"lugar lang."

It's funny how things are different here. The title is the first Ilonggo expression I used in my first week here. It's the phrase that you say to the driver of the PUJ if you want to disembark. Anyway, the first few days were a drag 'coz the place I'm staying at has no cable and I have to bear with the tele-serye marathon each night. Sigh. I could afford to get cable but I just don't want to impose anything that my surrogate famly might find offensive.

The family I'm staying at is very accommodating, even if they don't have to. There's the glaring difference with people in the provinces and those living in the metro. They share as much as they can all the time even if they don't live an extravagant life. I sometimes find it difficult to say that I've already seen the "new" dvd movie they've just bought. Might as well watch it again.

I'm living a simple life here. Rise early, have breakfast. Go to work. Come home. Dinner and cringe while watching those 3 nuns and 3 "creatures" in Kampañerang Kuba drive the point that public TV is s--t! I'm walking to and from work now, breathing fresh air along the way since it's only abought 1km each way.

I don't know what will become of my stay here, I hope I can do the job properly.

Thanks for visiting.

last-minute.

Shoes, check. Jacket, check. Ticket, check. I'm just wanna post something before I leave home for awhile. I'll be away from home til' December, ala "Pinoy Big Brother" without the annoying housemates, hehehe. I'll be missing on a lot of things while I'm away. A lot of my friends birthday fall on the last quarter of each year. I'll miss out on accompanying a friend toy-shopping in Divisoria. That would have been fun. Too bad I'll celebrate my birthday away from my friends.... or is it a good thing.
Spent the weekend notifying my clients that I'll be away for awhile and had lunch with my best friend and his wife last Sunday. Sorted all the things that 'll be bringing and dropped by the office yesterday to get the files that I'll be using. Check.
I pray that everything will be all right here at home and over there, and hope I get out of this more sane that I am now. See you in a hundred days or so.

away from home.

It's definite. By this time next week, I'll be in a new place, with a new job and trying earnestly to fit in.

I've cleared out the details with the client yesterday. I'm gonna watch over the construction of his residence in Ilo-ilo and I'll probably be there up to December at the soonest. I'm really very excited on the prospect of working away from home, not that I don't have any worries. With all the excitement, I'm still worried to work that far away from home, primarily because my Mom will have no companion at home. My sister is busy preparing for her wedding and does not stay at home most nights and my younger brother is only home on the weekends. My Mom is a full-time homemaker and it's only me that's her companion during the week. I just hope everything will turn out fine, or she gets that "empty nest" syndrome and get married again. But that's the least of my worries.

This will probably be the longest period that I'll be away from home. I'm already planning what I'll be doing when I'm not working. I'll probably be just reading or watching a movie or doing the
laundry, which is the most terrifying concept.

"Yes, you caught me. I'm a laundry virgin."

I'm sure everything will be fine. I try to remind myself that idea as often as I can so that I won't freak out or become sentimental again. Besides, I've already been to the place and If everthing goes wrongand I bust out, I'll just say that it was a working vacation.

1st year paper...

Waddayaknow, almost a year since I started and I've hit a thousand already. Thanks are in order to those who frequently view this blog, you know who you are, all 4 of you, hehehe.

blah, blah, blah, bleh.

I haven't been doin much work lately even though i have a long to-do list that I've made. I guess this will be my routine for the next few days.

Received a text from a prospective employer yesterday. He informed me that they have agreed in principle with the owners and most certainly I'll be managing the construction for him. Guess I'll have to learn Ilonggo starting now.... I'm a little bit excited, a little bit scared, (ala MYMP hehe). I don't know what to expect when I'll be in Iloilo in a couple of weeks. I'll be meetin' with the owners when they fly to Manila next week....

Time really flies when you're doin' nuthin. I can't imagine how much work I can accomplish at my previous office when I can't do zilch when I'm at home. I should learn to manage my time more efficiently....

Just saw "The Brothers Grimm" awhile ago. It's not for kids but not for adults either. It was too boring for me and it'll probably be too scary for kids, or maybe I'm just bored, or sleepy from the spicy Thai food I ate for lunch....

Got to watch the quarterfinal match between Andre Agassi and James Blake at the U.S. Open. Twas and exciting 5 setter with the 5th set goin' into tiebreak. I've never witnessed an exciting match since the Agassi-Sampras semifinals a few years back. Too bad Blake lost after leading by 2 sets to love but he said afterwards that he never felt more joy in losing than right at that moment....

It goes to show that I'm still enjoying my vacation and not scuttlin' to do more important things like do some work 'coz I still have deadlines to meet. Like what I'm doin right now.... blogging instead of working... hehe. Tomorrow is still another day.

my former officemates.

Last look from the front gate of the office. Here are some of the brightest minds in the industry. Best bunch of guys (and girls) I've ever worked with. I wish them all the best!

end of chapter one...

3 days removed from work and I still have not done anything I had planned to do. I have no complaints though, at least I get to embark on a new phase in my life-career and I'm excited. It also helps that I got I sign that I made the right decision to move on. During dinner with my ex-officemates on my last day in the office, I got some messages on the options that I might take and it really made my day complete. Hearing some of the comments my officemates made during a "testimonial" made me realize on the impact that I had on most of them. It's also disconcerting that the comments I heard were like eulogies. Hehehe, Maybe it's just me. The things people say when they're in front of a video camera. I'm a bit sad that I'll be leaving the office but I'm sure they'll be alright. I know I have taught them well and they're a great bunch of guys to work with.