Tita Zeny's visit

I’ve been really busy these past few days. Tita Zeny (childhood friends’ Mom from Cabanatuan City) was here. I just can’t express the excitement and happiness seeing her after 22 years. I was just 12 years old back then. There was definitely a lot of catching up. The weather may have not cooperated but… everything else was great. Here are some of the pictures…





More pictures here...

On another note, I went for a 2nd interview yesterday. It was pouring... I didn't have a choice but to drive. I must admit I was kind of scared but I did it again! :)

saturday night!

IFC and I met with a childhood friend of mine for dinner on Saturday. His wife and kids were there too. We went to Udon, a Japanese restaurant, at the corner of Union St. and Northern Blvd. in Flushing. Then, they invited us over to their apartment for dessert. We were literally just talking at the dining table the whole time, enjoying coffee and salad. Suddenly, I asked for the time… not realizing it was already 405am. His wife even cooked breakfast before they took us home 2 hours later.

To Glen and Hazzel, thanks for your hospitality! It was really nice seeing you again and meeting your beautiful children.

my two good friends...

L-R: Tima & Bibay

birthday greetings!

Happy Birthday to my childhood friends Aileen (Nov. 6) and Karen (Nov. 5)! Wishing you guys all the best always! Mwah! :)

hilljohn is in CA!

Hilljohn, a friend of Irvin since childhood, arrived on the 6th with his Mom. Irvin said he might go to a school in CA. I could tell how happy and excited Irvin is. Too bad CA is not anywhere near. We could actually go there but I don't have any more vacation days left. We'll just see him and Bernard (also a friend of Irvin) next time. He'll be here for a while anyway.

college days...

The Class of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy Batch '95...

There were only 15 of us in the class… 2 of which were irregulars. Accountancy as a course in St. Paul College of Manila was never easy. It wasn’t just a matter of what you like. There were some qualifications that you have to meet to stay in the course. We were like in a reality show where we were being rated and eliminated. Enrollment every semester was a horrible moment for each one of us. There you’ll wait on line waiting for your judgment…waiting for them to tell you if you can stay or not. Some professors were nice but some were strict. Despite these difficulties, there were those ‘happy moments’. I have gained friends. I’ve learned a lot from the school and teachers. I have developed self-confidence. I’ve learned that you’ll have to work hard to achieve something. Time will slip away but knowledge is something that will remain in us.

1995 - 2006

Jennifer has created a yahoogroup for BSA class of '95. It's been 11 long years since graduation. We may have communicated with some of our classmates but we weren't really updated with what's what to some. So what happened to me after our college graduation?

I’ve always wanted to be an Accountant. Imagine taking the board exams four times! Maybe it wasn’t really for me. But despite that, I decided to stay in my chosen career. I was lucky to have been employed by Castrol Philippines. I started as a Finance Clerk. I spent a little more than 6 years with the company. I have very high regards for Castrol even up to now. It may sound biased since that’s the only company I have worked for in the Philippines but employees’ growth was one of the company’s priorities. It was there where I experienced traveling. I had so much fun flying and working in the field. I also learned how to be an effective speaker having had the chance to present to the top management on a regular basis. I was also conducting seminars to clients/distributors and sales executives. I have attended various seminars not just those related to my field but also on computers and self-improvement trainings. I was holding the position of Credit Control Officer by the time I left the company. I didn’t really want to leave but I came to a point of wanting to move to a different phase of my life…which is to go to the US.

On the personal side…I’m not sure if you can still remember Irvin. He was my boyfriend in college who also became my husband. I’m so lucky to have someone as kind and loving. During the course of our relationship, I crazily fell in love (I’m not even sure if you can call it Love) with an officemate in Castrol. I wouldn’t anymore elaborate on that. I still consider that as one big mistake in my life up to now. I mean I have to say that that was one of the things I regret still. So Irvin and I had our ‘off’ moments then but for us, we never counted those and we still consider being together in the relationship for 11 years and 8 months before we finally got married.

I came here in the US on March 2002 as a tourist. It was not until 2 months later when I started looking for a job… internet, papers, even through referrals. My passport was stamped for a 6-month stay. I told myself I’m definitely not staying if I can’t find a job but I luckily did. My god sister contacted me in Massachusetts about a job opening in their sister company. I went to New York for an interview and I was lucky to be hired on the spot. I tried haggling for the salary but they wouldn’t consider it. So it took me 3 weeks to finally accept the offer…good thing the position was still available!

I was kind of desperate at first. Homesickness is something which is very hard to deal with. The 1st few months of my life here was horrible so to speak. I didn’t know anyone. I was a total stranger to the place. I missed my family and friends. But God has been always good. I got adjusted pretty fast with the new environment. My performance at the job paid off that I got good salary increases. I got along well with co-workers. The thing is I couldn’t go home. There was a big risk of not being able to come back since I changed my status here. Irvin became desperate and we even came to a point that he was making me choose.

I did a lot of thinking until I finally decided to accept Irvin’s marriage proposal. It was August 2004. This I think was the hardest decision I ever made. I have already started a life here. It wasn’t easy. I’ve gone through a lot of sacrifices. Anyone would really feel sorry if everything will turn to waste…considering also that life in the Philippines is hard nowadays. But I lifted everything to God. I did what I had to do and just prayed that He’ll do what’s best. Anyway, we told our parents about it and started planning right away… reserved the church… decided on the reception venue… etc. etc. I went home mid-September 2005. I underwent an interview at the US Embassy and I got approved for a working visa. We got married on October 1st of the same year. I came back to the US without encountering any problems. Three months later, Irvin got approved for a dependent visa. He was finally able to join me on February 28th. The only thing that we worry about right now is Irvin couldn’t find a job. That’s the restriction of his status. Still, we both believe it’ll happen in His time.

Well, I think I have covered the significant areas of the 11 years that had passed. What’s next? Maybe it’s time to have a baby! I’ll keep you posted!

Roy's visit

mood:

May 28th – NYC Tour with Roy

Roy used to be an officemate in the Philippines. I haven’t since him in more than 5 years I guess. He went to Canada when he left the company and not long enough, he moved to California. He came to the US on November 2001 which was just 5 months before I got here. Anyway, he called me around 2 weeks ago to let me know he’s coming to NY for a family reunion. We agreed to meet and I made a promise to take him for a tour in the city.

I met him in Grand Central Terminal at around past 8AM. We took the No. 4 train to go to Battery Park. This is where we took the South Ferry to go to the Statue of Liberty. There were so many people in line wanting to see Liberty. While we were at the Ferry, Roy was busy talking to 2 Japanese ladies. I, on the other hand, was busy taking pictures of the view. We didn’t get the chance to go inside though. We didn’t know there are 2 kinds of tickets. The ticket which will allow you to go in will have to be purchased at least a day before the visit. We enjoyed the view anyway. It was also a good thing Roy brought a tripod for the camera. At least we didn’t really have to bother someone else to take a picture of us.




Then, we went to Chinatown. We took the same train going there. This is the place for cheap stuffs and oh well…imitations. It felt like I was in Divisoria. Too many vendors on the sidewalks…too crowded…people were loud…so many bargains. We headed next to Little Italy which is just 2 blocks away. There you can see a lot of people eating outside the restaurants enjoying the nice weather. We had lunch at Benito One. Roy was craving for the traditional spaghetti with meatballs. It was good though. I made the wrong choice though. I was looking for the Seafood Linquini in their menu but I couldn’t find it. I ordered something with seafood then not realizing it doesn’t come with pasta. It tasted good in fairness. We had Starbucks coffee before we headed to Times Square. Roy accompanied me to scout for fabric swatches. We had a hard time locating those stores considering I didn’t find the exact fabric shade that I was looking for.

Our day together ended at 4:30pm. It was nice to have been with a former colleague…that I haven’t seen in a long time. He’s scheduled to go back to CA on Sunday.

be happy, Malu!

mood:

I’ve posted something for Malu when she had her operation earlier this month. She’s now in Canada for good unless she’ll have a really bad homesickness. Her husband is still in the Philippines and no certainty yet when he will come to join her. I phoned her last Saturday at past 12am. Malu hasn’t changed. She’s still the soft spoken person that I’ve always known. I can recall when I used to work with her how good a mentor she has always been. And for the many years that I have not had the chance to talk to her, she’s still that person who’s full of advises and encouraging words. I had fun especially when we were talking about the memories of the past and the people we both know. We didn’t talk that much as her husband was on the other line. It was only about 45 minutes I guess. Well, not long enough. I’ll call her again anyway.

Malu sent me this email through the bpocp yahoogroup:

Thanks for your call Faye. You just don't know how
much it meant to me. Being so far away from family and
friends is indeed lonely and we do need a good support
group to keep our sanity.

Thanks for sharing your wedding plans. All the very
best to you and Irvin as you embark on this marital
journey. Just remember to always put the Lord as the
ONLY 3rd party in your marriage. He should be the
Center of your lives.

Tita Malu

prayers for Malu

mood:

Malu used to be the HR Manager of Castrol a few years back. She’s a great person…very friendly…professional…God-fearing. It’s been a week since she had her 3rd surgery for Myomectomy. She is now recovering. I hope she will be healed permanently.

Get well soon, Malu! I’ll keep you in my prayers. God be with you!

chitchat with Ai-Ai

mood:

I was on the phone with Aileen (whom I used to call by her nickname Ai-Ai) last night for almost 2 hours. It’s been a while since I last spoke to her. Oh let me stand corrected! I spoke with her on April 2nd but that was very brief. It was so nice to have talked to her. There were a lot of things that we wanted to catch up on which made us forget some at times. We reminisced our childhood years. It’s funny how she thinks San Roque has gotten really small. She was saying how biking used to be so much fun unlike now, it seems like walking from San Roque to the church will only take 5 minutes. She has always remained a sweet friend. You can really feel the closeness when you talk to her…how comfortable she is with you…how open she is with anything.

She might go to the Philippines for a vacation this May or June. Well, those are the times that she’s really off from school. Too bad she couldn’t even attend the wedding!

And... I was very ecstatic upon learning that she now has a bf (Oops! Forgive me, Aileen if I have to announce it here.). I think she is really happy now and I just hope it'll stay that way.

Good luck on your final exams, Ai! Mwah!

death of a Pope...& meeting Ms. Fina

mood:

I went to Manhattan this morning to meet Ms. Fina, my Mama’s client/friend. We agreed to meet at St. Patrick’s Cathedral near Rockefeller Center. I got there at exactly 10:56 am and as usual, a lot of people were there considering it was raining. I went around every small chapel inside the Cathedral and took pictures since they weren’t there yet. There were some people being interviewed on camera outside. Yes, even if it was raining. Well, drizzling. Then, someone approached me asking if I have time. She just want to ask me what’s my stand regarding the Pope’s condition. I said yes of course. Anyway, here’s how it went:

She: What can you say about the Pope’s condition right now?
Me: I should say it’s really saddening.
She: Are you praying for the Pope’s recovery or you’re praying for him to be at peace?
Me: I’m actually praying for him to get well. I mean it may sound unfair to him considering his health condition right now but I do believe he still wants to be of service to the church.
She: What can you say about his last message to the people thanking everyone for their prayers?
Me: I think he’s fighting. He himself wants to recover. He knows how he’s loved by many and that a lot of Catholics support him.
She: There’s this news about replacing him just in case he’ll be in coma. Do you think it’s ok to replace him or he should stay as the Pope?
Me: He’s not supposed to be replaced by anyone else unless he dies. That is the law of the Catholic Church as far as I know. I even heard about this plan that they will set up like a retirement age for Popes…retire when they reach the age of 80. If this will push through, then, what difference will they make compared to priests?
She: Anything else that you’d like to say?
Me: Most people keep their hopes high. I still believe he’ll make it! Well, I still hope that he’ll get better.

That’s about it! She said thank you and she asked for my complete name, age, profession and where I am from.

Then I got a call from the person I was supposed to meet at almost noon. We had some picture taking and attended the noon anticipated mass. We had lunch at Applebee’s.



It was around 3:16 pm when we learned that Pope John Paul II died. It was definitely heart-breaking for most Catholics. I suddenly remembered the first and last time that I saw him. It was during the World Youth Day in the Philippines. It was in 1995 if I’m not mistaken. I was one of the volunteers. I really cried when I saw him so close. There were goose bumps all over me. I just can’t explain how I was feeling then. I just believed that I’m right in front of the greatest among the religious. He has done so many great things for the Church. I think it’s already God’s will and we just have to accept it. But I know one thing is for sure…He will remain in our hearts forever.



We were still planning to take Ms. Fina around but it was really raining hard plus the fact that it was also windy. She was the one who said let’s just go home in which we did.

a date with Ella

mood:

Ella sent a text message on Friday night asking if we could just meet at 11am of Saturday. We originally planned to meet at 9am. It was a good thing as I didn’t realize the Laundromat will be closed on Sunday for Easter.

I finally met Ella’s husband, Jeff, in person last Saturday. Along with them was Bill, Jeff’s friend. We met at Macy’s in 34th Street and walked towards Times Square. We had lunch at Times Square Brewery. Then, we went to TKTS to buy tickets for the play. We were kind of undecided at first and Ella finally picked ‘Doubt’. I didn't even know they actually have this booth wherein they sell tickets at half the price. The play was a nice one. The acting was really great. The actors did a very good job. The story is about a nun having suspicions on the priest’s relationship with a 12 yr. old boy. She really did everything to make the priest resign even though in the end, she kind of admitted she made up some stories and she had doubts with what she was trying to prove.

Then, we just kept on walking along the Times Square area. We stopped by Starbuck’s, grabbed some coffee and cookies. We even went at a Flea Market. Jeff kept on taking pictures. It was around 6pm when we said our goodbyes. I really had fun even though it was kind of short. It was so nice to have seen Ella and be with her. The last time I saw her was June 2004 when we went to Virginia.

for old times' sake

mood:

I was online last night and I’m very happy to have chatted with some of my former colleagues. I had a chat with Rea, Digs, Dudes and a two liner comment from Joey saying I better cut my hair because I look old in it. Duh! He didn't even ask me how I am! Hmp! Well, that is Joey! And I appreciate him for being like that. Dudes was kind of busy though she said she's going to e-mail me and send some pictures of their HK trip.

Then there was Caryl (best friend from college). She told me Rhiza just gave birth with her 2nd child and this time, it’s a girl. I haven’t heard from Rhiza since her birthday last year though. Caryl's Migs, my inaanak, will be 1 yr old on March 24th. I also learned her husband (Roland) left for HK again for a permanent job this time. She said she and Migs might go there too depending on how soon the papers will be processed.

Ate Irmee, as always, was online too. What else are we going to talk about besides the wedding! Ha ha! She is just so nice and wouldn’t run out of ideas. I just love her.

I really miss my friends back home…