What makes a woman pretty?

I wanted to meet a friend's girlfriend. Then another friend asked in eagerness, "is she pretty?".

"She has great personality" came the reply.

Then we met that girl. She was warm and cool. I thought about how old she could be. Then we spent time together. For hours, we get along together. We chat and eat. We became friends.
Then, I remember the question that was asked, "Is she pretty?". Oh, I guess she is. Being beautiful doesn't come from the outside, it comes from the inside. And when you are beautiful inside, you are beautiful inside and out.

Great. Great. She is pretty. Every woman is truly pretty only when she is pretty in the inside. A woman is pretty only when she is easy to deal with, when she acts and speaks wisely and when she is true to herself and to those surrounding her. Being beautiful externally is just a plus to being internally beautiful. The same is true with men.

Reason, maybe, why some externally beautiful women settle for externally not so beautiful men (and vice versa). Perhaps those men are far more beautiful than those women they are with. Who knows?

Acrophobic On Duty

This is me and dear bossing on the skyway. We are both acrophobic, reason why we look like that. I thought it was fun crossing the skyway (which is about a hundred meters above the ground and nothing else below it except the ground). When I started putting my feet on the floor, I felt a little dizzy (murag hubog) and then we rushed to the comfort room when we reached halfway. We gave up; couldn't make it, so we turned left and used the elevator instead. Supposed to be a cool experience but it turned to be a scary one.

Yep, I am smiling but my hands are gripping tightly while bossing dear is hurriedly crossing to get to the nearby elevator. Hehe...

Drank For the First Time

I have never tried drinking a glass of alcohol. I tried sipping margaretta once though but haven't really consumed a glass.

After meeting employer officials, my boss brought me (and dear friend) to a bar under the train station. He knew that I do not drink alcoholic drinks but tried to challenge me on having one. So I did. I ordered a glass of green apple sour and enjoyed drinking it. I consumed a glass of it in less than 5 minutes of sipping. I thought I was okay but when I went to the comfort room, I felt dizzy. "This is it! I'm drank." For the first time in my entire existence, I felt I was drank. I thought that sour drinks are just soft ones. It sure is, but I am not used to it so, sorry me.

My boss challenged me to get another drink and drank as I am, I took the challenge. I ordered a glass of grape sour. Crazy me. I gulped once and then went to the comfort room at least five times feeling dizzy. I gave up. I gave the glass to my boss feeling I could not make it anymore. I thought I wouldn't be able to arrive home if I keep drinking.

I really felt so dizzy. Funny though coz it's just a sour drink and it has maybe, just a splash of alcohol in it. But then again, it's my first and I have no plans of putting myself into shame or disgrace or whatever. I can only go as far as I can handle myself.

To Enter Or Not To Enter Japan

Everything was set and ready. I've said my goodbyes and hugged my loved ones. I'll see them in a year. That's not quiet long. I've shed my tears. Goodbyes. Goodbyes. That's hurting me and those I am leaving.

My family sent me off to the airport and as early as 5:00 a.m we're already there. After checking in my luggage I went back to hug and kiss them all goodbye. PAINFUL. It always is. One year could either be long or short. But I told my mom, it is SHORT. I can handle myself and they could trust me on that.

Tears came rolling down while I set my butt on the airplane seat. It's normal. Then I reprogrammed my mind. It's gonna be fun in Japan. It will be fun as long as I want it to be fun. It all depends on me. I should be happy wherever I go. That's just about it. That's just about setting my mind. I shall not think of who and what's not with me but of who and what is with me. I shall learn to live with it. It is my choice.

Waited for about 6 hours in Manila airport before I set my foot to PAL bound for Osaka Japan. That was it. That was farewell to the Philippines and those I hold dear to my heart. Texting. Texting. Last farewell messages came in and out.

Arrived at around 7pm (Japan time) in Japan. Landed safely. SURPRISE. SURPRISE. The immigration officer, upon checking my papers, noticed my COE (Certificate of Eligibility) to had expired a month ago already. So there. Problem began. I was brought inside the immigration office inside the airport by an immigration officer. I was explained that my paper is already invalid. The landing permission has expired. And yeah, I knew it but didn't mind it. I was interviewed - what kind of job I will be doing, what's the employer's name and contact number, etc. They googled my employer's company profile and then had to ask me again several questions. The contact number I gave can't be reached because it's already beyond office hours. So, I was asked for my employer's mobile number. Gosh! I stored in on my mobile phone only and I thought I had no battery anymore. I consumed it while I was in the Philippines saying goodbyes and the like.

Tried to turn my mobile phone and ALAS! it turns on. For a while, the SIM didn't seem to work. I can't browse numbers. And of course, I had no signal for it's not a roaming SIM. Tried again after a minute and then it worked. I got my boss's mobile number and gave it to the officer and then he contacted him. After some explanations, I was released from the immigration office and was allowed to enter Japan.

Huh! It scared me. I did have my farewell party already and freed my treasured career only to be back before I even landed properly here. That's a lot of shame.

Praise GOD!

Farewell Message

Incredibly, this is my last day of work as a System Engineer at EPSON.

I would like to thank so many people for being such good colleagues and advisers. Not least of course, the Multimedia team who have been such good workmates and friends.

I have enjoyed my two and a half years of stay here and I think it is very timely for me to take off and get ready for new challenges ahead. I'm goin' home tonight and will wake up differently tomorrow and more differently in the days to come. I shall miss you guys and this workplace. I shall miss the laughter and the tears. Sure, I will.

I am so sorry for the mistakes I made; for not being the one I was expected to be; for saying/doing things that might have hurt you; for not saying anything when I should have.

I thank you so much for being a part of this journey of mine. You have all contributed to how i live my everyday; to who I am right now. You have been inspirations to me, whether you pushed or pulled me.

Life keeps movin' and so do we. So, goodbye for now and see you again someday. I wish, by then, we could still recognize each other and exchange warmer smiles and louder hello's.

I wish the best of luck for the present and future members of EPSON.

laughing a lot, crying a little...

It's a whole day seminar (7:30-5:00). I thought it would be very boring. I was soo wrong.

They had wonderful speakers. Really good ones. Not that they have good accent or good pronunciations but that they discuss subjects in a way that attracts listeners. They are not the bookish-type ones. They do not speak with respect to theories or reading materials, although research results have been mentioned where necessary. I so love every bit of the seminar. I have learned a lot. I thought about attending the seminar as simply completing a requirement. I thought it will only be a review of what I already know.

It is a priviledge being there. I laughed a lot, cried a little.

The following are what I have learned from the speakers and may only be true/applicable to my country and fellowmen:

on the OCW and his dependents:

(1) that the decision to go abroad must be approved by loved ones (especially by the husband/wife for the married ones). without their approval, it's foreseen that even little problems during the OCW's stay abroad could cause a big fight.
(2) that the dependents of the OCW have the tendency to consider the worker as a source of income more than a dear one. and that when they call, they are more up to remittances rather than the worker's condition. huh!
(3) that married siblings (and relatives) of the OCW will, most likely, ask for financial support from the OCW for their own children's needs such as education and hospitalization and this ask for help will become the OCW's responsibility rather than a choice because he becomes selfish if he cease helping.
(4) that the OCW should have concrete plans for his going abroad rather than simply thinking about it because he doesn't get to realize dreams which are only written on the head
(5) that the OCW should share his dreams to his dependents especially to the allotee so that they know how to spend their allotment wisely in harmony with the worker's dreams.
(6) that if the OCW keeps to himself his plans, the dependents, will most likely splurge the money he sends thinking it was easy for him to earn them.
(7) that when the OCW returns home, he realizes that he needs to go back abroad rather than stay with his family for good because he has no savings and going abroad will be a cycle.

on the philippines and the filipinos working abroad:

(1) that the philippines used to be a nice place and a developed country next to japan during the 1950's.
(2) had the filipinos who lived before, maintained the economic stability, the philippines could have been far better than it is right now.
(3) that it would have been other races serving for filipinos rather than filipinos serving for other races. that inside a filipino's home is an imported DH rather than a filipino being a DH abroad.
(4) that these days, filipinos are used as front-ends of jobs abroad especially dangerous ones. filipinos are the ones using harmful chemicals in a factory. if the filipino gets himself damaged by those chemicals, then he's sent back to the philippines for he's no longer useful and another filipino takes his place.
(5) that testing of harmful chemicals is done by filipinos before a company concludes whether it's good or bad to use.
(6) that filipino nurses are the ones assigned to take care of the patients suffering from communicable and non-curable diseases so that only the filipinos are exposed to the virus.
(7) that domestic helpers are prone to being raped and abused by employers


on HIV/AIDS:

(1) that HIV/AIDS could be transferred to any person without him expecting it for he could get it in 3 ways - the usual way, drug injection and blood transfusion.
(2) that SEAMEN are highest number of persons who get HIV/AIDS
(3) that the number 2 among those who acquired HIV are the DHs, 3rd are the entertainers
(4) that HIV positive persons should never be discriminated because they are not harmful ones and because, there is a law that protects them.
(5) that if you get the HIV, you can live for a lot more years if you have Php30,000-60,000/month for the A.R.V (forget what this means, but this is to guard the immune system from being attacked by the virus, not a cure).

and why did i laugh a lot and cry a little? i laughed because, the speakers were so funny while delivering realities and i cry a little because the speaker who delivered the HIV/AIDS topic who was the funniest of them all ended up his discussion with...
"In front of you is an HIV victim. Guess you never realized that!"

[Some lessons are learned the hard way.]

Someone New, Something New

October 28, 2006 (Sat, 12MN)

Sister R called up informing me and mom that my sister S is already experiencing labor pains and they're already on their way to the maternity hospital. I woke my mom up and she rushed to get the box of baby clothes which she and BIL (bro-in-law) prepared months ago. She then woke my cousin up to drive her and sister R to some place where they could get a taxi to the hospital. 12:10, I texted sister S to give her encouragement and support. 1:45, she texted me back, she delivered the baby safely.



That fast.



October 29, 2006 (Sun)

They left the hospital and went to their home-sweet-home.



October 30, 2006 (Mon)

Off they come to our house. Sister S will need my mom's aid especially when my BIL's out and workin'. And so, there goes all of us, around the baby's crib, watching her every move, taking note of her features and to whom are each a copy of. 8 months after my dad left, she came. somehow, like a replacement of the one we lost. but it could have been merrier with dad around. he had been looking forward to see his grandchild. too bad, he's not here anymore. too bad, he can't hold those little hands and feet nor hear those little voice that cries when she's wet and hungry and smiles when she's tickled.



Sheina Denise Nicole. That's her name; the angel who breaks the silence and replaces it with laughter.



That deafening silence is all over.

[I realized that all babies are beautiful. They are innocent ones. They are angels. They are blank pieces of white papers. What parents decide to write on those papers will be a REALLY big factor on how they grow up.]