bondat

At the rate I am going, bachoy na ako by the time darating ako sa Manila. hahaha

Since dumating ako dito sa Sharjah, wala kaming ginawa kung di kumain ng kumain ng kumain. Hahaha. Diet na lang ako after January 10.

Frustrating

You know what's frustrating? Setting your mind to shoe shopping and having only one pair to show for it. hahaha

Frustrating is going into a shoe store, finding a pair you really, really love and then having the sales person telling you that they don't have it in your size. huhuhu. Nangyari n yun sa akin before. Nung nasa US ako, nahigh ako nung pumasok sa isang shoe warehouse store. only to realize that they only have a few pairs in my size, at ung mga d ko gusto pa. huhuhu. Hirap talaga if you love shoes and you have small feet like mine.

Oh well, siguro i just have to go back to the outlet store before i leave para makabili ako ng ibang pairs. After all, my goal for this trip to buy at three to four pairs of shoes. hahaha

What's on the agenda?

It's 330pm, i just had lunch and i am super sleepy (hahaha babi si ako), but i have to write a post. Syempre ayaw kong matalo sa challenge. It's only the second day after all.

I really meant to write down my 2009 list, but i still can't. I have been staring at the screen for an hour but the most i can come up with is just one lousy paragraph. hay, ano ba ito, hirap naman pilitin ang sarili mag sulat. I wonder how the columnist does it. I mean they have to come up with an article on a regular basis. Do they have several articles drafted? Where do they get thier inspiration from? What is there to talk about aside from politics, love and rants?

Is there someone out there interested in your point of view? Will he be affected by something you wrote? What if, without you knowing it, you changed a person's view on life or love or on politics?

It is often said that journalist should write with an objective eye. But can it really be done? Or is the writing style clouded by his view on life, his prejudices? Can two different journalist give a diffrent spin on one story? Which story is the correct version of the facts? Whose agenda will be on the table?

an update?

Wow, i can't believe he actually took up the challenge. He did update his blog and it's now my turn to update mine.

Hmmm kaso lang madaya un, may mga draft blogs na sya, so it's easier for him to post new updates. I, on the other hand, have to resort to inspiration or depen on my mood. But I guess, it is a good way to force myself to write things down. I kinda miss it.

I was going to post my annual "hello, good bye" piece. But i will save that for later kc naunahan na nya ako dun. What to write? hmmm, ano ginawa ko lately? ano nabasa ko? na realize ko? Wala akong maisip. This is harder than I thought it. hahaha.

So ano gawa ko today? Well aside from updating this blog, chatting with a friend, and reading the news on line, I am also watching an indian film. O diba, some kinda multi-tasking. hahaha kasya siguro ang short ng attention span ko.

Grabe nga eh, kung noon i could read a whole novel in one sitting. Now, i just cant. (well, unless it's a children's book or a business book). There are several half read books on my bedside table which i meant to finish but actually cant. hahaha. Na bore n ako halfway through the book. Hahaha bad annie. Siguro dapat gawin kong resolution is to actually finish reading one book a month, that would eventually be one book a week. hahaha.

2009 is shaping out to be a year of sheer will power. A goal to update the blog. A goal to actually finish reading one book a month. Ano pa kaya ang magandang goal? To look at the present and future more than holding on to the past?

Proof

If this is a contest, my friend would win hands down. He has started his blog a few days ago and is updating it frequently. Ako? well, i haven't updated my on line journal in a while. tsk tsk. Well, competition is a good motivation. hahaha.

I am now motivated to update this blog. For every blog that he updates, i need to update my blog too. How's that for competition.

This entry is proof enough. Although this is not an update on my life, it is in a way an update on my thoughts. :)

Ayan ha, may update na ako sa blog ko. More updates to come.

work + vacation

work + vacation is like oil and water. Dapat di talaga pinag sasama!

Moving to a new nest

In a month or two, i will be moving to a new nest. :) I have been looking forward to this move since January and hopefully, I will be spending my remaining "ber" months in the new dig. 

What does this mean to me? I can decorate my own pad. Buy my own stuff. Be closer to the office. But what it really means - GOOD BYE MRT RIDES! yahoo! Good bye rude passengers and hot, stuffy coaches. Good bye traffic. HELLO being home 5 minutes after I leave the office. 

Hermit mode

I have been staring at the screen for a while, not knowing what to write nor how to start. I know i have lots of things to unload, lots of stuff to do, things to reflect on, but somehow, i cant get my thoughts onto paper (or in this case, cyberspace).

Rebaselined goals part 2

I decided to rebaseline my 2008 goals for 2 reasons:

• One, I want to have clarity on what i really want, really need and how to get them
• Two, give myself enough time to achieve them

There really is no use to cry over things that went wrong, or what we have time. It's time to move on, learn from them and pray that things will work out for the better. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger right?

It's time to start counting the blessings that came and letting go of the negative... So what do i have to be thankful for?

My Family
I am thankful for having such a loving and supportive family. They thought me the concept of sharing (try sharing stuff with 5 other siblings and 5 cousins), how to decide on our own, how to be responsible for our decisions and most of all, they thought me about life. I saw love (romantic love, love for family and love for community) through the eyes of my parents. I pray that as i get older, I can achieve even half of what they have achieved. We might not always see eye to eye on things, but in the end we are always there for each other.

My Friends
They say that you never meet anyone by chance, there is always a reason for them to be in your life. I am very thankful that in this journey called life, i found these people: My elementary / HS friends, my college friends (trumba, kailan tayo magkukumpleto? Miss ko na ang sunday brunch natin!), my MBA friends and those i met at work and through friends. These are my true friends, friends who have been with me through thick and thin. They know me inside out (hey, they may even know some secrets my family dont know). Salamat sa inyong walang sawang pag tiatyaga sa aking kalokohan, sa aking moodyness at sa walang kamatayang appetite for food.

My Company
I am thankful for having such a wonderful company to work with. Although i might rant about the stress and workload i have, I still find it fullfilling to work there. My grey matters are working and I get to work with great individuals. My next goal here: take some trainings to expand my technical and leadership skills, learn to be more patient with people I work with and have that work - life balance. Promotion by end of the fiscal year will be achievable since i intend to talk to my mentor as often as i can, clarify what is needed and of course, exceeding expectations. Goal setting is crucial, that and being open to changes and being "visible" to people that matters.

Life, Love and Career
Other things that i am thankful for:

• Good health - I may not be the healthiest or the most athletic person there is, but i am thankful that i did not have 1 sick day this year. Health bonus here i come!
• Travel - athough i only go to travel to Hong Kong this year, at least i was able to take some time off to be with friends. Hopefully, I will be able to visit LA, Las Vegas, Chicago, Sydney, Paris, London, and Singapore soon. Dapat at least one travel a year ha! (have to get that travel savings starting)
• Meeting new people - I am thankful that i have met some new and interesting people lately. It have been a while since i had intelligent conversation with someone and i am really thankful that last week, i got to talk to one witty person. I am looking forward to having more meaningful conversations with him.
  
• Having a roof under my head - although i am having problems with the condo, i am still thankful that we still have means to pay for it. I am looking forward to moving in and decorating my own pad before the end of the year (that and not having to take the MRT in going home).
• Keeping my goal of having x amount in my eggnest - For months to go, and hopefully i will still have enough time to achieve my goal amount. Hey i might not have millions, but i know that i will have it in a couple of years.

Now what i really need is to have that plus one in glenda and bong's wedding on July 4, 2009. Sabi nga ng fairygod mother sa Cinderella, "Impossible things happen everyday", Who knows, maybe, just maybe i might still have that whirlwind romance before the end of the year (o walang cocontra ha!).

Tired

While a four day work week gives you time to recharge or take an extended holiday / trip out of town, it will also give you four busy work days.

I am drowning in all the reports i have to generate for the week, plus report for the month, but i also have to come up with a better reporting tool for metrics, learn some additional skills in excel all by my lonesome and attend meetings. Hay kapuy! Kulang ang mga araw.

Dont get me wrong, i would rather be busy than twiddle my thumbs all day. Hahaha. At least my grey cells are working.

Work is not the problem, it's getting to and from work that is! Umaga pa lang maaasar ka na sa kakahintay ng FX at traffic sa EDSA. :( Mafrufrustrate ka lang sa walang disiplinang drivers (especially bus drivers) at commuters.

Sa gabi naman, sobrang daming tao sa MRT. Hay, mga bastos pa ang mga commuters. Now if they make the train intervals a little closer (say 3 minutes), d siguro dadami ang tao sa platform. Ang solution siguro, add more trains, and closer arrival intervals.

Hay Kapuy!

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I am also tired of waiting.

Tired of waiting for the ball to drop - waiting for that one call or email or ym or even that one encounter

Tired of waiting for other people to make their move.

Tired of promises that people dont keep.

Tired of doing the same thing over and over again.

Tired of trying to live up to expectations

Basta tired na. What i want now is a new phase - a new person, or thing or something that will shake my world. Ilang months na lang at 2009 na. Dapat may mangyaring maganda soon!

Rebased goals

It's already August and still only met about 20% of my 2008 goals. I guess it is time to rebaseline this year's goals. bwhahaha. Para di naman mamula ang aking targets or ang aking "life project plan".

land far far away

i sometimes wish that i am in a land far far away.

yung bang somewhere that you don't know anyone and no one knows you. Malayo sa lahat pero di naman sa isang isolated island. Di ko feel mag survivor, pero feel kong mag temptation island. hahahaa.

What i really want is to have some time for myself, a place to think, a place to be myself without the constrants of who ever or what ever, a place to find who i can really be. Minsan kc feel ko nasasakal na ako, and i just want my own personal space. Pero parang mahirap maintindian ng iba.

Tama nga ang isang friend ko, sometimes you need to get out to find yourself...I do hope i get to have that opportunity soon. I really, really miss the last 3 months of 2007. Those were happy times.

Boring

All work and no play makes my life BORING!

time to take some action and party or better yet, plan another vacation. :) now if only i have the money to go to that one place i want to return to. Hay, miss ko na sobra yun, I could actually relocate and live there.

embracing my curls

I had my hair cut last sunday and now embracing my curls. :) Time for a new look. Next up, hair color

firefox v3

I just downloaded the newest version of mozilla firefox and i love it! Ang bilis mag load ng mga pages at pwede mo pang icustomize. :)

back to work

It's back to work for me. Bitin nga ang bakasyon, para bang i need a vacation to get over this vacation. hahaha

Actually, i was not really off work while i was in HK. I was still checking my emails, doing reports till the wee hours of the morning but i was able to balance vacationing and work. :) Spent 1 whole day in Disney with friends and had bonding moments too. Not bad for a 5 day working vacation. :)

dole out society?

I read today that GMA has a new initiative called "Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino". It aims to give the "poorest of the poor" a subsidy of 500php per month. In addition to this, the government will also give 300php per child, for a maximum of 3 children per family. So in a family of 5, each will recieve a total of 1,400php a month.

Government will be giving this to 300,000 families in 20 of the poorest provinces in the country. You do the math..1,400 x 300,000 x 20 x 12 months. How much will it cost the government? Where will they get the money to finance this? syempre from taxes... taxes that we pay!

Dont get me wrong, pero hello, if you really want to help the poor, di ba you should give them livelihood? Eh eto, they are given 1,400.00 per month, simply because... hay, and tell, me, kung bibigayan mo ba sila ng pera, would this encourage them to work or look for work or just depend on government to help them?

Pilipinas kong mahal?

Have you seen the posters and tarpulins with the slogan "Pilipinas kong mahal"? That poster raises a lot of questions, namely:

How do you show respect for the Philippine flag?

Tama bang mag lagay ng poster ng flag na malapit na sa floor? If the flag is in the form of a poster, ok lang bang ilagay ito sa floor? Pwede ba itong gawing pamaypay?

Do you really love the country or are you willing to give up your citizenship?

Mahal mo nga ba ang Pilipinas or Mahal manatili sa Pinas?

Mahal mo ba ang Pilipinas dahil ito ang bansa mo or Mahal mo sya dahil marami kang makukurarot?

Do we have a sense of country? Tama bang i move ang independence day celebration to the Monday nearest it (like this year, instead na sa June 12 ang holiday, magiging June 9)?

long delayed

I needed to do this... hit the delete botton and erase everything that is in the past. It should have been long buried. Dead.

My clothes are shrinking! (aka I am getting fatter)

I can feel it. I am getting fatter every day. My pants are getting "smaller". My clothes are "shrinking". My left thigh is constantly saying hello to my right thigh. And i blame it all on my project and project mates. Bwhahaha

For the past weeks, wala n yata kaming ginagawa kung di kumain ng kumain. Nung una ay "kotong" kami ng "kotong" (i.e. forced donations) sa mga TLs (hmmm di naman ako police or politician in my former life. bwhaahaha) para may merienda ang team. Ngayon ay may common fund na kami for our bi-monthly pig out. Ang problema dito, instead of bi-monthly, nagiging weekly na or even daily ang mga merienda.

Just this week, may pizza, burger, tuna and egg sandwich. Tapos for breakfast, ayun, palaging Mcdo. Hay, samahan pa ng coke at chips. tsk tsk. Sa bedroom ko, ang nasa bedside table ko aside from the laptop and books are chocochip cookies and LOTS of dark chocolate bars. bwahahaha. Di kaya mag rereklamo ang mga doctor at nutritionist sa akin?

Pano ang sarap kumain. mas masarap kung nasasabayan ng ice cold coke, tapos for dessert, yum yum kung cake or ice cream or better yet, a piece of rich dark chocolate bar. bwahahaha

Pero since lumiliit na nga ang mga damit ko, at ayaw kong bumili muna ng bagong outfit, cge na nga, try ko to eat less... or better yet, eat healthy and sensibly na nga. Hay, i wonder how this would last. knowing me, siguro 1 day lang. I can hear the chocolates calling my name.

Mr. Big, where are you?

If you are avid fans of "Sex and the City", you would surely know who Mr. Big is. Feeling ko nga, may Mr. Big din sa buhay ko. Ang tanong will my story be like Carrie and Mr. Big or will it take a different ending?

I am looking forward to watching the Sex and the City movie. Matutuloy kaya ang wedding ni Carrie at ni Mr. Big? Musta na kaya si Sam, Charlotte at Miranda? Did they get their happily ever after?

Hmmm, is there really a happily ever after or are we just hoping for one? Is it really achievable or like the holy grail, just a legend, something we all aspire for? Basta ako, ang alam ko, hinihintay ko pa rin si Mr. Big. Sana magparamdam na sya.

I miss...

...SHOPPING!

I miss buying new clothes, I especially miss buying new shoes. It has been 5 months since i last bought a pair of shoes. That's 5 months which would equal to 5 pairs. I am still sticking with my NO SHOPPING TILL JUNE RULE. A few more days, then I am off to Hong Kong for vacation and a "little" shopping. hehehe. Syempre, priority ko ang shopping for my new nest next month.

...GOING PLACES

For the past few months, all i do is go from point A to point B (aka bahay - office). I am looking forward to my Hong Kong trip this June. It will be my birthday gift to myself din. Dapat nga mas malayo ang pupuntahan ko this year, kaso wala akong maaya to go to Canada and the US, plus ung gusto kong pumunta dun towards the end of the year, pero may mas important na darating sa Pinas. Syempre I will postpone my trip to be with my siblings. :) Miss ko na sila!

...MY SIBLINGS

I miss my siblings especially my baby sister and bully atchie. I am looking forward to their homecoming (kasama pa ang fave cuz ko) kaya dapat nakaplan na ang mga gimmik at food trips sa kanilang pag dating... Naka line up na ang Tempura, Cyma, Clawdaddy, Zong, Mr. Kebab at kung ano ano pa. Ang tanong, san ko kukunin ang budget for the food trip? hahaha. Atchie, help!

...TAKING CARE OF SOMEONE

I miss taking care of someone, and being cared for by someone. Ayan ha, out in the open na. bwahahaha. Miss ko na sya kung sino man sya. Hoy, kung nandyan ka man sa aking mundo, magpakita ka nman o. (alam kong maraming mag rereact dito...bwahahah, sino kaya si someone? ung darating sa december or iba?)

...MAMPALAM, SATTI, at INIHAW NA ISDA

Miss ko ang mga pangkain sa Zamboanga! Gusto ko ng mampalam, pastil, balu-balu, yellow rice, satti, at kung ano ano pa. Sana may mga ganun dito, pero wala, kung meron man ay super layo naman sa TS. Hay, konting tiis na lang...

busy bee (?)

No time to be "petiks" this week for the following reasons:

• Monthly meetings with the onshore managers and partner
• Client / On-shore manager visit
• Metrics and service reports to generate and analyze
• Training on new reports / tool for MDC and Client team

Looking forward to MOVIE NIGHTS! Indiana Jones, here i come. hehehe

i confess

I confess...

Maldita ako - pero mas maldita ang sisters ko. (bwhahaha) sila lang ang nakakabully sa akin. Marami na akong naaway. Chi remember the boxing incident sa elementary? siguro mga 2x minimum nangyari sa akin yun... once with a boy over a game. hahaha. How about the chicken bone throwing incident? Gosh ang dami ko ring napaiyak. Kahit bata or matanda, wala yata akong pinaligtas. tsk tsk. Bad ako, pero buti na lang things get mellow with age. Bwhahaah.

I love eating and food - I may be petite (size 0) pero i can eat like a construction worker. Mas maraming rice than ulam. :) nung mas bata pa ako, siguro mga 5x ang minimum na balik ko sa buffet. Hahaha. Running joke nga ang sa amin na may anaconda ako sa tyan. :-). Medyo bumagal na nga ang metabolism ko kaya instead of 4 slices of a large pizza medyo 2-3 na lang ang kaya ko sa isang sitting. hehehe.

I eat at least 1 pc of chocolate (i love dark chocolate) a day. :) I always have chocolates and other junk food sa aking table. Kaya siguro mahilig si mickey mouse magpakita. bwahahaha. Namimiss ko na nga sya eh. Ang tagal ko na syang di nakikita. hahaha

Madali akong mafrustrate at magalit - di lang yun, pag nagalit ako, aba, biglang nag eenglish ako. bwhahaha. Bad nga ako eh. Pag nagalit ako or nainis ako sa isang tao, that person will no longer exist (sa world ko). Alam mo ba ang motto ni hulk? ako yun. Plus wag na wag kang magpacute or makulit pag bilog ang buwan, baka kung ano ang gawin ko sayo.

Makulit ako - my friends and family will agree super makulit ako. :-)

Malakas ako tumawa - parang di girl kung tumawa.

Wala akong magawa kaya ginawa ko itong blog na ito. Bwhahaha

busy busy

been busy as a bee since i arrived. Have no time to blog nor to shop (i miss shopping for shoes!). Hopefully, i can balance work and life soon.

Thanks 2007

2007 has been a great year for me. It was a year of changes and blessings. I hope that 2008 will be as great or even better than last year. Looking back, I would not do things differently (well maybe some i will but generally i will not change a thing). :)

This was my wish list last year and i guess i fulfilled at least half of it. I will be making another wish list / goal for the year and I hope that i would accomplish more than half of it.

Wish list 2007 (plus comments)

• A planned visit to Canada and the US. (i really do have to take care of the visa requirements soon). - i was not able to go to Canada, but was in the US for training. Hopefully I could go back to the US this year.
  
• The turnover of our (aka the 3 marias) unit in pioneer. - still waiting for the papers and loan to be released.
  
• My sister's wedding - what can i say except that i will be an aunt!
  
• A family vacation to Hong Kong - moved to 2008
  
• A great family reunion - happy happy times. Had a great family picture.
  
• A better life, career and love - the only thing missing is a love life. Sana meron na sa 2008
  
• Knowing myself and my religion better - carry over to 2008. I want to do a better job this year.
  
• Challenging myself more - carry over to 2008.
  
• A diamond ring (?) -- kung walang mag bibigay, eh di bibili ako ng sarili kong ring! bwhahahaha. - wala akong diamond ring, pero may laptop, camera at bags. bwahahah
  
• More shoes! - hirap lang humanap ng size ko. hahaha frustrating mag hanap ng size 5 sa US. Ang daming magaganda at murang shoes pero wala akong size. huhuhu.

What do i have to look forward to in 2008?

• Spending the holidays in Canada and the US. :) Planning to spend xmas and new year with my friend in Canada and 2 weeks for fun, relaxation and sight seeing in the US.
  
• Working/training in the US for at least 3 months to a year. :)
  
• Moving in to the new condo unit.
  
• Having a love life.
  
• Visiting and being close to my special friend and spending time with my friend. Miss ko na sya.
• Aiming for promotion and syempre salary increase.
• Knowing myself and my religion better.
  
• Loving myself more.
• A diamond ring and an engagement or wedding for me! (hanap muna ng partner)
• More shoes, bags and travel.