I need to do! I have to finish checking all the practicum requirements first and foremost because I need to come up with a list of recommendations and a mentoring report. I also need to come up with a dissertation document before the term ends or else I will get delayed by one term. I could not find the time to work on it. I also do not know where to begin honestly. *sigh*

I have also been busy teaching CCNA Sem 1. I know it's just Sem 1 but it takes most of my Fridays preparing for it. Handling the masteral class for Advanced Operating Systems is not so easy for me as well because I have to prepare for it every Tuesday. My entire Tuesday is devoted to that alone. I have been lagging on my swimming because of all these activities. I am also advising two thesis groups and they also take up most of my time.

I just remembered, I should start preparing for the final exam of my ADVANOS class! I will also be checking their documents. Ack! All these are enough to send me to an anxiety attack.

Must take things one at a time!

1. Finish practicum stuff.
2. Reimburse practicum receipts.
3. Prepare final exam for ADVANOS.
4. Finish Chapters 1 - 3 of dissertation.

I think this is it for now!

Whew!

My brother bought a wireless access point so now I can surf the net any time I want! Yahoo!!! I soh love my brother! Now I can do my dissertation! No more excuses!!!

My Wedding Blog!

Here is the link to my wedding blog so you can also see our preparations for our big day Getting There . I am yet to update this site because I still have so many things to write about... After the Taiwan trip, I crammed my UP stint and my final grade computations and flew to London with my family. Seven days after we went to Paris and on our second day there we went to Lourdes, on the same day we went to Paris. After seven days in Paris, we went to Rome for two days and then headed for Venice. On the same day we headed for Florence to spend the night and 2 days. After that, we headed to Pisa and then headed for Rome for our flight to Athens. We stayed in Athens for five long restful days and then moved to Amsterdam. We stayed in Amsterdam for two days and one night and then moved to Barcelona for three days. After which, we went to our last stop, Berlin for three days and then we headed back to Manila. There are a lot of stories in between but I am too busy right now to tell you everything, much more to post pictures... I am yet to find the DVD where my sister put the pictures...

This is it for now... :)

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.