Welcome 2013! It's a new day, It's a new Life =))

my Leica ;)

Bring it on 2013!

Well, my Christmas and New Year were celebrated here in in Singapore with friends.  I went to dawn masses to celebrate it spiritually and thank goodness the sermons were very refreshing to the soul.  I would say the yuletide was memorable and fulfilling.

The biggest news for this year 2013 is actually my resignation from Gemalto.  You heard me right. I resigned from Gemalto and it has been a week of me here in Singapore without a job.  I have been submitting my resume here and there :) But personally, I'd like to go back to Cebu and find work in there or maybe somewhere else.  My heart is actually telling me to explore other things - schooling, MBA?  My former Japanese teacher posted a job ad which says about an IT Engineer in Japan.  So yeah, I sent my resume to him actually and if things go well, I might consider it actually just for the experience ;)

Well, experiences are really life changing.  It makes your story meaningful.  It gives you opportunities to know yourself better and in a way tell the world of your existence.  Perhaps, meeting people whom you'll share some of your best or worst ....

Anyway, I haven't bought my ticket back to Cebu.  I was planning it over this weekend but I was waiting a reply from a friend about her SG trip this Feb.  Good thing I remembered because I promised her about the accommodation last December, otherwise I would have booked my ticket.  I am still open to any good opportunity in Singapore though which is the other reason why I haven't book a ticket.   But, my stay in Singapore will only be valid until the second week of February so I need to get a confirmation or maybe a good job.  I hope I'd get replies the soonest time possible....

And finally, I bought my first ever camera, which is a Leica.  Just for point and shoot stuff :D  This is the first ever digi-cam I bought and I am so happy about it.  The first digi-cam I had was a Panasonic Lumix which I won from a raffle draw =)).  You see,  I got a good savings after I resigned because of the last pay.  And so, the good thing to do is gift myself with a new toy to play.  My week will be filled with tourist mode and cam whoring I guess, so don't be surprised if the next entries will be mostly pictures.  Oh, don't worry because I'll try to make my post interesting.

Ciao and happy Sinulog to the whole of Cebu!!!

A trip to Bintan Indonesia with Friends

Ofcourse, I was with my friends; obviously :)

We went to Bintan last weekend, so yeah my trips lately outside of Singapore has been hectic.  I had no major trips outside Singapore except when I had to go to Cebu, my hometown to visit my family.

Anyway, Bintan is really near to Singapore like it's a 45 minute-ferry ride.  Early dawn of Saturday, I received miss calls from Chritian as I have asked them to call me so I can wake up early as I did not trust my alarm (or perhaps myself).  Usually weekends for me is like holy when it comes to sleeping :)) I can wake up at noon.  That's how late I start my weekends.  Yup, to be on the ferry terminal at Tanah Merah early, I decided to take a cab.  I was planning to actually take the train but I felt I'll not be able to make it so I had to cough up 20 dollars for the cab.  I arrived at the terminal on time and my friends were already there, queuing for out tickets.  I met them in their queue and gave my passport after the small talk :)  I did not take my breakfast so I found this Killiney coffee house and there I ordered teh (tea with milk) and kaya toast (slice bread with kaya; a spread made of coconut).  My friends finished their checkin and stuff and we got our tickets. We queued to going to the immigration and all the security stuff and no later that 10 minutes, we found ourselves boarding the ferry and off we went to Bintan Indonesia :)

We had a villa for ourselves at Nirwana resorts.  It's a two storey house, with two big common rooms and a  master's bedroom.  It's somehow furnished. In fact one can cook their food there which was part of our plan.  When we arrived at the resort, it was actually about lunch time in the coming hour.  Since we had our packed lunch we just looked for a nice place to have lunch :)

At around 1PM we were able to check-in at our villa.

There were so many things to do.  After we have settled ourselves, our first activity was the ATV. Unfortunately, it was not available and they that it's going to be on the next day that they'll resume operations :(  So we just decided to bathe into beach.  Hmmm there was actually a Meta Man - it's a triathlon actually and to my surprise, Sen. Pia Cayetano; senator of the upper house of the Philippines, was joining the event.  Anyway, the afternoon was the start of the swimming competition which made our stay there different.  For most of us, it was our first time watching a live triathlon.  There were jelly fishes in their beach so it was not that fun actually and their sand is a bit muddy so it did not feel good because when you splash and swim it would turn a bit murky.  Anyway, we explored their beach on the other side and the view is nice but not as good as we had in the Philippines - sorry if I am comparing....  Anyway, I told my friends that I'd go to the pool :)  I spent like an hour or two at the pool just enjoying the scenery and cheering the triathletes.  They were in the marathon competition already and they happen to pass by near the infinity pool.  To my surprise, Sen. Pia Cayetano was there and so I can't help but cheer.  At around 4PM my friends joined me at the pool.  My friends wanted to go back to the villa and prepare for dinner but then I asked them to cheer for Sen. Cayetano and at around 5PM she had the 2nd round already and when she was near the pool side we were shouting, "Go Ms. Pia" - she did smile at us but I think she find it so strange :D

Well,  it was getting dark already and we had to go back to our villa so we can prepare for dinner.  I think I made a mistake in my timing simply because I was using the Singapore time.  Indonesia is 1 hour advance :P

After everyone was ready, we were headed to The Kelong restaurant.  We waited for the hotel service for a few minutes then off we went to the restaurant.  To our surprise we saw Senator Pia again and so we did cheer and blurted, "Go Ms. Pia! Mabuhay!".   Anyway, we arrived at the restaurant a bit hungry and the good thing was, the place was not crowded.  Getting our orders was fast and the guy serving our table was friendly and it felt we were not too rushed unlike in Singapore restaurants where the service is a bit rushed :))  The food was good and the service was quite good so after our heavy dinner, we tipped the guy 10 Singapore dollars.  There was nothing to do actually so we just decided to go back to our villa and had our karaoke.  My friends brought their portable karaoke :) As usual, it' fun singing with friends =))

We decided to check the beats from outside and it was actually the Meta Man challenge finish line.  I think the organizers party.  The triathletes has been active for the last 16 hours as shown in the finish line clock.  I was so amazed at how sporty these people are.  I even saw some athletes at their late forties as you can see in their whitish hair :D  It left an impression on me to be a bit sporty as well or simply put I have to be fit :P I stopped going to the gym actually and I have not been jogging and not even doing the dance exercise in our Xbox Kinect.   It was getting dark so we decided to go back to our hotel to sleep already;)

Early morning, my friends were already cooking for breakfast.  Since there's a free breakfast for two because we had two extra beds, Christian and I took the free meal.  Mamul asked us to bring back some butter for the bread.   The breakfast served at Nirwana was quite good so I was full again. We took some butter and strawberry spreads. Then off we went back to our villa.  My friends were still eating and the German sausage I brought was really nice to look at so I had my hands on them.  They also prepared some spam so yeah I also devoured some.  After our breakfast, the first order of business was to go for an ATV ride.  Then the unexpected happened.  We were like being passed from one counter to the other just to get to their ATV and everyone was already exasperated because of the long walks.  For the last time, we demanded to the hotel staff to bring us to the correct place already. So they decided to give us a free ride going to the ATV venue.  Good thing we pushed through for the ATV for it was so fun.  The trails was really nice and a bit challenging.  Too bad, we only had few minutes left because we need to go back to Singapore early. With that, we only had 30 minutes ATV. But the whole thirty minutes was really fun.  I think I am going for an ATV adventure in Bintan in the near future.

After the ride, we went back to our villa.  We still have some few hours to prepare so some of us went to dip at the pool and some had the elephant and horse back riding activities. Me ? I went to the pool :D

One hour has passed and it was time to pack up.  It was rather fast to pack and we need to checkout from the resort at 1PM.  We waited for some few minutes to take the free bus ride going to the ferry terminal.

After some immigration stuff and some waiting, we boarded and off we went back to Singapore :)

I then realized I miss the wifi connection I had in Singapore.  Wireless internet at Nirwana is 30 Singapore dollars - quite expensive as most hotels nowadays are offering free wifi.  It was a fun experience but I think KL is more affordable and exciting if you want to have a vacation without the beach thing.  I think the beach part at Bintan is not that good as well so I think going to KL is more enjoyable.

Good night everyone and enjoy the weekdays?

Cebu and Palawan :D

Well the longest vacation for the year was in Cebu and 5 days trip to Palawan.

I went to Cebu for my brother's university graduation :)  At last, he will be able to sustain himself and create some of his own adventures!

After some few days in Cebu, I went to Palawan with some of my closest friends from my university - Ate Mars and Jayka.

I was happy when I was in Cebu and I was amazed at how beautiful Palawan is.  The rock formations at El Nido were grand comparable beauty to that of Phuket.  Palawan is more pristine though :)

After Palawan, I spent some few days in Cebu and enjoyed the company of my family and friends.  Never mind the finances involved as the experience was priceless :D

This is quite long overdue same as other travel blog entries I had.  I am actually not sure of how to go through already about this blog.  At some point it felt boring, honestly... .  At some point I missed writing some personal accounts, great or utterly lame.   Maybe because of a lot of things that's going on inside my head right now, that I lost track of some of the things I want to do.  Anyway, this blog is not exclusive of the travels I made but rather those experiences I enjoyed and had managed to put a smile on my face ...

And for that, three weeks ago, I had my first dragon boat experience.  It was super fun and but then I had to be a bit disabled from the body aches I got :)  I was also following the Spartacus series - really gory which makes me sick but after a while I got used to all the blood and spilling organs.  I met old friends from Cebu here in Singapore.  Also visited my friend's house for some catching up - we played mah jong! lols :P

This week would have been another vacation for me.  I was booked to go to South Korea to visit Seoul, Jeju and Sorak mountain but then I had to cancel for some personal reasons - Mamul and Epoy enjoy your trip!

Lastly, I am actually in a dilemma of quitting or not from my job. Or maybe going back to the Philippines :(  Or going for an MBA?  This has bothered me for quite sometime already.  All I am asking for is God's guidance and blessing or wisdom... .  But yeah, I still have lots of financial obligations so, that will be a major factor in this decision which I'll be making. 

According to Francois Bacon, "A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds." Well the question right now, if I am that man he points out if not then I will first have to strive harder to be that wise folk :))  Just kidding!

I think I just need to stop over thinking and just believe in the Almighty that things will come at the right time and place.

Have a happy Saturday guys!

Last day in Paris

Truly a beautiful place to visit, Paris.



This was the last day of our Paris adventure. Our plan was to see the Louvre and shop. Going to the Louvre was pretty easy since we were used to the train system already of Paris (but honestly not for me). Anyway, we reached the museum rather early. It was a bit cold and at the same time really exciting. The entrance was not that expensive compared to some of Singapore's attractions. The place is a monster and really big. We queued and got in. I forgot where we went exactly but it was like touring art pieces from different countries and time. The collection is really amazing. One which excited the group was the Mona Lisa. Well, I have read about the painting in our English literature when I was in primary school and it's one of the most beautiful painting in the world because of its mysterious smile. Going to the Mona Lisa was a long journey I mean really, it felt like we were walking from my flat to the office and back. But it was a feast for the eyes so nevertheless it's worthy of that long trek? Anyway, when we reached Mona Lisa, I was not expecting it to be small but it's still captivating. I am grateful for the opportunity of seeing the it live.

After the photos, Kay suggested that we see the Monet paintings. We were a bit lost and so we had to ask a couple of times as to where we can see his paintings. It was another mile long walk. After passing the artifacts from Africa and Egypt, we had to climb the stairs as it's the place of Claude Monet and other artists. We were not disappointed. Claude Monet's work were brilliant. According to Kay, there's another museum devoted to him. Well it was not part of the itinerary but if I will have time and resources, I'll be happy to visit his works and maybe if I will seriously have a lot of money, I'll go buy one of his masterpieces. After the tour de Louvre, we decided to shop!



Since the girls wanted to buy Longchamp and the boys were buying other things so we decided to split up and just meet somewhere. We cannot afford to lose time since we might be caught up with a lot of tourists. It was another long walk and after few times of asking we reached the shopping district which I forgot what it was called. But anyway, the mall that we went into was called Printemps. Peter bought a Louis Vuitton and I bought a Fred Perry. The girls had the Longchamp and since there were limited displays, they searched for the bags in some other store. Peter and I were a bit hungry, so we stopped at a nearby restaurant serving mainly pasta. I was looking for rice but it was raining and were hungry so I have to settle for pasta. As usual, their pasta is tasteless (I am excited for Italy). Anyway, the good thing was the serving was huge wahahahah :P

After lunch and checking for some shops, we had to wait for the girls at some corner and Peter was a bit tired already so we looked from some place to sit. It was a bit boring doing nothing plus their were smokers everywhere so I decided to check other shops. We still have some few hours actually based on the plan and so there I went for a sneak. There were lots of things to buy but I did not want to add to the bulk in my luggage. After checking stuff's here and there, I went back where Peter was, and he looked in a bad mood really. It was because of this one Caucasian guy who felt he owned the place and knowing Peter to say something so he talked back to this Caucasian guy. If I recalled they were arguing about the seat or something. Anyway, since waiting for the girls at the mall proved useless, Peter and I decided to go back to the hotel and them there. There was wifi so I enjoyed it and I was a bit tired of all the walking that we did so I took a nap at the hotel's mini waiting area.

The girls came around 4PM and we needed to catch our train going to Venice at around 7PM. We packed our stuff and off we went to the train station. We reached the station too early and it's great because I get paranoid if I'm late for this type of schedules. The feeling was relaxing and a bit lonely. In fact, for the first time, I felt sad because I am leaving Paris and I felt that there were still some things that I need to enjoy and like. Well, I promised to go back to France and explore the country for all its worth. Good luck to my bank account :))

But, I guess I have to say Bonjor no Italy ;)

Bonjour Paris !!!

For the next day, we were planning to go to Versailles and yes the ride was long and we got lost on our way but not to worry or anything because we were safe and sound :D

The train ride took us a good hour or more and the place was chilling. We stopped at a local starbucks and some of my friends were buying stuff. I did not have anything because I am not into coffees not unless necessary :)



Going to the palace of Versailles itself was not that great because it was cold, and you had to walk in cobblestones. For you to survive, you need to have a good pair of shoes and good layer of clothing if you still want to look fashionable but not bulky.

Anyway, the entrance is beautiful so it paid for that unfortunate long walk and suddenly it rained. I thought it was going to ruin everything and just hoped that castle's inner beauty will be more than that of it's entrance.

There were lot's of tourist from all over the globe and I think tourism is giving life to France.



Anyway, cam whoring is a must inside the castle of Versailles as the paintings the old clocks, chandeliers, beds, tables and chairs and whole lot of century old furnishing are a delight :D

After we toured the insides of the castle, we went outside and checkout the palace garden :D

It was a great day touring Versailles and we were so hungry after that and we had to find a place to eat. It was another long walk and we found McDonalds :) We ate a lot of real French fries :))

Kay, and some of the mates were planning to go to Monet's place but then it was drizzling a bit and so they decided to go with us going back to central Paris. The immediate plan was to actually go to the Eiffel tower.

We reached the station nearest to the Eiffel and it was another long walk - good thing not in cobblestones. Cobblestones are a good sight, so don't get me wrong but they can be painful on your feet if you are not used to it.

Eiffel tower is a man-made marvel I should say.

We decided to buy the tickets and off we went to the highest observation deck in Paris. The queue going to the tower was long but the sight once you are on top is magnificent. That moment on, I was thinking of going back to Paris in the near future ;)



After the Eiffel tower, we decided to go on a river cruise at Siene. We were waiting for Karen so we decided to stroll a bit and took some pictures again and again :D

We bought the tickets for the river cruise but before that, we went to the souvenir shops and I bought a cap which says Paris for my dad. He loves caps so I bought two for him already. I also have a nice notebook for my brother.

Going back, we were queuing at the river cruise terminal. Since the folks were waiting for Karen, some of us had to go in first and reserve some seats and the other waited for Karen. Before the cruise started, Karen and the rest came and the cruise began.



Everything in Paris has a lot of stories to tell. Great men and women in the olden times who contributed to France's rich history. It was interesting to listen to some histories which honestly I forgot but then the sight was beautiful and that river cruise is a must for any traveler in Paris. The cruise took us around 45 minutes and it was great. When we went back to where we started with the cruise, the Eiffel tower was in gold lights flickering and dancing like a star in the night. Karen told us that it's scheduled every hour starting 7PM until 9PM if I am not mistaken.



We were hungry, and the stall selling some sandwich was quite expensive. I did not buy or anything. Our next stop was to go to the Arc de Triomphe. We arrived there and took some pictures then off we went to their shopping districts. Some of my friends wanted to checkout the Luis Vuitton store but unfortunately it was close.



We just decided to buy some snacks at the mall and called it a night after that.

Here We Come Paris !

From Munich, David, Mai and Glenn went with us going to the train station bound for Paris. It is my very first time to ride a sleeper train or for better term, couchette. We just had our dinner at the station eating Burger King meals :D Mai and Glenn has something to do the next day so they bade their good byes or, we bade our good-byes :) David was still there with us sharing some 30 good minutes of his time. When it was time for boarding, he accompanied us to our caboose - we got the class B I think and in one room there were 6 of us. Anyway, it was time to say our good byes and we were thankful for David for all the nice tour. Good luck to his Masters in Munich Technical University.


It was time for boarding for real and so we had to look for our rooms inside the train and our luggage were heavy. I mean I already have 20 kilos I think. I had to have a hand carry. Inside our train room we met Sophie. She is German and she's going to Paris for her studies. She was a good company and in fact really friendly.

It was getting late and so we decided to call it a night. I was not used to sleeping a train so it was not the best sleep I had. I am not sure if it was the same for the rest of the folks.




We arrived early in Paris and the station looked really old and lots of graffiti on their walls, much the same as Barcelona. It was not that bad actually because inside the station it was more peaceful. The first thing we did was to get our tickets for the train rides we will be taking around the city.

Our hotel was a bit far from central Paris but the city's train system is fine so it was pretty much easy to locate. We were staying at hotel Coypel - small 2 star hotel but really clean. Our plan for the day was to just tour Paris by train and on foot. Honestly I was still sleepy but we were there for only three days and I don't want to just sleep :) Since we did not have our breakfast yet, we decided to checkout the restaurant beside the hotel. It was a bit challenging because their menu was in French and the staff was refusing in speaking English to us. But we we've been warned actually about this so we knew what we were getting at. Elaine studied some French at Alliance de Cebu so it was a help on deciding what to eat. It was an interesting meal actually just right for the day. After the meal we had to prepare for our Paris excursion....

After taking a quick bath and all, we had to meet at the mini lobby of the hotel and off we went to our excursion.

A highlight for the evening was we watched a show at the Moulin Rouge with Karen - she's a Cebuana colleague in Gemalto, Singapore whose now based in Paris :)




To be continued ....

I don't know what's the title.

The feeling of wanting to break free is again lingering... As much as I'd like to, but I couldn't....

The fact is, I know myself as a person who does not sit on things. I need to make sure and be assured of the concreteness of things.

I don't like to say nothing especially if the whole thing is totally unfair.

What exactly happened last week was a circus to me. Yeah and it's about work. I don't want to incriminate myself or point fingers, so I can not further divulge.

How I wished that people learn from other people. I believe I have said and done what I need to and I know it's not enough but I will continue to do it....

Note to self: timing, acceptance, sense of fairness and equality, perseverance and yeah fun :D

Lastly, I hate communism!

What took this so long ?

I dared not to write anything for the past days grrrrrrrrrr .... I tried to but can't get it off my mind. I have been blogging since 2007 and actually been writing since grade school. I guess an old habit will always find its master.

Well a lot of things has happened - really a lot. Sorry for the great hiatus, though it's not enough to say those words, still I'd like to utter those words....

After July's passing, I went to Vietnam with my officemates. We strolled the streets of Ho Chi Minh and ate some local food. I love their Pho (noodles) with all the spices and vegetables and of course meat. Toured the countryside and checkout some historical sites and places of interests. Therefore I conclude wahahahaha I am really scared of snakes because when we had a Mekong delta tour, we landed on an island and there was a boy who brought a python and to test myself, I dared to hold it but I can't deny every muscle in my body was shaking and I was trying to hold my breath when my friend took a photo. I did it so the shaking were not visible blllleee.... Wahahahha ... I am also a bit claustrophobic because when we explored the tunnels of Cu Chi, I panicked. So I was not able to cross under the tunnel to the other end.... I'm not sure if its the small space I was in or I guess the darkness which enveloped the whole place, or maybe - both?

Recently, also went home which is in Cebu, Philippines. Feeling homesick and missing home cooked meals was one of the reasons I booked a plane ticket via SilkAir. Seeing my dad and my brother was great ;) Most of my days were spent at home but during the night I went out and met some friends for dinner. Also, I watched local TV shows excessively and play with our house pets. On a particular Wednesday, I attended my officemate's wedding. I was their candle in the ceremony. It's a Catholic wedding so there were some symbolism to it. The church wedding was really beautiful and I could see that the couple, together with their families and friends were really happy. All in all, I spent 9 days in Cebu.

Also, our pet dog died of some viral infection.... It was so sad for the whole family. We treated our pets like members in the family. It was a Sunday and I was watching a dog movie early in the morning entitled, "Hachiko" and my brother just buzzed me via facebook telling me that our dog passed away. I couldn't do anything but wept.

Another engineer was recruited in the office and there's another one who came, an Indonesian lad but he resigned just after a month of work. I guess there's something wrong, somewhere, on how the things were managed because people were leaving.... Hope someone can notice and take action on this. But sometimes, to some, it's easier to turn a blind eye to certain things rather than deal with it. Good luck to my mates who had left Gemalto tools - team. Personally, I understand their decision and sentiments and I wish them success. And to the newcomers, I welcome them too.

Also, I quit from Fitness First, subscribed and bought an Iphone4 with Singtel and lastly, finished reading a Sidney Sheldon book entitled, "Are you afraid of the dark?".

I think those were the major things which took place in the past months which made those days memorable and worth retelling.

I guess I'll be signing off and I can't promise when I'll blog some of the happenings. I wish I had all the luxury to do so.

I had hip-hop dance

Gemalto had this free dance workshop and I joined the hip-hop dance. I was excited about it infact, I chose to stay in front near the instructor. I think I like the moves she taught us, thus, not minding about the MJ music. Some of the moves were difficult and she gave us like discounts - she's joining the Great Singapore Sale.

The lesson took us two hours and I was a bit drained. The room felt so humid and I was gasping for air. Good thing there were few minutes of breaks as she noticed that people were gasping for air.

Anyway, after the lessons, my friends and I went to ION to get my jeans at Uniqlo. I had it altered because its too long. And since we got lost in getting to Uniqlo, and it was a deal, I had to treat my friends for a drink.

We had dinner at Food Republic and yeah I bought them drinks.

I want to try another lesson and hopefully it's for free. Thanks to Gemalto for sponsoring the activity especially to the organizers. It diminished the stress brought about by office work and also it makes our Fridays non-monotonous.

She's resigned....

Our officemate and a teammate at the same time has recently tendered her resignation. She has been in Gemalto for two years and I knew her for just over a year. I can a bit relate to her because for the 5 years of work experience I had, I also have gone to so many companies. In effect, I knew how it goes and how it really felt to leave and to be left. I know some of her personal reasons and it's kind of really private so my gut is sealed. Somehow it was fun having her in our team especially the foods which she oftentimes place in our cube's center table, ready to be shared to the team.

Anyway, our team organized a video montage of sorts. We had this officemate's camera rolling and we videoed some clips of farewell in different languages. I took the liberty of saying it in Tagalog, and there were translations in Indonesian, Mandarin, Hindi, Thai and English. It's really fun and there were some bloopers during the shoot. Other teams who belong to the same R&D software engineering dept. had some skit.

Just after lunch today, all the males in the team danced to the tune of single ladies. It was really fun. After that, all the members of this particular team in Gemalto had the last farewell clip.

Tomorrow, we will all gather for a dinner at Plaza Singapura, in an Indonesian restaurant.

Did I say, I worship Zara?

This blog is supposedly not about fashion but yeah, I like Zara stuff. Here in Singapore, this fashion store is everywhere like mushrooms trying to grow in everyone's backyard - at least in my native land in Cebu, Philippines.

Anyway, Gemalto, which is where I work, is having this Dinner and Dance, with this concept of the 80's. I do not personally know how I should look but looking at anything 80's online is just so crazy. From the goth look, to punk, to vintage 80's, to being athletic 80's and the list goes on and on. They said the 80's was revolutionized by the idea of experimentation of self individuality and expression and it shows in the clothes during that time. I did my research and the one thing caught my attention was the chuck taylor shoes. I like it but I wanted to have it with something different. My friends and I were planning to go to JB but we did not just have time. So we went off to malls and looked for what to wear that would at least tell about the 80's. It's a bit of a disaster of you if you're one off a decade or the other way around. So it has to be planned. Since in my line of work, everyone is expected to be a bit geek or nerd or extremely of both as we are in software research and development but then I don't want to be identified as such. I don't want to blend with my crowd even if I like my crowd. So I decided to shop at Zara. It's not just Zara actually because I got my jeans at TopMan - another trendy shop. But the highlight of this dress-myself-up is my shoes:) I had an eye for that shoes when Gemalto's recreation club announced the theme for this year's celebration which will be at Shangri La. And this day, I bought a pair. I also plan to be wearing a shirt on the occasion so I also got a good bargain from the store. It's actually a bright yellow shirt, so it should do the trick.

But yeah, I like the Zara shoes I just bought, and hope this will even give a blast as to how I look on the said event. Hope things, won't turn out to be a disaster and hope all the Gemalto employees will wear the 80's style.

Work Rant : No choice ?

I was so stunned and was really taken aback gulping an ounce of saliva.

When we had a project meeting, I detailed everything what I was doing last week and the things I did today. I then told my project leader that, there was no way for me to know which of the three culprits was responsible of the faulty behavior of validation I was doing. Arggggg. He then told me that there was no design, no documentation and all that. I was given a software to validate and now I have to resolve everything blindly. The pressure is on and it's really tough. The project was made by a third party which the company has no hold of because the contract has ended and that project was passed to me. This is again a serious case of basketball game in the workplace.

Anyway, my project lead told me that I am the one who will fix the issues.

Well it's not simple and it never will be. Aside from the technology which is very new to me and I did studied it but it's no guarantee that I got everything. As I have explained to my project lead, I do not know which things to learn and not to learn, what are the questions to ask and if I have questions, I also do not know how to ask them.

It's a bit frustrating....

Energy, I don't have it anymore, I guess? I was like trying to force myself to work and read all the ISO stuff and all the related standards but nothing would sink in. I was getting tired and sleepy and actually had some moments where I noticed myself shrinking into short naps. The scenario is too embarrassing and very unbecoming for me. Is this a sign of some sort?

I am willing to bet all of my intellectual faculties to this project but then it's not my cup of tea. As I have said, I have vowed to love, to master and explore Java and it's technologies. But, this project is in C/C++ and in Visual Basic. Grrrrr the languages which I am not an expert and languages which I have not sworn to be part of my breathing cells. Even if how demanding my work I was willing to commit if it was all Java. I guess that was one of the reasons why I do not like what I am doing. But most of it, is basically the fact that this project does not have the resources I needed. Another thing is my project lead would always tell me that he expected a lot from me because of my 4 years of experience in software but then he failed to understand that I do not have the advanced knowledge of those languages and technologies and not even the intermediate know-how. I am willing to learn but up to what point? I am actually about to give up this project but I just can't because of the huge risk which will have a major impact not just to myself ....

I guess I have no choice after all. I just need to push myself more and do some stretching more. Hope the strain won't crush me. The challenge is there but then it's not interesting for me - but, I need to do it.

Midnight Laundry

Yesterday was cruel. I had to stay late for my laundry.

I segregated the coloured from the white clothes I have and washed the coloured ones first. I took me over an hour of waiting for the first batch to finish. I had to hang them for drying as we obviously don't have a dryer. It was getting 1AM at that time.

After that, it was time for the next batch the white clothes. I had to wait for another hour for it to finish. It was 2AM and while waiting for everything to finish, I was surfing the net and at the same time reading some blogs. It's a fun thing reading peoples' blogs and knowing the person who are not even part of any history. It's kind of awesome knowing and learning from their sojourns.

I woke up at around 6AM and then I realized that I left my laundry in the unit's washing machine. It was cruel. I didn't noticed that I slept with my laptop on and was sitting in my bed and with myself pushed back on the wall in one position which gave me a back ache. I had to rise from my bed and walk very sluggishly to the washing machine. I had to hang them as well and it was harsh because I feel that I was half asleep while doing it. I had my alarm set to 7AM because of the Gemalto Orientation Seminar. It took me 10-15 minutes hanging them. I had to hurry to my bed and slept again.

I woke up around 7:15AM and still very sleepy.

Reason for not being able to wash my clothes early because, there was a very small space to hang them. Even if there was nobody using the washing machine, I can 't hang them to dry, so there you go, I had to wait until some of my housemates have dried their clothes. There are some space available outside but I don't want to risk drying them there because we are in the 20th floor and it might be blown by the gust.

Chinese New Year Celebration at Marche

I love this new company!

Last week, our technical director invited us for a lunch at the North Border, a cozy restaurant at Rochester which serves American South Western cuisine. And today, we had our lunch at Marche. Marche is actually a French word which means market. It's a restaurant at Vivo City just a few minutes ride from Ayer Rajah Crescent where Gemalto is located.

We got out of the office around 12:15PM and I was really hungry. You see, I only ate Mars Chocolate bar for my breakfast as there was not any rice and viand cooked. Certainly my fault for not preparing one. Anyway, I did not know then where we were heading and when the clock ticked 12noon, our manager told us that we were going already and it's at Marche.

I know the place but haven't tried having lunch there.

Anyway, when we got to the place, we were given an NFC card which would serve as our order record list, somewhat a money card. I think we were limited to 100 SG dollars per person. It was exciting as the food looked really delicious. Too bad I did not bring my digital camera with me.

Anyway, I ordered garlic sausage, Australian pork and they were grilled so I have to get back after ten minutes. I went around and saw this juice stall. I then ordered a large glass of orange - apple juice. I needed rice but the only available recipe was a paella and it has shrimp on it. Not unless I wanted to have those allegies again heheheh so I opted to look around. There were bread but I was not attracted to it. There was this slightly heavy queue on the Rosti section so I aligned myself. Checking on the list of menus, I picked Rosti with Smoked Norwegian Salmon. I then went to our table and from their delicately tasted my choices. They were all good except the smoked salmon which was a little weird. I finished my lunch with that one scoop of a very delicious Swiss chocolate ice cream and a scoop of passion fruit with mango which tastes funny.

After the meal, we had this picture taking. Hoping I can get copies of the pictures from my officemates.

Happy Chinese New Year to Everyone!