old woman in our dorm

yeweifang — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:04:26 +0000

Recently, a suspicious 69-year-old woman rented in our dorm. She started last Tuesday night. One of my housemates immediately disliked her. Me and my other housemates gave her the benefit of the doubt and chatted with her but later we felt that we don’t like her too. As many women her age, she loves to talk and sometimes it disrupts our routine at home because she would engage us in long conversations. She would talk about her daughter living in the US. She told us that she’s close to the mayor. She tells us that she was a caregiver back in 1980s and her patients were rich. She told us that she bought her husband a car yet her husband womanized that’s why they got separated. She told us that she lived in her child’s building before but because of her child’s cancer, they decided to sell the building that’s why she rented in our dorm. I asked her why she opted to rent and not live with her son instead so that if accidents happen she will have someone to help her. She told us that she doesn’t want to intervene in her son and daughter-in-law if they have discussions or quarrels. We, housemates doubted her story. We think that her children aren’t that concerned about her and even our caretaker said so. After she arrived in our dorm, we rarely went out of our rooms for fear that she would chat with us again. We hate to hear her stories. Some of them we think are not real. She’s so annoying though because she sometimes knocks on our rooms just to say something to us like one time, she knocked on my room and disturbed me from my tv watching just to tell me that someone was looking into our dorm and didn’t like the rooms. Imagine disturbing me just to tell me that, hmp! One of our housemates told our caretaker our concerns about the old woman, and she told her too of her fears that the woman might be involved in a syndicate. It’s a coincidence that two of my housemates were warned by their officemates to be careful because there have been incidents where an old woman rented in a dorm and have stolen things. After hearing these things, we were more wary about the old woman that now we even lock our rooms whenever we go to the toilet. Well, good thing is, she’ll be leaving our dorm for good today. The owner of the house had her leave for reasons such as the woman’s vertigo and her failure to pay her full deposit. Peace will be restored at last in our dorm.

Bangkok – Day 3, 4 and 5

yeweifang — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:22:43 +0000

On our third day, which is Sunday, we went to Chatuchak or Weekend Market. Nothing extraordinary there, it looks like 168 mall to me except that it has 6000 stalls. I didn’t buy much, my friends bought a lot of bags for pasalubong. I just bought 1 bag for myself and some foods like “ma-hu”. There were stalls which sell rabbits, puppies and I was tempted to buy a puppy if it’s only possible.

The next day, we booked a tour going to Safari World. It was quite an experience for all of us. We were inside our tour van as we move along the trail on a safari. We saw deers, ostriches, tigers, giraffes, bears, etc. After that we watched the scheduled shows namely the orangutan show, elephant show, dolphin show and sealion show. We also got to feed giraffes up close, and this was the best moment for me because I’ve never been near to a giraffe before, let alone feed one. I had a great time feeding them. At first I find their long tongues and saliva yucky but later on I got the hang of it. Some shorter giraffes couldn’t reach the deck where we are so they jostled their way among taller giraffes and I got pity on them so I tried to reach them but the taller giraffes would also flock near me and compete against the food. Later on, I got to feed elephants. One elephant particularly didn’t like eating a camote so he spits it out.

From morning to midday during our last day, we toured around Grand Palace. I forgot to bring my jeans and capris, shorts are not allowed, so I rented a sarong just to get inside for 100 baht. We took pictures of the temples which were intricately and elaborately designed. We saw the famous Emerald

buddha.

Bangkok – Day 1 and 2

yeweifang — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:28:27 +0000

On our first day, we went to Platinum Mall near our hotel. It’s a bargain, wholesale mall just like tutuban or 168 mall in Manila.

The next day, we woke up very early, because our tour guide fetched us in our hotel around 6:45am. First stop was at the elephant village where we got to ride an elephant for 600 baht. I was so scared the whole time since I am afraid of heights. Good thing Gemma was with me and she was not the least bit afraid. We took videos of ourselves during the ride, haha.

Me and Gemma, riding the elephant

We then went to floating market. We have to ride a bangka going there. They sell fruits, vegetables, cooked meals, but we didn’t buy any.

Going to Thailand

yeweifang — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:46:59 +0000

I’m off to Thailand tonight together with some church friends from Bacolod. I’m so stressed today because I am busy at work and later I’ll be going home early so that I’ll be at the airport by 6pm. We will be there for 5 days and I’ll be back by Wednesday. I’m excited yet at the same time I want to get this over with.

We don’t have itinerary yet, all I know is that we’re not visiting any temples or buddhas, not with my friend Gemma with you on the trip, hehe. I’m not keen on seeing temples or buddhas either, even though it’s a cultural experience. With Thailand, being one of the countries who boasts of their numerous buddhas, our itinerary will be quite limited for sure to palaces, zoos, floating markets.

Pictures to come when I come back.

random thoughts

yeweifang — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:01:46 +0000

There has never been a time when the Bureau of Immigration personnels have been patient and accommodating to my phone inquiries. Everytime I call them and make some inquiries, they would get impatient immediately when I ask about terms I don’t understand, procedures, etc. My phone calls usually don’t last more than 5 minutes because I am cut off immediately. Why are they like this? I am just a customer who wants to know and understand. Did I do something wrong to them by just asking questions? They often assume that I know what they are talking about and get mad at me for not understanding it. No wonder my mom had a stroke after processing her papers. I am near having a stroke myself if this goes on. The people from the agency where my mom used to seek help from weren’t friendly too. I have accepted the responsibility of processing my mom’s papers and this proves to be a difficult task indeed. Reading the Bureau of Immigration site gives me a headache with all the legal terms and procedures to understand. I am not a lawyer who understands the immigration laws. I am just a mere I.T. professional who knows nothing about ACR, LRF, I-Card, and what-have-you.

my trip home

yeweifang — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:04:31 +0000

And so my Bacolod trip came and went. I was so happy to see my parents again. I never realized how much I missed them until I was with them already. The saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”, doesn’t really work for me ever since. My mom was still unusually silent most of the time, while dad is, well, dad.

I was amazed with the new Silay International Airport and NAIA Terminal 3. At NAIA Terminal 3, processing got more efficient and faster. Needless to say, the area is also cleaner and brighter since the building is new. On the other hand, Silay International Airport was situated amidst acres and acres of farmlands – so relaxing. You can hardly see a single house or building within sight. Additionally, the baggages are now transported through a conveyor belt, no more hired hands to retrieve your baggages in a cramped area. The only disadvantage is that it is far from Bacolod and it must have been approximately an hour’s travel to our house. Other than that, I just can’t stop raving about the farmlands I’ve seen before landing. You just have to see it. When you’ve been in a metropolitan city for so long and see only buildings everyday, the farmlands, lush greens, blue skies were indeed a fresh sight.

Mom told me that our dog, Raf-raf, died from kidney. I was so saddened by this news. We didn’t go out except during my last day. We went to SM for lunch before my scheduled flight to Manila at 4pm. I treated them at Max’s and then dad and I had coffee at Figaro. When we got to the airport, my parents waited for me outside while I checked-in. The check-in counter in-charge told me that because my ticket was free, I might not be able to take that flight because they have to give way to other passengers whose tickets are not free. This is so unfair. I have the confirmed flight already, so why should my flight be postponed just because I got it for free? She told me to wait until 3:10 for the announcement of my flight status. So I joined my parents back outside and waited until 3:10. Fortunately, when I inquired again at 3:10, I was told that I can take the flight. I was greatly relieved but I think it was unfair for them to do this to me when I was already at the airport. What more inconvenience will it be for those who stayed in a hotel and took a taxi. Cebu Pacific must not give prejudice to those who have free tickets.

random thoughts

yeweifang — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:29:54 +0000

I’m so happy that my officemate decided to buy my orocan drawer, and my housemate also told me that she wants to buy my plastic container/bookcase.

I heard from the latest news that U.S. is selling a $6.4 billion worth of military devices to Taiwan? Hmm…Interesting. It makes me wonder if what the Revelations said about “the great army from the East” has something to do with this piece of news?

I watched HBO last night and it’s all about global warming. Huge chunks of ice in Antarctica had melted. The speaker from the video tells us that if more chunks melt in the future, water level will increase and will cover some parts of the globe, namely, some parts in China, India, and even Washington where the World Trade Center is. This is very alarming. I wonder if we can save the earth from more destruction? I believe that before THAT happens, Jesus’ Second coming will occur first.

I watched Tyra Banks Show a few days ago and the topic was about “Open Marriage”. Some married couples guests said that they want to have an open marriage, which means that they can have affairs outside their marriage with their partner fully knowledgeable or aware about it. Their partners approved of it and even allows the 3rd parties to join them in their “X activities”! What is this world coming to? Isn’t the sacredness of marriage valued as important to these people?

decluttering

yeweifang — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:13:22 +0000

I’m so stressed nowadays because I’m slowly decluttering and disposing my things in preparation for next year’s exodus. Last night, I’ve looked into my plastic container which served as my bookcase, and threw out my old company’s training manuals and computer books. Three years of living in Manila and I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff, books mostly, clothes, shoes, and other household stuff such as shoe rack, dish organizer, orocan drawer, and yes, even a baron antenna. I’m going home this week and I’ve already filled my luggage to the brim with old clothes but there’s still a lot more left in my closet. Aaarggh! My housemate helped me last night make an advertisement of a garage sale and she posted it in front of our gate, but I doubt that there will be any inquiries, haha!

I have acquired a lot of books during these 3 years and I know I couldn’t let go with some of them. Many suggested to donate or sell them but I just couldn’t part with them. I want to keep them as my collection and someday I would like to read them again and even let my children or grandchildren read them. Hehe.

Oh, btw, this is out of topic. I recently saw this book in Fullybooked, Powerplant as I was looking for some Christian storybooks to give to my nephew. When I saw the book, The Littlest Emperor, I immediately thought that I should buy it for Ryan because he looks like the little emperor. See for yourself:

channel surfing

yeweifang — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:38:29 +0000

Ever since Pinoy Dream Academy ended, I started channel surfing. After Betty La Fea, I change to other cable channels such as Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Living Asia, CNN, ETC, 2nd Avenue, etc. After Betty La Fea is Iisa Pa Lamang and Kahit Isang Saglit. With Iisa Pa Lamang, I got tired of the seemingly endless verbal and occasional physical fights between Claudine and Cherry Pie/Angelica. And I’m really not a fan of Jericho Rosales so I don’t watch Kahit Isang Saglit too.

Because of PBB and PDA, I stuck to ABS-CBN only until I go to sleep. Now, I hop from one channel to another and was reminded that the world is indeed a big, big place and there’s a lot more to discover and learn.

Thanks to the cable, I feel like I am traveling to different places in a short amount of time without leaving my bed and spending a single penny. From Animal Planet I am transported to South Africa and feel like I am in a safari. Living Asia brings me to Subic, Singapore and Qingdao, China. I then find myself under the sea in Discovery Channel, with underwater creatures surrounding me. In CNN, I am in Washington listening to Barack Obama’s speech. And in ETC and 2nd Avenue, I am in Hollywood mingling with famous actors and actresses during Emmy Awards.

Yup, I’m somehow relieved that PDA and PBB ended so that I don’t have to stick to one channel anymore.

random thoughts

yeweifang — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:07:33 +0000

The onshore project that I was talking about in my previous blog entry, “onshore opportunity” didn’t push through. The Lord knows that it won’t materialize, and I’m thankful that He didn’t allow me to pin my hopes on that.

Tonight, our project will be celebrating Octoberfest in the training rooms here in our office. There will be beers, tequila, peanuts, karaoke and dancing. Of course, I won’t go. Let’s leave it to those who are interested and enjoy it.

I’m trying my best not to buy new books nowadays. Most of the time I am really tempted to buy especially when I’m in Powerplant. I am curious about Eragon and I have long wanted to read it. Sigh.