something's wrong when you start shelling out mulahs for people you've just met
0 wishes and swishes There's no escaping Krawi at 2:16 AM1. Ms. B** tells me to treat Mr. O and Mr. B to lunch after our site inspection on Monday - the last requirement left for us to secure a very important permit, which in turn waives the very huge penalty for - surprise,surprise - late submission of documents. (Translation: Give them what they want so they could give us what we want)
2. J*** waits for me at the carpark as I was running darn late for a meeting with a high-ranking town crocodi--er-- official. For some head smacking-worthy reason, I let the poor driver wait because I just HAD TO BUY MR. OFFICIAL THE FREAKING MUNCHKINS.
3. Down at one of the province's BIR offices, I try to seek refuge from the green folders I am holding for fear that Ate R may see me. I walk past the woman in question thinking, "Next time ra jud te kay wala koy dala karon." Success (guilt sweats forming at my temples)!
4. I've been prodding Ma'am A to exempt us from the waiting list (that takes forever!) and expedite our documents in the fastest possible way she can. And I feel bad because I haven't given her anything at all!
First, I watch A and K clear their stations and leave without so much as a glance to check if the office walls hadn't crumbled. Six months later another batch moves on, this time with hugs and promises of getting together once a week. Okay, let's see if that happens. As I write this, I can't help noticing J smirking from the other side of the room as he counts his way to freedom - which is 2 months from now. Apparently, everybody's hopping on the next shuttle awaaaaay from here. And I, I will be one of them.
...when the right time comes.
I'm on a quest to:
1. Find the best tasting (but affordable) spaghetti in Cebu.
2. Find a cheap and decent place to live (and actually stay there for more than 6 months...)
3. Find the perfect spot for a food business.
4. Find a decent sideline that helps pay the bills.
5. Come up with the best excuse to go to church EVERY Sunday(?)
Things I miss doing:
1. Eating Neva's pasta and fish ala pobre
2. Reading a 300-page book overnight
3. Walking to practically anywhere
4. Wearing shorts and flip-flops to "meetings"
Movies I want to watch again:
1. Quiz Show
2. The Last Castle
3. Clueless
4. Juno
Books I want to read again:
1. What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
2. One Hundred Years of Solitude
3. The Little Prince
I'm on the look-out for these Erich Segal books:
1. Prizes
2. Fairy Tale
3. Only Love
Call me if you have a copy!
***tsk tsk tsk***
...kung ako nlang si Elmo (nyehehe)...
johnmayer.com
So much has changed since I received my diploma and took on the role of a young professional (awkward as it sounds). I graduated two years behind schedule but the delay and its trappings were all worth it. Well, almost all were worth remembering.
A year ago today I was walking along Hibbard Avenue all the way from my dorm in Bantayan to blog about how simply and quietly I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I had just graduated from the college of comfort zones and long-term friendships, so the effects of unemployment had not yet trickled down to where it would then settle several months later.
I spent the summer of 2008 in Dumzville reading countless books, watching movie after movie, and sleeping like a sloth on a clear sunny day when I could've stayed outdoors to enjoy the last of Dumaguete landscape. Back then I was set on leaving town and moving on to the next city to start over. I was afraid I'd grow to hate the place if I stayed longer than I ought to. So I packed my things, sold my treasures, and migrated to Cebu.
June came and as the student populace compared each other's schedules, I was deep in my ears in newspapers and wanted ads, of print outs of edited and re-edited resumes. I was living the life of a hermit not because I was a natural born loser but because my funds were running low. My sponsor (a.k.a. my father) was cutting off my supply of financial oxygen so I had no choice but to hold my breath a little longer.
After quite a million job interviews, unfavorable job offers, and a call center experience that only lasted for five days, I landed a job at Robinsons Land's Housing Division in Cebu. They probably needed someone cheap to deal with government officials so here I am, a freakin' Business Development Specialist, hired despite my inexperience. But before I was able to jump for joy for being so damn lucky, I realized that my boss was not the approachable angel I first thought she was. Simply put, everyone tiptoes in her presence because she just wasn't the nicest of individuals.
Almost seven months on the job and I'm still learning, hoping to be able to master the rigors of government interactions and the art of compromising. I've gained new friends and acquaintances, learned the need to let loose in order to stay sane, and realized the importance of "just chilling". I've shared laughs and shed tears, swallowed my pride and choked back on missing too much.
A year ago today I was happily celebrating the end of term papers and school reports. I was twenty-three years old and getting ready for employment. I wonder what changed, apart from my having a job and living in a city more expensive that the ones I was used to. I still have my dreams but I guess they're more realistic now and are more reachable than when I first drew them in my head.
Anyway, I fear that this has become too emo to handle and this isn't how I want my birthday blog to sound like. Hopefully though, by next year, I'd be writing about how happily I've immersed myself in the arts and freely traveling to the paradise of my dreams.
Of all things bright and beautiful, the beach is probably the best of God's creation. No offense to those who'd rather stay cozy in isolated cabins up in the mountains but to pass an opportunity to enjoy the sun, sand, and sea is almost unforgivable. The same thought crossed my mind as I clambered out of bed one Sunday morning, dazed and undecided, to get ready for a hastily organized company escapade to Karancho Beach Resort.
I didn't know what to expect of Karancho, a tourist haven in Maribago, Mactan known for its affordable entrance fees (P50/head) and its close proximity to famous resorts and tourist destinations such as the Cebu White Sands and Maribago Blue Water resorts.
We left for our destination at around ten in the morning, went through the usual traffic jam typical of small Mactan roads, and after a short 20-minute ride from the Cebu City proper, we arrived at a resort that took pride in offering the simplest form of rest and relaxation, and total diversion from anything that spells 'work'.
Having no idea what Karancho Beach Resort looked like, I was impressed by its ample car park in addition to its well-maintained resort area. There was enough space for a game of catch, acceptable rest rooms and shower areas, and just the right number of amenities for a simple get-away. A number of cottages that could accomodate small families of four to huge groups of twenty stood facing the beach and all that have become part of it - the sunkissed white sand beach spacious enough for volleyball competitions, the neighboring resorts, and Cebu's main island serving as nature's backdrop.
Locals offering a variety of merchandise for sale from varnished shells to grilled fish to services like boat rides that range from an unbelievable P20 per head to a still affordable P 3,500 per hour were not uncommon. As Karancho also served as jump-off point of tourists to nearby islets, let it not be a surprise for first timers to encounter foreigners manuevering jet skis or island hopping aboard one of the more expensive boats - and even yatchs.
Our experience was made rewarding by the simple feast of grilled fish courtesy of the locals, and the P20 after-lunch boat ride that was as good as a tour of the Maribago area. While most of the group chose to remain lounging at the cottage, ten of us braved the currents and [too excitedly] hopped aboard the outrigger boats that took us for a swim off Blue Water territory where the water was a deeper, cooler, and clearer shade of teal. With the trusty life jackets we each took turns wearing and our rusty freestyle strokes, we spent approximately an hour enjoying the coolness of the water in the blistering afternoon heat and swaying with the rhythm of the changing currents.
When it was time to go back, I felt the weekend give way to a reality of deadlines and paperworks. Come Monday, we'd be reunited with our office tables once again where we sweat and toil and dribble responsibilities. Only this time, we'll have that one Sunday to look back on - one weekend that made a whole lot of difference out of sand drawings and water splashes, and boat rides and sumptuous lunches. Not to mention, fresh sunburns and gorgeous tan lines=)
Something I wanna sing before the birthday chorus rings
0 wishes and swishes There's no escaping Krawi at 6:19 AM
Look at me
I'm twenty three
Beautiful a sight to see
Tonight
A little dress to draw the press
And I'll be leaving
All the rest behind
Well be pleased girl
If this is what you wanted
The whole world is watching you take the stage
What will you say
Aren't I lovely
And do you want me cause
I am hungry for something that will
make me real
Can you see me and
Do you love me cause
I am desperately searching for something
Real
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