Bisdak Babbles

When you take a cab, do you prefer a driver who would initiate a conversation or someone who doesn’t?

Well, when I was still in Japan, it was up to my mood. Conversations with the locals definitely gave me chances to hone my survival Japanese skills. Sometimes, I just didn’t want to try to understand because it gave me headaches trying to sort out if the other person is using the standard Japanese or the Osaka dialect.

But here in Singapore, I don’t want to engage in a conversation because some drivers are just too vocal in their point of view that sometimes it’s just a bit offensive. Well, there are many who are really kind, too. I took a cab this morning and the elderly driver was chatty. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed because of the really stupid thing I did at work the other day. I kept thinking too negatively that I had a hard time falling asleep.

After asking me my destination, the uncle then asked me if I had breakfast. He joked about giving me a free ride if I buy him a curry puff. I just smiled. He went on asking me about my job and I just gave my usual answer. Then out of the blue, he blurted out, “don’t worry, be happy!”. Well, he might have sensed I was a bit troubled, but having said that, he actually brightened my day. For me, he was Jesus telling me that even if I stumble, there’s nothing to worry about because He is with me!

The company’s annual Dinner and Dance is the only time of the year for me to doll up. This year’s theme was Shanghai Night. Two weeks before the party, I already bought my cheongsam, an L Size. The sales lady advised me to get the XL size but I was strongly in denial that I have gone past my ideal weight. I was bent on losing weight for the party. A week before the party, I went home to the Philippines and there, my resolve crumbled. Who can resist delicious Filipino food shared by your loved ones? I should have tried out those herbal diet supplements just to prevent gaining weight. Another mistake I committed was not trying out the dress until the big night. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t fit. I was ready to give up and just wear my usual office attire to the party when my friend Kay suggested to turn the dress into a blouse. A few stitches here and there…and I got myself a Chinese blouse. Here’s a photo taken at the party. It’s one of the few photos where I don’t look really fat so I’m posting it here.

The printed invitations are not yet out but it’s been announced that this year’s Company Dinner and Dance theme is “Shanghai Night”! I am actually not looking forward to the food (not surprisingly and still Chinese dishes) anymore because you can find it in every corner of Singapore. I just love the thought of dressing up, wearing makeup, and being not “the normal me”. I don’t like to openly admit it, but I have always wanted to wear a cheongsam, a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women. I find the ancient costumes more interesting but it is definitely hard to find one here. Chun Li of the Street Fighter definitely looks sexy and cool but I just can’t make myself wear a dress with a slit like that! I’ll just wear my hair like hers if I can find it here.

Before I finished my degree, I never expected that I would be working in software development. I thought that I would end up working for a company designing digital circuits, though I admit I had a hard time making it through all my electronics and electrical engineering subjects. A big surprise came when I was accepted as a trainee by a (mostly) printer company. So I spent my first job being acquainted with printers, point-of-sales printers mostly. It was such a challenging and wonderful year for me. I loved working for that company, not to mention it was my first time to travel outside Philippines!

Being given that opportunity helped me a lot in deciding what I wanted to do. I learned a lot and I would definitely hold that experience dear in my heart. So, when I came across tm-t88iv in the internet, it brought back fond memories.  Above all, I am always thankful to God for that.

The other day, we received an email regarding this year’s dinner and dance. The venue has already been decided, at the newly-opened Resorts World Sentosa! Which specific hotel it is, I still don’t know. But the company’s annual big event will be in May and I’m already this excited. I was lucky last year because I joined the company on the first day of April, and the confirmation of attendance was due mid-April. It was held in Hilton Singapore Hotel.

Some people my not like attending such events. Well, I honestly don’t too, but it’s one of the rare chances for me to get and dine in a five-star hotel. I’m still a female (up to know, I still can’t say I’m a woman) and I like to doll up sometimes! The problem is, I’ve put on more than six pounds since moving here in Singapore. I don’t want to wear a dress with some distracting, unwanted bulges. A friend has already resorted to diet pills with ephedra but I still want to lose weight the natural way. Three months with at least six pounds to lose. Wish me luck!

I still couldn’t believe that I got to see the Singapore Airshow 2010 at the Changi Exhibition Center. I wanted to, but I found the tickets expensive. The Airshow is a 6-day event. February 2-5 were the “Trade Days” and during these days, only those who are at least 18 years old were allowed inside. Supposedly exclusive for trade attendees, but those who didn’t pre-register were able to buy their tickets at the venue. Attendees had to fill up registration forms and should present IDs but in my case, they didn’t ask me to present one.  February 6 & 7 are the “Public Days”, and on these days, children are already welcome. Trade Days tickets were sold at S$50 (+7% tax) and a Public Day ticket cost S$20(+7% tax).

How did I get my hands on a ticket?
I was on my way to the conference room when one of the managers came out from their office looking for one of my teammates.  Manager #2 couldn’t find that person, then Manager #1 just blurted out “then we have a winner right here”, looking at my direction. When asked if I’d be willing to go to the airshow,  I immediately said yes.

How did I get to the venue?
My place is about 15 minutes to the venue by taxi, according to www.gothere.sg.  There was a shuttle from the Changi Airport Terminal 3 but I was running late for the aerobatics so I took a cab.  When the driver learned that I am going to the airshow, he grumbled all the way saying that all the other drivers refuse to take passengers there because they couldn’t get any passenger on their way back.   Even referring to the trip as “buy one take one free”.   I don’t really like hearing something like this so when I got off, I gave him twice the fare on the meter.   After all those rants, he still refused. Taxi drivers here in Singapore might be very vocal but they are really honest. They don’t overcharge and they don’t expect passengers to give tips.

This doesn’t come often so I mustered my courage to borrow an SLR from my housemate. Thank you very much H for lending me your SLR! Will post the pictures soon!

I’m finally back from the Philippines. I arrived last night after 2 hours land trip, almost 2 hours flight from Cagayan de Oro to Manila, and the flight to Singapore. Yet, I had to go to immediately go to work. Going to work after a long trip is not a problem for me, but upset stomach and abdominal pains are.

Every time I travel, I suffer these discomforts for one to two days. A serious case of “kabag”? *_*
Gotta go back to sleep and take in the relaxing smell of the Efficascent oil while already terribly missing my daughter.

But I really had fun mainly because this time, Shaynna and I had great time together.  Here’s a peek of my wonderful New Year’s eve at home, with my daughter Shaynna and my niece, Kiera:

For years, I’ve been considering of getting a degree in Business Management or even more particularly, Business-Information Technology Management. In the present company, and I think for all IT companies, the only two options presented before us are: to become a techie expert or go into the management side. I have no plans of digging more into the techie stuff for another 20 years. So, I need to have some sort of qualification on the management side.

But due to financial constraint, it is very hard to keep the ball rolling. Also, I doubt if I could spare more time for travel from workplace to school. The best option for me is to enroll my self in an online university. Most online universites I came across have limited information on the programmes they offer, save for one: Western Governors University.

I’ve browsed their website and all the things that I need to know are in there! And yes, the offer the degrees that I mentioned above. They even offer financial aid! Pretty cool, huh? Before, I was not really sure if getting an online degree is really good or not. But their “Online University Learning Myths” article cleared things up for me. Another surprising thing, WGU even offers an online nursing degree!