leaving on a jet plane

Naaalala nyo pa b yung first time na nakasakay kayo ng eroplane? I still remember mine. :) It was last October 2002, going to Hongkong. Sobrang excited ko nun, it was my first time to leave the country and ride a plane. hehe.

It happened on a semestral break, 4th year college. It was just me and my tatay. Serious bonding ito. :) My father has a meeting in Guangzhou in China, (i'm not sure but i believe that SARS originated in that place). So anyway, my first 'plane experience, masaya! PAL kami sumakay, okey naman yung plane, pretty big. Naalala ko yung take off, hahah, parang Space Shuttle pero mas tame by a notch. So if you like to ride roller coasters, panis ang take off. Yung landing, wala naman masyado dating, magaling mga Pinoy na piloto eh. Naks.

I'm sure a lot have already been to Hongkong and China but I just have to tell my story. Kaya nga ko may blog eh. HongKong consists of 4 islands, i think. The airport was really far from the main Hongkong island. We have to take a bullet train. Mahal ng pamasahe, HK$90 yata. One way lang yun. Tapos sa Kowloon station kami bumaba. Para syang MRT, may card na ipapasok to get out. Our ferry ride to China was around 2 pm. Mga 12 p lang yata, so we ate lunch. Sa McDo kami kumain, most of the food were the same with us. I ordered Chicken Nuggets.

The ferry ride was nauseating. Nakakahilo talaga tapos ang tagal pa. 2 hours. Tapos ang iingay ng mga Chinese (no offense to any Chinese who might stumble upon this), ndi ako makatulog. It hard to visit China, even the hotel receptionist doesn't know how to speak English. And to think that the hotel rates 4 stars. Ewan ko ba. Buti n lang yung bellboy, marunong konting english. Sya yung translator namin, he's taking lessons ata. Yung hotel was in tradional China. There were no malls nearby, wala din fastfood chains.

So we're stuck. Or I'm stuck. At least yung tatay ko busy sa meeting, ako, nabato.We check nearby stores, no luck. I have spend the days (take note) reading two books that I got. I should have brought more. Malay ko ba. Twice ko nga nabasa yung books. The hotel has cable TV, pero chinese pa din. Sobrang saya ko na kapag english ang music video sa channel V. Chaka ang tagaaaaaal ko maligo. The bathroom has a tub so mga 1 hour ako dun. wehehe.

Buti na lang before we went to Hongkong, yung isang officemate ng tatay ko decided to take us out. I was able to visit the downtown, daming malls and hotels na tabi tabi, sana dun n lang kami nagstay. Tapos we ate dinner at this restaurant ( syempre chinese), they always serve tea pala before and after meals chaka they always give warm towelette. In China pala, the currency was RMB, more or less equal din sya sa HK$.

When we went to Hongkong, we're there overnyt lang, sa BP International Hotel kami nagstay. Sa kowloon side sya, andun yung Nathan Road kung san tabi-tabi yung mga stores. Nakapunta din kasi sa jade market. Ang tindi tumawad ng tatay ko, almost 70% off yung hinihingi. May ibang pumapayag, pero kapag buena mano, ayus! Tapos yung Ladies market sobrang daming tinda! Mga 4 blocks ng daan yung ginawang market. Bumili ako nung mini chinese dress na lalagayan ng cellphone. Ang cute!! Chaka we were able to visit the Kowloon Zoo and Aviary. My first time to see a flamingo! wehehe Katabi kasi namin yung aviary kaya namin pinunthan.

So that's my Hongkong experience, I hope to go back next year, around june if money permits. hehe Low season kasi chaka i really want to go to Ocean Park, nainggit ako kay Korina sa Rated K. hehehe

high school high

Last sunday, Oct 10 was Gem's birthday! (Happy Birthday Gemma Mae!) I thought it would just be an ordinary day, but hail hail, Gem texted us, inviting for a small salu-salo. Yipee! So me, Borgy, Eih and Chie met at Mcdo Dasma. We were the only ones available on that time. So we got to Gem's house. Goodness, we haven't been to Gem's for a loooong time.

Meeting high school friends allows you to reminisce about the old days. High school was such a great time for me and my friends. There were so many events that were so memorable. Just thinking about it makes me smile and laugh.

Blind Date. Oh my gosh! 2nd year HS. This was really funny. I remember, this was the time when most of the guys are courting girls in our class. Tambay sa

Waiting Shed. Our group(tropa was the term then), consist of girlash and boylets. haha. Most of the time, us girls would eat lunch at the elementary canteen (coz food was more decent there) and they sell the yummiest pastillas. Promise. I also remember the phase when we'll just eat Tivoli ice cream (Funwich) and have buko juice for lunch. haha. What a group of weirdos. Afterwards, we'll go to the waiting shed ("shade" according to Mark Jerold), the one near the preparatory dept. That was the official tambayan. Those days are really fun. You can see vandalisms on the walls (and floors!) with our names. Our exclusive Christmas exchange gifts are also celebrated there. When there were trouble within the group, that was the place to discuss it. We have tons of pictures taken.

Field trips. "Educational trips" are always a blast! We have them like twice every school year. The trip on Megamall( yes it was educational, wahahaha), was about the latest computers that time. And the one at Los Baños was really fun. We went to the IRRI, discussing the latest tech about rice planting. Afterwards we went hiking to the boiling mud, i forgot the exact term. haha Then a group of us went to hike on the nearest peak, which was so damn far! Ampusa! My feet hurt so bad, it literally was killing me.

Ballroom. This was the rave then. I remember swinging to Swing Out Sister's You On my Mind and Cardigan's New Cocoon. It was really fun although we had to endure long hours practicing the steps at the basketball court.

Balayong Bakery. This was the ultimate tambayan! After class, we go to the Balayong Bakery to buy cheese roll and ice water. We were so mababaw, it mean just eating cheese roll for P1.50 and a P1.00 ice water was enough for us. If we have extra cash, we go looking for the manong selling itlog ng pugo.

High school was definitely fun. We went to school to hang-out, tambay and make friends. Yes, we do study (haleer, we are the Cream of the Crop! Section 1, the Top section, or whatever term you want to call us) but we do know how to have fun. I feel that the friends that you have made in high school will stick for life. Sure we went to different colleges, made new friends, have new responsibilities, but nothing beats the bond that we have made.

when days are nights and nights are days

That sums up my life for 2 months. Working as a technical support engineer for Trend Micro, an antivirus company, is the reason. Transition time happens every two months. That means we get to stay at the day shift for 2 months and 2 months for night shift. Being on the night shift has it's pros and cons.

No traffic going home to Cavite. If you are residing in Cavite and working in Manila, every single day, you will experience the gruesome bumper to bumper at Costal Road, Bacoor and Imus. And I being this weird person that I am gets to do that everyday. hahaha.

Night differential and Taxi allowance. You get more money when one is at the night shift. Night diff, which is roughly 2-2.5k additional every month, is really badly needed nowadays. Then taxi allowance which is P100/day is non-taxable. This goes directly to the bank :)

Less gastos. Why? Because one does not get to have a social life with this kind of schedule. You need to be at the office at 8 pm, can go home at around 5 am. No malls are still open by that time, meaning less gatos.

You feel like weekends are longer. You get this feeling that your weekends are longer compared to when you are at the day shift. I usually get home at 7am on saturdays, sleeps until 12 noon and then spend the remaining hours as I wish. Sundays usually starts by going to mass with the whole family, eating lunch on Tagaytay then go to the cemetery to visit Ate Malou. I can stay late because work the following day does not start until 8 pm.

Now for the CONS:

You're NOT in sync with the rest of the world. There are occasions at night that I may need to attend but can't because I have work.

Missing primetime TV. I'm a self-confessed TV addict. I loooove HBO, AXN and Studio 23 for having great sitcoms and shows. There are many TV shows that I miss because of this schedule. I don't get to watch Sex and the City every Tuesdays anymore as well as Smallville on Thursdays. Good thing most of these shows are already playing reruns. And HBO and AXN replays TV shows on the weekends.

Sleeping Habits. Sleep at night does not compare to the sleep you get in the morning till afternoon. The body clock is not normal and it's hard to adjust on weekends.

These are just of the things that I observe/experience with this kind of work. I know that every job and job schedule has it's own pros and cons. But we don't have a choice, do we? We need to earn to survive.

that cool place

Baguio City has always been a great vacation spot for me. Every year, my entire family will go there (around the 3rd week of December) to experience the coolness of the city. Last December, it was like 8 degrees C, it was really freakin' cold that we even have to buy mittens.

Last August 21 I again went to Baguio City. Just me and Borgy. We are there to celebrate our 7th anniversary. I thought, instead of celebrating our anniversary the same as the last 6 (which starts with buying him a gift, then dining out and watching movie) we could go to somewhere different. At first my plan is just to go to Tagaytay and spend the entire weekend there, since Tagaytay is very accessible. So I already have a plan in mind. That time I'm not expecting borgy to have a plan since he's really busy with the Board Exams Review.

While in the office, I chatted with dear college friends, Tin and Neo, they are also having their anniversary that month. I asked them on how they are going to spend it, they said they are planning on going to a different place. They are thinking about going to Baguio. So they asked me, since we do go to Baguio religiously every year, about where to stay, how is the fare, etc. So I... being a good friend (hahaha), i checked several websites on Baguio hotels and inns. I got the phone number of Victory Liner Pasay, I asked how much is the fare going to Baguio. P350 one way/person. They I also asked about the new Microtel Inn and Suites, I was able to see this hotel last time I went there, and the place was really nice. I called the hotel and I found great news... they have a promo until September. Single and double room are only P1500/night. Complementary breakfast included. So I got myself thinking... We can just to Baguion too! I made reservations under my name and one for Neo and Tin. I made a 2 night reservation coz I think that an overnight stay is just too short.

August was a rainy month, and that time there was even a storm. We were hesistant to proceed with the plan since it was raining non-stop for almost a week. Then came August 21. We were blessed that the storm is over. I forgot to mention that Borgy's mom is also celebrating her birthday that day. We arrived at the bus terminal, around 10 pm, we were able to get into the 10:30 pm ride to Baguio. I realized while traveling that it was really much easier to travel at night. I mean, there was no traffic, few cars were traveling, fewer bus stops. We arrived at Baguio around 3:30 am. It was SOOOO early! I'm thinking that we will be arriving at around 6 in the morning. Our usual Baguio trips are 7-8 hours. There were a couple of taxi drivers giving contact number of different hotels and inns. Before going to Baguio, I was able to find a different inn for half the price. P750 with breakfast. So I also made reservations on that place. It was the Baden Powell Inn. We stay for about half an hour in the Victory Liner terminal, thinking where we will go. Check-in time at most hotels are 2 pm. Around 4 am, I called the B.Powell Inn, I asked if we can avail of the room that I have reserved. The person I talked to said that we can go the inn. So we hailed a taxi, told the driver the name of the inn. After seeing the place, I was really discouraged. The location was at the old terminal, in between countless stalls of sari-sari store. I was thinking, I'm in Baguio for a vacation and this is not the place that I was hoping for. Anyhow, we went inside, met the receptionist. We were told that the P750 room is still occupied, and that we can just stay in a "temp" room waiting for the occupants to go. We decided to check the room, and I did not like it. It was like a dormitory. The hallway was really eerie as well as the rooms. The lady who came with us said that we can check the P1000 room, it was a little nicer compared to the other room but still, I do not like it. We just told the lady that we would like to check some other place.

We hailed a cab, went to Session Road found a hotel. I forgot the name, and unfortunately, it was already packed. I then remembered the Baguio Condotel. So we walked and went there to see if there are any vacancies. The guard on duty took us to the vacant room. The place was nice. I was really pretty, clean and it even has a tiny kitchen. Unfortunately, we cannot afford it. I'm getting cranky and pissed because we don't have a place to stay, we are tired from carrying our heavy bags. I called Microtel Inn checking if we can already check-in. She said that we can only check-in at 2 pm yada yada. Bummer. Mukha kaming kawawa. I was really annoyed with our situation. It was only 6 in the morning , meaning we still have to wait for 8 hours before we can get a place.

We saw an open fast food resto. So just decided to eat an early breakfast. We stayed there for an hour. I want to go to mass, but we are not sure on what time the mass starts so we just stayed at Burnham Park. Sat on the bench and waited.

taking pictures while waiting

Around 7:30, I asked Borgy if we can go to Mass. So we walked until we reached the Baguio Cathedral. We got just in time for the 8 am mass. Afterwards we went to SM Baguio, which was so near to the church. You'll just cross that street and there it is. I was able to go to SM baguio last year but the stalls were not all opened. We then decided to eat our lunch there. I saw a petshop inside the mall. We both love dogs. There were many dogs in the shop but the Siberian Husky and the Sharpei were the ones that I like. Man, these dogs are expensive. The husky costs 20k and the sharpei was 15k.

We took our lunch at Tokyo Tokyo. hehehe. Our favorite fast food place. Ordered the usual Sumo Beef Misono and Yakisoba. Around 12 we decided to proceed to Microtel Inn, thinking that we can just wait for a room to be free from occupants. Take note that we are still carrying our big heavy bags while wandering the city of Baguio. When we got to the hotel, which was really near SM Baguio. I fill-out the necessary information while Borgy was reading the Sunday newspaper. After 5-10 mins, they said our room was ready. Thank God! I now can rest. After a much needed shower, I slept like a baby.

That evening we ate dinner at a local turo-turo down in Session Road near Bayanihan. I thought eating there would be much cheaper, hehehe I was wrong. Anyway after dinner we went to ukay-ukay! Yipee! I was able to buy 3 tops. Borgy was looking for a jacket. Secondhand jackets are still expensive, probably because he was looking for North Face jackets. hahaha When left the ukay ukay, it started raining so hard!

The next day, we went down in the lobby for breakfast. Ang dami naming kinain! The food was really great! We went sight-seeing after. We went to the Wright Park, The Mansion and to Mines View. Later that evening, we went back to SM Baguio to have our dinner. We ate at Don Henrico's. Go there for the Best Lasagna. Then it got so foggy that night. We can hardly see anything.

It was really foggy! 

The next day we prepared to go home. Definitely going to Baguio with Borgy was very fun. It meant a lot to me that we get to spend quality time together. We have tons of fun going to different scenic spots and trying different foods. I just hope that we could go to a different place next. Boracay or Cebu would be really nice.

last minute pictures

I really liked the black and white picture. It's unusual and it feels like it has so much depth in it. I miss Baguio already, I wish we could go back again soon.

borgy

Borgy is the one person that truly knows who I am. 7 years of being with him maybe the reason for that. We first met in the far far place of PCU- Dasma. I took my elementary in that same school and he was a transferee in high school. We are even in the same school service. Before, our house was just one trike away from his.

In our third year in school, we were together. I still remember that time when we would leave flowers and notes in my locker. hahaha We were inseperable then, we were only apart when we eat lunch. Me and my girlfriends always go to another place to eat. We spent junior and senior prom with each other.

It was hard when graduation day came. Imagine being with that person everyday (from home to school to home) and then zilch. We were going to different universities. I'm still in the secluded cavite while he's off to Manila. We have to content ourselves with just seeing each other in weekends. It was tough at first, not seeing each other and meeting different people.

There are times in college that we really want to give up. There were tons of times when I cannot understand him. Insecurities and doubt came, I do not know his new friends and he does not know mine. It was really hard, but somehow we were able to do it.

Forward to 2004. I'm already employed in a good company, TrendMicro as a systems engineer. Last Monday, Sept 13, was his Oath Taking as a Licensed Physical Therapist. He placed 6th in the board exams last August! We were both so thrilled. I was really proud about him and so happy at the same time.

borgy with the seal mascot at ocean adventure

 

the first one

Oh dear. This is my first time to have a blog. hahahaha. I sure hope i know what i am doing. We have a blogsite in the office, but i'm contented to just reading their entries. I dunno what possesses me to create my own one. It's nice to read about what other people are feeling at certain times. Maybe because you can see the deeper side of other people. In a workplace, it is seldom that you get to express your personal thoughts to other persons.

In my elementary and high school days, I remember that I use to have a journal. Mainly because I write entries about my crushes. hahaha. Oh well, I'm sure you also when to that phase. I remember keeping tabs of the specific date and time that I saw my crush or when he talked or smiled to me. I think it all stopped (the journal) when I had my serious relationship. Because I was able to talk to my boyfriend about my thoughts and feelings.

I have tons of things to write about. I just hope i can be able to write it in here. hehehe *wink*