Free Melbourne Walking Tour

I found out about the free walking tour here (they also do tours in Sydney).  They do the tours twice daily, one at 1030 and another at 230pm.  We initially planned to join to the 1030 am but we spent the morning walking on our own so we opted for the 230pm tour

There were already four people at the meeting area when we got there.  Daniel was the guide, wearing a bright green shirt which says "Im free".  Daniel was a great guide I think.  He talks to everyone, asking the typical introductory question and he seems to be perfect for his job.  One couple were from Germany.  The two guys were from Canada.  Another couple came and they were from the Philippines! Honeymooners. And then there were four Sydney girls and another couple from Germany plus a guy from Britain.  Most of them were tourists who have been on the road or will be on the road for months.


Daniel the guide

From the library, we headed to the Old Melbourne Gaol where Ned Kelly was imprisoned (I didn't knew who Ned Kelly was.  I just learned during the tour that he was a forest ranger with a robinhood kind of story).  Now, the Gaol is a museum and the courtyard serves as a football field, both under the management of RMIT.


Old Melbourne Gaol courtyard whose walls are made of bluestones which were stacked and glued by hand

Next stop was the Royal Exhibition Building, one of the iconic buildings reminiscent in Melbourne reminiscent of the gold rush, and of its rivalry with Sydney.  The lower trunk of the trees were covered with a metal wrap to keep them from possums.  It was interesting to hear that they choose to keep the trees covered instead of driving the possums away because they recognize possums as inhabitants of the area. Ang galing lang :)


Royal Exhibition Building

Trees with metal coverings around their trunks

Next was the Parliament House.  Australia was a former British colony and Daniel mentioned that while their parliament is an autonomous entity from the British monarchy, the Queen still has one power in the government - and that is the power to dissolve the government.  Interesting!


Parliament House

After the parliament was the inner city walks where we passed by laneways, arcades, cafes and restaurants that were quirky, tiny but warm and endearing.  And then it started raining but we still went on with the tour.  And that's when one would appreciate a water-repellant jacket.  It was a long walk under the drizzle but it's all worth it.


See the shoes hanging on the clothesline?

AC DC lane

I love the pavements

Yes, those are post-it notes

The Block Arcade

The Centreplace

Beautiful walls and beautiful guys :D

Flinders at night (view from Southbank)

The tour lasted for more than three hours ending at the Southbank area.  By that time, the rain was already pouring heavily.  Daniel thanked everyone for sticking out but it was him who really worked hard in that tour. Despite the heavy rains and the long walk, that tour was really worth it.

Walking around Melbourne CBD

Today, I was a real tourist in Melbourne :)

We left the house at around 930am.  Ate drove to Doncaster Park n Ride and left the car there.  It was 9C outside even if the sun was shining so bright.  Ang lamig!  I was chattering from the short walk from the car to the bus station.

The drive from Doncaster to the city was about 20 minutes.  The city center was not very crowded that time. We got off at Lonsdale and walked towards Flinders on our way to the Australian Center for Moving Images.

Flinders Train Station

While crossing the intersection at Flinders, there was a guy who was shouting.  I couldn't comprehend what he was saying but Ate said that this is the place where some individuals would usually air their grievances.  They would just stand at the corner of Swanston and Flinders and shout whatever they hate about their government or something of that sort. 

AMCI at the Fed Square

When we got to the Fed Square, we saw a long queue of people so early in the morning.  I mean it was not even 10.  Yun pala, there was a Disney star who was promoting her album and doing an autograph signing at the same time.  I found it a bit surprising to see an autograph signing so early in the morning.



That's half of the queue for the Bridgit Mendler meet-and-greet

We then went to Cafe Chinotto at the AMCI to have coffee.  There was a queue when we got to the coffee shop.  It is medium sized cafe which could sit probably 20-30 people at one time.  We joined the queue but we were directed to a table when we said that we were eating in.  Although, we already had breakfast at home, we still had croissant to go with the coffee.

Tomato and cheese croissant

One thing I noticed about the coffee is that they didn't serve it in cup or mug but in a short glass.  Sort of an old school, probinsya-style kind of serving where they use empty coffee jars.  (And I noticed that this is how they do it in most coffee shops.)

Warm latte
 

View from the coffee shop

We proceeded to AMCI after breakfast to see what's on.  There was a free exhibition of film paraphernalia since the Melbourne International Free Festival was ongoing that time.  Ate saw the Play School "watermelon lady" and she got so excited for her kids that she had her photo taken with her :)

Justine Clarke gamely posing for the camera

We were on our way out of the AMCI when we realized that we haven't paid for our breakfast yet!  We realized that because when we were ordering, the lady already directed us to a table instead of us paying at the cashier first which was how it was supposed to be.  Kaloka!  Buti na lang we were honest =D

After paying, we walked back to the city center to look for the State Library of Victoria where the meeting place for the tour is.  We walked along Swanston St and passed by St. Paul's Cathedral, a beautiful Anglican church beside AMCI.   We also passed by the Melbourne GPO (General Post Office).  The buildings are so pretty!  They brought out the old soul in me.



St. Paul's Cathedral
 

View of GPO from the side street

Facade of GPO with flowers in bloom



Another pretty building

Flowers for sale



Saturday morning traffic

And guess what we saw.....tadaaa!!! DOT ads plastered on the trams! Ang tindi ng marketing ng DOT! Kahit saang sulok ng mundo :)

 

It's more fun in the Philippines ads

We also went to some of the laneways to see graffitis which Melbourne is famous for.  I remember when I was in Wellington two years ago, my friend and I also went to some of the graffiti-filled alleys and I felt a bit uncomfortable because they had that "subculture" feel in them in the sense that going in those streets felt like intruding in someone else's territory.  The laneways in Melbourne though felt different.  I don't know if it's because of the location or because the laneways are well-lit or because they were bigger that made them felt safer.  Looking at the street art felt like just looking at an outdoor gallery.



Image of a girl

I found this a bit curious because it says "Free the Press, Singapore"

Row of restaurants



Human statues along Collins Street

 

One of the buskers along Collins Street



Another shot at one of the laneways

After walking about 4 or more blocks, we found the State Library of Victoria.  It was a sunny Saturday morning and there were a lot of people outside the library doing their own stuff: skating, having coffee, some probably waiting for their friends, tourists waiting for their guides.  Seems like a good place to just sit, have coffee and sandwich, and watch the world go by :)



The State Library of Victoria

Close up



Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology which was a few steps away from the library

Since we still had some time to kill before lunch, we opted to ride the free City Circle Tram which has a stop at La Trobe street beside the library.  The tram goes around the city, with stops at major points of attraction.  The "tram guides" would speak in loud voice and alert the people on what the next stops would be and what tourist attractions would be found there.  It's a good way to "orient" one's self about the size of the CBD and how close the attractions are from each other. The guides though were not the friendliest.  Medyo grumpy ang matatanda haha

It took probably more than thirty minutes for the tram to complete its route.  We got off at the corner of Queen St and La Trobe and made our way to Queen Victoria Market for lunch.  It was midday but windy which made us very cold.  I didnt even bother to take out my hands from my pocket to take decent photos!


Queen Vic

The place was full since it was lunch time.  We had pumpkin soup and chicken shnitzel wrap.  And while we were eating, someone sat beside us eating a hot bowl of Asian noodles!  Inggit!  Bakit ba hindi namin nakita kung nasaan yung nagbebenta nun?



Lunch.  Pag eto nakita ng nanay ko, sasabihin nya, asan ang kanin?

After lunch, we walked around a bit.  Para pala itong Farmer's Market sa Cubao na 10x mas malinis.  It was a market for fresh produce.  Ate was gushing at the fresh meat and vegetables which were way cheaper than the ones she gets from the grocery near their place.  We also bought cheap gloves ($5 each).  Ang lamig kasi! We also wanted to try the bicho-bicho-like donuts sold at the cart with a very long queue but we were running late for the tour so we opted not to.

We then headed back to the State Library of Victoria where the meeting place for the tour was.  There were already 4 people there chatting with the guide.

After the tour (which deserves a separate entry), Ate and I walked back to Flinders trying to find a nice place were we could havea  warm bowl of noodles.  We couldnt find one so we just decided to go to Melbourn Vietnamese Noodle House along Swanston St where she and her friends usually eat.



Melbourne Vietnam Noodle House

We shared a large bowl of pho and fried spring rolls for $19. I found the soup MSG-rich but it was still good for a very cold and rainy weather like what we had that night. 

 

Large bowl of steaming pho

  

Night scene at Swanston

After that, it was going home time.  We dropped by Woolworths to buy shoes for Eric.  The bus ride from the city back to Doncaster was a breeze and we were in Doncaster in a short time.  When we got off the bus and walking towards the car, ang lamig ulit!!!  We were "puffing tiny clouds" (harhar) in the air with our breaths.  Yun pala, it was 8C.  Good stuff!

Welcome to Melbourne

After 7 long hours, we landed safely at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. We were assigned with a mobile gate, meaning, we had to take the stairs.  We were parked far from the main gates so we were ferried by buses from the "taxi" area to the main terminal.  The cold Melbourne air (temperature was 8C) greeted us as we walked from the stairs to the bus. Sarap!


Melbourne Tullamarine Airport

I knew I was in Melbourne when most immigration officials would ask "How're ya doin?" before checking peoples' passports.  Mine didn't ask me anything.  She just smiled. 

After immigration, I took my baggage from Carousel 3.  The very important item - the toy bike - was at the oversized baggages.  I declared food items in my customs form but upon learning that Im only bringing in left over siopao and airplane food, the customs officials immediately directed me to the exit without checking my bag.  Maybe he thought checking the siopao was just a waste of time :)

Ate and Andrew welcomed me to Melbourne with a cup of coffee. Sweet! 

A hot cup of latte to welcome me to Melbourne on a cold Friday morning

Doncaster was about 30 plus kilometers away from the airport so we drove for about 30 minutes or so.  Traffic was light.  Weather was nice.  It was sunny and cold. Ah..it was perfect. 

Andrew got off at the train station so it was Ate's turn to be on the wheel.  It was my first time to try Ate's driving haha  She was very very cautious. 

Granny was at the door when we arrived.  After giving each other a hug, we headed to the living room where the kids were watching Play School.   They recognized me as the Tita from Skype and gave me a hug.  Eric was asking where Lola was.  He thought Lola was coming too.  Sweet kid.

When I see them in Skype, they seem to have grown so much already.  But seeing them in person, they're still these tiny young kids.  Gabby has changed a lot since December.  She doesn't cry that much and she even gave me a hug.

Eric talks a lot.  He toured me around the house and showed me my room.  He told me, "This is your room Tita.  You have a mirror in here."  Sigh.  Kids are really adorable even with their simple gestures.

Eric and Gabby playing with their toy wands straight from my bag

 

Gabby with her hair band and Eric with his spring toy

After unpacking, I had a nap because I was already feeling dizzy from lack of sleep. 

I woke up around 130pm, which was still 1130 in my body clock, and had pumpkin soup and sandwich for lunch.

Ate and I went to the grocery after.  I got an unfamiliar fruit - tamarillo, which I learned was sour.  I didn't even know how to eat it and had to google to know the proper way of eating it.  Maasim nga!

Tamarillos

We prepared beef casserole for dinner.

Eric was talking a lot during dinner.  He had his Woolworths magazine with him and was leafing through the pages.  He knows how to read numbers so when you ask him how much a load of bread for example is, he would say, "5 dollars, please".  He knows that peas are for cooking, Vegemite is for sandwich, you put celery in your meat, and stuff.  Such a clever boy.

After dinner and preparing the kids for bed, I had cuddle time with Gabby while watching Play School.  I love the feel of her tiny body on me.  So comforting.  She also knows how to smile for the camera now.

And that's how my day one in Melbourne went :)




Flying to Melbourne

My trip to Melbourne was about 24 hours long. 

I left my place at Singapore at past 7am of August 1.  I realized that finding an empty cab at that time on a working day is not easy.  After about 30 minutes of waiting, I decided to place an advance booking for a cab.  And after 7 minutes, voila!  A cab arrived.  I should have done that early on.

I flew from Singapore to Manila via PR 502.  The 3-hr flight was fine.  I was assigned a bulk seat which means wider legroom.  We landed at sunny Manila right on time: 215pm. 
 
My mom and aunt were already at the airport waiting for me when I got out of the terminal, ready with the stuff that my sister and I requested them to bring.  This actually is the primary reason why I opted to transit in Manila: padala and pasalubong. 

After repacking, which means taking out the Manila-bound pasalubong and taking in the Melbourne-bound stuff, we had an early dinner at the Terminal 2 canteen.   Afterwhich, I went back into the terminal to check-in for my second leg.  The 7-hour trip to Melbourne.

By that time, I was already exhausted.  Exhausted from carrying heavy luggages.  My check-in baggage was overweight by 3 kg so I took out all my books from the suitcase and transferred them to my backpack which means, me carrying a 3+kg worth of books and 7kg worth of handcarried luggage.  Ang sakit sa balikat!

While waiting at the boarding gate, an old lady sat beside me.  I was reading my book but opted to close it and chat with her instead.  She was from Cavite and is now going back to Melbourne after a three-month long holiday.  She had an Australian husband whom she met in 1974.  I was smiling and tearing up while listening to her very nice love story. 

Her husband met her brother first at a bar, when the latter was crying upon hearing of the news that their mother passed away.  The two were seamen.  Her husband consoled her brother and the two eventually became friends.  After some time, her husband asked her brother if he had anyone to recommend, because her husband wanted to meet a Filipina.  There were four people whom he recommended, and she was the fourth.  But it was her whom he noticed.  After a year of exchanged mails, the husband came to the Philippines to meet her in person, asking her to marry her.  She said she felt scared because that was the first time she met him in person, but she agreed after a few months.  And after a few years of being married, that decision to marry the guy was reaffirmed when she asked him one time why he married her and his response was "Because you are God's gift to me."  They were married for more than 30 years if I remembered it right, before the husband passed away in 2006.  

We were not seated together in the plane so we didnt have another chance to chat.  But that short moment made me realize more that the magic of love stories can be seen by how God orchestrates two individuals to meet each other but the decision to leap into the unknown and make things work largely depends on the free will that was given to us. 

==

We flew onboard an old A340 aircraft.  The flight itself was pleasant with no turbulence and an efficient team of cabin crew.  But again, I was assigned to an aisle seat near the lavatory so I couldnt sleep well with the constant queue of people beside me and the constant flushing.  I think I was lucky if I was able to sleep for 3 hours.

My audio system was also not working but I was not complaining because I was given an iPad instead.  So for the duration of the flight, HIMYM and Horrible Bosses kept me company.



Barney and Robin making me laugh amidst the constant flushes in the lavatory

Munching my brekfast while watching Jennifer Aniston sexually harras her assistant

One more day

Visa approved.  Flights confirmed.  Bags packed (well, semi-packed). Office task delegated.  Im all set. :)

Just try

"My guide, who was next to me, opened a book and showed me my letter, he pointed to the part that said "I know it's going to sound ridiculous and you are going to laugh at me but... I really would like to meet him" we both laughed, what was once a impossible thing now was really happening."
This is part of Leandro's blog entry about how met the pope on his trip to the Vatican city.  And this part made my eyes wet because of his simple yet inspiring narrative. No, Im not talking about biking all around the world but the inspiration to just try things out no matter how crazy they may seem.



Here he is, with the Pope



And here is another story

Maybe I really had to read these today. 

whats for coffee break?

19 July 2013
mushroom congee and curry puff

I like the food this time because the congee is really good, and filling :)  Something that I need because Im skipping lunch for a personal chore.

What's for Coffee Break this Week?

12 July 2013
Fried thick noodles and chicken roll

Brother Babba Budan

While doing my research on Melbourne, I saw these...

These are photos of the interior of a coffee shop, Brother Babba Budan.  Im so excited!!! Im gonna go see these and admire the beauty while sipping a cup of hot coffee :)

And also have a crepe here...

Now, Im excited. Im really hoping and praying that everything will go as planned :)

Have a beautiful day with free falafel on the side!

Taking a break from the overwhelming data matching that Im doing, I went to the canteen to buy food.  Climbing the 110 steps from my office to the canteen seems like a punishment because of my sore muscles from yesterday's kickboxing class. 

I went to the middle eastern stall to buy myself some nice warm kebab wrap.  The crew was chatting with a customer while waiting for her fries to be ready. The lady seems to be a regular customer and was showing her children's photo to the crew.  The lady also ordered kebab wrap and the crew added extra kebab on her plate.  I was wishing she would do the same to me.

After serving her, the crew asked what my order was. I said kebab wrap.  She prepared the wrap and tossed some fries on the deep frier, politely apologizing for it may take a minute for the fries to cook.  I said it's not a problem.  I thought to myself this is a nice crew: she smiles to the customers, chats with them and apologizes for the delay even if she didnt have to.  At the back of my mind, I was still hoping she would also put some extra kebab on my plate.

When my fries was done, she prepared my food for takeaway and asked me if Id like to put some sauce on it. I said I wanted chili sauce on a separate container.  When she handed the food to me, she placed a falafel on my plate saying "why dont you try our falafel maam?".  I was surprised and thanked her.

It was not just the free falafel. Or the good customer service.  It's also about making someone's day brighter by doing something extra nice.

This is a good day :)

Whats for Coffee Break this Week?

One of the things that I like about working here is the weekly coffee break organized by the school.  Every Friday from 1030-1130, all the staff are encouraged to take a "coffee break" and go to the staff lounge to relax and mingle.  Working in an academic environment is different from the regular corporate office environment because most of the time, researchers and professors are holed up in their rooms, minding their own businesses...or researches for that matter.  So the coffee break is one opportunity where everyone is encouraged to come out of their rooms and mingle with one another.

Every week, a different menu is available.  One week we had mini clubhouse sandwiches and eclairs.  The next week we had fried bee hon and fish cake.  One time we had curry puff and steamed rice pudding.  Usually, there are two viands available with the usual english breakfast tea and coffee.

This week, we have this.  Mini paus and steamed vegetarian dumpling.



5 July 2013
Mini pau and steamed dumplings

Lasagna in a Llanera

I've been craving for lasagna since the start of the week. So last Monday, I bought a slice of mozarella cheese.  But my mother kept on cooking nice dinner everyday so my plan of making lasagna has been pushed back until Thursday night.

Our oven at home is a tiny oven toaster, just enough for two slices of bread.  So I searched online about the possibility of baking lasagna using that tiny appliance.  And the results are affirmative.  I also searched if the microwave can also be an alternative. And again, it was positive.

So last night, I bought the ingredients at FairPrice finest (love that grocery :)).  Fresh ground beef, lasgna noodles, zucchini, bolognese sauce, capsicum and egg.  I was looking for ricotta cheese but I cant find any.  I also bought a tiny baking dish hoping that it will fit into our tiny oven toaster but it didnt.  I was excited pa naman.  So I thought of just using the microwave instead of the oven toaster.  But the paper pasted on the baking dish advises against using the dish in a microwave. Bummer.

Buti na lang, we had a llanera which saved the day! As what they say, necessity is the mother of all inventions (or something like that).  So the llanera that is most usually known for leche flan was reinvented as a baking dish for my lasagna.

Lasagna in a Llanera

It was my first time to cook lasagna and I was glad it turned out well :) We partnered it with boiled mixed vegetable, fresh romaine lettuce (no dressing) and a bottle of white wine.

Monotony

It's Friday, the end of another work week. 

What have I done at work?  Nothing extraordinary. I've been matching some cases for our projects for weeks now.  Initially, my task was to match 8,000 cases of records but it climbed up to 14,000 due to changes in work assignment.  I use a formula to match the cases but I found out that our data is not that clean so I end up matching a number of cases manually.

It's not the most exciting task there is.  But it needs to be done.  And I need to do it for the project to go on.  And that is what I keep on telling myself whenever I feel bored.  To keep on moving.  The same thing with life.  Sometimes if we focus on the everyday tasks and rituals, the monotony is magnified.  But if you look at the bigger picture, it's a different story.   Or even if you can't see the bigger picture, trust that it will be beautiful and it will be.

Inspirations are Everywhere

Last Saturday, my good friend and I attended a seminar about personal finance that left us nothing but inspired about a lot of things.  Before the seminar, we had lunch at Jollibee and since we haven't seen each other for more than a month, we had a long catching up about life, work and what-have-yous.  The usual topics resurfaced.  The seemingly increasing toxicity of life, homesickness, vague future, creating friendship, etc.

Buti na lang nag-attend kami nito

The seminar was opened by a talk from the sponsor, major homes, about their project in Manila now: the condormitel.  It's a term for a dorm which has the amenities of a regular condo.

After that was a talk about asset allocation by Jess Uy. This talk was aimed at showcasing the importance of having a balanced portfolio.

He divided the group into 5 sub-groups and did a simulation activity.  Each group acted as a fund manager for a $1M fund, with aims of reaching a 10% annual growth.  And since it was a simulation activity, we were informed about what was happening in the world at that time.  We were tasked to invest for 3 consecutive years. And in each year, there were world events like crisis, war, opening of economies, martial law, etc.  It was exciting :) At first, most of us were lost at what he was saying: large growth fund, large value fund, bonds, etc.  But after the first round, we felt like we had a clue of what we were doing (feelingera lang :).

For the first year, our group was the nearest to the target.  The second year was a year of loss.  For the third year, we were the second best group.

It was fun and informative.  Basically, what i got from the exercise was:

• it is important to have a balanced portfolio because it balances your gains, and also your losses
• stick to your strategy
• moderate your greed :)

After that, Rico Hizon did a pep talk! He talked about how the Philippines was always in the backburner in the previous years, but now, we are starting to shine!  A lot of people are interested in us.  And he was encouraging us to be proactive, have the initiative to take part in this "take off".  It was a short but nice talk.

Rico Hizon giving a pep talk (sorry malabo pa yung kuha ko)

And then, it was Randell Tiongson's turn to inspire people.  He talked about achieving financial peace.  It's a long step, but a very doable one :)  These are the steps he mentioned:

1. Increase your cash flow
2. Get out of debt
3. Create emergency fund (6 months worth of living expenses is ok, better though if you can save 1 year's worth of living expenses)
4. Ensure proper protection (life, health, non-life)
5. Build long-term savings
6. Preserve your estate

Other take home that I took note of are:

• Save/Invest 30% of your income and live on the remaining 70% of it.  The 30% comes first because when you get your pay, you should automatically exclude this amount and work on the remaining 70%, not the other way around.
• Personal finance is 80% behavior and 20% skill.  The behavior counts more.
• As with a lot of things in life, patience is a virtue :)  One will not achieve financial peace overnight.  Therefore, take baby steps, be patience.  Eventually, you'll get there.

Overall, the seminar was very very good.  The talks were very informative and empowering.  And personally, it was not just a finance talk.  It was also a talk about life and inspiration.  Although Randell talked mainly about financial peace, he also factored in some thoughts on life, family, community, giving back, and God.

One of the organizers (in white) with Randell Tiongson (in  black) and Jess Uy (in stripes)

Yes, money is money.  We need it because it fuels a lot of things in life.  But in the end, it's just that, money.  We can't take it with us when we die.

Finally, I noticed that the organizers were quite young, which I found inspiring because we see young people doing things that make a difference in other people's lives. Average yuppies I suppose who are making positive changes in their own little way.

Inspirations are indeed everywhere.

Happy moments in class

Last Sunday, we had a revision of last meeting's lesson on adjusting window size, moving the window, scrolling up and down, etc.

One student was called in front to demonstrate how to adjust the window size.

I know this one has a problem with controlling the mouse.  She's not very comfortable with the mouse yet, sometimes she presses it too hard, sometimes too light. 

So when she was called, she knew what she has to do.

She positioned the arrow at the edge of the window but not enough to transform the pointer to a double-headed arrow.  She repositioned it again, and again, and again but she was having some trouble moving the mouse to the right place.  Then finally, the pointer became a double-headed arrow!  But she might have released it or something because when she moved the pointer, it went back to being a single-headed arrow.  It was a tension-filled moment.  All of us were silently hoping that she would make it.  And then finally, she did it! 

The room was full of applause haha And she breathed a sigh of relief. Whew!

Everyone was so proud of her :) The main teacher, Edwin, and I were so proud of her too. 

Ganito siguro maging teacher haha

Fix You

A song that always inspires :)

uncertainty

today, i surrendered my pass and medicard to hr.  they've also punched a hole on my staff card although they said i could still use it until my access have been cancelled.  it was a sad time.

i remember that i had the same experience when i surrendered my student pass a year ago. surrendering that card was not just a simple act. senti na kung senti but i felt that was symbolic of surrendering the end of a chapter. but of course welcoming a new one.

one year of working here had been challenging. 

after finishing my masters, it took a month for me to be called for an interview. and a day after that to be offered the job. but the actual contract didnt come until after 6 weeks. and it took some more weeks before i got to formally start working.

while waiting for all the papers to be processed, i was having second thoughts if i made the right choice.  my school was offering me a more stable job, with an opportunity for a part-time work while waiting for the papers to be done. but i chose this. because i was so keen on doing real academic research at that time.

finally, april came.  i started working on the 19th.  first day was not what you would call an ideal first day of work.  people seemed to not know that i was supposed to start work that day. but i just smiled. i was that cool headed before.

adjusting to the workplace was not easy. i came from a large office where people would chatter nonstop. that place where smile was so generously given. where you could just hug anyone if you feel down. where you could just grab anyone if you wanted to vent. although yes, most of the time, it's the same people who annoys you :)

but this was so different. people seem nice but reserved.  we would say hi to each other on the hallway. or have occasional chats.  but i had a tough time connecting. maybe it's the language. maybe it's the culture. i had a tough time adjusting. 

a month after i started work, my boss went on a two-month leave. his wife was going to give birth. so work was light. i had a lot of free time. something which i was not used to. and sometimes, too much free time gave me stress.

when my boss came back, i was excited.  i felt like we're gonna go full-on busy with the project.  we scheduled a meeting to talk about our activities for the project.  and then his sudden passing happened.

i felt uncertain right that very point. i felt a warm paralyzing energy passing through my entire body.  i couldnt believe it. my head was filled with questions. is this true?  what happened to him?  what will happen to me?  will i be out of job this soon?  i wasnt ready to lose my job. i had only been working for a few months.

but the school assured me. im gonna keep my job. there will be changes though. im gonna be transferred back to my school. and i felt excited.

but the process took so long.  and during that entire time, i was anxious.  i dont know what happened with my ability to handle stress. i was so good at handling stress before. why cant i handle stress now?

i struggled to keep myself calm.  it was a conscious decision. i was forcing my mind not to wander too far and focus on today.

at the start of this month, i finally signed my contract with my school. but a few weeks after, they had to make some changes with the contract. there was an issue with the funding agency. it was frustrating. and scary too.

so now, i know i shouldnt worry too much. i have a new contract. but it will take a few weeks to process all the documents.  i know that everything will be fine. i pray that to God everyday. and i trust that it's all gonna be fine. that after a month or two, il just look back on this day and laugh at my sillyness.

but it's just so damn tough to be in this moment. this moment of uncertainty.

Beauty

http://youtu.be/litXW91UauE

I've seen this in Facebook a few months back but I didnt click it thinking it was just another one of those beauty ads.  But I saw it again on Patty Laurel's blog and I clicked it.  And Im glad I did.

Yes, we have to remember that we are all beautiful. And yes, it's a marketing campaign but I really admire Dove's campaigns on beauty.  I remember they had another one about the color of the skin, and the weight of the person. And now, our own perception versus that of another's person.  Of course this does not apply to everyone.  Some people may be confident about how they look, about how they are as a person.  But yeah, I think this social experiment brought up what many women are struggling with, the confidence in their appearance, and the confidence in themselves.

Thanks Dove.

that story: part 1

on their way to dinner at the usual place, one of her friends ask him to join them.  he declined saying he had a previous commitment. he and his friends will go some place to eat, as part of a food trip thing that they have.  she thought hey, this is a cool guy, he loves food.

one time, after class, they were walking with their usual group.  the girl has what her friends call a dry sense of humour. she likes sarcastic jokes. and during that time, they were both laughing from the sarcastic jokes that they were exchanging.

there was an afternoon when the girl came late to their class. her friends from home were in town so she accompanied them somewhere before coming to class. she just had a henna tattoo on her leg.  when she came to class, the prof was already on his chair, talking. there was no available seat on the side of the room so she walked directly to the back, with her head bent, looking on the floor. but she saw on her peripheral vision that the guy was looking at her from the time she entered the room until she reached that seat on the back.

she doesnt know what happened but regular dinners with their classmates became a staple. after their friday class, they would always go out to eat.  being the wide-eyed student who was still very enthusiastic about her experience as a foreign student, she enjoyed those dinners.  she doesnt talk that much but she always laughs at comments and jokes she found funny. when asked, she would gladly share her thoughts about her culture, politics and her experiences in her school. 

the guy on the other hand was articulate. he seemed free-spirited and funny. he laughs a lot.

before the semester ended, he planned for a sem-ender thing for the class. so he asked for her number. no big deal.

there were political rallies happening during that time. the country was soon having a big election and the opposition seemed to be gaining popularity. one of their classmates was running for public office. it was an exciting time for the place. she wanted to go and see for herself how things were. she asked her classmates, including him. but in the end she didnt manage to go because she fell sick.  he didnt know she was sick. thinking that she went, he texted her, asking how her experience was. and they ended having a long conversation about politics.

during their sem-ender dinner, they were seated at the opposite ends of the table.  it was a good night. everybody had a good time.  they transferred to a beer place. she was looking at the shelf, inspecting the beers and he was kidding her about her alcohol intake.  she playfully hit him on her arm, like how she does with her guy friends.  on the beer table, they sat opposite each other. she was teasing him about his facial washing habits.  she thought he might be gay.

for the summer break, she was out of town for a monthlong trip. and she stayed in her country for the rest of the break.  he wished her well before she left. 

connecting

i find listening to people opening up to me quite therapeutic. I know it sounds weird, or even condescending for some, but it's true. and i mean it. maybe it's because of the fact that listening to their stories make me realize that we are all the same. we all have our issues and it's ok to cry. unloading is a normal part of the process. that there's nothing wrong with being weak. maybe because by helping them process what they're going through, i also make sense of what im experiencing. by talking, i get to listen to my rational voice. by telling them to calm down, im also telling myself to calm down. chill. relax. it's gonna be fine.

excitement!

something to look back to when i feel down

hello there, excitement. we havent met in a long while. glad that you're back :)

it's true, i havent felt genuinely excited about anything for a long time. yes, there are those moments when i would feel excited because i should feel excited and not because i really feel it. ok im mumbling.

what im excited about.

1. im gonna see kulasa and bugoy soon
2. side trip and the idea of roaming around in that city on my own
3. things could happen. things are possible. i just have to be patient and trusting
4. financial literacy
5. % greens to become double digits
6. giving back
7. a friend's one-day visit here

change

i used to write what i felt with total disregard of how it sounded like. i didnt care whether it would sound right. or silly. or offensive. and yet when reading those posts now, i can feel the heart in it.

now, i feel that i have unconsciously changed into someone who thinks a hundred times first if what im gonna say or write is politically correct. and oftentimes, id get lost in the process. or id fall into the trap of indecision causing me to just abandon my thoughts and leave them there, unresolved. or id write what i think is correct even if i feel otherwise.

im not sure if it's a good or bad thing.

i noticed though that because of this - i feel lke im writing without a heart. rants are still expressed but only after way too much thinking instead of just typing them directly. i dont know if this is what you call maturity. or sensitivity. or emotional castration.

a few weeks ago, my former colleague sent me one of my old mails to them, written when i was still new here. she said she found it after rummaging through her emails and she didnt stop from laughing while reading it. i was also laughing while reading it because it was so funny. so raw and filled with politically incorrect thoughts. reading it made me see the excited and free-spirited self/writer that i once was, filled with life and enthusiasm about what's happening around. genuinely interested and uninterested about her surroundings at the same time.

i miss that aspect of me.

of bosses and staff

i think i can say that im quite lucky to have nice bosses.

si ltc idio (i dont know what his rank is now)

for my first job, my first boss was very patient, very organized and very disciplined. and he was an army man. i remember that he would always come to work on time (in his red car) and seemed very serious (with matching kunot noo) when studying documents. since our office acted as the secretariat of one of the many committees in the military, he always stressed the importance of doing "complete staff work".

as a family man, i see how he was as a father to his sons and his daughter, and how he was as a husband to his wife. he would always call home to check on how the kids are doing, especially his little princess :)

he loved playing table tennis so during athletics (physical fitness), he would always invite me and some of the sarges to play with him. i learned how to play table tennis because of him.

and one of the things that he said that i remember vividly is, "gi, go out. interact more with people. dapat dinadagdagan mo ang iyong social presence" or something to that effect.

we just worked together for a few months though. he was transferred in the field after that. even when he was in the field, we would exchange text greetings during special occasions such as christmas and new year but we lost contact eventually.

si sir allen

ltc idio's replacement as head of our division was an air force guy. he was smart. and he knew it. he was good looking. and he knew it too. i remember that in the first few months of working with him, id always have the jitters during our one-on-one meetings because i was paranoid that what i did may not be too good for him or he may ask me questions that i cant answer. i think he may have noticed that because he softened a bit and tried to become more chill.

what i really liked about him is the way he "fights" for us researchers and made us feel secure about our value in the organization.

at first, i didnt know much about him as a private individual because he didnt talk much about his personal life. it is only much much later that i got to know about his family. and i dont know how it happened but he managed to get into our group and became one of our friends. there was even a time when he would tell us to just call him allen when we're out of the office. he was so integrated into our gang that i remember when i was heartbroken, he was there with us, sitting in a bar, drinking, listening to my story and watching me cry.

until now, we still keep in touch and get together group once in a while. he wrote a work testimonial for me when i was still applying for a job.

si major buca (i think he's ltc now

i had a long working relationship with this boss, also an air force guy. he's the epitome of a "chill" boss. he's always so relaxed that you won't feel the stress even when the workload is too heavy. one thing i would never forget about him is he was always smiling and he easily laughs. he always had new gadgets at work: usb drive - new at that time, the funky stapler/binder, etc. and he had a lot of excel tricks.

it was during his time when our division became very busy (because of constant changes in directives about a certain plan) so we would often work late nights and even on saturdays. sometimes his wife would come with him and we would chat for hours. his wife and i became officemates later on.

si sir ex

sir ex was like a father to me. he was very kind and protective. in him, i saw how it is to work without having to kiss ass. one could sense his frustrations over office politics but would always detect the wisdom that he had gained over decades of working.

on a personal level, his way of handling family and retirement will constantly remind you to not lose sight of what really matters.

si miss butch

miss butch is a smart, cool, and funny boss. i think that professionally, i learned the most from her. working with her is always easy because she is always in a light mood. even when we're busy, you wont feel so stressed out because she always keeps her calm. she knows the policies by heart but she doesnt act like a know-it-all. she suggests but never imposes. she guides me in a way that will encourage me to form my own opinions, decide on myself but if things don't go well, she's there to support me. i've had a few blunders but i never felt for once that she blamed me. if something goes wrong, she sits down with you to discuss what needs to be done. there, she's very good at handling crisis. she makes you feel proud and happy about your little successes. and in her you could see that in perfecting a task, walk the talk is a very efficient strategy.

that's why moving was difficult.

prof wayne

i just know a few things about him. he asked me about my hobbies and my family during the interview which was one of the reasons why i accepted the job. for me, that was an indication that he recognizes me not just as a staff but as a person with different aspects of being. he asked me to just address him in his first name, which was difficult for me because im not used to such power equity. he sounded very excited when he said that he would be on leave for two months because his wife was going to give birth to their second child. it's just sad that we didnt work for a long time. until now, the news of his suddent death still has a surreal feel in it.

prof chou

for the past few months that we have been working together, i can sense that she is a considerate and humble boss. she always says please, even with an apologetic tone sometimes, whenever she needs you to rush something. and she shows how much she appreciates your work whenever she's happy with it. she asks you how you are. she says thank you.

my bosses are not perfect. they have their idiosyncracies. sometimes i complain. but most of the time, im thankful because they were/are my bosses.

medicalization of suicide

http://youtu.be/e5M93Yl8adU

i may not agree 100% with sir gerry but i would always have high respect for him and his analysis of social issues. and he keeps the fire of idealism burning.

i got most of my understanding of sociological theory from him because of his ability to make those abstract and complicated concepts easily understood by young, college students. i wish i had the mental capacity to grasp the point of all the readings he assigned to us before. sayang, kahit anong basa ko kasi hindi ko maintindihan minsan eh :P

sa jollibee, bida ang saya

jollibee opened last week at lucky plaza. and since it's food from home, i made a mental note to go there one day.

so i emailed the ntu pipol and set a schedule for a jollibee visit. the sched was tonight. a lot couldnt make it so it ended up with maj, mike and vicky, and i.

i went to lucky plaza ahead of them because i had to go to iremit first. the queue wasn't that long so i was done in about 20 minutes or so.

jollibee was at the 6th floor. while walking towards the store, i could see a small crowd outside the store. there were about 20 or more people in queue so i thought, hey this is not bad at all. i was expecting worse than this. and while approaching the store, i even saw a lot of vacant tables so i thought that "hey, we're lucky". seems like the crowd has died down and having a taste of that familiar chicken joy and spaghetti would be a breeze. and then my eyes were directed to the cashier area. "ok, that's quite a crowd". about 100 people maybe? so i thought of texting the others if it was ok for them to queue. and then i saw the end of the line. which was not found inside the store. but on another vacant space adjacent to the store. and was separated from the crowd by a dropdown door. which was already closed. and guarded by a staff. slowly, donned on me, "uh oh, we might not have that chicken joy tonight!"

i asked one of the ladies waiting outside "ibig bang sabihin hindi na sila magpapapila?". and she said "oo yata." and another lady asked the staff who was guarding the door and the staff said "it's already full." then another guy from the crowd shared that the crew seem to be a bit slow. his daughter was at the queue from 6pm and it was already 740 but they were still waiting. the lady whom i asked earlier asked me "umaasa ka pa bang bubuksan nila yung pinto?". i said "mukhang hindi na."

so i called up mike and texted mike to relay the sad news. no jollibee for tonight :( maybe next time. maybe next month.

inspire 2013

i was at the bayanihan center last sunday to learn about the basic computer course that they're offering. my friend's friend, who recruited me in the program, has been volunteering for four years now. her post as a teacher would be vacated because she will be moving to program development.

in the briefing, i met 2 fellow volunteers. one is from ilocos and a former student of the course. another is malaysian, who just loved the philippines so much when she lived there for 6 months as an exchange student that she decided to volunteer for the program.

very inspiring people.

i have a resolution for 2013. write more. this has been part of my previous resolutions and sadly, this, like some of the other resolutions i have had, remained a resolution. but next year, im determined (oh yeah)and driven (di nga?)to do it more regularly.

i may have written a lot of crap but when i look back at some of my previous entries, i sometimes am surprised at the way my mind worked at those particular points of time. turns out... sometimes i make sense.

and i need the exercise for my line of work. and probably, for some future endeavors.