Jazz by the beach

From my rediscovey of Sentosa two weeks ago, I learned about this Jazz by the beach event there. It's a series of concerts by different bands for each Saturday of July. So I made a mental note to drag my friends there for the last week it was playing.

So Saturday arrived, but from morning til afternoon it was very cloudy. The weather was so conducive to hibernating in the comfort of your warm bed blankets so I would really understand if the chilis would prefer to do so than go risk being soaked if ever the rain pours when we get to Sentosa. But I was going there anyhow, if it rained, my plan was to do some reading in one cafe' in Vivo City.

However, the weather had been cooperative and we had a 100% attendance, except for Aoisoba who was still back in our homeland enjoying all the Pinoy time she could have before becoming a princess of a leprechaun, I mean, an Irish policeman, by August. It was also a nice surprise that Omaritosan, whom I have not seen since he got back from his escapade in Portugal almost two months ago, was able to join us.

The event was held at the cool deck in Siloso beach. It started at 6pm but we arrived at around 7 and the sun was still up and was just beginning to set. The band playing was Singapore Airlines' jazz band. Their repertoi and performance were ok, although it wasn't the jazz music I was expecting to hear. Anyway, I am not complaining, it was a free concert and I did like the ambiance. I liked that there were beach mats and tables although it seemed like nobody wanted to sit in this style and most took the usual chairs and tables (including us).

We started out with one beer for each one of us..guess which beer was mine ;-)

Ooops, what's this little odd drink doing here? =P (yep, I had to still have my Coke light dosage, I did the same thing yesterday when Ays and I went for a drink in a bar after office hours and I had a glass of vodka tonic and later on a Coke of course =P)

Then we had some finger foods, some lip pouting lessons, more food in Vivo city on the way back, and lots and lots of laughter.

It was another fun, fun night. Must be because the moon was full. ;-)

The White Bag

I looked at it for one more time before putting it back in the plastic bag. I was still trying to convince myself that I needed to let it go, perhaps it wasn't really for me. But I thought it was! For months I've been looking for that perfect white bag and when I saw this one in a store, I fell in love with it but I didn't even buy it instantly, I thought I'd give it a test of time, that if it was meant for me it would still be there when I decide to buy it. Yes, it withstood the months, I never found anything better than it, so last week I finally decided to buy it. Call me crazy but really, I've never been so ecstatic about a bag, that whenever I look at it I just had this warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart that made me sigh and smile and admire my bag. There was even this one time in office last week that when I pulled up the drawer of my bin and I saw my white bag, I was surprised and I grinned when I remembered that I already owned that bag.

Off I went to the store, I told the salesgirl that I am returning the bag I bought last week because it was chapping at the sides. The salesgirl said it could be because it rubbed on my pants when I sling my bag. I wish she was right, I've been trying to tell that to myself too but logic will only tell you that it was not, because the chapping part were on the sides of the bag and these do not come in contact with any friction. Besides, I've only used the bag twice and it was not even a week old. I've had it figured out that it was the material of the bag and the humid weather outdoors. I remember it was the same thing that happened with an organizer given to me as a gift, it was from the USA, and obviously not compatible with the tropical weather in the Philippines. It took me sometime to convince myself that it could be the same case with my bag, since it was from a local store here and they must have considered that during manufacture, shouldn't they?

The salesgirl asked if I wanted to choose another bag or if I wanted another stock as a replacement. My heart skipped a little at the thought of getting another stock of the same white bag, I was sooo tempted, but I restrained myself and even if my heart was broken, I had to endure it because I knew the chances that I would have the same problem with the new stock was very high. So with a heavy sigh, I politely said "No, thank you, I would just have a refund." They gave me back a full refund without no qualms, the bag had a 30 day guarantee.

And so I am back to square one again, in search of that white bag for me. Sometimes I wonder if I'd rather have not found that bag at all, than to indeed find it but only to realize that it was just like borrowed for a very short span of time but was just long enough to break your heart.

Wishin Everyday is Harris Book Sale

Have you ever walked in to a place that made you smile from ear to ear?

It happened to me tonight.

Eypooh sent us this email ad about a book sale at Suntec City. So off I went there after office. But first we had some yummy Japanese food for dinner at the Food Republic in Suntec city, which, by the way, I love the new layout and design. Talk about designing a food court like a library, how cool is that? ;) I think it was a sign that something even better was about to happen...

Please excuse my crappy pics from my 2MP phone camera, better than nothing, right? :)

True enough, when we went inside the Harris book sale, I felt like I was in heaven. It was something I did not expect really because I thought they would just have books that were not so quality, you know, the usual surplus, unpopular books. But no, it was like walking into a bookstore with popular books in half the price! It was crazy! There were all the Paulo Coehlo books, Judith McNaught books, Nicholas Sparks, Nora Roberts, Agatha Christie, etc, etc.

But of course I had to restrain myself from the impulse of hoarding everything I could. I had to remind myself that I live on a limited budget (especially these days when I am foreseeing a budget deficit in the next couple of months). So after much contemplation and convincing of myself that it was not yet the end of the world if I could not buy all the books I wanted there, I managed to finally select the four books that fit my $30 budget.

I wish all book sale are like Harris book sale. I could live there, hehe.

Catching up in Sentosa

It was a nice Sunday, the sun was up. So, together with my beach mat in my bag, I took the bus from outside our condo which goes straight to Harbourfront where I went to Vivo city mall to meet Apo, Mariz and Gab. We were going to Sentosa for a picnic. I was very excited about having a picnic, it has been a while since I last went to Sentosa and I heard many things has changed over the months. Sentosa is a little island resort of Singapore just meters away from the city.

I was awed as I went inside Vivo city mall. It was very different than the last time I went there around 9 months ago (and I couldn't believe that was also the last time I was in Sentosa!). Back then it was still quite newly opened, there was still only a few stores open. But now it is in full blast, it was nice and cozy so it isn't a wonder for me now why it is now a very popular place to hang out. At the 3rd level, there's a monorail station going to Sentosa. This was one of the new things in Sentosa. Ticket to Sentosa is also now S$3, as I remember it used to be less than that before (I'm not sure if I remembered correctly though). Anyway, the ticket, besides the day pass to sentosa, allows you to have a day's use of the monorail and the buses in Sentosa.

Another very significant change in Sentosa was the construction going on at the area where the Ferry terminal used to be, where there was this nice garden and where the musical fountain used to be. Hopefully though, this area would be more beautiful than before, since from what I heard, this area will be where the Universal studios would be. So we'll see in a year or two...

We went to Siloso beach where Sherry and her mom, Ramil and his mom and sister were waiting for us. It was so nice to see my friends again whom I have not seen for a while. We enjoyed a sumptous lunch of Filipino food.

adobo, laing, steamed okra, fried tilapia (under the aluminum foil :) and rice

and of course, the usual star of an OFW meal, the Purefoods hotdog courtesy of Mariz. ;-)

The laing was specially made by Sherry, she used fish instead of meat, but it was really very delicious. I also had a feast on my favorite fried tilapia. We were really so full, and we wiped out almost everything in half an hour.

After lunch and some minutes of catching our breaths (hehehe), Sherry, Ramil and their family headed out in touring around Sentosa while me, Apo, Mariz and Gab went to have some coffee and eventually some muffins and blueberry cheesecake :) at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf ("Gab's spot" in Sentosa) where we ended up staying for 3 hours before finally calling it a day.

It was nice to rediscover Sentosa again but actually, what was nicer was... catching up with good friends.

the Merlion

Balloons, cakes and candles

A little princess turned 1 year old last July 5...

She had her first birthday celebration on July 7th. The morning of this day, she was so active and was so much in a good mood that we couldn't help but play with her and motivate her to continue being cute as we enjoyed the time. She knows a lot already, she can simulate how to blow a candle, she moves her little fingers together when you sing Insy Winsy Spider, she knows how to move her hands to make a wiggling fish or a fluttering butterfly when you tell her so, she can knock and utter "tao po", she will rest her chin on her hands when you say "I'm bored", she will hold her hands to her head when you say "hay naku" (a Filipino phrase that we say to express when we are irritated or frustrated), she would cross her eyebrows when you ask her to show you how to be angry, she can even do her version of push ups! Her speech is also already developed, she can now utter many syllables. She is a smart little girl!

And she's my niece!

And I'm so proud to be her Tita! :-)

Happy 1st birthday, Keira !!!

High fives in Cameron Highlands

Due to the back to back combo of stress and frustration at work, I looked for someplace where me and my friends could relax and unwind. The idea is just anywhere outside Singapore and that is affordable! I googled and found travel packages to Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, a countryside part of Malaysia which is around 10 hours drive from Singapore. From my research then, I infered that Cameron would be like Baguio City, (Philippines' highest point) since it was situated in the highlands of Malaysia. The itinerary just suited us fine: Friday night at 10pm leave Singapore via VIP coach bus and arrive in Cameron at around 8am on Saturday and go back to Singapore at 10am on Sunday.

I proposed the trip to my chili friends and I was so happy when they enthusiastically confirmed, although DayOhbee was not able to join since she was changing jobs and was going home to Philippines for a quick vacation before starting her new job. So it was just me, Aoisoba, Chuvanescense, Ays, and our adopted chili, Liana.

So we only had the whole Saturday to see Cameron and I think it was suffice because we were able to do a "Nature Discovery" tour in the morning 'til around 2pm. The first part of this tour is my favorite and is the thing that one should not miss to do in Cameron --the tour of the Tea plantation where you could see hills and hills of tea plants that it has been nicknamed "Giant Green Carpet of Malaysia". Then we went to the Boh Tea Factory where we saw how tea are made. I listened to our tour guide attentively and what do you know, I learned something new and interesting: that black tea (or English tea) is called as such because the tea leaves are burnt while for green tea, the leaves are made into tea without burning them, hence leaving the tea leaves green. There is a cafe' (or shall I say a tea place) beside the tea factory where we had some tea and sandwiches. It was so nice as it had the view of the hills of tea plants around. The picture below is my favorite and is one of the pictures I managed to take using my camera that was running out of battery (I could not find my battery charger!!!).

Next we travelled up of Mount Brinchang, the highest point of Cameron Highlands (about 6666 feet above sea level). Before reaching the summit, we made a stop to make a little walk in the mossy forest to find some picher plants. It wasn't really that fascinating since there were just a couple of little withering picher plants that we saw amidst the slippery and muddy trek (good decision by Eypooh and Liana to skip this trek). But going to the summit was worth seeing, because the panoramic view of the highlands. Although I think the best would be to go to the summit during sunrise (there was a Sunrise tour available as well but it starts at 6am). Nevertheless, the view was still nice, the picture below was taken by Chuvanescense from his camera.

Last part of the tour was a visit to the village of the Orang Asli tribe, the semi-nomadic natives of Malaysia. It showed how the natives are living in the mainstream, with the government encouraging them to settle in this village to prolong the lifespan of the natives. The government provides them solar cells for each house for a source of electricity. This was the part of the tour that me and my friends did not feel comfortable about and we were wondering why they included in the tour. Personally, I think the Orang Asli tribe should be left to live as how they are used to, to preserve their culture.

In the afternoon, we took the Agro tour where we went first to see a conventional vegetable farm. Nothing new for me really because in my childhood, we have a vegetable farm in our province, where I had the chance to harvest some vegetables. But the succeeding parts were quite interesting: the visit to a Chrysanthemum flower nursery and the water cress farm, the tour of a lettuce farm where lettuce are being grown using hydrophonic farming (method of farming that uses water and its vibrations/sounds), then to the Cactus valley where I've seen sooooo many varieties of cactus (I didn't know there were A LOT!) and where huge lemons the size of melons, grow. (First 3 pics courtesy of Chuvanescense and Aoisoba, the picture of the cacti is another of the few photos I managed to take using my camera).

There was also a visit to a strawberry farm to which turned out not as I was not expecting to be. I thought we were going to a strawberry field, because in the Philippines I've been to the Strawberry fields in La Trinidad (just beside Baguio city). Anyway, the strawberry farm turned out to be a small nursery where strawberry plants were grown using organic farming so the plants were not on the ground. It's not really that inviting to pick strawberries in that type of farm as to picking strawberries from strawberry fields. Anyway again, strawberries is Cameron Highland's flagship fruit I suppose because there were strawberry items of all sorts, even non-food products like T-shirts, key chains, balloons, wallets, and all other items imaginable in a strawberry motif. I was not able to resist it myself, I bought a strawberry designed floor rug. :)

The last part of the afternoon tour was a steamboat dinner at a restaurant. We had fun cooking our food in the boiling soup and yes, we were so full in the end! ;) After dinner, we had a little walk to their Market where we bought some magnets for souvenirs before going to our hotel for the night. We stayed at Equatorial Hotel and I was surprised to find out that this hotel was Cameron's Five star hotel considering that the travel package we took was relatively affordable. Although, the rooms were not fancy, just basic, but the location of the hotel was perfectly situated-- right in the center of Cameron, and the view of the mountains from our hotel room was magnificent. (The picture below was taken by Chuvanescense from his camera on Sunday morning.) The rooms do not have airconditioning unit, by the way, because the weather is already cold. (It was 20 degrees celcius at high-noon!)

On the way back to Singapore, we passed by Kuala Lumpur and changed bus (from a VIP coach to a "Super VIP" coach where each seat had an entertainment system to watch movies ;-). I saw the familiar landmarks I've been to from my trip there last April. It was a fun, fun weekend, another adventure with my friends that keeps me recharged to get me going. Cameron Highlands is truly a great discovery!

Important gym notes

• It is not advisable to practice French and do exercise at the same time.
  - I had the idea tonight that I would count my exercise repetitions in French. The good side to this was I got to do more repetitions because I wanted to remember the bigger French numbers so that means counting more than 20. However, I think I was more mentally stressed than physically exercised. =P

• Being absent minded sometimes has an advantage.
  - I don't really like the hair shampoo in my gym because it makes my hair very rigid and dry but tonight I wondered why it felt different while I was shampooing, it felt smooth to my hair. Then I realized it was because I used the BODY shampoo for my hair by accident! If the body shampoo didn't have that good effect on my hair, I would complain to the management that they should not label the container Body Shampoo because it should be Body Wash! =P

My Tissue Collection

One of the things I advise people who are visiting or would be visiting Singapore is to bring hand/facial tissues. Because in Singapore, tissues are not usually given out for free, especially in hawkers (food centers). Usually, only the foreign fast food chains and restaurants give out tissues. But having tissue is essential in Singapore daily life, because aside from needing it to clean up while and after you eat, it is also a necessary weapon to wipe out sweat when you walk around in this humid temperature.

The tissue then indeed holds a special power here in Singapore. To further emphasize how powerful it is, if you look around some seats or tables in food centers that has a pack of tissue on them, this actually means that the seat/table has been reserved, and there is an unspoken rule that respects this. This was something I just learned upon observation during my first few months here in Singapore. Back then I thought someone just left a pack of tissue on the table because in the Philippines, although we also do this type of "reserving seats", we usually place something bigger and more personal, like an umbrella, a folder or a bag (without anything valuable inside of course), but not something minuscule and generic like a tissue pack.

So that would explain to you why tissue packets are being sold here and there around Singapore, usually by senior citizens and disabled persons. Some walk around the hawkers offering them from table to table, some sell them along the walkways. The prices of the tissue they sell vary, some sell 3 packs for S$1, some at 5 packs for S$1, but certainly it is more expensive than if you buy a bundle of packs in groceries, like around 20 packs for S$1.50. That is why usually I buy a bundle when I do grocery shopping. Actually, I even still have some packs I bought when I went home to Philippines and went grocery shopping. However, last week I went out for lunch in a hawker outside our office and I forgot to bring some tissue with me, so I bought from a lady who was selling around. Then on another day I bought some again from another lady. Tonight, while having dinner at a hawker, an old lady with a crouched back approached our table and offered some tissues. She spoke in Mandarin, I'm quite sure she doesn't speak English as most old Chinese people here don't. I really didn't need some tissue because my food didn't require me to use my bare hands nor was it messy. But I found myself getting $1 from my pocket and gave it to her for 3 packs of tissue. Then I remembered the old disabled man I pass by every weekday as I walk in the train underground walkway going to work who sells tissue packets, I remember the many other old and disabled people who does the same kind of living in the streets here, and from then on, I decided that I am not buying my tissue packets in groceries anymore.

Picasso, Pacita and my 10 year old Dress

I woke up feeling good. I was looking forward to this day. As I walked on the grounds of our condominium's compound, I was smiling, a smile that I haven't smiled for months. I was wearing a dress, my dress which I wore on my eighteenth birthday. I felt like a young girl again. Everything seemed to be more alive -- the pool's water seemed more blue, the plants seemed more green and the wind blew gently with a cool calming effect. I knew it would be a happy day.

The brunch with my chili friends was fun but it was more fun than I expected. Even just while cooking we were already eating and eating -- mooncakes, chocolates, cheese and surprise, surprise -- sipping wine! During brunch we had lots of stories more to tell while having more food (of course), the Purefoods hotdog I brought was a hit as expected but we were all surprised that the Kraft Eden cheese I brought was wiped out in a flash, while the fancy cheese was only partially consumed. Aoisoba bought some fishes that Apo cooked into a delicious Sarsiado and it was interesting to learn that Ays is not into cooked tomatoes so there was a separate fried fish for her which I ignorantly placed the fish with tomato beside it not realizing that I have just missed the purpose of why that fried fish was separated, hehe. We had two French guests that DayOhBee brought with her and instantly became the stars of the meal, because of their fine taste. Yes, the French guests were our new additions to our circle of friends because they were...wines! :)

Looking at us as we talked and ate there, I was so amazed at how we chilis have evolved our friendship and have jived naturally. We could talk for hours and hours about anything without getting bored or running out of something to share. And even trivial things can become perceptive, like saying that whata doughnut is more attributed to is not to a dough but to its hole. Then of course, I couldn't help not to blurt out my ever duh thoughts: that the doughnut should then be called a holenut instead. The expressions on my chili friends' faces after hearing what I said were priceless. hehe :)

After that hearty brunch, we walked going to the museum where there was an exhibit of some works of Pablo Picasso. We walked by that part of the Singapore river I've never been to, the part that extends beyond Robertson Quay and I think it was the most beautiful part of the river. Just outside the STPI museum, was a colorful bridge. I've seen this bridge a few times before from a distance and I thought then that it was just but a bridge with colorful paint but after learning that this bridge was actually painted by a Filipino artist, Pacita Abad, and is Singapore's first art bridge, it had a whole new meaning and became special to me.

After taking some pictures at the art bridge, we proceeded inside the Singapore Tyler Print Institute where there were housing Pablo Picasso's The Vollard Suite, this is a complete set of 100 sketches he made between 1930-37. Picasso is more popular for his cubism style, so it was interesting to see The Vollard suite, where everything was in black and white sketches, and Picasso's talent in free hand stroke was absolutely evident. Although I was just not into much on his subject, specifically on minotaur (a creature that's part man and part bull). But what was more interesting for me was to learn more about Pacita Abad's works from browsing at a couple of books about her arts. Her colorful style speaks so much to me! I love her works! You could see from her works that she was a happy person and I admire her for that. In year 2004, she knew she was dying but still she painted that bridge with a happy heart. I encourage you to visit her website to know more about her and her works.

After visiting the museum, we went to have some drinks and snacks, had some more talks before goinginto our own separate ways and concluding the day. As I went home, I thanked God for my friends,for they make me remember that I am not alone, we are here together.

***

~First and fourth picture courtesy of Ays

~The Vollard Suite exhibit at Singapore Tyler Print Institute is free admission and is until July 7.

~Pacita Abad's website that I am sure will interest you: http://www.pacitaabad.com/

Judith, I Love

Reading another Judith McNaught book again was like catching up with an old friend. After years and years of no communication, you astonishingly find yourself feeling the familiarity with each other. Although in a relatively another way as principles and perceptions have changed over the years, but the warmth to the heart is still there.

I first got acquainted with Judith McNaught's romance novels way back in my senior highschool days. I started out with "Perfect" and true enough, I found it the perfect book to start my admiration for Judith McNaught's writing. As an Asian girl brought up in a relatively conservative way, I was amazed to find a Western story with a conservative character of the leading lady in a modern setting, so it was easy for me to get the relation even if I was only in my teens and the character was in her late 20's. So I read another book after it, wondering if it would be as good as the first one I've read. And true enough, it was. Paradise captured my heart just like Perfect, and this time, it sparked something else: it awakened up the corporate girl in me. There was a scene there where I even really cried because I felt so much the strong emotion of the leading lady when she was trying to prove herself to her father. After reading this book, I realized I would like to someday become a CEO of my own company, and back then as an idealistic innocent girl, I believed that I could be both a power corporate woman and a power wife+mom, of course now I know better. The third book I read was Tender Triumph, which also had a strong story but not as relating to me as the first two I've read, but I still liked it.

All those three books had a setting of the 20th century so I thought Judith McNaught's novels were about modern day love stories. And so I was quite surprised when I started to read Whitney, My Love last week. The setting was 19th century. I was hoping to read another modern day love story, so I could relate, so I was hesitant at first to read it since I might not be able to relate. But amazingly, after finishing the book, I realized I still was able to relate to it because Judith McNaught's signature characters having strong personalities were still there. I don't know if I would've liked it if I read this book first 10 years ago though, because I might have had difficulty reading it back then, because there were a lot of British and French words and terminologies that were used, those which I wouldn't have understood quite clearly have I not been exposed to the European culture, having worked with British and French people. Anyway, I was also surprised to learn that Whitney, My Love was Judith McNaught's first romance novel and this gave way to the bloom of her career. This book also brought about her other novels, characters of which were introduced from this novel. I also learned that the book I read was the republished version, with some modification to be able to be like a prologue to the other novels that stemmed from it. So that explainedto me why there was a bit of awkwardness on how it went in the last couple of chapters. I think the original version would have be better. But anyhow, the story was great, how it was written was great. It was like a mature fairytale due to its touch on sensuality.

It worked quite well indeed, for I felt that the ice that has covered the heart, is now beginning to thaw...

******

~Thanks to Ays for lending me the book

~Thanks to Sam's Letters to Jennifer for a good preparatory reading, hehe :)

~Thanks to Simonsays.com for the pictures above

I'm engaged!

Yes, it's quite sudden I know. I am quite surprised myself. But as they say, life is full of surprises and some things happen in a most unexpected way.

How? When? Where? Why?

Well, it was last Friday and I was in the taxi on my way to the airport for my flight home to Philippines. As usual, I have been responsive to the taxi driver as I always have been with taxi drivers here in Singapore who, most of the time, have lots of stories and opinions to say. Most of the time, especially when I am not tired and sleepy, I have always been accomodating to lend them an ear and give my share of the conversation as well. I have observed though that most of the time, the conversation would lead to asking my marital status. And I have always been honest by answering that I am not married, no boyfriend in Singapore, and no boyfriend in the Philippines (yes, I have learned here in Singapore that for a foreigner the "no boyfriend" is not equal to "no boyfriend in your native country also" so you have to clearly emphasize that). I'm not sure really why I have been honest about discussing my being single with taxi drivers here, perhaps because I feel confident that taxi drivers are trustworthy since most are in their 40's and 50's (because here in Singapore you cannot be a taxi driver if you are below 30 years old). So I feel like I am just discussing with my father or my uncle or my grandfather even. Furthermore, I don't feel comfortable being creative again just like a couple of years ago while renewing my driver's license in the Philippines. Also, I am not good at telling lies. So last Friday, the taxi driver was about in his 50's and I thought it was just the usual routine of my marital status discussion, with the taxi driver joking if he could ask me out. At first I still joked back but after trying to divert the conversation to ask about his wife or girlfriend I had a bad feeling that his joke was half meant and he was assessing me if I would give in! I had to immediately retract and told him I actually do have a boyfriend and he had to tell me I lied to him. Thank God that Aoisoba was there for me to talk to on the phone for the rest of drive to the airport.

So from then on, I have decided that I am now engaged to be married. That will be my answer now to taxi drivers and the likes about my marital status. No more being too honest and I don't care anymore if I would sound assuming or what. I just want to save myself from any more encounters like that.

And that, my friends, is the story of my new marital status. I now have a non-existing fiancé who I would be bragging about to strangers who dare ask me about him. I wonder how creative I would be this time. Mwahahahaha.

Career Ghoul

I was thinking of what to write for my entry today. I wanted to write something funny and light. But I could not think of any right now.

I thought I could perhaps write something unusual and relate it to something perceptive, like the three chopsticks I got when I opened the pack for eating my kway teow yesterday. I found it weird and somewhat special that I got three sticks, obviously just one of the rare factory defects, but I could not think of something that makes sense to relate it to.

I thought maybe I could write something about my weekend in the Philippines that has just passed but all I could think of was how I could list down a thousand and one ways that the Manila International Airport operations could be improved.

I wanted to write anything, ANYTHING else, but about my job.

But I have no choice now. My life seemed to be just about my career so well, I guess I have the right to dwell on it. But really, I don't want to write about how frustrated and demotivated I was about what was happening to me at my job. Even if I wanted sympathy, I don't know how to actually explain my situation at my job without sounding like I'm just ranting, because my concerns seem so petty. Although I assure you that being the only Filipino in a multinational company, the only non-French in the team, and working remotely and alone, reading emails, documents and program codes written in French, and using computers that have Operating systems and MS office applications all in French can get really frustrating. When my project manager was transferred to another project last January without a replacement until today, I had to manage myself. It was so difficult, being alone in the battle, with no words of appreciation to motivate me to do my best, with no mentor to guide me, I was lost. It was the last straw for me.

And just when I have decided that my new career goal would be to become a mail-order bride,

just when I was seriously thinking of the possibility of quitting my job and becoming a bum,

just when I was rebelling at work by being "delinquent" by performing at only my minimal,

and just when I was expecting that I will be summoned and reprimanded for being "delinquent" when I was called in for a meeting with our CEO,

I was instead, to my great shock, offered the role of handling the project management administration for the Asia-Pacific offices!

what is this!? is fate teasing me again!?

not fair :(

didn't fate hear me? i said i just wanted to be a mail-order bride.

Let's play some transitivity analogy

Medicine is for curing sickness.

I need laughter.

If laughter is the best medicine,

then I must be sick.

I wish I was good in Biology

As I went off to the train platform to change trains I saw some people surrounding an old man sitting down with his head bowed down. Two train personnels were there, then one man holding the shoulder of the old man, and another man making the old man smell ammonia, and another lady standing by who I think owned the ammonia.

The old man's saliva was drooling from his mouth, his eyes were closed. The first thing that came in to my mind was that the old man was having a stroke. I stood there frozen. I wanted to do something to help but I didn't know what I could do. I was trying to remember the first aid for stroke but I was panicking inside me, I was shouting in my mind for a doctor! Somebody get a doctor please!

I looked around hoping to find someone who would identify himself as a doctor and help. In my mind I was asking if any of the train personnel knows how to do first aide, because they looked like they were as shocked as me. Right then, I wished I was a doctor so I could have the conviction to take over the situation to check on the old man. I asked myself why didn't I become a doctor instead, it'll make me help a lot of people in need and I could help the poor man instead of just standing there watching as the train personnel and one man lift him and sit him on a wheelchair.

Another thing was evident, the old man had nobody with him. He was alone, and his life depended on the strangers who have helped him. I asked myself why was the old man alone and my heart crashed as I saw this preview of my future life, growing old alone and insignificant.

They wheeled him out. I got inside the train trying my best not to cry. I calmed myself and uttered a silent prayer for the old man. I hope it was enough to save his life and mine.

Nah, I don't miss my niece

My cellphone's wallpaper

My laptop's wallpaper

Pictures I still don't want to delete from my digicam

What I bought when I was grocery shopping

What I bought when I was looking for a birthday gift for a friend

What I bought at McDonald's to donate to Ronald McDonald fund

The wallpaper of my office PC in Singapore

The wallpaper of my office PC in Paris








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Yeah, right, I definitely don't miss her, hehehe.


I'm gonna see her again this weekend! woohoo!!!

Amazing Grace by John Newton

Amazing Grace (How sweet the sound)

That sav'd a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears reliev'd;

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snare,

I have already come;

'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease;

I shall profess, within the vail,

A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who call'd me here below,

Will be for ever mine.

Amazed by Amazing Grace

I changed my usual Sunday routine I have been doing for the past few weeks for a change. Instead of attending the 5:30pm mass, I attended the 12:30pm mass and instead of going to the gym, I decided to watch the movie, "Amazing Grace".

After mass, I went to Lido Theater, got my movie ticket and then had lunch while waiting for the start of the movie. A woman shared my table. She is Filipina. As a usual Filipino custom, I said the courtesy line "Kain tayo (Let's eat)" before starting on my pizza.She smiled and as I have expected, she gave the courtesy reply of "Sige, kumain na ko (It's ok, I've eaten.) She told me she had just eaten some bread because she's waiting for her aunt who will treat her for lunch. I learned she was a maid and so was her aunt and that she's just been from her part time job and her aunt was on hers at the moment as well. Thus, I've learned now how this "part-timing" is a usual thing for the maids here because it is what actually makes them earn enough. Now that explains to me how the maids can actually get by with their S$300 monthly salary, this amount is not even enough to cover my monthly expense on rent and utilities. Sunday, which is their off day, they spend doing part time job for people who hire household help on per hour basis, usually about S$10-12 per hour. She said not all employers allow their maids to do part timing, she said she was just lucky that her employers are quite kind. (She is indeed lucky because I know that usually maids here only get one day off per month). She said she was looking for another part time job for the afternoon to have better use of her freetime, rather than spend it just sitting around unproductively. She also told me about witnessing two Filipina maids who used to be friends but then violently quarrelled and pulled each other's hairs in public over a boyfriend who left one for the other. She said having the boyfriend was a big deal, because whoever has the boyfriend will of course have the monetary benefits. (Yes,I understand this very well having witnessed some time of another Filipina who proudly introduced her boyfriend to another Filipina, and told her "Mabait yan, binibigyan ako weekly ng S$20 dollar load (He's kind, he gives me S$20 load every week (for the cellphone credits). She said she's embarrassed for them, because they even quarrelled and spoke in English,which made the other people understand the cause of their fight.

At 3pm I said goodbye to her and I went inside the cinema. I took my seat and looked around. I noticed most of those watching were not locals but European families with children. For a moment I doubted if I was at the correct cinema, I was thinking maybe I was in the one showing the Shrek movie.

It turned out I was at the correct cinema because I found myself restraining from crying throughout the movie and it wasn't easy at all. I realized then where the metaphor of having a lump building in your throat came from, it was the literal feeling when you are at the verge of crying. I have been listening to the song "Amazing Grace" by Jars of Clay for the past weeks and tt has become my morning song as I go to work. When I saw the ad for the movie "Amazing Grace" which says, "Behind the song you love is a story you will never forget", I thought it was the same song, since Jars of Clay is a Christian band and they sing Gospel songs. But I learned that the Amazing Grace song in the movie was the old song from 18th century England, which is still sang up to now in churches, it did sound familiar to me. I learned that this song was by John Newton, who was a captain of a slave ship for many years, until he had a religious transformation and became an evangelical pastor. He has been William Wilberforce's mentor and this movie was about how William Wilberforce devoted his life to abolish African slavery in England. This movie was about how faith, friendship, love and respect for all people made it possible for the world to become a better place, about how not to give up when you know you are fighting for a good cause.

I am so overwhelmed with the beauty of this story that I don't know how I could write the appropriate words to express what I feel. I urge you then to visit the official website and watch the trailers. The website also tells us that William Wilberforce's work is far from finished because modern slavery still happens today and that we can help in abolishing this as well.

As I end my day, may I ask, have you ever experienced when everything that happened seemed like it was meant to happen because everything made sense and seemed interconnected?

I did today.

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Want to know about how you can help abolish modern day slavery? I invite you to visit The Amazing Change website.

Chilis + Wine + Cheese = ?

"Mayaman ako, dahling (I'm rich, darling)"

--Celia Rodriguez*

Can you believe this: me and my chili friends had a wine and cheese party!!!

Yes, you read it right. We had four bottles of wine, some fancy cheese in three kinds and almost 7 hours of conversations about life and everything under the sun. It's unusual but was so fun. I can't help but think if it's because we are becoming more classy or we're becoming old. I can hear Aoisoba saying right now as she read this that it would be more of the latter, hehehe.

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*Celia Rodriguez is an actress/icon from the Philippines popularly known for playing rich, villain socialite roles, that we chilis agree that even if you dress her up in rags in TV or movie to do a role of a beggar, she could just say "Mayaman ako, dahling" and she could still convince you that she's rich . haha. :P

Picture is owned by photographer, Dominique James