Last night, I was not feeling ok because of my cough. Oh, not really. I realized that it wasn’t really the cough. It was because I got overwhelmed by the turnover session I had yesterday afternoon with the guy who’ll soon be joining another team. We discussed more than 10 documents about the development cycle here in AIG. And because I’m a newbie when it comes to as400 platform, I was worried that i won’t be able to do my future tasks effectively. Got hit by impatience again. Before going to bed, I just told myself not to hurry things too much. I tried to recall the good old days when I was learning the development cycle of Sun Life. Good thing I was able to convince myself that I will be able to learn it soon.

As of posting, I’m starting to become comfortable with my current setup. Hope this feeling will stay long.

I arrived at the KL International Airport on February 23, 2008 at around 7PM. Their airport is very good (of course, I’m comparing it to NAIA). Upon arrival, I took a cab going to the hotel. It took me about 40minutes. I checked-in at the Pearl International Hotel and got myself a room at the top floor. Twenty second floor that is. Actually, the hotel has a total of 24 floors but the 23rd and 24th are not in use. So that makes the 22nd the top floor .

I got a good view of the city. I can see from my window the Petronas Tower. I wish I can go there on weekend and take some pictures of it.

I’ve been enjoying my stay here. No homesickness, whatsoever. Maybe because I get to chat with my family back home effectively using all the features of YM – webcam and voice calls. How convenient! Whenever we are chatting, BoomBoom is there. He can only hear my voice through the loud speaker and he starts to look for the me… Maybe he’s wondering why I was not there but he can hear my voice.. Puzzled little boy. I miss our BoomBoom.

I usually have my lunch at the hotel lobby. Breakfast buffet. I’m starting to make my tongue acquianted with Malaysian food. Especially their rice with curry. But the first time I tried it, honestly, I didn’t like it. But I have no choice. ?

I started looking for a condo unit last night. I hope I’ll be able to close a deal soon.

I will be posting some photos shortly but please bear with the pictures’ resolution. I’m just using my camera-phone.

That’s all for now.

Ciao!

When my friends and colleagues at Sun Life knew that I was leaving, I had been invited to numerous send-off parties (either lunch or diner). It’s kinda flattering to know that I have made several good friends over that last 4years in my former company.

So, to summarize them all, here they are:

Feb 11. Monday.

Mader Evelyn treated me for lunch at Via Mare in Greenbelt 1. We ordered dinuguan and crab meat omelet. Very big serving of the two specialties. After that we had  puto bumbong and mango-melon fruit shake.

Feb 12. Tuesday

Meggy and Fatz invited me to have lunch with them at Super Bowl of China in Glorietta. We ordered a number of Chinese dishes. Take note that there was no leftover.

Feb 13. Wednesday
Jo, my former boss, and I had lunch at Cena in Greenbelt. Grilled fish and baby back ribs. Haha. Sarap!

Feb 14. Thursday

I had lunch with Manny and Abbie at Fish and Co. in Greenbelt. Excellent food. I love this place.

Coffee with Jay at Starbucks.

Alvin invited me to drink the night of Valentine’s Day. Haha. I was actually about to go home when he texted me. His wife, who happens to be my boss, was still at the office working. We drank until 10:30 P.M. I guess.

Feb 15. Friday

I had coffee with Mabe at Starbucks. We were there for almost two hours talking about (I forgot, hehe).

My INGENIUM team treated me to lunch at Croc in Greenbelt. There were also some Sun Life and ex-Sun Life friends who came. Almost 40 all in all.

Feb 16. Saturday.
I started packing my things because my family will be coming to my place all the way from Lucena to pick them up. Got 4 large boxes, 1 big sports bag, 1 big luggage, 1 back pack, all stuffed with my things.

Feb 17. Sunday.
After picking up my things, we headed to the Mall of Asia for lunch. We did some window-shopping and went home after a few hours.

Feb 18. Monday.
R&R.

Feb 19. Tuesday.
Lunch with Resqu. Don’t ask where we had lunch. Haha.

Dinner at North Park with my college friends. Check out the pictures here. Thanks Grace for the pics.

February 20. Wednesday.

Was busy gathering so many documents. Exhausting.

Had Lunch with Joyce at Fish and Co. (again). I really really like this resto.

Feruary 21. Thursday.

Had lunch with Ada and Anna at Fili J. in Greenbelt 5. Very good food. Superb ambience.

Coffee with Glenn and Ron.

Went home to Lucena after getting my VISA.

February 22. Friday.

Went to Manila with my family and stayed in a hotel near NAIA. We had dinner at Dampa in Sucat. We were supposed to go to Macapagal but that’s ok. The food was good anyway.
 

“Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what’s to come. But that night, I think I knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn’t have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves… for growing up.”

The above quotation captures the very state I’m in right now. The holding on and the wondering, the letting go and the excitement to start anew, how I wish I can have them all in my hands. But that is wishful thinking.  I just have to live with the harsh reality of growing up.

To me, the most obvious thing that a grown-up does is making decisions that can greatly affect his life and the lives of the people around him.  Surely, it’s no easy job. Most of the time, the process is exhausting and painful. On the positive note, it can also be liberating for it offers something that we can look forward to. No matter how we view it, the only definite thing is that it is something that we can’t avoid.

A month ago, I made a big decision that gave me the right to say that I’m (almost) a grown-up.  I decided to accept a job offer abroad. Though saying “yes” to it wasn’t hard because I have been waiting for such an opportunity to come. The only thing that makes me think is my family that I will be leaving.  I just told myself that I have to give it a shot. And puff, there came coco crunch. Haha. 

My flight is on Saturday. I can’t wait to see Kuala Lumpur. I hope everything will work out fine. Wish me luck!

Ciao!

Day 5.

Laziness is the name of the game. I have been thinking of how best to describe Day 5 for the past days but nothing seems to come out of my tiny brain. Anyway, these are the things I can recall:

Had 2 packs of pancit canton for breakfast. Late breakfast actually. Thanks to Dhey for preparing my breakfast. Buhay Senorito ako. Haha.

We went to Singapore Zoo and paid a visit to my first-degree relatives. Rarrrrr.

Had stopped at a mall near the Somerset station to buy bags for my mom and my two sisters.

Returned to Dhey’s place at around 8:00 P.M. and had dinner by the pool.

Took a rest for a while and then started packing for the next day’s flight.
 

Day 6.

Woke up so early in the morning to get to the airport 2 hours before my flight. After taking the last picture at the Changi Airport, my digicam gave up on me. Yes, in just less than 2 months, my digicam is broken. Talk about misfortune. Lady luck is out of sight until now. I will be going to the Sony service center on Saturday to have it fixed.  

Day 4.

We woke up early and had a similar breakfast. The only difference is that the ham was replaced by corned beef. You know how imported corned beef from Brazil tastes like? To me, it’s not that appealing. I prefer our very own Argentina corned beef. Of course, it’s not from Argentina. Haha.

I then headed to the MRT station to go to Clementi. I had to meet with Hazel to give her some Red Ribbon pastries from Deo. It was a 30 to 35-minute train ride and another 10-minute taxi ride. Hazel toured me around their building. There were a number of Filipinos working there. The atmosphere there is kinda relaxed because it is far from the city proper. I had to say goodbye to her after some fifteen minutes because I planned to go to Tampines Mall to shop.

Took a cab and went back to Clementi station. I waited for another 45 minutes to get to my destination. It’s worth the wait anyway. I bought a new pair of shoes. It was a guilt-free shopping because of the Chinese New Year Sale. I also bought a very nice sweat shirt from G2000. And two polo shirts, too. Blue and green. But both of them landed to my brother’s cabinet.

At 11:30 A.M., I was eating the most delicious chicken teriyaki burger I have ever tasted in my entire life.

Went back to the MRT station to meet with Dhey at the Somerset station. It was time to buy souvenirs. Shirts, magnets, and key chains. Oppsss. Forgot to include chocolates and other snacks.

China Town. Oh, God! I will never go back to that place again during lunch time. It was very hot and taxis are hard to find.

Dhey and I returned to the hotel to meet with Jong who checked out already. We left all the shopping bags and other stuff at the concierge and headed to Sentosa. It was my first time to ride a cable car. It was a nice and easy ride.

We took a bus ride going to (Umm.. I forgot the name). Anyway, we missed the show. Haha. So, there’s no point in remembering the name of the place. Haha. But I had a good time riding the bus. We were on the upper deck by the way.

We had a quick snack before going to the Underwater World. Large aquariums that house different species of fish. A very amazing collection.

We then went to the big Merlion. There were just a few people touring the place. Probably because it was a Friday.

We were actually on a hurry after the trip to Sentosa because Jong will soon be leaving for Dubai.
We had dinner in the food court of XYZ mall (forgot the name again… sign of aging?). Afterward, we went to the grocery store to buy some stuff. Took a cab again and returned to the hotel to get all our things and proceeded to Dhey’s place at the Aquarius (near the Bedok Reservoir).

While Dhey was helping Jong with his luggage, I took a nap. Jong was counting his remaining hours in Singapore. Senti mode. Haha.

At 11:45 P.M., we accompanied Jong to the airport and waited for his boarding time. Time really flies. Swiftly.

Returned to Dhey’s place and had a good night sleep. ZzzzZzzZZZzzz..

Day 3.

For the second time, we had indoor breakfast. Jong left early for training. And Dhey reported for work.

Since I have the luxury of time, I indulged myself in a magnificently refreshing bathtub. Haha. This statement sounds pathetic to me.

I visited a former colleague, Suzette, who lives near Simei station. Had a chance to see her baby who was born on New Year’s Day.  We met with another former colleague, Gail, and had lunch with her. Of course, our lunch was on Suzette. Then, it was Gail’s turn to treat us in Starbucks. Gail left for work immediately after devouring her café mocha while Suzette and I headed to the grocery store.

I returned to the hotel and slept.

At 4:00 P.M. I went to Lucky Plaza to check if there really are lots of Filipinos there. Unfortunately, I just saw one Filipina saleslady. I was told that I should have visited it on a Sunday.

I then went to the Orchard and had beef noodle soup that didn’t taste good. Charge it to experience.

I went back to the hotel and waited for Dhey and Jong.  After waiting for almost an hour, they came. Haha. Time for the real city tour.

First stop. The Esplanade. Dinner at the “No Signboard.”  What else should we order but Chilli crab. We ordered 10 additional buns aside from the 6 pieces that were initially served. Also on the table were large shrimps and some veggies. By the way, dinner was on Jong.

Second stop. The Clarke Quay. A whole range of restaurants, bars, entertainment shops and retail shops. Fancy city lights and lively music. People of different colors speaking different languages. A truly great place to enjoy the night.

Third stop. 7-11. Haha. (Does this count?) We bought something to drink. Forgot the name of the beer but it contains more than 8%  alcohol. Haha.We enjoyed the extra strong beer at the hotel.  Lakas ng tama pare. Haha.

Exhausted. Time to sleep. ZzzZzzzZzzzzzzzzz.