IT-Blog

I was suppose to write something about the advantage and disadvantage of "changes" in relation to my life but I was bombarded with a lot of issues with one of the tools that I support in our project….not to mention that I am on leave today…sigh!

I knew I should have not logged in to my MSN today…now, I wouldn’t enjoy my well-deserved leave kasi hindi na sya stress free. sigh! Oh well, its part of my job. I have to deal (or no deal) with it.

Chaka ko nlng ulit susulat yung about the advantages and disadvantages of "changes" in my life….pag nasa writing mood na ulit ako….probably before this day ends (sana…kasi kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?)

"Nakakainis!" Everytime I am away from my computer, I always thought of a good topic (well, atleast I think its good) to write on my blog…but come lunch time, when I had the chance to put that thought into writing, seems like all the good stuffs are now lost in space. :’(

Yun lang. bow!

Last Wednesday, I had the chance to go to the gym (yahoo!). I was late for my first 1 on 1 session with my trainor so medyo mabilisan ko lang nilagay ang stuff ko sa locker room (first of only 2 sessions….yung libre lang pag nagsignup ka. hehehe!).

Anyways, so after ng one on one namin, i went back to the locker room to get my phone because I was expecting a call from my brother. Nung pagpasok ko ng locker room, I saw this girl, I looked at her…like how I would look at normal people (hmmm…iba ba ang way ng pagtingin ko for abnormal people? hehehe!) I mean, yung normal lang…wala yung kunot ng noo na nagiisip kung sino yun. Tapos she looked at me rin, and said, "Rogeena?"….hmmm! sabi ng brains ko "kilala nya ako?!" hehehe! sabi naman ng bibig ko "uuuyyyy!"

Mali ata ang nasabi ko…Parang yung prolonged "uuuyyyy" means na hindi ko sya kilala. Well, naobvious nya naman yun, tinanong nya ako, "hindi mo na ako kilala noh?"…

Dito papasok ang title ng blog posting na ito…"Ano ang gagawin mo kung…." Ano ang gagawin mo kung may nakakita at nakakilala syo na hindi mo matandaan kung sino. After nung incident na yun, inisip ko, ano nga ba ang dapat kong gawin, just incase maulit sa akin yung ganun….

1. Pretend na kilala mo sya…and pray na hindi nya tanungin kung sino sya (kung alam mo pangalan nya). Tapos magtanong ka nlng ng generic questions like, "o kamusta ka na?" or "Saan ka na nagwowork ngayon"?

2. Kung nagpretend ka na kilala mo sya, at bigla nyang sinabing "sige nga, anong pangalan ko?" sabihin mo nlng, "Cathy?" or basta magbigay ka nlng ng random names na unang papasok sa utak mo. Haluan mo na rin ng dasal na sana tama ang hula mo.

3. Kung mali ang hula mo, syempre sasabihin nyang mali. Ayon sa aking statistics, ang susunod nyang sasabihin is yung name na nya…tapos pretend nalang na ibang tao pala, "ay oo nga pala…mali, hindi pala ikaw yun." sabihin mo nlng kamukha mo kasi yung isang friend ko nung preschool na ganun yung pangalan. (hehehehe! lame excuse)

4.Kung hard to get ang friend mo at feel nyang pahulaan ang pangalan nya, sumuko ka na my dear. Kung hindi mo sya kilala, hindi mo talaga sya kilala. Sabihin mo nlng na "ano nga ulit pangalan mo?" hehehehe!

5. Kung feel mo naman na magpaka semi-honest (semi lang)…say politely na hindi mo sya matandaan…ask for his/her name, and mag sad story ka nlng na nagkaroon ka ng selective amnesia. Ask him/her to refresh your memory. hahahaha! Kung eto ang susundin nyo…grabe! bilib ako sa inyo.

6. Kung feel mo namang magpakahonest (tulad ng ginawa ko), tell him/her na hindi mo talaga sila matandaan. Wag mo na pilitin na matandaan kasi ibig sabihin lang nun, tumatanda ka na at kailangan mo na mag Enervon Prime para masolusyunan ang iyong memory gap (hehehe! napaka harsh ko naman ata).

I know I know, walang kwenta ang tips ko. I would just like to apologize dun sa gradeschool friend ko na hindi ko nakilala (and kahit sinabi nya na name nya, nakalimutan ko ulit kung ano. hehehe!).  Gusto ko pa sana makipagchikahan kaso ang kapal naman ng mukha ko, nakalimutan ko na nga kung sino sya makikipag chikahan pa ako. hehehe! Actually, nahihiya ako makipagchikahan kasi i think magshoshower na sya.

Para sa iba kong friends, kung makita ko man kayo kung saan man, sana wag kayong matakot at batiin nyo pa rin ako hehehe!

Yun lang po. Bow.

I can’t belive that…

1. Paris Hilton has a single called "Stars are Blind"
2. Paris’ song is not that bad…(ok i admit…ok sya! :))
3. Our team won the WABL considering na nandun si "Spiderwoman basketeer". hahaha! joke lang! Peace! Believe it! Our players are good!!!… (so scrap the 3rd entry…inaasar ko lang si "spiderwoman basketeer")
4. Taylor Hicks won the American Idol (I always thought Chris is going to win)…hehehe!
5. A "bond" and a "bonus" can actually go together (and its not really a good combination).
6. there is really "love at first sight"
7. Jolina Magdangal played Jasmine Trias in Magpakailanman…
8. Jasmine Trias actually speak fluent Tagalog (as narrated in Magpakailanman) hehehe!
9. …I can only think of 8 things that I can’t believe…

Ill just update this post pag may naisip ulit ako na I can’t believe na thing. Kayong mga blog readers ko…may naiisip ba kayo?

Its already 1.15 PM, still got time (15 mins to be exact) before my lunch break is over.

La lang, just thought of writing another blog kasi I’m still lazy to get up and go to the wash room, lazy to go back to work, lazy to do something productive…La lang, I’m just plain lazy (I can’t even think of other lousy words to write other than lazy…)

Anyways, I just bought the new CD of Arnee…Yan ang napapala sa pakikinig ko ng radio last week, nabentahan ako ng CD ni Arnee…I was thinking pa kung yung CD ng U-turn or CD ni Arnee ang bibilihin ko.

I thought its great…my siblings thought it was too "karaoke" and boring (pero kanta naman sila ng kanta dun sa ibang songs nya hehehe!)… well, yung ibang songs niya medyo boring nga…pero I liked 1 of her songs…yung rendition nya of the "You Got It all" which is also the carrier single (i think…yun yung album name e)…(para naman akong endorser nito). Hindi ko alam if i just liked the song, or maganda yung rendition nya.

When I was browsing the internet for the song’s lyrics (na meron naman palang lyrics sa CD…hehe), nalaman ko na kinanta rin pala ni Britney Spears yung song na yun…hmmm…I just can’t picture her singing that song…I don’t want to imagine na rin. Masisira ang mood ko. hehehe!

Anyways, eto ang lyrics, enjoy!

I…
I was the game he would play
He brought the clouds to my day
Then like a ray of light
You came my way one night
Just one look and I knew
You would make everything clear
Make all the clouds disappear
Put all your fears to rest
Who do I love the best
Don’t you know
Don’t you know

You’ve got it all over him
You got me over him
Honey it’s true
There’s just you
You must have been heaven sent
Hearing me call
You were out on a limb

And you’re all that he’s not
Just look what I’ve got
‘Cause you’ve got it all
Over him
All over
You’ve got it all over
All over
You’ve got it all over

Now, don’t let him worry you so
Once I met you
I let go
Oh you can surely see
You’re so much more to me

Just one look and I knew
You would make everything clear
Make all the clouds disappear
You’re better than all the rest
Who do I love the best (yeah…)
Don’t you know
Don’t you know

You’ve got it all over him
You got me over him
Honey it’s true (so true)
There’s just you
You must have been heaven sent
Hearing me call
You went out on a limb

And you’re all that he’s not (all that he’s not)
Just look what I’ve got (look what I’ve got)
‘Cause you’ve got it all (you’ve got it all)
All over him

You’ve got it all over him
You got me over him
Honey it’s true (so true)
There’s just you
You must have been heaven sent
Hearing me call
You went out on a limb (out on a limb

And you’re all that he’s not (all that he’s not)
Just look what I’ve got (look what I’ve got)
‘Cause you’ve got it all (you’ve got it all)
Over him

All over
You’ve got it all over
All over (uh, huh)
You’ve got it all over
Him….yeah….

1.30 na! better kill ms. lazy and back to being ms. busy.

PS: Ena banana, FYI, Im also against that bond. I’m with you in this battle!!! bwahahahaha!

Last May 20, I "trekked like I’ve never trekked before"! My officemates and I went to Taal to conquer the volcano. Nainspire ata kami sa mga Pinoy na tinunton ang Mt. Everest. Actually, gusto kasi nung expat namin magTagaytay…versus itour ang Old Maynila (Rizal Park, Fort Santiago,etc).

So go kami! kala ko it would just be a piece of cake…I thought wrong! Ang hirap umakyat sa bundok na matarik, battling the heat of sun, shits of horses, dirt and dusts at yung mga kabayo at mga nangangabayo na akala mo e pagmamayari nila ang bundok (the nerve).

We started off with high spirits…and ended up with none (at the top of the volcano). Ang dami naming stops…

Hindi lang para magpapicture, kung hindi para na rin magpahinga. Kala ko dati yung mga sa extra challenge, nagiinarte lang ang mga artistang ito…sa isip isip ko, ang arte naman ng mga ito, ang dali lang naman nun, kayang kaya ko naman yun e. True enough, nakaya ko naman, with a lot of encouragements from my officemates.

Pero gaya nga ng lagi kong sinasabi tuwing ikukwento ko ang aming adventure, "I almost want to quit". Parang nagblablackout na paningin ko…dala na rin ng init at pagod…at english makipagusap.

Triny ko na ang lahat para maaliw ang sarili ko at makalimutan ang init. Uminom ako ng tubig…pero mainit din ang tubig ko… Nakinig ako sa IPOD. Kumanta. Nagpapicture picture…pero ganun pa rin, pagod pa rin. hehehe!

Finally, natunton na rin namin ang tuktok ng bulkan!!! Yahooo! pagdating sa taas, umupo na lang ako kasi nangangatog pa ang tuhod ko. kulang sa balot. hehehe!

Masaya naman ang experience…masaya na naexperience ko sya…pero chaka na ako babalik, pag physically fit na ako. hehehe!

Grabe, 2 consecutive posts…improving!

My HighSchool friends (grabe…more that 10 years na ata kaming friendships) and I went to Boracay last May 5-7. ‘Twas my second time…pero ngayon ko lang talaga na "feel" ang sinasabi nilang party mood ng boracay.

The first time i was in boracay, most of the time, nasa room lang kami ng hotel (disadvantage of having a nice, cozy room, with CATV and malapit lang sa Mall). Minsan nagstastay din kami sa pool or sa jacuzzi ng hotel (sosyal!). Basically, walang night life, kasi tulog agad sa malambot na kama! We planned to watch Nina sa Bagaberde then, pero 8PM palang sumuko na kami sa front act ni nina… grabe, ang tagal kasi nyang dumating.

Anyways, iba talaga when you go to Boracay with your close friends. Iba ang energy level! Sabi nila, ngayon lang daw nila akong nakitang ganun ka kulit…nung kwinento ko naman yun sa mga officemate ko, tawa sila ng tawa. Hindi kasi nila alam na mabait akong bata nung High School, paladasal at palaaral. Laging nasa Library para magaral. Direcho ng bahay pagtapos ng ’skwela (bwahahahaha!).

Since napakahabang byahe ng RORO, at 3 Days 2Nights lang kami dun, hindi namin pinalampas ang bawat segundo ng pagstay dun. Pagkalapag ng bags namin sa room, change costume agad kami sa aming mga sexy outfits (yung outfit lang ang sexy…hahaha!) at ligo agad sa beach. Namangha rin ako sa napakagandang sunset sa beach…

Then, direcho dinner na. Naparami ata kami ng order…pero ok lng, ubos pa rin (considering first full meal ata namin yun for the day). Balik kami sa room at nagpalit ng gimik clothes (yes! kahit promdi ako, marunong din naman akong pumorma…hahahaha!).

Ako yung taong promdi rin sa "bar scene". Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam ang mga kalakaran sa bar…as i’ve said, mabait akong bata, library ang buhay ko. Kahit itanong nyo sa akin ang DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM ay kaya ko sa inyo i-ennumerate ito (000 Generalities  , 100 Philosophy and Psychology , 200 Religion, and so on… salamat sa Google.hehehe!).

Nakakita kami ng isang kagamitan na bago sa aking paningin. Akala ko nung una, isang barrel ng beer…yun pala "pipe" yun (hindi ko alam kung tama yung pagkakaalala ko sa tawag dun). Basta isang aparatong nagbibigay ng flavor sa hinihithit mong sigarilyo (hindi ako smoker, at ayoko ng smoke).

So since pagod kami at inaantok antok na rin, masusi naming tinignan yung kabilang table….nang biglang may lumapit na lalake at nagtanong kung gusto naming ju-moin sa kanila. Syempre in english ang kanyang delivery para sosyal. Dala na rin siguro ng pagod, antok, at lakas ng tugtog sa background, napatulala lang ako…and sabi ko "what?" Siguro mga 3 beses ko rin inulit yun. At nung bumalik na ang pagiisip ko, pinasa ko nlng sa mga friends ko yung tanong.

To cut the story short, we declined his offer…(sige…hanggang dun nlng ang story ko, hindi ko na ishashare yung nakakatawang kumento ng friend ko…baka maputol pa ang more than 10 years of our friendship e)…Unless merong magcomment sa post ko at pilitin akong ituloy ang kwento…hehehe!

So yun ang First Day and First Night namin sa Bora. Kinabukasan, gising agad kami para naman magsnorkling. Pero syempre breakfast muna. Hanap kami ng malapit lapit na lugar para magbreakfast. Finally, nakakita kami ng place na nagseserve ng heavy breakfast…sa LA Carmela (something something). So upo kami at patuloy pa rin ang kwentuhan…nakita namin si mamang taho…Naexcite kami so buy kami ng taho…20 pesos per cup! grabe! sa Maynila…sa Makati pa…Php10 lang yun.

Out of boredom na rin siguro habang naghihintay ng order ay napagdiskitahan namin ang spelling ng Calamari sa display nilang tarpoline (dapat daw spelled as Calamares pero read as Calamari)…Kala ko susugurin na nung isang kasama ko yung management para ireklamo ang maliit na pagkakamaling ito. Kakaiba rin ang itsura ng longganisa nila, mukhang shanghai…1 piraso lang at hindi color red.

Nung huli akong pumunta dun, crocodile island lang ang napuntahan namin. tapos hindi ko talaga naenjoy magsnorkle kasi ang lakas ng alon. Dumaan muna kami sa Crystal Cave bago tumungo sa crocodile Island. Maganda rin, pero not enough para pigilan kaming umalis at pumunta sa crocodile island…Super enjoy ngayon sa crocodile Island! 30 mins ata kaming nagpakain ng pringles cheese sa mga gutom na isda….sosyal diba! Nagkita rin kami ni Nemo, at ng tatay ni Nemo, at kung sino sino pang sea creatures.

Next stop PUKA beach. Grabe, twas a long and very challenging ride. Bukod sa oldie na yung nasakyan naming banka, e super lakas ng alon ang aming nilabanan. more than 45 mins ata ang bumpy ride. Ok lang sa puka. maraming sea shells by the sea shore. Kaso biglang lalim ang tubig so nakakatakot maglalalangoy. We didnt stay that long sa PUKA beach kasi its almost lunch time and medyo nagwewelga na ang mga stomach namin (or stomach ko lang yun? hehehe!…baka stomach ni manong boatman)

So we decided na magpadropoff nalang sa Station 1 sa may Cocomagas. tinignan namin yung price sa Cocomangas…medyo mahal, hindi kaya ng budget. So nagtricycle kami papuntang d talipapa (hindi ko alam bakit uso ang "d" sa boracay, d mall, d talipapa, d beach, d tricycle)…pagdating sa talipapa, nashock ako sa laki ng ginanda nya sa dating talipapa…only to find out na hindi pala sya yung nasunog na talipapa. Yung nasunog, sya yung d original talipapa. Anyways, bukod sa eating, we also did most of our shopping.

Then, a looooong walk back to the shore and to our cottage. Since this will be our last day in the island, wala kaming pinalagpas na pagkakataon. Lakad ulit kami at swimming swimming sa beach (balik sa Station 1).

Nagbananaboat kami!!! 2nd time ko na sya pero masaya pa rin. Since meron nga akong alam na namatay sa flying fish, kabado pa rin ako sumakay. Pag may papalapit na banka or anything, hawak lang ako sa bananaboat, pero pag nasa open space kami, may pa "no-hands no-hands" pa akong nalalaman.

Finally, hinulog kami ni manong sa gitna ng laot. It didnt came as a surprise kasi sinasabi ni manong kung ihuhulog na kami or not (corny noh? hahahaha!). Since 2nd time ko na, nakuha ko na ang technique sa pagakyat. Yahooo! una ako sa taas (teka…hindi naman contest ito. hehehe!) hindi ko alam kung sino ang una kong tutulungan, si Kehm or si alrey….so wala akong tinulungan. Hahahahaha! joke lang! tulungan ko sana si alrey para tulungan ang iba pa…kaso hindi ko kaya. Tinulungan ko rin si Kehm, kaso mabigay sya at hindi kaya ng boat. hehehe joke lang Kehm!!! Kaso nahuhulog sya, hindi nya ma balance ang sarili nya (hahahaha! joke lang ulit). So kalabas labas, parang wala nga akong natulungan. hahahaha!

Anyways, yung pangalawang hulog sa amin, malapit na sa laot…corny! may naramdaman akong isang paa at isang buong katawan na dumagan sa ulo ko… at natouch ko na ang ground kahit naka life vest ako. Nilangoy nlng namin papuntang laot…kahit pwede namang lakarin (bakit ba! gusto ko lumangoy e hehehe!).

Then, picture in the sunset. Grabe, breath-taking talaga. Sa maynila, hindi mo naman maaapreciate ang kagandahan ng sunset. Sa Bora…iba! ang ganda! parang gusto mong i-freeze ang moment at tumitig nalang sa ganda ng paglubong ng araw.

Balik kami sa headquarters para magpalit ng "gimik" clothes. Hindi na namin naabutan ang happy hours pero ok lng kasi nilibre naman kami ni Alnie sa pier one (salamat alnie! :)) Sarap!

Nagkasakit na si Anj so she has to go back the headquarters to rest. Kami, patuloy sa chikahan. The only guy in our group left us to get the shirts na pinagawa nila…so girl-bonding na kami. ang dami na naming pinagusapan. Tumino na rin ako ng konti at naging seryoso….nang biglang….

May lumapit kay Joyee (na dinescribe ni Alrey as artistahin daw. hehehe!) at gustong maki join sa table. Wala na namang nagsalita sa amin…syempre seryoso ang usapan namin at hindi agad nagprocess sa brains namin kung paano mapapaalis ang mga lalakeng ito in a nice way. So sa bilis ng pangyayari, wala na kaming nasabi, at umupo nlng sila….

The usual getting to know you process happened. Parang orientation sa College, give your name, ambition in life, motto and define love ang drama….(joke lang! name and where do you work or what do you do in life lang naman). Hindi ko inaakalang may makakasama kaming artista…

"He’s working for ABS"

"Ah! you look familiar"

"He appears in Nginig"

(me thinking)"…hindi naman sya member ng streetboys…ano kaya sya dun? Multo?"

"Oh my God! Psychic ka?!…Usap tayo"

Hindi ko na nilagyan ng pangalan yung dialog. Basta ganyan ang naging takbo ng usapan.

I was sitting beside Alnie then…sabi ko sa kanya, wag nya akong iiwan. hehehe! So we thought of a plan…pagdating ng brother nya, magpapaalam na kami… So sige, chika chika ng konti…Isang tanong, isang sagot type of a conversation kami with the guy (I’m not sure kung soft spoken lang talaga sya or medyo nawawala na ang kanyang Y chromosome…).  In fareness, mabait yung bata…hahaha!

Finally dumating na ang bro ni Alnie…pinagisipan naman namin kung masama ba yung gagawin naming iwan sila sa gitna ng ganung sitwasyon…pero siguro that time, hindi lang kami nagkaconnect connect…akala kasi namin nageenjoy sila… (especially Kehm with the psycho este psychic guy…hehehe! peace kehm!)  Apparently, hindi pala…bukod sa hindi naman ata talagang psychic yung guy na kausap ni Kehm (according to her na rin) eh hindi rin pala nila gusto yung mga pangyayari.

So ayun, pagbalik nila sa room namin, more chika chika on how our night-out turned out to be. More girl bonding, more laughters, more alaskahan, more story-tellings. Kung ano yung mga napagusapan namin…sa amin nlng yun! hahahaha! Pero twas really fun! feeling ko High School ulit ako…pero syempre mga topic namin, mas pang mature audience na…o, nothing green huh! Alam nyo naman yung mga High School drama…syempre less of that na.

"Time really flies when you are having fun!" Hindi namin namalayan Sunday na pala…Uwian na Pero twas definitely one of the trips na suuuper nag enjoy ako! Hanggang sa susunod na adventure!

Wish ko lang, makasama namin si Auxille at Denas sa susunod. Para hindi na kayo ang napaguusapan. hahaha! >:) joke lang! Syempre para enjoy!

Finally…natapos ko na rin ito..

Just recently, my sister and I tried going to a high profile gym (naks! high profile…sosyal diba?)…since we were both new members, and we were enrolled in a different branch, we weren’t able to get our IDs.

So we went in and tried out the treadmill…Buti nalang I’ve already tried using one before so i know how to operate it (whew). I brought my IPOD with me pero mas ok kung maikakabit ko yung ear phones ko kung saan man para marinig ko ang sounds sa TV…Syempre, ma pride ako, ayoko magtanong. Hindi naman gaanong katagalan at nakita ko na rin (sa wakas) kung saan ang suksukan nung ear phones (mga after 20 seconds)…Yahoo! enjoy na ako sa pag tretreadmill!

Then, we saw one of the on going class (i forgot what it was…) pero astig, parang modern "aerobics". So nung napagod na kami, we went down. Sabi ni ate, ask ko raw kung ano yung next class, what is it about tapos enroll kami. E ang probinsyanang me, I forgot to ask the first two questions, nagenroll nlng ako agad.

So go ako sa front desk to ask where could i enroll the next class. I was trying to go out pero i cant. Siguro mga 5 mins din akong pinagtatawanan ng guard sa tabi dahil hindi ako makalabas (hehehe! syempre exage nlng yung story ko hehe!) then nilapitan ako ni manong guard at sinabing pindutin ko yung button dun…so i did! yes! nakalabas din ako…

Nung natapos na ang transaction ko with the front desk and was able to enroll the class, pumasok na ako…eto na naman! ayaw na naman makapasok! This time, wala nang buttons to push! Kailangan mo pala i-swipe ang ID mo…e wala naman akong ID. hay! so may ginawang something something yung sa frontdesk at nabuksan ang revolving door.

At dahil nga nakalimutan kong tanungin what the class is all about…at ayoko na ring lumabas ulit (sobrang kahihiyan na in one day…at maaga pa yun) we decided to just go up. Sa taas, may nakita akong trainor, mukhang mabait, so i asked what the class is all about…Body building daw…Siguro pinigilan nlng nya ang tawa nya nung nakita nya ang reaction sa aking face "Body building? barbels? yikes!" Biglang napicture ko si Jackie Lou Blanco sa isip ko…ayaw ko naman ata maging ganun kamaskulado ang aking body noh! hehehehe! joke lang!

Pero in fairness, sabi naman nya ok daw yung class na yun. i to-tone lang daw yung muscles ko….pero hindi na kami umattend (syempre, sayang lang yung pagpapahiya sa akin ng high tech na pintuan)…at nagdecide nlng kami ni ate na magshopping!!! (SALE e!) hehehe!

Here’s a list of the 10 things I love about Chicago

1. Parks - I love to sit in the park and read a good book. Walk around even in the afternoon and not get soaked in sweat. Sit on the grass (gosh! I love it) and no one will care. I can’t do this in Luneta park (baka hulihin ako ni mamang guard or kaya yung gwardia sibil na bantay ni rizal). But honestly, a park is a good venue to release your stress and can calm your nerves. Try it and you will love it! heheheeh!

2. Dogs - I am not a big dog lover pero majority of the dogs here in Chicago are so cute and looks tame. Hindi tulad ng karamihang aso sa pinas na parang tignan ka lang e parang kakainin ka na ng buo. Here, most of the dogs look healthy and eat pedigree, back home, most of the askals (asong kalye) look like "lampayatot" and eat left over foods. hehehehe! There was one incident though, where I hated 1 dog. There was one time, after my roomie and I went to the grocery, 3 dogs with 3 different owners were waiting for the elevator to open. 1 dog was getting so out of hand and kept on barking and barking! Then all of a sudden, all the other dogs were also barking. Super natakot ako at napatago sa likod ng roomie ko. eheheheh!

3.Weather - Hey!Its the windy city…all wind! I can walk on the streets at 12 noon and hindi ako ganun papawisan! swear! I was in the park with only a cap from 11am to 4pm and hindi ako ganun pinawisan. kewl!

4.Sidewalk - people here loves to walk. I can’t blame them, with a nice windy weather plus nice big sidewalks, i wouldnt be riding the bus nor train again (hahahaha! except pag napagod na ako kakashopping)

5.Sale kung sale - Heaven talaga for the shopaholics out there. You need to have a keen eye on the good buys. Tip lang, wag iconvert, medyo mahal talaga sya.

6. Transportation - kung hindi na kaya lakarin ang gusto kong puntahan, super dali mag bus, train, taxi (kung may budget). Pwede pang humingi ng resibo for reimbursement for the taxi (astig! hehehe!). Meron pang mapquest to help you how to get from one point to another faster and easier.

7. Lake - Nature lover ata ako. I love the lake, nakakarelax sya lalu na pag stress na stress na ako sa work. It helps me cool down pag mainit ang ulo ko. It calms my nerves and keeps me sane.

8. Jewels - buy one take one ice cream…yum! $3 12 pc can diet rootbeer. yum!!!! Need I say more?

9.Accessibility to the office - 15 min walk to the office, no traffic (stoplights lang) 1 hour and 30 mins and I will be able to take a bath, dress up, cook my lunch, cook and eat my breakfast, watch the tv (weather channel para alam ko kung magjajacket ako hehehe!) and walk to the office. 1 hour and 30 mins in manila, travel time ko lang yun e!

10.Accessibility to the mall!!!! Old Navy, Gap, Banana Rep, Kenneth Cole, Nike Town, Disney Store, Water Tower, TJ Maxx, etc. etc. daming stores within walking distance. KEWL!

Its not all bad after all, once you get to know the city well. Pangbawas homesick!

Strolling along down the Michigan Avenue (sosyal!) taking pictures of the river, the trees, the birds, the street sign, the building and nice architecture, I even took a shot of my $6 10-pcs chicken mc nuggets meal, and ofcourse, me, taking a picture of myself (well, i was alone then, who would you expect to take my picture…)

Welcome to the United States of America! Wow! Big time! Welcome to the land of the free and home of the braves…welcome to the land where they say the pasture is green (lasalle green!). Welcome to Chicago, the windy city, home of remarkable art galleries and museums, home of the bulls and the cubs. Welcome to my home…well, for the next 1 month and 2 weeks atleast.

Chicago is very different to Manila. No traffic (well if there is, very minimal…) Very peaceful, quiet, big sidewalks, the air seems always fresh and where the sun seems to always shine (7 PM and the sun is still up!). A life I’ve always longed when I was in Manila…well, I long no more…

Living in Chicago would mean that I will be independent…sounds exciting! well, at first. But having lived my life under the love and guidance of my parents, "nakaka miss din pala". No more home cook meals (you see, Im not really a good cook…better yet, Im not really a cook), no more watching the tv while someone is doing the laundry, no more neatly pressed clothes. I have to live on my own and do my own chores whether i like it…or not.

It is actually my first time to get up at 6am, have a nice relaxed breakfast and still be able to make it to the office at around 7am…and the best thing is…there’s no traffic! (since i just walk from my apartment to the office)

I have to live in a country where people can only speak and understand english…For a person who has been using the Filipino language as her primary language, having to speak in english most of the time can be quite a hilarious experience. People who know me would know that I would always want to give my comments or opinions…but not in this city. There are times where all i can say is "hahahaha! yeah! right!" or "oh! its ok!". Its hard to give the kind of "pinoy humor" to non-pinoys…

For some reason, Bamboo’s "Pinoy ako!" song kept playing on my mind, for one week now. Yes I am! I am a Pinoy (well…pinay!) and I’m proud to be one.

I miss my bed, I miss my real home, I miss my special someone, I miss my family, I miss going to the church on sunday with my family, I miss doing the grocery with my mom (where i have the freedom to get anything i like, without, well, really computing how much i have to pay), I miss my lunch buddies and most especially, I miss my fans! hahaha! I don’t know what is it in manila….but my heart would always want to come back home…no matter how high the prices of petroleum products could go, or the daily parades in Ayala Ave petitioning our dear president to step down her thrown…I still miss my life in Manila.

Probably I’m still not ready for the green pasture…or it could be that I am just feeling home sick…When i come back home…promise me you’ll never let go.