blessings

God has blessed me with so much these past few days.

I got a good grade on my philo paper on narnia =) Plus i was able to write something lucid and sensible for my marcel quiz earlier this morning.

I got a job offer from IBS, which I will take. I have to prepare documents like TIN, NBI clearance, Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth, etc. Went to the Valenzuela branches earlier with my dad. So far, only applied for the clearance which will take a week to process (which is unfortunate coz i need it on Thursday). I still can't believe I have a job (i need to perform well the first 6 months)! The downside (if you would call it that) is that I start next week, on Thursday. After my finals on Weds, I have to report to work on Thurs. Then i'll have to take a leave from work on Friday to attend the thesis conference and on March 30 because i'm marching ^0^ Right now, I just feel like everything's spinning. I haven't really had time to breathe and think. Although now that i think of it, it kinda scares me - going to work. New environment, new people. It's like the first day of Ateneo all over again. Hehe.

I found my SSS. I've been rummaging all over the room, wondering where i (mis)placed it. I got it two years ago i think and had forgotten about it till it appeared as one of the employment requirements.

Also, I'm grateful that God has given my family strength and guidance to overcome certain challenges.

*Today was the last-ever regular day of school. Finals next week. Crunch time!

pre-finals week ramblings

i feel as if i haven't written a real entry in ages. i probably haven't.

i feel that the next few days are going to be a blur. my head's a melange of marcel's metaphysics of hope, pope john paul II's laborem exercens, my business chinese dialogue on international trade payment methods, my psychology of leadership paper, and of course, the here-and-there job interviews and pre-employment tests.

i have had interviews at ibm business services and philamlife. i will be having another test at accenture tomorrow afternoon. i've had interviews at both ibm and philamlife too. i don't know whether i passed the japanese test ibm gave me but they did call back last week, although they haven't called again. i don't know if i want to nail a job or not. of course, the wait for that always-seems-longer-than-it-really-is phone call, bearing good or bad news, is always tedious and anxiety-ridden. Then again, i'm thinking once the job offers come in (i hope at least two companies tell me i'm good enough for them. if not, that'd be a serious blow to my ego ><), how am i to choose which is better? So, i've decided to leave it to God and let Him guide me. I'll take the tests and interviews and when it's time to decide, i'll pray i make the right decision. But of course, i'm counting my chickens before they've even hatched. let's stick with passing the tests and doing well at the interviews first.

i wanted to go to canada after i graduated, spend a month or two there, see what opportunities await. Plus, the change in environment would do me well too, i guess. But since i'm doing the job hunting full blast, i suppose the land of maple syrup and my childhood memories will just have to wait.

I'm also thinking of taking up Spanish lessons. Me gusta estudiar espanol porque es muy interesante. ademas, me interesa las lenguas extranjeras ^^ With regard to french, i'm slowly (but surely???) regaining my lost ground. Now, i'm concerned about my accent. I borrowed some psych magazines in french and i've been recording my voice to see if i have a filipino/chinese/english accent. One thing i've discovered, with absolutely no relation to french accents and whatnot, is that my voice sounds distorted or weird on a tape recorder. Is it just me or is it naturally that way?

I will end this entry here and go work on my leadership paper now. Have to analyze and reflect on my interview with Zest-O's chairman, Mr. Alfredo Yao. My grandfather helped set up the appointment. They're tennis buddies. How cool is that? ^^

countdown

one week left till finals.

this is it. i can actually see the end to my four (+1) years of university.

happy chinese new year everyone ^0^

i want to go see Music and Lyrics

whirlwind

two weeks left before my senior year officially ends. it's going to be a very busy two weeks. i'm fighting the urge to just bum around. together with the tests and papers, i'm also somewhat occupied with job searching. have an interview with philamlife tomorrow although i'm not sure if i'm really inclined to the insurance business.

yesterday, i spent half the day watching trailers for bridge to terabithia, nancy drew, premonition, the number 23, miss potter, the pursuit to happyness, because i said so among others. making trailers seems to be a cool pastime. maybe i can give it a try once i've unloaded myself of schoolwork.

chinese new year is coming up too. tikoy and all those red-colored food ^^

have to go finish my philo paper now. Cooperate with me, Marcel! Heigh-ho!

stuck in lingo

Yesterday was my job interview (more like screening actually) for IBM. If (big IF) they call me again, it might be for a language test since the job is primarily open for people with Japanese proficiency. The test covers listening / speaking (they'll call their japan office supposedly), reading, and writing. The latter two are basically japanese-english and english-japanese translation tests. I don't know if I'm that confident with my skills. Of course, I chose Japanese over French when they asked me which language i was more confident in. Now, i'm just frustrated. I really need to work to become fluent.

Watched Night of the Museum last week. I liked it =D I was planning to watch Babel or Little Children, but after the week of classes, I felt too tired for anything too emotionally-heavy so i opted for comedy. The movie wasn't bad at all, with nice effects and a good storyline.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday so we had a shabu-shabu dinner at Gloria Maris. Given the cool weather we're having, the steaming shabu-shabu was perfect ^^ We're having another dinner on Saturday, this time with my relatives.

I love how the weather these days, all cool and breezy~

snail mail

In this technologically advanced, fast-paced world, snail mail is a rarity. Thus, when I received Keiko's postcard, Okaasan's card and newspaper article, and Emma's letter the past few days, I felt happy =) There's something about snail mail that leaves you warm and fuzzy inside.

Then today, we got three boxes of books from Fr. Fertal, a friend of my dad's who resides in Missouri. We don't hear from him too often, but he writes to us once in a while. For the past few years, he's sent us lots and lots of books and video tapes. The books are mostly about Chinese culture and history - feng shui, imperial dynasties, mystery novels - and books on wine. I was just touched by the gesture, because he must have spent time choosing the novels and packing them. He's going to have an operation next month for the severe arthritis in his leg. May our prayers be with him.

Today, two interior designers came by. They said we need to demolish the kitchen and the wardrobes and cabinets in the rooms upstairs. The model photos were really pretty. It'd be nice if we could renovate everything but it would cost a LOT.

I just finished compiling the first three sections of thesis. I can't believe it's almost done! Wow. The feeling's surreal~*

comfort food

i have a sore throat －ー； that means the usual remedy of 999 medicinal tea plus that apricot tea mom bought from korea, as well as the stronger antibiotics - amoxicillin. hopefully, the sore throat won't develop into a full-out cold.

tonight, we had dinner at silla ^0^ when you have a cold (or an almost cold), there's nothing better than spicy food. Loved the side dishes and the beancurd soup and the jap chae and kimbap. We even bought some kimchi home. It's fiery red so it should be really hot. I enjoyed dipping my spoonfuls of rice into the red-specked lightly seasoned beancurd soup. I imagined rainy days and cold winter mornings as i let the soup soothe my raspy throat.

There's something about food that makes it comforting and nostalgic. I remember the steamed tausi fish and congee, together with the warm glass of almond juice my mom would give me as a child whenever i had a fever. Today, i had vegetarian congee from bodhi - mixed with veggies, taro, and veggie ham. Perfect comfort food for colds and sore throats ^^ Memories of my childhood days in canada include feasting on kfc hot chili wings, canadian pizza from pizza hut, noodles and fried rice from chopsticks, chicken and salted fish casserole from sam woo, and the freshly-baked choco chip or banana walnut muffins from mmmuffins.

Food is a feast for the senses - with its aromas and tastes. Sometimes, it serves as little trinkets of our past, like a trip down memory lane. What kiddie birthday party doesn't conjure images of spaghetti and barbecue? Other times, food's our buddy-in-crime when we drown down sorrows and hurt. In fact, the image of a sniffling girl eating a pint of ice cream while sitting on her living room couch has become quite common. Food gathers people together. Family and friends converse, joke, and laugh while sharing good food.

Roland Barthes mentions that food is one of the more subtle ways to understanding a country's culture. Me, I'd say: Good food. Warms the heart. Feeds the senses.

-*0-*-
mandy moore has a new movie Because I Said So, together with diane keaton, lauren graham, and piper perabo. it seems interesting~

the last book in the sisterhood series came out already. i wonder when it'll be available locally.

current favorite song: Just So You Know by Jesse McCartney

bits and pieces

the past few week has come and gone. caught up in schoolwork and asec room conversations, i haven't quite had the time to sit down and dissect what's happened. anyways, thoughts of the week:

french class
the one question i have after french class today is how open-minded can one really be? we're discussing PACS which is like a marriage contract. A heterosexual or homesexual couple can sign this contract and their union is legally recognized. Seems that more and more people are being "pacs-ed" because they get two sides of the coin - their union is legally recognized, which means they have the rights and benefits that accompany a real marriage, and at the same time, they're "free" in the sense that it's easy to get your union dissolved coz you don't have to go through loads of legal red tape like a divorce or an annulment. The fact that such a thing exists, what does it say about society's morals and values? I don't know. It seems that "convenience" seems to be the keyword of the century. I just wonder how openly i can accept the change in values and societal practices. And should these changes really be accepted by society?

global warming
200 million = number of people around the world who could be displaced by more intense droughts, sea level rise and flooding by 2080. No hope for the future generations? Quite likely. The ice storm and cold weather in the united states is scary. The fact that temperatures are rising worldwide should serve as a warning. There's already a petition being passed around to add the polar bear as an endangered species. Let's help save the environment.

job fair
there's a job fair next week. looking over the list of companies, i was thinking about which companies to apply to. i thought, why not just submit a resume to every single company, so that chances are at least one or two companies call me for an interview. then, i started considering working at a call center, which led me to think that working at a bank shouldn't be that bad. Thing is i've always kinda balked at the idea of working in a corporate setting. i don't like the idea of sitting behind a desk for 8 hours. i want a job that's more interactive. i was thinking of teaching or joining an environmental advocacy organization (like greenpeace maybe?) or maybe i could try unicef.

the catholic faith
thanks to ateneo and my theo teachers (and philo too i guess ^^) this year, i've come to understand the catholic faith better. i think i now understand what it's all about and what our mission on earth is. i finally get what kingdom of God means and what it means to pattern our lives after the life of Jesus Christ. so these days, i try to pay more attention to my thoughts and actions. let's just say it takes an enormous amount of effort to be patient and understanding. moreover, whenever i see street children, i feel guilty. i can't even look them in the eye. i've been thinking what i can do to really help them. when i interviewed the children in quiapo before, i realized how different their ways of thinking were. their environment has toughened them up and they have different expectations and desires, most of which revolve around materialistic stuff. is there a feasible solution to poverty?

tv shows
watched the american idol season 6 premiere the other day. seems like only a few made it to hollywood. i didn't know whether to cringe or feel sorry for the other contestants. it was still a fun watch, what with simon and his trademark sarcasm. the american idol auditions never fail to attract interesting personalities ^0^ i've also started to watch local tv shows again like sana maulit muli (kim chiu's acting isn't half bad) and maging sino ka man. Hehe~

Tomorrow will be spent studying for theology. Long coverage for the second exam.