rushing through the holidays

the holidays have been very busy for me that i've missed my christmas post. even if i've taken days off from work, there were still lots of things to get busy about. well, with my parents visiting, i had a full-week agenda all-ready for their stay, though most of it were changed cuz of the nonstop pouring.

it's been a rainy christmas in singapore. there wasn't much outdoor sight seeing that we could do. i was thinking of bringing my parents to the bird park, for the sole reason that i haven't been to the place. but we weren't able to do that cuz of the weather. i was just glad that there was a garden festival held in singapore during their visit. at least there's one thing that i'm definitely sure my mother would enjoy and no rain can stop that.

the garden festival show-cased amazing flora from different countries, awesome flower arrangements, and breath-taking themed gardens. my mother's exuberance from seeing all those wonderful displays was simply contaminating. i've been growing up around flowers, plants and gardens, being my mother's favourite hobby, but i never got a bit of her green thumb. on the other hand, father was simply being himself. whatever mother wants, he makes sure she gets. such a spoiler, my father is. i guess that's how he makes up with not being with the family most of his time.

i treated my parents for a seafood dinner during christmas eve. good thing the chili crab and cereal prawns were as delicious as i remembered. ;) we then attended the evening mass right after dinner, and then called up the rest of the family back home. we then got a surprise call from my dear younger brother whom i thought have forgotten about his family already. christmas is really different if it's not spent with family.

my parents and i then took a two day trip to malaysia after christmas. the trip was almost cancelled because mother got sick. however, i wouldn't allow that to happen and urged her to go despite her condition. i know that was so inconsiderate of me, but all i could think of then was that i've made reservations and plans already. but eventually, i paid the price for my behavior. mother was really grumpy all through out the travel. the guilt was overwhelming for having forced my parents for a vacation that i just wanted for myself. i've learned a huge lesson during that trip. never plan vacations for parents that consists of lots of walking, bus or boat travel. they're not as young as you think they were. as people get older, a vacation might consist of something that's really, really laid back like stay at a hotel room for the whole day.

anyhow, things turned out for the better after my parents took the rest they badly needed. we stayed at one of the mountain resorts of berjaya hills, the colmar tropical. it's french-inspired hotel, and i felt like i was living in a theme park. the resort was quite unique, and we had this two story hotel room. however, the food wasn't all worth fussing about. good thing they had this japanese garden at the mountain top. we were like transported into different worlds by a portal in the form of the shuttle bus. the cool breeze at the top of the mountain made us appreciate and enjoy our stay more. i guess the strain for dragging my parents along to this vacation paid off. well, we took great pictures ;) (to post later).

good thing it wasn't raining in KL during our short stay. i guess that contributed to the success of my planned vacation. however, it was continuously pouring in singapore when we got back. my parents wasn't able to do some last minute shopping as planned, and i was stuck with my study-plan preparations and EP related problems.

now that my parents got back to cebu already, i had to settly my own problems. i had my EP cancelled as it already expired. currently, i'm on social visit status. that means, no visa interview for me until i get my new EP approved. that means, all plans are on hold, and i'm back to the waiting game of how my future will unfold.

just to get these problems off my head, i've indulged myself to lots of cleaning. like cleaning the house could sort some of the mess that my life is in right now. as long as i get myself busy, the wait won't be this excruciating. good thing tomorrow's new year eve already. and all i could think about this new year is my new adventure.

the wait

each day i catch my breath
as i wait for you to come
you're drawing close to me, soon
and only time can tell
how i could almost touch you
how i could almost feel you
smell you, hold you

but nothing's coming close
nothing yet, for now
all i can do is hold my breath
as i wait for you to come

rain, rain go away

the rain's just been pouring hard all day and somehow, my mood just gave in to the cold breeze.

i was in indonesia with cha, rems and janeth for the weekend. yesterday's weather was great for a beach weekend getaway. the sky's just bright and blue, and we did enjoy some pictorials by the beach, some swimming at the resort's pool, and an outdoor, fancy dinner. life's little luxuries ;)

then sunday came and everything was just dark outside. we were scheduled to leave for singapore, by ferry, so i was worried how the ferry ride might go. but that was not all. that morning after breakfast, we were set to enjoy a ride with a buggy to tour around the resort's vast golf course. however, the overcast spoiled our plans. twas just too cold to go out in the rain. so instead, we just sat down at the hotel lobby and waited for our bus to take us to the ferry terminal. what a more exciting alternative :(

as soon as we got to singapore on a safe ferry ride, the weather hasn't changed. twas pouring as hard as it was in Bintan island. this just shows how near singapore is to that island of indonesia. nweys, our struggle didn't end at the ferry terminal. we had to wait a pretty long time to get a taxi. well, we have to wait at the taxi queue (as that's how things always are in singapore). it took us about an hour before we fnally got a cab.

cha and i hurried to buy some food for a christmas party with former NSP colleagues. however, we didn't get to attend the party. when i thought the clouds were giving in to the sky, the rain just continued to pour harder. it was impossible to go out already, so we just gave in to the exhaustion from the long day. so instead of being at the party, i am now weighing if i should just get some sleep or blog. guess what i chose? :D

nothing really came out as planned, thanks to the weather.

rainy days like this just gives me the lows. even if i know i'm really okay deep inside, loneliness could be magnified to some extent when it's pouring outside. well, a cold weather is best when there's someone to cuddle with. but if that's not possible, might as well treat yourself with a rich, hot, hot man ... errr, chocolate drink, home-delivered. yum, yum! (i'm thinking about the choclit drink, honest!).. but i won't mind if the drink comes with the hot delivery guy! :p ... wishful thinking, that's all it's going to be.

back to my melancholic thoughts, there's really nothing i can do about the gloomy atmosphere outside. i might as well savor the cold breeze by sleeping early, and cuddle with my fluffy-fluffy pillows and wool blanket to keep me warm. besides, life's not all about what's missing in it. right?

as the song goes, "rain, rain go away, the world is waiting for the sun" (by breaking benjamin).

there's always a bright, sun-shiny day to look forward to! the thought would have been really uplifting if only tomorrow's not a monday. :(

annyeong haseyo

phone rings..

me: hello

other end: Annyeong haseyo!

was i hearing it right? that surely got me bewildered, but i was so tempted to reply back "Annyeong haseyo!". good thing i got my my senses back.

me: hello? who's this?

other end: Annyeong haseyo!

me: Sorry? (like yeah, i didnt understand what she was saying!)
othr end: (babbling something korean)

me: i think you got the wrong number

other end: ah, hello! this is *someone* (a name i didnt get) aunt! (in an obvious difficulty)

me: i think you got the wrong number.

other end: 96713655 ?

me: yes

then the line just went dead.

for a moment there, i really thought i was in some korean tv drama. hehehe. if that was a guy calling, i would have shouted "Gongchan!" nyahahaha. :D

that's what you call, too-much-korean-movies syndrome. can't blame me. :)

as time went by

i can't believed november passed by so quickly. i never aced any interviews. well, the last one i had was the only one and i obviously never heard from the hotties who interviewed me.. feels like i've been dumped after the first date :p

seriously, my boss probably knows that i might start looking for another job as my contract now ends in three weeks time. i suddenly got overloaded with deadlines to beat, clients to please and testers to actually test my patience. how will i have time to search for other jobs and set me up for interviews when i averagely go home from work at about midnight? work even managed to squeeze into my weekends, even. i sense some conspiracy theory here.

sometimes, i tell my roommate that if this is how life's going to be for me, work, work, work... i must love my career this much! :p hehehehe who am i kidding? well, how am i going to find my potential husband now? like the choices are negligible at the office, and besides, i also despise office romance. never works :p

but at least i am seeing life differently these days. despite the worries,the sun seems to shine brighter. must be the holiday season that's catching up on me already.

why c++? .. and why not?

interviewer: so, what do you like and not like with c++?

fictional me: i like c++ because it's the only programming language i know, so i'm comfortable with it (flashing a big smile)

real me: wasn't there any smarter thing for me to say? ..like something technical perhaps?

interviewer: O..kay. (looking perplexed)... what do you not like with c++? (he obviously didn't get my answer.. so did i! so duha nami! hehe)

fictional me: it's the expectations from other people. like, once they know that i know about mfc, they will expect that i know everything about mfc. but i can't just know everything about it.

real me: Ahyooh!! couldn't it get any worse? can somebody eat me alive now?

hmm.. do you think i have a chance on the job? if not, sayang. gwapo pa naman ang nag interview. :D

*********

a few questions and several stupid answers later...

interviewer: i hope you don't mind me asking a few questions on demographics. are you married? or single?

fictional me: oh, i don't mind... i am single. (flashing my biggest smile)

real me: not only single, available pa! ..teehee!

interviewer: any plans of getting married?

fictional me: (sounding surprised) oh, no... no plans as of now (blush)

real me: you can make me change my mind .. (don a sweet smile, and bat my eyelids)

interviewer: how long do you plan to stay in singapore?

fictional me: it really depends... as long as i still get a challenging job here, then i'd like to stay longer (aba! na-ay sense ang tubag... basta lagi dili technical question, mutonong ako answer!)

real me: well, if we'll be settling here ..hon-ey, then... there'd be no other place in the world that i'd like to go..

now i am really regretting that i'm not getting that job.

domesticated career woman

getting a career woman domesticated is such a tough task. to think she's still single. getting a "married" career woman, domesticated, is simply a terrible thing to do.

when i was yet in highschool, or even college, i never imagined myself to be cooking my own food, doing my laundry, fixing my own clothes. well, i just thought it was an impossible thing to mix with your studies. when i started working, the only thing that changed was that i had to pay for own laundry services and food, instead of my parents. the only household chore that i was tasked to do was to keep my abode clean and comfy enough to live in. but when i came here, i had to do everything now. i clean, not only the room, this time, but the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the storage area, the other common toilet. just everything. not only that, i have to do my laundry. but that's not the worst yet. i still have to iron my clothes, which i so so hate to do most. why can't all my clothes be wash and wear?

well, i don't mind the cleaning, the laundry and all that. but it's consuming my whole weekend. although staying at home is better than going to the malls. at least i could avoid from impulsive buying. but that's not it. my idea of a weekend could is to simply relax at home, watch my favorite movies. rest after a night's clubbing. :D

i so miss my weekends back in cebu. where i don't mind sleeping til noon on my saturdays, watch a movie or have dinner with friends. then my sundays would be a "me" day, where i have a lazy lunch, then visit a salon for a manicure, pedicure which takes most of my afternoon, go to church, and have a relaxing evening. then i'd get ready for not-as-stressful week ahead. no wonder i had more time to blog before.

now, i can't do all that anymore. my "me" days (? .. it's barely a day!) are those spent for my salsa classes. saturdays are usually spent house cleaning, and if i get lucky, i could do some laundry or go out at night to the salsa club. then i usually end up sleeping late on sundays doing my other personal stuffs. i even consider watching a movie now as a waste of time. i can't make this as my life outside work. my what-should-be a stress reliever is also stressful. i need more time to relax, recharge and be ready for another busy week. (weekends should last three days!)

it's not that i would have to give up doing my house chores, or like i should stop doing my laundry. they're like work, i can't just stop doing that. well, unless i pay someone to do my work for me.. oops, mali. i pay someone to do my chores for me. :) but i don't have the luxury to do that... it's way too expensive here. (na miss nuon nako si manang labandera) hehe.

oh well, i better get some sleep now if i really did have that tiring weekend.