Bisdak Babbles

Naagni ako sa pagsulat niini tungod sa usa ka midauw dire sa Bisdak Babbles na si Lubi.  Nakamata ko sa iyang gihabilin na mensahe na abi daw niya na Bisaya ni nga blog kay ang titulo pagka-Bisdak man unta.  Bisan tuod ug nagkamamo, gipaninguha nako na mag Binisaya.

I got inspired by Lubi, one of the visitors of this blog.  In the message he/she left at the shout box, he thought that this blog is written in Bisaya, as expected of the title.  Even if this is very hard for me, I did my best to write this in Bisaya (and translate to English).

Milambo na gamay. Katong nahauli ko atong miaging bulan, naa na jud intawn koy nakita na kalamboan sa dakbayan sa Iligan.   Ang gihinamhinam namo na usa ka shopping mall, nahuman ug naablihan na jud.  Dili na intawn mi mag-antus sa kahuot sa daan na Gaisano.  Karon, tungod sa kahawan, pwede na makiglumbaanay ug push cart.  Bisan tuod ug dili kaayo nindot ang mga pilianan nga mga RTWs, naa man sab gagmayng mga tindahan na nindot ug pilianan. Aduna usab Marcela ug Watsons, na kaniadto, sa Cebu ug Manila ra nako mahikaplagan.  Pagkakaron, OK ra kaayo kung wala pa ka kadesisyon kung sa Chowking, McDonald’s o Jollibee ka mokaon. Kay sa bag-o na mall, kining tulo na sikat na fastfood restaurants, pipila lang ka lakang ang gilay-on.  Kaniadto, kinahanglan pa ka magsakay.

Small improvement.  When I went home to Iligan City last month, I witnessed some improvements.  We had been looking forward to the completion of the shopping mall and it has finally been opened! Now, we already have the option to not bear with the old Gaisano Store.  At the new Gaisano mall, it is so spacious that you could do a push cart race! The RTWs are not that good, but there are small boutiques that could make up for it.  Before, I could only find Marcela and Watsons in Cebu and Manila.  Now, Gaisano Mall also have them.  If you haven’t made up your mind yet whether to eat at Chowking, Jollibee, or McDonald’s, there’s no problem with that.  They’re only just a few steps away.

Nasayod ko na dugay pa usab kami makakita ug dakong kalamboan sa Iligan.  Kung maabot na nang panahona, hinaut pa unta padayon na magdagan dagan ang mga tartanilya.  Labaw sa tanan, hinaut unta na magmalinawon ang tibuok dakbayan sa Iligan, Lanao del Norte, ug ang tibuok Mindanao.

I know that it would take a while for new improvements to happen in Iligan.  When that time comes, I hope to still see the tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) roaming around.  Above all, I hope that there would be peace in Iligan, Lanao del Norte, and Mindanao.

I’m getting a little bored here, maybe because I can no longer surf the internet as much as I want to. But the company’s annual Dinner and Dance (D&D) is fast approaching. And I still have no idea what to wear! The theme would be “A Blast From The Past”, so I guess it will not be all about tuxedo and fancy evening gowns. We could wear anything from the 60’s to 90’s. I have already asked my mother whether she still has her bell bottoms, because there is no way I’m going to wear a dress to the party! If my mother can’t find her old pants, then maybe it is time for me to buy loads of hairspray and wear a big hairstyle.

Any suggestion?

Probably I’ve read it in the book “The Secret” that constant visualization of a thing that you wish for could definitely attract positive vibes, thus, getting you closer to realizing that wish. This is why I often visit car sales and real-estate websites. For cars, I always visit Philippines Mitsubishi and Toyota websites. Looking at my dream cars definitely makes me feel so good. But after trying out the financial calculator, my positive feelings usually go down the drain. These websites are really informative and user-friendly, too. But, I don’t think they cater to even the most basic car insurance questions. I’ve been doing this car visualization thing for more than three years already but I haven’t raised even one percent of the minimum downpayment! Anyway, I will still keep on envisioning myself getting on one of my dream cars. I still strongly believe that better things will come.

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned about almost stress-free job. These past few days, I’ve been getting busier each day and I guess I have to take that statement back. But then, every work has its ups and downs. There are times when you spend the whole day looking at the clock while wishing for it to go faster. And there are times when you wish for it to move slower.

But compared to the jobs I had in Japan, I think I like the current one more. Is it because of the language? At least now, I don’t have to worry about whether I got the instructions correctly or not. All I have to worry is the technical side.

Aside from the language, There are lots of things that I like about the current company:

1. it has many pantries so if I get tired staring at the monitor, I could just get up and “hide” for a few minutes there
2. taking a break and being away from my desk is normal. I no longer feel as guilty as I was when taking breaks in Japan.
3. free brewed coffee, instant coffee, black tea, green tea, and biscuits
4. very cheap (20 cents) canned drinks from the vending machine
5. there’s a ping pong table at the employees’ lounge
6. there’s a TV at the lounge. You could turn it on anytime you want.  Of course, you have to try to get to the remote first.
7. the company shuttle leaves at 6PM, so most people leave the office before that.  Leaving on time or a few minutes earlier won’t make you look bad.
8. Friendly officemates

I’ve been working an extra hour each day for three days already. But I am doing it to make up for the undertime I had last week.

Lately, it became my habit of checking online reviews before planning to buy anything. Before, I would never even bother to read the specifications. I have no plans of buying any diet pill, but I sometimes read nuphedra reviews! Anyway, these past few days, I’ve been reading lots of cellphone reviews. I am currently using a prepaid mobile sim pack, but I was told that it would expire in 6 months. Or did the lady mean the prepaid load? But I’m really bent on shifting to a post-paid mobile plan. I don’t want to pay for every call that I receive!

So, how do I shortlist a mobile phone? The mobile phone should be S$0 or close to S$0. Then, it should be have at least 5.0 megapixels camera.

Getting around Singapore is easier than in Japan. The language is one. But gothere.sg has been my guide since day one. All you have to do is to input the “From” and “To” addresses. Then gothere presents you with options on how to get there. Here’s a sample search result:

Pretty helpful, isn’t it? Of course, gothere.sg is far from being 100% accurate. Sometimes, it gives you the wrong bus stop. But at least the place you’re looking for is located within 100-meter radius.

My new job is at a company close to the Changi Airport. When I found a room for rent that is very close to my new work place, I reserved it and moved in as soon as I arrived in Singapore. There’s nothing special about the new neighborhood because it seems that all buildings are identical.  Honestly, I sometimes find the scenery a little bit boring.  So far, almost every corner gives me the feeling that I’m just in the Philippines. Unlike in Japan, the small parks here are filled with children and adults hanging around.

I like my new home because it is so spacious, and so is my new bedroom. But I do miss my tatami room in Japan. I live close to a small grocery store, but it would have been great if there are vending machines and convenient stores nearby.  Anyway, Singapore is different than Japan.  I love Japan and I’m beginning to love Singapore.  My adventure here is just starting and I know it will gonna get better…

My friends have been telling me a hundred of times that I need to switch into a healthier lifestyle, and they’re right. When I was still in Japan, I usually go to sleep past 2AM. The usual reason: internet and anime. In a way, my weekend English lessons contributed to this. I was busier on weekends that I made it a point to watch animes and movies on weekdays. Because I got used to sleeping late, my body clock got messed up. I could not sleep earlier than 1AM no matter how much I wanted to.

Moving to Singapore somewhat made me “normal”. I now often go to sleep earlier than 11PM. No offense, but the internet connection here is a lot slower than in Japan, so watching anime online is becoming less of an option. I admit, I find the slow internet connection annoying at times. On the other hand, I am grateful. I have been somewhat subjected to an effective acne treatment and prevention programme: sleeping earlier and almost stress-free work environment.