Help Map the Philippines

It's summer again and time to help map the Philippines. There's going to be a series of Google Map Maker Summits to be held in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Here's the schedule:

April 12, 2012
Bacolod, University of St. La Salle
For more details and to register, check out http://goo.gl/cxZ2Z


April 14, 2012
Baguio, University of Baguio
For more details and to register, check out http://goo.gl/CiSVe


April 21, 2012
General Santos City
For more details and to register, check out http://goo.gl/3J30Q

For more announcements, please join the Mapping the Philippines mailing list and follow the page here.


See you there!

Muay Thai

"If you can't perform, japorms!" - Marc Macalua

(Japorms means "just dress to kill" to cover for your lack of skills.)

I learned that line a few years back from Marc when we used to have weekly bloggers badminton sessions. That was way back when my doctor allowed me to partake in strenuous activities. Now, I just can't and it can be frustrating at times (I missed an opportunity to enjoy the Swiss mountains a few weeks back! Sniff). 

So today I had the chance to attend a Muay Thai class in Bangkok. It was part of the sessions we had for a summit. I thought I'd skip it but heard that they had uniforms made for us. I knew the class would be too strenuous for me, but I thought it would be cute to wear the uniform so I could join the photo (haha). This is me in my muay thai japorms.

And with Professor Bruno, a famous Muay Thai master who taught the class.

When you cannot perform, japorms! Aja!

Lost in Zurich, the Lone Adventure

Whoops I did it again!

I seem to have a penchant for getting lost.

I felt so bad that I couldn't join our team outing today because my doctor forbade me. He said I shouldn't risk my health to have some fun in the snow (cry). Anyway, so I woke up early and caught up with work and around lunch time my friend from London pinged me to remind me to get out of the hotel and go around Zurich. He recommended me to go to a cafe to have some chocolate! He said the magic word (chocolate) and I immediately left.

I couldn't figure out the tram system so I took a cab. I got the address from the cafe's website, wrote it down and gave it to the taxi driver. I figured he could use his GPS to find the place. He brought me to the right address but the cafe was nowhere in sight! There were just a few kids playing ball in what looked like a school yard. So I walked back to the main road to find another cab. And I waited... and waited and waited. Fifteen minutes had passed and there wasn't any taxis in the area. I couldn't access internet on my phone so I looked around and saw that that there was a tram stop nearby (not that I knew where exactly I was going).

The instructions on the ticket system was in Swiss and I had no idea what street to go to. There was a sign that read "Bellevue" and thought it would be a good place to head to since it was one of the main areas. Bought a ticket and found myself just by the lake! I was pretty pleased with myself and rewarded myself by eating a huge slice of pizza at the Belcafe. I abandoned the idea of finding the cafe and just did a photo-walk of the area.

After my walk around the lake I thought I'd take a taxi back to the hotel but lo and behold I couldn't find one. Luckily there was free wifi at the Belcafe so I was able to check what tram to ride back to the hotel. Got my ticket just as the tram was rolling to a stop and hopped in. I was back at Four Points (hotel) in no time.

So that was today's adventure around Zurich. I certainly hope my colleagues are having fun in the mountains!

Are You Ready for Valentine's

I just received an invitation from Max's to attend a Valentine's event they have for bloggers. I'm not sure if I'd be able to make it since I'll likely be busy running around Manila on Tuesday (we'll see). The invite triggered a funny memory though.

This time five years ago my now-ninang Janette gave me and Stephanie a public challenge. We had to find a date for Valentine's. Stephanie and I had a bet. The person who won't be able to find a date would have to treat the other to a trip to Boracay. We were both so busy back then (so what's new?), so we eventually both lost. But I think technically Honey owes me a trip to Boracay! Haha.

I mentioned though in my blog post on "Why I Didn't Have a Valentine" that I did have merienda with someone on Valentine's day. We both only realized it was Valentine's when Max's served us a small cake with a tiny heart on it. The person who I had an unofficial date with was... Sweetie! We were just friends back then and it never occurred to us that we'd eventually marry.

And, wow, it's been five years since that challenge to find a Valentine! I had given up on finding the right one a few months after that, but Sweetie came along just before my deadline. Had he not come along I'd probably have a doctorate by now. Haha. It's been a long journey for me, but the best thing I did was to just leave things to God's hands. well I did plead to Him on the way home from the US that my deadline was just 2 days away and I was giving up already. Sweetie proposed a few hours after I got home. Looking back I was pretty jetlagged back then, but that's another story.

More kakiligan...

When God Writes Your Love Story (part 1)
When God Writes Your Love Story (part 2)
The Perfect Proposal
The Wedding Day

Surviving -6°C

Zurich, Switzerland


The first thing I did when I found out that I was going to Zurich was check the weather forecast. I was mollified when I found out that temperatures go below zero and this week was supposed to go as low as -3°. I sought the advise of my sister and friends who's had winter experience. I didn't have any winter clothing so it was a great excuse to go shopping! My brother-in-law said, "Layer as much as you can."

My cold weather experience is quite limited -- US, Japan and Hongkong and it was cold. I remember when I was a kid I kept complaining to my Mom about how cold it was in Chicago. I hate feeling cold and this is oftentimes something that Sweetie and I struggle on (aircon temp can't go below 23°C). Anyway, my housemate just came from London and she said that it wasn't so bad. Just make sure to bundle up.

When I arrived in Zurich last Monday the temperature was 0°C. It wasn't so bad. I even enjoyed the walk to the office. In the evening though I was surprised to find out that it was snowing outside! Tiny snow flakes were falling fast like a gentle rainshower. It clung to my coat but it didn't feel cold. I even got to taste it! It was sweet, haha. It felt like it was Christmas!

The next day the air was colder (-3°C) and there was snow everywhere. My colleagues said that it hadn't been snowing in the past few weeks so this was a surprise. They warned though that it was going to get colder and today I got to experience -6°C (I'm hoping it won't go any further down!). I must say that it was truly a struggle for me to get to work. I was just really thankful that I managed to fling myself inside our building just before I could turn into a popsicle!

This week has so far been a new experience for me. Acclimating to this kind of weather is pretty hard for someone who grew up in a tropical country. Whatever Siberian wind I got to experience back home is nothing compared to the Siberian wind blowing towards Zurich. I wouldn't dare go out without proper winter clothing. I'm pretty sure I would turn into a popsicle if I do.

I still have about 36 hours left in this lovely city. I hope I get to see more of it before I leave. I hope the sun would come out though tomorrow! (And I need to eat RICE!!!).

Dear Dad

Dear Dad,

It's been a year since you've gone and I miss you so much!

So much has happened in the past year and I think one of the big surprises was me moving to Singapore! But back-tracking a bit I'm sure you would've been excited about some of the projects I did in the fourth quarter of 2011. I never imagined that I'll be doing those, but I did and what helped me was the exposure you gave me when I was younger. I new you were there for me every step of the way. I wish though you were still here to witness it (but I know you're in a place where you can monitor me 24 hours a day wherever I am).

I opened a whole new chapter of my life last October when I moved to Singapore. I really had mixed feelings about it since I did not want to leave Mom, but after praying I realized it was the direction I was meant to go. I didn't realize that I could be so mobile! Imagine, I lived with you until the day I married. So I've actually moved four times in the past 2 years! It's been a struggle being far away from home, but I comfort myself by knowing that you are looking over me.

I know we told you just before you left that your favorite apo passed his entrance exam at your alma mater. Unfortunately they don't offer the course that he really wanted to take, so we enrolled him in my alma mater (hehehe). He's been having a great time and I don't understand half of what he does in school now. Jay's been busy too with his job. I'm really glad I found someone who's just like you Dad! He even likes eating ice cream sandwich! (That's how lucky I got!).

Anyway, I did not want to mope on this special day since we're supposed to celebrate it. Will visit you this weekend, okay?

Love,
Aileen

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday I moved to a new flat. A colleague of mine advised me that I should just get a room instead of renting an apartment for myself. During that time I was still unsure about moving and prayed that if I was really going to move that I would be able to stay with one of my friends. My prayer was answered because two of my close friends offered me a place to stay! All I needed to do was to choose. So I took that as a sign that I was heading the right direction. 

Today I celebrate my third month of being far away from home. Three months ago I packed a bag and asked Sweetie to help me move to Singapore. I'm lucky because I've managed to come home monthly, but being far away from home is one of the hardest challenges I've faced in my life. We cope by keeping in touch all day through Gtalk and through Google Hangouts in the evenings (and it's free!!!). What I miss most though is the daily hugs I get from my boys.

Tomorrow I go back to work with renewed vigor and I'm pretty excited about what I will be doing in the next few months. I'm going home to Manila in a few days for some work and for my Dad's one year death anniversary. It seems just like yesterday that he had gone to heaven, but I know he's just always there for me (walang kilitian Dad ha!).

And, of course, be a star!