July 30, 2004

basket of flowers

Obviously, I have not posted anything for some days, 'cause here I am again trying to do it all in one day. I wanted to post the drafts I made yesterday. But some friends came over and picked me up. One wanted to go shopping some furnitures. So, off we went to Moebel Walther in Gelnhausen. Then we dropped by at another Filipina's house for a short chat, kaya, eto Ms. Elaine ang explanation kung bakit ina-amag na ang blog site ko....hahaha!

We found a lot of good stuffs at the shop but mostly either it was too big or it was not the type of furniture that my friend wanted, so we ended up going home with a basket of flowers instead, hahahah! Sa labas kasi ng Moebel Walther, merong nag titinda ng flowers one of those rolling stores. Mura naman at magaganda. Kaya napa bili na rin ang aking frendo. Tapos on our way to see this other Filipina, may mga nakita kaming fileds where you can pick the flowers yourself and you just have to pay some coins for them. Sunflowers lang din ang pinitas namin. To go with the nice ones that my friend got earlier. Beside the flower fields was the strawberry fields, but we thought the strawberryies may not be good yet. It is still too early to go strawberry picking this time of the year. So, we scheduled our strawberry picking sometime next week instead. As if naman we are experts on when the good time for strawberry picking is, hahaha!

July 29, 2004

sleepover

A colleague and I stayed over at another friend's place the other night. She has recently moved to this place, a new apartment somewhere in Frankfurt. Although we all work for the same company, we hardly saw each other during the past 6 months. We always had different shifts, different days-off and not to mention different departments. We just went to her place, had some drinks and talked, talked, talked. We talked until the wee hours of the morning.

It was quite refreshing. Sharing all our experiences, people we met, what we did, where we went for holidays, etc. Then we started talking about relationships and friendships. About problems and difficulties in a bi-national relationship. The cultural differences that we encountered. The good things that went with being wife to a European (the list was not long, hehehe). We talked mostly about being married to Germans, simply because we are, all three of us. We discussed life in Germany, situations that the Filipinas get into, not just being married to local nationals but also friendships with other Filipinos.

It is really unfortunate that some Filipinas married to German ends up being abused and battered. Well, I guess, not only to Germans. Even to other nationalities.

Main cause?

**"Well, can it be not knowing the person they married? Since they may have met only through a third party or via letters or via the net, they hardly know each other when they tie the knot, thus, they only find out they married a monster after". - Following this logic, I think I have to rule this out. This simply would also imply that the nationalities/culture doesn't have anything to do with it. Even a couple with the same culture could be in this situation.

**"Or did not or could not adjust to a life together basing from different opinions, religion, traditions and upbringing".

**Perhaps, they played with destiny. Meaning, probably they were not really meant for each other, but somehow ended up together by their own doing. This may be due to several reasons for example: comfort & security. Forcing themselves to be together through any means and therefore ending up in divorce. Well and good, if they just say: "okay, we have no kids, we don't love each other anymore, we should go our separate ways."

But what if, the other party says:, "no, I don't want divorce!" What then? In some cases, this ends up with the both parties still living together but doing stupid things to each other. Saying bad things to each other, even sometimes to other people who are common acquaintances of the couple. This is a common scenario. I have seen a lot of couples ending up bad mouthing each other to other people. Bad and stupid! Or worst, the Filipina, feeling desperate and in dire need of being loved, starts going out and not coming home for days, then for weeks, because she cannot stand anymore the life at home with this "alien monster". In doing so, the "allien monster" starts feeling neglected and taken for granted, but bottles up the feelings inside, thinking they cannot communicate properly to each other anymore. Then, all these bad feelings starts to explode, and voila! They start hurting each other physically. Him ending up with a mere Police record, while she ends up as a battered wife! Traumatized??? Perhaps!!!

**OR What if they have a child or kids? I cannot imagine how it would work. Some Filipinas leave and take the kids with them. But what if the partner fights for custody? Or the kids doesn't want to be parted from either parent. There is again another problem. In all aspects this situation is much worse than the others mentioned, because this time it involves the lives & the future of the innocent ones. Traumatic for the kids??? YESSS!

What next? They don't know. Somehow, they cannot pack their things and just go. Sometimes, miracles does happen, and the Filipina is brave enough to just turn her back and go, without even thinking of getting deported, having nothing to eat and nowhere to live. With no family, or other relations to run to, except to some acquaintances who may or may not help because their husbands say not to! It really is a tragic situation.

We also talked about going back home to the Philippines. What to do there later on, after retiring. What business to set up, if ever there would be a chance. Plans on what to do with the kids, if they come. Overall, it was great. We almost didn?t want to go to sleep. Even when we were already in bed, all three of us cramped in one bedroom like a high school slumber party, or simply, like a typical Filipino family, we still couldn?t stop talking. Somehow, before my eyes were taking over my brains, I heard topic has already shifted to "courtship and love, the Filipino style" but, that is for the next blog entry!


July 25, 2004

BBQ and Bingo

Got invited to a garden party and this time i thought, rain or shine I am going! I need this diversion. I have secluded myself for sometime now from parties because of work timings/schedules. This time by hook or by crook, I will find a way to be able to attend and enjoy it. I have to go early to work the following day, but I didn't care.

There were already visitors when we got to the place. Merry, the host was somewhere in the kitchen, buried with all the food preparations and last minute additions. Typical Merry party, always more than enough food ready, drinks, board and card games available, music and dancing! I have never been to any of her party that was not a success. She has also these crowd of Pinoy, mixed and pure that really blends very good together. I don't know how she does it. The Europeans who are there are celebrating like the Pinoys, eats Pinoy food and talks about Pinoy stuff as well. There were like two groups playing cards, another table for the mahjong group, some kids playing table tennis, some are running around all the time. The main and most boisterous group was the group of ladies playing Bingo. The number caller, a guy from Legaspi City was having the time of his life, always referring to the female body parts and traits each time he called a number. It was fun, in a way, but it always left me wondering why, for example "N44 would be the number of a woman without undies..."or why is the "O65 the number of a desperate woman"?

Those who prefer to talk about more international topics can just stay in one of the huts that Merry has prepared in case it would rain. But most of the time, they come out to look & see what was going on outside their world....haha! They simply cannot resist the Filipino fun and relaxed atmosphere. Of course, there was also some serious topics discussed every now and then....but somehow, somebody would always find a way to turn the topic into something funny, that the seriousness of it does not even effect an iota of the atmosphere...thanks to those "clowns" present, hehehe!

Though most of the guests still had work the following day, nobody could dare break the fun by leaving early. I for one had to go to work at 04:00 A.M. the following day, but what the heck! I could go to work without a wink's sleep. I am certainly not missing the fun this time!

July 22, 2004

Dates fixed!

That's it! Dates are fixed. I am just waiting now for the confirmation of my booking. We thought we would go in October, but I am happy that we are going a month earlier. That was the earliest booking we could get. That reminds me, I have to call my family in Manila to let them know. Or maybe not?! Hmmmnn....
Oh well, whatever. Maybe my mom will see this entry anyway...so it's not as if it's some surprise...

Strange, I don't know if this is just a psychological reaction, but now I am sure I will be going home, I think I am not feeling that homesick anymore. I am eager to go, yes... i feel like I want to pack na my things. Oooops, wait! I think i am overacting here! I still have two months wait, but really, I want to start packing na. Yeah, I am being OA!

July 21, 2004

Sun Sign Profile

Scorpio

I was born under the intense sign Scorpio, the eighth sign of the zodiac, best characterized by passion, intensity, and emotionality. It is considered to be the most powerful and extreme sign of the zodiac, because people born under this sign can deal with the process of fundamental transformation on all levels.

Pluto is my ruler and is known as the planet of permanent change and transformation. It is also associated with sex, the life cycle of birth and death, and regeneration. Pluto's influence makes me a charismatic, yet enigmatic person. While I may appear serene on the surface, deep inside I contain a magnetic intensity and powerfully hypnotic personality, belied only by a penetrating stare of deep intelligence. (Nakkkks! as if!)

Being a Scorpio also means being associated with other people's money, possessions, and values, as well as wealth received through inheritance; it also describes how and to what extent we commit, and bond with our partner, both on a sexual and emotional level. It is a fixed sign, which means that I am steadfast in adversity. Once I put my mind to something, I display self-discipline and staying power. I work stoically to achieve my goals - no matter the cost!

My strengths lie in my ability to confront and channel powerful emotions and profound insights. With my great tenacity and willpower, I am well suited to positions of authority, thanks also to a firm sense of responsibility, strategical approaches and charismatic aura.

I do have weaknesses, too! I can be blunt and demanding, and at worst, I may become merciless, obsessive, and manipulative. I am known for my passive-aggressive behavior, which sometimes reveals my proclivity for martyrdom. I am also prone to displaying destructive, and revengeful behavior, which confirms my radical all-or-nothing approach to life.

******
phewww!!!!
Ang lalim. Most of it is true, some are not and some, honestly I didn't even notice where in me.....ngekkk!

******

Napanood ko kanina sa BBC World ang pag release ng mga kidnappers kay Angelo de la Cruz. Nasa Philippine Embassy na siya sa Baghdad. Pati ang mga sundalo ay nag move out na rin one month earlier than scheduled. Naka televise din ang pag ka kausap ni Presidet Arroyo kay Angelo. Pinakita din ang mga tuwang-tuwa na kamag-anak ng naging biktima.

Na criticize ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas sa action na ito ni Presidente Arroyo, pero hindi pa naman nag re-react si Pangulong Arroyo. Ang mahalaga, na iligtas na ang buhay ng isang mang-gagawang Pilipino sa ibang bayan. Hay, salamat naman!

July 20, 2004

miss na miss ko na siya...

Well, i am quite excited. Tomorrow, It will be final. I will know all the dates and the bookings can be made. We were not supposed to be going home to the Philippines this year. We decided, we would go next year, sometime in March. But I can't wait anymore. Actually, my hubby wanted to go there every year, as what we used to do before. But, I felt like it was not necessary. I could anyway talk to my family anytime I wanted to or see them via the webcam. That was all that mattered. So I told my hubby that it was not necessary that we go home every year. We would anyway live there when we retire, so why don't we just spend our vacations here in Europe or in somewhere else, except the Philippines. Suffice it to say, I managed to convince him with this reasoning. But now, after exactly 27 months, i slowly feel that I have to go home. I do visit my sisters every now and then in Belgium. It is also like being in the Philippines, but I miss my brothers as well. Besides, I have not seen my niece Trisha Marie Isabelle personally. I also miss the food, fruits, the heat, the pollution, the noise, and the crowded malls, the night life, the beaches....lahat! My GOD!!! i simply miss the Philippines. HIndi ko na kaya. I have to go back home. It's the only medicine than can cure this sickness that I have now. Yes, this is a sickness...kakaiba siya! At matindi siya. I thought my work would keep me distracted....hello??!! NO!!! it did not. It made it even worst. There I am, everyday at the airport, seeing all these people flying to exotic countries or going back to their homes...how do you think I feel every day? Like packing sH%$$%§$§%/T! Plus, dagdagan pa ng overhead announcer every night: "ATTENTION: PASSENGERS FOR LH 747 BOUND FOR BANGKOK AND MANILA; PLEASE PROCEED TO GATE BLAH:BLAH:BLAH!

Waaaaaaa!!! ayoko ko na. Gusto ko na mag quit sa trabaho. Gusto ko na umuwi sa Pilipinas! Lintik, bakit pa kasi nauso ang pag a-abroad!?!

Can't Take My Eyes Of You

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like heaven to touch. I wanna
hold you so much. At long last love has
arrived. And I thank God I'm alive. You're
just too good to be true. Can't take my
eyes off you.

Pardon the way that I stare.
There's nothing else to compare.
The sight of you leaves me weak.
There are no words left to speak.
But if you feel like I feel. Please let me know that it's real.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

I need you baby, and if it's quite all right,
I need you baby to warm a lonely night. I love you baby.
Trust in me when I say: Oh pretty baby, don't bring me down I pray.
Oh pretty baby, now that I found you, stay.
And let me love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby....

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived.
And I thank God I'm alive.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

I need you baby, and if it's quite all right,
I need you baby to warm a lonely night.
I love you baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh pretty
baby, don't bring me down I pray. Oh pretty
baby, now that I found you, stay. And let me
love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby....

I need you baby, and if it's quite all right,
I need you baby to warm a lonely night. I love
you baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh pretty
baby, don't bring me down I pray. Oh pretty
baby, now that I found you, stay. And let me
love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby....


********

i loved this song. i think i heard it the first time when I was still in elementary, around 1980's...yes. I remember, kahit nasa kalsada sinasayawan ko ang tugtuog na ito. Now, it's back in the airwaves again. They revived it. Pang SWING naman this time.... wow! buti na lang hubby and i learned ballroom when we were still in Belgium. star dancers! heheheh!!! Pag umuwi ako sa Pilipinas, promise ko sa sarili ko, gabi-gabi ako mag bo-ballroom....I don't care! walang maka kapigil sa akin! Puwera na lang pag sinabi ni fafa na hindi, hahahaha. But that's not going to happen. Dahil siya din, once na nasa dancefloor na, naku! hindi na mapapa upo! kesehodang naliligo na siya ng pawis niya at pqwede nang i-pang shower ang pinag piga-an niyang t-shirt! Wa siya, paki! Super dance lang siya. O divah!!!

July 19, 2004

Spell Czech

I got this from an old Reader's Digest subscription while I was doing my daily ritual in the Loo, hehehe.... Not to worry. This is nothing gross. Here goes:

Eye halve a spelling chequer. It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marques four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word and weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write. It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid, it nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite. Its rarely ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it, I am shore your pleased two no.
Its letter perfect in it's weigh. My chequer tolled me sew.

Sauce unknown!

It took me a whike to digest it, hehehe. But honestly, I also make the same mistakes. When we read or write something, not every single letter is registered. We see the first or last letters of the words and then they are automatically sent to the brain which process the whole construction of the sentence we are reading.The brain processes a certain message and then tells us as a whole what the mesage is, hence, the common mistakes in writing are inevitable. It can also be blamed on the carelessness or it being "typo" error, but hey, that's why we have to review everything that we write first before publishing it, heheheh. Who cares!?! Important thing is message got conveyed!!!

Bad business

I found out the gimmicks of some Filipinos living in abroad on how to smuggle their kababayans to another country. I can understand that these Filipinos are just as eager to earn more than what they get in the Philippines, and are therefore desperate to go abroad. But the fact that I detest is that the others are taking advantage of this need. Filipino comrades who are already in the host country are making money out of a possible swindle to the others. Okay, granted, some did got here, managed to work and eventually send money back to the Philippines to pay off debts incurred trying to arrange to leave the country in the first place. The thing is, most of them are caught anyway the minute the plane lands in the “new hope” land.

One trick is to invite singers to do a concert in a certain country. Then the organizer finds people who are interested to go abroad. Demands a certain fee, which is normally around 250T pesos. They will then apply for a visa for these fellow Filipinos as a member of the entourage of the singer. For example, some will be presented as a member of the dance group or the musicians or the production assistants.

In Belgium, this strategy has already been busted by the Belgian Interpole. There were a series of concerts done by some really good and well known singers, who unbeknownst (I am assuming that they are not connected to the con, of course!) to the said singers they were just used as the front for human smuggling. It was so frustrating. A lot of really desperate folks got swindled by that lady who was then the organizer of the concerts. The funny thing is, when I came to Germany, I met the counterpart of that Filipina in Belgium here in Germany. What a small world talaga. I also found out just recently, that this Filipina who has been living here for almost twenty years, has already brought a lot of Filipinos over. 250 grand for every Filipino brought over. And that's just the average price. Sometimes, she takes advantage of Filipinos who are here without legal documents, whose only wish is that another member of the family would be able to come as well. Then she starts asking for 280T to 350T per person. The problem is, kung hindi naka pasa sa talent interview ang mga ito, then they don't get their Visas at hindi na rin nila makukuha ang pera nila. They are promised that they would leave with the next group and that they should just wait. Believe me, the waiting time takes almost forever. I know this for a fact, because I also happened to meet one of the victims. Violy (not her real name), a mother to 11 kids, has been living here in germany for 14 years as TNT. Violy paid 250T cash for the first try. Her daughter failed the talent interview. She was promised to be on the next plane together with the second singer performing another Europe tour. Sad to say, mother & daughter waited for 18 months before finally hearing the news of the next concert tour. But, Violy was asked to pay again another 180T to tide over the processing of her daughter's papers and plane ticket. "So, what happened to the first payment?", she asked. "Well, it was also used to process her previous documents", was the answer that she got! grabe!!!!

Another trick: Somebody here in Germany, knows somebody who says he can get a "Pre-Approved" visa. They sell each for $5000.00 U.S. They send this "visas" to the Philippines and somebody there already has contacts and already claimed money from the victims. Chances are 85% they will be caught the minute they enter Germany. I know for a fact that this is true, because, this lady who has access to the so called "pre-approved" visas also does part time jobs as interpreter for the Police at the Airport. And she has claimed that it may have been one of "them" (referring to the visa that she sent to the Philippines). I don't know if that was meant as a joke or if it was for real.

I strongly detest these good-for-nothing- kababayan human trafficker, taking advantage of our kapwa Pinoys. Buhay pa man din sila ay sinusunog na ang kaluluwa nila sa impyerno! Nakukuha niya pang i kuwento ang mga ito in a bragging sort of way. Claiming she is simply doing kawang-gawa to fellow Pinoys. What?!?

Back to the Roots

I went missing for some days, hehehe. Actually, hubby and I went to Thüringen- the birthplace and hometown of my dear hubby. Incidentally, where his parents still lives. My father-in-law, Günther, celebrated his 70th birthday this month. Two reasons why this had to be very grand and special: First, it is a "round" number birthday. Second and probably more important was the fact that he lived longer than his doctor speculated. My father-in-law was declared dying 35 years ago. His health failed so bad, that it came to a point when NO insurance company would cover him anymore. So, we really had to celebrate it BIGTIME!

He knew that we were coming over, but what he didn't know was the big birthday bash that his dear wife, Helga organized for him. Of course, with the help of my ML and the twins, Martina & Jürgen. His relatives who are scattered and friends who are still alive were invited. When we got there, most of his friends and relatives were already there. Since we ML and I still had to work Friday, unavoidably, we got there only Saturday around lunch time, just before the Party started. Luckily, we were not the last ones who came...hehehe,(hindi lang Filipina ang late, german din). Somebody from Mainz came in much later.

Anyway, the party was of course a success....

The celebration started at Lunch time on the 10th. We had Lunch at the local restaurant in Gräfenthal called Zur Alten Apotheke which was reserved only for the occassion. It pays knowing the owner, hehehe. Talks about the past DDR times, cooking, baking, fishing, literature and about the deceased friends of the celebrant was never ending. After lunch, we had a small siesta. Then we were back again at the table for Kaffee Trinking with cakes, tarts and pie to the guests delight. Talks continued like lunchtime was not interrupted. This time, the topic was about the people who could not make it to the celebration. Though, they managed to call to greet him happy birthday.

My father-in-law said, he got the first call at six o'clock in the morning. being old and sickly, the first reaction he had was that of course of a "grumpy old man", although he is not always grumpy.

Günther: My God, who can be calling at this time of the day?
Helga: It is your birthday, Günther. Everybody would want to greet you...
Günther : I was born only at ten a.m. not at six - 70 years to this date! Tell them to call back at ten...

I was laughing my heart out to this. Then music came up. Not only English should be played. It had to be German music. So, Ml had to look for the celebrant's type of music. Unfortunately, the songs from the first cd found were not old enough, so, Jürgen had to go look for another. Actually, jürgen prepared a cd with all of my father-in-laws favorites but in mp3 format. The problem was, it would not play on my ML's mp3 player. I never found out what was wrong with it. Jürgen had to go to a friend's house to get the problem fixed, since neither he nor my ML brought their burners with them. After Kaffee trinken, we went for a short walk around the small city. I noticed that almost everybody knew about the birthday celebration. People we met on the streets stopped by to greet the celebrant. I guess this is due to the fact that the city is quite small, more like a village actually and the celebrant has lived there almost all his life. It was very similar to Filipino ways indeed.

At 18:00, more guests started coming in for the evening event. Champagne was served and the evening party started. Dinner was served at half-past seven. The buffet table was deliciously prepared, the menü was wonderfully chosen & the desert was just as perfect as the appetizers and the main course. Drinks were served all night long to the guests' preferrence.

After dinner, a small presentation was made. There was the short skit about the life of the celebrant. Then there was the presentation of photos from childhood to present. I found it very touching. Instead of my ML narrating something about the photos, the celebrant could recall them himself, and ended up telling the visitors about the pictures. He was teary eyed from each story. He was remembering eveyrthing out in the open, sharing to us all those memories. The dancing and drinking went on until 03:00 in the morning.

The following morning, as we all gathered for breakfast, we could all see the joy of that my father felt. It was quite taxing for him, he admitted, but the intense happiness he felt was all over his aura. It seemed to me like he didn't want that time to end. The rest of the day was a little bit more calm, being Sunday. We went for a long walk over the mountains, to the castle and then back. In the afternoon, some relatives started to say their goodbyes, since most of them still need hours to drive back home. ML & I stayed until the 14th. Then it ws also time for us to go. I honestly felt terrible leaving this time. It seemed like the the wonderful weekend was only a dream. Then it was back again to reality. Just my parents-in-law living in that house and the rest of the family are scattered elsewhere.


July 16, 2004

Hangover or what?

I came back from a long weekend getaway feeling rested and lazy. I still have plenty of things to do, like eventually publish the entry that i wrote as a draft on pieces of table napkins (hehehe!), write the report that my Boss requested, post some thank you cards, not to mention catching up on the blogreads...hahaha! As usual, I am being my procrastinating self again. Here I am, sitting in front of the computer, writing this entry with a glass of white wine and a box of Rafaello, yet, still too lazy to start on my "to do" list. I guess it will just have to wait awhile longer.

But hey, I give myself credit on having started with the catching up on the blogreads.....hehehe!


July 05, 2004

Going away!

I have to finish tons of stuffs today co'z we'll be leaving again this weekend. ML and I will going away for 5 days. I have no idea wether I would be able to blog during those days. My guess is not. The thing is, I have to work still until Thursday. So, I definitely don't have the time anymore to pack our stuff later this week. I also have to go shop for some stuff necessary for the trip. I will be able to do the shopping, but the packing....hhhmmmnnn...(*grin*)! Unfortunately, I am not like elaine who can pack for a week's trip in 10 minutes! WOW! that's really something I should learn. I also have to finish my laundry & ironning...plus, water the plants...+++.

Hay nako! ANg buhay nga naman. But I can't complain. At least I do have a LIFE! I may have problems, but, as someone mentioned over our chat today, there are definitely others who have much more bigger problems than my little share of trials in life. Di vah?

Installing Love software

This is courtesy of my friend OCHIE. Thanks dear!

Installing Love

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready to install it now. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART, ma'am?

Customer: Yes, I have, but there are several other programs running right now.
Is it okay to install while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running, ma'am?

Customer: Let's see... I have PAST-HURT.EXE, LOW-ESTEEM.EXE,
GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.COM running now.

Tech Support: No problem. LOVE will gradually erase PAST-HURT.EXE from
your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but
it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite
LOW-ESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGH-ESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs
prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off, ma'am?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do
this as many times as necessary until it's erased the programs you don't want.

Customer: Okay, now LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?

Customer: Yes, I do. Is it completely installed?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need
to begin connecting to other HEARTs in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops. I have an error message already. What should I do?

Tech Support: What does the message say?

Customer: It says "ERROR 412-PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS."
What does that mean?

Tech Support: Don't worry, ma'am, that's a common problem. It means that the
LOVE program is set up to run on external HEARTs but has not yet been run on
your HEART. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in non-
technical terms it means you have to "LOVE" your own machine before it can "LOVE" others.

Customer: So what should I do?

Tech Support: Can you pull down the directory called "SELF-ACCEPTANCE"?

Customer: Yes, I have it.

Tech Support: Excellent. You're getting good at this. Now, click on the following files and then copy them to the "MYHEART" directory: FORGIVE-SELF.DOC, REALIZE-WORTH.TXT, and ACKNOWLEDGE-LIMITATIONS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete SELF-CRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with new files. SMILE.MPG is
playing on my monitor right now and it shows that PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.COM are copying themselves all over my HEART. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything
gets downloaded at the proper time. So, LOVE is installed and running.
You should be able to handle it from here. Ah, one more thing.

Customer: Yes?

Tech Support: LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to
everybody you meet. They will in turn share it with other people and they will
return some similarly cool modules back to you.

Customer: I will! Thanks for your help!

July 02, 2004

New Look

It's finally done! I have been thinking about changing the layout of my blogsite. Since it is already summer time, i thought, why not use beach picture for the banner. So I was torn between using photos from Gran Canaria or use some photos from Dos Palmas, a very popular resort in Palawan, Philippines some years back. Although I do not know if the are still as popular now as they were before. Of course, the latter was chosen.

Hmmmnnmm....remembering the past:

ML and I went there March, 2001. We stayed in the island for almost two weeks. That vacation was pure bliss. We went scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking and most of the time, just lazing around the whole day. We also went island hopping. Amazingly, there were several small islands surrounding Dos Palmas which were uninhabited. Dos Palmas used them as some sort of Privat beaches. Whenever we wanted to go, we only had to order for a speed boat to take us there, with our foods and drinks and stay there the whole day. We would just set a time when they would come to pick us up. Unless the weather changes, the plan goes as it is.

Well, we got a really good deal for that vacation. Everything inclusive, so, we could also eat what we want. Go dancing at night or simply do a round of billiard, darts, card games & other board games and of course, the everlasting "sungka" in their recreation center. We had our lunches on a floating gazebo with the fishes and other underwater life swimming around us. With the water being so clear, it was not difficult to see the corals in their splendour. Unfortunately, during one of those lunches, ML's Cannon Powershot S10 got splashed with sea water, and didn't work anymore. So the rest of the vacation passed by without pictures. But the pictures we captured in our hearts are the best anyway. I think we (ML & I) fell in love with Palawan from that visit. We both promised ourselves, that we would one day live there. Have our own little paradise there. With hopes and never ending prayers, it may just come true. Someday....

July 01, 2004

Good News, Bad News

When I came home from Belgium, I found some interesting news. One had something to do with work. It turned out that I have been chosen for a position which I have not applied for! I was so surprised when I got the schedule for July. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This new status was confirmed when the manager came to me and talked to me about it. I tried to tell him what I felt then. That I really appreciate the commendation. For believing that I am capable of the entrustment, i am very pleased. He on the other hand, assured me that he believes I can do it. That is even more scary for me to know.

The thing is, I am having doubts if I can deliver what they expect of me. I am sure there are other personnel who are much more qualified for the position, but for some reason, they just didn't get it. Furthermore, I had not planned to stay long with this company. I am being honest when I say this. My boss knows that I am just waiting for an Ausbildungs Platz. I planned to do something else for the near future. But in the light of this new event, It seems like I may have to stay longer.

I guess I will just have to wait and see. Maybe something else will come up. In the mean time, I will continue to do the best I can. I just hope and pray I will manage to live up to their expectations if not do much better!

The other interesting turn of event, well, I am having doubts if I should blog about it. For now, I will leave it as it is. I have said my piece on the subject. But that doesn't mean I have forgotten everything. I just don't know yet how to approach the whole thing for now. I think I will just leave it up to the people involved.

On in-laws

On another matter: one more good news is the package that arrived last week from Martina, my sister-in-law. I got a book this time. I was so surprised where it came from, until I noticed the return address on the parcel. Along with the book is a card. It is really so sweet. She wrote that she was just at the bookshop, looking around and her eyes caught a book which she has read before, but this time in English. She said she loved the story and thought maybe I would also like it. I find it so touching. I have been very lucky with my in-laws. Since the first day I met them, I have already felt the warmth of the family. They help me to feel at home here in this land far away from home. I have received nothing else but love, encouragement and support from them. I am quite aware that a lot of in-laws are difficult to be with, but in my case, I am completely happy having been blessed with a wonderful set of parents-in-law, a very thoughtful sister-in-law and a funny & caring brother-in-law, Jürgen.

Did I mention that Martina & Jürgen are twins? They are! Funny thing is, noong bata pa ako, I dreamed of having kids of my own...gusto ko sana twins. Ewan ko lang kung tama ako. Naisip ko kasi, kung nasa lahi ng husband ko ang twins sa family, maybe I would also have my own set. Kaya lang, hindi naman ang hubby ko ang may ka-kambal...kaya siguro wishful thinking na lang yun....haaaayyy!!!