Let's have a cup of coffee

People seems to be particular about their coffee.

In a vending machine, there are like 12 choices for a coffee!? (It's the first time I've seen such)
They're actually of the same brand anyway. Basically it's just differentiating the ff:
coffee: black coffee or white coffee
milk: with or without
sugar: with or without
mild coffee or extra (stronger)
hot or cold

There are also some small button that says:
less ice
less sugar
less milk

I dont know what else are the others, do the math for the number of combinations.

For me, I'm glad there's teh tarik (milk tea) and softdrinks. There's milo too :) Anyway, since it's free, khit ano okay lang. :)

BBQ Pit

The first teambuilding that I attended - BBQ Pit at the Park. It was the first time I helped out in an ihaw-ihaw picnic.

Look at the skewers that I made! Beautiful colors, and synchronized. Wanna have some? :)

Delayed Discovery

Time flies, I've just turned 1month old here yesterday. :)

I discovered something new yesterday, all the while I thought my pc does not have internet access (because I was told so) and I only tried checking mail.yahoo.com and meebo.com before.

The news is.. I can actually access other sites, and my blog as well.:) In short almost all sites except communicator and mails - only those are restricted.

Does anyone know of an alternative for meebo.com? :)

It's Cold

I don't seem to understand why weather is so cold here. Imagine it's April but it rains everyday! Many people in both office and at the house have colds. Unfortunately nahawa rin ata ako.

Yet, I heard it's frieking hot in Manila. Ironic. :)

Misadventures w/ my clothes

The newest booboo...

It's my first time to operate the washing machine after a very long time. After some instructions from a hausmate, how much liquid detergent and softener to put, my first try was a successful one with my office clothes. The clothes smell fresh and there weren't any stains left, I was satisfied with the accomplished task.

The next night I was excited to try it again, this time with my casual clothes. I put in some denim pants and also put my night wears (pajamas) and there was also a white blouse I wore that day in the office. And.. then the misfortune happened... kumupas yun mga maong ko (I dont know why eh ndi naman bagong bili).. and my pajamas got the blue tint.. same with the white blouse. Yeah I know hiwalay dapat ang puti sa de kolor, but I forgot! D*mn it....

Anyway on the brighter side, I was glad I brought enough office clothes with me.. actually MORE than enough hehe. I've been here for 4 weeks now and I'm proud to say hndi pa ako umuulit ng tops! Haha seems like I'm not a good packer for long trips, my humongous maleta of kayamanan has too much clothes and toiletries and cooking mixes and shoes... Not surprising that I was charged for an additional 2.5K php luggage fee in NAIA for exceeding the limit. Hey talk about PAL fares, I was charged 3x the price of a budget airline and the weight limit is still 20Kg! Sobrang late kasi ng flights ng Cebu Pac, and since nagpasundo ako sa friends ko nahiya naman ako kung hatinggabi ko sila paantayin.

Anyone who plans to go to SG for vacation, please bring me some nice pajamas.

Grown-up World

I'll be moving to my own place later in Bishan, the place is 'strategically' situated, meaning walking distance to grocery, food court, wet market, bakery, bus stop, there's also a shopping mall beside Bishan MRT. It's not near my office, but Bishan is 'central', Orchard is a few stops away. Pwede na, just what I needed. :)

Viewing apartment has got me into some funny encounters. I initially looked for one in Clementi area (which is closer to my office), however I somehow ran into very old-styles. Can you imagine the 'squatting CR' types in your own home?! It's what the older parts of China used to have, it's like a digged hole in the ground, there is no toilet bowl. Another funny one, the room looks good enough, pero umayaw ako agad because the co-hausmate is an Indian guy! Guy na nga Indian pa! :) Hindi naman sa racist, I can work with them, but living under the same roof medyo mahirap ata yun. :)

Somehow, this week is also the first time I started to realize the burden of paying bills. After terminating several TDs back in Manila for my roundtrip airfare and pocket money, now it's paying for the rent (which is a big amount!). Net loss! next month pa ako susuweldo hehe.

Also I had my first taste of ironing and doing the laundry. Haay back in Manila, a lot of us have the luxuries of housemaids. Hehe I dont even had to wash my dishes or make my bed back then, ngyon kelangan sariling kayod na. OC pa naman ako, ayoko ng marumi. A friend jokes around saying 'okay pla eh, pagbalik mo pwede ka ng maghousewife' Niak!

Actually probably if there's one thing that will really worry me, it's still the work itself. The other stuff, I think pretty much bearable. Basta crossing my fingers. Whatever happens, make it count. Carpe Diem. :)

Quota Na!

Ganito pla kung maraming free time. :)

I have a lot of great plans. I want to jog in East Coast park during weekends (cute dba!). I'll be going to Church on Sundays. I will start cooking a dish or two once I move in next week.

And oh, it's quite obvious I have soooo many blog entries this week. Nakaquota na! I'm not sure when I'll be able to do so again. :(

Till then! Wish me luck.

Suntec Wish

In my 2nd night in SG, my friend brought me to Suntec City (mall) for dinner. Suntec City's most famous spot is the 'Fountain of Wealth'. It's a big fountain at the rear of the mall which got some light and musical show at certain times of the day. The known practice is that people will throw coins into the fountain and make a wish.

I'm not sure if you can only make wishes related to 'wealth' (since the name of the fountain capitalizes on that). I have another female friend who went there and make a wish that she be granted Canadian visa for her to be able to work in Canada (last 2005), and she did! She left 2006. However somehow this year she regretted because she realizes Canada is not for her, malungkot daw sobra kasi mag-isa cya.

Of course I wouldn't let the opportunity pass. :). Even if it was raining that time, I got some coins out of my wallet, didnt think twice, went nearer and make one crazy wish. Subtle na lng, choices ulit. :)

A) that I'd be able to earn 1M php before going home :p

B) that someone give me a laptop for free :p

C) na sana cya na (kung sino man cya magparamdam na) :p

D) that I get to eat chili crab :p

E) world peace :p

The conversation goes:

Sira mag-ingat ka, bka you'd get what you wish tpos magsisi sa huli, tulad nung sa Canada.

Hindi oks lng.

Magkano ba tinapon mo?

Ayy 10cents or 20cents lang ata.

Naku hndi magkakatotoo yan, damihan mo naman haha. :)

Next time I'd bring more coins and go back to this place, wish lang ng wish hehe.

Light Bulb Moments

I have a new one that I compose just recently: it takes time to realize, give up and move on. :)

We always tend to hold on to something, hoping for something to change. Realizing something is not worth it and eventually giving up... takes time and courage.

I also remembered a lot of remarkable quotes that people have shared with me.
You wont know what you're missing until you find it.

Another said, you wont know what you're missing until you've lost it.

Everything comes with a price tag.

The most effective weapon is the power of shame.

Why consulting is better than outsourcing: because work outsourced is the dirty work thrown away by the company. Consulting work is the type of work they dont know how to handle therefore needs consultation. hehe :)

Food Trip#1

So far the worst that I have tasted is called Kway Chap. (if I remember it correctly)

The dish looks like a typical adobo dish, I saw some hardboiled eggs, pork slices, shitake mushrooms and tofu - which looks pretty much normal. Later on after my first 'subo', mabaho cya, then I realized the tofu used is the 'fermented' tofu again. The stinky tofu that they purposedly spoil and let it ferment by itself - a popular traditional Chinese dish. I've tried those before but just fried ones. Bkit naman ginawang adobo, bumaho yun buong dish?!

For the good ones, hmm I had tasted prawns cooked in a very unique way, beyond description. Also there are dishes cooked with pork floss which taste great. Too bad I wasnt able to capture them with my camera.

If you want cheap steamboat buffet in SG, go to Marina Bay. You can have them at 12SGD, with both the hotpot and teppanyaki style. There's also a specific stall where live crabs and prawns are included in the package.

One day, I'm going to build my own FOOD empire! That's a serious one. :)

Work Pitstop: Joketime?

There was a newhire today in the office who will also be doing almost the same kind of work that I'm doing. ... and I was asked to orient her and give her the detailed list of tasks.

What?! It's just my 3rd week. Hindi ko pa nga sure kung ano dapat kong gawin, tpos ituturo ko pa sa iba. Hehe joke? Cge lang, walang sisihan kung may mali akong maturo. :p

Not So Ordinary

Since I am feeling low (referring to previous entry), I'm in contemplating mood again kung ano pinagkakagawa ko sa buhay ko hehe. I am actually maximizing my internet access as well.

Here goes a few perky things that I've done or I am, I would think they're quite unusual (could be odd, could be rare, could be stupid, could be bold, well it really depends)

1) Quitting this kind of job:
- nobody cares what time I go online or even if I dont, they know I know better and would be keen on my deliverables. (hehe sometimes I abuse it)
- alam na alam ko na ang gagawin ko coz I've been in the last role for 2 years. Not much panic.
- not so much 'real' technical work, yes in 'pampered' environments we can survive with just 'work process' stuff, docu stuff, manage-manage, lead-lead, projects whatever. Even assigning work to others.
- Tangible: free DSL, work from home, car service, laptop, supplemental allowance, use of Gold's gym. Intangible: name of a big company

In exchange for:
- Now having to dig in more technically than b4 (though it's still tolerable in my case and not uber technical)
- Having to learn a whole new system in the shortest time possible by myself.
- Ako ang a-assignan malamang.. hndi ako nag-aassign :)
- Tangible: everything mentioned above is not there hehe

2) Climbing Great Wall in the coldest of days with freezing temperature, that's alone. :)

3) Learning to use ATM just last year. (hehe my sister used to fix all the finances for me, withdraws, does placements, pay bills, etc and the service ceased when she got married). My first attempt of using ATM after a long time: I thought the pin is entered via 'touch screen' as I was literally typing the 4-letter pin in the screen showing the numbers and not the calculator-like object in the ATM machine) I had 2 failed attempts and luckily I was with some friends who corrected me or else the card would be blocked after another failed attempt. (of course it was a laugh trip)

4) Buying a concert ticket when I still dont have a place to stay in SG, geesh isnt it I should be saving for the initial rent deposit?! :)

5) Getting an X for 'Conduct' in Kinder I. Hehe there was a fatso guy seated at my back who kept on pulling me and my seatmate's suspenders (uniform). Hey victim ako, why give me X! :)

6) Tulog-mantika when extremely tired. I was d*mn tired for a 3hour straight CAT 'hanay' in HS. When I got home, I locked all the doors and fell asleep. My mom and sister were 'stranded' outside as normally we dont lock the other door during daytime. They tried knocking, doorbelling, calling the landline but to no avail. They waited for my other sister to go home. My mom thought hinimatay ako.. hehe napasarap lng ang tulog ko. She said ingat daw ako, kahit ata may sunog na or may bumbero ndi ako magigising. :)

7) Pigging out. My highest record is 25+ dimsum orders, with my sister. :)

8) I can remember dialogues, important dates, faces, lessons in school, lyrics, deadlines, but probably not directions (when driving). :) I was penalized several times when I was driving the first few weeks, the worst was the Market-Market one, ayaw magpa-'lagay' ang police so I fetched my license sa kalibliban ng munisipyo ng Taguig for like 1500 php. Liblib talaga na puro damuhan, ang layo sa city area! Cant remember was the offense for counterflow? Bwisit. I badly need a very patient driving instructor when I get back to Manila. hehehe.

9) I thought naubos na ang luha ko. (Sensitive info = not for broad sharing)

10) ...

11) ...

I'll just add some more when I remember them.

Probably if life is a sheet of paper, I just hope mine will be full of colors. Sooo feel ALIVE!, live LIFE! Maganda tayong lahat! :)

I Miss Home

Today is a bad day.

Last night I've been surfing and fiddling with the mp3 player to make it work. I slept almost 3am. This morning when I woke up, it's already 10:20am. Holy Sh*T! I dont know if I set the alarm clock last night or not, or was it something's wrong with it that it didnt ring at 7am.

I'm used to my mom waking me up in the morning, I need a person to wake me up, tulog-baboy eh. Also I've been dining out every meal for almost 3 weeks, I miss the soups that mom cooks for us at home. :(

Hayy buti na rin I wasnt scolded in the office, probably they're quite busy and forgot to notice. I'm quite new and being late is not a good idea at all. This weekend I should be moving to my long-term place already. I'll start cooking and make some soups for myself then.

Working in SG!

For IT people who are considering to work in SG, here are some tips.

Hunting: Post in jobstreet, jobsdb and monster. Check for agent contacts.

Resume: If you're given the job description, tailor-fit your resume to suit the reqts, you have to pass the screening at the very least to earn a phone interview

Interview: they normally hire people outside SG for their technical skills. For those working in pampered environments, unfortunately the bibo skills in managing, leading is not that 'mabenta'. Usually 1-2 rounds, max of 3 rounds would be enough.

General types of IT work:
Project Managers - there are technical PMs and process PMs (usually the PMP-certified). For both, the minimum requirement usually is at least 8 year work experience. PM job here is not the pampered type in Phil, here you managed resources, budget, timelines of a project but remember culture is different - mostly Indians, Filipinos, locals, etc. PMs I know here are usually 'puno sa konsumisyon', mahirap pasunurin mga tao lalo na ang Indians. :)
Business Analysts - Minimum requirement again is at least 5 year exposure to a specific industry. Most mabenta are: banking, insurance.
Quality Assurance - Process QA, testing QA, documentation. You have to know several in-demand languages, most common of which are SAP, Peoplesoft, Informatica, Cognos, Datastage, Java, etc. Unix and Oracle have become baselines.
Developers - programmers. Same as the statement in QA.
Others - sometimes you get some systems analyst roles, support roles, but they are not as common as the 4 ones stated above.

Job types:
Contractual - 80% of the time. Check the terms if you terminate a contract. Usual bond is 1 year and if you fail to finish it, sometimes they'll require you to be working for free for 1 month or 2 months (notice period). And oh, we're talking KKs pesos going to charity here.
Permanent - 20% of the time. But they say you can haggle more in a contractual position (however you have to take the risks that they can also terminate you once a project finishes, by then you will only have 14 days to find a replacement job, or else you have to go back to Manila)

Pay:
Normally you'd be given an offer based on your years of working experience.
Average monthly expense is roughly 1500SGD (kasama na gimiks yun 1.5K, kung ndi ka magastos 1 or 1.2K should be fine), so dont go lower than 2500SGD at the very least. Usual range is 3K-4KSGD. You can also go as high as 5.5K (extremes), depends probably on your skillset and your bargaining skills.
Tax - in my case is initially 15%. After 6 months it will go down to 7%. Most of the time you have to file your own tax. So you get the whole amount every month.

Watchouts and Horror Stories:
Almost no training and orientation whatsoever. Remember, they hire you for your skills so they expect you to know everything (which is kinda crazy.). In my case, I was told on Day2 to QA a project that will be released on Day4 to user environment! Hehe buti na lng may tumulong sa kin, dasalan na lng ito. :) So far I only encountered this one.

Below are horror stories shared by some friends:
You actually have to have an employment pass to be able to work in SG, and this is tied to your employer. If you plan to quit your present job but your employer or sometimes your agent (contractual) does not want you to quit, iipitin ka nila. If they wont release your EP, there's no way you can work for another company because you have to surrender your old EP to process a new EP. (But there's a new PEP coming up meaning Personal employment pass, which is not tied to a certain employer anymore).

They say people here are generally workoholic, uptight, unforgiving. Different races have different work habits. Even if you've tried working with different races for multinationals in Phil, somehow there's still a huge difference.
A friend related sort of pinapahiya ng boss (Indian/local) everytime whether he does or does not commit a mistake. He was told to resign dahil they dont need his service. Another one related pinapagalitan na cya during his first week, even for small reasons like coming late to office.

Another one told me he dislikes attending meetings, para bang parati cyang sinusubukan kung may alam cya sa ginagawa nya.

One said the Indians wont listen to instructions given out, they sabotage your plans.

Anyway, still look at the bright side. 3 things probably to look forward to.
Saving is easier.
Learn a lot in life and work
Work-life balance. In my case, I arrive 930am, lunch break 11:30-2pm (they have long lunch breaks), then leave before 7pm. Latest probably is 730pm.

What to Expect in SG!

Here are some of the things you need to know if you plan to stay in SG:

Weather:
Everyday is moderately cool. Sometimes it rains, but no strong winds or typhoons whatsoever. The sun sets very late, it's normal to see sunlight even after 7pm.

Transportation:
MRT - most convenient, a lot of stops has a mall beside it. The more famous lines are the Red line (where Orchard is), Green line (most of the offices are in this line), the Purple line (going to Sentosa)
Bus -good airconditioning system. They have this button in several poles for you to push if you want to alight. Be sure to tap in and tap out your Ezlink card, or else you'd be charged the whole trip.
Taxi - very safe. Though fares can go double after 12midnyt.
Get an Easylink card, it can be used for both MRT and buses, (I think even taxis).
Dont eat inside an MRT or bus, you'll be penalized!

Food:
Hawker - is everywhere. The cheapest option. Each meal would cost you 2-5SGD. The most common of course is the Hainanese or Roasted Chicken rice, Asado rice.
Food Court - all malls have food courts, around 4-8SGD
Restaurant - all set meals will definitely go higher than 7SGD, averaging 10+ to 20+.
Types of food: Chinese, Indian, Malay
By default: usually they will put sauce on top of your rice. (which I prefer hehe) But I always just order 2 dishes (meat+veggie) for rice toppings, so if you order 3 dishes they're also going to pour the each type of sauce all over and it's not so desirable to see/taste sauces overlapping.
Take-out is take away or ta pao. Dine-in is for here or having here/eating here.
There is no tissue provided, bring your own.

Rental:
HDB - government owned, averaging 400-600SGD per room. A whole unit with 3 bedrooms would cost 2K.
Condo - averaging 500-800SGD per room.
All rental fees either HDB or condo have been rising since last November.
All units for both HDB and condo are furnished (most of the time), there should be a washing machine, sala, beds, closets, some tables and chairs, aircon, water heater, sometimes even TV. If none, negotiate for one.
When you start renting, the rule is expect to pay 1month advance+1month deposit + additional 50% of the monthly deposit for your agent's fee. Assuming it's a 3bedroom condo worth 2K for a 1yr contract, each person will be shelling out (2500*2.5)/3 = 2084SGD per pax. It's on contract basis usually tied for a year or 2 years.
It's not so easy to move out, the ethical rule is that you find your own replacement. Your housemates wont be paying for your share.
As much as possible choose housemates of the same race, for convenience, less adjustments.
Normally, no maids, so do your own chores, laundry, ironing, cleaning and cooking.

Shopping:
Orchard - huge chain of malls
Bugis or Chinatown - for tiangges
Bargaining is not 'in', pirated stuff are not allowed.

Race: (roughly)
50% local Singaporeans
30% Indians
20% Filipinos+Malays+Chinese(Mainland)+etc.

Culture/Traditions:
Disciplined, no singitan in queues.
The elders are called 'uncles' and 'aunties' (for tindera, drivers, etc)
Singlish (singaporean english) - 'can can'.. they like that expression meaning 'pwede'.

Cost of living:
Food and Transpo: Low
Rent: High
Pampering stuff: High as well! Cheapest haircut sa tabi-tabi by unknown barbero is 10SGD. A facial or spa will cost 80-100SGD. Dental check-up or tooth extraction, medical consultation - at least 50SGD.
For your 'start-up cost', bring enough money to tide you over your first month. 50K php should be more than enough. If you can stay in a friend's house, then 20-30K probably should be fine.

Hope this helps!

P.S. I'll write another one about work.

HK Movies Rewind

During my stay in the hotel, an 80's HK movie was being shown in TV. Watching it somehow brings back a lot of good old memories.

The title is 'The Story of Ah Lang', starring Chow Yun Fat and Sylvia Chang. Chow Yun Fat is a racer, a typical poor 'tambay sa kanto' who then had an affair with Sylvia, a rich girl. They bore a child, got separated because of the Yun Fat's infidelity and alcoholism . Sylvia thought her child was dead and with much suffering from her relationship with Yun Fat, she left and was sent to the States by her parents. They met again in the future because of their child. The ending is very much saddening, Yun Fat wanted to start a new life and to earn big money so that he could win back his family. He went back to racing, and he died in the race due to collision. The ending song is one of the saddest one that I've ever heard.

The movie inspired me to recall all those great 80's and 90's HK movies that I've watched. :) Thanks to VHS and Star Mandarin Channel 38. (Btw, bkit nawala na ata yun channel na yun)

CHOW YUN FAT'S
Fun, Luck & Tycoon
-- Chow Yun Fat is a tycoon who wants to lead a simple life and to escape her mother's arranged marriage for him. He applied for a job in the restaurant as waiter and there he met Sylvia and for the first time he realized what love is.

God of Gamblers
-- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3... I cant remember the exact plot. But I'm sure they're all interesting cause I enjoy watching such themes, something that stimulates my pusoydos and mahjong prowess. :)

Once a Thief
-- Chow Yun Fat, Leslie Cheung and the girl are all trained thieves, they steal expensive stuffs like paintings. It's a bit similar to Entrapment. One of the famous scenes of this movie is the part wherein Yun Fat (in his wheelchair) dances with the girl in a cocktail party.

Promdi (I cant remember the title)
- Chow Yun Fat is a promdi from the province who is then sent to Anita Mui, a professional image builder. Anita needs to transform Yun Fat from a promdi to a rich playboy style. The movie is a hilarious one.


STEPHEN CHOW's
God of Cookery
-- Stephen Chow is a well-known cook, some competition stuffs. His leading lady is a killer one!, funny to the max, the chop-chop scene, matching sticking out of tongue and her funny theme song.

Hail the Judge (Pao Ching Tian )
-- Stephen Chow is the famous Pao Ching Tian judge who defends the poor to bring back justice. He helped Zhang Min who was accused of murder and adultery.


ANDY LAU's
Dance with the Dragon
-- Andy Lau was a famous HK tycoon who was pushed down his yacht by his date. When he reached the shoreline, it was some province borderlining HK/China, so he was captivated for illegal entry. Zhang Min's family adopted him and hired him as helper and named him 'Ta Lu Chi'. He then fell in love with Zhang Min without her knowing that he is a rich guy.


ASSORTED:
City Hunter
- my favorite movie of Jacky Chan. Most remembered scenes are the Street Fighter mimics.

Future Cops
- probably my most favorite :). Starring a lot of famous artists, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Ekin Cheng, etc. Andy's partner is also one of my favorite female artists then (i dont know her name). The story was about Future Cops from who travelled via time machine to save a judge. The judge was still a teenager then. Most remembered scenes are again Street Fighter stuffs, and oh Jacky Cheung's broomish hair.

Shaolin Popeye
- starring none other than Jimmy Lin (crush!). It was about Jimmy's little brother who got lost and was adopted by Shaolin monks. Jimmy went to find him and later on learned a few kung fu. By the way, thanks to Jimmy. Probably he was one of the reasons that made me wanted to learn Mandarin that time hehe, which got me to the level that I have now. (I'm not an expert though, but basic - I can handle) :)

Chinese Ghost Story
- starring Leslie Cheung and Joey Wang. Part 1, part 2, part 3... all of them talks about the love affair of Xiao Chien a female ghost played by the beautiful Joey, and Leslie who is a monk? (disciple of some sort).

Happy Ghost 1,2,3,4.. and so on
- Raymond Wong's funny antics of how a friendly ghost from the olden times came into modern age and fools around while helping people.

Once upon a time in China 1,2,3...and so on
- Jet Li's portrayal of a kung fu master, a sort of Robin Hood chinese version.

P.S. If I miss out any other famous HK movies, feel free to share!

Doggies

I'm living in my friend's condo for the mean time. Sharing some images of their cute doggies. One of them (the dark one) seems to be hiyang with me, mahilig magpacuddle at magpahimas.

Admirable Courage!

Last week I met up with a HS friend. I knew her for quite some time, she epitomizes a strong woman, a go-getter. I remembered she told me in HS that she dreams of working in Singapore, and she did. She was here since last February I think. She was into SAP.

What really struck me in her kwentos is her revelation on her lovelife. She confided with me her encounter with a college friend. Day by day, she began to like the guy more and more. The guy was a typical, I would say 'free-spirited' based on her narration, the type who's not really into relationships, probably just companionship is the more appropriate term. They were close and kept in touch after graduation. She said she couldnt take it anymore, her exact words were 'I want to get it out of my system, I want to tell the guy straight in front of his face that i like him, even if it will cost our friendship. I could only take him as a partner, not a friend. I dont really care what he thinks of me afterwards'

It happened, she told him 'I really like you'. The guy was shocked (as expected).. and answered with a long and careful unoffensive reply accdg to her, bottomline is 'I'm not ready'. The guy didnt contact her for 6 months but after that they become close again. Afterwards the girl left for SG, she thought she could move on, but whenever she visits Philippines, they would meet and she feels all the more hurt, in short parang walang nangyari.

My point of view is that the guy is not interested. I asked her to take things easily and dont expect too much. That's all that I can say. Indirectly, the guy is making her miserable. I could see her teary-eyed, I feel for her.

She asked me 'ikaw anong hanap mo'. I answered, 'someone to share life with' (hehe lalim). Then she related how she felt that they were sort of a perfect jive together. That she could move on only if the guy gets a gf or she finds a better guy. Hmm sad.

Probably I could relate to her story. But I would NEVER have the guts to do what she did, though I wish I could hehe. Isnt it hard to risk everything out? 'Even if it will cost our friendship, okay lng, I could only take him as a partner, nothing less'... Shucks admirable courage!

Jolin

During the Holy Week vacation, to avoid the loneliness of shutting myself in the hotel room, I decided to watch a concert in the Indoor Stadium. Yes it's a Chinese pop star. :) (Fine, GI na kung GI hehe)

Overall, the concert is worth it. The nice songs, the different dance moves. Malambot ang katawan talaga.

Jolin Tsai, 27 years old, has a track record of top grosser hit charts in Asia. She's probably the most famous singer in Taiwan. I find her voice pleasant and striking, she started with mellow love songs and later branched out to her dancing career. Watch her moves, try to download her MVs in limewire or youtube. :)

Probably there are just 2 Taiwan pop stars that could get me shell out money from my own pocket to watch a concert. One is Jolin and the other is Jay. Jay I would say is a very talented composer, his voice is more of R&B style and modern. He composes his own songs and directs his music videos. They actually make a good pair. :)

First Impressions

In my first 2 weeks, so many things happened. I will just concentrate on non-work stuff for the mean time. (Separate article for work related) :)

I was able to meet with some close friends, bonded, kain-kain, libot-libot. Life has been kind to me, so far still doing good.

Funny thing is that in like a day or two, I was approached for like 3 times and asked for directions. :) Naku wala rin akong alam masyado, dont ask me. Usually these are elderly people who knows Mandarin but not much on English. My, I could only think of 3 theories, either
A) I look pleasantly approachable and helpful :p
B) I look genius and multi-lingual (not all local Singaporeans can speak Mandarin actually)
C) I resemble the charateristics of a local. Pero teka isnt it local = hipon??



Of course I would insist it's the first theory. :) Basta hindi 3rd hehe! What do you think?

In fairness, i like this picture, natural. :) Mukha bang local? Okay lng pero wag namang hipon!!! :p





Another funny thing, I actually have 2 other co-ex-HP employees in the client bank I'm assigned to. One is a teammate and the other actually started with me almost the same time in P&G as he related, but I dont know him personally because he works in the Ortigas office. Nakakatawa, this person's initial reaction when he heard I'd be working in SG is that 'ha, si Leslie Wong? mabango naman pangalan nyan sa HP ah, bkit nagresign, dba bibo kid yun'. Hahaha grabe it made me conscious and curious, uy sikat ako biro mo pati SMPC may kilala pala sa kin hahaha (babaw lng naman kaligayahan ko hehe) Honestly, i dont know what impression do people have on me. Bibo kid? naku hndi, tahimik nga ako eh. Probably if I was really a bibo kid and thrive on sipsipan, I might not have resigned. On the serious side, at the end of the day, I do wish that people will remember me with positive thoughts.

Okay the last one, hmm last Sunday I met up with my HS barkada and his friend in NUS MBA. Grabe gay pla si MBA hehe. I think somehow mabilis kausap ang gays so we bonded easily, and later on we're already talking about life and boyz as well hehe. He was telling me, 'hey lam mo may kaboses kang artista, or the way you speak'. Finally he blurted out one of the names below:
A) Kris Aquino
B) Ruffa Mae Quinto
C) Kim Chiu aka poknat
hehehe okay whatever the answer is, think of the positive side, at least may star quality! :p

Nahihilig ata ako sa multiple choice ah.. exploring different styles of writing. Adding spice.

The same hirit was a familiar one, I remembered going to Payatas in my college years for an outreach program. (yes Payatas, you heard me right, matapang talaga ang amoy ng basura dun). One kid approached me and said 'uy ate, parang nakikita kita sa TV pero ndi ko maalala kung sino, parang asa news'. Korina Sanchez was the first name at the back of my mind. When the kid left, my orgmate answered, malamang si Doris Brigorna. Hehe mean!

O cya enough of my blabbers.

Cheap Food

I must post this before I forget.

I tried this resto just beside the new place we moved to in Binondo, it's called Xiao Chuen Yuan. Okay, dont expect ambiance. Pero ang galing, lutong-bahay cya, authentic Chinese cuisine, and everything's darn cheap but fresh.

I treated out 3 friends in my HS despidida. We had the following for our lunch:
Oyster Cake
Steamed Ginger Squid
Saute Beef Slices
Pork Adobo with Tofu
Saute Pork Liver
Pancit Canton (w/c i had to take out because we werent able to touch it anymore, we're so full)
Rice and extra rice (by the way, lalaki sila)
Drinks

And total bill just made me poorer by P850! Can't believe it.

It's the Last Time

After all the despididas and goodbyes, I feel moved by the sincerity of people who really cared. The encouraging words, the well wishes, everything finally ended last Mar 25 Sun, thank you sa lahat.

I really didnt expect myself to be this 'dramatic'. After bidding gudbyes to my mom and sisters in the parking lot, tears poured again. All the more in the airport when I was waiting to board the plane, grabe tagaktak luha, it just literally pours down I dont know why. Nahihiya na ako kasi I have a feeling na yun katabi kong mga babae (i would guess domestic helpers going to SG) naawa na ata sa akin. Feeling cguro nila, naku bka may iniwan cgurong tong asawa at sanggol. :)

Looking back, i think somehow everyone (who has a heart) would be striken by weakness attacks in a situation wherein there is uncertainty. It's the first time I'm boarding a flight that I dont know when I'll be returning back home. There is a level of fear and insecurity within. I hope this starts to mellow down eventually. No more tears but only smiles in the coming days! Help me God.

Last Few Glimpses at Work

Probably it's true that it's hardest to quit a first job, especially for one that you stayed for quite a long time. (just like a relationship? :p)

Sharing 2 images below:
My last online ST window! haha you wont see wong.l.7 online anymore (w/c makes me curious who are those 6 people with wong.l before me?!- is it a common initial, anyway am4487 signing off)

This was taken on my last day in office with some of my teammates, Mar 23, 2007 Friday. My goodness, my eyes were so PUFFY the whole week (nasobrahan sa iyak, oopps tama na yan hehe)

Some of my fondest memories and challenges:

- resiting of work

- most toxic moment: handling 9 projects at the same time when my teammate went on maternity leave. that's roughy 2.5FTE I think.

- quarterly rewards thingy, i'm gonna miss organizing site LTss. :)

- the dm cal and the CI program.

- one of the fortunate few to have tried different roles/teams (within the same bundle nga lng). FTS,DQ,GPOS Asia & Legacy, SI QA. :)

Hmm cge pwede na grumaduate! :)