Ai To Heiwa No Tameni

Continental Aktiengesellschaft

2008-08-31T07:27:00.000+08:00

A number of people are still asking me where I work here in Singapore, so I hope to preempt those still planning to do so...

For people who are interested to know more about where I work OR are thinking of coming to Singapore for work, particularly in the engineering, IT and automotive sectors, read on...

Global Company: Continental Aktiengesellschaft or
Continental AG
Global HQ: Hanover, Germany
R&D Asia HQ: Continental Automotive (S) Pte Ltd
formerly Siemens VDO (S) Pte Ltd
Profile: Automotive components R&D and Mfcg
Depts in SG: Instrument clusters, multimedia, HVAC etc

Company promotional video: here
http://www.conti-online.com

Still hiring? I think so...

How, Why, Why not: To Look for Work in Singapore

2008-07-07T06:36:00.003+08:00

Here are some information based on our job hunting experiences, and other tips that we gathered from friends who came to Singapore to look for work and found really nice ones.
We hope these tips can help others as well...

Notes:

1 SGD =~ 31.4 PHP or so
Singapore is 3 hours away from Manila, less from Cebu (via Cebu Pacific only)
Income Taxes are negligible, they say its between 1-5%, paid annually
Our experiences are limited to applications for technical/IT/engineering positions only
This blog entry is posted for the sole intention of innocent sharing of our personal experiences. We DOT NOT intend to directly encourage people to leave their present jobs and come running to Singapore. On the contrary we invite readers to treat the information to be found here as FYI only.

--------------------------------------------
Prior to coming to Singapore...
--------------------------------------------

1. The best time to come to Singapore to look for jobs is between January and March per year. All the people we met said the same thing. Apparently, when Singaporeans decide to resign from companies, they do so during the Chinese New Year, which is during February. So companies are usually hiring during this time. Also there are annual Singapore Job Fairs during January and August. But this doesn’t mean coming during other months is not a good idea. We came here during May, which coincided with university graduations so I guess it was a good time. I assure you that there are thousands of job openings all year round; it is just a matter of looking diligently and doing well in interviews. We are proof that anyone can get jobs here in Singapore; you just have to prepare well, stay focused on your goals, and, most importantly pray, and to NEVER give up.

2. Apply for EPEC (Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate) to be allowed to stay legally for up to 1 year at a time. Application is done online, and it is for free.
Visit MOM SG

NOTES:

a) Contrary to our previous understanding, having the EPEC does not “automatically” allow anyone to stay in Singapore for 1 year. This just gives you the capacity to apply for the Long Term Social Visit Pass, which is the one that allows you to legally stay in Singapore for 1 year.

b) EPEC application is for free, the Long Term Social Visit Pass application costs around 60-70 SGD + the cost for the general medical examination, usually 30-70 SGD, total cost is 90-140 SGD

c) A cheaper option is to simply apply for a 30-day extension of the Social Visit Pass costing 30 SGD, which gives you a total of 60 days to look for work. This is what we did.

d) All transactions and payments are done online, very easy and hassle free, just need a Credit Card for payments

e) We have a theory that the Immigration Officers in Singapore Changi Airport have access to the database of EPEC holders and are generally more lenient towards EPEC holders coming to Singapore. We think this is why Julie and myself were not challenged or asked any questions during airport immigration, unlike people we met (they applied for their EPEC upon arrival) who they say were asked a lot of questions and requested to present their “show-money” and stuff.

3. Look for jobs online. List all important particulars for matched jobs (Company name, address, email, contact person, phone number etc) to facilitate speedier application when already in Singapore.
Most prominent and useful sites:
- www.monster.com.sg (good for IT/Engineering related fields)
- www.singapore.recruit.net (best for IT/Engineering related fields)
- www.jobsdb.com.sg
- www.st701.com.sg (updated daily)
- www.jobstreet.com.sg

NOTES:

a) We personally believe that www.singapore.recruit.net is the best search site among the ones we mentioned, for the following reasons:

- The site has the capability to remember the last 5 searches you made. The next time you visit the homepage, there is an updated results table that shows if there are any new job posts that match the keyword/s you used during your last visit (eg. for “design verification”, 10 new positions available etc)

- Searching using this site turns up job posts from other sites (eg. Monster or JobsDB). It is like a one-stop-search engine, very convenient

b) Ensure that you update your contact details (especially SG mobile number and Current address) for all these sites. It has been our experience that HR people/headhunters really check these sites, particularly www.monster.com.sg, for relevant candidates and then they proceed to give you a call, and if you fit the job, they’ll schedule an interview immediately.

4. People who come to Singapore as tourists (or anywhere else for that matter) are required to have a return ticket, or else they will not be allowed to enter the country. This is to avoid people who intentionally want to become TNTs. This is not a very big problem, as the return ticket can be re-booked afterwards. Just a few reminders:

- Cebu Pacific is cheap, but charges 50SGD (excluding Agency fees and fare differences) for rebook, 100SGD for refund. We had to pay 106SGD (including whatever fees) total if we chose to rebook. We opted to forgo our return tickets instead. Leaves from NAIA 1 or Cebu International, arrives at the Budget Terminal (not a place to get a good first impression of Singapore hehehe)

Visit www.cebupacificair.com

- PAL is certainly more expensive than Cebu Pac, and I heard that they don’t do re-books or refunds. Leaves NAIA 2, arrives at Changi Airport (a very, very good first impression)

Visit www.philippineairlines.com

- Tiger Airways is cheap but leaves from Clark, arrives at Budget Terminal, see Cebu Pac above

Visit www.tigerairways.com

- Jetstar is cheap, charges 20-30USD for re-bookings (no hidden charges since transactions are done online), leaves NAIA 1 and arrives at Changi Airport. Personally, this is the best choice for everyone (too bad for us)

Visit www.jetstar.com

5. Get original copies of the following documents from your school and office for speedier processing of applications:

- College Transcript of Records

- Certificate of Graduation (per Degree)

- English Translation of Diploma (per Degree)

- Reduced copy of Diploma

- Certificate of Employment (not always needed)

- Last received Payslip / Notice of Salary Details

- Birth certificate (for Passport renewal, if applicable)

Note: Bring photocopies of all documents listed above (about 2-5 sets). Photocopying is a little costly here (SGD 0.20 per page)

------------------------------------------
When already in Singapore...
------------------------------------------

6. Look for jobs in the Classified section of the local newspaper The Straits Times. These job vacancies are updated and complete. The Classified sections come out every Wednesdays (small companies) and Saturdays (major companies). Each one costs SGD 0.80 (PHP 27).

7. Call up all listed companies in your field in the local Yellow pages (companies are sorted according to industry) to ask about job vacancies. Usually one can find job vacancies that are not advertised online using this method. The advantage of this is you have virtually no competition for these jobs. Alternatively, you can visit the online version www.yellopages.com.sg, for details such as maps, alternate phone numbers etc.

Here are some amusing remarks that we got from some companies we called-up:

Julie: "Good morning, can you please connect me to the HR Department." Employee: "Eh, sorry, this is a one-line company so this is it...."

------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?" Employee: "Ah no no no no no no, this is a one-man show, sorry." (hangs-up)

------------------------------------------------------
Julie: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?" Employee: "I am the only person in the office. I'm afraid my boss is not around so I have no idea..."

------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning madam, can you please connect me to the HR Department?" Employee: "Sino po hanap ninyo?" JB: "Uh, I'm sorry?" Employee: "Sino po yung hinahanap ninyo?" JB: "Pinoy po kayo?!?!"

------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?" Employee: "Sorry, we have no HR department in Singapore" JB: "I see. Could you please provide me with the contact address of your HR Department abroad?" Employee: "We have no HR Department, we do not hire employees in our company." JB: "I understand. Thank you for this information."

------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning ma'am, can you please connect me to the HR Department?" Employee: "Ahahahahaha we have no HR Department, but maybe I can assist you?"

Moral of the story: Usually only small companies are the ones listed in the Yellow Pages. The big guys like IBM, Canon etc prefer to be unlisted. So searching for jobs in the internet and newspapers are more important if you prefer to work in a MNC.

8. Engage the services of Employment Agencies/Headhunters. See the attached file at the end for list of agencies we contacted that cater to foreign applicants.

9. Be prepared to look and apply for 0-10 positions per day. This may seem exciting at first, but it becomes tiresome as the days go by without receiving any form of response.

10. Concentrate in applying via (1) the internet and (2) phone. Handing-in your CVs directly to the company offices is not a very good idea, first because they (the CVs) may not reach the HR people in good order, or worse the receptionists may refuse to accommodate you since you don’t seem to have any appointment or business with them.

11. Having people you personally know in the company in which you wish to apply to is still the best way to go. There is a greater chance that the HR will consider your CV, and the hiring manager in considering you for the position if they know you were referred by one of their employees. I guess it’s an added layer of insurance for them.

-------------------
CV Related:
-------------------

1. Tailor your CV to match the job description and requirements TO THE LETTER (this is very, very important) for EACH application. Keep in mind that HR people are usually the ones who pre-screen all CVs, then forward the short listed CVs to the hiring managers. As this is the case, HR people look for exact, not related, but exact keywords of the job requirements in the Work Experience or Technical Competencies part of your CV. So it’s not a good idea to bet on their better nature to shortlist you just because you ‘think’ you have related skills and experience, chances are they won’t, because they can’t identify by themselves when 2 technical skills are related. Maybe the hiring managers can detect this, but they won’t see your CV unless it was short listed by the HR. So there’s the dilemma. Just note that lying on your CV is never a good idea.

2. Create a very nice and complete cover letter, again for EACH application. HR people will read your cover letter first before deciding to look or not to look at your CV. Things to highlight in your cover letter are:

- Header (HR Manager’s/ Recruitment Officer’s name, department, complete company name)

- Total years of experience

- Summary of job experience

- Brief summary of each role held (technical and organizational)

- Personal appeal/assurance/promise

3. When addressing your emails/cover letters, avoid using "Dear Recruiter" or some other general label. Addressing the HR people by name helps your application to be noticed among the tons of applications. So make an effort to research the name of the HR Manager/Recruitment officer (using google works) prior to sending in your application.

4. Related to #3, try to email directly to the individual email of the Recruitment officer (instead of common company recruitment address eg. jobs@blahblah.com). This can be retrieved by calling the company directly and asking the HR team prior to application. What we do is we send in applications to all available email addresses.

---------------------------
Interview Related:
---------------------------

1. When applying for technical positions, especially experienced roles, there are always technical and organizational interviews. There may sometimes be quizzes, exams, short coding or analysis tests prior to actual technical interview proper. So it is generally a good idea to brush up on your theoretical knowledge of programming languages or electronics topics prior to interview, because hands-on knowledge may not always be sufficient. During my technical interviews I have been asked to code simple monitors, draw testbench diagrams, discuss the 2 types of coverage, identify what delta delay is in VHDL, what compiler I used in C++, what are the key process areas in any CMMI Level 3 organization, draw a non-inverting op-amp circuit diagram, what are the considerations for MCU design, what is version control and configuration management, etc etc. The key to survive any technical interview is really to prepare for it well. We usually allot 2-3 full days for preparation and review of all related topics. It is extremely difficult and tiring, but as long as you have the motivation, you will make it.

2. Interviewers usually ask technical questions related to the job requirements that are specified as “a must have” or “required” skills only, not really for those “preferred” skills. So concentrate on impressing the manager with your proficiency on the minimum requirements. The preferred skills are simply bonuses that you bring with you.

3. Walk-in interviews are fairly common here (we attended 3 such occasions already). Just note the following:

- Be early; if 9am is the starting time, be there exactly at 9am. A lot of people attend these walk-in interviews, and it is always a good idea to be the first ones to be interviewed. Or else, prepare to be sent home because they can no longer accommodate you

- Be prepared to be told off that “you have excellent qualifications but the company cannot offer you any related position at this time”

- Walk-in interviews are good venues to network with other Filipino job seekers, so its ok to go even if there are no relevant positions

-----------------------------
Finances Related:
-----------------------------

1. I left Manila with PHP 70 000 (SGD 2 200), estimated to last me 3 months

2. Cebu Pacific round trip costs PHP 12 400

3. Here is the summary for our first month expenses:

Rent: SGD 300 PHP 9 420 (2 in a room w/ A/C, fully furnished)
PUB: SGD 50 PHP 1 570 (electricity, internet, water, gas)
Food: SGD 102.64 PHP 3 222.90 (cook & occasional eat-out)
Transpo: SGD 70 PHP 2 198
Phone Load: SGD 20 PHP 628 (can call to Globe for PHP 5 per min)
Others: SGD 58 PHP 1 821.20 (news paper, toiletries etc)
TOTAL: SGD 600.64 PHP 18 860.10

4. Say you earn SGD 3 000 (PHP 94 200) or more, and note that you will get this whole 3k without deduction per payday. You only pay taxes once a year, around 1-5%. You get to save around PHP 74 200 or so per month. Not bad!

-------------------------------------
Emotional Preparations:
-------------------------------------

1. Identify the best-case scenario that you are striving to achieve as well as the worst-case scenario that you are willing to accept.

a. Plan your approach in applying to achieve your best-case scenario (eg. focus on Multinational Companies MNC’s for easy integration or local companies for small project teams or regional HQs that are presently expanding for fast career growth, etc)

b. Your worst-case scenario should be considerably better than your last job; otherwise what’s the point?

c. You should be absolutely certain that you are willing to live with your worst-case scenario; this is the only way to ensure that you will not go home without a job

2. If possible, come to Singapore with a companion, preferably someone who is also looking for a job. This is very important for emotional support; to ensure that when one gets demoralized, the other one will cheer you up, or if both are demoralized, as they say misery loves company.

3. Speaking of low morale, please be prepared to face the following situations:

a. A week will go by without any reply or news from employers

b. You will attend an interview in which you are not prepared for, and you get scolded for wasting the interviewers time

c. You will attend a walk-in interview, be asked to wait for 4 hours, after which you will be told that despite your allegedly “excellent qualifications”, they can’t offer you a position at this time

d. You will see a lot of “on sale” items that you want to but can’t afford yet

e. You will want to eat at Burger King or Starbucks but, again, can’t afford yet

4. A lot of things can be done to combat low morale situations:

a. Go to church everyday

b. Relax during weeknights and weekends

c. Watch TV/streaming movies

d. Go around your neighborhood

e. Go to the public ‘al-fresco’ gym

f. Jog everyday

g. Read e-books

5. Here are some statistics for our job hunting:

- Applied to about 240+ positions for 200+ companies in 1.5 months (~about 5 per day)

- Received invitations to and attended 6 face-to-face interviews (~about 1 per week)

- Performed 5+ telephone interviews

- Attended 3 walk-in interviews

- Received job offers after 33-43 days after arrival in Singapore, 0-7 days after interview

6. Here are some statistics from other job hunters we talked to:

- Offered as much as 4k SGD with 3yrs IT experience, 7k for 5-10yrs IT exp

- Received job offers after 14-60 days after arrival in Singapore

-----------------------
Why or Why not:
-----------------------

Major considerations:

1. Compensation is way, way better than any comparable job in the Philippines. Despite the higher cost of living, bottom-line is you still end up with more savings and better living standards. Consider Engineer A:

Country: Philippines Singapore
Position: HW/SW Engineer HW/SW Engineer
Yrs of exp: 3 3
Gross Pay (/mth): PHP 40 000 SGD 3 000 (PHP 94 200)
Net Pay (/mth): PHP 30 000 SGD 3 000 (PHP 94 200)
Lost to Tax (/year): PHP 117 000 less than SGD 1000 (PHP 31 400)
% Tax: 20-25% 1-5%
Monthly Expenses: PHP 15 000 SGD 1000 (PHP 31 400)
Savings: PHP 15 000 SGD 2000 (PHP 62 800)
Living comfort: Low-Mid Mid-High

If you are financially supporting your family, half of your savings is more than enough for their monthly stipend. In the Philippines, especially in the provinces, PHP 30k is significantly bigger than PHP 7.5k, and is more than enough for monthly expenses.

Pro or Con?

2. You will be separated from your families and friends. This is a significant sacrifice for some, but quite tolerable for others. Some advantages of working in Singapore are its close proximity to the Philippines, the lack of need for any Visa for short-term visits, and its English-speaking populace. Considering this, your family and friends can easily come over to visit during your birthday, Christmas holidays etc.

Pro or Con?

3. I really hate the traffic situation in Manila. Despite the fact that my apartment is quite near from my old office (only 10-15mins away by taxi), I still experienced heavy traffic everyday, and it affected my mood every time. Here in Singapore, traffic jams are non-existent, buses are comfortable, bus routes are extensive and well organized, and the local MRT is very efficient and, though it can be crowded during peak-hours, they are never packed-full like in our MRT in Manila or in Tokyo.

Pro or Con?

4. You will have to leave your comfort zone, your stable job and support group. High-stakes comes with high risk. Unless you are very lucky that you land a job in a couple of weeks after arrival, or your agency offered you a position while still in Manila, you will most certainly experience demoralizing days of persistent online job hunting and applications, fill-up a lot of long and repetitive online and paper forms, study for a lot of grueling technical interviews and exams, sell your skills and experiences to a lot of critical hiring managers, defend your mistakes and weaknesses, struggle with your budget to meet your daily needs etc. The key here is simply to have a very clear goal in mind, focus on your goal, avoid distractions and laziness attacks, have faith and take comfort in the power of prayer and, most importantly, NEVER give up.

Pro or Con?

----------------
Resources:
----------------

1. EXCESS Group (Ex-BLEEP Employees in Singapore Society)
Moderator: Carol Veloro
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/excess_email/

2. Contact Singapore
http://www.contactsingapore.sg/

3. Database of all companies/positions we applied for:

- in MS Access format (Companies and Positions
Company_Profiles.mdb

- in MS Excel format (Companies only)
Company_SG.xls

- in MS Excel format (Positions only)
Positions_SG.xls

4. PinoySG General How-To Guide
http://www.pinoysg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9846

5. List of all Job Agencies/Headhunters we contacted
Agencies_SG.xls

The Secret of Happiness

2008-06-13T06:57:00.000+08:00

The Secret of Happiness

Approved by Pope Pius IX

Magnificent Promises to Saint Bridget of Sweden

The Promises

Saint Bridget prayed for a long time to know how many blows Our Lord suffered during His terrible Passion. Rewarding her patience, one day He appeared to her and said: "I received 5475 blows upon My Body. If you wish to honor them in some way, recite fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Marys with the following Prayers, which I Myself shall teach you, for an entire year. When the year is finished, you will have honored each of My Wounds."

Our Lord grants these promises to all who devoutly recite the 15 Saint Bridget Prayers every day for a year:

1. I will deliver 15 souls of his lineage from Purgatory.

2. 15 souls of his lineage will be confirmed and preserved in grace.

3. 15 sinners of his lineage will be converted.

4. Whoever recites these Prayers will attain the first degree of perfection.

5. 15 days before his death I will give him My Precious Body in order that he may escape eternal starvation; I will give him My Precious Blood to drink lest he thirst eternally.

6. 15 days before his death he will feel a deep contrition for all his sins and will have a perfect knowledge of them.

7. I will place before him the sign of My Victorious Cross for his help and defense against the attacks of his enemies.

8. Before his death I shall come with My Dearest Beloved Mother.

9. I shall graciously receive his soul, and will lead it into eternal joys.

10. And having led it there I shall give him a special draught from the fountain of My Deity, something I will not for those who have not recited My Prayers.

11. Let it be known that whoever may have been living in a state of mortal sin for 30 years, but who will recite devoutly, or have the intention to recite these Prayers, the Lord will forgive him all his sins.

12. I shall protect him from strong temptations.

13. I shall preserve and guard his 5 senses.

14. I shall preserve him from a sudden death.

15. His soul will be delivered from eternal death.

16. He will obtain all he asks for from God and the Blessed Virgin.

17. If he has lived all his life doing his own will and he is to die the next day, his life will be prolonged.

18. Every time one recites these Prayers he gains 100 days indulgence.

19. He is assured of being joined to the supreme Choir of Angels.

20. Whoever teaches these Prayers to another, will have continuous joy and merit which will endure eternally.

21. There where these Prayers are being said or will be said in the future God is present with His grace.

Tips on How to Look for Jobs in Singapore

2008-05-28T19:08:00.000+08:00

Here are some tips that we gathered from friends who came to Singapore to look for work and found really nice ones.
We hope these tips can help others as well...

--------------------------------------------
Prior to coming to Singapore...
--------------------------------------------
1. Apply for EPEC (Employment Pass Elegibility Certificate) to be allowed to stay legally for up to 1 year at a time. Application is done online, and its for free.
Visit http://www.mom.gov.sg/publish/momportal/en/communities/work_pass/other_passes/employment_pass_eligibility.html

2. Look for jobs online. List all important particulars for matched jobs (Company name, address, email, contact person, phone number etc) to facilitate speedier application when already in Singapore.
Most prominent and useful sites:
- www.JobsDB.com.sg
- www.ST701.com.sg
- www.singapore.recruit.net

------------------------------------------
When already in Singapore...
------------------------------------------
3. Look for jobs in the Classified section of the local newspaper The Straits Times. These job vacancies are updated and complete. The Classified sections come out every Wednesdays (small companies) and Saturdays (major companies). Each one costs SGD 0.80 (Php 27).

4. Call up all listed companies in your field in the local Yellow pages (companies are sorted according to industry) to ask about job vacancies. Usually one can find job vacancies that are not advertised online using this method. The advantage of this is you have virtually no competition for these jobs.

Here are some amusing remarks that we got from some companies we called-up:

Julie: "Good morning, can you please connect me to the HR Department."
Employee: "Eh, sorry, this is a one-line company so this is it...."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Ah no no no no no no, this is a one-man show, sorry." (hangs-up)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Julie: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "I am the only person in the office. I'm afraid my boss is not around so I have no idea..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning madam, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Sino po hanap ninyo?"
JB: "Uh, I'm sorry?"
Employee: "Sino po yung hinahanap ninyo?"
JB: "Pinoy po kayo?!?!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Sorry, we have no HR department in Singapore"
JB: "I see. Could you please provide me with the contact address of your HR Department abroad?"
Employee: "We have no HR Department, we do not hire employees in our company."
JB: "I understand. Thank you for this information."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JB: "Hello, good morning ma'am, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Ahahahahaha we have no HR Department, but maybe I can assist you?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moral of the story: Usually only small companies are the ones listed in the Yellow Pages. The big guys like IBM, Canon etc prefer to be unlisted. So searching for jobs in the internet and newspapers are more important if you prefer to work in a MNC.

-----------------
CV Related:
-----------------
1. Tailor your CV to match the job description and requirements to the letter (this is very very important) for EACH application. Just don't attempt to lie on your CV.
2. Create a very nice and complete cover letter, again for EACH application. HR people will read your cover letter first before deciding to look or not to look at your CV.
3. When addressing your emails/cover letters, avoid using "Dear Recruiter" or some other general label. Addressing the HR people by name helps your application to be noticed among the tons of applications. So make an effort to research the name of the HR Manager/Recruitment officer (using goggle works) prior to sending in your application.
4. Related to #3, try to email directly to the individual email of the Recruitment officer (instead of common company recruitment address eg. jobs@blahblah.com). This can be retrieved by calling the company directly and asking the HR team prior to application. What we do is we send in applications to all available email addresses.

Other notes to follow...

i've done 86 out of 144 stupid things

2008-05-11T07:37:00.000+08:00

(x) smoked a cigarette (never again!)
( ) smoked a cigar
( ) done weed (never!)
(x) drank alcohol

SO FAR: 2

Level 2
(x) been in love
(x) been dumped
( ) shoplifted
( ) been fired (forced to resign – same thing right?)
(x) been in a fist fight

SO FAR: 5

Level 3
(x) snuck out of the house
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
(x) been arrested (not my fault!)
( ) made out with a stranger
(x) gone out on a blind date

SO FAR: 9

Level 4
(x) had a crush on an older person
(x) skipped school
(x) slept (not sex) with a co-worker/classmate
(x) seen someone/something die (my fish... sniff sniff)

SO FAR: 13

Level 5
(x) had/have a crush or liked on one of your friends.
(x) been to Paris (how is this stupid? 0_0)
( ) been to Spain (and this?)
(x) been on a plane
(x) thrown up from drinking (never again!)

SO FAR: 17

Level 6
(x) eaten Sushi
( ) been snowboarding
( ) met someone BECAUSE of myspace
(x) been mosh pitting (hehehe scary but fun!)

SO FAR: 19

Level 7
( ) been in an abusive relationship (counted ba ung work relationship?)
(x) taken pain killers
(x) love/loved someone who you can’t have
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
( ) made a snow angel

SO FAR: 22

Level 8
(x) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) gone puddle jumping
(x) played dress ups

SO FAR: 27

Level 9
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves (had to rake them all back afterwards)
( ) gone sledging
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school

SO FAR: 31

Level 10
(x) used a fake/someone else's ID
(x) watched the sun set
(x) felt an earthquake
( ) killed a snake

SO FAR: 34

Level 11
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed/vandalized (my cool pencil case huhuhu)
( ) robbed someone
(x) been misunderstood
( ) pet a deer

SO FAR: 37

Level 12
(x) won a contest
( ) been suspended from school
( ) had detention
(x) been in a car/motorcycle/4-wheeler accident

SO FAR: 39

Level 13
( ) had/have braces
( ) eaten a whole tub of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
( ) danced in the moonlight

SO FAR: 40

Level 14
(x) hated the way you look
( ) witnessed a crime
( ) pole danced
(x) questioned your heart
( ) been obsessed with post-it notes

SO FAR: 42

Level 15
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
(x) been to the opposite side of the world
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like you were dying

SO FAR: 47

Level 16
(x) cried yourself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored w/crayons/colored pencils/markers
(x) sang karaoke
(x) paid for a meal with only coins (500 yen coins!)

SO FAR: 51

Level 17
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) kissed in the rain

SO FAR: 54

Level 18
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) been kissed under a mistletoe
(x) watched the sun set with someone you care/cared about
(x) blown bubbles
(x) made a bonfire on the beach (Capones!)

SO FAR: 58

Level 19
(x) crashed a party
( ) have traveled more than 5 days with a car full of people
( ) gone rollerskating/blading
(x) had a wish come true

SO FAR: 60

Level 20
( ) worn pearls
( ) jumped off a bridge
( ) screamed "you suck" in class (or “suck it!!!”)
( ) swam with dolphins

SO FAR: 60

Level 22
(x) got your tongue stuck to a freezer/ice cube
( ) kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex’s clothes
(x) sat on a roof top

SO FAR: 63

Level 23
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done/attempted a one-handed cartwheel
( ) talked on the phone for more than 5 hours
(x) stayed up all night

SO FAR: 65

Level 24
(x) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
(x) had been in a tree house
(x) are scared to watch scary movies alone

SO FAR: 69

Level 25
(x) believe in ghosts
( ) have/had more than 30 pairs of shoes throughout your life
( ) gone streaking
( ) gone to jail

SO FAR: 70

Level 26
(x) played chicken
( ) been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
( ) been told you're hot by a complete stranger (counted ba un exotic? ;P)
(x) been easily amused

SO FAR: 72

Level 27
(x) caught a fish then ate it (hahaha sa pond nila ann! yumyum tilapia)
( ) almost drowned in a pool
( ) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
(x) cried so hard you laughed

SO FAR: 75

Level 28
( ) mooned/flashed someone (never!)
(x) had someone moon/flash you (hahaha ;P)
(x) cheated on a test
(x) forgotten someone's name (hahaha sori roy)
(x) slept naked (0_0)
( ) French braided someone’s hair
( ) gone skinny dipping in a pool
( ) been kicked out of your house

SO FAR: 79

Level 30
(x) rode on a roller coaster
(x) went scuba-diving/snorkeling
(x) had a cavity
( ) Black-mailed someone
( ) been black mailed

SO FAR: 82

Level 31
(x) been used (sniff sniff...)
(x) fell going up the stairs
( ) licked a cat
(x) bitten someone
(x) licked someone

TOTAL: 86

repost this with:

i've done 86 out of 144 stupid things

Reverse Life Cycle

2008-04-26T08:31:00.000+08:00

I read this from someone's site but I forgot which one.
I like this life cycle better...

"I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, start out dead
and get it out of the way. Then you wake up in a nursing home, feeling better
every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy; go collect your
pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first
day. You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your
retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you
get ready for High School. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you
play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, then, you spend your
last 9 months floating peacefully with luxuries like central heating, spa room
service on tap, larger quarters everyday, and finally you finish off as an
orgasm. I rest my case." - anonymous

Winter Break in the Deep South... Sunny? Not a chance!

2005-03-11T23:19:00.000+08:00

Angel Arms in Brussels, Belguim

2005-03-11T23:04:00.000+08:00

Two days after the Nuit ICAM, Jaq, Val and myself went to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of Europe! We ate Belgian waffles, Belgian beer and Belgian french fries and they were really really good. We went to see the Manekkin Piss (a statue of a kid pissing; when he is wearing a new costume his piss is beer and not just the usual water), Atomium (a really gigantic gigantic model of an atom with 8 electons), Tintin Shop (because Tintin is a Belgian cartoon), outside of Mini-Europe Theme Park (because it was closed for the winter! Twas really a pity), and of course the European Commission and the European Parlianment. We had a guided tour inside the Parliament, and we got to see the Parliamentary Debating Chamber! It was awesome. And the most interesting part of our visit to Brussels was my chance encounter with Rana, my german friend who used to work in ICAM but transferred to Strasbourg just a couple of weeks before. It was really really unbelievable, that we were inside the same building (a church, of all places!) at the same time. This is a really small world we have. I never imagined I would ever see him again, let alone see him in Brussels, inside a church! It really made my day. hehe See you again soon Rana, maybe in Manila next time!

NUIT ICAM 2005

2005-03-11T22:41:00.000+08:00

Isa lang masasabi ko: I look good in a suit! hahaha Im kidding of course. The NUIT ICAM (thats ICAM Night, the grand school ball of ICAM with ICAM students, ICAM alumni and just about anybody who wanted to party). But this was not just any regular party, 'twas the biggest and most exciting party I have ever been to. The theme for this year was Capitals of Festivals, so they transformed all the hallways, classrooms and amphitheatres of ICAM into replicas of famous world capitals of culture, among which are of course Paris, Barcelona, Hollywood, Kingston, Vladivostok, Bora-bora, Montreal, Tokyo, Bombay, Manila (kidding, although the ICAM director of studies suggested that they include it and naturally I should manage it, but hehe I couldn't do it on my own), Rio de Janiero and others. The students of my batch (that's Promotion 107) did a really fantastic job making all the venues and bars authentic and perfect. I really felt I was in a different world (my being so notwithstanding). There were a lot of people, and the drinks were overflowing. And I danced a lot! Yeah! It's unbelievable that I danced. This is the first time I danced in a disco setting, and I had a really great time. I didn't care what other people thought, I just wanted to have fun. So we danced and danced to techno and pop music until 3am, and when my feet started to hurt (we were dressed in formal clothes and leather shoes, not really the kind of outfit for disco dancing) we went to Bar Tokyo and played PS2 games, racing games and my very first virtual reality fighting game. I really had such a blast! Surely, I had a nasty hangover the following day, and I had to be up at 10am because Val and Jaq (Atenistas who studied in Limoges) just arrived in Lille the day before.

FRENCH/PINOY NEW YEAR

2005-01-25T16:53:00.000+08:00

BY 31DECEMBER WE WERE ALREADY BACK IN LILLE. WE CELEBRATED NEW YEAR WITH TITA MYRNA AND THE REST OF THE PINOY COMMUNITY HERE. I WAS REALLY TIRED DURING THE PARTY BECAUSE OF ALL THE ADVENTURING WE DID IN LONDON THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS... BUT IT WAS STILL FUN!
PICS TO FOLLOW...

LONDON ESCAPADES: ANGEL ARMS IN THE FLESH

2005-01-25T16:27:00.000+08:00

HEHE SOME OF THE DETAILS OF OUR STAY/VISIT AROUND THIS MAGNIFICENT CITY:

VISITED AND CLIMBED THE LONDON BRIDGE;

SAW THE TOWER OF LONDON (WHERE THE ROYAL JEWELS ARE BEING KEPT);

VISITED THE BIRITISH PARLIAMENT, AND THE WORLD-FAMOUS BIG BEN; IN MY OPINION THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT AND THE BIGBEN ARE THE FINEST LANDMARKS IN THE ENIRE WORLD; OF COURSE SECOND TO THAT IS THE EIFFEL TOWER;

VISITED WESTMINSTER ABBEY; IT WAS JUST BESIDE THE PARLIAMENT COMPLEX;

ALSO SAW THE LONDON EYE, THE LARGEST FERRIS WHEEL IN THE WHOLE WORLD (I THINK); 1 COMPLETE TURN TAKES 30 MINS TO FINISH. WE DIDN'T TRY IT COZ IT WAS SO EXPENSIVE (PHP1400 PER PERSON! NEVER MIND);

VISITED THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PAUL; I THOUGHT I WAS ALREADY IN ROME! IT WAS SO MAGNIFICENT;

CROSSED THE MILLENIUM BRIDGE! ONE OF THE BEST WALKS I EVER HAD;

STOOD OUTSIDE THE SHAKESPHERE GLOBE, THE WORLD FAMOUS THEATRE;

TRIED TO BAZOOKA THE BUCKINGHAM HAHAHA KIDDING, BUT I SWEAR I THINK IT'S DOABLE, I MEAN THE GATE IS JUST REALLY CLOSE TO THE BUILDING ITSELF, NOT LIKE THE WHITE HOUSE;

TOOK A WALK ALONG ST. JAMES PARK, JUST BESIDE THE WALK OF PRINCESS DIANA;

WITNESSED AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE CHANGING OF THE GUARDS! WITH HORSES AND ALL;

VISITED THE HQ OF MI6: THE BRITISH SECRET SERVICE. TRIED TO LOOK FOR AGENT 007 BUT HAD NO LUCK. MAYBE HE WAS IN THE FIELD.. OR PERHAPS TAKING A VACATION;

VISITED THE GREENWICH INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE, WHERE EVERYTHING STARTS;

VISITED THE BRITISH MUSEUM, WHERE I SAW MY FIRST SACROPHAGUS (? SPELL CHECK), OBELISKS AND MINI PYRAMIDS; THERE WERE A LOT OF GREEK STUFF TOO!;

VISITED THE BRITISH NATIONAL GALLERY, AND FINALLY SAW THE WORKS OF DA VINCI, VAN GOUGH, MICHAELANGELO, RAPHAEL, ETC ETC... I WAS ALSO TOLD OFF BY THE SECURITY FOLKS FOR USING A CELPHONE INSIDE HAHAHA;

VISITED THE MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD, BECAUSE HANS WANTED TO GO;

WENT TO HARRODS, BUT DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING. I MEAN I COULDN'T EVEN IF I WANTED TO;

CLIMBED NOTTING HILL;

WATCHED 3 MOVIES! THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I WATCHED A MOVIE IN EUROPE. I COULDN'T DO IT IN FRANCE BECAUSE I KNOW I JUST WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND THE MOVIE;

VISITED A LOT OF MALLS! REALLY GREAT AND REALLY BIG ONES!

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST: WENT TO PLATFORM 9 3/4 IN KING'S CROSS STATION! I MEAN IT REALLY EXISTS! I THINK THE ADMIN OF THE STATION PUT IT UP FOR PUBLICITY. THEY EVEN PUT A SIGN OVER THE WALL AND A TROLLEY THAT WAS EMBEDDED HALF-WAY INTO THE WALL. I HAVE A PIC I'LL POST SOON!

A DAY IN WINDSOR: ANGEL ARMS MEETS THE QUEEN OVER A NICE CUP OF TEA

2005-01-25T16:09:00.000+08:00

WE VISITED WINDSOR CASTLE, WHICH I FOUND OUT TO BE THE OLDEST AND LARGEST INHABITED CASTLE IN THE WHOLE OF EUROPE. IT IS ALSO THE SUMMER VACATION RETREAT OF THE QUEEN. WE ALSO VISITED THE WELL-KNOW ARISTOCRATIC SCHOOL FOR, UMMM FOR WHOM ELSE BUT THE ARISTOCRATS, ETON COLLEGE. GRABE THEIR CAMPUS WAS REALLY BIG, AND THE BUILDINGS WERE REALLY ANCIENT, WITH RED BRICKS THAT SCREAMED ROYALTY. I THINK THEY REALLY HAD HORSE-RIDING CLASSES AND THE SORT. WAAAA GUSTO KO RIN!
BUT THE THING THAT I ENJOYED THE MOST IN OUR VISIT TO WINDSOR WAS THE SHOPPING! EVERYWHERE, EVERYTHING WAS ON SALE! AND IT WASS NOT JUST LIKE PINOY SALES WHERE WE HAVE 10%/30% DISCOUNTS. IN LONDON, IT WAS AT LEAST HALF-PRICE, SOMETIMES EVEN 80%! GAP T-SHIRTS WERE SELLING FOR 3 POUNDS (FROM 15), AND MARKS AND SPENCER JACKETS FOR 25 POUNDS (FROM 60! IMAGINE, FROM PHP6000 TO PHP2500). I EVEN GOT ONE BECAUSE I REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT BARGAIN. I MEAN NORMALLY I CAN ONLY IMAGINE OWNING SUCH CLOTHES (LALO NA IN MANILA), BUT HERE IT WAS POSSIBLE. HEHEHE SO MEJO FOR A FEW BLESSED MOMENTS I FORGOT THAT I WAS ON A TIGHT BUDGET...
I WISH I HAD MORE MONEY, THAT I COULD HAVE BOUGHT SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
PICS TO FOLLOW...

ANGEL ARMS: CHRISTMAS IN LONDON

2005-01-25T15:37:00.000+08:00

MISS KO NA MGA PINOY! AND I JUST REALIZED THIS WHEN I GOT BACK TO LILLE, FOLLOWING OUR SHORT STAY WITH PINOYS (WARAYS AHAHAHA) IN LONDON FOR THE HOLIDAYS. I DON'T EXACTLY KNOW WHAT IS IT WITH PINOYS THAT I FIND MORE COMFORTING, OR THAT OUR PARTIES ARE MORE COMFORTABLE (THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT FRENCH PATRIES ARE NOT FUN, THEY ARE! THEY'RE EXCITING BECAUSE THEY'RE DIFFERENT) BUT PARTYING WITH PINOYS IS SOMETHING I CAN'T DO WITHOUT. SIGURO ITS BECAUSE PAREPAREHO TAYO NG TAKBO NG ISIP, AND KAPAG LOKOHAN NA, NAGKAKASUNDO PA RIN! NOTHING IS OFFENSIVE, NOTHING IS STRANGE, EVERYTHING IS JUST SO SO NORMAL... HAAAY KUNG PEDE LANG SANA SABAY ALL THE TIME...
ANYWAY, SO WE HAD A REALLY GREAT NOCHE BUENA, LOTS OF PINOY FOOD, AND LOTS OF ALCOHOL. SOBRANG ALAGA KAMI NILA TITA PAM AND TITO PAUL, PARA KAMING MGA SPOILED NA ANAK NILA HAHAHAHA THEY HAD A REALLY, REALLY NICE AND HI-TECH FLAT. SOBRANG BAIT TALAGA NILA. AND THERE WERE OTHERS (PINOY FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS NILA TITA), SI TITA KAYE, AND NAGBINYAG SAMIN SA MGA *** STORES SA SOHO DISTRICT NG LONDON HAHAHA, SI TITA IRENE SOBRANG KWELA D MAUBUSAN NG JOKES, SI TITA DAYA SOBRANG BASTOS HAHAHA DAMI KO NATUTUNAN, SI TITA MIA SOBRANG KULIT, TUMITILI ALL THE TIME, SI TITA THELMA ANG NANAY NAMING LAHAT, SI KIM ANG AMING KAISA ISANG KA-AGE NA KASAMA, AND SI TITO TONY, SOBRANG BAIT, SIYA NAG IKOT SA AMIN SA BUONG LONDON AND WINDSOR. WE WERE REALLY REALLY LUCKY THEY WERE ALL THERE, IM CERTAIN OUR EXPERIENCE WOULD NOT BE SO SO AMAZING WITHOUT THEM. WE OWE THEM A LOT, HAAAY SANA MAKABAWI DIN KAMI SOMEDAY. SOBRANG BAIT TALAGA NILA, IM THANKFUL NA IM A PINOY! WALANG IBANG LAHI ANG GANITO SA KAPWA.... PINOY EXCEPTION!!!!
PICS TO FOLLOW...

LILLE2004 CAPITALE EUROPEENNE DE LA CULTURE FETE FINALE

2004-11-22T05:15:00.000+08:00

...some bamboo architecture they set-up, quite wierd though, and it's covering the center-piece statue of Lille Centre-ville... during the last day they managed to make the bamboos spout fire... hehehe when one is cold, one has only to squirm one's way towards these banboos...

...they are the 22-Blue-Men, carrying blue barrels and doing all sorts of stuff with these things...

...i dont exactly know what these people are called, maybe the XX-White-Men? hehehe my guess is as good as yours...

...some fancy ladies dressed in sa fancy way... they didn't do anything though, just stood there and waved... i prefer the African ladies, at least those gals danced a lot...

....Imported from Scotland! I bet they were cold, they were only wearing short skirts! hahaha

...I don't know who these people support... they were a mixed bunch in Frosty or Halloween costumes...

ANGEL ARMS TURNS 21

2004-11-22T05:03:00.000+08:00

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE A MOI!!!! =)

... gifts i got from french and polish friends.... hmmm Hans and Val bakit pala wala kayong gift sakin? hmmm? ;p

...Tito Olivier serving apperatif/appetizer, and some champagne...

... Tita Myrna and my BDAY handa...

... me blowing my cake! it can't be clearly seen but there is a couple of plastic things that say im 21!...

ANGEL ARMS IN BRUGG, BELGIUM

2004-11-09T15:36:00.000+08:00

YEP, BELGIUM AGAIN! AND FOR FREE COZ WE RODE A CAR! ONE OF THE STUDENTS I WAS HAVING ENGLISH PRATICE WITH INVITED ME TO COME WITH THEM TO BRUGG, IT'S SUPPOSEDLY THE MOST FAMOUS TOURIST CITY IN BELGIUM, BECAUSE OF ITS CASTLES AND MONASTERIES AND CHANNEL OF CANALS (WHERE ONE CAN PAY TO HAVE A BOAT-TOUR AROUND THE CITY FOR 5 EUROS/30MINS). WE HAD PICNIC BY THE RIVER, WHERE THERE WAS THIS BRITISH COUPLE WHO GREETED US "BON APPETITE" (IN ENGLISH SO IT SOUNDED LIKE THE ENGLISH WORD APPETITE HEHE) AND THE GENTLEMAN HAD A DEAD LEAF ON TOP OF HIS HEAD. IT MUST HAVE FALLEN FROM SOME TREE AND HE DIDN'T NOTICE IT. WE HAD A NICE LAUGH THERE HEHE COZ HE WAS PARADING ACROSS TOWN WITH THE LEAF ON HIS HEAD. T'WAS HILARIOUS. AFTERWARDS WE WENT TO THE FAMOULS BASILICA OF THE HOLY BLOOD, AND SAW THE VESSEL THAT CONTAINED THE HOLY BLOOD OF CHRIST. WE WENT TO A LOT OF PLACES, AND CHURCHES THAT LOOKED LIKE FORTRESSES (ONE LOOKED LIKE ORTHANC, THE TOWER OF SARUMAN, IF YOU STAND ON ITS BASE AND LOOK STRAIGHT UP). WE WENT TO A MONASTERY THAT WAS FAMOUS FOR THE SMALL PIGEON TOWERS ON TOP OF EVERY STRUCTURE. AND CHOCOLATES WERE EVERYWHERE! THEY CAME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, AND THEY WERE ALL CHEAP (WELL ACTUALLY EXPENSIVE FOR ME BUT CHEAP BY EUROPEAN STANDARDS). THERE WERE CHOCOLATE SCULPTURES AND CHOCOLATE DECORATIONS AND CHOCOLATE EVERYTHING. THEY SAY BELGIAN CHOCOLATE IS THE BEST IN THE REGION. YEAH, I THINK THEY'RE RIGHT.
AFTERWARDS, ON OUR WAY BACK TO LILLE, WE PASSED BY THE COAST AND STOPPED FOR A WHILE IN ONE OF THE BEACHES THERE. I FINALLY SAW THE ATLANTIC! (OR AT LEAST PART OF IT) THE BEACHES IN THE ATLANTIC COAST ARE REALLY COLD AND RISES A LOT DURING HIGH TIDE SO THEY DON'T ALLOW SWIMMING IN THESE PARTS. BUT IT WAS GREAT TO WALK ALONG THE SEASHORE AGAIN. THE WIND WAS COOL AND REFRESHING. WE SAW HORSETRACKS ALONG THE SAND, BUT NO HORSES. TOO BAD. ON THE WAY BACK TO LILLE, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS AND THAT, AND WHY DO THE FRENCH USE S.O.S FOR HELP, BUT NOT KNOW WHAT IT MEANS HEHE IT WAS A REALLY GREAT WEEKEND!

THIS IS THE CENTRE-VILLE OF BRUGG. I SAW A LOT OF JAPANESE TOURISTS HERE,AND EVERY ONE OF THEM HAD A CAMERA. NO SURPRISE THERE!

I CAME WITH (FROM LEFT) GILDAS, ROMAIN, MONSIEUR PRIEST (I CNT SPELL HIS NAME HEHE AND HE WAS OUR HOST FOR THE TRIP, BTW) AND PATRICK.

AND THIS IS A PIC WITH ME (KASI MAGREREKLAMO NANAMAN SI NANAN NA GAWA GAWA KO LANG TO HHAHAHA AYAN NANAN MAY PROOF AKO!) WHILE WE WERE HAVING LUNCH

BELGIAN CHOCOLATES!!! YUMMY!!! (BOTH TASTE AND PRICE) HEHEHE

ANGEL ARMS: MY ENGLISH FOR YOUR FRENCH TEEHEE

2004-11-09T15:18:00.000+08:00

I AM TEACHING ENGLISH LESSONS TO MY CLASSMATES, AND I GET FRENCH LESSONS IN RETURN. THIS IS A REALLY NICE DEAL. NOT ONLY DO I GET TO IMPROVE MY FRENCH, I ALSO SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEM, TALKING ABOUT STUFF AND JUST PLAIN HANGING OUT. BUT IM GUILTY OF THE FACT THAT WHEN THE CONVERSATION GETS REALLY INTERESTING I SHIFT TO USING ENGLISH (COZ SPEAKING FRENCH ALL THE TIME IS REALLY TIRING. ONE JUST REALIZES HOW EASY IT IS FOR PINOYS TO SPEAK ENGLISH). HEHE BUT ITS A REALLY NICE EXPERIENCE! I ALSO GET TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT THE FRENCH CULTURE AND THE FRENCH WAY OF THINKING. NOW I'M STARTING TO REALIZE THAT ICAM STUDENTS REALLY FOLLOW THE IGNATIAN STANDARD OF EDUCATION, NOT JUST ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE BUT THEY STRESS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS WELL, AND THAT IS REALLY AMAZING TO ME. I'M GLAD I'M IN A JESUIT SCHOOL.

HALLOWEEN IN BELGIUM

2004-11-09T14:28:00.000+08:00

WE HAD OUR FIRST 1-WEEK VACATION DURING THE LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER UNTIL ALL SAINTS DAY. I DIDN'T DO MUCH TRAVELLING COZ, HAAAY, SIR CELSO GAVE ME WORK TO DO AND I ALSO HAD TO PREPARE FOR MY FIRST EXAMS TO COME ON THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES. BUT TITA MYRNA WOULDN'T HAVE THAT. SHE ASKED ME TO SPEND HALLOWEEN WITH THEM (THIS TIME WE HAD IT IN TITA GINA'S PLACE IN BELGIUM), COZ NORMALLY THE FILIPINOS IN FRANCE AND BELGIUM HAVE PARTIES FOR PRACTICALLY ALL EVENTS, OR SOMETIMES JUST WALA LANG BASTA PARTY TAYO. THEY REALLY ENJOY COOKING AND HOSTING PARTIES, AND I'M NOT AT ALL COMPLAINING! I ALWAYS HAVE A GREAT TIME COZ I GET TO EAT PINOY FOOD! AND I MEET MY "COUSINS" HERE (COZ ALL THEIR CHILDREN ARE REALLY CUTE AND REALLY NICE AND I'M SORTA THEIR KUYA HERE) AND WE PLAY AND THEY TEACH ME FRENCH. IT'S EASIER TO TALK TO FRENCH KIDS COZ THEY TALK SLOWLY AND CLEARLY. IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT MATTER FOR BELGIAN-RAISED PINOY KIDS COZ THEY SPEAK FLEMISH HEHE SO WE DO SIGN LANGUAGE! SERIOUSLY! TIS REALLY FUNNY... THERE ARE ALSO TWIN BABY BROTHERS WHO ARE JUST SOOOOOO ADORABLE. ONE LOOKS LIKE A PINOY AND THE OTHER IS DUTCH. REALLY FUNNY, BUT COOL. I SPENT MOST OF THE EVENING BABY SITTING THE BUNCH (NOT JUST THE TWINS, BUT ALSO MY OTHER "COUSINS"), BUT IT WAS A REALLY COOL EVENING. AND I GOT TO TAKE HOME MORE PINOY FOOD, PINOY INGREDIENTS (LIKE MAGGI BEEF CUBES, SINIGANG SA SAMPALOK: HEHE LIKE I CAN FIND KANGKONG HERE), AND BEST OF ALL AN OVEN! I'M REALLY AMAZED BY THE WAY PINOYS IN OTHER COUNTRIES TREAT OTHER PINOYS, IT'S LIKE WE'RE AN INSTANT FAMILY AGAD. THEY REALLY TAKE CARE OF ME HEHE NOT JUST WITH FOOD AND STUFF, BUT ALSO WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT IT'S ALREADY OFFICIALLY WINTER. WITH MY OVEN, I CAN NOW COOK BAKED FISH, STEAKS, AND I CAN EVEN BAKE CAKES! IF I ONLY KNOW HOW... HEHEHE

AFTER THE HALLOWEEN DINNER, THE "OLDER BUNCH" (HEHE IM STILL A KID TO THEM) DID KARAOKE COZ THEY HAD A MAGIC MIKE WITH PINOY SONGS IN THEM (SOLD IN PARIS FOR 450 EUROS = PHP 31500 THE FUCK!)

THESE ARE THE SOOOO CUTE PINOY-BELGIAN TWINS BRUCE AND ALECK

NICOLAS, THE YOUNGEST SON OF TITA JULIET. HEHE LIKES TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK WITH ME... MORE LIKE HIDE-UNDER-THE-DINING-TABLE AND SEEK COZ THAT'S WHERE HE ALWAYS HIDES

ANGEL ARMS AND HIS GERMAN FRIEND

2004-10-22T04:36:00.000+08:00

STORY TO FOLLOW COZ IM NOW A BIT TIRED

PINOY FAMILIES IN LILLE: 2ND HOME FOR ANGEL ARMS

2004-10-22T04:23:00.000+08:00

LAST SATURDAY ANTOINE TOOK ME TO THE HOUSE OF TITA MYRNA, SHE'S A PINAY (FROM DAVAO) HERE IN LILLE WITH HER FAMILY. THEY WERE HAVING A GET TOGETHER OF PINOYS IN LILLE (APPARENTLY THEY DO IT A LOT BECAUSE THEY LIKE HAVING PARTIES WITH PINOY FOOD HERE!). THEY KNEW ALL THE ATENEANS WHO CAME TO ICAM BEFORE ME, AND THEY WERE USED TO HAVING ATENEANS AS GUESTS. THEY TOLD ME TO JUST COME OVER WHENEVER I LIKED, ESPECIALLY WHEN I CRAVE PINOY FOOD. LAST SATURDAY WAS MY FIRST TIME TO EAT NORMAL RICE AGAIN IN ALMOST 2 MONTHS NOW! WE ALSO HAD SOPAS FOR APPETIZER, AND FOR THE MAIN MEAL ADOBO, PANCIT AND CHOSEUY! AND OF COURSE A LOT OF RICE! YUMMY!!! PINOY FOOD IS REALLY GOOD HEHE. THEY EVEN MADE ME TAKE SOME FOOD WITH ME BACK TO THE DORM. THEY WERE REALLY GREAT. WELL ASIDE FROM THE PINOY FOOD, THEY ALSO MADE ME TRY 4 KINDS OF DRINKS (ALL ALCOHOLIC OF COURSE), 2 AS APPETIZER (RICARD:FRENCH SPECIALTY, AND A SPANISH TYPE OF WINE), RED WINE AND CHAMPAGNE. THEY REALLY KNEW HOW TO THROW A PARTY.THERE WAS ALSO TITA JULIE (FROM ORMOC! KABABAYAN!) AND TITA BONG (??) FROM MANILA. NOW I CAN SPEAK TAGALOG AND EVEN WARAY MORE OFTEN!

M.GLENN FROM ATENEO VISITS ANGEL ARMS

2004-10-22T03:47:00.000+08:00

MR. GLENN DE LEON, THE ASSISTANT TO THE ATENEO VICE-PRESIDENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS VISITED THE ATENEANS HERE IN FRANCE, ME INCLUDED. HE WAS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR ARRANGING OUR EXCHANGE PROGRAMS WITH ALL THE PARTNER INSTITUTIONS HERE IN FRANCE. HIS ARRIVAL WAS A MUCH WELCOMED BREAK FOR ME FROM ALL THE ENGLISH/FRENCH COZ I COULD TALK TAGALOG WITH SOMEONE AGAIN! HEHE ALSO, BECAUSE OF HIS ARRIVAL, I WAS ABLE TO EAT IN THE MORE FANCY RESTAURANTS IN LILLE FOR FREE, COURTESY OF ICAM AND FR. BARREAU, THE DIRECTOR OF STUDIES HERE. ACTUALLY IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I TRIED THE REGIONAL SPECIALTIES HERE COZ IT IS REALLY EXPENSIVE TO EAT OUTSIDE.

ME AND SIR GLENN OUTSIDE THE ICAM BREAKFAST HALL

ANGEL ARMS IN THE CONCERT

2004-10-15T22:07:00.000+08:00

LAST FRIDAY NIGHT, WE WENT TO A FREE CONCERT IN LILLE GRAND' PLACE. IT WAS A PERFORMANCE OF A POPULAR AFRICAN BAND (THE FRENCH REALLY LIKED THEM, I COULD SEE IT ON HOW THEY DANCED AND GOT CRAZY WILD ALL OVER THE PLACE!) IT WAS SO AMUSING. I WAS MORE ENTERTAINED BY HOW THE CROWD RESPONDED TO THE MUSIC THAN BY THE PERFORMERS THEMSELVES, WELL MAYBE EXCEPT BY THE AFRICAN GIRLS WHO WOULD SO OFTEN SHAKE THEIR BUTTS REALLY HARD (AND YEAH THEY COULD REALLY SHAKE THEM!). THERE WAS ALSO THIS BIG BAMBOO FOREST ALL OVER LILLE CENTRE VILLE WITH LIGHTS AND ALL. IT IS PART OF THEIR LILLE2004 EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE DECORATIONS

THIS IS A PIC OF THE CLASSROOM OF THE BATCH IM STAYING WITH. THEY WERE THROWING PAPER AIRPLANES ALL OVER THE PLACE DURING THE CLASS. THE PROF DIDN'T KNOW AT FIRST BUT LATER ON HE FOUND OUT, BUT HE DIDN'T GET PISSED. HE WAS EVEN AMUSED BY IT. HEHEHE

ANGEL ARMS VISITS THE COUNTRY

2004-10-15T21:40:00.000+08:00

TWO WEEKS AGO ANTOINE MOTTE, MY CLASSMATE HERE IN ICAM2 INVITED ME TO STAY WITH HIS FAMILY IN THEIR HOME IN THE COUNTRY. IT WAS REALLY GREAT! I WAS ABLE TO HAVE MY FIRST REAL FRENCH MEAL! IT WAS REALLY REALLY GOOD! AND THE CAKES AND DESSERTS THAT HIS MOM MADE WERE TOTALLY EXCELLENT! I HAD A NICE TOUR OF THE SURROUNDING FARMS (WE SAW WHITE SWANS, BLACK SWANS, PEACOCKS, HORSES, CHILDREN STEALING POTATOES => KIDDING! HAHAHA THE CROPS IN THE FARMS WERE FREE SO ANYBODY CAN JUST GET SOME!) AND ALSO PICKED UP HAZELNUTS WITH THEM! WE ALSO PLAYED A LOT OF NINTENDO AND FRENCH BOARD GAMES WITH HIS YOUNGEST SISTER (SHE WAS SO MAKULIT) AND HIS MOM. HIS DAD WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME JOKES THAT I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND (REALLY, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE WAS TELLING THEM MOST OF THE TIME! HEHEHE). I FELT SO RELAXED AND REFRESHED JUST BEING THERE. I HOPE I COULD VISIT PLACES LIKE THIS MORE OFTEN.
PS. THE NAME OF HIS STREET WAS THE STREET OF THE NAKED BUTT! IT WAS SO FUNNY

ANGEL ARMS: MY NOSE IS FALLING OFF...

2004-09-23T14:48:00.000+08:00

THE WEATHER IS STARTING TO GET REALLY GLOOMY HERE. SUNRISE HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY MOVED FROM THE UNUSUALLY LATE TIME OF 0700/0715 AM TO AROUND 0800. I SWEAR I THINK LESS AND LESS GUYS ARE GOING TO THE SHOWERS EVERY MORNING. WHEN CLASSES STARTED 3 WEEKS AGO THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE THIS LITTLE LINE OF WAITING STUDENTS IN THE SHOWERS (WELL THATS BECAUSE EVERYBODY DECIDES TO TAKE A BATH 30 MINUTES BEFORE CLASSES START, THUS THE SHORTAGE OF SHOWER STALLS). HMMM AYAN NA NDE NA NALILIGO BEFORE GOING TO CLASS. (HEHE HAD TO SAY THAT IN TAGALOG IN CASE SOME OF THEM READS THIS). THEY DON'T STINK, SO THAT'S ALRIGHT. ANYWAY BACK TO THE BRRRRR COLD... THE OTHER DAY WHEN I WENT TO THE BANK, I WAS JUST HALFWAY THERE WHEN MY NOSE STARTED TO FREEZE UP. IT HURT SO BAD! PROMISE IT FELT LIKE ICE WERE FORMING IN MY SINUS. SO I HAD TO COVER MY NOSE WITH MY HANKY THE REST OF THE WAY, IT WAS SO WIERD. I REALLY DON'T LIKE THE COLD, AND ITS JUST AUTUMN HERE. I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW COLD IT WOULD BE WHEN WINTER COMES. THE IDEA OF NOT GOING TO THE SHOWERS EVERY MORNING IS STARTING TO GET REALLY APPEALING TO ME... HAHAHA

THIS WAS DURING A SCHOOL BARBEQUE. THERE WERE FREE BEER, WINE, FRUITS, SAUSAGES AND OF COURSE BBQ!

ANGEL ARMS GOES TO BELGIUM

2004-09-20T19:11:00.000+08:00

hehe this is one story I really have to share. hmmm ok so it was saturday and we were supposed to go to Arras (a city to the south of Lille) but there was a stike by the workers so train service was out. Too bad. I was so excited to go! Anyway, so here I was again, stuck for another weekend in the dorm. As I powered up my pc and loaded MSN and stuff, Antoine, a fellow student who was in my batch buzzed me and we had some small talk going. He asked why I was online when I was supposed to be travelling to Arras that day (I was surprised he remembered my plans for the weekend). So there when he learned that my plans got cancelled, he asked me if I wanted to go with them for biking and picnic and stuff the following day. He even offered to bring an extra bike for me (coz I don't have one here) hehe It was very nice of them I couldn't refuse. It was definitely more appealing than just staying around the dorm for the entire sunday. So I said yes, and I was really excited! I assumed we'll be going around Lille, perhaps the countryside outside of the city, and propably have picnic in one of the parks here. But I was soooo wrong.... hehe anyway back to my story. So I went to the town center to buy stuff for the picnic. And then sunday came and we met by the courtyard in front of the dorm building and then finally they told me where we were going. I can't believe Antoine failed to mention this to me the previous day! Can you believe we went to BELGIUM just to have picnic?!?! And to top that we just rode bikes! We crossed to another country (and I didn't have my Visa with me coz I didn't think I'd need it for biking!) riding bicycles for 3 hours of so, just to have picnic! When we arrived back in the dorm, my legs felt like they were disconneted from the rest of my body. It was a little embarassing because the 2 girls who were with us were in better shape than I was. Hehe obviously they were used to doing this but I was so not ready for something like this. Hehe excuses, but hey I did it and that's what's important. Im really proud of myself hehe this is a great achievement! Yahoooo it was very tiring but it was definetely worth it. The sights were so fantastic, I finally saw the countryside of France. It was how I imagined it to be: rolling green fields with red and yellow poppies that would tend to go for miles, little houses with their little gardens and matching wells, ranches with cows and goats and horses, little villages with old churches in their town center, the good stuff! And it was the same in Belgium. It was so wonderful. And the people would smile and wave bonjour as we passed by. Belgians speak french, but their signs and writings in the towns were done in their native language (its Flemish I think) so I couldn't understand the shops that we passed by. Whew it was really tiring but it was totally worth it! It really feels so good to have tried something amazing like this. hehe

ANGEL ARMS GROWS WINGS AND CLIMBS (HAHA LITERALLY) THE TOUR EIFFEL

2004-09-03T22:13:00.000+08:00

hahaha Yeah pramis I climbed the vaunted Eiffel Tower ON FOOT. kasi grabe mahal kung bumili ako ng Pass for the Elevator 10++ euros, where as kung Pass for the Stairs 3.50 euros lang. hehe ang barat no pero hey, better safe than sorry mamaya manglimos ako dito. Anyway the trip to the 1er Etage (1st Storey) took about 7-10mins, im not really sure. Grabe hiningal ako pramis, pero it was worth it kasi grabe ang view of Paris! Wow lang ako ng wow hehe Grabe pakawala sa pagpic para hindi masayang yung binayad ko.
Then on to the 2er Etage, again on foot hehe. Mas matagal na transit time ko kasi mas madalas na akong tumitigil to rest kasi mejo mahirap na huminga, the air was noticably thinner habang pataas. Then after a lot of stops I finally reached the 2er Etage. Hehe the view was definitely better than from the first storey, although mejo nakakatakot na yun kasi sobrang taas na. Then dun nalaman ko meron pa palang 3er Etage, yung peak na nang tower. Hehe the 2nd Etage was just halfway the height of the Eiffel, so imagine kung ano pa makikita ko sa peak. Unfortunately kailangan na ngayon mag-elevator and the ticket costs 3.10 euros. Naexcite ako kya bahala na bumili nalang ako nung ticket and lined up in queue. Eto matagal tagal 30mins in line para makasakay sa evelator. Pero worth it talaga kasi grabe na yung view sa top floor, kita lahat ng monuments sa Paris. Yung inner courtyard ng Louvre kita na kahit malayo kasi sobrang taas na. Kita narin yung 12-arm star na nakapalibot sa Arc of Triumph (both nasa pics hehe). Yung Louvre nde obvious from the 2er Etage pero from here kita na. Ayun sobrang mahangin na rin at malamig. I stayed up there until lunchtime kasi ginutom na ako. Buti nalang free yung elevator pababa so mas mabilis na hehe. Pagdating ko sa foot ng tower, andun yung mga food stalls, pero grabe yung fries + 2 sausages + coke = P500 hehe well mahal talga nga sa Europe kaya dapat magtipid ako.

Neways the whole experience was as magical as I imagined it to be. Hehe sayang lang wala akong kasama. Huhu FOR PICS CLICK HERE

ANGEL ARMS MEETS HIS 1ST GARGOYLES IN SACRE COEUR

2004-09-02T20:47:00.000+08:00

hehe weeee actually my first stop was Montmartre District coz my hostel was in Montmartre. eto yung parang Timog or Quiapo sa Manila. The place was always full off people and there were Merry Go Rounds sa streets, that sort of thing. The Moulin Rouge is in Montmartre kaso I cudn't find it. Neways the first major monument I visited was the Sacre Coeur, a really huge Catholic Basilica, constructed on top of Paris' highest peak. hehe muntik na ako nagoyo ng isang black guy from Senegal, bibigyan daw nya ako ng lucky charm kung magbayad ako 10 euros. gagu P700 din yun. These are the pics I took while visiting the Sacre Couer... enjoy! Comment kayo ha hehe tyty PICS HERE!

ANGEL ARMS SAYS BIENVENUE A FRANCE!

2004-09-02T19:55:00.000+08:00

translation: Angel Arms says "Welcome to France"!

ok where do i start?... hmmm technically my adventures started back there in NAIA Terminal I coz i had a bit of a problem with my excess baggage (hehe kasi andaming dalang libro! Total ko 29Kg; allowed 20Kg. Fee per excess Kg = P1900!!! so that wud translate to a whopping P18000.00!!!! grabe taga ng AirFrance). Buti nalang I was there 5 hours early so I got to measure it myself way before check-in time. Hehe grabe kinabahan ako nun so I befriended a fellow passenger, a really nice lady en route to Bangkok and she suggested na cya magdadala ng mga libro ko (2 huge programming books na nakabalot pa sa natio na supot!) through check-in para kunwari sa kanya yun. Ok that was 3Kg less, 6Kg to go! Tapos todo rearrange ng backpack ko,yung yellow na Adidas para maglipat pa ng at least 3K more. Would you believe na nagkasya dun almost 10Kg worth of books and personal items all in all! Hehe todo pilit talga. So i was left with 3Kg excess and sabi ng porter dun na tumutulong sakin (grabe dami tumulong sakin) Ok na daw un na excess pwede na yun palusutin. So there. I got away without having to pay anything. Yung nasa unahan ko kawawa pinabayad di ko alam magkano pero I'm sure kawawa siya. Then off to the plane...

The plane trip was pretty uneventful except for the nice On-Board Movies. I got to watch 13 Going On 30 ba yun hehe tis was nice. And oo nga pala yung food super sarap full-course meals complete with appetizer, main meal, apple pie, fruits, juice, chocolates, and candies. Although wierd kasi pabaliktad yung pagserve, nauna yung dinner, tapos after 5 hrs serve ng lunch tapos after another 5 hours serve ng breakfast. Although di makita yung dinadaanan namin kasi nasa night cycle kami the entire 16 hours of transit, sobrang cool kasi puno ng lights and buong India, Middle East and especially mainland Europe. Then we arrived CDG Paris. Hehe Dito sobrang kinabahan ako kasi waaaaa kelangan ko na magfrench, lalo na sa customs check. Pero to my absolute surprise, the customs check only lasted 30 seconds, and the only questions asked of me was "So you're a student?" and "Your transcript please", pero in french malamang. And that was it. Oui lang ako ng oui hehe tapos labas na ko to the waiting bus to central Paris. Grabe a whole new world talaga, airport palang. Everything was clean and super efficient yung lahat ng service nila, from Information to Bus Transit. Batsa mapapaiyak talga tayo kung bakit, BAKIT wala niyan sa Pinas, kahit yung ganung bus lang na malinis (not to mention High tech) masaya na ako.

Then WHOA Paris was a shock. Grabe, basta grabe, absolutely no traffic (at least wala akong nakita). Batsa ang sarap sa mata nakakarelax parang walang hassle sa mga buhay nila. Batsa basta ewan. Then baba ako sa first bus stop (di pwede basta basta lang magpara sa kahit saan hehe), made a phone call to my host agency to tell them where to pick me up. Hehe sundo sa mga scholars special taxi na MB grabe angas kasi may GPS and all. Tapos yun I got my stipend for my first month, endorsement papers, free train ticket to Lille, got directions on how to go to my hostel, dropped my stuff, and I was off to explore Paris!!!!!! hehe whew nakakapagod next part na yung the Grand Tour of the City of Lights...

click this link for the MISC PICS I got... comment kayo ha



This is my host school in Lille. It's Institut Catholique D'Arts et Metiers (ICAM-Lille).



With some of my classmates...really nice and totally friendly guys



My room! Regarde, il y a un ATENEO banner!

Angel Wings

2004-06-30T04:47:00.000+08:00

salut! tis been a while! now that we have DSL (compliments of our good friend: Happy Father's day pala!), i can now get to spend more time developing this blog.

a bientot guys!

2004-06-01T01:18:00.000+08:00

Yung mga uto uto sumunod naman sa utos ni Mama-San... Bwahahahaha

2004-06-01T01:09:00.000+08:00

hehe wheeeewwwwwwwwww hango sa water tayo....

Return of the Angel Arms

2004-06-01T00:43:00.000+08:00

im bak! tum tum tum

summer class is finally over! yey! im simply glad we managed to get past this horrible summer...

neways, juz got back from Summer Ichiban Resort, Zambales... our org Formation Seminar was a blast! a lot of unexpected stuff happened though...but who's complaining!?!?! teehee

i also had my first trampoline experience there! check out my pics ;-P yeah that's me flying like some demented poulain. i had such a great time...

...probably the best times of my personal (in contrast with my professional) life.

2004-05-24T06:13:00.000+08:00

Notice his hair without the super gel... looks better on him teehee. =] i know someone who also wears gel but, i must say, definitely looks better without that nasty stuff on his hair... hear that buddy? =]

Be Held by Angel Arms

2004-05-24T05:21:00.000+08:00

When I first saw you, I saw love
And the first time you touched me I felt love
And after all this time
you're still the one I love...

You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night...

Hold me my angel arms

Freaky Angel Arms

2004-05-18T06:09:00.000+08:00

To have one love was a blessing but to have two might become a curse.

2004-05-16T07:22:00.000+08:00

The Enlightening happened a couple of months after this pic was taken... t'was the best moments of my new life... dum dee dum

2004-05-16T07:00:00.000+08:00

Salut! Il est simple petit et beau. C'est correct?

Angel Arms

2004-05-16T02:24:00.000+08:00

I think I would like to do something for somebody. I think it's good if someone smiles when you smile at them. The beauty of voluntary acts can foster goodwill in the hearts of others. Love which doesn't ask for collateral gives us respect as people. However, it is wrong to try to sustain that. In time, the strain will bloom into the flower called Lie, the thorny flower which hurts people.

Wecome moi!

2004-05-16T01:55:00.000+08:00

Salut! Im not very good at this stuff, but still im sorta excited. Im hoping to see more of me here!