Sikat

It's not everyday that I get featured at one of the country's top blogs, so I guess I have bragging rights for appearing in OAP :)


My entry didn't make it to top 3, so I didn't win a moleskin. I'll just have to try again next time. And do a mega-pose at Mt. Pulag.

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone.

I am going crazy.

Solitude can only benefit you for a relatively short period of time. In a month or so, you have by then found yourself again, learned new things, explored the world, raised the bar, expanded boundaries, and challenged self-imposed limitations. By the middle of the second month, you are just about to go crazy. You intensely feel the importance of your family and friends. You pounce on anyone online (during the wee hours of the morning in Manila) to lessen the loneliness. The everyday routine is driving you insane. You've had enough of the break from the drama. You're ready to plunge right back into it. :->

The place I'm staying at is spiffy clean. I have packed lunch everyday. (I can now perfectly cook rice without a rice cooker.) I've explored every nook and cranny of nearby villages. I've finished 4 books. I'm halfway done with my movies.

I still have 39 days to go.

I should've packed more sunshine with me.

From a foreigner's point of view

Talk to them in English and they reply in French. You let them read the translation of what you want to say and they still reply in French. Je ne vous comprends pas (translate.google.com). Amf. How hard is that to comprehend. More often than not, you also get the feeling that you're being talked about. In between the flurry of unrecognizable words, you hear your name and see them look at you. They know you know they're talking about you, but they won't bother to translate :P As much as you want to fit in, the fact that you can't speak French makes you feel like at an outsider. So when you hear someone say "Hoy bilisan nyo maiiwan na tayo!" in the Metro (French version of MRT), you can't help but smile and start a conversation with a kababayan. Then after a few days, McDonalds and KFC begin to seem like an oasis in a desert of restaurants serving cold cuts, wine, and cheese. At least when inside a fastfood chain, you feel comfort in the knowledge that you're not the only one having a hard time ordering. The place is packed with other foreigners who have gone tired of the cold cuts too.

Does the moonlight shine on Paris?

YES.

Lion King The Musical

The moment Rafiki started singing the opening chants of Circle of Life, I was already blown away. I need not watch the rest of the musical to decide whether it was good or not. I already knew it was going to be great. I couldn't even describe the emotions I felt while Rafiki was singing, and all kinds of animals were parading down the aisle towards the stage. Life-size elephants and giraffes, antelopes, buzzards, deer, cheetahs, zebras, and tigers were all walking down the aisle and were within arms' reach. Consuelo was rubbing my back while I futilely stopped the tears from falling because my eyeliner wasn't waterproof. The opening act was simply overwhelming. I already felt that every penny I paid was worth it (and more).

The story wasn't different at all from the cartoon. Same characters, same plot. What made it better, though, was the production itself. The life-size puppets, the costumes, the head pieces, and the special effects made a whole lot of difference. Flat images from the cartoon came to life in Lyceum Theatre. Pride Rock rose before my eyes in all its glory, the stampede scene was incredible, Scar was brilliant and was true to its character, Timon and Pumbaa are funnier, and Nala was very... agile :D

I could go on and on and describe the songs, characters, and scenes one by one, but I'd be doing my readers disservice. It is enough to know that the musical is worth watching. Even if you're not a fan of musicals and fall asleep while watching them, I guarantee you my one month's allowance that you will love Lion King.

I know I'm blessed more than I deserve. But you won't hear me complaining :P Keep it coming! :D

(taken from Simba's solo Endless Night)
I know that the night must end
And that the sun will rise
And that the sun will rise
I know that the clouds must clear
And that the sun will shine
And that the sun will shine

The TomTom and Ben Love Affair

As I write this entry, I'm watching the snow fall outside on my way back to Huddersfield. It's probably subzero already, and the cold is seeping through the train's windows. My scarf isn't helping that much and my ears are about to fall off because of frostbite (exaggerating here. But it's really cold. Take my word for it). I don't care. I'm extremely tired, but definitely overjoyed. Another dream come true. :D

Although I didn't get to see the queen (nor her boys... dang it. haha!), I passed by her palace. I fell in love with Ben, and I'm going back to see him again. Long distance doesn't really work you know (no pun intended). Tears fell as the first lines of the opening song of my first musical was sung. I still can't believe it... I get goosebumps as I type off the words and remember that I watched my first live musical at WEST END. West End, London baby!!!! WEST END!!! I navigated through Convent Garden (thus getting the nickname TomTom... I didn't realize til now that I was really good at maps. If only maps worked in Manila as well. Streets keep changing names you know :P), which I later learned that it wasn't called Convent... Covent pala. HAHA! I crossed the London Bridge, walked along River Thames, and cheered the new Chinese year with a (cute) stranger.

I got my fair share of unfortunate moments: I lost my favorite pink beret, (literally) had nosebleed while in the Tube, and walked around the city in subzero temperature. But when I recall all my London moments... meeting Ben, watching Lion King, touring Notting Hill while snow was falling, seeing Platform 9 3/4 (there really is one :P), attending mass at Westminster Cathedral... I know that my ill-fated experiences are outnumbered by overwhelmingly great ones. Not only did I tour the city of London, but I also rekindled a friendship with a sister in Christ. Tears are forming in my eyes right now as I list down all the blessings. I am again awed by God's greatness and goodness to me. There really is a God, and everywhere I look, I see Him. :)

More than I could hope or dream of,

You want to pour your favour on me...

So blessed I can't contain it.

So much I gotta give it away.

Your love has taught me to live now.

You are more than enough for me.

Life so far

You know you're already quite settled in a new place when you find yourself having a routine. You get up in the morning at 6, do your morning prayers, turn on the speakers at full blast and play whatever's on the ipod playlist, fix the bed, prepare lunch, take a bath, eat breakfast while watching the news, go to work, do work stuff and eat lunch in between, go back home by 5, prepare dinner, watch TV for a while, chat with friends, do a little cleaning here and there, read Revolutionary Road (first book on my list. I have Boy meets Girl next.), fall asleep by 10, then wake up the next morning to repeat the whole cycle. Exciting isn't it? Not :P But I am enjoying and having fun :P This is the first time in my entire existence that I'm all by myself, without Manang or Mom or Kaka or Reyna (peace:P) to take care of things for me.

I needed this. I needed the break from the drama. I needed the pressure of work and the pressure of living alone to divert my attention and contemplate on something worthwhile and meaningful for a change. And so far, the diversion is effective.

I'm now looking forward to my first weekend here. So far, here's my To Do list:

1. Learn how to make hard-boiled eggs
2. Learn how to cook rice (w/o a rice cooker)
3. Do the laundy
4. Vaccuum the flat
5. Do the ironing
6. Research on how to get to the nearest Catholic church.

Sheltered little Meggy is learning real life stuff :P Brilliant! Fantastic! Amazing! :D HAHAHA!

English Spokening

I was in training this afternoon and taking down notes when my trainer suddenly interrupted me and asked why I was writing notes in English. Then I paused and thought... why would I take down notes in Tagalog, especially if the notes where technical? (Well, even if the topic wasn't technical, I still would be writing in English.) So I said that's because I feel more comfortable writing in English. He looked at me wide-eyed and said, "Your English is very impressive. It's really brilliant. Amazing." At this point, I smiled, thanked him, and took pride in myself. Thank you St. Scho for the 11 years of English education.

However, now that I really think about it, I'm not sure anymore if I should be proud that I speak and write better English than Filipino. Although I don't want to pose as a wannabe socialite, that's just really how I am, how I was brought up, and what I'm used to. When I'm drunk, emotionally high, really angry, or really sad, I'd be ranting and raving in English. (Right, friends?:P) Speaking English well has its advantages and has got me to where I am now, so of course I should take pride in that. But not being able to speak and write in my own native language at the same level as I do in English is kind of a shame. Worse, I don't know how to improve on that, or if I should even try.

Being in a foreign country tends to make one become more patriotic. I'm not sure if I'm being patriotic right now. Just being honest, though :P

Waiting Time

Jan 10, 2009 7:56PM Schipol Airport, Amsterdam (Jan 11, 2009 2:56AM Manila)

After a week of stressful packing, I'm finally here waiting for my connecting flight to Manchester... alone. Just a few minutes ago, a friend offered me a hug to compensate for the who-knows-how-long time I'll be spending by myself in a foreign country. He and the rest of the group are probably waiting for their connecting flight to Gothenburg at the other side of the airport as well while trying to stay awake and fight jet lag. Good for them, they have each other to talk to while killing time. I, on the other hand, am seated between a sleeping Korean and a Brit with a beautiful purple coat while checking the signboard and my boarding pass (for the nth time) just to make sure I'm waiting at the right gate.

Right now, everything seems so surreal. -- from the eye candy (men and women clad in coats and boots) to the thousands of miles separating me from home. It feels as though I'm just waiting for my sister to come pick me up anytime soon. Then I remember I'm not at the office when I hear the paging system announce: "Passenger [name here], you are delaying the flight. Please board immediately. We will continue to off load your luggage."

I don't know what to expect from my stay here. Of course, professionally, I know I have to do well. But personally, I don't know yet how I'll be spending my much awaited retreat from my comfort zone. I do have a goal though: by the time I'm back home, I have by then let go of the remaining ropes of past traumatic experiences that I've been clinging to.

2009's First Blessing

In just a few days, I'll be on European soil once again (it sounds as though I'm on it most of the time), and the first week of my new year was spent doing last minute preparations for the trip. Mid last year, I had totally different plans on how to spend my 2009, but it seems that those plans aren't in sync with God's plans for me... so they were scrapped. Just like that :D Apparently, my bosses think I need a change of scenery anyway (and some serious soul-searching) so they decided to ship me off to the other side of the planet... alone. So on top of the pressure of doing a very good job and impressing the local team, I also have to go on this trip by myself. Daunting. (Joke lng po, mga boss. Excited po ako :p)

Nevertheless, this is the best Christmas/birthday gift that God has given me to date. I'm expecting many firsts to happen on this trip, and I can't wait for the life and career lessons I'll be learning along the way. I'll be relying on my currently non-existent navigation skills to get to the office through public transpo (gooood luuuuuck!!!!), doing my own laundry and ironing (I will miss you manang!!!), and cooking my own meals (I will miss you sooo much Dad!!!). Pag balik ko, pwede na ako... maging yaya! =)) For possible employers, please contact my General Manger, my sister. =))

Pray for me, ayt? :)

Rome in 15 HOURS

***taken from my multiply***

Never in my wildest dreams did I actually think that I'll get to visit Rome. Not only is the ticket expensive, it's too far from the Philippines :P The farthest I've been to is our province in Butuan. But the Lord has blessed me and I was able to reach Italy and get back to Sweden alive to write about the trip. So, for those planning to go on a Euro trip and Rome is in your itinerary (and it should be!!), I hope this helps.

Rome is the capital of Italy and is known as the la Citta Eterna (the Eternal City). It's pretty congested (w/ people), almost like Manila.. low-rise apartments, laundry hanging to dry on the balcony and rooftops, vandalism in every corner.. think Ermita or Intramuros and central Rome is just like that. Good thing that the famous architectures, museums, and Piazzas were well worth the trip. If it's your first time in Rome and you only have 15 hours to tour, it's better to take advantage of the hop on-hop off tour buses. I think the standard price is 16EUR for a day-pass. You won't be able to go to all the famous places (Rome wasn't built in a day, and you can't tour it in one day either :P) but you're sure that you'll get to see the top 10 places at least. Read on and I'll bring you (virtually) to the spots we visited :P

Bocca della Verita If you've seen the film Only You (Robert Downey Jr & Marisa Tomei), this monument will be very familiar to you. The Mouth of Truth is the lie detector of Ancient Rome. Legend has it that it will bite off your hand if you're telling a lie while your hand is in the mouth of the sculpture.

Piazza Navona This Piazza is one of the most famous squares in Rome. It houses Bernini's famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) and Porta's Fontana di Nettuno and Fontana del Moro. When we were there, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi was under restoration and was protected by glass windows. So.. too bad for us. It reminded me of Eastwood: human statues (like the one here with the moving mermaids) and an open market full of people selling paintings and other artsy fartsy stuff. Take note.. Italians have love handles too. Mabuhay ang love handles!!!

Pantheon While looking for the Pantheon, we passed by a lot of small streets. So you can just imagine our surprise when we turned around the corner and ended up in a square with a majestic building in the center. Small street after small street then Pantheon. huuwaaat?! It was sooo crowded with people all wanting to take pictures of the famous dome. The Pantheon, in ancient times, was a temple for the gods, then converted into a Christian church, then converted into a tomb. Multipurpose :P The hole on the top of the dome is supposed to be symbolic of the sun, and is the only source of light of the whole structure.

Basilica di San Pietro Goodness gracious great balls of fire.This has to be the highlight of my whole visit in Rome. Words can't even describe how spectacular the Basilica is. Everywhere you look, there are sculptures or paintings, or etching or whatever artwork you can think of. And the sculptures!!! They're bigger than life-size!!! Hands down to Bernini. Did you know that the Basilica was built on top of St. Peter's burial site? Yep. Kurek. The popes are also buried here.. but no pictures allowed inside the mausoleum. And here's the thing.. water from the fountains are drinkable... so we had our refills there. To save our pocket money cos water's expensive :P BTW, watch out for the guards.. Not because they're strict but.. because they're drop-dead gorgeous.

Colosseum This doesn't need any intro. You all know what this is. You haven't been to Rome if you don't have a picture with the Colosseum as background. We weren't able to go inside cos it closed early. To those who don't know what the Colosseum is (shame on you), it was used before as venue for gladiatorial shows - like the movie Gladiator (Russell Crowe). While in the area, we also visited the Arch of Constantine and the Roman Forums, but really didn't appreciate it cos it was too dark.

Fontana di Trevi This should've been the last stop of the day because we were already sooo tired from walking. So from the Colosseum, we walked to Fontana di Trevi because there were no more tour buses at this time and we didn't want to waste our precious Euros on public transpo :P I'm telling you.. I've never walked this much in all my life. So finally, we reached the Fountain.. This was already around 11:45PM and the place was jam-packed. We literally had to squeeze in with other tourists to take a picture. It's tradition to throw a coin into the fountain to ensure your return to Rome.. so I threw 2 coins so I'll return to Rome twice. After the long walk and picture galore.. we got gelatos (2.50 euros, 3 flavors)... It looks good and it tastes even better :P Good bye Cold Rock. Because we got recharged after eating ice cream (sugar rush), we decided to check out one last stop...

Piazza de Spagna This place looked really good in the pictures. But unfortunately.. it was not so photogenic when we got there. The Spanish Steps had this big ad at the top, there were no flowers lined up, and it was full of locals. Hang-out place for them. So.. after ONE picture, we got a cab and left. Hehe.

Of course, we needed a place to stay (sleep for 5hrs is more like it) in Rome, and hotels were out of the question. We simply couldn't afford it. Well, we actually can, but we chose to be frugal and spend the allowance on other stuff :P So, we stayed at Domus Diana, a Bed & Breakfast within walking distance from the Colosseum and the Termini Station. Super affordable and it served its purpose -- a place to sleep. Diana was there herself to welcome us and showed us around her place. No air-conditioning, but the weather was great when we were there.

So there. It's as if you've been to Rome as well :P The sad part of the trip is we weren't able to go inside the Vatican or the Colosseum.. that would've made the trip even better. I'll save it for next time, since I'm returning there anyway :P Ciao!!!

Reminiscing Summer

Well, there's not much reminiscing to do really since you can still fry an egg on top of your car outside. It still feels like summer even though we're already midway of June. Two words: global warming. Anyway, that's not what this blog is about. My one and only beach outing this summer was with my family -- off to Boracay.. the staple of every Filipino's summer vacation :P My Auntie (her secretary actually) got a reeeaaaally great package with Patio Pacific and SEAIR. We got a great deal for 3 days 2 nights and loved every minute of it.

The first time I went to Boracay with boyfriend and friends, I demanded that we take the Kalibo flight. I was super scared to ride the small planes which had direct flights to Caticlan. I wanted to come back to work.. alive =)) But since the package was that we fly with seair, I really had no choice. Surprisingly though, the experience with seair was great. The FA was accomodating, seats were good, flight was on time (their 35-minute ad is true), and most of all.. I'm still alive and blogging today. I'll definitely be flying with them again soon... to Palawan perhaps? :)

As for the accomodations.. I have nothing but praises for Patio Pacific!!! The staff were all friendly, rooms were reeeeaaalllly super nice, the bathrooms.. spectacular. Hehe! I'm not really entirely ok with the fact that the hotel was not a beachfront establishment, but hey, I need some exercise from time to time.

And of course, the beach was.. great!!! Nothing feels better than the powdery sand beneath your toes and hearing the sound of the waves. Sigh. Now I don't feel like going back to work next week. Haha! So there, we did the usual Boracay activities - parao sailing, snorkelling, island hopping, hair braids, lounging at Hey Jude, pictures by the sand castles, and the ultimate waste of 230 pesos (in other words, banana boat ride).

This summer vacay was the first time after many years that we went out as a family. So I'm glad we all got to spend bonding time together (LDR has its pros, you know :P) Plus, we have imports from Germany and it wouldn't have been as fun without them.

But now, I'm back to reality. I'm back to emails, studying specs, implementing stuff, etc. Exciting! :D As early as now, we're already planning for the next vacay.. Palawan!!! And I do hope boyfriend will be around this time. There's nothing like de-stressing by the beach and forgetting the real world back in the city. I've never been to Palawan before.. and I would very much like to go there soon. So.. if someone's willing to pay for my airfare and accommodations, you can contact me at... hahaha!