Week Tales

Ok, This isn’t really a much-contemplated post since I’ve been way too busy with work and other extra-curricular activities these past days, not to mention how I was feeling a bit under the weather at a time when a simple sneeze could very well cause a paranoia that’s worse than the ongoing world pandemic itself. And so, I’ll just try to squeeze in the entire week in a nutshell.

Saturday: This was THE day. The day I’m officially an IT instructor. Well, part-timer, that is. Now, it’s actually fun and not as dreadful as how I deemed my first day to be, especially when I started getting the hang of it. The only downside to it was how, toward my fourth and final class (which was from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm, by the way), my vocal chords were crying out for heaven’s sake. “Someone please make her stop TALKING!!!” I could almost here my tonsils crying out to the saints.

Sunday: Fathers’ Day! Too bad dad was not around to celebrate the day with us, just like every other year. Still, mum and I decided to celebrate the day by having lunch at Café Adriatico in SM Mall of Asia after Sunday Mass. Oh, and we also bought my dad a gift – a new phone. It was actually one of them classic Nokia phones that don’t have a camera but pretty much a compact one that comes in black – just the way my dad prefers it. Pretty neat, actually!

Monday: Ahh, yes. I call Monday the “Paranoia Day”. Why? Well, let me put it this way: we’re all aware of the health condition that’s been circulating worldwide (Think: A/H1N1 Influenza). So that morning, I was surprised that the Ayala entrance to our building was closed. I had to retrace my steps and turn to the other side of the street leading to the Valero entrance of SMART Tower. I wasn’t even 4 meters from the entrance when I saw a long queue of employees already building up. Turned out that there was an ongoing body temperature check with every single employee coming in. When it was finally my turn, my body temperature was about 37.5. Now, there would have been little to cause panic, except that the guy who took my temperature shouted “Ma’am, ito 37.5… Possible magka-lagnat!” In an instant, I was the center of attraction and was instructed to pay a follow-up visit to the company clinic. So much for discretion, huh? The rest is, well, not to much to tell about, save for the fact that I did develop a slight fever and migraine for two days which I attribute to the hectic weekend that was. Still, I knew I had to get well in time for the coming trip this weekend, so for the next days that followed, I had to eat decent meals at decent times of the day and munch on my daily dose of ascorbic acid. In short, wala munang diet! And, thank God, I’m now back to my old perky self.

Thursday: This was the day I’m officially ONLY physically present at work and my mind is off somewhere else across the South China Sea. (My boss could very well be reading this, but I’m just going to be a little bit honest ^_^) Now, Thursday is officially Packing Day. Or Packing Night is more like it. Still, it’s already Friday and I’m not quite done yet. Call it a girl thing, I guess. But at least I could say I’m 80% done. Hey, that's an achievement, right?

Friday: The pre-departure countdown begins.

Saturday: Destination: Hong Kong baby!

Gonna post more about Hong Kong stuff soon. Oh, and I bet there will be those so-called pre-departure tales between me and my girl Cassey. This time we’re taking our laboy to a higher level, way across the South China Sea. So for now, I’m gonna end this blog and finish my packing.

Ta ta! ^_^

A [PHOTO]Walk To Remember

TagJune 12, 2009 – Philippine Independence Day. While the country celebrates its 111th anniversary of independence, me and a couple of the FPPF Basic Photography Batch 9 were headed to the south for our first photowalk in Tagaytay.

Call time: 8:00 a.m. at Starbucks in Paseo de Magallanes. Having tried to avoid the northbound traffic along Cavite, I arrived earlier and just in time for breakfast while waiting for the rest. Forty-five minutes later, Ken arrived and, since he was craving for something “decent” to eat for the morning, we transferred to nearby Pancake House. At this point, I didn’t have any intention to eat any more than what I previously had (Think: Forest Ham with Egg White and Venti non-fat milk.), but the aroma of freshly made pancakes was just way too much for me to ignore. So off I went to order 2-piece serving of Banana Pancakes and iced tea on the side. Good thing Ken was feeling a lot more generous, so our orders were all on him. Thanks Ken! ^_^ Another thirty minutes passed, and Patty and Laarni showed up, and we headed to Mc Donald's along Mamplasan to meet the rest of the crew. By 10:15 a.m., we were on our way to Tagaytay to meet up with Fatz and proceed with the photowalk.

First stop was this really cool house just along the highway owned by Fatz’ family friend. The house may seem like it hasn’t been stayed at for quite some time, nevertheless it’s got this serene ambiance and classy interiors. Plus, it offered a panoramic view of Taal which, in my opinion, gives the house one of the many things to boast of compared to houses you usually stumble upon within the metro.

I wonder if I could save just enough to buy a grand house like this one someday... ^_^

Around 2 p.m., our hunger pangs got the better of us so we decided to help ourselves to a late lunch of pasta-and-pizza-plus-hot-wings at Yellow Cab. As usual, the view from the place never disappoints, plus we were lucky to have met a veteran photographer who gave us impromptu basics on wide-angle photography and the proper usage of macro lens. (Hmmm… I forgot his name, though. My bad!)

Scenic view from Yellow Cab

Last stop was to indulge in lots of greens (And more greens!) at Sonya’s Garden. Since this is the last in our agenda for the day, we took the chance to have group photo ops galore with Sonya’s signature Spanish bread in tow. I guess the good thing about that day was how cooperative the Southern weather was, with only the slightest hint of drizzle during the late afternoon. One last pahabol was a brief take-out at Mushroom Burger – something which someone visiting Tagaytay should definitely not miss out on. ^_^

FPPF Batch 9: Tropang Nyarp!

It was a surely a tiring but FUN-filled day, and for sure I’m gonna miss these guys and all the kulitans and the kwentuhans. Hopefully, more of our batch could join in the next photowalk. Now where would be a good place to go to next? Hmmm… I heard there’s gonna be some festival or something in Dumaguete come August. So… eh di tara na?

^_^

PS: Credits for some of the pics posted in this entry go to Patty (a.k.a. Rachel Lobanco) and Ken (a.k.a. Carlo Aquino). Many thanks!!!

Up-And-Running Mode

It has been two weeks or so since I last picked up on my blog. Admittedly I’ve been so lazy these past few weeks that I barely get anything fruitful done during weekends. (Except if potato couch-ing and DVD reruns count.) In fact, I was so lazy that I missed out watching two of my anticipated movies for the year – Angels and Demons, Night At The Museum 2, and Terminator 3. (Oh-kay, make that three!) Then again, I guess to be lazy these days isn’t at all bad; after all, I’ll be paying up for it for the next Saturdays to come, on a semestral basis, that is.

This week, I got the key to my very own cabinet in – take note – a faculty room. Yup, you read it right. See, for a couple of weeks I’ve been completing the documentary requirements for my upcoming weekend job – a part-time teaching stint at one of the local IT schools in Manila. School opens on the 15th of June, which means my first teaching stint kicks off on the 20th. I’m pretty excited about it, actually, and a little bit tensed. For all I know, this could be Karma’s way of getting back at me for all the pasaway years I’ve spent at the academe. Still, I haven’t been that much of a nuisance to my professors as I look back now. But I admit to having my so-called “class moments” with a few of my professors back in college, especially with those who were not so… uhmm… lenient of my [sort-of] pasaway ways then. Anyway, fast forward to the present and here I am, an IT instructor myself – something I never imagined I’d ventured into. For starters, I’ll be teaching Basic Computer Concepts, and Systems Analysis and Design. It’s gonna be a handful, especially when my class schedule begins at eight in the morning and ends with my fourth class around nine in the evening BUT I'm up for the challenge. *Sigh* I guess it’s goodbye to leisurely Saturdays.

I’d like to believe that I’ve somehow woken up from the so-called hiatus I’ve indulged in these couple of weeks. Some things have been pretty confusing and somewhat distracting lately that I felt like I needed a good deal of Pause mode to buy me some time to think things over, and finally come up with a realization as to what really matters most. Which I did. (Or at least I’d like to believe that I did, haha!) Plus, with all the activities lined up for June and the coming months, there’s hardly room for idle time. And blogging about it is a start. So I guess without further ado, Lissy is now signing [back] on…

^_^