Life's Curveballs

I just want to share this article... Jennifer (or Jenny as we call her) is a graduate of DLSU - same batch as mine. She placed 2nd on our CPA board exam and she's now working in Tokyo. :) I always thought of her as one of those fortunate people who has a natural intellegence and beauty to boot! (going to bora just before finals?? how cool is that? hahaha!)

I just wanted to post this article since I share the same sentiments as her... (though i think I miss my family more than she does. hahaha)


By Jennifer Galang
Inquirer
Last updated 02:51am (Mla time) 05/24/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Too many times I have been asked, by foreigners and fellow citizens alike, why Filipino professionals leave our country to work abroad.

On one occasion in Tokyo, a light dinner conversation took a more serious turn when my American friend brought that subject up. “Everywhere in the US,” he said, “There are Filipino doctors, nurses and IT and business professionals like you. If you all go back to the Philippines, you could easily drive your economy to a boom,” he said.

I was quick to argue. I am, after all, one of these professionals. “It’s not like most of them have a choice,” I said. “People leave because otherwise their families back home wouldn’t have anything to eat.”

“True, but not for you. Your families are well-off,” he said, referring to me and another Filipino at the table, a lawyer who’s also working here in Tokyo. I almost choked on my kimchi. My Filipino friend rebutted, “The economics of our present situation is not that simple. If all the professionals return, you have to deal with the unemployment and the loss of remittances. Our economy, our people, just can’t afford that right now.”

The debate went on for a couple of minutes more and, as expected, ended on a hanging note. If I only knew the answer to our country’s problems, I would have shut all the politicians back home up, and that would easily win me a Nobel Prize.

The interesting thing, though, is a few years ago I shared Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros’ fervent views about professionals leaving for work abroad. I lived a rather comfortable single life in Manila. As a CPA, I was paid enough to enjoy an apartment in Makati City and a few occasional luxuries. I didn’t have any reason to complain. I frowned upon the professionals who chose to leave (as opposed to those who had to leave for the dire need of a better income), for I thought life in Manila was quite livable. However, I gave up those views like someone would drop a hot potato when I received an offer to work abroad. I packed my bags without hesitation and left.

For most professionals, especially CPAs like me, I could have chosen not to leave. Clearly, in my case, it was not a question of needing a higher paying job. Nor was it a question of nationalism or lack thereof. I am here because of a desire for personal growth, to realize my potential as a young, skilled professional. This, I believe, is not essentially bad in itself, which is why I’m bothered that we, the “leavers” are branded to be the bad, unpatriotic youth.

On what basis are we Filipino professionals being criticized for working abroad? Will our going back to our own country be able to solve our economic problems? To tell you the truth, those questions are not even relevant to me anymore. I believe the more important question is, why should I be expected to live my entire life in the place I grew up in? Is there something fundamentally wrong with living and working outside your country?

I will not appeal for your empathy by saying that under my circumstances, what I’m doing is a sacrifice. It is not, and I might be the first one to admit that. On the contrary, I feel privileged for being given this excellent work opportunity.

Some say that living away from your family is a sacrifice in itself. Yes, it could be tough at times, but isn’t that true wherever you go? Life throws curveballs at you wherever you are. As a person who always sees a glass half-full, living independently for me is just a part of the appeal of living abroad.

The experience of stepping out of my comfort zone in Manila was nothing but exhilarating. I fend for myself, cook my own dinner and clean my own apartment. I have made friends from all over the globe, exposing me to new values and new realities. My office is a hodgepodge of cultures -- American, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, British and so many others -- that my accent is now all confused. My work is well appreciated in my job and that has made me confident enough to deal with clients from anywhere. I have countless choices I’ve never had before and numerous opportunities that I would never have had, if I had chosen to stay. I can choose to stay here or move to our office in another location, or I can take my MBA in the United States or in London. Even my overactive imagination as a kid never conjured that life could be like this. And all of these are because I am here.

This is not an encouragement for others to leave as well. I have my personal reasons, as I’m sure others have their own. My being here is essentially about living in another country, and not about leaving my country. I’m not here because I wanted to leave the Philippines. I’m here because I want to be here. Because I like being here. I believe that clearly distinguishes between being a sincere Filipino and an apathetic citizen. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with wanting to stay here. I have chosen to brave the other side of the fence with the purest of personal convictions, and without regret. I should not be condemned for doing so.

my trial makeup pictures

im so pissed... :( my sd card is not working. i dont know what happened but i cant transfer my pics to my laptop. uwah!!! shet talaga.

so... now, i can only share two pics of the trial makeup i had with eddie bruan. sigh. sayang... huhuhu. ill try to ask for pics from him since he took some shots as well. sigh...

so... here it is. :( i cant even show you the back view.

not my usual face... (i usually put on a bit of makeup):

with flash:

without flash:


addendum: i just received so many wonderful comments from fellow wawies. hay... im really so happy that everyone liked it. it's different kasi when somebody else comments... :) di biased. hehe thanks mga sis!!! i soo love being a wawie :D

What Men Can Get Away With (sooo sooo true)

wala lang. i just love this article. well, most of the things written are true. :p this is a funny article written by a man i believe. hehe

What Men Can Get Away With

Like it or not, we live in a world of vicious double standards, where a promiscuous woman is labeled a slut while a promiscuous man is heralded as a stud. Fortunately for us, the enormous one-sided benefits don't have to end there. Take a glimpse at some of the things men can get away with that women simply can't.

Fashion

Looking like a slob
When it comes to fashion, most men expect women to look like they're preparing to compete in the Miss Universe Pageant. To that end, a woman wearing anything other than a swimsuit or an evening gown is viewed as something of a mild disappointment.
Luckily, men aren't held to the same ridiculously high standards. We can emulate Crockett and Tubbs by sporting five days' worth of stubble, we can wear clothing so wrinkled it looks like a topographic map of the Alps, and we can keep the same haircut for decades at a time. Hell, we can even walk around with the underside of an iron scorched on our shirts and no one will think anything less of us. After all, we're men. The very fact that we remembered to put on pants before we ambled into work is considered something of a minor miracle.

Owning one pair of shoes
When it comes to footwear, most men ascribe to the philosophy, "One pair of feet, one pair of shoes." Frankly, it's hard to argue with the math, even if it does occasionally mean having to attend a wedding in your basketball sneakers.

Going bald
Irish whiner Sinead O'Connor made female baldness sexy for approximately three seconds back in the 1990s. Ever since then, mankind has skipped over women with male pattern baldness faster than you can say "Kojak."

Wearing drab, unexciting underwear
Believe it or not, women don't buy G-strings because they like the refreshing lack of support. Rather, they spend millions of dollars every year on alluring lingerie solely to excite us. Luckily, they don't expect us to return the favor. Even as you're reading this, some woman in a $250 lace teddy is being seduced by a man in a pair of yellow Y-fronts that he bought for $2.99 back in 1987.

Wearing the same clothing from one season to the next
Fall... winter... spring... summer... for most women, these are important seasonal divisions that dictate a radical change in fashion and trends. For men, on the other hand, they're a handy way of tracking which sport is on TV. Luckily for us, the predominance of classics in men's fashion allows us to get away with handy little tricks like wearing the same navy blue suit to absolutely every formal function we're invited to.

Dressing like a lumberjack
A man who dresses like a miniaturized Paul Bunyan is generally regarded as being "rustic" and "rugged," two highly prized masculine qualities. A woman who dresses in the same manner, meanwhile, is generally seen as being "really good at field hockey" and "a huge fan of Melissa Etheridge." Either way, she's bound to be a horrible date, unless your name is Sheila.

Grooming & etiquette

Farting and burping in public
For reasons that elude us, the act of men emitting gas is drop-dead funny. Who can forget the hilarious campfire farting scene in Blazing Saddles or Howard Stern's raunchy superhero, Fartman? For men around the world, passing gas isn't just healthy, it's hilarious.

Ball shifting
If you ever meet a woman who can get away with this, quickly look for an Adam's apple and slowly back away. Trust us on this one.

Gaining weight
According to University of Florida professor Kim Walsh-Childers: "There is a broader range of what is accepted to be a sex symbol as a male. You can be older, heavier or bald." She has a point. We live in a world where Buddha, Santa Claus and even Kevin James are seen as cuddly and cute, while Star Jones and Delta Burke are regarded with grave suspicion by men and buffet owners alike. It's little coincidence that jokes about "yo' mama" being so fat proliferate, while witticisms about portly fathers rarely see the light of the day.

Aging
Let's be honest: The only time you see an older woman on TV is when your remote control breaks during a documentary on the Queen or a rerun of The Golden Girls. Like it or not, Hollywood has taught us that older women are denture-clattering naggers with nipples down to their knees. Luckily, many young women believe wheezing geezers, such as Robert Redford and Sean Connery, are still sizzling sex symbols.

Letting our hair go gray
For most women, showing subtle signs of aging is akin to a dog showing its jugular. That's why pharmacies are overflowing with dozens of hair-coloring kits and concealers. Women with gray hair are said to be "showing their age." Men like Richard Gere and George Clooney, on the other hand, are said to look "distinguished."

Sweating
Glance through a glossy magazine and you're likely to see images of topless male models glistening with sweat. The message is simple: Perspiration is sexy. Sweat highlights musculature, and hints at a job that's been done and done well. Men can sweat, but women must "glow."

Cursing
It used to be that cursing was the singular domain of salty pirates and speed-addled truckers. These days, swearing has been elevated into an art form thanks to the profanity-laced rants of men like Richard Pryor, Andrew Dice Clay and Eddie Murphy. No matter how you look at it, swearing is cool... so long as you're a man. Otherwise, it's a tacky debasement of the English language. After all, aren't girls supposed to be made of sugar and spice and everything nice?

Not shaving below the neck
For most men, body hair is a cherished sign of virility. The very first chest hair is awaited eagerly during puberty and silently celebrated when it finally arrives. Similarly, patches of hair on your arms, legs and even your back indicate that you've graduated from boyhood. While no man wants to look like a Wookie, a little smattering of follicles is generally a welcome sight. The same cannot be said of women. In order to appease us, the fairer sex must undergo a grueling regime of plucking, threading, cutting, and waxing that has more in common with sadomasochism than it does with personal hygiene.

Lifestyle

Having a criminal record
It's a well-documented fact that women love bad boys. The danger and sense of adventure intrigues them, while the prospect of a forbidden romance brings out their inner Harlequin novelist. So what if you only went to jail because you forgot to pay a parking ticket? You're a fugitive, damn it!

Having scars
For many men, scars are battle wounds that tell of wars and conflicts past. They illustrate a man's essential toughness and show his ability to weather pain. A man with scars has a history. A woman with scars has either: 1) A parole officer; 2) A totaled vehicle; or 3) A girlfriend of her own.

Peeing anytime, anywhere
Being a man means having the freedom to make the entire world your urinal. From trash compactors to dank alleyways, every darkened locale is just another potential toilet. Men around the world, we give you a one-gun salute!

Dating

Talking about past conquests
Perhaps it's a vestige of our warrior past, but men are expected to have numerous conquests. Even if the women we've dated bear a striking resemblance to Screech from Saved by the Bell, having had multiple partners shows we're experienced and desirable.

Gorging
A man who eats every meal like it may be his last is praised for his "healthy appetite." A woman who approaches her food with the same candor, on the other hand, is assumed to be bulimic.

Being a complete and utter wreck
Women love reclamation projects. How else could you explain the success of shows like Extreme Makeover and Trading Spaces? There's just something about a wayward man that kicks a female's maternal instincts into overdrive.

Engaging in adultery
In many cultures, it is more acceptable for a husband to have a lover than it is for his wife to have one. A man with another lover is praised for his virility and chicanery, while a woman who cheats is considered to be a shameful miscreant whose actions threaten to jeopardize her family's stability.

Double dipping
Double standards are never just... until they actually work in your favor. So what are you waiting for? Put on a beer gut, toss out the Grecian formula and start swearing like a syphilitic sailor. It's high time you learned to embrace society's irrational impartiality and made it work for you!

Wedding Kwento - June 07 Visit

MAs posted in W@W :) LLOONNGG read :)

im back from the phils!!! hay nako sobrang bitin nung bakasyon ko. :(

anyway, i was supposed to NOT do any preps during this break because i just wanted to stay at home and rest... but it's all good coz im soo happy naman with what had transpired during the last three days... :)

first, i met clarice in shangrila edsa last june 8... we went through all the details once again. sabi nga ni clarice pasencya kung makulit gusto lang daw nya mapulido yung details. actually i was the one who came unprepared. because there were some questions i didnt have responses to. hehehe... sabi nga ni clarice "busy ka na no? hehehe" well yah.hahaha and the fact that i didnt bring my files... hihi. sobrang hilo pa ako nun. sobrang init as in suuupeer...

then we went to metrowalk to meet roland (ronald?) of balay kandila.sabi ni clarice she contacted jun hen, april and karen, teddy manuel and balay. but only balay responded... well, oki.... anyway, sobrang natuwa ako kay roland. medyo natatameme lang ako kasi medyo scary syang tao. hahaha. naiintimidate ako! hihi... but the sketches he made for the backdrop as well as the centerpieces, super nice. pero mahal. :( in the middle of his sketching, he was interrupted by clarice telling him "meron po kaming budget ha" hahaha kasi naman from what he was sketching, i can feel sweat trickling down my forehead. i can see all the $$$ that we have to shell out but as i said i was so intimidated i couldn't talk hahahaha! good thing clarice was there. pero it was all so pretty. i want tlaga. :( sigh have to check the budget muna...

june 9, clarice set an appointment with eddie bruan for my trial makeup. grabe i was soo excited! this is it na. do or die. hahaha... i wasnt familiar with rockwell area so clarice volunteered to pick me up at starbucks rockwell and drop me at eddie's. :) bait diba? hehehe...sobrang lapit lang pala nung shop ni eddie sa rockwell! hahaha. :) anyway, regarding eddie bruan, sobrang nice nung makeup nya. medyo makapal lang ata (i think) but everybody loved it! including my mom. my mom kasi wasnt too happy with the trial i had with angie. super simple daw. kasi i usually wear makeup and she said, parang kaya ko daw gawin yun (o diva, hahaha makeup artist na pala ako). but kay eddie, sobrang gandang ganda si mama sabi nya mukha na daw tlaga akong bride. hihihi...

teka wento ko lang experience ko with eddie :) first when we got to the shop, he asked his assistant to prep my hair na and all his makeup was displayed in front me so i did a quick browse. (pakialamera ang lola hahaha) grabe super high-end ng mga makeup nya. as in. chanel,awake, shu, id bare essentuals, mac, lahat high end tlaga!!! ang lowend nya lang ata is yung body shop eyeshadow and yung maybelline mascara nya. yun lang! ang galing. but i guess the thing i liked most about eddie is, super bango ng hands nya. as in!!! sobrang nice kasi feeling mo malinis yung nagaayos sayo. plus sobrang gaan ng kamay! he plucked my eyebrows and i didnt feel a thing!!! galing. hehe... and when he was putting on the foundation, hindi ko na feel na parang binabanat yung mukha ko hahaha... and the foundation he used was just right. although medyo maputi kapag may flash ang gamit. ganun ba talga yun?? nakaktawa nga kasi he brought out his super big camera (natalopa yung 350D ko) and he kept taking shots! hehehe. kakatawa tlaga. para akong nasa studio. :) i had my own camera din so he took turns. one for his cam then another take for mine. hehehe funny tlaga!!! oh,and he is a perfectionist... kasi naman, when his assistant did my hair the first time, medyo magulo cya... curly curly sa likod. he didnt like it, so he personally redid my hair! hahaha sabi nya ayaw daw nya mapahiya kapag pinost ko yung pics sa website. hahaha :) kakatawa tlaga cya. sobrang bait.

i was at eddie's from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. o diba ang tagal!!! hahaha

june 10 - clarice invited me to visit one of her weddings so that i can taste the cake of alex and to check out na din yung setup nila balay. it was in century restaurant (fellow sis wawie, ganda ng wedding mo! hehehe). i went there with my sister, and we were both surprised and delighted with what we saw... grabe super ganda ng century! pwede palang gumanda ng ganun yun. hehehe... ang galing ng balay!!!

i also met threelogy (the whole group) and super nice nila, especially cj! super kulit. hehehe.. so funny. si bong, medyo tahimik lang... i understand naman coz he's doing the avp ata. then si jon, hahaha inaasar ni cj kasi di nya ako matandaan and he was the only one from the trio that i actually met. :)

alex franco was also there, eto lang masasabi ko HE IS SUPER DUPER NICE. as in super. walang ka ere-ere. he was even a bit worried coz he didnt bring anything with him. sbi ko naman, it wasnt his fault coz it was really last minute. hehe. then he gave me his calling card and told me to text him so that we can meet on aug. :) super niceeee as in suuuupppeeerrr! hahaha and he was kidding around with cj. sobrang aliw sila tingnan.

oh! i even met THE dino lara! grabe sobrang hiyang hiya ako. coz he remembered that i was the one who asked him for pics of 1esplanade.hahaha... sabi nga nya sino ba ang ibibill ko. naku po. hahaha. but he's really serious. tahimik lang cya... pero i saw his avp. grabe sobrang galing!! iba tlaga si dino lara... :)

mom was also there. but she and my sis took turns because we broughtmy baby doggie with us :) so they took turns going in and out the century restaurant :) si clarice sobrang kakatawa, kasi hinatak nya simom papunta sa harap e si mom sobrang mahiyain hahahaha! pero oki daw si clarice sabi nya kasi sobrang bubbly daw. hahahaha.

that visit was so nice. :) i enjoyed being able to talk to the suppliers and actually see them in action. ang galing... :)

hay dito na lang muna. sobrang haba na tlaga nito. hehe. ill post some pics in my blog soon. :)
thanks for your time!!!

ohh!! i forgot to add! im already confirmed! hehehe sobrang bilis langpala sa san miguel. kakatawa yung pari kasi wala akong marinig sakanya... pero ha ang mahalll!!! P600! yikes. pero at least that's overand done with na :) yun lang po.