Bisdak Babbles

I was very contented with my non-smart (thus, wifi incapable) phone for a few months, until I went to Kuala Lumpur with friends. One friend has an iPhone and the other one has a Samsung Galaxy Tab. Every time we got into a place with wifi, we stop talking to each other because both of my companions were so busy checking-in and updating their Facebook status! While I had nothing else to do but observe the people around me. Fortunately, I do take a couple of books with me when I travel. That experience made me decide to get myself a phone that is at least wifi-capable.

Almost everyone is holding an iPhone, and I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon. Also, I wanted a phone that has a keypad. Old-fashioned I may sound but I’m not comfortable tapping on the screen all the time. Thus, I got myself a Samsung Galaxy Pro. The price is fair and performance-wise, I’m very satisfied with it. I agree that the good thing about iPhone is the thousands of apps out there, and I have to admit that I do love the instagram. Fortunately, I was able to find something similar in Android. From then on, I was like a mad lady taking and uploading photos, especially of food!

McFlurry Oreo

Yakisoba, hot & spicy pork, miso soup

With less color, it no longer looks delicious anymore. I hope Sony will sell cameras that are wifi-capable. Samsung already released a camera with wifi but I love Sony. Maybe their Sony Ericsson phones have great phone cameras?

It’s almost winter in Japan, so for the past few days I’ve been missing Japan a lot. It must now be cold enough to wear 2-3 layers of clothes. I do love winter, maybe because I’ve spent most of my life in the Philippines. I get cold easily but I can just add up another layer of clothing to feel warmer. And it is a nice feeling eating something hot when it’s really cold outside. It’s the best time for ramen and hot green tea! Honestly, I’ve been doing some job searches because I do want to go back to Japan. First, I love the place so much. Second, I have an “unfinished business” there. I never tried skiing, never found out what it feels like wearing Julbo Ski Goggles! I was already there yet I kept putting off the chance. The thickest snow that I’ve seen was during that one day in Osaka. Ohh how I loved it!

Lord, please, grant me the chance to go back to Japan…

More than 8 years in software development yet there are still a lot of things that I don’t know, and things that I have long forgotten. Maybe because making things work out is more important than knowing the theories. That might have been an excuse, but I honestly feel that I do need to upgrade my skills or I’ll be stuck to where I am. One of my friends is already considering taking up masters. That piqued my interest, too because I don’t like the feeling of being “obsolete”. True that getting masters would somehow open up more doors for me, but it’s more of self-fulfillment. However, I’m still in the process of getting rid of debts and before I know it, Shaynna will be in college! I hope I can find myself a scholarship that would allow me to work at the same time.

These past few weeks, I’ve been craving for Japanese dishes. Fortunately, there’s Manpuku near my place. Unfortunately, because it is so accessible, I’ve been eating a lot and gained weight!

Here’s my favorite, thanks to a friend who recommended this to me. I’m wary of trying out Japanese food here in Singapore, having been disappointed many times. Yet this one, is really oishii (delicious)!

You can find this delicious Japanese curry at Manpuku, Level 3 @ Tampines One

I was employed in a staffing company before coming to Japan. Because of that, I was assigned from one company to another. I did C++ for a few months, then Java, and so on. It was hard, yet exciting to adjust to a new project, new work environment, new office mates. I got used to it and I would have to say, I liked it. These past few weeks, I’m afraid I’m slowly losing my motivation to go to work. I wanted to just be in my bed just watching a movie from a lcd dlp projector that I wish to have. OK, you can say that I’m just lazy. But I think I need something new. Not a new job, but maybe a new hobby? A few minutes ago, I’ve reactivated my Postcrossing account. At least I’ll have something to look forward to aside from Christmas. ^^

My Shaynna is turning 7 tomorrow. I will be a mother of a 7-year old! OMG! Time flies by really fast. Unfortunately, I will not be with her on this special day (again). It really breaks my heart not to be there. Anyway, before I succumb to loneliness, this reminds me of the task I have set upon myself that’s now 7-years delayed! You see, after I gave birth to Shaynna, I bought materials and vowed to include monthly photos of Shaynna in a scrapbook. When I went to Japan, I’ve brought those untouched materials with me. When I came to Singapore, those materials were still with me. Yet, I don’t have a single photo on my planned scrapbook! I feel like I’m a failure as a mother (not to mention being away from her since she was still two months old). To lessen the guilt and self-loathing, I’m thinking to try scrapbooking online. I’ll try to find one here in Singapore so that I won’t have to spend a lot on shipping.

This photo was taken when Shaynna was 5, during her visit here in Singapore.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like should I have taken another course that has completely nothing to do with what I do now. When I was in still in highschool, I considered taking up a degree in Accountancy. But I never liked my economics subject so I completely took it out from my list. I was very shy back then and Counter Attendant Jobs nor HRM courses didn’t appeal to me. I don’t often face clients but at times when I have to deal with them, I might say it is more difficult than facing technical stuff. It is really hard to find the right words to deliver your point, yet say it in a good way. And you have to do it fast. So I deeply admire people at customer service counters who always keep their cool despite having to face people that could put their patience to test.

I mentioned in one of my posts that after my short trip to Portugal, I just dropped by for a few hours in my place here in Singapore, then took a flight to Cebu and met up with Shaynna, my mother and sister, to attend a friend’s wedding. It was Shaynna’s first time to stay at an inn. It was far from grand, since it only cost me Php1000. The room didn’t even have a single window nor a cabinet, but it was a completely new experience for Shaynna that she even called it a “mansion”.

We went to Carcar to visit my grandmother but Shaynna wanted to go back to the city, to just chill out at the “mansion”. The only good thing about that inn was it is just right in-front of a shopping mall. It is close to Ayala Center, too. I have never been to Cebu again after I left in 2005. I was surprised by the changes.

After a night’s stay in that window-less room, I decided to find another hotel but Shaynna didn’t want to leave. For her, that was already a grand place. Thankfully, after a thorough search online, I found a good discounted room at Mango Park Hotel. The room was much better, bigger, with breakfast buffet. Because of this, Shaynna was more reluctant to leave the “mansion”!

I hope I can take her somewhere again…

We Filipinos staying outside our country loves to send just about anything to our family. It’s almost Christmas again so it is the best time to start buying Christmas gifts among other things. I’ve been accumulating small stuffs since early this year so my Balikbayan box is almost ready for shipping. Last year, I made a huge mistake to send it off in mid-November. The box arrived 3 months later! My family got their presents 2 months after Christmas. I hope this time, they can receive it on time.

Aside from the gifts that I got from different sales here in Singapore, I included detergent powder and toiletries. After all, these are cheaper here than in the Philippines. My box is full but I still have to find a gift for my mother, my daughter and my niece. I want to get one of those citizen watches for my mother. My father used to give her watches when he was still alive and an OFW like me. I just hope I can get one at a much lower price.

I still don’t know what to get Shaynna. I’ve asked her what she wants for Christmas and her answer was: nothing. Perhaps another Barbie doll.

I finally came around to writing about the last part of my travel to Paris and Portugal last February!

I only spent 7 days and 6 nights in Portugal but as I looked out from my hotel room, I knew I was going to miss the place. Who wouldn’t miss the place with such a magnificent and peaceful view as this? Not to mention the sumptuous breakfast, the huge bath tub, and the gigantic bed!

I wanted to explore Lisbon more but business trip was up. Staying longer would mean emptying my pockets. With a heavy heart, I managed to drag myself to the airport. I only paid 28 euros for cab fare. I was early and the check-in counter wasn’t open until 2 hours before departure so I managed to take some photos at the airport.

After checking in, I immediately proceeded to the boarding gates. I was surprised to find out that hand-carry luggage inspection in Lisbon is so strict. I even had to buy a transparent plastic bag for my toiletries!
I was still on business class on my way back so the food was great, especially the white cheese. In fact, I got a bit addicted to it.

Maybe because I was different (might be the only Asian passenger at that time) that I was asked to fill in another survey form. I filled in one during my flight from Singapore to Paris.

When I reached Paris, I had to transfer from Orly to Charles de Gaulle airport. The transfer was not hard but it was such a long walk.

Fortunately, I was offered to have my luggage transferred directly to my flight to Singapore. No more check-in was required so I headed directly to the business class lounge.

I wanted to take photos of the other business class lounges I’ve been to but it was not deserted such as in the photo above. I might get reprimanded taking photos with the rich people on it.

All in all, my trip to Europe was great. Indeed, a wish fulfilled and I will forever treasure it. I thank God for that gift.

I recently purchased my first Android phone: a Samsung Galaxy Pro (GT-B7510). Too excited to finally have a wifi-capable phone, I tried viewing this blog but it didn’t look good having the full layout on a mobile device. Being the geek that I am, I even considered building an android application for this blog! That would have made my life more complicated.

My lazy side reminded me about the plug-ins and I was so ecstatic to find out about WordPress Mobile Pack. I installed this plug-in, and a few seconds later, I was happy to see this blog in mobile format!

Image taken from: www.thecolor.com

Almost two decades since my fight against acne started. I had consulted dermatologists, tried different facial treatments, tried on suggestions from friends and even seen a quack doctor (hey, I was still 14 at that time and it was my mother who took me there )! I did find some creams that reduced acne but after using them for quite sometime, they became less effective. It was only a year ago that the situation got better. I only get acne breakouts when I am close to having my monthly period. But even if I do manage to get rid of the acne, I still have the scars, thanks to my almost non-existent self-control.

I was at the mall a few days ago and I was approached by a sales lady. She mentioned that they have a facial moisturizer with dead sea minerals and that it could help me slowly get rid of acne scars. The cream has a nice scent and it is non-greasy. I’ll just have to wait if I get some results weeks later.