Kalag Kalag (Soul Soul) =)

Each year, ever since my grandparents died, we would gather at the cemetery and it felt like Christmas. Lots of food, laughter, mahjong, piat-piat and teasing that does not end until someone cries. The same thing happens each year. And the teasing continues from where we left…

Funny but we actually look forward to Kalag Kalag day with the same excitement as waiting for Christmas and New Year.

Mom emailed narrating how it was sad that they did not put up a tent this year. They did not have the usual revelry. The family have become smaller. Popoy, Karen and Keiko now in the US. Us here in Auckland while Dino is out there somewhere.

Because we are a small family, one person not showing up matters in a big way.

My sister, Micmic, who usually organizes the activities of the day have lost heart. For her, it is not the same. She doesn’t even feel like celebrating Christmas this year. Putting up the parol has become a tradition but then again, she may just do a mini one this year.

Yes, we are a melodramatic bunch. It just didn’t seem the same anymore without everyone in attendance.

Last Sunday, we made a list of our dearly departed. We were shocked to have filled up a long list. Wondering, if they have met one another up there. Masses will be offered in their behalf for the month of November.

Yes, it was a sad non-event Kalag Kalag day for us here as well.

I wish we could somehow rise above this change in circumstances. We need a major Kalag Kalag uplift. mmmm, what to do? a Kalag Kalag net conference perhaps? Do they have WIFI sa Cempark? Just isn’t the same. It is occassions like this one when the miles separation intensifies.

Together now! WAAAAH

 

 

1.8

Yes! 1.8 kilos of weight lost in 1 month. Still in the obese range but closer to the overweight category.

A spin class on Mondays and Tuesdays

Megadanz on Wednesdays

Salsa on Thursdays

Zumba on Fridays alternate with Hip Hop and Jazz classes

3 days of circuit training in between each week. Need to do weights I suppose to firm up.

Weekend hikes and heaps of fruits and vegetables now on my diet.

Definitely going for 3.0 in next months Green Prescription review.

Rachel and Nevi, my support team, is cheering me on.

1.8 is a good number to start with. Thinking positive I can keep this up.

 

O M G

Oh EM Geee! BP at 160/90. So that explains why I am having this never ending mysterious killer migraines lately. Dr. Boon Simon Chong recommends exercise (not the leisurely dream like walks I have been taking on weekends) argggh but daily walks the kind that makes me sweat. 10 tall glasses of water daily, no more Coke for me. And most of all vegetables, low fat, less rice. Waaah, I feel like I’m crippled already. =)

Worst still is his request to limit my computer time to up to 8 hours only. I guess I have to fit in some non-work related PC time during work hours, aye? It looks like the kids prayer to get a Wii will come sooner. A louder O M G.

Good news though is that my eye sight is in good condition. It was a good thing I had an appointment with Dr Simon first before I booked to see an optometrist. Yehey!

My lab tests will be done 5 days from now. I hope I will be able to stick to the doctor’s advise. I suck at following orders. But if I want to out live Roland, I better take care of me health.

It’s pay back time. I will just have to remember this is not punishment but a road to better health, a sexier bod and to live long enough to enjoy retirement. =)

“turnips and eggplants, winged beans and peanuts
yard-long beans, hyacinth beans, lima beans

wax gourd, sponge gourd, bottle gourd, squash
and there’s more, radish, mustard
onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger
the surrounding spaces filled with sesame” (english translation of the Bahay Kubo list of plants)  PA-ET!

July Tweets

Just random  tweets of how life has been down under.

* 10 days after house inspection, we received notice that our rent is now up to 20S/week.  Me thinks  it is about time to really consider saving up for a place of our own. <pressuring myself crazy once again and the cycle never ends. teehee>

* oh, happy news… a. Former LandLady JD now in Cebu for 3 months vacay.  i’m envious!   b. Its official, MaiMai S is now a nurse.  getting Closer closer closer to all that she wishes for.  i’m enviouser! c. The Wong boys featured in Y101’s roommates and Cebu Daily News. (i’m doing the salsa for them!)  totally enviousest.

* Insoy will start to sit NCEA exams for Math in November.  We have started the tutorials 2 nights ago and it was bloody hell. In a perfect world, Insoy would not fear Math and I would have the patience of a saint. (saving the rants for november, that is if i have been saved from a heart attack)

*Software Testing project on the go. I need a lot of practice to learn this skill. I am a softie when it comes to breaking code. Killing me softly. arghh.

*Secret project under way. Crossing fingers and toes and knees that this earns us a trip to Cebu. Please Lord! I will go easier on Insoy. *gulp*

* Black, brown and dark violet ponchos. What was the hub thinking? Can you please pretty please do another Salvation Army slash Red Cross slash Hospice rummage for merino turtle necks in red, yellow and mint green ? I need colors too. *wink*

* The youngest one insists that basketball shoes are different from walking shoes are different from everyday shoes are different from soccer shoes… Puhlease! Why can’t they just invent one shoe for all sports and why does he have to join so many clubs? He would rather walk barefoot under the rain than get his basketball shoes wet. Someone please take me out of this shoe obsession curse,  it is cancerous and gets worst down the next generation. I am now strung up on collecting discount cards from shoe shops because 4 months is now the longest time for a pair to be usable around my boys. *scratching kili kili*

*I am liking more Farmtown and Yoville gifts. and overjoyed and singing alleluiah to find Grace, Rose, Fil and Wanchai now on FB. virtual reunion it is.

*I miss Cebu. The yearnings have never stopped. Daddy, Mommy, Micmic…ohkay, Spike our dog too. If I can’t come home soon, please do visit me instead. I just need to smell you. *sniff*

*10 pounds heavier (last time i checked)  and growing… walking some more to take off the extras. pfft! … And thankful. always thankful everyday for tomorrows.

My Hair Affair

I grew up believing that girls with straight shiny hair had every right (and the only ones allowed) to grow their hairs long.  So having been born with wavy naturals limited me to only have short hair. It was only last year when I succumbed to the other side.(when I met Allan (a hairstylist) who introduced me to hair rebonding).

I had my hair at its longest beyond shoulder length, spending heaps for chemical treatments to keep it straight – plus products to repair the damage. And regular visits to Allan’s parlor who turned me into a believer and suki. (He knows how to make me feel beautiful).

When I came to Auckland, I couldn’t keep up with the upkeep. It was expensive to use treatments and being mayor doma of a household nga gubot,  did not allow me to spend time in front of the mirror and take long hair pampering showers.

I tested different kinds of shampoos and conditioners only to find out that I damaged my frizzies even more. (for vanity’s sake lagi) My tresses was all over our place. It was dry and brittle and dead. And so, as a new year’s resolution for 2009, I decided to give my hair the attention it needed.

A chinese lady plus cheap cut plus a less than 3 minute trim equals DISASTER. (I did not mean to be racist here but she must have had training with a mower before she held scissors)  Our current budget did not allow me to spend much for vanity, so I curl my lips as my heart weeps seeing my hair worsen day by day. I did not want to have my pictures taken, and passing by a mirror only hurt my sensibilities. Yes, talk about my hair and I will pounce on you ala Manny Pacquiao. It grew side ways despite the falling hairs plus I see silver streaks when I flip it to the sides. When it comes to hair, I don’t have the patience. And I feel ugly and unkept and stressed over it.

I did not want to go back to my short hair days. I felt so OA being on a crossroad as to going back to short short dodong cut or letting it grow back to its Allan days. I have gone to long and don’t want to return and start all over. My boylets swear I look better with long hair. I believe them… but the ordeal of getting it to grow back is killing me each day. If only I had the patience to save enough & just get it chemically treated here. nah! I only have myself to blame for seeing Ambrosia Lee, the chinese grass cutter kay new year lagi, new look, new hair. Dah GABA! Big Time.

SO, 3 hair trims after and savings enough for a hair treatment, I found Danny who gave me a short bob cut and shiny flattened strands. I found a new Allan.

I am uber happy! This is a good start. It will grow back but I have time. I will have to take care of my crowning glory because I made a decision not to return to short boy cuts. This will definitely be a long hair affair. I am loving the bounce and flipping it back when I walk to the bus stop does not enduce migraine. When the winds blow, it returns to its shape and it does not tangle. I don’t ever want to wet my hair for fear it will start curling up again. (OA lagi ba). Only Danny can touch my hair from now on. (and he is Korean)

Manang Therese, your wish is my command. Dili na ko delinquinte. =) I finally found a topic to blog about. And I’m brushing my hair while I’m checking for typos here, feeling girly girl, feeling igat. It has been a long time since I felt this way. So pasencya sa akong indulgence everyone.

What do I do?

This post was inspired by Ludette Luab’s blog entry. Just like her, I see question marks popping out when I tell people that I am a JDE Analyst Programmer Support person.

JDE is short for J.D. Edwards which is a software company that created the OneWorld business application. OneWorld is a database driven accounting software.

APN (NZ Herald) uses JDE OneWorld to track subscription payments, adverts billing, newstrade returns,  outdoor billboard rentals, payables, receivables, cash receipts, bank reconciliation and so much more. Our company publishes 10 regional daily newspapers and several weekly lifestyle and fashion magazines. We also have outdoor advertising. The JDE software tracks the sales of each publication daily. Let me cite one example – if someone advertises with NZ Herald, the information is fed to the system, which calculates the cost of the advert based on page size and colour as well as days of the week the advert will be for. The system will then bill the client based on the number of runs the advert will be published for. There are different sets of data coming from other software applications which needs to integrate to JDE. My job is to make sure that the data is validated – the advert is marked to the correct publication and the client is billed the precise amount.  Triggers to alert the ‘Top Wigs’ when data does not match certain parameters are expected to run smoothly.  Automated statement of accounts, invoices, buyer created invoices and reports that are used to verify data needs to give out accurate output at all times. Figuring out how to make a slow process run faster is also part of my job. Thus the ‘Analyst Programmer’ on the job title.

On a typical day, I would get calls from users requesting for new reports, pleas to fix data entry catastrophes that can only be caused by them, questions on why the GL is out of balance, how to record credit card dishonours, request for user access, password resetting and why their computer is ef’ing too slow (for real!). This is where the ‘Support’ role from the job title kicks in.

Our department is made up of several groups, each supporting different softwares. One group support Microsoft Exchange and networks. Another group handle the Database Administration. Everytime a user needs help, the Help Desk receives the call and matches each request to the correct department to which the call will be transferred to.

We get to support all kinds of users, the brilliant ones, bright ones, nag pa bright bright, dili kaayo bright ug worst – walay utok. =) Thus, it is up to us to distinguish which one to take seriously.  After one year on this job, I have matched the names to a category.

The last day of every month is the busiest. Labaw na gyud ang year end and audit season.

So this is what I do. Still scratching your head? Then, maybe I should just be a Pole Dancer, aye? =)

January 5

This space is dedicated to a beautiful soul.

She is the Finance Director at Thomson West. She is an excellent cook. She loves taking photographs. She is pretty and sexy. She designed and orchestrated the best wedding of the year (hers). She is very creative. She knows beauty and wears it. She is from Bohol just like me. She has a lovely house North of San Francisco. She is married to the equally smart Charles. She sings and dance. She is perfect to me. She is one true friend. She drives and navigates (who needs a map). And she writes through her nake eye here.

Happy Birthday Liza

Liza, hope this year is full of wonderful new discoveries for you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

and I am wishing for the safe delivery of your baby boy too.

Obvious na ba nga I am so proud of you. <big grin>

Bummer!

Our telecom internet connection have reverted to dial up speed. We have just exceeded our 10G per month limit. Blame it on Dragon Fable & Imeem. Darn Kids!

I can’t pull my hair enough to take me out of this misery. It takes forever to even bring up a blog page. I have missed on a lot.

Not until Dec 14 will I get back the speed. Bummer 5 days to go. I’m helpless. I can’t afford an upgrade.

Calling on the Gods of Telecom, have mercy. Better yet, give out extra gigs in multiples of 10. =) Christmas na bitaw! Please pretty Telecom please.

Preparing for that Trip

 

When it will be time for me to sail away to another paradise, I want you to read my testament. =) For those who are not ready to be “morbidified”. This is a warning to skip this page. This is an unpleasant read.

I have just started to do my will with Perpetual Trust. A so much younger couple D and N have done theirs. And I wanted to start mine after realizing this needs to be done (no procastinating). 

Here are the points I have asked to be written in legal terms so it does not become too melodramatic for the family. I will leave the writing to my will executor Claire Boreham.

* Organ Donor – If someone needs what is left. Cooking oil from my fats, perhaps.  

* Cremation – Only because I am claustrophobic 

* Ashes – To be sent back to Cebu to squat at Lolo and Lola’s plot

* The song Anima Cristi to be sung on all masses to be done for my soul. Also when I am about to be burned. Walay mag buot (favorite ni nako)

* Hubby to email all my online friends on the day that the sun ceases to shine on me. They are my family too. I have yet to prepare the letter as I don’t want to burden hubby on what to say. (include list of email addresses)

* Bank Account – reminding myself to do a joint account. We always had our bank accounts separate ever since we got married.

* Kids – I haven’t talked to my sister about it yet. I have written her name as the primary person to care for the kids if they are orphaned. She is after all Auntie Ninang – crossing my fingers, toes, knees… she accepts the task. 

* Additional for Kids – both of them should finish a university degree (no ifs, no buts)

* Santos collection to be shared with my sons – they need reminders

* Provision for a Living Will – in case I get incapacitated, I should be placed in a hospice. I don’t want to have my family see me useless. 

If you have gone this far to complete this post. Congratulations! My next post will be a happy post. =) Enough of the trip preparation. I am feeling depressed now.

Kiwi Leak

I always see things in rose colored glasses. But roses do have thorns and Auckland do have its own share of pricks too. I listed below the ones that ruffle my feathers. =)

1. Stores open at 10:00 am and closes at 5:30 pm. The streets are life-less after 7:00 pm specially on weekdays.  

2. The weather is unpredictable. Summer is from December to February, Fall is from March to May, Winter is from June to August and Spring is from September to November (they say). But instead of following the prescribed schedule, it changes season one after the other each day. Pastilan!

3. Free lunches at work would only consist of pies, sandwiches, fruits and cookies. And they stand (cocktails style) while eating (going around and socializing). No wonder, they are lean and tall. Basta ako, I want rice, I want to sit down and enjoy my meal until I am full and I hate small talk. While my officemates look forward to free lunches, I get nightmares thinking about it labi na if they only serve a full vegetarian roll. 

4. Driving is on the left side of the road. They follow the same rule for walking or entering through swinging doors. Imagine how often I would bump into strangers only because I get disoriented with the left hand rule. Siguro, left handed ning mga tawo diri.

5. 4 TV channels only. Unless you subscribe to SKY for 50$/month, you only have 4 tv channels to navigate your remote to. Probably, this is one reason why Kiwi’s prefer the outdoors (in my own opinion).  Or is it the other way around, Kiwi’s enjoy the outdoors therefore no one watches tv at home. Ano ba talaga, kuya?

6. Outdated. Very much related to #5, my favorite Brothers and Sisters mini series is still on Season 2. Even the Survivor series is way way way behind. Music is also quite behind.  Don’t even start asking me about Grey’s Anatomy. Pa-et oi.

7. I don’t understand Rugby. period.

8. Ice cream is so cheap, it is a sin not to get fat here. Of course, they have more cows and sheep than humans. Milk, cheese, chocolates and ice cream is in abundance. DIET?

9. Because of the weather, houses here are damp. This means, the moulds go up the ceiling. Every other day, you have to get a ladder and clean your ceiling unless you prefer a black freckled ceiling look. You can buy a dehumidifier but be prepared to strain your budget for electricity bills. Or rent a newer apartment that will cost you twice your current rent. 

10. The trip to Cebu from Auckland is 14 hours long and it will cost US$ 2,000 per person this Christmas. We will just have to forget the Cebu Christmas dream. Auckland’s Christmas will be very humid and  GodChildren-free. No huge family reunions this year. 

Oh well, who cares about the thorns, it is the roses that gets my attention. Back to happy thoughts…