Imagine walking up and down a rollercoaster like road, for 1km each day. Throw in having to find your way through most places and developing rock hard calves (david beckham, eat your heart out!) from plodding up and down and coming home so exhausted you dont want to wash your face but you have to because this is Australia and global warming makes the sun hotter and therefore you get more sweaty and your face and im so tired.
Alternate this with periods where you are doing absolutely nothing. Just waiting.
And you will get how my week has been. But before I get a little ahead of myself, let's start from the very beginning.
Sleepy Sunday and a Malumanay Monday
I got in Sunday right before lunch. My Auntie Genie picked me up at the airport (see previous post for details) and we went home. I really thought I would fall asleep in the car. Lunch was bacon, egg and bread. (This would later prove to be normal) Apparently most people here have a light lunch and a heavy dinner. What gives? Have they not heard of the inverted pyramid thingy? Breakfast is supposed to be the heaviest meal. I later discovered that although I had been told that this was a healthy family - they are all so fit, its kind of stereotypical outdoorsy australian-esque - however it is apparent that carbohydrates are the center of their eating universe. Ok, now I know carbs aren't evil, but seriously. White bread and pasta almost always, huge meals... but I digress.
After eating I unpacked, took a shower and promptly knocked out. As in I really, really knocked out. The next thing I knew my tita was calling me to go to church. Went to church, had dinner, did some groceries in the rain (it was raining and cold, too) and then I was seriously off to bed. I had to pull out one of the winter blankets because it was really cold. When I arrived they explained to me that there had been a storm, which explains the turbulence, and it rained the afternoon I arrived. I wore a jumper (sweater) to church and my uncle commented that I was the only one he would ever see in a jumper in the summer. :P
I am staying in what is a converted garage. It's been that way since a long time ago, I remember staying in here the first time I ever came to visit, in '95, yup - its been ten years. It has a wardrobe, tv, pc, etc. Its pretty cool actually, and the perfect bachelor pad. Im presuming my cousin will move into this eventually, at least when I get my own place.
The next day I stayed at home, lounged until late then met my cousin Miel to get some necessities. Contrary to expectation, I didnt get a book even if we did meet at Border's. :P We met my cousin Rochelle (Shelley) for a little lunch at Macquarie Center, the nearest mall, which is also near Macquarie University, where Miel went to grad school. Shelley sprained her ankle and was using a rented crutch to get around. She could still drive, though. We had thai food. Since I'd already had enough bread in the house, I only had spring rolls. Shelley left me and Miel to go to the doctor and we went off to Target and Big W, their shoemart esque department store chains to get stuff. It upset me kind of that I spent Aus $100 on toiletries, a bathrobe and other things that I needed. I didnt even get a book or a magazine. Or anything. We parted ways and off I went home.
Taranta Tuesday
The thing about having been here before (latest trip was in Nov 2002) is that everyone presumes that I still remember everything - like which train to get and how to get where. In fairness, I still do - like I knew to take the Hornsby line to Town Hall, that to get to the station you just walk down here, etc. However, there are some parts that are understandably a little fuzzy that need some refreshing, the kind that you hope will get explained and then you get some leisurely time to get there and get a little lost, and its all okay.
I never got the chance to do that.
Straight off, I went to Macquarie with Miel. I walked the wrong direction intially because my cousin said, "just go left and left and left". What she forgot to mention - making me realize that I should have listened to my initial instinct - was that you turn left at the end of the street. Chester, our street is split in two by Norfolk road. When she meant left she meant at the end of the full road after you cross. Which i realized, Thank God, the moment I reached Epping Primary, which is almost to the end of the block before turning back. Then it was back uphill. Everything appears to be perpetually uphill here. So much so that you feel like the settlers who initially came in the 1800s just sort of went, oh its uphill, it doesnt matter... FIGHT! (God, so Celine Lopez, Im sorry) We will conquer this place and make roads and houses and shit no matter how freaking steep these hills are. Okay, so you won already, all right? Unfortunately I am not one of them hardy Australians who are born and bread to walk uphill. I am Asian. Where I come from you dont do mountains unless you're from there. Or a UP Mountaineer. We do flat plains and traffic, those are our talents. Y'all just like to drive really fast bec of them open spaces and guess what, you have more accidents than we do cause you dont know how to drive defensively.
But I digress.
The day after this whole experience, a Tuesday, I had to attend my Daily Arrival Information Session (DAI) for International Students at Uni. Bear in mind two things - 1) I had only been to Uni once before and I went with my cousin Andrew, who is from here and we got lost anyway plus 2) Our main campus is divided into 2 - Camperdown and Darlington, both of which are split by a major road or two. Both are about as big as UP. Knowing that, I planned to leave far in advance. It takes an hour to get to school and I had to be there by 1030 so I figured I'd leave by 830 at the latest. I woke up around 745ish. I left at 930. I was pretty much screwed by many things - the clock that was a bit later, me thinking there was enough time only to find that breakfast while watching the Simpson's wasnt entirely a good idea - but most especially by the fact that when I left I was wearing my house slippers and I forgot my phone so I had to turn back halfway down Chester street. Then Cody, our dog, snuck into my room and I had to force him out. That took a while and I think I may have hurt him a little by pulling his hair - unintentionally! I love my doggie.
So I got to Central Station around 1015 esque. I managed to find my way out and to the bus. Now there is this thing online called 131500.com.au where you can plan your trip. It specifies which train and bus you can take, with times even. So the thingy I printed out said take bus 422 but I was late and it wasnt showing up so I jumped on the next one that said Sydney University - believe me, there are a whole lot - and ended up on Paramatta. Paramatta is on the other side of the Camperdown campus, the opposite side of where I am supposed to go. I sort of began to get that impression on the bus. I asked this nice friendly chinese girl next to me but it turns out she went to UNSW and had no idea where the bus was going, just that it was near the Chinese consulate which was where she was going. So after I asked the driver, he told me to get down at a particular spot and just cut through the campus. I had a mini map thing printed from the internet that showed the building I wanted to go to and the nearest two roads, making it pretty vague if you were coming from anywhere else.
When I got down I went to the parking lot booth and a nice lady gave me a real map (Thank God! Finally!) and pointed me in the right direction. I got there by 11am - after calling Jenny and telling her, Dont tell mommy i got lost! - only to find that they really hadnt started because well, people were still filtering in. And they continued to filter in until after I got there. The session was very helpful, I got a good information packet and I met some people - Leo from Malaysia, taking postgrad IT, Sam (?) from Fiji but living in Thailand bec her dad works for the UN, an undergrad taking either commerce or media, and her friend who was also black but whose name I've forgotten. We went to get our health cards right away and I even had my passport picture taken, as it is required for enrollment - in anticipation I had worn a collared shirt, but apparently here it doesnt matter - and it turned out icky because of the gigantic popped pimple on my chin.
After that I decided I deserved something for all my efforts and exhaustion so I went off to the city. I did the Harbor View & Sydney Opera House view thing, then I walked from Circular Quay to the opera house to eat at a cafe right there. I paid $16 (a little bit pricey but I guess it includes ambiance) for a mini pizza that was good that I didnt even finish. They didnt have takeaway bags so I wrapped the leftovers in napkins and took them home. I then walked down all the way to George St and went into Dymocks, as going to a bookstore always relaxes me. I had to go use the bathroom and they went out of the way to let me use the employees one so I felt hiya and bought a book, even if I didnt mean to as am trying to be frugal. Walked around for a bit after then got on the train for the ride before eventually making my way home on foot, as I discovered would be the norm for the next few days.
I was so hungry by the time I got home I had a slice of pizza. My aunt had put ravioli in the fridge but since I was starving I started heating it up. By the time she got home I was done cooking - ravioli plus sauce from a jar. It tasted pretty good, in fairness even if technically all I did was boil stuff. After a filling dinner and excellent garlic bread, I went to bed, thinking that this was about as tired as I could get. Not.
Whattabout Wednesday and Thursday, too.
On Wednesday I went to school for the International Students Orientation. The agenda, according to the little sheets we received (which i read in advance on the website) was to have a big orientation for everyone in the morning, then "tea" then there was a list of optional seminars that you could attend, with necessary things like: "Library Orientation", "Healthcare Orientation", "Email Orientation" and things that you could sort of live without like the ones for some of the organizations in school. There was apparently a free lunch then off to more seminars and possibly campus tours.
The orientation was set in the Great Hall (See picture below) which was full to the brim with students as it covered both undergraduate and postgraduate. The Vice Chancellor gave a speech, then so did the head of the International Student Services Unit (ISSU) and then the head of the Student Union. After all of that the head of the ISSU decided to do a bit where she would call out a country and then if you were from there you stood up. When she called out China (not counting Hong Kong), half the room stood up. Later on, speaking to a Chinese girl I met (the next day) named Selina, who was doing her bachelors in commerce I asked if Australia was really promoted amongst the Chinese as a place to study. Selina, who did 2 years of secondary school in Melbourne (presumably to be able to qualify for university and/or improve her english, which was pretty good, although with the inevitable accent) replied, "Oh no. We're everywhere." That pretty much sums up the entire International Student experience.
Mine being a tiny little country that doesn't get mentioned except for beaches, Imelda's shoes, and terrorists, it was completely forgotten. She missed a lot of other countries and apologized for her geography. She also asked us to stand up if we were missed and mention what countries we were from. I decided not to bother, because I knew that a) I would be the only Filipino there and b) not that I am not proud to be Pinoy its just that, well, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the typical Pinoy reaction of hiya. Which is so unlike me, as everyone knows. I suppose I was just projecting and reflecting the natural Filipino trait in order to truly be able to represent my country. What-ever!
Ironically, during the morning tea, I suddenly bumped into someone who looked very familiar. "Ikaw yung kashare ko ng table sa airport!" she said. And lo and behold it was the girl I was sitting with while I was whining to everyone about my mango addict experience and smoking away. She was doing almost exactly the same thing, except she was talking to her friends about the luggage she had to remove. Her name was Andee, and she was taking her Masters in Nutrition. And the two of us were the only pinoys there.
After tea, Andee and I went off to the seminars. For the "bibo" effect we sat in the front. And being pinoy we grabbed all the free stuff right away. We did the internet seminar, and the sydney buses seminar and then we did lunch. By lunch time I had so much gas in me I couldnt eat. To top it off, the "lunch" was pika pika with siopao filled with toge (as in siopao with spring roll stuffing) and tiny sandwiches. We had to go eat somewhere else and I couldnt even finish my food. My new friend had to actually hear about my ulcer straight away (usually it takes awhile, like when they offer me ice cream.) Fortunately thanks to some Novalucid, I was back in action so off we were to the "Learning Centre" seminar and the "Sydney Union" seminar (www.usydunion.com, in case anyone is interested) before we headed our seperate ways home.
On Thursday, I skipped the first seminar (Unimates was the original option) and went in -rather late, actually, but enough just to make the info- to the library seminar. Andee went in earlier so that she could check out the stuff at Wentworth (one of the union buildings where all the stuff is - food, banks, travel agent, chemist plus there was a makeshift student centre set up where the different organizations - they call em all clubs & societies here were). Previously we had both joined Unimates, the International Students Organization and we were also interested in hockey, which she found out later did not require any experience. After the library seminar, we went to the SUPRA (postgraduate representatives - parang org ng student council ng masters people) talk. A lot of people attended most likely because there was a free barbecue promised. During that entire speech the guy announced that the barbecue was cancelled, this after giving a long speech - although very informative he was a bit softspoken - on the latest proposed political changes related to education.
After lunch, we did the student services and health care coverage talks before moving on to a campus tour. We met Selina, (previously mentioned) Chinese, taking undergraduate bachelors in commerce, Lani, american, going to be a vet on a five year course, Sacha, dutch, taking her PhD in Physics on a scholarship for about 3 years and this guy whose name I forgot who was taking public health. We walked around the entire campus with our guides, who were all Chinese, half who spoke good English, the other half had thick accents but were still understandable. By the end of it all we had gotten everyone's names and numbers and we promised to meet up at the Student Union Party for International Students that night at around 7.
Since the party was going to start later, I decided to stay in the city and pass the time. Andee invited me over to her house so I went along. First we went to the city and met up with her friend Leo, taking nursing at ACU (Australian Catholic University) at Town Hall Station and then we went to the house that she was renting with her sister in Moroubra. She and her sis shared a room while they had other housemates - a columbian, american, australian and i think one other person. We hung out and watched tv for awhile before getting dressed and heading to the party.
The Union party was okay. They had a bunch of DJs playing and most people were already in groups chatting so we hung out smoking - Andee's last batch of Winston Lights - until Lani and co arrived and we joined their group. We also met Sarah, a Canadian Study Abroad (Exchange) Student. Since we were sitting next to the stage, we were there when the announcer was giving out the raffle prizes, which started off with "Bombay Breezes" - free cocktails at the bar. Since half the people weren't around to claim their prizes , he handed them all over to us so we got free cocktails. One sip of the drink and you could tell it was plain old gin pomelo. After a bit, we decided to go home early. Andee took the bus to Moroubra and I took the bus to Town Hall. In Sydney trains run until the wee hours of the morning and then at a certain point there is a night bus which follows the route of the train and takes people home. Not having much experience in taking the "night bus" I decided not to risk it so I left early, like at around 11 while the rest of them went off to a bar. My auntie picked me up at the station and off I went to bed.
On Bluebottles and The Rest of My Weekend
Friday was the day of the Unimates barbecue. Basically the big thing here in Australia is when everyone decides to throw a party they have a "barbecue" usually outdoors and involves grilling different substances. In my family there is the addition of pasta and some other dishes but in general its salad and sausages. Even the vegetarian kind. So having joined the organization with the intention of meeting people, I made my way to the bus stop in front of uni at 1130am (barely making it) where I met up with Sacha and we took the bus to Coogee with the rest of the students.
We met an Austrian girl (Lalinda?) and a Swedish girl (Viktoria) who were both young. Both of them were in the study abroad program and were aged 23 and 19 respectively. To me they looked older than what I look (which is between 12-18 depending on who you're asking) so i was kind of surprised to find them ranting about how people where they came from always thought they were younger. They were brunette and blonde, respectively and they filled out their bikinis quite nicely (in short, type ni Lance. enough said.) . Since we were starving and the barbecue hadn't even been started up, Sacha, Lalinda and I went to grab a bite to eat. We got some vegetable samosas (both girls are of the belief that the meat in Australia tastes different) and then ended up in Mc Donald's where Sacha got a breakfast youghurt, Lalinda got a salad and I got a quarter pounder with cheese before realizing they had a lean beef version.
While Sacha sunbathed on shore and we waited for the barbecue to be cooked, the Lalinda, Viktoria and I went into the water. The waves were very strong - the flash the world variety, though I am glad to say it wasn't me this time around - and there were very few people in it. It was a bit chilly, though the Europeans said the water was okay, though a bit colder than usual. After a few minutes we stepped out and I felt something stinging on my upper thigh/backside and lo and behold I brushed at it and it was a bluebottle jellyfish. A small one, but a stingy one nonetheless. My bikini bottom absorbed most of the injury but I felt stung on my upper thigh, left hand and yes, my left butt cheek. Off we went to the showers to rinse off and afterwards I made my way to the lifeguard, who in baywatch like form and fashion said, "Oh, stung were you?" (insert Australian accent here) "Well, you just get a bag there and fill it with ice and put it on the affected area".
Me: Its on my ass.
Him: Well, it should hurt for about 40 minutes then it should be allright. (Pause) Let's see that.
I turn around. He peers at the part where the bikini ends at the bottom.
Him: Looks like you got all the stingers out. Just take the ice then.
Me: Thanks.
And so I spent the rest of the luncheon standing up. Thankfully Andee arrived (late) with some cream as she had also been stung some days before. I put some cream on and was all right soon enough. The sausages tasted funny - am going to agree with Europeans on this one. The meat was weird. - so I was glad for that quarter pounder. After lunch Sacha, Andee and two new Chinese friends - Haze and Rachel who were studying Masters in Business and had been in the country for two months already studying English - went around Coogee to do some shopping. I almost bought Havaianas but couldnt decide what color to get while Sacha got some summer clothes since she was still waiting for her stuff to arrive from Holland - all 5 boxes of it. We thought of going to Bondi right after but the bus to the city came first so off we went and I went home, tired sloppy and bluebottled.
That night, my cousins Andrew & Miel invited me out with them and their pinoy barkada. I met them after dinner at Darling Harbor. My one frustration with the group was that it took them forever to decide where to go. We sat about for 20 minutes near the pier waiting for them to decide. Finally I said, lets go to a bar and one of them took me up on it and started walking. Fortunately the rest of them followed. We ended up at Waterfront, a nice, quiet type bar where everyone but me and Miel played billiards - they even did doubles with 2 Australians and lost AUS$10 - and Jericho (who is a friend of all of us cousins here and wonderfully gay as well) and I got really into Buck Shot, where you have this arcade type machine, a shot gun and shoot deer. Each round has 3 deer in it you have to shoot. To make it harder there are does/cows running around in the background. If you hit them this sign goes up that says "You Shot A Cow" and then your turn ends. If you shoot two deer in a row you get a double buck. If you shoot 3, its a grand slam. Then theres a bonus round where you shoot as many of whatever it is - doves, turkey, targets, whatever all based on regions in North America - as you can. Jericho and I didn't get a lot of grand slams but we got most of the girls - except for Miel who kept lamenting over Bambi - to try it and we had fun. This Asian guy then came and practically Grand Slammed the entire thing - except for one instance when he shot a cow.
Later on I took of my shoes - as is normal here at night when you are walking and in heels - and we walked around the harbor taking pictures. When I looked again, one of my shoes was gone. In the resulting parlay - where everyone was blaming the other for the shoe I dropped the camera. Much to my dismay further troubleshooting showed that it would not turn on although we did find the shoe. We all went our seperate ways after, with me & Jericho riding with Simon, who lived in Eastwood, the suburb next to ours. He used to work in Unisys but applied for another job right after his stint with them here ended and now has residency.
The next day, Jericho and I went to see Bride and Prejudice at Macquarie Center. It was such a funny movie, have resolved to get the dvd. Lots of dancing and singing Bollywood style. The guy (Mr. Darcy) was cute too. During the movie texted John as had sudden visions of him dancing, with Ava, Celle, Rina, Rache and myself standing on the balcony making chismis - except in song because this is a bollywood movie - while he uhm made a fool of himself with back up dancers in full regalia. (Go, Sanjay and Tatiana! :P)
After that we ended up in my cousin Miel's flat to watch dvds. Miel had recently just moved to Strathfield with her two friends Yvette and Fat(ima). Fat's sister/s and her family were there and everyone was cooking. After awhile I decided to go as well, I had read the entire Sydney Morning Post (picture the Inquirer on a Sunday and then some) and nothing was happening. Jericho walked me to the station and I went home, ate pancit canton and slept.
Sunday was a very lazy day. I stayed home and was generally bored. I went to church then went home and went to bed! In this entire week I have called: Bloopy, Puput, Tarshy, Maui, and Oliv. I have chatted with numerous people and have no idea how big my phone bill is. In fairness I have only used the card for... school. And it was my card, too!
And that was my first week in Sydney.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Here goes another one
You're Exotic Dancer Barbie. You have some moves,
and will do anything for a few bucks. Take it
off girl, but keep it PG-13 please.
If You Were A Barbie, Which Messed Up Version Would You Be?
brought to you by Quizilla
Before I Begin, Intermission Muna.
Found this on My friend's LJ. Its fun to try :)
put an 'X' next to what you have accomplished
(x) snuck out of the house
(x) gotten lost in your city
(x ) seen a shooting star
(x) been to any other countries besides the united states
( ) had a serious surgery
(x) gone out in public in your pajamas
(x) kissed a stranger
(x) hugged a stranger
(x) been in a fist fight
( ) been arrested
(x) done drugs
(x) Had alcohol
(x) laughed and had milk/coke come out of your nose
(x ) pushed all the buttons on an elevator
(x) swore at your parents [so far among all my friends im the only one that did this! everyone is so nice well behaved and well raised! wala lang talaga akong respeto :P)
(x) been in love
(x) been close to love
(x) been to a casino
( ) been skydiving
( ) broken a bone
(x) been high
( ) skinny-dipped
(x) skipped school
(x) flashed someone
( ) saw a therapist
( ) played spin the bottle
( ) gotten stitches
(x) drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour
(x) bitten someone
( ) been to Niagara Falls
( ) gotten the chicken pox
(x) kissed a member of the opposite sex
(x) kissed a member of the same sex
( ) crashed into a friend's car
(x) been to Japan
(x) ridden in a taxi
( ) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
( ) been fired
(x) had a crush on someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back
(x ) stolen something from your job
( ) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
( ) celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans
(x) been to Europe
( ) slept with a co-worker
( ) been married
( ) gotten divorced
( ) had children
(x) seen someone die
( ) had a close friend die
( ) been to Africa
( ) Driven over 400 miles in one day
(x ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Thrown up in a bar
(x) Purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) Eaten Sushi
( ) Been snowboarding
( ) Met someone in person from the Internet
( ) lost a child
(x) gone to college
(x) graduated college
( ) done hard drugs
(x) tried killing yourself
( ) fired a gun
(x) purposely hurt yourself
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone right now...
put an 'X' next to what you have accomplished
(x) snuck out of the house
(x) gotten lost in your city
(x ) seen a shooting star
(x) been to any other countries besides the united states
( ) had a serious surgery
(x) gone out in public in your pajamas
(x) kissed a stranger
(x) hugged a stranger
(x) been in a fist fight
( ) been arrested
(x) done drugs
(x) Had alcohol
(x) laughed and had milk/coke come out of your nose
(x ) pushed all the buttons on an elevator
(x) swore at your parents [so far among all my friends im the only one that did this! everyone is so nice well behaved and well raised! wala lang talaga akong respeto :P)
(x) been in love
(x) been close to love
(x) been to a casino
( ) been skydiving
( ) broken a bone
(x) been high
( ) skinny-dipped
(x) skipped school
(x) flashed someone
( ) saw a therapist
( ) played spin the bottle
( ) gotten stitches
(x) drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour
(x) bitten someone
( ) been to Niagara Falls
( ) gotten the chicken pox
(x) kissed a member of the opposite sex
(x) kissed a member of the same sex
( ) crashed into a friend's car
(x) been to Japan
(x) ridden in a taxi
( ) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
( ) been fired
(x) had a crush on someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back
(x ) stolen something from your job
( ) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
( ) celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans
(x) been to Europe
( ) slept with a co-worker
( ) been married
( ) gotten divorced
( ) had children
(x) seen someone die
( ) had a close friend die
( ) been to Africa
( ) Driven over 400 miles in one day
(x ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Thrown up in a bar
(x) Purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) Eaten Sushi
( ) Been snowboarding
( ) Met someone in person from the Internet
( ) lost a child
(x) gone to college
(x) graduated college
( ) done hard drugs
(x) tried killing yourself
( ) fired a gun
(x) purposely hurt yourself
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone right now...
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Sydney FAQs (Updated June 22 2006)
Due to the number of questions I have received with regard to my I have decided to post an FAQ section for your reference. I will update this when I remember more questions! If you have any other questions that are not featured here, email me.
Where are you now?
Sydney, Australia
What are you doing there?
Taking my masters
What course are you studying & where?
Masters in International Business at the University of Sydney. Also hoping to add a 2nd masters for a combined degree in Master of Commerce, Business Information Systems.
What exactly does this course entail?
I am not doing a repeat of the "Interdisciplinary Studies" question. Please read the course description at the university website. (http://econ.usyd.edu.au)
When does your degree finish?
November 2006.
Are you coming home anytime to visit?
This is still to be confirmed, possibly for Christmas, otherwise mid next year.
Where are you staying now?
I used to stay with my relatives in Epping (see cast of characters below)
I moved to Leichhardt a suburb in the Inner West, known as the Italian District in Sydney
I now live in Glebe, right outside the city across uni with friends.
When did you get there?
Feb 20 2005. Flight left on Feb 19.
What have you been doing so far?
Please just read the blog. That's what its for.
Have you been to the beach?
Yup.
Are you working? Where do you work?
Yes, I currently do casual (part time) work. I work for a call centre whose client specializes in ticketing for events (www.ticketek.com.au). I also do promotional work and newspaper distribution (www.mx.com) for a temp agency.
Can we come and visit you?
Yes.
Can we come and stay with you?
Yes, providing you don't come in droves.
When can we come and visit?
Best time would be during term breaks, mid July (winter) and November to February (spring-summer).
What are your roommates like?
I live in a very international household.
Sacha is a Dutch PhD student who is taking physics. Her studies focus on brain dynamics.
Pat is an electrical engineer doing his internship with Optus, originally from the central coast.
Carolina is a masters student in Architecture from Mexico and she will be moving in at the end of the month.
We have also had:
Kartini who is Indian/Indonesian, she is doing her honours in biology and goes to work every day in North Ryde for a research company that is currently developing a cure for cancer. She dissects tumors out of mice a lot.
Lisa is an olympic mountain biker who took a year off to rest. She has moved back to Brisbane soon to continue training but will be an intermittent presence at our house.
Andrea, who is from Melbourne who I also lived with in Leichhardt for a bit, she also comes back to visit from time to time.
Sally, from Papua New Guinea, who is Kartini's friend and lived with us for about a month. She's moved to London to work since then.
Scott is Kartini's boyfriend, he's an architect/PhD student, he comes to the house a lot.
Do you have family there?
Yes.
I used to stay with my Aunt who married an Australian and has 2 kids. Both working, the 2nd also studying.
I also have another aunt who works for the stock exchange and runs an import furniture business.
Have one cousin who lives with her boyfriend in Mosman and works in Star City (casino). She was raised here.
Have one cousin who lives in Strathfield, came from Manila about 2 years ago. She is currently looking for work.
Have an aunt who lives in Dee Why and a cousin, came from the Philippines about 2 years ago. He works in a bank.
Two of these cousins are both named Andrew. One is named Lara, which is technically the nickname variation of my name.
Are you on a scholarship?
No. I am what my mother calls an "investment".
Did your company sponsor you?
No.
Are you going back to work for your company after you are done?
The invitation is always open (as per my exit interview) but we'll see what the future holds.
How much did your tuition cost?!?
Well, it was cheaper than Britain and America. Other than that I am not at liberty to say.
Do you have a boyfriend?/Are you dating?
It might be a good idea for you to read this first. and this as well
That said, I have also tried speed dating for kicks, and I do socialize and have fun. All the men my age appear to be in the workforce and therefore are difficult to meet. In short, if I meet one than I meet one but otherwise Im very focused on the rest of my life so again, its not really a priority.
Where are you now?
Sydney, Australia
What are you doing there?
Taking my masters
What course are you studying & where?
Masters in International Business at the University of Sydney. Also hoping to add a 2nd masters for a combined degree in Master of Commerce, Business Information Systems.
What exactly does this course entail?
I am not doing a repeat of the "Interdisciplinary Studies" question. Please read the course description at the university website. (http://econ.usyd.edu.au)
When does your degree finish?
November 2006.
Are you coming home anytime to visit?
This is still to be confirmed, possibly for Christmas, otherwise mid next year.
Where are you staying now?
I used to stay with my relatives in Epping (see cast of characters below)
I moved to Leichhardt a suburb in the Inner West, known as the Italian District in Sydney
I now live in Glebe, right outside the city across uni with friends.
When did you get there?
Feb 20 2005. Flight left on Feb 19.
What have you been doing so far?
Please just read the blog. That's what its for.
Have you been to the beach?
Yup.
Are you working? Where do you work?
Yes, I currently do casual (part time) work. I work for a call centre whose client specializes in ticketing for events (www.ticketek.com.au). I also do promotional work and newspaper distribution (www.mx.com) for a temp agency.
Can we come and visit you?
Yes.
Can we come and stay with you?
Yes, providing you don't come in droves.
When can we come and visit?
Best time would be during term breaks, mid July (winter) and November to February (spring-summer).
What are your roommates like?
I live in a very international household.
Sacha is a Dutch PhD student who is taking physics. Her studies focus on brain dynamics.
Pat is an electrical engineer doing his internship with Optus, originally from the central coast.
Carolina is a masters student in Architecture from Mexico and she will be moving in at the end of the month.
We have also had:
Kartini who is Indian/Indonesian, she is doing her honours in biology and goes to work every day in North Ryde for a research company that is currently developing a cure for cancer. She dissects tumors out of mice a lot.
Lisa is an olympic mountain biker who took a year off to rest. She has moved back to Brisbane soon to continue training but will be an intermittent presence at our house.
Andrea, who is from Melbourne who I also lived with in Leichhardt for a bit, she also comes back to visit from time to time.
Sally, from Papua New Guinea, who is Kartini's friend and lived with us for about a month. She's moved to London to work since then.
Scott is Kartini's boyfriend, he's an architect/PhD student, he comes to the house a lot.
Do you have family there?
Yes.
I used to stay with my Aunt who married an Australian and has 2 kids. Both working, the 2nd also studying.
I also have another aunt who works for the stock exchange and runs an import furniture business.
Have one cousin who lives with her boyfriend in Mosman and works in Star City (casino). She was raised here.
Have one cousin who lives in Strathfield, came from Manila about 2 years ago. She is currently looking for work.
Have an aunt who lives in Dee Why and a cousin, came from the Philippines about 2 years ago. He works in a bank.
Two of these cousins are both named Andrew. One is named Lara, which is technically the nickname variation of my name.
Are you on a scholarship?
No. I am what my mother calls an "investment".
Did your company sponsor you?
No.
Are you going back to work for your company after you are done?
The invitation is always open (as per my exit interview) but we'll see what the future holds.
How much did your tuition cost?!?
Well, it was cheaper than Britain and America. Other than that I am not at liberty to say.
Do you have a boyfriend?/Are you dating?
It might be a good idea for you to read this first. and this as well
That said, I have also tried speed dating for kicks, and I do socialize and have fun. All the men my age appear to be in the workforce and therefore are difficult to meet. In short, if I meet one than I meet one but otherwise Im very focused on the rest of my life so again, its not really a priority.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Last Days of Disco
My last days in Manila were spent... wrapping things up. I got back to work and since I already started turning over stuff to puput beforehand there was less for me to do. Had some last minute meetings and last minute logistics and last minute crises, but otherwise I managed. I spent the last two weeks on leave, only coming in once a week to do meetings, check on the kids, coach and well, say goodbye. In Cebu, I spent it eating through everything. In Manila, I crammed like anything.
First I took swimming lessons for two weeks straight, which involved not smoking. My teacher, Mr. Bana, who is muslim, is this nice old guy who reminded me of one of my lolos. I started out being able to do everything just not at the same time. At the start of my second week (i actually only did 9 out of 12 lessons) I finally got all the freestyle put together complete with breathing so he got me onto breast stroke, which I prefer. On my last day we squeezed in a tiny bit of back stroke. He kept saying althroughout, "maganda yung stroke mo pag madevelop mo yan". Which basically means Im okay, but I could be better with practice - at least to me, anyway.
[Insert Boracay trip here. My cousins from Australia and my tita (who I would be moving in with when I got there) were here and we went to Boracay with my mum and another tita. Will insert an excerpt of my email explaining the entire thing later on. In fairness, the pictures turned out good. All I can say is, even if I love my family and we were all okay when I was there, the next time Im going with friends. Oh, and Jonas Fruit Shakes Rules. ]
I had four despedida parties. The first one was with my college group, where we all met at Breton and had crepes. Char & Ceres were actually together. I saw Rhoger for the first time in a gazillion years. Everyone was there. It was great. We moved to the house to have wine and I just barely missed Carlos. Fortunately Falx was still there to entertain him as he didnt have the time to move on to the house. Jen also slept over.
The second one was the next night and it was actually Den's birthday party at his house at Commonwealth. All the Dark Forces were there except for Lex and Ayu (evil ones). Had a great time catching up, although due to the massive amounts of wine that I had I slept for like two hours during the party. Right before that, I had lunch with Jen & Wati at Friday's. Impi our other high school friend backed out again, her being the doctor in residency that she is. Derrick came in from Pangasinan to go to Den's party so he ended up at lunch too. We all hung out at home before Derrick and I went off to the party. He ended up crashing in the guest room and the next day he fixed my blog - thanks to him the picture is nice and neat on top! - and we hung out watching tv. Celle came by to visit bec she wouldnt be able to come later on. Derrick then went home and I prepped for my 3rd despedida with the folks from the office.
Pooky & April passed by to drop off cds and eurotrip but they had a Valentine's Day date so they left right away. After them, Rey L, his wife Lizette and happy perky 3 year old Missy arrived. Missy was so excited and talkative. She kept asking "where's everybody?!?!" . She hung out with my mum - they both liked each other very much and she took care of entertaining all the guests that arrived. It was so cute. (It also caused JR to say, "I cant see what my future is..." referring to Bianca, his one year old) Rina & Hector arrived next, with three bottles of wine, two of them open and stale, and then Jason, who as taste tester of the spoilt wine came up with varying datu puti-esque expressions. Onie and Ayie came next with super yummy Aling Nene & Mang Siding's Barbecue, followed by Debbie & Oliv, who also brought barbecue. Mylee, the Puputs & JR arrived late because, well, they waited for each other in Eastwood. Mylee made some of her yummy dip and brownie cheescake. Ryan & Tap arrived followed by Erica, Elaine & JJ who came last. I think. Or maybe there's other people I forgot. :P Sorry. We drank a lot of wine, and I went with Ry & JR to buy red horse which they didnt finish and the driver ended up drinking it for his birthday (on Valentine's). We ended at around 3am.
On the 16th, I went to the office to pass in my resignation form. By then I'd already completed most of my clearance. I went around taking pictures and saying goodbye to everyone. It was...touching. The next day I went to the Makati office to do the same thing. Eunicelle cried, while Rache & Ava looked away to avoid doing the same thing. Celle was still crying when I left. There were some people I didnt get to see - Darrel, John, Trina and a bunch of others I didnt get to say goodbye to. In the end I turned in my id and left. That was the last I saw of my office. Heartbreaking.
I spent that entire week squeezing everything in. I went to the bank a gazillion times. I went to the dentist and two doctors. I had Joey rip songs into the portable day after day after day. Ceres slept over twice. Carl, San, Therese and I hung out Thursday night and all of us except Therese saw Constantine, which was a great movie. I went swimming practically every bloody day. I even squeezed in some editing, finishing the competencies for the technical growth path I helped develop for work. I worked out my packing but didnt pack until the day before. Or rather I had a pile that whittled down and kept getting even more whittled down. (Mom and Yayi, who did the actual packing, didnt finish until Saturday morning) I kept trying to organize stuff. I was sooo tired.
On my last night in the Philippines, I went out. I made Jason go on leave (he had to register his car anyway) so he met up with me and we had dinner in Casa Armas. I invited all possible people. Jake dropped by with his Rica, his girlfriend, an old friend of mine who I havent seen in years. Maricar was in Cebu (and I wasnt there!) so she couldn't make it. Onie dropped by. So did Oliv, who managed to convince Debbie to come even if she had a 7am shift the next day (thank you, girls!) . Puput backed out bec he had to attend a meeting since Donat was on leave. Most of the other people had work. We ended up drinking wine in Magnum. Onie took me home at around 3am, with Jason, who parked his car in front of my house due to lack of parking earlier. Said goodbye to my boys. Sad.
The next day was the ultimate epitome of harrassment. First, I got up early. We repacked. I went to the parlor. Mum and I had lunch. Jen and Joey arrived at the house and kept right on burning cds. Then suddenly it was time to go. I almost cried saying goodbye to my bathroom. Then the combination for the suitcase lock wouldnt work so they had to break it and use a real lock on the zip. My yayi and Nene both cried when I left. I put on my shoes in the car and then we got to the airport. And then. Well.
First, I had to pay 2 kilos overweight. That's okay. Then the lady security guard checked my hand carry and said it was too heavy (it was 11 kilos, we were told 10k was acceptable, but apparently it was only supposed to be 7) so i had to unload and give it to my mom who was waiting outside. When got back in, the girl wasnt there and the guy guards just waved me through! To add to that, i was wearing my MANGO ADDICT shirt, which indicates an addiction for the brand of clothing. Unfortunately everyone fromt he security guards to the Australian tourists thought it was an addiction to mangoes: "Hija, mahilig ka pala talaga sa mangga." Respeto. (Since I was all sweaty from running around and fixing luggage, I changed my shirt anyway)
In the end, I made it through and crashed at the smoking bar with three newly purchased packs of cigarettes (couldn't find the one's therese gave me, my room was like... well, it looked like a hurricane passed through it) and I smoked away while calling to say goodbye to EVERYONE. Finally we boarded and I got on. The flight was permanently turbulent. The plane shook the whole time and I woke up everytime the fasten seatbelt sign beeped, which was often. The steward was medyo sungs (they had to tell me 3 times to turn off my cellphone before lift off but we were still loading passengers then, usually you dont have to turn it off until everyone's sitting down.) . The girl sitting next to me was also studying in Sydney, at CQU. (We still havent figured out which uni that is) They woke us up at 430am (this is from an 9pm flight - we were an hour delayed) and they handed out perfumed hand towels that activated my allergies. When we touched down at Melbourne I ended up sitting behind this couple who were both pinoy, looked about my age and seemed like they lived together but were not married. They kept talking about their apartment and getting groceries and it was all sort of cute and chick novel like until the girl kept making hirit, "im going to get sipon, im going to get sipon" which sounded aimed at me since I was sneezing all over the place. I wanted to go, "Theyre allergies, ok!?! hindi ka mahahawa!". Finally, after abouta 20 min delay, we boarded the plane and off we were to Sydney.
At Sydney airport I queued for awhile to declare my pancit canton, sinigang mix and various medicines. When I got to the front of the queue, the guy checking asked a few questions and when I tolf him what I had he waved me through and I didnt have to have my stuff checked. My Auntie Genie was waiting outside and we went straight home where I slept the entire afternoon.
And so it was that I arrived in Sydney, Australia to begin my next adventure.
First I took swimming lessons for two weeks straight, which involved not smoking. My teacher, Mr. Bana, who is muslim, is this nice old guy who reminded me of one of my lolos. I started out being able to do everything just not at the same time. At the start of my second week (i actually only did 9 out of 12 lessons) I finally got all the freestyle put together complete with breathing so he got me onto breast stroke, which I prefer. On my last day we squeezed in a tiny bit of back stroke. He kept saying althroughout, "maganda yung stroke mo pag madevelop mo yan". Which basically means Im okay, but I could be better with practice - at least to me, anyway.
[Insert Boracay trip here. My cousins from Australia and my tita (who I would be moving in with when I got there) were here and we went to Boracay with my mum and another tita. Will insert an excerpt of my email explaining the entire thing later on. In fairness, the pictures turned out good. All I can say is, even if I love my family and we were all okay when I was there, the next time Im going with friends. Oh, and Jonas Fruit Shakes Rules. ]
I had four despedida parties. The first one was with my college group, where we all met at Breton and had crepes. Char & Ceres were actually together. I saw Rhoger for the first time in a gazillion years. Everyone was there. It was great. We moved to the house to have wine and I just barely missed Carlos. Fortunately Falx was still there to entertain him as he didnt have the time to move on to the house. Jen also slept over.
The second one was the next night and it was actually Den's birthday party at his house at Commonwealth. All the Dark Forces were there except for Lex and Ayu (evil ones). Had a great time catching up, although due to the massive amounts of wine that I had I slept for like two hours during the party. Right before that, I had lunch with Jen & Wati at Friday's. Impi our other high school friend backed out again, her being the doctor in residency that she is. Derrick came in from Pangasinan to go to Den's party so he ended up at lunch too. We all hung out at home before Derrick and I went off to the party. He ended up crashing in the guest room and the next day he fixed my blog - thanks to him the picture is nice and neat on top! - and we hung out watching tv. Celle came by to visit bec she wouldnt be able to come later on. Derrick then went home and I prepped for my 3rd despedida with the folks from the office.
Pooky & April passed by to drop off cds and eurotrip but they had a Valentine's Day date so they left right away. After them, Rey L, his wife Lizette and happy perky 3 year old Missy arrived. Missy was so excited and talkative. She kept asking "where's everybody?!?!" . She hung out with my mum - they both liked each other very much and she took care of entertaining all the guests that arrived. It was so cute. (It also caused JR to say, "I cant see what my future is..." referring to Bianca, his one year old) Rina & Hector arrived next, with three bottles of wine, two of them open and stale, and then Jason, who as taste tester of the spoilt wine came up with varying datu puti-esque expressions. Onie and Ayie came next with super yummy Aling Nene & Mang Siding's Barbecue, followed by Debbie & Oliv, who also brought barbecue. Mylee, the Puputs & JR arrived late because, well, they waited for each other in Eastwood. Mylee made some of her yummy dip and brownie cheescake. Ryan & Tap arrived followed by Erica, Elaine & JJ who came last. I think. Or maybe there's other people I forgot. :P Sorry. We drank a lot of wine, and I went with Ry & JR to buy red horse which they didnt finish and the driver ended up drinking it for his birthday (on Valentine's). We ended at around 3am.
On the 16th, I went to the office to pass in my resignation form. By then I'd already completed most of my clearance. I went around taking pictures and saying goodbye to everyone. It was...touching. The next day I went to the Makati office to do the same thing. Eunicelle cried, while Rache & Ava looked away to avoid doing the same thing. Celle was still crying when I left. There were some people I didnt get to see - Darrel, John, Trina and a bunch of others I didnt get to say goodbye to. In the end I turned in my id and left. That was the last I saw of my office. Heartbreaking.
I spent that entire week squeezing everything in. I went to the bank a gazillion times. I went to the dentist and two doctors. I had Joey rip songs into the portable day after day after day. Ceres slept over twice. Carl, San, Therese and I hung out Thursday night and all of us except Therese saw Constantine, which was a great movie. I went swimming practically every bloody day. I even squeezed in some editing, finishing the competencies for the technical growth path I helped develop for work. I worked out my packing but didnt pack until the day before. Or rather I had a pile that whittled down and kept getting even more whittled down. (Mom and Yayi, who did the actual packing, didnt finish until Saturday morning) I kept trying to organize stuff. I was sooo tired.
On my last night in the Philippines, I went out. I made Jason go on leave (he had to register his car anyway) so he met up with me and we had dinner in Casa Armas. I invited all possible people. Jake dropped by with his Rica, his girlfriend, an old friend of mine who I havent seen in years. Maricar was in Cebu (and I wasnt there!) so she couldn't make it. Onie dropped by. So did Oliv, who managed to convince Debbie to come even if she had a 7am shift the next day (thank you, girls!) . Puput backed out bec he had to attend a meeting since Donat was on leave. Most of the other people had work. We ended up drinking wine in Magnum. Onie took me home at around 3am, with Jason, who parked his car in front of my house due to lack of parking earlier. Said goodbye to my boys. Sad.
The next day was the ultimate epitome of harrassment. First, I got up early. We repacked. I went to the parlor. Mum and I had lunch. Jen and Joey arrived at the house and kept right on burning cds. Then suddenly it was time to go. I almost cried saying goodbye to my bathroom. Then the combination for the suitcase lock wouldnt work so they had to break it and use a real lock on the zip. My yayi and Nene both cried when I left. I put on my shoes in the car and then we got to the airport. And then. Well.
First, I had to pay 2 kilos overweight. That's okay. Then the lady security guard checked my hand carry and said it was too heavy (it was 11 kilos, we were told 10k was acceptable, but apparently it was only supposed to be 7) so i had to unload and give it to my mom who was waiting outside. When got back in, the girl wasnt there and the guy guards just waved me through! To add to that, i was wearing my MANGO ADDICT shirt, which indicates an addiction for the brand of clothing. Unfortunately everyone fromt he security guards to the Australian tourists thought it was an addiction to mangoes: "Hija, mahilig ka pala talaga sa mangga." Respeto. (Since I was all sweaty from running around and fixing luggage, I changed my shirt anyway)
In the end, I made it through and crashed at the smoking bar with three newly purchased packs of cigarettes (couldn't find the one's therese gave me, my room was like... well, it looked like a hurricane passed through it) and I smoked away while calling to say goodbye to EVERYONE. Finally we boarded and I got on. The flight was permanently turbulent. The plane shook the whole time and I woke up everytime the fasten seatbelt sign beeped, which was often. The steward was medyo sungs (they had to tell me 3 times to turn off my cellphone before lift off but we were still loading passengers then, usually you dont have to turn it off until everyone's sitting down.) . The girl sitting next to me was also studying in Sydney, at CQU. (We still havent figured out which uni that is) They woke us up at 430am (this is from an 9pm flight - we were an hour delayed) and they handed out perfumed hand towels that activated my allergies. When we touched down at Melbourne I ended up sitting behind this couple who were both pinoy, looked about my age and seemed like they lived together but were not married. They kept talking about their apartment and getting groceries and it was all sort of cute and chick novel like until the girl kept making hirit, "im going to get sipon, im going to get sipon" which sounded aimed at me since I was sneezing all over the place. I wanted to go, "Theyre allergies, ok!?! hindi ka mahahawa!". Finally, after abouta 20 min delay, we boarded the plane and off we were to Sydney.
At Sydney airport I queued for awhile to declare my pancit canton, sinigang mix and various medicines. When I got to the front of the queue, the guy checking asked a few questions and when I tolf him what I had he waved me through and I didnt have to have my stuff checked. My Auntie Genie was waiting outside and we went straight home where I slept the entire afternoon.
And so it was that I arrived in Sydney, Australia to begin my next adventure.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Saying Goodbye to Cebu
For some reason, my blog hasn't updated itself despite numerous postings. I will continue to add to it however, in the hopes that Blogger will fix itself and that everything will be all set when I get to Sydney. In the meantime...
My last weeks in Cebu were pretty eventful. When we got back from Malapascua, JR & I filed a leave for the entire week so that we wouldnt have to go to work every day. I ended up going to work about 3 out of 5 days at least. Prior to Malapascua I had been to the doctor - a nice chinese guy at chong hua medical - for my ulcer, triggered again by ice cream and wine (not together, just a 24 hour gap in between). The last week in Cebu, Maui came home with a cold she caught from one of her agents. The next day, she was on antibiotics and I had finished two packs of tissue. A few days later I still felt like shit so I completely missed Sinulog.
Sinulog weekend, the big festival and highlight of Cebu happened on the second weekend of January. The roads were all closed for the event and everyone had to literally walk around everywhere. Banana, Grae & Maui all walked to and from work, still a considerable distance. My friend Joseph walked from Ayala to Crossroads to IT Park to several other places and back again. Grae took some pretty great pictures of the parade. JP walked 7 KM and the rest of the boys posed for pictures with various floats. That night everyone came over for a pseudo despedida. Banana cooked pasta and chicken parmigiana and JP (the L2) bought KFC Chicken. Ashley and Jun, visiting from Manila also came along. We spent a lot of time just eating and taking pictures. Im pretty sure there was some Tequila present but I dont think anyone drank it. We tried to watch the fireworks in Ayala but they were mostly blocked by the building in front of us so we had to content ourselves with reflections on the glass. The evening ended early since I was still tired, so early that Oka and company missed it, even if they passed by later on.
My Side Trip
The next day I left for Davao on an overnight trip to visit my dad. I flew Cebu Pacific, on this tiny plane where my ears got so clogged I couldn't hear a thing for a while after. Dad took me straight to Paradise Island, this resort on Samal Island, 5 minutes away on a ferry. We hung out, ate inihaw and shrimp (dad ate a whole lot) and I took a dip in the clear, clear water. There were fish and starfish, right there. We also saw some houses that belonged to famous people as we came in on the boat and he pointed out the island where the famous Pearl Farm was located.
When we got back to the City, I went to check into my hotel, the Marco Polo while Dad went off to work. Davao is like a small town that became a city. It also surprised me that there were a lot of people speaking tagalog, although Dad says its because it is a regional center and they get a lot of government officials from Manila. Also Japanese tourists golfing. They have holiday taxis just like in Cebu and another "brand" called Maligaya or Masaya. That was cute. My hotel was right in front of where dad worked. Later when he was done we met up and he showed me around there and we had dinner at a chinese dimsum place in gaisano mall. He then toured me around Davao by driving around the one street that went around the entire city. We covered the entire city in about an hour. Then we went home and I excitedly proceeded to watch tv, having been tv deprived for a while now.
The next day, I had breakfast at the hotel where the bacon tasted just like danggit. Then we headed over to the bank to deposit some of the money for my trip. The girl there made us write down every single one of the serial numbers on the money before finally saying that, oops, not all the serial numbers can be verified you have to have it checked in the Central Bank in Manila so we'll only let you deposit half. Gee, thanks a lot. We were off to the airport right after that and we hung out at this cafe - that also happened to provide the food for the pilot's snacks - before I departed. It was sad to say bye to my dad but he promised to visit me.
Eating my way through Cebu
My last days in Cebu were really just spent eating and eating. Chelsea from the office sent a list of all the great places to eat and I made it my goal to go through all of them. That's how we ended up in Casa Verde, this chinese restaurant, Darras & Bowler for my birthday, and Guiseppe's. JR and I loved Guiseppe's so much we ate there twice in one week.
When I arrived from Davao, JR picked me up so that we could go buy guitars. I had to handcarry the money that the bank wouldnt deposit and it was quite an amount so I had it folded in my bra - half in each cup so that it would be even. So there I was walking around Cebu with stuff in my bra, which everyone else found totally hilarious. JR and I went to the road where they sold guitars. Roy and Maui met us there and Roy helped us test and pick the guitars. I kept taking pictures and MMSing them to my best friend Joey, who was getting the guitar. After some deliberation I got him a nice mahogany dark guitar. That night, we had a farewell dinner at Guiseppe's with JR, Maui and Grae.
Getting Home, Somehow
The next day was full of sad goodbyes from my boss, Chie, Maui and everyone else in my house. Hugs went around. I also left my last legacy to the house: naming the second mouse Fletcher, in the spirit of Smith of Sex in the City Season 6 (which everyone in the house watched), where they used a last name as a first name. Maui vowed to eradicate both Gordy and Fletcher before they multiplied further, but in the meantime it was bye bye to them. Prior to this I took a lot of pictures in the office to say goodbye (see previous). Oka also came over and we all finished the bottle of wine that Maui and I had gotten in Darras & Bowler but had forgotten to take to Shang. It was pretty good.
JR came to pick me up promptly after lunch. Oka helped me get all the stuff into the taxi cab and that was no easy feat. JR and I ended up sitting precariously in the cab with one of the three guitars (JR had 2) poking the back of my neck the entire 45 min to an hour. When we got there we tipped the cabbie extra and then off we went to check in. Because we arrived only an hour before - just in time as usually by then they give the seats away - we ended up with seats in the back. We paid almost 2K in overweight, which we were prepared to pay. Everything was so heavy. While we were putting the bags in the security checker thing, someone stole JR's cart and we had to share. It was really heavy. When we got home, we wrestled with the luggage until we got it all set.
When I got to my house I found all my cousins there and that Joey had already arrived to pick up the guitar. And since I had picked up Jen from work, she was there as well. My cousins from Australia, Andrew & Lara were there and mum was hosting a dinner with all the other cousins. It was a fun bonding experience. Afterwards they all went out for drinks while I went to bed so that I could... go to work the next day.
And that was my Cebu adventure.
My last weeks in Cebu were pretty eventful. When we got back from Malapascua, JR & I filed a leave for the entire week so that we wouldnt have to go to work every day. I ended up going to work about 3 out of 5 days at least. Prior to Malapascua I had been to the doctor - a nice chinese guy at chong hua medical - for my ulcer, triggered again by ice cream and wine (not together, just a 24 hour gap in between). The last week in Cebu, Maui came home with a cold she caught from one of her agents. The next day, she was on antibiotics and I had finished two packs of tissue. A few days later I still felt like shit so I completely missed Sinulog.
Sinulog weekend, the big festival and highlight of Cebu happened on the second weekend of January. The roads were all closed for the event and everyone had to literally walk around everywhere. Banana, Grae & Maui all walked to and from work, still a considerable distance. My friend Joseph walked from Ayala to Crossroads to IT Park to several other places and back again. Grae took some pretty great pictures of the parade. JP walked 7 KM and the rest of the boys posed for pictures with various floats. That night everyone came over for a pseudo despedida. Banana cooked pasta and chicken parmigiana and JP (the L2) bought KFC Chicken. Ashley and Jun, visiting from Manila also came along. We spent a lot of time just eating and taking pictures. Im pretty sure there was some Tequila present but I dont think anyone drank it. We tried to watch the fireworks in Ayala but they were mostly blocked by the building in front of us so we had to content ourselves with reflections on the glass. The evening ended early since I was still tired, so early that Oka and company missed it, even if they passed by later on.
My Side Trip
The next day I left for Davao on an overnight trip to visit my dad. I flew Cebu Pacific, on this tiny plane where my ears got so clogged I couldn't hear a thing for a while after. Dad took me straight to Paradise Island, this resort on Samal Island, 5 minutes away on a ferry. We hung out, ate inihaw and shrimp (dad ate a whole lot) and I took a dip in the clear, clear water. There were fish and starfish, right there. We also saw some houses that belonged to famous people as we came in on the boat and he pointed out the island where the famous Pearl Farm was located.
When we got back to the City, I went to check into my hotel, the Marco Polo while Dad went off to work. Davao is like a small town that became a city. It also surprised me that there were a lot of people speaking tagalog, although Dad says its because it is a regional center and they get a lot of government officials from Manila. Also Japanese tourists golfing. They have holiday taxis just like in Cebu and another "brand" called Maligaya or Masaya. That was cute. My hotel was right in front of where dad worked. Later when he was done we met up and he showed me around there and we had dinner at a chinese dimsum place in gaisano mall. He then toured me around Davao by driving around the one street that went around the entire city. We covered the entire city in about an hour. Then we went home and I excitedly proceeded to watch tv, having been tv deprived for a while now.
The next day, I had breakfast at the hotel where the bacon tasted just like danggit. Then we headed over to the bank to deposit some of the money for my trip. The girl there made us write down every single one of the serial numbers on the money before finally saying that, oops, not all the serial numbers can be verified you have to have it checked in the Central Bank in Manila so we'll only let you deposit half. Gee, thanks a lot. We were off to the airport right after that and we hung out at this cafe - that also happened to provide the food for the pilot's snacks - before I departed. It was sad to say bye to my dad but he promised to visit me.
Eating my way through Cebu
My last days in Cebu were really just spent eating and eating. Chelsea from the office sent a list of all the great places to eat and I made it my goal to go through all of them. That's how we ended up in Casa Verde, this chinese restaurant, Darras & Bowler for my birthday, and Guiseppe's. JR and I loved Guiseppe's so much we ate there twice in one week.
When I arrived from Davao, JR picked me up so that we could go buy guitars. I had to handcarry the money that the bank wouldnt deposit and it was quite an amount so I had it folded in my bra - half in each cup so that it would be even. So there I was walking around Cebu with stuff in my bra, which everyone else found totally hilarious. JR and I went to the road where they sold guitars. Roy and Maui met us there and Roy helped us test and pick the guitars. I kept taking pictures and MMSing them to my best friend Joey, who was getting the guitar. After some deliberation I got him a nice mahogany dark guitar. That night, we had a farewell dinner at Guiseppe's with JR, Maui and Grae.
Getting Home, Somehow
The next day was full of sad goodbyes from my boss, Chie, Maui and everyone else in my house. Hugs went around. I also left my last legacy to the house: naming the second mouse Fletcher, in the spirit of Smith of Sex in the City Season 6 (which everyone in the house watched), where they used a last name as a first name. Maui vowed to eradicate both Gordy and Fletcher before they multiplied further, but in the meantime it was bye bye to them. Prior to this I took a lot of pictures in the office to say goodbye (see previous). Oka also came over and we all finished the bottle of wine that Maui and I had gotten in Darras & Bowler but had forgotten to take to Shang. It was pretty good.
JR came to pick me up promptly after lunch. Oka helped me get all the stuff into the taxi cab and that was no easy feat. JR and I ended up sitting precariously in the cab with one of the three guitars (JR had 2) poking the back of my neck the entire 45 min to an hour. When we got there we tipped the cabbie extra and then off we went to check in. Because we arrived only an hour before - just in time as usually by then they give the seats away - we ended up with seats in the back. We paid almost 2K in overweight, which we were prepared to pay. Everything was so heavy. While we were putting the bags in the security checker thing, someone stole JR's cart and we had to share. It was really heavy. When we got home, we wrestled with the luggage until we got it all set.
When I got to my house I found all my cousins there and that Joey had already arrived to pick up the guitar. And since I had picked up Jen from work, she was there as well. My cousins from Australia, Andrew & Lara were there and mum was hosting a dinner with all the other cousins. It was a fun bonding experience. Afterwards they all went out for drinks while I went to bed so that I could... go to work the next day.
And that was my Cebu adventure.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
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Malapascua
We went to Malapascua on the weekend of Jan 7-9. If you'd like to see more pictures, email me and I will invite you to view my Webshots album.
It began early. Maui and I are of the belief that Lance was a tiny bit overzealous and didn't have to call us to wake us up that early but nevertheless, he didnt know what we did - that the bus waits to be full before it leaves. So naturally the boys were early and a little pissed that we were late. The four hour bus ride passed by quickly enough, to me, as I slept the whole while, waking up every now and then to find that the person sitting next to me had changed. Jason had arrived the day before just to come along to Malapascua and we had all spent it watching Ocean's 12 and Harold and Kumar (again). He and Roy spent a lot of the time just standing there on the bus -which at certain points was relatively empty - swaying and swaying and swaying.
We got to the last port, Maya, a gazillion stops (you should really see the picture) later and disembarked. We paid five pesos per person to get on a tiny boat that rowed us out to a bigger boat, which cost another ten/twenty bucks to get to Malapascua. The view was great and it was wonderful to be out in the sea air and off the bus. We got there in about 30 minutes and got a hotel right away. We stayed at Blue Water. I got the quiet room with JP, Lance & Jason while JR, Roy, Maui, Grae & Russel got the other room.
Of course the first thing we did was eat. We discovered Ging-ging's, courtesy of Mang Claudy, one of the local touts who also later arranged for our motorbike adventure, with cheap food. Malapascua is relatively undeveloped. There is no electricity after a certain time, the food is cheap and very few of the resorts have airconditioners. Ours didnt. There are no cars on the island, just motorcycles, and most of the people are simple fisherfolk. Most of the tourists are also German and it is especially popular for Diving. It is technically Boracay ten years ago, although the sand directly under the water off the shore has a lot of coral and algae.
After a hearty lunch we set off on our motorcycles. I rode with Lance. JR & Jason took a motorcycle each, Roy & Maui shared and JP rode behind Mang Claudy. Grae & Russel, having taken the later bus, had yet to arrive. Mang Claudy took us around the island, up and down to reach the lighthouse. Along the way, JR fell sideways into a ravine and on the way back Lance and I almost fell straight down into a bangin while going up a particuarly steep road. We got to the lighthouse and JP and I climbed on ahead, with everyone making side comments about my lack of coordination and the implausibility of me getting into hiking in Australia. I teetered a few times and there's even a picture of me almost losing my balance. We got to the top and of course, spent the entire time picture taking. Jason & Lance discovered a special way to take the picture, with someone lying on the ground so that you get the lighthouse in the background.
After the lighthouse we headed off to Los Bamboos, an exclusive resort which is far from everywhere else. We took pictures at the beach, where a group of children holding rubber strings up in the wind for the sound enraptured us with their Unicef like qualities. So sweet. So innocent. So picture worthy. We decided not to swim there and we headed back to our hotel where we immediately went crashing into the surf. On the way back, Roy and Maui tipped over and he got a big gash that later, back in Cebu City would require four tetanus shots just above his ass. Later that night we had dinner at Sunrise/set Cafe (?) where Jason had these gigantic shrimps.
The next day we all decided to go snorkling. Since we moved really slowly, we got to Ging-ging's pretty late for breakfast. I had a banana/choco pancake that was absolutely excellent. After breakfast we went off snorkling. The first place we went to had waves so strong that we were all swallowing water. I spent most of that time holding on to a rope near the boat. Even the strong swimmers got tired quickly fighting the current. The next site was much better. The waves were calmer and we got to see starfish and corals. The third site had a japanese battleship that sunk in world war two. It split in half and was so big we never got to see the end. We also saw numerous "Nemos". At the last site, the boys decided it might be a good idea to have some sea urchin for dinner. The idea was to use Russel's fisherman holed shirt as a net, which was actually possible. Russel is an excellent swimmer and can dive really deep, so she was supposed to be the one to get it but then everyone changed their minds, since they didn't want to be poisoned.
While Lance, JP & Grae had lunch at Ging-ging's the rest of us discovered the joys of Harry Potter Uno while having a late lunch at that cafe. It turned into such a heated battle that took literally hours since no one would win! It started out being JR vs Jason then it became Maui vs Roy and Russel and i were the only ones who were nice to each other. Who would have thought it would be so competitive? Russel won in the end and we resolved to play Uno again later on.
That night we decided to have a "fancy dinner" so off we went to La Dolce Vita. Initially we had wanted to go to La Isla Bonita but it was full. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the Italian resto was right on the beach and the view and the food were excellent. We took along Grae's new friend Barry, a Canadian who did logistics and transport for films in Toronto. We got good priced wine, 2 pizzas and various meat and pasta dishes. Jason and I shared a Tiramisu and JR shared his theory on how "if you dont know what something or someone is called you have to call it something. Therefore I will call it Squishy." So I met a nice doggy that belonged to the restaurant owners (who are really Italian) and it stuck by me all night and therefore I called it Squishy. JP couldn't tell what the piggy saltshaker was, and therefore it was also called Squishy. We ended the night by sitting on mats under the stars - the first time in my life i have ever seen the sky so clear - and talking.
The boys all thought of names for their future children (because we were trying to ask Barry why he was called Barry) with JP swearing not to name his son John and JR contemplating on Aoki for another daughter, if ever. The boys decided that it would be more possible for me to become a hiker than to be married, although because of my baby voice it would be possible for me to have children. (Thanks a lot.) Barry treated everyone to beers and he and Lance had a discussion on the finer points of flying a small plane.
The next day we all had breakfast at Ging-ging's again before taking one final dip and then a few last shakes at the cafe, with some Uno thrown in for good measure. Grae, using her charming personality got us a ride with a Japanese girl (the boys insist she was a trannie and previously male, i disagree) and her pinoy boyfriend on their banka. We split the bill with them and they shared the boat since there were no other bankas available. According to Grae the girl met the guy who was a bellboy in Plantation Bay. He's been touring her around the Philippines ever since and she's taking him back to Japan. The boys were all horrified because she was actually one of those pretty anime like girls and he was... well, i will just say dark because its the nicest thing anyone said about him.
After some dispute with the guys who had arranged for us to ride back to Cebu on a private vehicle that would not have fit all of us we decided to take the bus instead, which involved having to chase it for a bit. We slept on and off most of the way. Somehow the bus ride was longer than the one going there since it passed through Danao. We shared seats this time as there were a lot of people on the bus. Once we got back to the city the boys headed off to CnP Lechon while Maui and I ended up at home eating Chinese food.
The next day I took Jason to see the office and we all tried to persuade him (in vain) to stay until Sinulog. We had lunch at Oh George's where him, JP and myself pigged out on the yummiest food. (I want my Baby Back Baby Back Baby Back Ribs!) We ended up hanging out at home before he went off to the airport and back to Manila.
It began early. Maui and I are of the belief that Lance was a tiny bit overzealous and didn't have to call us to wake us up that early but nevertheless, he didnt know what we did - that the bus waits to be full before it leaves. So naturally the boys were early and a little pissed that we were late. The four hour bus ride passed by quickly enough, to me, as I slept the whole while, waking up every now and then to find that the person sitting next to me had changed. Jason had arrived the day before just to come along to Malapascua and we had all spent it watching Ocean's 12 and Harold and Kumar (again). He and Roy spent a lot of the time just standing there on the bus -which at certain points was relatively empty - swaying and swaying and swaying.
We got to the last port, Maya, a gazillion stops (you should really see the picture) later and disembarked. We paid five pesos per person to get on a tiny boat that rowed us out to a bigger boat, which cost another ten/twenty bucks to get to Malapascua. The view was great and it was wonderful to be out in the sea air and off the bus. We got there in about 30 minutes and got a hotel right away. We stayed at Blue Water. I got the quiet room with JP, Lance & Jason while JR, Roy, Maui, Grae & Russel got the other room.
Of course the first thing we did was eat. We discovered Ging-ging's, courtesy of Mang Claudy, one of the local touts who also later arranged for our motorbike adventure, with cheap food. Malapascua is relatively undeveloped. There is no electricity after a certain time, the food is cheap and very few of the resorts have airconditioners. Ours didnt. There are no cars on the island, just motorcycles, and most of the people are simple fisherfolk. Most of the tourists are also German and it is especially popular for Diving. It is technically Boracay ten years ago, although the sand directly under the water off the shore has a lot of coral and algae.
After a hearty lunch we set off on our motorcycles. I rode with Lance. JR & Jason took a motorcycle each, Roy & Maui shared and JP rode behind Mang Claudy. Grae & Russel, having taken the later bus, had yet to arrive. Mang Claudy took us around the island, up and down to reach the lighthouse. Along the way, JR fell sideways into a ravine and on the way back Lance and I almost fell straight down into a bangin while going up a particuarly steep road. We got to the lighthouse and JP and I climbed on ahead, with everyone making side comments about my lack of coordination and the implausibility of me getting into hiking in Australia. I teetered a few times and there's even a picture of me almost losing my balance. We got to the top and of course, spent the entire time picture taking. Jason & Lance discovered a special way to take the picture, with someone lying on the ground so that you get the lighthouse in the background.
After the lighthouse we headed off to Los Bamboos, an exclusive resort which is far from everywhere else. We took pictures at the beach, where a group of children holding rubber strings up in the wind for the sound enraptured us with their Unicef like qualities. So sweet. So innocent. So picture worthy. We decided not to swim there and we headed back to our hotel where we immediately went crashing into the surf. On the way back, Roy and Maui tipped over and he got a big gash that later, back in Cebu City would require four tetanus shots just above his ass. Later that night we had dinner at Sunrise/set Cafe (?) where Jason had these gigantic shrimps.
The next day we all decided to go snorkling. Since we moved really slowly, we got to Ging-ging's pretty late for breakfast. I had a banana/choco pancake that was absolutely excellent. After breakfast we went off snorkling. The first place we went to had waves so strong that we were all swallowing water. I spent most of that time holding on to a rope near the boat. Even the strong swimmers got tired quickly fighting the current. The next site was much better. The waves were calmer and we got to see starfish and corals. The third site had a japanese battleship that sunk in world war two. It split in half and was so big we never got to see the end. We also saw numerous "Nemos". At the last site, the boys decided it might be a good idea to have some sea urchin for dinner. The idea was to use Russel's fisherman holed shirt as a net, which was actually possible. Russel is an excellent swimmer and can dive really deep, so she was supposed to be the one to get it but then everyone changed their minds, since they didn't want to be poisoned.
While Lance, JP & Grae had lunch at Ging-ging's the rest of us discovered the joys of Harry Potter Uno while having a late lunch at that cafe. It turned into such a heated battle that took literally hours since no one would win! It started out being JR vs Jason then it became Maui vs Roy and Russel and i were the only ones who were nice to each other. Who would have thought it would be so competitive? Russel won in the end and we resolved to play Uno again later on.
That night we decided to have a "fancy dinner" so off we went to La Dolce Vita. Initially we had wanted to go to La Isla Bonita but it was full. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the Italian resto was right on the beach and the view and the food were excellent. We took along Grae's new friend Barry, a Canadian who did logistics and transport for films in Toronto. We got good priced wine, 2 pizzas and various meat and pasta dishes. Jason and I shared a Tiramisu and JR shared his theory on how "if you dont know what something or someone is called you have to call it something. Therefore I will call it Squishy." So I met a nice doggy that belonged to the restaurant owners (who are really Italian) and it stuck by me all night and therefore I called it Squishy. JP couldn't tell what the piggy saltshaker was, and therefore it was also called Squishy. We ended the night by sitting on mats under the stars - the first time in my life i have ever seen the sky so clear - and talking.
The boys all thought of names for their future children (because we were trying to ask Barry why he was called Barry) with JP swearing not to name his son John and JR contemplating on Aoki for another daughter, if ever. The boys decided that it would be more possible for me to become a hiker than to be married, although because of my baby voice it would be possible for me to have children. (Thanks a lot.) Barry treated everyone to beers and he and Lance had a discussion on the finer points of flying a small plane.
The next day we all had breakfast at Ging-ging's again before taking one final dip and then a few last shakes at the cafe, with some Uno thrown in for good measure. Grae, using her charming personality got us a ride with a Japanese girl (the boys insist she was a trannie and previously male, i disagree) and her pinoy boyfriend on their banka. We split the bill with them and they shared the boat since there were no other bankas available. According to Grae the girl met the guy who was a bellboy in Plantation Bay. He's been touring her around the Philippines ever since and she's taking him back to Japan. The boys were all horrified because she was actually one of those pretty anime like girls and he was... well, i will just say dark because its the nicest thing anyone said about him.
After some dispute with the guys who had arranged for us to ride back to Cebu on a private vehicle that would not have fit all of us we decided to take the bus instead, which involved having to chase it for a bit. We slept on and off most of the way. Somehow the bus ride was longer than the one going there since it passed through Danao. We shared seats this time as there were a lot of people on the bus. Once we got back to the city the boys headed off to CnP Lechon while Maui and I ended up at home eating Chinese food.
The next day I took Jason to see the office and we all tried to persuade him (in vain) to stay until Sinulog. We had lunch at Oh George's where him, JP and myself pigged out on the yummiest food. (I want my Baby Back Baby Back Baby Back Ribs!) We ended up hanging out at home before he went off to the airport and back to Manila.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Another Fun Interlude!
|
You Are the Very Gay Winnie the Pooh! |
Come on, he doesn't wear pants! And he's a little too obsessed with Christopher Robin |
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Uhmmm really?
|
You Are 30 Years Old |
|
30 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
Intermission
"You must remember this, a kiss is still a
kiss". Your romance is Casablanca. A
classic story of love in trying times, chock
full of both cynicism and hope. You obviously
believe in true love, but you're also
constantly aware of practicality and societal
expectations. That's not always fun, but at
least it's realistic. Try not to let the Nazis
get you down too much.
What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
brought to you by Quizilla
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