Let my mind and heart speak.

What happened for the last 6 years?

2018-07-01T15:42:00.000+10:00

I know it has been 6 years since I last wrote a post on my blog. I was too busy with everything that went on with my life that I had no time to write. But this time, I have.

So what happened?

Oh well, after a series of trips in Asia, my life became more serious. I was on my age where most of my friends and sister got married. I attended weddings every now and then until I, too, became engaged with my first boyfriend. After a year of preparation, we got married. After few months, I got pregnant. Yes, that was fast but we were in a relationship for 9 years prior to our wedding. And as most of you know, having a child demands lots of time. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl through c-section due to preeclampsia.

I was still working and a helper was taking care of our daughter while we were at work. After 2 years, we decided to leave Singapore and migrated to Australia.

Currently, I am not yet working. This explains why I can write again. Haha. I even created a new blog site because I thought I can't login to my account in this blog anymore. But I was able to retrieve it. Hello everyone. If you have time, you can visit and follow me on my new blog: kusinelda.com

😊

4D 5N Trip to South Korea

2012-05-07T01:54:00.001+10:00

After two months, finally I got time to share our very own itineraries for 4 days, 5nights trip to South Korea last March 7-11 2012.

Day 1:
-Flight from Singapore/Philippines to Seoul at 2pm.
-Meet our friend from PH in Incheon International Airport and the van that will bring us to Lazybird guesthouse. Lazy Bird Guesthouse is very nice in terms of service, nearness to the airport and also the rooms. We arrived around 11pm.

Day 2:
-Checkout at LazyBird Guesthouse at 5am and rented a taxi going to Gimpo Airport.
-Check-in at Eastarjet at 6am. Our flight to Jeju Island is at 7am.
-9am Checkin at Yeha Guesthouse and day tour around Jeju started after we settled our checkin.
-We availed the yeha van taxi tour and Mr Koh was our tour guide. I highly recommend him; very nice service, kind and sweet. See it for yourself.
- Mr Koh brought us to the Bibimbap and Korean BBQ for lunch and dinner.
-Places we visited until 6pm:
- Ham Deok Seoubong Beach
- Park Southernland
- Manjanggul Lava Tube
- Maze Park
- Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak
- Rapeseed Flower Farm
- Seopjikoji
- Trick Art Museum

Day 3:
-Checkout at Yeha Guesthouse at 8:30am
-Started our Day2 tour again with Mr Koh and visited the following places.
-Seogwipo Submarine Tour
-Cheonjiyeon Falls
-Teddy Bear Museum
-Chocolate Museum
-Jusangjeolli Cliff
-Tangerine by the road
-Miniature Park
-Glass Garden
-Mystery Road
-Loveland

-Since we're running out of money, Mr Koh allow us to try the very cheap food Kimbap and ahh I forgot sorry.
-After the last attraction, we bid goodbye to Mr Koh at Jeju International Airport.
-Around 8pm we reached Gimpo and took some Korean Ramen before we head to the subway station.
-Around 9pm we reached Anguk station to look for Yoo's home. We got lost but Yoo's home is kind enough to meet us on the streets.

Day 4:
-Breakfast at 6am and at 8am, we left to go to Nami Island.
-At 2pm we left Nami Island and went to visit the foot of the Namsan Tower.
-At night we roamed around Myeongdong and had dinner.

Day 5:
-At 8am we went to Gamnam to take the bus going to Korean Folk Village.
-Due to the harsh winter weather that day, we cancelled our trip to Insadong after we visited the Gyeongbukgong Palace.
-At 6pm, we ended our trip and head back to Incheon International Airport.

I really enjoyed the trip and satisfied that we saw so many places in just a short period of time. Of course it is tiring but it's worth it.

Seoul Searching

2012-03-23T02:49:00.004+11:00

During our South Korea Trip, the 3rd day was already in Seoul. Like what we have experienced in Jeju Island, we got lost. We can't find Yoo's home. I can't say it's their fault or our fault or maybe both.

Anyway, Yoo's home is one of the Hanok, traditional korean house, guesthouse in Seoul. It is located near the Bokchun Village and just 5-8min walk from Anguk subway station. On the first night, we stayed at Room of Hope and Room of Wealth. On the second day, 2 move to Room of Love. What I like in the traditional korean house is the heater on the wooden floor. What I don't like is the toilet which is outside the room. It's freaking cold especially on winter and is smaller than the usual T&B of other guesthouses. Sorry we forgot to take photos of the room.

Next attraction is Myeongdong to buy cosmetics for friends and a few for ourselves. Compared to Anguk, Myeongdong is a very very busy place. Being the main place for cosmetics, you can see here shops of the famous cosmetic brands such as Etude House, The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Skinfood...and many more. What makes it crowded, i think, are the sale and discounts as well as freebies they will give once you purchase their products. There are also shops for clothes, accessories, korean restaurants and street foods.

That day, we met my former R&S colleague who was in Korea for business trip. I was glad to see him again since I wasn't in the office during his last day. He became our interpreter in one of the cosmetic shops. The Korean saleslady cannot understand my English and I can't understand her. Good thing she knows how to speak Mandarin so Tzeh Yeu became our interpreter. After this we have our dinner and 1 bottle of soju; his treat.

Then we went to Namsan Cable Car. Due to the cold weather and crowded cable car station, we decided to just take a photo of the Namsan Tower on the background.

On our last day in Seoul, we visited the Gyeongbukgong Palace. I think this is the famous palace in Seoul. It's really big but we did not go inside since the weather was so harsh that time. We only wanted to go home and warm ourselves.

These are the only places we visited in Seoul. Okay we can also include the subway stations like Yongsan, Gangnam, Cheongnyangni, and a lot more.

Korean Folk Village

2012-03-20T23:39:00.003+11:00

On our post-winter trip to Korea, we decided to go here on the last day of our trip and the last attraction which is outside of Seoul.

Getting there:

1. Take the subway to Gangnam Station and exit 10.

2. Walk straight and go for the bus stop in the middle of the road. Traffic light i think is in front of Worri bank.

3. Take Bus 5001-1. Tap T-card for boarding and alighting the bus.

4. It take 40-50 min to reach the place. When you see signs which says Korean Folk Village, look to the left and if you see a huge parking lot, alight on the next stop.

5. Walk towards the end of the parking lot going through 7-11 and other shops.

6. Purchase the ticket and that's it.

I find this place interesting when I browse the websites for attractions in South Korea. A taste and glimpse of the traditional culture of Korea. This is what I always look forward on all of my trips; to experience the country's unique culture.

Korean Folk Village is a big place and favorite filming location of traditional/old dramas. Since it was very cold(-7 degrees celcius), we can't afford to waste time and effort so we decided to use and try our best to follow the map.

We arrived at 12pm and this is time for the highlight among the shows inside: the traditional wedding ceremony. Unfortunately it's almost done when we reached the place.

We also visited some museums, old houses, few shows but unfortunately, it seems our brain is frozen and we cannot think of anything except how to warm ourselves. So we decided to eat our lunch inside the tent with a heater.

After eating, we decided to try the Hanbok(for free) and to roam around, take photos and more. Then we left the place, and head back again to 7-11 to drink hot choco while waiting for the bus. No need to cross the road and alight on the bus stop where you boarded in going to korean folk village.

This place has more to offer than what I have mentioned but too bad, the cold wind stops us to enjoy the korean folk village.

Namiseom-Nami Island

2012-03-18T00:49:00.007+11:00

Namiseom or Nami Island is located in ChunCheon, South Korea. Previously it will take 2-3 hours to reach this place when you are coming from Seoul. Thus, our itinerary allotted 3 hours travel time from Seoul to Nami. BUT...

Upon reaching Yoo's home, our guesthouse in Seoul. The nice owner give us the direction which you cannot find anywhere on the internet nor on the subway map. Thus, we have debated whether to follow it or not but in the end we decided to follow her suggestion. However, things didn't go smoothly because the route is very new and only few koreans know about this. The owner did not give us the complete details so we asked around for help and we received different instructions, until finally one of the people we asked found the officer of ITX.

This is the newest(as of Mar2012) and fastest way in going to Nami from Seoul. Take the ITX express Korail which runs from Yongsan to Chuncheon.

1. First take subway which will take you to Yongsan or Cheongnyangni station.

2. Purchase the ticket from the ITX ticketing machine. Select Gapyeong station. Do note that T-card cannot be used in ITX as ticket(at least at this time). Upon receiving the ticket, check your cabin and seat number.

3. Go to the track which is going to Chuncheon and wait for the train which has Korail ITX design.

4. Keep your ticket for inspection. If the machine when you buy the tickets stated no available seats, you can only seat/stand outside the cabins where there are extra 6 seats and near to the exit door.

5. Station name is flashed on the screen. Alight at Gapyeong station. Take the taxi going to the port(KRW3000) and purchased the ferry and entrance ticket(KRW8000) to Nami Island.

Total travel time now is approximately 60minutes. However, ITX is more expensive than subway or other trains.

Now that we reached Nami, i will start to describe the place and our Nami experience. It was cold and windy that day(4 to -3 degrees celcius) but ferry going to Nami is always jampacked. Only few minutes from the port, you will be greeted by ice carvings on the left and flowers and some statues on front. Since it was cold, there are some fireplaces where you can warm yourself. I think Nami is famous for trees which are lined up that creates a beautiful view.

Since we are not good in using the map, we forget to get one so we don't know where to go until we heard that a tram is coming. We took it for KRW2000 and alight at the food stalls. Then we rented 1 couple bike and 1 family bike for 30min. Unexpectedly, we got separated with our 2 friends and unfortunately we went on opposite direction so even if we look for them and they look for us, we cannot find each other until our time elapsed.

After that we walked around and do lots of photoshoots, feed the squirrel we saw on one of the trees. Below are the photos we took in Nami and since we still have to visit some attractions in Seoul so we left the place at 2pm.

View Blog

On the boat going back to Gapyeong, we thought that we experienced 4 seasons in this place. Some parts have still remnants of winter snow, some leaves are still orange, some are green, there are flowers and beautiful lake. No regrets that we chose this place over the famous attractions in Seoul.

Jeju Island - Submarine Tour

2012-03-16T00:44:00.004+11:00

This is the highlight of our 2nd day in Jeju Island. The most expensive thing to do in Jeju( better search for the updated price ). This is also our first time to be inside a submarine.

I like the view of the port where you wait for the submarine transport boat which will bring you to the submarine a few minutes from the port. This reminds me of the vaporetto station in Venice. The boat ride from the port to the submarine actually is not boring because of the nice view.

Once you reach the station, before entering the submarine, they will ask you to pose for your submarine photo. Just say yes, after all, it's free or should I say included in the admission fee.

Only 1 person at a time can go inside the submarine. From the top, one will take the ladder to go inside and outside. Then, the tour starts. Going deeper and there are monitors which you can see what is happening above and current depth. First you will see the coral reefs. One guy will feed the fishes and will pass to the submarine very slowly. Next is to another coral reefs and they will turn on the light to appear as if it is autumn in the seabed. Last and the deepest at 40m below, is to see the Korean version of titanic, the shipwrecked.

One thing I don't appreciate in this tour is that the host is speaking in Korean, no English at all. Maybe this was the reason why the captain personally approached and talked to us for few minutes and gave us lollipops.

On our way back to the port, even if it was cold, we decided to stay outside the upper deck. While taking photos with the birds(seagulls?) on the background, one of the crews approached and asked "DO you want to feed the birds?" and yes. This is the most enjoyable part of this tour. We experienced to feed them on the boat, be bitten by their big beaks and frightened if they are approaching very fast to grab the oishi in our fingers. Sometimes before they can reached the food, we will release it and laugh especially after they bit half of our finger.

In my own opinion, I hope Philippines can have this kind of tour. I think it will attract more people since Philippines has far more beautiful seabeds and coral reefs. For me, who doesn't know how to swim and dive, going into the submarine is two thumbs up.

Jeju Island - Trick Art Museum

2012-03-16T00:43:00.001+11:00

Another highlight of our Jeju Trip on the first day is the Trick Art Museum. This seems to be not very famous compared to other attractions. I don't even know at first that the real Museum is in Jeju. I only have known that there is a Trick Art Museum, after watching the korean drama, Heartstring.

I thought it is in Seoul but after reading some forums online, the real museum is located on the eastern part of Jeju Self Governing Island. This is a must attraction at least for me who loves trick arts.

For the subject, all you need to do to get a good shot is to pose and act. For the one who will take the photo, i think you need to get a good angle and use your imagination. I super like this place and we all had fun inside.

This is the last attraction of our Jeju Trip Day 1. Other attractions include the Park Southernland, Manjanggul Lava Cave, Maze Park, Ham-Deok Seoubong Beach, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, Rapeseed Flower Farm, Sinyan Beach and Seopjikoji. Visiting these places in 1 day is possible if the tour guide is Mr Koh. Sorry no directions since we rented a van taxi tour but I recommend all of these places, our personal and customized itinerary.

Jeju Island - Maze Park

2012-03-16T00:37:00.001+11:00

Before I forget our experience in Maze Park, I want to share it first. My friends and I have not been to any maze park before(as far as i know). So we did not miss to go to this place during our Jeju trip last Mar 8, 2012.

Since we look younger than our age( or is it because Eds is with us), our admission fee is the youth price(hehehe!) and they gave us the map of the maze. The goal is to reach the bell from the entrance. Let's go!

We decided to split into 2, we turn left and they go straight. Since i am not good at using maps so we just run and run until we reached the dead end(literally with bones of i don't know what animal is that). Go back until we noticed that we're running in circles. Toinks. Since it is tiring inside, and i am already a little bit worried that we might stay there longer than we have expected, we decided to take photos to ease the tension until I heard our friends voices nearby.

The four of us decided to try again but still we seem to be running with no direction again. That's when we decided to stop and try our best to find the correct route in the map and...seems like we did it and for the last try, we finally see the other bridge...

Pose for our milestone and finally we reach the bridge with the bell. Ring the bell for our success!

After more than an hour inside the maze, we run again since we are already late for the next attractions. For me, this was the highlight of our first day in Jeju and i will definitely recommend this to others.

Neuschwanstein: My Castle

2011-09-28T00:33:00.012+10:00

Seeing the album of my friend/officemate, Zann, makes me want to go there again.

The first time I saw this castle, I fell inlove and said to myself, "I must go there on my first trip, come what may."

Ok short introduction of Neuschwanstein.

a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Contrary to common belief, Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and extensive borrowing, not with Bavarian public funds (see below).

The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886.[1] Since then over 60 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle.[2] More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer.[3] The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle[4] and later, similar structures.

Finally, last Dec 11, 2010, inspite of just Me and Tan Yin(my singapore colleague) and bad weather due to heavy snow fall, we still went to Neuschwanstein.

When we reached the foot of the hill where the castle is, my heart was filled with so much joy and wish Bert, closed friends and family were there with me on that moment. ok eksag much lang!

Although the road were slippery and wet and the surroundings were covered with snow, we didn't care. We still walk going uphill and amazed when we reached the top.

Too bad the best spot to see the castle is closed due to thick snow and only experts and professionals are allowed. This is the view from the bridge but this pic was taken two months ago. Summer time.

King Ludwig really had chosen the perfect location for his castle. This castle can be viewed from his window in the Royal Palace called Hohenscwhangau, the yellow figure on the left. During sunset it's as if in the spotlight and at night becomes the only lighted thing in the hill. Not to mention the breathtaking view from the castle.

But the interior of the castle is not that impressive compared to King Ludwig's palace. Maybe because it is unfinished.

Oh by the way Neuschwanstein comes from the words: Neu Schwan Stein which means New Swan Stone. So you can actually see swans figures around these area.

Kaartehan Ko

2011-09-21T23:54:00.004+10:00

Di ko alam kung kelan nagsimulang maconscious ako sa mga sinusuot ko. Siguro kasi ang hirap ko damitan. Cge na nga, di kasi maganda ang hubog ng aking pangangatawan. At aminin naman naten na sa mga department stores at boutique mas marami binebenta para sa mga slim. Di naman ako slim pero di naman plus size. At higit sa lahat andaming di kaaya-ayang parte ng katawan na kelangan wag ipangalandakan. Haha!

Dahil dito gusto ko talagang ako na lang gagawa ng mga damit ko. Pero bata pa ako gusto ko na talaga maggagawa ng mga damit...na papel para sa manika. haha! Siguro karamihang girls pinagdaanan un. Kaso pag malaki ka na dapat meron kang...

Fashion design skills? x
Marunong magdrawing? x
Marunong manahi? xMga kagamitan? x

Wala man lang check. Haha!Wag na nga lang. Ayoko kasi ng maraming kaparehong damit. Di naman sa indi ako sumusunod sa uso. Nakikiuso rin naman ako with a twist nga lang. At higit sa lahat gusto ko yung suswak naman sken at keri ko dalhin. At yung tipong sa pananamit makikita mo kung anong personalidad meron ka. Siguro mahilig lang talaga ako sa mga customized. Yung tipong may effort kesa sa binili lang.

Andami ko na palang kaartehan. Buti pa nung Naldo pa ako...maluwang na tshirt, pants at rubbershoes lang at maigsing buhok...solved na! Haha!

Ay naku maitigil na nga tong pagtatype ko at baka kung anu ano pang masabi ko. Pero bago yan, ipapakita ko lang ang aking nicombine na mga parts para makabuo ng damit. Thanks to Design Your Dress.

Passion Run: Our First Run

2011-05-22T01:41:00.012+10:00

Just this year, I was diagnosed with migraine and vertigo, likewise, when I came back from Germany I experienced to lose my voice and heel pains(until now), plus, I know I am obviously gaining weight. So this calls for a change in LIFESTYLE.

I decided to run around Bedok Reservoir at least every Saturday. But I need some motivations. Doing this alone, I know for sure, it will be another failure. Bert always pushes me to make it happen. Last March/April, when I am still in Germany, Bert registered me to join the 100Plus Passion Run 2011 to be held on May 21. Since I came back, together with JhoWa, we constantly run in Bedok Reservoir for 4.2km every week.

Today is the event. Since we are on the 5km Fun/Chance Run, we are scheduled to start around 6:20pm at East Coast Park. We arrived earlier to change the sizes of our running tees.

East Coast is purely cemented which is a total opposite of Bedok which, in my opinion, is harder or have more pressure on the feet. I don't know which of these factors: red bull I drink before the run, not so flat road or improper start speed; cause me to have a stomach cramps before I reach 2km. Because of this, I was forced to walk and catch my breath. I continued to jog este run after 2km, but to be honest, I was too tired, can hardly speak, can hardly breathed and got scared when we saw someone lying on the road with the first-aid medics around him. Jho is not talking anymore and her upper body is getting reddish. Wali and Bert kept on telling us "ano todo na? malapit na lang oh. Konti na lang(pero malayo pa tlga)." As a result I raised my voice and tell Bert, "Mauna ka na kaya!!!" Later did I know that Jho was also annoyed with Wali and to us when we run faster on the last 500m and even faster on the last 100m.

Since we run so fast, we didn't notice that we went on the wrong lane on the finish line. Someone handed us a finishing medal and was so happy about it and because I really need a water, we didn't check the medal and the run ends. Jho and Wali were still on the road so I told Bert to wait for them. When they arrived, I asked why they don't have the medal. Wali went back to the finish line area. That's when I check the medal. Whoah! 25km! 5km runner will not receive any medal. Hahaha! So embarassed that I quickly hide it in the bag. Well, it's a good souvenir.

After this, we went to Bedok Interchange to treat ourselves for a yummy dinner in Antons. Next run will be in July for women only while bert+Bedok boys will run on Mizuno next month. Hopefully we can do this once every quarter.

---Thanks God we survived the first(except Bert) run.

Questions

2011-04-22T04:35:00.000+10:00

Ever wonder if you are on the right track? Did you question yourself if what you're doing is really what you like? Are you going crazy over thinking of what if and what if? Or feel helpless with the pressure of responsibilities and dreams?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Laking problema naman yan. But i will not answer those questions. Eh wala naman sa akin ang sagot eh. One last question, which is you in these 3 characters?

Pretense. A person who follows what other people wants him to be and forgets what he really likes. The person who doesn't want to disappoint others, thus, never listens to his heart.

Fear. A person who follows his passion but too afraid to fail and commit mistakes. A person who feels too much pressure and always pray to ask favors. One reason, fear of tomorrow.

Passion. A person who's carefree but will choose his passion over good reputation. A person who's not chasing the success but aims to continuously improve in his chosen path.

If you're one of them , then how can you do your best, if your heart is not on what you are doing? If so many fears for tomorrow, how can you live for today? If you don't have a good reputation, then how can you make your passion your profession?

Follow your heart. Forget your fears. Correct your mistakes. Move forward.

---this blog is inspired by the 3 Idiots, a super duper long bollywood movie

Fasching

2011-03-07T06:22:00.011+11:00

I hope I got the right term for this event. Fasching is Munich's term for Carnival. But this is not the same as the carnival we have in Philippines. Today, 06.03.2011, I go to Marienplatz alone to witness this event for the first time.

There are so many people dressed in their comical costume; people wearing silly but cute headbands, different types of nose, hats, wigs; and some painted their faces. First impression, it's a combination of cosplay and carnival in Philippines. Konfetti(confetti) is everywhere too. Children and adults have plastic full of confetti and they will throw it to their friends and strangers(and I'm not an exception) .

There are many fancy stalls selling sausages, pretzels, mandeln, fries, burgers, costumes, Fasching accessories, gluwein, beers, etc. No wonder you can see some drunk people walking in zigzag.

Main event, i think, is the concerts/performers in front of Rathaus and the crowd will dance, sing, laugh together with their friends/families. I love this part and wish I have someone/group beside me doing these also. In order not to spoil the mood, picture here picture there, smile here smile there, tap my feet and move my head to the beat of the music.

Happy Birthday Mama!

2011-02-21T01:43:00.006+11:00

Why am I writing a blog about my mom?
-When we were still in Bikol, my sisters and I used to buy greeting cards and will put it under her pillow or on her cabinet. Ok we are not good at expressing our feelings personally. At dahil modern times na, so internet na ngayon ang way. Hehe!

Why English?
-Gusto ko mag-English eh. Joke. Because I think this blog will be more dramatic pag Tagalog. Hihihi!

Mama is the first reason why I believe in miracles, in the power of prayers and faith in God. Why?
-Mama got very sick and was bedridden for couple of years after she gave birth to me. But look at her now, chubby mama na sya who do all the household chores on weekdays.

Mama was rarely seen in our school and even the day we graduated. She had never escorted me in receiving my awards and accomplishments. She was always in the crowd silently watching us. Reason was because she's ashamed of her looks and the way she walks. But we don't mind at all. She may not be as normal as other mothers out there, but she can do beyond her capabilities. Proof? I have a younger sister. Si panget! hahaha! peace Dimple.

So to my extraordinary Mama, happy happy birthday po! And as usual I wish you better health and more years to celebrate. I miss you. Hehehe! Pa-DHL na lang po ng handa. God bless you always po! :*

The Past, The Present and The Future

2011-01-04T19:07:00.007+11:00

Ok mejo late na yung blog ko pero syempre habol pa rin sa aking yearly blog. As usual topic is 2010 and 2011. Pano ko ba sisimulan?

Well 2010 has been bad and good to me. Bad kasi I experienced a lot of failures from March to September. But I can't really consider them bad kasi during those times, nalaman ko andami ko true friends and for the first time I got the full support of my family when I decided to follow what I want. Selfish act that if I failed, apektado syempre family. Anyways, all of you know that already and thinking of these moments make me smile, as in grin!

When it rains, it pours! Last Nov 7, 2009, I wish for something new and God granted my wish. I experienced lots of new things this year, in every aspects of my life. So much blessings that I can't contain them anymore.

2010 was also the travel year for me. I've been to 5 countries in a year na dati masaya na ako kung makaisa. Hehe! Sumabit ako sa family ni Bert sa HK, nag-SG para maghanap work, nagGermany para magtraining, nagAustria at Malaysia para mamasyal.

Christmas in Philippines is really exceptional. For the first time, wala ako binuksang regalo but it doesn't mean wala ako narecv gifts, di nga lang nakabalot. At sa mga nagbigay, salamuch! I hope next Christmas and New Year makauwi ako ng Pinas.

Currently, Im facing the challenge of my new job. But I know I can do this! Kahit di sing-galing ng mga kasama ko, at least I am learning at darating din ako sa state nila. I just have to do my best again.

So this 2011, the year of thanksgiving, clearing debts, and start building our house. hahaha! Baon sa utang sa nagdaang taon kaya kelangan bumawi. Thanksgiving sa new blessings. Hopefully, mastart na ang bahay na matagal ko na gusto magkaron. New year's resolution ko pa rin ang pumayat(grabe ilang taon ko ng new year's resolution to) and maging productive sa lahat ng gagawin ko.

May we all have another gorgeous, unique, blessed and super good 2011. Keep smiling and be positive always. Let me end this blog by saying, Thank you Lord for the wonderful 2010!

First time to!

2010-12-14T07:37:00.002+11:00

In 6 weeks never ako nagkamali ng sinakyang train. Ngaun lang!

I left office at 7pm. Since mag-isa akong umuwi so nakatungo ako naglalakad and takip ang ilong kc super lamig. Huhuhu! Kawawang ilong. When I reached Ostbhanof station, I noticed but ignored ang madaming tao sa station. Akala ko naghihintay lang sila sa baba kc malamig sa taas. So akyat lang then pasok sa train na nakastop kc lahat naman ng train sa track na yun dadaan ng Rosenheimer Platz, 1 station lang naman kasi.

Kaso nung umandar biglang pabalik and nakalagay pala sa screen Flughafen/Airport. Shocks so baba ako sa di ko alam na istasyon at antay for 15min ng train pabalik. Uber nginig na ako sa lamig kc di maganda pakiramdam ko today. At last may dumating na train. Pagpasok ko may announcement na indi ko maintindihan at yung iba bumaba na. Pero since mas marami ang nanatili sa loob so tuloy, soundtrip lang hanggang makarating ng Ostbhanof. May announcement na naman and this time lahat sila nagsibabaan. So I asked somebody pero di nya yata ako narinig buti na lang may isang guy na nakaearphone pa pero narinig ako. Di na raw tutuloy ung tren stop na sya dun. He was so kind to offer na may alam syang ibang track na dadaaan ng Rosenheimer Platz so sumabay ako sa kanya.

But then on the way, I saw my boss in SG, andito na pala sya ulit with Mun Fei and another colleague na ngaun ko lang nakita. So nagpaalam na ako sa stranger pero nakalimutan ko magthank you. Mun Fei told me na sabay na lang magdinner sa knila since treat naman ng boss namen and sabay na lang kmi maglakad pauwi. Tapos nakita ko ulit ung german guy and he told me na wala raw S-Bahn going to the central station and got the chance to thank him. SO no choice kundi sumama sa mga SG na alam ko naman unplanned na kasama ako. Kapal mukha na lang hahaha! Another colleague told me this "So you just joined RS-SG. Hmm there must be something in you to be accepted in the engineering department because females are not for engineering." Waaa! oo na oo na, nakakapressure na kayo ha. Compliment ba to or what?

So I'm just quiet sa dinner kc mga 10-yr employees na sila ng RS-Sg eh kng wala lang si MunFei(same flight+1 and same hotel kmi) di tlga ako sasabay. Then Dave saw us pero umalis rin since kasabay nya magdinner wife nya and finally met Kai Xun, a colleague from SG who arrived last week and is staying just on the next door. Lakad na lang kami pauwi..kaloka ang lamig lamig. Lord grant me healthy body especially healthy nose please!

The End.

Walking All Day

2010-12-05T22:23:00.009+11:00

Dec 4, 2010. My first saturday in Munich kung saan di ako gumala ng malayo or lumabas para mamasyal. I went out this day simply for shopping: buying christmas gifts, souvenirs, "pasalubong".

Start the day by eating breakfast at the hotel and my officemate gave me a slice of cake. He said that it's for me from a colleague whom I met last Sunday. At 10am head out first to BMW(ung isa kc jan nagrequest ng toy from BMW) so I went there first. When I reached the place dun ko narealize that the memories with RS-Munich colleagues will always pop in my mind if I enter this building. Then I watched the exhibition again bago bumili ng toy car.

After that I return to Marienplatz, shopping area ng Munich. Naligaw ako kakahanap ng Maximillianstrasse so ended up asking some locals. Yeah I walked on the opposite way so balik na naman ako. From end to end ng street kakahanap ng pinakamurang brand ng bday/christmas gift for "him".

Next walk to look for Hard Rock Store for souvenirs pero walang nabili. Then I passed by the Christkndl Market, bukas na pala sya ng morning akala ko sa gabi lang yun so uber dami ng tao plus Christmas sale pala. Dun na nagstart ang paglilibot sa mga Christmas stalls at inusisa mga products nila. Ang cucute ng mga stalls kc ung hitsura may miniature ng famous church, palibot ng christmas lights at maraming decorations. Pero super patok talaga ang Gluwein(hot wine) cguro kc malamig ang panahon.

Then nakarating na ako dun sa binilhan ko ng damit last Monday and tinry ko papalitan ng size ung binili ko kc maliit sya, buti na lang pinalitan naman nila. Then I bought some of my gifts there. Dahil sale, nakabili rin ako ng damit for me.

After that, lakad pa rin and I saw this group wearing santa claus costumes so I asked them why they are wearing such outfit. Sabi nila they want to share the true essence of Christmas(catholic group sila giving small booklets about Christmas and Jesus).

So pinicturan ko sila pero bago ko pa napress sabi nung isa sya na lang daw kukuha para kasama ako. Then after that, binigyan nila ako booklet kaso german so di ko naman maiintindihan plus a gift.

Then I continue walking and stopped at LV and other famous brand shops. I bumped with one of my female RS-SG colleague. We went to eat late lunch at KFC and first time ko makakita ng mga pinoy dito. Hehehe! Mga nakapag-asawa daw sila ng german.

Tapos lakad ulit but this time with Weiwei pero naghiwalay din kmi sa isang store kc may bibilhin ako pero sya gusto na nya lumipat sa iba. Lakad lakad ulit pero napapansin ko parami ng parami ang couples on the streets na naghahalikan or kahit sa loob ng stores. hihihi! and of course ang iingay ng mga magbabarkada. Then suddenly namiss ko ang berks, check the time and I know by this time nastart na ang party party ng berks. I was about to call one of them pero mahal baka mapahaba tawagan kc dami nila. hahaha! Then biglang tumunog ang bells. Since magkakalapit churches dun kaya nung tumunog as if they are inviting me to go inside. So bago pa ako ma-emo(nakakaemo kc ung surroundings plus ung tunog) ng tuluyan pumasok na ako sa Church of our Lady. Stay there for few minutes and observed the people inside.

Then naisip ko may di pa ako nabibilhan kaya hanap ulit ng shop kng san makakabili. Then pinakahuling shop na pinuntahan ko is chocolate shop of course. Hahaha! Then dahil sale at malapit na christmas, siksikan kmi sa train. Pagdating sa hotel, microwave yung tinake out kong carbonara na di ko naubos last friday, nood ng MTV pa rin, sort ng pictures sa Salzburg, laruin ang isa sa mga katabi ko sa higaan then tulog.

-==The End==-

Amazing! Awesome!

2010-11-18T03:48:00.005+11:00

The two words I said about the BMW Welt experience. Ok I am not into cars, I don’t know the parts of it, I only know few brands, and I don’t want it that much(maybe in the future…hehehe). However, after seeing the BMW factory, I bought a car…

…of course a toy car(X6) from the BMW shop. Haha!

I really wanted to buy the small BMW X3 white, the newest type which will be released this year, but costs €28. L

Creating 45 thousand cars per year is not a joke, which means 120 cars/day must be produced. How do they do this?

Robotics(I don’t know if the term is confidential, I hope not). Almost everything is automatic and computerized from creating the frame, engagement, marriage, up to the wedding. Well that is their terms for that. Unfortunately, I can’t share the whole procedures here and taking photos are not allowed. I know now why BMW cars are very expensive.

BMW Welt(World) became one of the landmarks in Munich because of it’s unique architecture.

Inside the building are of course cars, shops, restaurant, exhibition area, and a private area where customers are entertained and given a chance to test their new car. The other two buildings are the BMW factory and BMW museum.

They call this the first stone of BMW because, when it was built, some of the invited guests wrote their wishes and put them in this stone.

Today is my first indoor RS-Munich/Singapore outing participated by 32 people: 27+2(kids) from Munich and 3 from Singapore. A guided tour in the BMW Welt held from 8:30am-1:30pm. Thanks to my colleague here in Munich for arranging this private tour. This is really a unique experience to see live the step by step in developing a BMW car.

What I Know So Far About Munich(or Germany)

2010-11-13T07:13:00.009+11:00

Being here for a week already makes me want to list what I have observed and experienced which are not unusual in Philippines and Singapore.

Not Automatic Train Doors
We are still not used to pressing the door to board or alight the S-Bahn(ground and underground) and U-Bahn(underground) trains. Sometimes we still wait for the door to open automatically. Mejo di ok pag may german sa likod. haha

Recycle
Germany, so far, has the best campaign/rules for what they call "Go Green". First, if you buy in a supermarket, be sure to bring your own bag or else you will be paying a not-so-fair-enough-price for a plastic bag. That's why RS have these shopping bags.

Second, all bottled drinks have deposit. But there are machines(see symbol below) where you can return the bottles and will give you a receipt of your deposits. Then you can claim it from the cashier or use it when you buy bottled drinks again. Kaya lang kinukuha ng hotel staffs yung mga empty bottles sa room. hmp!
Third is the proper sorting of garbages. You can see it on the streets, inside the buildings(including RS buildings). Indi lang ok sa indi marunong magbasa ng german. haha!

Earth Colors

Germans preferred earth colors(gray, brown, black, white...). It is so uncommon to see them wearing colorful outfits. Kaya di ko maisuot ung pink jacket ko sa labas. hihi

Family-Oriented
They are family-oriented persons. Shops are closed on Sunday because they said that it's a family day. For tourists, this is the best day to go out because there are fewer people on the streets.

Shorter Day

We arrived in Munich at 5:30am and it's still dark and cold(well cold naman lagi). Reached Rosenheimerplatz at 8am but still looks like 5am in Philippines. At 5pm, it gets dark easily so when you go out at 6pm, you'll feel like it's already 9-10pm. Hihi! kaya pagdating ng hotel 8pm pa lang nananaginip na ako then gigising ng 4-5am para magnet.

That's all for now.

Ano Pipiliin Ko?

2010-10-30T13:41:00.004+11:00

Dahil ako ang taong di nagpapadala ng basta basta sa peer pressure kaya ang hirap magdecide kung anong phone ang bibilhin ko.

Bakit gusto ko bumili eh may phone pa naman ako?

Gusto ko yung nakakapag-ym, twitter at FB pag wala sa bahay at kahit nasa opis kc nahihiya ako mag-internet ng not work-related doon.
Lahat ng teammates or madalas ko makausap sa opis eh naka-iPhone.
Dagdagan pa ng mga quotes “Bili na ng iPhone.”, “Buy iPhone now, you know we have this mobile plan discount for R&S employees”

Bakit ayaw ko pa bumili ng mobile phone plan?

Unang una may phone pa naman ako at kabbli ko lang ng phone last June sa 7-11.
May mga gastusin pang mas priority sa ngaun kesa sa bagong phone.
Sayang naman ang 1.5 months or more na indi magagamit yung plan.

Pero kng may sasagot naman ng phone ko iisa na lang rason why ayaw ko bumili. Hihi!

Ang tanong ano ba gusto kong bilhin?

iPhone 4

Mas madaming apps.
Mas sikat and mas marami gumagamit pero parang mas gusto ko pa rin ung iPhone 3Gs.
Gusto ko ung app nila na malalaman kung what time darating ang bus para di ako malate.

Samsung Galaxy S

Mas malaki ang screen and may pinakamagandang screen sa tatlo.
Mas matagal battery life.
Mas maganda hitsura kesa iPhone 4.

HTC Desire

Compared to iPhone 4 and Galaxy S, HTC desire ang most recommended ng mga smartphone reviews.
No other reason,

Waaaaa! Ano ba ang swak sa akin dito? Ang laki ng problema ko noh?! wag na lang kaya...

(in fairness nakapagblog ako ulit! Yes!)

Searching For An Answer

2010-06-08T04:07:00.005+10:00

Suddenly, I want to ask this...

WHY MOST OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW ARE NOT OK AND WANT TO HAVE A CHANGE?

(used HE for generalization)

I: CAREER

Person 1: He knows exactly what he wants, how to get it but afraid to take the first step in making it happen.

Person 2: He want a change but don't know what exactly he wants to do and where he is going.

Person 3: He has plans but waiting for something to start his plans.

Person 4: He is making the steps towards his goal, giving his all, but it's never that easy.

II: LOVELIFE

Person 5: His relationship is rocky but he never stop giving love a chance.

Person 6: He knows staying in the relationship is not ok, but he don't want to waste the years they spent together.

Person 7: He finally find the courage to end the relationship, but did he completely get out from the box when the person who hurt him is still bothering him?

Person 8: He is trying to move on from the past relationship, trying and convincing others that he is ok but actually he is not.

III. LIFE

Person 9: He has no peace of mind due to a property issue.

Person 10: His family is not in good health lately.

Person 11: He knows almost all he's doing are mistakes, he knows these are not good things to do, he knows he hurts someone, but he chooses to live this way, for in these things, he finds the happiness.

They all want a change. Why? What is happening in the universe? Is there an eclipse or some sort of issues in the alignment of the stars. Oh well, I do hope, all will be strong enough to conquer changes.

Usaping Pag-Ibig

2010-04-19T17:55:00.000+10:00

In English, Love talks...huh?! really?! love talks?...you're so corny nelda...andami mo mais...

Who wants to be corny anyway? Wala naman di ba. But we can't help to be corny basta LOVE ang topic. Di ba? Wag na magreact ang di agree. Because love is in the air...no... to be specific love problem is in the air, I have collected quotes and punchlines I've spoken and heard from my friends.

If you don't want to read corny lines...stop now.

"Ang totoong love walang time limit." --- Oracle

"Ang totoong love walang time limit except kay Tooot." - Us

"Ang worth-it na guy, di naaagaw." --- Joe

"If there is love, there is security NOT insecurity." --- Baktong

"Love. Learn. Live.(mantra in no particular order)." --- Mariposa

"Ang totoong love di nakakastress." --- Logic

"Ang LOVE parang MULTO, wag mo hanapin para makita mo." --- Edong

"Pag dumating tau sa game over sana makahanap tau ng bonus life." --- Mariposa

"Truth hurts, but toothache hurts more." --- Joe

"Di mo na maibabalik ang noon, walang ctrl+del ang life...move forward." --- Logic

"When you are down, there's no other way...except to go up." --- Logic

"Yun ang masakit eh, yung gusto mo sya alisin sa sitwasyong nagpapahirap sa kanya ng sobra pero alam mong wala kang magagawa." --- Unknown

"Love is the most precious gift that becomes a blessing when given to someone who deserves it." --- Logic

"Pablooming ka ng bonggang bongga. Dapat maging fan ka ng Mahal Kita Noon, Maglaway ka Ngayon." --- LoBak

"Ok lang naman kung di mo kayang mahalin, pero ang hindi ok, ang patuloy mong saktan." --- Baktong

"Mahirap pag ayaw na eh, mahirap pilitin ang sarili." --- Donkey

"Well, kung ginagawa mo naman lahat, baka naman hindi na ikaw ang nagkukulang." --- Joe

"Pwede mo naman ibigay ang lahat... pero wag mawawala ang worth mo." --- Unknown

"When you are begging for love, you know that you are not really loved." --- Unknown

"Ang kabaitan ay indi dapat sinusuklian ng pakikipagrelasyon." --- Unknown

"Jealousy is normal, pero ang makipagaway ng walang basehan ay abnormal." --- Unknown

Ilan lang po yan sa tumatak sa aking isipan. Indi man namen namalayan pero kami'y nakapagbitaw ng ganyan. Korni na kung korni, ang makatulong ang importante. Hangad lang name'y maayos ang lahat ng gusot. Hangad name'y sumaya ang mga pusong umiiyak. Itulot nawa ng Diyos na lumikha. Matuto nawa na umahon sa pagkakadapa.

Holy Crap!!! --- Joe

susyal noh...hahaha! segway

BE@UTYBRICK

2010-02-23T17:56:00.003+11:00

Is choosing the right haircut or hairstyle your dilemma? Do you want to look trendy but don't know how you're going to do it? Do you want an artistic curls or any kind of digiperm? Or simply want a new look and have a makeover?

Oh well, here's the solution to your problem. Go to Be@utybrick located at 122 Jupiter St. Doña Consolacion Building, Makati City, beside Red Ribbon bakeshop. Mr. Gi Jin Shin, the stylist and the owner, is a very skillful and so far the best stylist I've known. At first you will be confused whether he's a korean or japanese coz he speaks fluently using those languages.

Service is excellent. All staffs are accommodating, can speak and understand Korean and Japanese as well. They are efficient and fast worker too so you won't regret giving a bigger tip than you usually give to ordinary salons out there.

Facilities are good. The place is clean and the walls are artistically painted/designed. I love this part of be@utybrick.

There's also a shelf of magazines, table of magazines, cozy lights and this skateboard beside the sofa.

Me and my friends went here last Feb 12,2010 and we all give be@utybrick 2 thumbs up. Mr. Shin just knew the right haircut and style for you. The right length as well as right color for your hair. He turned dull-looking to fresh-vibrant hair. :)

To Learn Other Languages...

2010-02-03T21:13:00.003+11:00

...is HARD.

Argh! I really want to speak other Languages. It started when I was still in Elementary and reading pocketbooks was my hobby. Back then, I have a notebook where I wrote all Spanish and French phrases I encountered while reading pocketbooks. Sometimes a few Latin words I heard from Mamay as well. I think that notebook is still in one of my boxes in the house.

como esta usted... mi casa es su casa... te quiero... merci... bon voyage...

Those are few of the words I had wrote and saying 'i love you' in different languages. Hahaha! Of course I will find it in pocketbooks.

Now, I'm already 25 and I haven't master any of the two languages I have mentioned. Instead, from 2 languages, now I want to learn 3 more languages such as Japanese, Korean and Mandarin. Oh well, some of you guys know already the reason behind it. Hahaha. I still use notebooks but since we are in digital world already so most of the tools are in softcopy or bookmarking the websites.

It's getting harder. Although I knew some common phrases such as hello, sorry, thank you, i love you, good morning, good evening, how are you, welcome, bye, yes or no in 4-5 languages, but it's still not enough. Where should I get the motivation? I am not working in a company who requires to speak any of them. I am not in the country which uses any of those languages. I don't have a Japanese, Spanish, French, Korean or Chinese friend. I have no reasons to learn these languages except...

... simply because I WANT TO.

Will this be enough? I hope so and I want to start with Mandarin. Wahahaha! :-)

I will read this blog again after 1-2yrs. Let's see if I did it.

Nightmares

2010-01-24T02:12:00.003+11:00

Since childhood, I kept on having nightmares or daymares(hihihi pangumaga kc). But they don't happen everyday. Most of the time pag indi ako nakapagpray before going to sleep. Some of them are bombing, ,explosions, a building collapsed and tsunamis.

Tsunamis and building that collapsed are the most common dreams. Most of the time yung place di nagbabago and yung height ng tsunami. Ang nagbabago lang ay yung mga nakakasama ko. Usually closed friends, family and relatives. May 1 time nanaginip ako na si ate at Jho nasa tuktok ng not so high big waves samantala kami ng tita ko tumatakbo palayo. Kadalasang place is smen sa Bikol, not near the beach pero kita ko ung tsunami at the top ng mga puno then we'll start to run. Minsan naman sa skul namen nung elem. Sa likod kc nun seawall at maingay tlga dagat dun.

Most of my dreams, the waves didn't hit me.Or kng abutan man ako hanggang bewang lang. Did I mention na nadudugtungan ko yung naputol na panaginip. Sometimes nagigising ako ng umiiyak or sobrang bilis ng heartbeat or kaya umihi na sa higaan.(ooops! nung bata pa ako nun ha).

However, kanina I slept at 5am and had a dream of tsunami again. Kita ko kung pano nawala yung tubig sa shore at umangat yung waves. For the first time, me and my lola had no time to run sa bilis ng mga pangyayari. I thought malulunod na kami but we survived. Two...three more waves pero this time nakakapit na kami. Next setting nagaayos na kmi ng gamit para lumikas then I saw how the high-rise building collapsed.

Then afterwards, a man walk towards us and said na kelangan na namen umalis kc gagawan ng kalsada dun sa kinatatayuan ng bahay namen. When I say NO, biglang may rocket then sumabog sya sa bahay namen. Wala kami nagawa kundi umalis bitbit ang aming gamit. THE END.

Then tok! tok! tok! Si ate anjan na. Bumili ng paninda bungad sken "di ka naglaba?!" hahaha! Ooops! I didn't mention pala na 3x na nadugtungan ang dream ko, 1st putol nung sabi dimple na papasok na sya, 2nd nung paalis na si ate, 3rd nung nagising ako na sobra bilis ng heartbeat ko.

Till now d ko pa rin alam kng bakit ganun lagi dreams ko. I don't know kng may kinalaman ung experience namen nung nagkatsunami sa bikol when I was 2yrs old. Kc mama and ate are experiencing the same. Kung susumahin cguro lawit na dila ko kakatakbo sa ilang beses na takbu ng takbo sa panaginip. Almost ending naman sa isang place na di mo akalain na nanggaling ka sa pagtakbo para makalayo sa tsunami. Good thing I have stopped peeing in the bed kundi cguro madalas ako naglalaba ng sapin. hahaha!