Manual Revision Workshop in Tagaytay

January 2-4, 2008 - First work day of the year and I had to bring with me at work my ever dependable and reliable backpack. We stayed at Taal Vista Hotel for the revision of training materials to be used for the National Roll-out of Computerized System under the USAID's Millennium Challenge Project. I call this project - ITS Redux. We're at it again - 10 years after the bureau's Tax Computerization Project.....New project name but same old people, even training materials. A rehash project as I would have reported in Katayama Sensei's seminar class. But hey, at least I got to take pictures of the famed volcano and the the lake - active and designated as one of the 16 decade volcanoes.

Ading's 7th B-day Celeb

Visited Melissa last December 3 to celebrate Ading's birthday. Met her other family members; got to host the birthday party with the two clowns; and had my face painted with sponge bob character. Forgot to take pictures of her new home in Cut-Cut Executive Village, =(

We had our first picture together in the Philippines, from now on no more Japan sceneries in the background....

Tokyo, 070926-070928

Shinjuku, Roppongi, Akihabara and Narita, crammed the last two days of our two-year stay in Japan.

Top 10 Signs that I am Back in the Philippines

I can't remember exactly the two instances that I uttered to myself, "I'm so back!" I think one has to do with the office gossip and policies, the other I really can't remember.  Having taken an extended holiday leave from the office and haven't written any blog entry for more than a month, here it is - the top 10 signs that I am back in Pinas:

10 - I eat three meals a day and at home somebody would holler before every meal, "Nineng, kakain na!" (Monet, time to eat!)
9 - Cable tv 24/7:  I discovered that there is such a channel as NHK World.  I swear, I tried watching NHK all day in Japan but aside from Eigo de Asobu and other Let's Speak English programs, NHK in Japan is all Japanese!
8 - There is no such thing as MRT Train Schedule.  I'm not really a train commuter in Manila but after fostering a friendship with hyperdia.com and jorudan.net for more than two years, I kinda miss not needing them here.
7 - At the office, 8:15 a.m. is not late (but 8:16 is).  We have a 15-minute grace period at the office, talk about a twist in Filipino time. 
6 - I now know atras powers, Arturo (Sergio's sidekick in Marimar) is gay and Jamie Oliver is all over Discovery Travel and Living Channel. 
5-  When Melissa sends an SMS saying, "Let's have dinner," it means we meet and eat at any of the restaurants in Trinoma and not Sannomiya.
4 - You can buy Louis Vuitton bags for 800 pesos, Dooney and Bourke handbags for 600 pesos and Tokidoki for Le Sportsac for 450 pesos.  Try to haggle and you'll even get them for lower prices.  
3 - A box of Pocky or Pretz from Thailand costs cheaper than those made in Japan. 
2 - Freedom from rent, water and electricity bills!  I can live off mommy's income!
1 - At the start of the month a coworker pushes a dot matrix print out that says my total net income for the month, minus taxes, insurance and other deductions, is P15,000 (that's roughly 30,000 yen or 300 dollars)!

Kobe, 070925-070926

Last 24 hours in Kobe-shi: Had dinner with Melissa at the Fujiya in Sannomiya Centergai. Ate dessert at Afternoon Tea in Daimaru then walk around Sannomiya and soaked in the ambiance of the shopping district at night. Took the train JR Sannomiya to JR Nada for the last time then proceeded to the Karaoke room of JICA-Hyogo. Woke up to catch my last sunrise with Kobe Harbor in the background. Attended the forgettable JDS evaluation meeting and took the shinkansen ride to Tokyo.....

2007 September 25

Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies Kobe University Fall 2007 Commencement Exercises

hairdresser, trinoma, gap

Got a call from Melissa and got out of the office an hour earlier than the usual.  Met up with her and Baby2 at Trinoma, the Ayala Mall near SM City North.  First thing we talked about - the mall will be home to Melissa's favorite clothing store - Gap.  That's two title entries that go together.
The picture - I just have to post it here because the last time we had a voice chat - I bugged her to share this picture from her camera.  I was thinking of getting a haircut early this month and was watching Kimutaku as Shuji-kun in Beautiful Life on weekends at Qtv. 
Been going to this salon in Rokkomichi since February 2006.  Really wanted to get a haircut from this guy, the hairdresser, ever since but I just didn't have the courage to insist that he be the one to cut my hair.  Always, I ended up with somebody else.  Until graduation day and on my last day of coming down from Kobe University - went to his salon and finally got a haircut from him!  There's really something hard to explain about these Japanese guys who cut tresses....