It's now or never

"You look like Koreans who got fried under the sun," a friend said when he saw me and my friend Krish together. After spending 4 days and 3 nights in Boracay, I am now an adopted member of the aetas community of the Guimaras Island. Okay okay, it'a not really as dark as you might be imagining, but definitely a few shades darker compared to my skin color 4 weeks ago.

Before last weekend, I have been to Boracay only once; it was back in 2000 when we had our company outing there. Boracay since then has changed a lot. There are more establishments now like Pier One and D'Mall. Even the resort (Boracay Peninsula) where we stayed before looked different; the place was renovated and, now, it has a Korean grill restaurant at the front. Good thing Jonah's shake is still there. I was able to try Choco-peanut-banana and Melon-mango shakes (yum!). Cafe Breizh (where we had our daily breakfast coz it was just right beside the resort where we stayed at) is also still there ... and yes their crepes are still good.

There is just one change I didn't like (there are actually quite a few but I will just mention this one). Compared before, the sea is now crowded with pamboats that you can hardly have a clear view of the horizon that is not obstructed by a big or samll vessel far from or near the beachfront. And by the way, the water near the shore is covered green algae stuff especially near Willy's Resort. Good thing the area in front of BBR didn't have much. [ I am currently looking at some pictures taken during my trip to Boracay 5 years ago; the water was definitely clearer and although there are some boats, there's only a handful. I had the beautiful horizon as my background in one of the photos(sorry can't post the pictures ... aside from the reason that it's a hard copy and scanning the pictures will take time, I really do not look good in them so it would be better not to post the pictures)].

But despite all these, I still enjoyed my stay in Boracay with my family. It warmed my heart to see them having fun basking under the sun. A big hole in the pocket it might have been, I am really glad pushed through with my plans. Quality time with the family .... priceless!


pics to follow ...

My first weekend in Cebu can be summarized in 5 words: amazing beach (that's 2!), nonstop eating and laughing (that's 3 excluding the particle "and").

It is indeed great to be back!


Bantayan Island -- a small island north of Cebu
(a 2.5-hour car ride and 1.5-hour ferry ride away from the city)






"geronee, where's the monkey?"

My dear friend Chary just gave birth to a bouncing baby boy this morning. We went to the hospital earlier to see her and the new baby.

First stop was the nursery. I couldn't stop my tears from welling up in my eyes as I watched this little bundle closing and opening his eyes, and silently observing the many (blurry) faces in awe behind the glass pane. "What are you silly grown-ups doing? Rousing me from my deep slumber just to take pictures..." -- if only babies could talk, we probably would have heard those words from baby JC. :D

As for Chary, she had a CS; she looked like she's in a lot of pain. One slight movement can cause pain that she was even advised not to do so much talking. (And for people who knows her, Chary not talking is quite unimaginable... hehe) Although we tried very hard not to cause additional pain, the playful and mischievous part in each one of us just couldn't stop ourselves from telling jokes and making her laugh that Dave had to shoo us out of the room we opted to leave before we cause any harm to the new mother.

To Dave and Chary -- Congratulations on your new little bundle of joy!!!

To James Colin A. Lallave -- Welcome to the world, baby Colin!!!


Baby James Colin

With limited luggage space (and the thought of having a couple of shoes left in Cebu), I chose not to bring any sandals or office shoes with me last Sunday; but instead, had a pair of sneakers (for gym) and beach sandals (obviously for beach outings -- Bantayan Island this weekend and Boracay in 2 weeks!).

Yesterday morning, I found out that that wasn't a very good idea. As I was preparing for my first day of work in Cebu, I noticed big chunks of dark-colored material were trailing me. How did I get to have mud in my sandals when I haven't used them for ages? -- that was what first entered my mind. But after taking a closer look, I realized that said dark-colored material were not mud but were chunks of the outsole of my sandals which I guess self-destructed after years of being neglected. Deemed unusable, I had to look for another pair and found this dainty little light blue sandals which I used only twice (once for a wedding) before. It wasn't that suitable for a day in the office, but what the heck, it matched my top. However, blame the power of aging, Miss dainty little sandal's straps fell off as I was taking it out of the box; which left me two pairs of sneakers, a hot pink beach sandals and an old rusty slip-on to choose from. Eventhough Mrs. slip-on was in the verge of breaking down (and didn't really fit well with my outfit), it was the most suitable of the three thus got selected for the day.

Later on, I found out that that was not also a very good idea. I should have chosen either the sneakers or the beach sandals instead because Mrs. slip-on wasn't able to endure the heat of Cebu. Its mouth opened wide (insole detached from the outsole) maybe hoping for a drink of water. Good thing the ever dependable Mr. Rugby was around to save the day and made Mrs. slip-on last until I was able to buy a new one in the evening. (I had to endure a mismatched outfit for a day though.)

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Yes, I am back in Cebu. After a day of footwear mishap, yummy meals and apartment hunting, my life in Cebu is starting off well. As for work, I will be starting on a new project with a technology which is totally new for me; meaning the need for double time and overtime is looming ahead. But you won't hear me complain (not right away anyway...hehe) ..... a more challenging work, fun and excitement --- just the things I have been hoping for.

P.S.
And yeah, I will start working out this Thursday at Fitness First. (Yes rish, you win!)

As I was leaving the office last night, eventhough I was in a hurry to catch the last train, I couldn't stop myself from looking back and taking a last glance at my own little space and the area around it where I have spent 4 years of my life.

As I was waiting for the lift, I couldn't stop myself from taking a glimpse of the hallway where I have walked on every working day for the past 4 years.

I couldn't help reminiscing about the good old days --

* the first time I set foot on that floor to meet my sempai* who I think is the greatest sempai ever (dba Krish?)

* the first package I made which I did not only check twice but did it more than five times just to confirm that the package is perfect before copying it to the server (so that when my sempai asks me if he can release the package I created, I can answer back a strong and firm "YES" ... and when he says "Are you sure?", I won't reply "Yes, I think so ... wait, let me check it again") ... on second thought, it was not only for the first package but also for the succeeding ones; although checking was not done as many times later on

* the first boo-boo I committed which caused my sempai a headache (but not enough to make him send me packing ... actually, he never raised his voice at me; he just has this way of making me feel guilty if I have done something stupid)

* the many talks and laughters I shared with the friends I have made during my stay here (it broke my heart to see them cry when we had to say goodbye last night)

* the first time I set eyes on this cute guy with a nice butt (something you don't often see here in Japan) who my friends and I named "Hardy boy" because he belongs to the hardware team (and not because of what you might be thinking)

* the lunches and coffee breaks I took with some friends where we talked about the latest news (mostly about AI recently)

* the time when I accidentally pressed the "Help" button inside the special comfort room which made someone outside ask if I was okay to which I can only shout back "はい、だいじょうぶです！ (Yes, I'm okay!)" (By the way, I forgot to mention that that incident sent some security persons coming to check that area. Well, I was already out of the CR when they arrived so they never knew it was me who caused the minor excitement.)

... and many more wonderful and the note-so-great but enriching memories I gained these last 4 years in Japan.


And as the lift was going down, I couldn't stop my tears from falling. I can't help myself from feeling sad for the life that I was leaving behind. But then, change is the only thing that's constant in this world of ours. I would just have to move on and look forward to the new things ahead. However, the memories of the past will never be forgotten and will always have a special place in my heart.

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*sempai - boss or mentor