안녕하세요!

It means "hello" in Korean.

Why haven't I been posting updates here? Blame it on Twitter. Lol

Actually, I've been swamped with a variety of things, mostly work.

I've been to several trips this year. Hopefully I could write about any of them. I've been to Cebu for work twice in May and in August; then I went to Korea and was lucky to have visited Haeundae beach in Busan in August (I really want to write about this I swear); then Boracay in August also; Hongkong in October. Next week, I'm off to Thailand!

Besides work at the office and the trips, I've also started self-studying the Korean language. It's a shame that Berlitz is the only school that offers it. Fortunately, we (a colleage-friend and I) had convinced one of our expats to teach us regularly. But then, work always comes in the way, so we're stuck.

I could read and write, that's how far I've gone with my Korean lessons. I do understand some phrases, but I still couldn't catch up when expats here converse with each other.

Ok, I'll see you soon blogger. Maybe after I return from Thailand. I'll be going around Pattaya and Bangkok. I couldn't wait to see Wat Pho!

I'm such a scatterbrain now.

It's funny, I haven't even written the second part of my first trip to Korea. Haaah, someday I will. I promise. *So, help me, God.*

Wish I was a bird... Tweet tweet

I feel guilty not updating my blog. But Twitter caught my attention. And now I'm smitten.

Sorry Blogger. I'll try to find time for you.

Echo of a crime

I went to bed rather early last night because I've been lacking on sleep for the past nights. But I was awakened by the noise of what seemed to be multiple gunshots. My heart was pounding and my ears were throbbing. I was almost hyperventilating. Images of the Maguindanao massacre came into my mind. As the election draws nearer, the more frightened I get. I observed for a while, trying to keep calm. I was scared I was going to have a heart attack, I swear. I was trying hard to wake up and evaluate the sounds. I peeped outside the window, and fortunately saw some fireworks. I tried hard to remember the date, but I couldn't figure out what could be so special on January 8. It could be a wedding or a birthday celebration. Whatever it was, I was just thankful. I could only imagine how the people in Maguindanao feel when they hear those kinds of sounds. I could only hope they recover from the trauma.

Makeup giveaway! Yay!

I've been looking around for makeup, and I stumbled upon Love of Makeup's giveaway.

The quest for the perfect moisturizer

Got this from a TFS store at the COEX mall in Seoul. I love how green the tub is, which is probably the reason why I bought it. This is how the gel inside looks...


I've only used it for maybe 5 times, but I'm loving it! I can't believe how it could moisturize my uber dry skin, given the fact that it is sooo light. It's very slightly scented and it feels like it's water-based. I hope I won't breakout with this. And I hope it's locally available. Otherwise, I would have to bother people in Korea to send me some. lol.

Oh, I wish this is the end of my quest. I've just begun writing about it, but I've actually been in search of the perfect moisturizer for quite a while.

Autumn in Seoul (Part 1)

Actually, it's almost winter when my friends and I went to Seoul last week. Almost half of the foliage have already fallen off from the trees, and our fingers could be mistaken for popsicles. But nothing could spoil the fun. We still had a grand time in South Korea.

For weeks prior to the trip, I busied myself with our itinerary. We were all traveling to South Korea for the first time, and although majority (4 out of 5) of us worked for Koreans for at least a couple of years, our knowledge of Korea was limited to "annyeong haseyo" and "yeye" expressions. Koreans are really not very keen on teaching their language to other people. It must be their difficulty in English that makes them hesitant. They get really frustrated when they couldn't express themselves.

But I digress...

So, for a few weeks prior to our trip, nobody was excited but myself. They wouldn't help me with anything. I had to use all the resources I had. I was very lucky a lot of people wanted to help me with the planning.

Long story short, I came up with a pretty good itinerary. Tada!

Day 1 (of lakwatsa) (FRIDAY)
Seoul city bus tour
Dinner with Mr. Choi JH
Bar in the Hongdae area

Day 2 (SATURDAY)
Nami Island
Han River cruise

Day 3 (SUNDAY)
DMZ

Day 4
Samseong (to meet former bosses for lunch)
COEX mall


A day before we left Manila, Mr. Ham (my former boss' staff's staff) called me to inform me that Mr. Lee (my former boss) wanted to have dinner with us on Day 1. I probably sounded panicky because he assured me that Mr. Choi JH agreed to swap appointments. Apparently, they were talking to each other and making arrangements. Cool.

When we arrived at the Incheon airport, we were greeted by the (surprisingly young and dashing!) Mr. Ham. He was holding a sheet of paper with my name on it, and that was when the excitement of my girl friends "officially" started. We all forgot to rent a cellphone because everybody wanted to rush to his side. Haha. We exchanged some pesos to won, and off we went to Lee & No Guesthouse on Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-Gu in Seoul. I was thrilled even more upon seeing our vehicle -- a Limousine van!

This is Mr. Ham with the gurls...

Upon reaching the gate of the guesthouse, we were greeted not by a person, but by this note taped to the wall:


After unloading our luggages, Mr. Ham set off to bring Kim (a girl I met online the previous night) to her hotel. We did exactly what we were told to do through the note, got inside the guesthouse, and met a Japanese guy named Tadashi. It was so nice of him to welcome us and show us to our room (Mr. Lee of the guesthouse didn't arrive until after 15 minutes). A little later, we remembered that we haven't had dinner yet so Tadashi gave us directions to a kimbap place. He probably sensed the fear in our eyes, as he offered to take us there. He said that it serves the best kimbap, not to mention that it was probably the only place open at the time.

Our first adventure started at the restaurant. It was literally a turo-turo because there wasn't ANY English on their menu. Even the lady server didn't speak English at all. We pointed to her a noodle dish, which turned out to be udon (pronounced as udong). We were lucky because it was piping hot and tasted really good, exactly what we needed!


After a good night's sleep and a light breakfast, we went out to see downtown Seoul. We were supposed to take the City Bus Tour, but Mr. Lee (of the guesthouse) suggested we take a tour of the city on foot. He made it sound easy so we took his advice. Unfortunately, we got lost. But we were lucky to have found Gyeongbok Palace...



and the National Folk Museum of Korea (but we didn't go inside)...



Along the way, we got distracted with a few interesting things like Goo Jun Pyo posters...

...the Bioman-inspired Pieta...





... and these lettuce flowers...




And those were just a few of the distractions. There were the dried squid vendor who was selling dried pusit for W20,000 (around Php800!) per pack, the maple leaves, the policemen, and others. Getting lost wasn't all that bad. However, by 4pm, we should be back at the guesthouse to get ready for dinner. Dinner that night was probably the highlight meal of the entire trip, as it was hosted by my former boss (now president & CEO of a bigger subsidiary). So we had to rush back home. But how were lost people supposed to hurry?

At 6:00pm or so, we were again picked up by Mr. Ham at Exit 7 of the Samseong station. He was as ravishing as the previous night and I felt everybody's excitement at the sight of him. On the way to the restaurant, we were getting impatient with the heavy traffic. Yes, it doesn't only happen here in Manila. The big difference though is that very few people use their car horns in Seoul.

As we entered Sam Won Garden, we were greeted by Mr. Kim. But he doesn't deserve that intro. He was g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s! I've known him since 2003 (he was actually the one who hired me), but I've never seen him that gorgeous before. He was sporting a handsome trench coat that highlighted his broad shoulders, and a smile that could melt the icebergs in the North Pole. Oh-my-god. He was divine! Of course, there has to be proof:

Extreme left.

Before calling it a day, we insisted that Mr. Ham take us to the Namsan Tower, where we had a great view of Seoul.

SoKor trip (Prologue)

Next week, my friends and I are going to Seoul for a 4-day vacation. Thanks to PGMA for taking back the holiday, I would have to file for a 2-day leave from work. But then, I am too excited for this trip (which we have booked four months ago!)so I won't allow anything to ruin it.

From Monday, I haven't really been working. It's not something I'm proud of and I'm sure the guilt would haunt me, but did I say I am too excited about this trip? We are all first-timers and I don't know why they gave me the task of prepping the itinerary. I must say it's deeefficult considering that my knowledge of Korea very minimal, if at all. I know a few food items like kimchi, bulgogi, galbi, japchae, bibimbap and rice cakes, but that's it.

But I digress... So going back, prepping the itinerary is not an easy task. It's mabusisi because it entails a looooot of research. I'm guessing it would take less time if somebody else did it, I really get distracted easily most of the time. Like when I am at a website and I see a hyperlink, I am always lured into clicking it, and you could guess what happens next.

But then, no choice.

All for Juan

(Photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

When Ondoy struck the metro, I was at the office, working. I left home very early on that fateful Saturday, as I was required to report at 7:30AM. It was already raining nonstop since the night before, but little did I (or anybody for that matter) know that it could almost sweep the entire Metro Manila off the Philippine map.

I got differing text messages from friends/relatives of whether to go home or not. At 10AM, I decided I would leave the office as soon as the rain stopped. But it didn't. Instead of slowing down, Ondoy even gained strength which my other trapped co-workers and I witnessed when we went out to have lunch.

Long story short, I spent the entire weekend away from home. If it's any consolation, I spent Saturday night at the office with 4 other girls. Thank God, the Jollibee and Chowking stores across the street were open so we didn't have to worry about food.

We woke up to a rather good weather on Sunday morning, dreading to hear the news of what Ondoy left of the metro. We all went to watch the news on TV and online. We all felt weak. I, double the weakness. All roads to home were submerged in water, from waist-deep to neck-deep. So, that morning, while the 3 other girls decided to brave the knee-deep floods going to their homes, my friend Jane stayed with me. We then went to SM Makati to buy some fresh clothes to wear to work the following day. Her aunt took us in for the night.

Although I'm sure I smelled like a damp dog that Monday, I was thankful for a lot of things. First, my family back home and I were safe. Second, our home was not affected by the floods. Third, it's the nature of my job to implement donations. I didn't care if I stunk or looked like a zombie that day. I knew we had to help, and we had to do it quick.

I went out to buy groceries for donation: water, canned goods and medicines. With some volunteers from work, we went to Sagip Kapamilya to drop the items. We really wanted to help in repacking, but the warehouse guys said they had enough volunteers for the day.

I don't have a lot of photos at the warehouse because one, taking pictures wasn't my priority at the time; and two, the place was really packed and it was still drizzling (which might damage my camera). But anyway, in this photo is Tom Mott (the guy in blue) of Pinoy Big Brother Double Up, before he even went inside Kuya's house.

Not satisfied that we did enough to help, the volunteers decided to go to evacuation centers in the weekend to help hands-on.

The greatest challenge as of the time though was the approaching typhoon, Pepeng. But we were decided we had to do it. Of course there was Plan B, where we would postpone (not cancel) it for another day if Pepeng insisted he would make a landfall on NCR.

The Friday of that week, work was called off at noon because of news reports that Pepeng is gaining strength. I was already out, buying groceries again for our mission. So while the rest of the office (except for some volunteers) were already on their way home, we were "hoarding" SM Hypermarket's inventory. Another consolation: my SM Advantage Card was loaded with points! It wasn't much, but better than nothing. ;)

After the hoarding, we stayed for a few more hours to pack the goods. I had to leave earlier (10:30PM hehe) because I was too scared of being trapped for the second consecutive weekend.

The next day, Pepeng was very unpredictable. He would have rain-wind fits one moment, then drizzle-no wind the next. The group decided to go anyway.

Braving Pepeng and the floods left by Ondoy, we went to three evacuation centers in Pateros (a municipality that claimed it was "forgotten"). I know it's not proper to feel good when others are suffering, but seeing the plight of the evacuees made me feel really lucky. Whenever I felt tired during the mission, I think of how blessed I am not being in their position. What's one day of community service out of the 365 days anyway? What's two minutes of walking in calf-deep floods if it meant food for the hungry?

The first evacuation center we went to was an elementary school which housed about 9 families in a room. The place smelled of dirt, sickness, and frustration. Besides the groceries, we brought them ready-to-eat Chickenjoy. And seeing the kids eyes widening made us numb for hunger. At least for me. I am such a crybaby, I wanted to cry then. But I didn't, for fear of being mistaken as a kagawad wannabe.

The second and third evacuation centers were no different than the first. Well, except for the flood. But the rooms were also cramped and still had the same smell as the first's.
It was quite a day for the 13 volunteers. We were really really tired but seeing these kids were enough to take away the pagod.

Side note: The money we used to buy the goods was from the company we work for. But the volunteers were indeed volunteers, who worked pro bono.

Good times without Mo

A few friends have been talking about the radio show Good Times with Mo, and for the longest time, I've been trying to get a hold of it. But after years of listening to Chico and Delamar, I think I've outgrown radio talkies already. Until today. As I pop my iPod earphones to my ears this morning on the way to work, the battery drained, which left me with no other choice but to go FM on my cellphone. So I decided to listen to this Good Times with Mo show. It's quite ironic though because Mo's on birthday leave today.

Well, I don't know how the show is when Mo's around, but having only Grace Lee and Mojo Jojo in the show seems quite enough. Mojo can really be a bitch sometimes (which I love btw haha), but I think they have the perfect timpla. They're not too talkative as Chico and Del, they play good music, and they're makulit. I love how they okray each other.

How do I rate the show? I called them the first time I listened to them! Was able to talk off air to Mojo first. If I didn't know he's gay, I would probably have a crush on him. He has a very handsome voice. Heck, he's a dj, Angel. Stufid. So anyway, I enjoyed talking to them. I would probably listen to them again tomorrow. I just wish iPods come with FM radio!

Stranded

Ondoy, it's not nice meeting you. Please go away. Ayoko matulog sa office!!!!

My weird habit(s)

Jamie Oliver - Jeff Rosen
Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia - Dr. Nancy Snyderman
Madonna - Andrea Mitchell
Fanny Serrano - Willie Revillame
Tessa Prieto Valdes - Juan Flavier / Mahal
Ian Wright - Richard Engel
David Caruso - David Gregory

...and the list goes on.

It's one of the few weird habits I have -- looking for people's lookalikes. It's not intentional, I swear. When I meet/see someone for the first time, I almost always come up with another person whom I think he/she looks like. It's almost spontaneous!

Where does national pride take us?

All the hustle and bustle on Manny Pacquiao and the "national pride" he apparently brings the country gets me into thinking: What the hell is national pride and where does it take us? Pride is pride, which is a vice. It only makes our ego swell. Bad.

Howdy?

After a few months of mulling over getting a perm, I was finally able to do so. I didn't get the style I wanted but I love my new do nevertheless. I went to Korean stylist Simon Kim for a digital perm. It was actually a risk I had to take, as I've read a lot of bad feedback about him. So what made me go to him? Two things: one, he's cheap. Others charge between P 3500 and P 8000, while Simon had a promo price of P 1500. Two, he's Korean. So what if he is? I have absolutely no idea. Haha. Will post a pic soon.

For a few years now, I've been wearing my hair stick straight and long. And it's really boring me. So, now I want it permed. But since it's rebonded, the only perming method possible is digital perming. I want loose curls (maybe more like waves) from roots to tips. My hair is kinda thin and flat, and it gets really ugly at the roots. Think Cachupoy. I hope it's possible to have my hair permed from the roots. I want it to look like this:Photo credits: funadvice.com

I've asked a few salons and the price of having a digital perm ranges from Php 3k to Php5k. I'll have to think about it first. The amount I'm going to spend, if and when I decide to go for it, could actually take me to Dumaguete already. Hmm. Think, think, think.

There's more to life than work.

So they say.

But for people like me, it's work, work, work. I'm not happy with it, of course. But I don't have a lot of choices. Tomorrow, I have a job interview. I'm not sure whether to go or not. It's quite early and the office is quite inaccessible. Hmm.

I'm too sleepy. Prepaid internet sucks. Bigtime!

Mrazing

A week ago, a friend asked me, "If you can see only one concert in your life, whose concert would it be?" I find it rather difficult to answer, considering it could make or break me. I wanted to say Amy Winehouse's, but that could lead my friend to believing that I'm a drug addict. "Angel, you have to think harder," I said to myself. I tried to recall everything that's on my iPod, and bingo! "Jason Mraz's!"

Photo credit: jasonmraz.com

I love the guy. Totally. He writes his songs, plays superb music, and is very attractive. He's smart and funny. Some may find him offensive, but to each his own.

Over the weekend, the friend asked me if I know Jason's bio. And god, I didn't! So yesterday, I took some time out to read about him. I learned that his family's from Czechoslovakia. And he's a vegetarian. I was also pleased to know that he's not gay. Although I don't see any problem if he is. He is hot!

Okay, my infatuation isn't all that shallow. I admire him because he loves life. He's human. He procrastinates once in a while, takes his photo in the mirror (with only his undies on and with a knife in one hand), admits to taking supplements, frets on small things. He's awesome! I promise to see him in this lifetime.

Why? When? How?

These questions keep ringing in my ear. Despite my very tight schedule, they still manage to make it into my mind, almost always simultaneously. This stage actually feels like deja vu. This has happened half a year ago, too.

I know I'm being very vague here. But then, everything's vague even to me. I'm always being reminded that "everything happens for a reason", and I'm supposed to stop asking questions. But then again, I was probably created by God to ask!

For as far as I can remember, friends come to me for answers. And it's just sad that I can't answer my own questions. I am totally fucked-up.

We're moving!

For the third time since 2003, we are again moving to another apartment. The reason: the current unit we're occupying is kind of crumbling. Actually, literally, it is. I was once awaken by a thud which came from a part of the ceiling that fell off. The ceiling, by the way is made of cement. This is how the ceiling looks minus the fallen piece:

That's in the bedroom. But the living room's ceiling also looks like that. Plus, there are cracks on all the walls. Yes, on ALL of them. Plus plus, the paint inside the house is peeling off. Plus plus plus, the wooden ceiling of the bathroom seems to be hanging by a thread.

The paint peeling off

The bathroom ceiling

After 3 weekends of scouting for the perfect home, I've finally settled for the 2-bedroom, 2-storey apartment that will cost me quite a fortune. Well, fortune is relative. But yes, the new home will be more expensive. Really, really expensive. The rent is almost double, the location is farther from commercial areas, and the water is supplied by the landlord at about five times the rate of Manila Water. But then again, the family's safety shouldn't be compromised, right?

Now, I have to think of and implement ways on how to cut on other costs. I'll probably get a cheaper internet service. No one will use the toilet flush. We grew up on tabo after all. I will probably buy the cheapest milk for myself. That is, if I won't give it up altogether. I'll probably give up on my specialty diet and go back to eating rice and ulam. No more malling on weekends, no more "I love this" purchases. Everytime I want to buy something, I'll ask myself first, "do I really NEED this?" (thank God I saw the movie "The Confessions of a Shopaholic"). Graduate studies will also have to take the backseat for now. I think I also have to go back to working on oDesk.

Oh, the things we sacrifice for family...

It's official.

On Wednesday night, I noticed that my throat hurt whenever I swallowed. I didn't have fever or cough or colds. Since I had to take Chu to the pediatrician yesterday, I only had today to go to an ENT to have my throat checked. It's now official, I am stressed out. She said that it's the reason why I have this pharyngitis. I don't know if that's possible, but there... she said it was stress that's causing this. I would normally do a research on this so-called relationship between stress and pharyngitis, but I think I am too tired to do it now. Maybe later.

Anyway, she advised me to gargle with Orahex (which tastes like mentholated ampalaya by the way) thrice a day. Talk about agony. Eew talaga. And then she prescribed Ectrin (mucolytic, because I told her I have thick mucus in my throat) and some multivitamins called Opstres.

If this plan doesn't work, (i.e., if the condition worsens by Sunday), I have to go back to the doc. I hope though that it does work because the cost of medication is one of the stress factors.

Halting the rushaholic

As I write this, Chu is already fast asleep. But I check on her every 15 minutes. I skipped work today because when I arrived from school last night, I found out that she had a slight fever. So, starting this morning, I've been giving her Dolan FP every six hours. So far, the fever goes away everytime she takes it. Unfortunately, and almost precisely, the fever comes back after the 6th hour. I am really worried because she also said that her throat hurts. At the height of the H1N1 flu scare, who wouldn't worry?

For the past months, I have been very busy at work. And for a while I've forgotten why I am working. I've been so busy maintaining my momentum. Until today. This morning, while preparing Chu's breakfast, I realized how much I missed her. Yes, I help her prepare for school every morning, but I think I fall short on giving her the tender loving care she deserves. So today, I gave her that. And I promised myself to do it every single day. After all, she's the reason why I hold on to my job, so there's no way she should rank second to it.