I really look Asian pala! ;p

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage – Free genealogy – Free pedigree charts

Pardon me and my drama

Playlist of the moment. Or maybe the most fitting. Waah!

1. Chasing Pavements – Adele

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements even if it leads nowhere?

2. Dig – Incubus

If I turn into another, dig me up from under what is covering the better part of me, sing this song, remind me that we’ll always have each other when everything else is gone.

3. Goodbye To You – Breaking Point

So I wanted you to know that I’ve finally let you go, after all I’ve held on to this is my goodbye to you. I was always there for you but you never saw the truth, and the reason that I know is that I’ve finally let you go.

4. That’s What You Get – Paramore

That’s what you get when you let your heart win, I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating, that’s what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.

5. Unsaid – The Fray

Suffice it to say we’re leaving things unsaid, we sing ourselves to sleep watching the day lie down instead, and we are leaving some things unsaid, and we are breathing deeper instead.

6. Can’t Let Go – Landon Pigg

I can’t let go, I can’t let go of you, you’re holding me back without even trying to. I can’t let go, I can’t move on from the past, without lifting a finger you’re holding me back.

7. Coffee And Cigarettes – Michelle Featherstone

But it’s true, now I finally know what to do, I must quit, I must quit, you.

———-

Ok that’s really too much drama but pardon me for it. I’ve lost 2 bets today, both with the same restriction– not to get in touch with the person I choose to call “HB” (for “Hapee Boy”), until he does so first. And believe it or not we actually didn’t speak for 3 whole weeks!!! It was hard during the first few but eventually I learned to get used to not speaking to him. Anyway I broke it yesterday evening when I called HB to ask a question but he didn’t pick up. This morning he texted me saying he was in the province and that he was gonna call me in the afternoon. Hey, he really did call and I asked him what I wanted to ask, which was about his job– which is the same position I’m applying for by the way– and according to him I’m 90% there (fingers crossed!)!!! I guess both my friends Ian and Bea get free lunches! Grrrrr! And about the job, well I hope things turn out well… :)

Words of wisdom from Bob Ong

Reposted from Andy’s Facebook note.

1. “Kung hindi mo mahal ang isang tao, wag ka nang magpakita ng motibo para mahalin ka niya.”

2. “Huwag mong bitawan ang bagay na hindi mo kayang makitang hawak ng iba.”

3. “Huwag mong hawakan kung alam mong bibitawan mo lang.”

4. “Huwag na huwag ka hahawak kapag alam mong may hawak ka na.”

5. “Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo pagsisiksikan ung sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sayo. Eh meron naman hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin.”

6. “Kung maghihintay ka ng lalandi sayo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo… Dapat lumandi ka din.”

7. “Pag may mahal ka at ayaw sayo, hayaan mo. Malay mo sa mga susunod na araw ayaw mo na din sa kanya, naunahan ka lang.”

8. “Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa.”

9. “Pag hindi ka mahal ng mahal mo wag ka magreklamo. Kasi may mga tao rin na di mo mahal pero mahal ka… Kaya quits lang.”

10. “Kung dalawa ang mahal mo, piliin mo yung pangalawa. Kasi hindi ka naman magmamahal ng iba kung mahal mo talaga yung una.”

11. “Hindi porke’t madalas mong ka-chat, kausap sa telepono, kasama sa mga lakad o ka-text ng wantusawa eh may gusto sayo at magkakatuluyan kayo. Meron lang talagang mga taong sadyang friendly, sweet, flirt, malandi, pa-fall o paasa.”

12. “Huwag magmadali sa babae o lalaki. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon, mag-iiba ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong hindi pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang maganda o nakakalibog ito. Totoong mas mahalaga ang kalooban ng tao higit sa anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan nagmumukha ding pandesal, maniwala ka.”

13. “Minsan kahit ikaw ang nakaschedule, kailangan mo pa rin maghintay, kasi hindi ikaw ang priority.”

14. “Mahirap pumapel sa buhay ng tao. Lalo na kung hindi ikaw yung bida sa script na pinili niya.”

15. “Alam mo ba kung gaano kalayo ang pagitan ng dalawang tao pag nagtalikuran na sila? Kailangan mong libutin ang buong mundo para lang makaharap ulit ang taong tinalikuran mo.”

16. “Mas mabuting mabigo sa paggawa ng isang bagay kesa magtagumpay sa paggawa ng wala.”

17. “Hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohan, at hindi lahat ng hindi mo kayang intindihin ay kasinungalingan.”

18. “Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lang yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sama ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sayo, kundi IKAW mismo!”

19. “Pakawalan mo yung mga bagay na nakakasakit sa iyo kahit na pinasasaya ka nito. Wag mong hintayin ang araw na sakit na lang ang nararamdaman mo at iniwan ka na ng kasiyahan mo.”

20. “Gamitin ang puso para alagaan ang mga taong malalapit sa iyo. Gamitin ang utak para alagaan ang sarili mo.”

21. “Ang pag-ibig parang imburnal… nakakatakot mahulog… at kapag nahulog ka, it’s either by accident or talagang tanga ka.”

In Davao, I didn’t… (Part 2 of many)

So here goes Part 2 of my tribute to the place I called home for about 9 months. I’ve only got 2 more weeks to go starting Monday– and though I’m excited to go back home to be with my family and friends again, I will definitely miss this place which taught me more than I expected. It made 2008 a “growing pains” year for me– but after all that I went through, I’d like to think that things can only get better right? I can’t wait to start 2009 with a bang, and hopefully with all of my questions answered.

Anyway during the later part of my stay here I made a list of things I wanted to do or try out since I had a lot of time on my hands. About half of those on the list didn’t happen :(, but doesn’t mean I didn’t have a blast. I had my “satellite” family in my boss Bong and my other officemates. Bong was like my second mom– she’d pick me up on the way to the office, and after work we’d go to the gym together and she’d take me home. We went out a lot too and she introduced me to a lot of her friends. I would have been lonelier if I didn’t hang out with my family here even if once in a while, aside from my friends and family back home, they helped keep me sane at least. Anyhoo here are the things I listed on my must-do list but wasn’t able to accomplish. Here goes.

In Davao, I didn’t…

… try out some things I said I would. White water rafting (I know, I know, how could I???), diving, and the long-planned DJ lessons. I’m quite scared of the rapids so I haven’t tried the rafting… as for diving, my friend Andy invited me to go one Sunday but I was too lazy, and now he’s too busy! And as for the DJ lessons, when I realized I was finally free to do them weeks ago, I didn’t have much time! If you enroll in these lessons you can use the studio for a month, and I just don’t have a month left here in Davao to get the most of my money’s worth. Plus, I had more “important” priorities such as going to the gym for the past months :P, and in my early months here I had to focus on my studies. Oh well, in Manila nalang when I get back, but it’s something I will still definitely try! :)

… have an out of office group. As I mentioned earlier, I was more or less limited to the people at the office, even if almost all of them had families already and Friday was the only good day to go out– and worse, only when someone made libre or picked up the tab and pegged it as “client entertainment”. Hah. I was thinking of joining a church choir to meet people but I just never got around to doing it. I met some people but I really wouldn’t know how to form a group out of them. Plus, not having a car is totally paralyzing since I felt like I wasn’t mobile– I had to plan where I went every weekend so I don’t have to strut back and forth in a cab. I used to go out with my friend Rex a lot, but aside from that the only times I truly went out with people my age were when they went to visit me here (John Rae, Cy, Mark, Angeli, Charlotte, Anna, Bea). I guess I could have done better in this aspect though…

… kiss a boy, get a boyfriend, have sex. LOL that was too straightforward. I remember on my familiarization trip before moving to Davao, the cab drivers told me I was probably gonna meet my future husband here. One of the older MISEs assigned here before me met her husband here too. But well, I didn’t. I didn’t even get to kiss a boy, what more have a boyfriend and have sex! Haha. Guys at the office were either married with kids or gay. I met a lot of people in the club and through other friends, but I didn’t really find anyone worth pursuing, or maybe I just didn’t put myself out there too much. (And in connection to this I have a comment I will reserve for Part 3.) Yes, the truth is that I was too preoccupied with someone in Manila that I didn’t really put much effort into expanding my network and going all adventurous. People might say I’d regret not doing so but I personally, I don’t think I wasted my time. Not to say that it was all worth it, but what I went through with that is something for the books. Hehe.

… do other basic things. Get an enema, donate blood, go to the ob gyne. Is it believable that I wanted to get an enema for detox? :) It’s true. Just never got around to doing it. Or finding the time to.

… get to save money. ‘Nuff said. Being alone for 2 whole days during weekends, being 10 minutes away from Gaisano Mall, and suddenly having this vain trip has taken its toll on my pocket. Ouch! Even if my daily expenses here aren’t that much, I make up for the saving by spending big during the weekends. Of course I also have other financial obligations and so I’m in no condition to say I’m rich right now. Haha. Well I’m just having the time of my life! (And soon, I’ll be doing it back home!!!)

Most of these things I will still definitely do soon. It’s just that I didn’t get to do them here. Oh, I can’t wait to see my family and friends again. And now that I have a fresher perspective of appreciating Manila from being away for quite long, I won’t waste any time… :)

(Part 3 to follow!)

In Davao, I… (Part 1 of many)

As I oh so gleefully announced last time, I’m coming back home to Manila!!! I’ll still be working in the same company, but this time for the domestic business– doing projects in Customer Service. I didn’t really like Customer Service when I was there for my second job rotation, but this time is much better since I will be heading projects in preparation for a big business move in January. Short of saying it won’t be a clerical position, so yay! And while I’m still looking for a nice expat job (or who knows, another job!) then what better way to spend it than to gain experience in another business unit, while being back in my home base that is Manila right? :)

Anyway now that I’m counting 3 weeks (19 days to be exact) before I move back to Manila after my 9-month assignment here in Davao, I wanna write some sort of list of what I’ve done and went through. In fairness, I have learned much much much more about life, myself, and people while I was here, compared to what I learned during my first year of working back in Manila. Being alone truly changes you and makes you know yourself better. At the same time boredom will make you try different things! I’ll be writing this in parts since I’m sure it will be quite long, but for this entry I’ll be mentioning the “more shallow” ones. So here goes.

In Davao, I…

… learned to love (ice cold) beer. When you say “ice cold” it really is cold that if you scrape the ice off the bottle and drop it into the beer it freezes! (Cy taught me this trick.) I absolutely loved it that I was out drinking at least twice a week during the first few months. Now I don’t wanna drink beer if it isn’t ice cold. The best place? Jickong’s. And in relation to drinking…

… learned how to smoke. Not good too if you ask my other friends. Haha. I’ve tried it back in college with my brother, but that was only once or twice. Now when I drink or go clubbing here in Davao, I have at least one stick. It’s just social smoking though so nothing really destructive… the only destructive one was weeks ago when I had 5 sticks in a night coz I was tense! Yikes. As long as my teeth don’t go yellow, I don’t stink, and I don’t get pimples from it then I guess it’s fine. 

… took swimming lessons. About time I did! There was a 5-day long weekend one week and so I decided to enroll in swimming lessons. My instructor was a 20-year old Muslim guy who I bombarded with Islam-related cultural and religious questions. Haha. Aside from learning how to swim (and finally get over my fear of deep water) I learned a lot from Vasit too. Well, add to that a stubborn tankini tan that I’m trying hard to get rid of! At least I can now swim without fear of drowning if I’m led to the deep parts of the water!

… had almost everything waxed and/or threaded. OUCH! Eyebrows, upper lip, and the most dreaded brazilian wax. Well it’s painful indeed but it’s worth it because you feel so clean after. The worst part for me though isn’t the brazilian waxing itself but the time when the hair down there initially grows– it can get DAMN ITCHY, believe me, I was spanking it just to avoid scratching it!– Ok too much details!

… stuck to a diet and gym plan. Yay for that! I’m still sticking to it now. Apple cider vinegar an hour after every meal, only half a cup of rice a day, and at least 3 hours of cardio a week. Sometimes I violated but those were totally unintentional and isolated circumstances so they’re not counted, heehee! And hey, the plans are working. I guess it helps that I’m alone and I don’t have anyone else to eat with for dinner and on weekends. And I’d rather not eat than have people see me eat alone, so… :P

… learned how to pamper and reward myself. I go to the gym at least thrice a week, then step into the sauna or have a dip in the jacuzzi if I feel tired. I had regular pedicures, whole body massages, and of course not to underestimate the retail therapy I did every week! Ok that’s not good on my pocket, but if you’ve got nothing to do and nowhere else to go to on the weekends then I guess the mall is the best place! And I just always ended up buying something. :S

… consistently heard mass every Sunday– out of my own will! I must admit that when I always went with my family to mass back in Manila, it was just out of compliance– but in fairness I have learned to hear mass every Sunday here. It’s quite sad though that something big and unfortunate had to happen (I was at the lowest point in my life!) for me to become closer to God, but it’s all good now. Because I’m also working on my faith, I’m now able to sleep alone in my room, whereas I was more duwag back in Manila! (Not that I have a choice here, do I?)

… experienced living alone for the first time. This may not be anything new or special to others, but it was a new experience for me since I’ve never lived away from my family for more than a month. I was away for about 3 weeks when I’d attend my modules in Copenhagen and travel for a week, but I was with friends anyway so it’s not counted. This time, I had to cook by myself, wash my underwear, go grocery shopping, do some budgeting and allotment of expenses and groceries, and experience weekends by myself– whether it be hearing mass and killing time at the mall. Believe me, it can get lonely, and I sure missed my family and friends a lot, but sometimes you also get some time to stop and think about different things– depends on what you’re thinking of if it’s good or bad! :P

… maxed out my nightlife. Davao’s probably not the best place for a clubbing nightlife since there are only a few dance clubs here (Urban Club, Autoshop, 183, Halo– or that I know of), but during my first few months here I was out EVERY Saturday night, no fail. My “life” would officially start at 12mn, then I’d always meet up with my friend Rex and possibly some other people at Urban Club, then we’d go home at 4am! That was fun. I eventually got tired of it since it’s the same people and music every week… but that’s why I’m looking forward to Manila since there’s so many different places to choose from! :)

Guess those make the list for the more shallow ones! What I can say is that I’ve definitely learned to live independently while I was here in Davao. Of course you’ve got no choice but to fend for yourself– you can’t eat if you won’t cook or buy anything, and you won’t have underwear to put on unless you wash the dirty ones (unless you only keep buying!), so that broke my “spoiled” (or so my parents say) life in Manila. Eventually if I go expatriate or have a family I’ll also be doing things by myself, and later on, for my future children, so it’s good to have learned it now. And there’s a first time for everything right? :)

(Part 2 to follow soon!)

Baboosh

Goodbye To You – Breaking Point

There’s so much I want to say now but it’s too late I know
There’s no way to heal these wounds now and my heart bleeds for you

And our love is crashing like a tidal wave coming over me

So I wanted you to know that I finally let you go
After all I’ve held on to this is my goodbye to you
I was always there for you but you never saw the truth
And the reason that I know is I’ve finally let you go

Yesterday you were my best friend but tomorrow took you away
There’s not much for me to say now, just goodbye, farewell

And our love is crashing like a tidal wave coming over me

And every time I close my eyes my heart is bleeding deep inside
But now my eyes are open and I’m never gonna be the one for you
The one for you

I finally let you go, let you go, let you go
So this is my goodbye to you

Maybe this is what I should do

Coffee and Cigarettes – Michelle Featherstone

I gave up coffee and cigarettes
I hate to say it hasn’t helped me yet
I thought my problems would just dissipate
And all my pain would be in yesterday

I poured my booze all down the kitchen drain
And watched my bad habits get flushed away
I thought that that would keep my head on straight
And all my pain would be in yesterday

But it’s true
I’m still blue
But I finally know what to do
I must quit, I must quit, you

I thought that if I didn’t go and play
The sadness would get bored and go away
I thought that if I didn’t go astray
That all my pain would be in yesterday

But it’s true
I’m still blue
But I finally know what to do
I must quit, I must quit, you

I sold my guitar and my piano
I thought that it was these that kept me low
I thought if only I could try and change
That all my pain would be in yesterday

But it’s true
I’m still blue
But I finally know what to do
I must quit, I must quit, you

I must quit, I must quit, you

5 bottles + 5 sticks = no hangover

My Friday night was pretty cool. It was Rex’s birthday eve so we had a bit of a celebration at the office, then went drinking, first at Pescado, then Jickong’s. Pescado had a nice ambiance but it was quite humid and they didn’t serve ice cold beer (bad if you’re here in Davao), so we decided to transfer to the usual favorite, Jickong’s. At least there the air was much cooler and there were much more people, giving the Friday night drinking atmosphere. We played a game where you had to burn the tissue wrapped to the mouth of a glass with a coin in the middle, and if the coin fell inside then you had to answer any question that was thrown at you. I dropped the coin! And so I was bombarded with the burning questions they’ve always wanted to ask– all of which were of course about who else. :|

Anyway I had 5 beers total, and I smoked 5 cigarettes! I don’t really smoke, I just do it when I feel like it, but last night I was so in the mood that I had a lot. My hands still smell like it now, yikes! Good thing I didn’t wake up this morning with a hangover– I didn’t feel any headache at all! Maybe it’s because I ate a lot before drinking, and we ate a lot too while we were there. And since it’s officially Oktoberfest, I tried the limited edition beer–

Since I paid more for the bottle (PHP 40), I took it home! Maybe I’ll use it in the future to pass a love letter or something, haha! I’m keeping the bottle. Maybe I should start a collection of limited edition beer bottles from around the world? :)

Anyway in other news, I’M COMING BACK TO MANILA FOR GOOD!!! Plans were kind of talked about so fast that it hasn’t really sunken in until now. I’ll be arriving latest mid-November, and I’ll be working for our domestic shipping service (MCC) doing special projects for Customer Service. I’m really excited because I won’t be doing trivial tasks at all, and I will be undertaking major projects in preparation for a big business move this coming January. And I think I’m better with projects than routine work so I think this is a great learning opportunity while waiting for expat. Oh and about expat, I’m still applying but I’ll be here in the Philippines for another 4 months at least– or who knows, even longer! My replacement here in Davao is coming by Monday so I can’t wait to start the turnover and go back to my home sweet home in Manila again!!! :) :) :) I’m counting down the days!