I seldom get the chance to talk to my friends and keep them up-to-date with what's going on with my life...
well, this is it. My online journal. Yah, another personal blog,just exactly what the world needs now. Let's be realistic, it's cheaper than overseas calls. Less tiring than novel-like emails.
About Me
Name: celgee Home: Philippines About Me: just read through my entries and you'll get to know me :) See my complete profile
I have been humming this song for 2 days now... my seatmate in the office can attest to that. ;) I just can't get this song out of my head...
I first saw the video of this song in Mercure. This is one of the songs I would wake up to in the morning when I was in Germany. For some reason the songs/music videos shown in MTV or VIVA between 6:30 to 7:30am are quite the same (Nelly Furtado's Say it right, Beyonce and Shakira's Beautiful Liar, Avril Lavigne's song Girlfriend, etc.) I should be heading out of my room by the time I hear Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape... means I have to go eat breakfast and start walking my way to office. :)
I had my late dinner at home, and requested for sausages. I am not talking about an ordinary sausage or hotdog... I was able to bring home sausages from Germany. :) Tita Helen (Jannet's mom) bought them for me and my dad. (Yes, my dad --everytime I would call home he would remind me about sausages and chocolates).
Anyway, going back to the sausages, I've got: 1) Frankfurter Rindswurst 2) Wiener Würstchen 3) Schlemmer Platte 4) Rostbratwurst (I miss having this every morning) 5) Schinkenfleischwurst
Good thing Jannet listed out how to cook them (e.g in oil or water) and which ones are ready to eat. It's been more than a week now since I got back and we still have a some in our freezer (expiration is still late June). Why do we still have some left? It's not that my parents didn't like them... it's just that they would only eat them when I am at home... ;)
I don't have anything special to write in my blog, but since I am not yet sleepy.. I decided to play Maria Mena's song Just Hold Me in YouTube and answer one of the posts a friend posted in her Friendster Bulletin Board.
Who is the last person you held hands with? Jp
Single or taken? Taken
If you were drafted into a war, would you survive? No, I don't think so
Have you ever drank milk straight out of the carton? No
Have you ever won a spelling bee? Just 3rd Place when I was in Grade 3
Who is the last person you texted? Jp
Are you a fast typer? not really...
Are you afraid of the dark? Yes.
When was the last time you chose a bath over a shower? Bath? Today when I arrived from work. Got wet in heavy rain outside
Do you knock on wood? Yes.
Are you drinking anything right now? Nope.
Do you think you're attractive? No
Do you know the muffin man? No
Do you talk in your sleep? sometimes.
Have you ever flown a kite? No.
When was the last time that you went swimming and where? April 19, Loreland Resort
How many people are on your contact list of your cell phone? 290
Have you ever asked for a horse? No
Plans for tomorrow? QuantumThink traning, All Hands, Meetings in the afternoon, meetings in the evening... :)
Missing someone right now? Yes
How are you feeling today? Confused about some things... but the overall feeling is that I am happy
Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school? No
What are you looking forward to? a happy family of my own
Have you ever crawled through a window? Yes :)
Can you handle the truth? I think so
Do you like green eggs and ham? Green eggs?
What 3 things do you always bring with you to places? my cellphone, house keys and wallet
Any cool scars? None.
Do you like or have a crush on anyone? Who? me? ummm.. ummm..um. Yes.
Who was the last person you kissed? Jp
How often do you talk on the phone? Daily.
Do you believe in love? Yes
Is there something you want that you can't have?? Yes
Who did you last hug? Jp
Where is your phone? on the table, beside my laptop
What was the last thing you ate? Dried Mangorind (got a pack from our neighbor who exports 7D to HK)
Favorite Colors? brown and pink
Last movie you saw? Pirates of the Carribean
What song are you listening to? Earlier it was Just hold me, now it's Say it right by Nelly Furtado
What do you want? WANT? I want a new camera.
What t.v. show are you watching now? Aint watching t.v. now
Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Jp
You read the title right...there's a party!! Christmas is in Manila. :)
Christmas is one of my 13 close friends from High School. She has been living in Manhattan since August 2005. She is working as a nurse in the Metropolitan Hospital. She is here in Manila with her fiancee, Gee -- meeting relatives and preparing for their wedding in August 2008.
We all met up at SM North at 5pm. Reg was a bit late since rain is pouring hard outside (rain = traffic). We decided to go The Block and get some snacks because I was already getting hungry. There were a lot of people in BreadTalk, but we decided to wait in line. I was craving for bread, cheese, ham and apple juice. :) After 20 minutes of waiting, we finally got to the counter AND Reg has arrived in SM. She couldn't get a parking space so we had to just bring our snacks to her car and head straight to Guilly's Island in Timog. ;)
The place is nice, a good venue to talk and catch up with latest buzz from my friends.
Christmas and Gee shared their story... how they've met, first impressions and their challenges (Gee lives in San Francisco, and Christmas is in NY). They really look good together -- actually, they look a lot like each other :)
Nins (Bocalan-Zabella), my pretty bestfriend for 17yrs, is on her 7th month. The entire barkada is looking forward to her see her Baby Chico. Chico will be the 2nd baby in the barkada, next to Chiz. I wonder who among my friends will have the 1st baby girl?
Jane (Bautista)... or should we call her Zara? Haha.. We couldn't stop ourselves from teasing her the entire evening. She's currently going loco over Zara... she was saying that she wouldn't buy any clothes from local shops or tiangges and would prefer Zara and Marks & Spencer. ;) Haha.. ok. hmmm.. She's now a Zara-holic? I couldn't stop laughing when we got into the "What-if's Q&A portion" (a.k.a the Situational Interview). Nins loves to ask situational questions...and she always makes me wonder about a lot of things when she does this to me.. good thing I wasn't the one on the hot seat. It's Jane's turn! So what were the questions that she got -- what if's about her lovelife...Jane received questions like: "What if the guy courting you couldn't afford your lifestyle? What if he's just a cab driver? What if he is your staff? What if he is at the same level/position as Jane BUT has no teeth (hahahaha) AND has lots of acne? Eventually we all ran out of crazy questions or situations, but no matter how crazy our questions were, Jane seemed to answer them seriously and we got surprized by some of her responses. Hmmmm... oh, well. I am pretty sure there is one destined for her.. and when that time comes, all the "what if's" will not matter... no matter what rules or expectations she would have.. I am pretty sure that once she meets her match, HE will be an exception... ;) Can't wait to hear about how she will react when that happens....
Reg (Reyes) wasn't feeling well today. She was not in her perky self...and I sort of missed her perkiness. She's one of the most talkative in the barkada (Yup, I am just half as talkative and perky as Reg). Had Reg been in a good condition during the Q&A portion with Jane, I am pretty sure she would have been grilled. :)
Anna (Del Mundo) shared her stories about her past flame (a.k.a her player bf?!) and some funny stories about the guys she have met at work - like the subscriber (Anna works for SMART) who asked her about her vital stats..(WHOA!! That was brave..I am pretty sure he now know's he wouldn't get an answer to that question)
Joy (Maravilla) joined us as well. Still macho as ever.. (just kidding..love you, Joy!!) hehe.. Too bad I didn't get to hear a lot of her stories. Joy is the barkada's Physical Therapist... I guess she'll be the next person in the barkada who's moving to the US.
After having dinner at Guilly's, we had coffee at Starbucks and continued talking. :) Everyone's excited about Christmas' wedding in August. Most of the preparations and reservations have been done.. the only thing we need to plan for in July 2008 is her bridal shower. :)
I am a Blake fan and I have been wishing he'd make to the top 2. And he did. But after I heard Jordin's rendition of the song "This is my now", I knew she's going be the winner. (it's a nice song... and i like it)
This is my now
There was a time I packed my dreams away. Living in a shell, hiding from myself.
There was a time when I was so afraid. I thought I'd reached the end, But baby that was then I am made of more than my yesterdays.
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment. As I look around I can't believe the love I see. My fear's behind me, gone are the shadows and doubts. That was then, this is my now.
And I have the courage like never before, yeah. I've settled for less now I'm ready for more, Ready for more.
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment. As I look around I can't believe the love I see. My fear's behind me, gone are the shadows and doubts. That was then, this is my now.
I'm living in the moment I look around I can't believe the love I see. My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubts. That was then, this is my now. This is my now.
While cleaning up my inbox in gmail, I came across this email from my cousin. :) Just thought it might be worth sharing...
How to stay young? (Or should I say keep the wrinkles away)
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about computers, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county or to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. :)
Father's day is a holiday in Germany. Last monday (May 14) is a holiday in Manila due to the elections and I got a chance to offset my holiday today. :)Luckily, I got invited to join my client-friends for another holiday getaway in Frankfurt.
Steffen and I listed some things that we could do today, and out of the 8 items to choose from, we were able to do 2 from our list.
First stop, SchlossPark Freudenberg -- We went to the Freudenberg castle and viewed the various exhibits they have to test one's senses. They have drums on the ceiling which create various sounds by hitting the wood hanging from it. We also tried to make steel pots "sing", test our sense of touch by guessing the contents of clay pots and also test our sense of smell by guessing the scent coming from the glass bottles. My favorite part (and one of the stories I never fail to mention when asked about my stay in Germany) is my Dark Bar and Labyrinth experience. :) Dark Bar? Yes, you read it right... it's a Dark Bar. Literally speaking. It's pitch black and one could not really see anything inside. We walked inside holding on to the shoulder of the person in front of us, and we were guided by the waitress to out seats. I kept my eyes open but could not make out anything from my surroundings. The bar gives an experience of how things are for someone blind. Heightened senses... suddenly everything sounds so clear and even the slightest touch or texture creates an image in my mind. I first checked the table in front of me (should I say "felt" the table)--it was a long table with 2 layers. We also tried to guess how many people are inside the bar, and found out that they can only seat 12 people for each "session".
The most exciting part is in ordering, eating and paying for your food. I had coffee and a donut. Their coffee pots are special as it makes a sound to tell the waitress to stop pouring coffee. (Yes, no exceptions... EVERYONE can not see anything even the waitresses). Paying was also a challenge, and I was joking that I might hand out a Philippine Peso bill as my payment. :) The waitress would have to "feel" the payment (bills or coins) to determine how much was paid by the customers. We walked out on our own, just following the voice of the guide who was in the exit door.
The Labyrinth Experience is also memorable for me. What I had in mind was sort of a maze, with some wall decors that one can view... (translation: with some light). I took a sneak peak at the labyrinth and could not see anything...at all. Hmmm... too bad I didn't memorize the maps drawn by the kids who have been to the labyrinth which were posted in the wall outside. There was a short briefing before entering the the labyrinth, and we were taught how not to bump our heads on the wall (ehem ehem hehehehe). Kirsten went in first, followed by me, Steffen and Stephan. I got scared when I got in not only because I am afraid of the dark but the thought of being in a confined space made feel like I will be trapped at some point. I kept on talking to Steffen, Stephan and Kirsten -- trying hard to listen and follow their voice. Later on, I think I was holding on to someone's jacket.. hehehe. There were some logs on the way that you have to walk over, a bridge and a walk area full of stones. We all got out safely, but the order of how we got in was jumbled.. The "new" sequence was Stephan, Kirsten, Steffen and me.
After taking some pictures around the park, we went for some Indoor Kart Racing. :) As expected, I finished last... We also had dinner at a nice restaurant. I had Schnitzel, Fries, Salad and Apple Wine. :) As a parting gift, I got a bottle of Apple Wine, Lemonade and Bembel (a clay pitcher used to serve apple wine. :) Thanks Steffen, Kirsten and Stephan!!! :)
I left the office in a rush to catch my flight to Frankfurt. When I got to the cab, I was greeted warmly by the cab driver. He already knew I was heading to the airport, and he asked me where my destination would be. I said Frankfurt. He continued to ask me if I live there... I said no, I live in Manila... Upon hearing the word, "Manila", it seemed like I triggered something in his memory and he started talking...non-stop. He spoke about his trips to Asia (Bangkok, Shanghai), the beautiful places, beautiful weather, beautiful people... and he was saying that Germany is cold, and some people are cold as well.. uhummm.. okay.
I kept on checking on my watch (it was already 6pm), and I told the cab driver that I need to get to the airport soon as my flight leaves in 50minutes, and I had to be there at 6:10pm for the check-in cut-off.
To cut the story short, yes, I missed my flight. I was 5 minutes late and my seat has been given away already. Luckily, there were still seats available in the next flight to Frankfurt and I was able to get on it without any extra cost. Whew!! ;)
Most of my friends who saw my pictures in friendster said that I gained weight. Actually, I did feel that I gained weight since my jeans got a bit tighter. Good thing it didn't reach the point that I could no longer fit in them :)
So what could be the factors that caused my weight increase? a.) Healthy food from the cafeteria? b.) Lunch & Dinner outs (with our client/s or my friends)? c.) Big servings of food? d.) Hiyang sa Germany? e.) All of the above
No matter how hard I try to justify why I gained weight, there's no use explaining... :) Just have to start on my diet... otherwise, Jp will continue to tease me and call me "PICHAN".
I arrived in Berlin at 11am. Florence and Daniel picked me up from the airport and took me to the Radisson SAS hotel to drop my things before starting the Berlin tour. :)
Flo and I walked around Berlin for several hours...and after several steps I would keep on pausing to take pictures of the nice structures and historic sites in Berlin. Want to see what I have taken? Like Frankfurt, there are a lot of museums in Berlin. (But I didn't go to any of the museums, just took pictures outside). Flo also took me to one of the famous chocolate shops in Berlin. I bought a bar of chocolate for my dad (one which had a bear stuffed toy, the bear is for me). We had iced coffee in Einstein and then headed to Unter de Linden. Around 3pm, Flo and I took the train and headed to Regina and Joost's flat for a cake party. It's Regina's birthday. :) I also got to meet Gunnar, his wife Andrea and their baby girl, Linda. Stephanie and Daniel also arrived and joined the party.
Flo, Daniel and I went to a beer garden after dinner for a few drinks. :)
Spiderman 3. Watched it today with Steffen and Kirsten. :)
The ticket is quite expensive -- 8EUR for Spiderman(~512Php). But it's okay, it's something I can add to my 'Germany-Experience'. Actually, the ticket is a bit cheaper than the ticket for 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' when I watched it in Shanghai in 2005. The ticket then costs 80Yuan (~560Php). Four times the price of a ticket in nice movie house in Manila, like Greenbelt. Still, no regrets... after all, how often can you go to another country and watch movie with your friends? One can easily spend or lose money... so I'd rather spend my money and be happy about it.
About the movie...It was funny, though there were some scenes that I found to be a bit dragging. Too bad Harry died, just when he finally turned back from his evil side... He could have still lived, had Spiderman called 911 first before talking to the sandman. :) Hehehehehe
I have sent an email to my friend from elementary the other day saying that I am in Germany. Jannet was sooo happy to hear about it and we both decided to meet up on May 5 (Sat), sleep over their house and return to the hotel on Sunday.
The last time I saw her was in 2001, and I could still recall saying that she should visit me again in Manila soon...It's funny that I have NEVER thought of the possibility of being sent to Germany and meeting up here. Serendipity.
Allan, Jannet and Alyssa picked me up from the hotel at 1:30pm. Jannet and I talked non-stop in the car -- reminiscing about our years in elementary, our crushes in Grade School, the fun things we've done, the stories we used to talk about ;), latest updates about our friends, and a whole lot more. You can imagine how noisy we were in the car :)
We had lunch at a Thai restaurant and then strolled around Heidelberg. There was sort of a medieval festival. There were some people in costumes and some performers (jesters, jugglers, etc). There were also a lot of locals, tourists and students. We then took the train going up the heidelberg castle. After a lot of pictures, we had ice cream at Haagen-Dazs. (Yum yum!)
9:30am, Mercure Hotel Frankurt Eschborn Sud Lobby. Steffen, Kirsten, Stephan and I met up for a tour in the nearby towns, vineyards and castles. Our first stop -- Rudesheim.
Stephan entered Rudesheim in his car's GPS, and after driving for several kms we found ourselves in a Rudesheim (not the one we all intended to go...there are 2 places called Rudesheim in Frankfurt hehehe)
We then crossed the Rhine river to Rudesheim. I had a nice view of the beer gardens :), souvenir shops (yipee!!) and vineyards (my first time to see vineyards)...We then rode a cable car to get to the Niederwald Monument. A relaxing experience -- you'll get a good view of the Rhine Valley, a lovely place to visit, and a must see if you are in Germany. :)
We also went to the famous Loreley Rock. (Loreley Myth:, Loreley is blond siren on the rock who once lured sailors on the Rhine to their death with her beguiling song and mysterious beauty). We went to the small towns and castles. We had lunch in a restaurant inside a castle. Everyone esp Steffen is anxious to eat. :) Unfortunately, it took some time for us to get seats. We also had to wait for around 30minutes to get our food and another 30minutes to get our 2nd round of drinks. The place, view and food is great... i just think that they are under staffed. We drove out to another castle after lunch. More photo opportunities. :) We went up the castle and took more pictures (whew..I was already running out of air after several steps, I really need to do some exercise). We had ice cream after the short hike. I tried out the Rhum Rumba ince cream (nope, I didn't turn red!)
When did I turn red? After the white wine tasting... we got to a wine place, where you could order different types of wine. I guess my taste is quite different, and I preferred the sweeter wines, and ending up finishing just the juice hehehehe.
Our last stop: The Australian Restaurant named Yours. Steffen and Stephan were teasing me because I didn't want to eat a kangaroo... I wasn't too excited to eat one. I am more interested in seeing or being with one. *wink*wink*
After 15 hours on the plane, I have finally been able to set my foot on land again. Upon getting out of the plane, I immediately felt the breezy cold air...I am definetely no longer in Manila.
I got to the Mercure Hotel in Frankfurt Eschborn Sud at around 11:00am. I immediately unpacked some of my things and the stuff I will be needing for work (dried mangoes, Starbucks Manila mugs.. haha.. just kidding). Steffen picked me up from the hotel at 12noon.
I had my first lunch in Frankfurt with Steffen, Leon, Martin, Horst, Heinrich and Steffen. I had chicken, potatoes and spatzel (or something that sounds like that.. I can’t remember the spelling). They said it’s local type of pasta or noodles, some said it was made from potato. Whatever it was, it was good.
Around 7pm, Stephan and I went to the indoor wall-climbing place. Stephan and Robert taught me about the basics. My 1st climb was fine, I was able to get to the top without having to sit/hang on the harness. It was the easiest of all the walls in there. We took turns in climbing, and after 3 more tries, my arms, fingers and legs were already tired and shaky. I also had some bruises from the climb because my knees kept on hitting the rocks on my way up. It’s a good exercise, and I might have developed some muscles from it (haha.. ok – that’s more like a wish). We then had dinner at Burger king. I tried their chicken sticks with bbq sauce, pretty much like the chicken nuggets from Mcdonalds. :)
I tried to squeeze in a lot of things today - spent time with my parents, relatives and Jp, plus double-checking my list if I already have every thing I need for the next weeks. My mom and I had our last minute shopping for the merienda/afternoon snack - pancit, puto and drinks as sort of a farewell party that she wanted to give me (umm...take note: I will only be gone for 3 weeks). Really sweet.. :) Jp also dropped by our house for merienda. He didn't want to join my parents in going to the airport (he might just end up crying.. really. I am serious.) We got to the airport at 8:30pm. (My flight is at 12:10am Apr 30). Said goodbye to my dad, mom and aunt... gave them a kiss and walked away. My mom got a bit teary eyed (sort of expected that) same thing that happened when I left before for Chicago and Shanghai. ;)
Lufthansa, LH789. I was seated near the exit door... I was hoping to be in the window seat. Thought about requesting for it, but realized that I will only be asleep most of the time so why even bother. :)
The guy seated next to me is a seaman. He was not really supposed to sit next to me, but since the seat is next to the emergency exit door and passenger who is going to seat next to me is in Guangzhou(stopover before going to Frankfurt), the flight attendants looked for someone else to sit there temporarily. I liked my seat.. more leg room for me since it is in the exit door (as if I have long legs). ;)
Filipinos are really talkative. It's quite common that one would start up a conversation about anything. He started by asking where I am going. He was going to Denmark. Frankfurt is just his stopover and he to take 2 more connecting flights to get to their ship in Denmark. At first I was the one who was soooo talkative -- I already know where he lives in Manila (Novaliches), and that they lived there since 1980..and prior to that they lived in Calavite. He got married at the age of 26, and has a kid. He even told me the stroy of how he met his wife. After an hour of talking, I finally stopped asking him questions. I reclined my seat a bit and closed my eyes. Unfortunately, he still continued talking. He spoke about how his previous relationships ended, life at the sea, his feelings about leaving.. I feel like a psychologist. Only difference was that I was the one with closed eyes and in a reclined seat -- talk about psychoanalysis. I was really really sleepy but decided to stay awake and just continued talking to him. It will only be an hour more...
After getting to Guangzhou, he moved to his original seat and I immediately brought out my iPod. I will not speak to my seatmate again... I will just sleep for the entire duration of my trip to Germany. (Well of course there were some instances that I needed to wake up and eat.)
There was sort of a medieval festival. There were some people in costumes and some performers (jesters, jugglers, etc). There were also a lot of locals, tourists and students.
