things have just been crazy lately.
i am at the peak of my stress level. things to do at work are getting kind of draining - the backlog, the pending items, the queries, the pressure, the lack of time, the desire to just slack off and do nothing for awhile, the consistent demand for performance, the never-ending deadlines. what's a person to do with all that stuff on one's back? i'd love to curl up and disappear from the world for a few weeks; but sadly, no can do. so i've been giving myself a healthy dose of good ol' psych advice - thing positive thoughts, separate work from personal life, don't let things get to you, and a wallop of other stuff. it's been helpful, especially with my family, friends, and officemates there to support me and all. but still, it's been a hell of a roller coaster ride and i don't think it's going to come to a much-anticipated stop just yet.
the past few weeks, aside from work, i've been hanging out with my cousins. wincen's going back to canada next week and so we're making the most out of his stay here. we went to caliraya in laguna and dropped by paete on the way home. we had a chance to woodcarve and saw the works of talented woodcarvers and painters. filipinos are so friendly! ^^ caliraya was fun even though it rained. i had to drag my laptop with me because i had a monday deadline but i was able to share in the fun. what was most memorable was probably watching them go down the mud slide ^^
last friday, we watched harry potter with win and sako at eastwood (first time to watch a movie there. you can lean back on the chairs! ^^). the movie was pretty good although short. i liked the effects and thought that the actress who played dolores umbridge was perfect for the role. today, the last book comes out. i'd like to grab a copy but i'll probably get one next week.
last saturday, zel, sako, and i watched transformers, which i loved!! i couldn't help but get teary-eyed when i thought that bumblebee wouldn't make it. who would've thought that robots could elicit such sentimental emotions? but i loved the movie and all its humor and creativity. we had dinner at capriciossa afterwards, where we tried the tomato cream sauce spaghetti which was quite yummy. the next day, win, ni, and i went to MoA to wreck havoc on the ice skating rink. turns out i was the only one who fell down =( hehe. but i think i got the hang of it after a few rounds around the rink. it's a fun sport/activity. after that skating stint, we went to eat at sakae sushi, which is a cool place with a sushi conveyer (?) belt and where you place your orders through a computer (every booth has one). i loved the ambiance - homey and warm. Plus, i loved watching the different sushi plates whiz pass me. I controlled the urge to grab the colorful looking treats =) It was a fun experience. I should probably take eizel there one of these days.
had lunch with the comp team yesterday at jack's loft (mayeen's treat ^^). i'm lucky to be working with such nice people. hopefully, we can have team lunches every few months.
after work, had dinner with aileen, who's back from beijing! ^^ it was wonderful seeing her again and catching up on the events and happenings of the past year.
is it just me or does time seem to be moving faster than usual? it'll be the end of july already after a week and a half!
movies to look forward to: in the land of women (adam brody!) and ratatouille
the drama i've been watching on kbs2 - flowers for my life - is about to end as well. i wonder if they'll come out with a soundtrack~ i hope they do.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
a little of everything
it's been ages since i've written anything.
now that i have time and actually feel like updating, i have no idea where to start,
so here goes nothing...
work's been crazy. i've been getting calls, talking to employees, doing a lot of explaining. dealing with employees can be such a hard thing. the fact that the medium of communication is a foreign language makes it even more prone to subtle misunderstandings. the past two weeks have been stressful, but i've had great support from the japan time as well as my fellow officemates so things have balanced out in the end.
my grandma's 80th birthday bash came and went. there were so many people over at her place that it looked like a mini hotel. uncle michael and diko came from japan via hk, and uncle wayne, sako, and wincen came all the way from canada =) uncle mike and diko went home a day after the party, uncle wayne went to hk yesterday, and sako and wincen are going back end of july. wincen decided to extend his stay here (choosing it over summer school ^^) and the family's been keeping him busy. he went to la union this week with六叔, then he'll be going to bohol with 四伯, and this weekend it'll be a cousins outing to bataan. whew~
but it's fun having wincen around =) he celebrated his birthday here, and we had a vegetarian buffet care of bodhi. the food was yummy and less expensive too. since preparing for ama's birthday - the singing numbers, the dance numbers, and the speech that i gave which cherrie and i wrote - we (cousins) have been meeting up a lot. i think in a way, we've gotten closer and i'm happy and thankful. after all, there are 65 of us in the clan all in all - it's good to see that we're developing and maintaining the ties that bind us together (that sounded kinda cheesy ^^)
hmm, there's also been a lot of shopping in between. i got shoes from charles & keith (they have such adorable shoes) and some clothes from bySI and cinderella. i'm considering a wardrobe change but i'd better do it gradually so as not to make that big of a dent on my funds. also, i've been meaning to practice the art of walking in heels. i like wearing heels but they really do make my feet ache. Lastly, got a couple of books at fully booked. nothing but books to give me a high ^^
bumped into kristine at DQ Trinoma yesterday. It was nice seeing her and catching up, if only for a few minutes. I've been craving for DQ and last night, i finally got a Blizzard. I tried Brownie Temptation, Zel had Strawberry and Banana, while my parents shared the MudPie variety. It was pretty good. We had dinner at Bangus, which has pretty unique dishes. I loved the color of the walls. I wonder if it'd look good in our living room. Speaking of which, the renovations are almost done, I guess. Should take another three months or so~
More shops are open now in Trinoma and i'm getting used to the layout of the mall. There were so many people at Crocs. I don't know how or why it became such a craze, but my mom and zel say that they're really comfy. I just can't seem to warm up to them.
Ni's at Nueva Ecija this weekend. She went there to meet the cast of the play they're going to stage for their thesis. Apparently, it's a traditional play and is staged in Nueva Ecija. It's traditional in the sense that there's a play master who passes on the skill and trade to someone, generation to generation.
it's back to work again tomorrow. i'd better keep a list of things to do so as not to forget anything. the good thing about monday (and tuesday) is that it's the sched for the korean drama (flowers for my life) starring cha tae hyun (the guy from My Sassy Girl). It's a sarcastic, funny, heartwarming drama about love, life, death, and family. I love the songs they use on the show ^0^
have to start reviewing also for the japanese level 1 exam. the review classes are in the afternoon which clash with my french classes so i'll have to make do with studying by myself. hopefully, that'll be enough (keeping fingers crossed)
now that i have time and actually feel like updating, i have no idea where to start,
so here goes nothing...
work's been crazy. i've been getting calls, talking to employees, doing a lot of explaining. dealing with employees can be such a hard thing. the fact that the medium of communication is a foreign language makes it even more prone to subtle misunderstandings. the past two weeks have been stressful, but i've had great support from the japan time as well as my fellow officemates so things have balanced out in the end.
my grandma's 80th birthday bash came and went. there were so many people over at her place that it looked like a mini hotel. uncle michael and diko came from japan via hk, and uncle wayne, sako, and wincen came all the way from canada =) uncle mike and diko went home a day after the party, uncle wayne went to hk yesterday, and sako and wincen are going back end of july. wincen decided to extend his stay here (choosing it over summer school ^^) and the family's been keeping him busy. he went to la union this week with六叔, then he'll be going to bohol with 四伯, and this weekend it'll be a cousins outing to bataan. whew~
but it's fun having wincen around =) he celebrated his birthday here, and we had a vegetarian buffet care of bodhi. the food was yummy and less expensive too. since preparing for ama's birthday - the singing numbers, the dance numbers, and the speech that i gave which cherrie and i wrote - we (cousins) have been meeting up a lot. i think in a way, we've gotten closer and i'm happy and thankful. after all, there are 65 of us in the clan all in all - it's good to see that we're developing and maintaining the ties that bind us together (that sounded kinda cheesy ^^)
hmm, there's also been a lot of shopping in between. i got shoes from charles & keith (they have such adorable shoes) and some clothes from bySI and cinderella. i'm considering a wardrobe change but i'd better do it gradually so as not to make that big of a dent on my funds. also, i've been meaning to practice the art of walking in heels. i like wearing heels but they really do make my feet ache. Lastly, got a couple of books at fully booked. nothing but books to give me a high ^^
bumped into kristine at DQ Trinoma yesterday. It was nice seeing her and catching up, if only for a few minutes. I've been craving for DQ and last night, i finally got a Blizzard. I tried Brownie Temptation, Zel had Strawberry and Banana, while my parents shared the MudPie variety. It was pretty good. We had dinner at Bangus, which has pretty unique dishes. I loved the color of the walls. I wonder if it'd look good in our living room. Speaking of which, the renovations are almost done, I guess. Should take another three months or so~
More shops are open now in Trinoma and i'm getting used to the layout of the mall. There were so many people at Crocs. I don't know how or why it became such a craze, but my mom and zel say that they're really comfy. I just can't seem to warm up to them.
Ni's at Nueva Ecija this weekend. She went there to meet the cast of the play they're going to stage for their thesis. Apparently, it's a traditional play and is staged in Nueva Ecija. It's traditional in the sense that there's a play master who passes on the skill and trade to someone, generation to generation.
it's back to work again tomorrow. i'd better keep a list of things to do so as not to forget anything. the good thing about monday (and tuesday) is that it's the sched for the korean drama (flowers for my life) starring cha tae hyun (the guy from My Sassy Girl). It's a sarcastic, funny, heartwarming drama about love, life, death, and family. I love the songs they use on the show ^0^
have to start reviewing also for the japanese level 1 exam. the review classes are in the afternoon which clash with my french classes so i'll have to make do with studying by myself. hopefully, that'll be enough (keeping fingers crossed)
Sunday, May 27, 2007
weekend at trinoma
trinoma is making a splash this may, as the posters along edsa say. I went there friday and saturday - friday with ernest to watch pirates of the caribbean, and saturday with mom and zel to watch shrek 3.
movies are a good way to unwind. it's been a busy week at work, as it always seems to be these days. the cinemas are like the ones in greenbelt. I found pirates to be a bit too packed and a tad too long. Johnny Depp though was still wonderful as Captain Jack Sparrow. And sadly, Will and Elizabeth's love story ended on a bittersweet note. But the visual and sound effects were stunning.
For sound effects/soundtrack though, I have to applaud Shrek 3. It was just hilarious, especially the scene where Shrek and Artie were "bonding" around the fireplace ^0^ Yesterday, it was mostly families with little children who went to watch Shrek. In the scene where Artie ran Merlin's doorbell and the big blue mist popped out and disappeared, a kid laughed out loud, and the whole cinema was just filled with his laughter, which prompted the people to laugh too. It was endearing to see how thoroughly the kids the movie. They watched with big round eyes, repeated some of the movie lines, and loved heartily at the scenes. Shrek has really succeeded in creating wholesome entertainment for the whole family. I wonder if the kids' ideas of fairy tales will be a bit distorted. Hehe. There's actually an article in Time about that in this week's issue.
I also bought Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I feel as if i haven't read a book in ages. I miss reading~
I ran into Mayeen at Trinoma too. Hehe. Saw John and Josephine, and a couple of other peeps as well.
Trinoma should be up and going after another month or so when all the shops are open and the mall's brighter and more organized and cleaner. I wish they made the parking area brighter too. But if it's an Ayala mall so I'm sure they'll make the necessary improvements and changes.
movies are a good way to unwind. it's been a busy week at work, as it always seems to be these days. the cinemas are like the ones in greenbelt. I found pirates to be a bit too packed and a tad too long. Johnny Depp though was still wonderful as Captain Jack Sparrow. And sadly, Will and Elizabeth's love story ended on a bittersweet note. But the visual and sound effects were stunning.
For sound effects/soundtrack though, I have to applaud Shrek 3. It was just hilarious, especially the scene where Shrek and Artie were "bonding" around the fireplace ^0^ Yesterday, it was mostly families with little children who went to watch Shrek. In the scene where Artie ran Merlin's doorbell and the big blue mist popped out and disappeared, a kid laughed out loud, and the whole cinema was just filled with his laughter, which prompted the people to laugh too. It was endearing to see how thoroughly the kids the movie. They watched with big round eyes, repeated some of the movie lines, and loved heartily at the scenes. Shrek has really succeeded in creating wholesome entertainment for the whole family. I wonder if the kids' ideas of fairy tales will be a bit distorted. Hehe. There's actually an article in Time about that in this week's issue.
I also bought Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I feel as if i haven't read a book in ages. I miss reading~
I ran into Mayeen at Trinoma too. Hehe. Saw John and Josephine, and a couple of other peeps as well.
Trinoma should be up and going after another month or so when all the shops are open and the mall's brighter and more organized and cleaner. I wish they made the parking area brighter too. But if it's an Ayala mall so I'm sure they'll make the necessary improvements and changes.
Monday, May 21, 2007
cafe breton
saturday was the last session for module 20.
after class, went to cafe breton at greenbelt 3 with my classmates and professor - tita cora, tita guita, christa, karyn - erni caught up with us later on.
we had been discussing french administrative regions in class, which touched on population, landmarks, tourist spots, and of course food.
Bretagne is a region in france known for its marine activities - yachting, fishing, shipping ports - its beautiful beaches and oceans, and its crepes. They have a high standard when it comes to authentic crepes. Breton is the English name of Bretagne, and Cafe Breton serves crepes ^^ So we decided that having a light dinner there would be a fitting way to end the class.
The crepes smelled heavenly, and there were so many varieties. More than the food, it was the conversation that made things fun. Tita Guita talked about her family - her children, her grandchildren, her travels to Kenya and San Francisco - and about being a full-time mom and wife. She said that the only time she could have time to herself was during our 3-hour french class. Tita Guita's 73 years old but she's so lively and animated~
Christa shared tales of her travels as well, studying university in switzerland, the strange encounters she had, as well as the culture shock she experienced when she was there. tita cora and karyn also shared some interesting tales.
it'd be nice to have another get-together like that~
after that, met up with my mom and sisters at coffee bean and tea leaf. We were going to watch spiderman 3 (ni already watched shrek 3). I found Spiderman to be a wee too emotional and long @@ Surprisingly, my dad was able to join us for the movie. He hasn't gone to a cinema for quite a long time. Hehe. After the movie, ran into joanne, jhoan, franz, john, jay, kelly who were on their way to watch shrek. So many movies these weeks, with the last installment of pirates out this week! ^^
sunday, had breakfast at conti's where we ran into ama lourdes and a-ku, who ordered takeout and had breakfast at UCC. Went home and played some computer games with zel and ni. That lasted around the whole day @@ Had dinner at Silla where zel and i split an order of bibimbap. Yummy. I loved the chili paste sauce. I love Korean food ^^
after class, went to cafe breton at greenbelt 3 with my classmates and professor - tita cora, tita guita, christa, karyn - erni caught up with us later on.
we had been discussing french administrative regions in class, which touched on population, landmarks, tourist spots, and of course food.
Bretagne is a region in france known for its marine activities - yachting, fishing, shipping ports - its beautiful beaches and oceans, and its crepes. They have a high standard when it comes to authentic crepes. Breton is the English name of Bretagne, and Cafe Breton serves crepes ^^ So we decided that having a light dinner there would be a fitting way to end the class.
The crepes smelled heavenly, and there were so many varieties. More than the food, it was the conversation that made things fun. Tita Guita talked about her family - her children, her grandchildren, her travels to Kenya and San Francisco - and about being a full-time mom and wife. She said that the only time she could have time to herself was during our 3-hour french class. Tita Guita's 73 years old but she's so lively and animated~
Christa shared tales of her travels as well, studying university in switzerland, the strange encounters she had, as well as the culture shock she experienced when she was there. tita cora and karyn also shared some interesting tales.
it'd be nice to have another get-together like that~
after that, met up with my mom and sisters at coffee bean and tea leaf. We were going to watch spiderman 3 (ni already watched shrek 3). I found Spiderman to be a wee too emotional and long @@ Surprisingly, my dad was able to join us for the movie. He hasn't gone to a cinema for quite a long time. Hehe. After the movie, ran into joanne, jhoan, franz, john, jay, kelly who were on their way to watch shrek. So many movies these weeks, with the last installment of pirates out this week! ^^
sunday, had breakfast at conti's where we ran into ama lourdes and a-ku, who ordered takeout and had breakfast at UCC. Went home and played some computer games with zel and ni. That lasted around the whole day @@ Had dinner at Silla where zel and i split an order of bibimbap. Yummy. I loved the chili paste sauce. I love Korean food ^^
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
comfort for a listless mind
i've just been listless these past few days.
i've been thinking about baking and big warm kitchens,
cupcakes with pastel-colored icing, and
chocolate chip cookies with a tall glass of milk ...
...among other things.
...among other things.
i should probably take baking lessons~
Friday, May 11, 2007
overtime
this week has been absolutely crazy.
i clocked in 12 hours every day of the week (except today! yehey for that ^^)
my mind's spinning from all the japanese. i'm still struggling with how to respond to customers' queries in correct, polite japanese. i'm learning though~!
this week was overwhelming, from gathering data to answering queries, reading emails, making files, running reports. time just flew by.
yokota-san and ohgane-san have been such a great help, assisting with the emails and teaching me the different processes and operations.
im just happy this week's over. we made it through the first week of operations! =)
i have to go work on monday though...after i vote, that is. To everyone who's registered, vote!
my family's coming back tomorrow from korea. bring on the kimchi!
last saturday, met up with mic, jerome, malt, raech, char, sherry, derrick, and cha at moa. had dinner at this restaurant (i forgot the name >.<) that serves new york fish and chips and wasabi pizza. we talked a lot over iced tea refills and repeats of finding nemo and how to lose a guy in 10 days. they make such lovely and interesting conversation partners.
i clocked in 12 hours every day of the week (except today! yehey for that ^^)
my mind's spinning from all the japanese. i'm still struggling with how to respond to customers' queries in correct, polite japanese. i'm learning though~!
this week was overwhelming, from gathering data to answering queries, reading emails, making files, running reports. time just flew by.
yokota-san and ohgane-san have been such a great help, assisting with the emails and teaching me the different processes and operations.
im just happy this week's over. we made it through the first week of operations! =)
i have to go work on monday though...after i vote, that is. To everyone who's registered, vote!
my family's coming back tomorrow from korea. bring on the kimchi!
last saturday, met up with mic, jerome, malt, raech, char, sherry, derrick, and cha at moa. had dinner at this restaurant (i forgot the name >.<) that serves new york fish and chips and wasabi pizza. we talked a lot over iced tea refills and repeats of finding nemo and how to lose a guy in 10 days. they make such lovely and interesting conversation partners.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
<(_ _)>
gosh, it's now may.
i've been working for two months now.
saturday, watched firehouse dog. it's such a cute movie.maybe we can have pictorials for our dogs too. that'd be cute ^^
may 1 was zel's birthday. we played taboo for kids - it was fun and had dinner at saisaki. that same morning, had a buffet breakfast at marco polo club (my uncle's treat as it was his birthday too). it was an enjoyable way to start the day. then i had to go to the office coz it wasn't a holiday in japan. I had a telecon, stayed for a few hours, and was picked up by my dad. We had snacks at red ribbon and bought chocolate mousse for zel =)
my japan contact person is coming next monday. hopefully he's as nice in person as he is on the phone =)
yesterday, <(_ _)> appeared in one of my chat conversations. I was talking to my Japanese contact person then. Three of my officemates saw the emoticon and they had three different interpretations. One said it looked like a butt crack, the other said it was eyes closed shut, another said it looked like a nose ^^ It was actually an icon of someone bowing down in apology. Of course, i could have thought that because i had read the message in Japanese and therefore understood the context. I just found it interesting how people can have different perceptions on the same thing, and how something that's so familiar to the Japanese and me and other Japanese emoticon users could be alien to other people ^^ Omoshiroi!
This week, I'm tying up loose ends, trying to remember what needs to be remembered for my process and hoping that i don't forget anything.
Tomorrow, my family and grandparents are headed off to korea. so, home alone for 9 days~ i hope i don't cause too much trouble 0(^0^)o
i've been working for two months now.
saturday, watched firehouse dog. it's such a cute movie.maybe we can have pictorials for our dogs too. that'd be cute ^^
may 1 was zel's birthday. we played taboo for kids - it was fun and had dinner at saisaki. that same morning, had a buffet breakfast at marco polo club (my uncle's treat as it was his birthday too). it was an enjoyable way to start the day. then i had to go to the office coz it wasn't a holiday in japan. I had a telecon, stayed for a few hours, and was picked up by my dad. We had snacks at red ribbon and bought chocolate mousse for zel =)
my japan contact person is coming next monday. hopefully he's as nice in person as he is on the phone =)
yesterday, <(_ _)> appeared in one of my chat conversations. I was talking to my Japanese contact person then. Three of my officemates saw the emoticon and they had three different interpretations. One said it looked like a butt crack, the other said it was eyes closed shut, another said it looked like a nose ^^ It was actually an icon of someone bowing down in apology. Of course, i could have thought that because i had read the message in Japanese and therefore understood the context. I just found it interesting how people can have different perceptions on the same thing, and how something that's so familiar to the Japanese and me and other Japanese emoticon users could be alien to other people ^^ Omoshiroi!
This week, I'm tying up loose ends, trying to remember what needs to be remembered for my process and hoping that i don't forget anything.
Tomorrow, my family and grandparents are headed off to korea. so, home alone for 9 days~ i hope i don't cause too much trouble 0(^0^)o
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