Baby Shower

It's Aliya Garielle's shower party today at her parent's condo roofdeck at Valero Street. She will soon be another new addition to the Alama girls. Puro girls na yung pamangkin ko, wala pang lalaki... hmm.. baka ako yung unang magbibigay ng lalaking apo. (sana kung ndi ba-og.. hehe).

Her mother prepared games for her guests, sayang ndi ako nakasali sa mga couple games like the Gerber feeding contest (gusto ko pa naman makatikim ng Gerber!), coz my husband is in a far, far away land.

An hour before the party, I crammed to buy a gift at Landmark. Gaby is registered at Podium in Rockwell but it's too inconvenient for me since dapat may sasakyan or mag taxi to go there, kaya I didn't have any idea what to give. Last night I asked Venice and Claire for suggestions, and you can guess who gave the best idea... syempre si Venice hehehe. Next year pwede na kita tanungin Claire, kelangan mo pa ng practice. =P Since I wanted a gift that is not a problem if it has a duplicate, Venice suggested lots of diapers (I didn't know new born babies already use diapers) and Wipes (Coby daw yung brand). But when I went to the baby section in Landmark.. I was overwhelmed with all the cute baby stuff that I wanted to buy them all. Buti na lang I was able to control myself to just get the diapers and the wipes. But when I passed by the feeding bottle section, I was swayed by the Avante sales girl to buy a bottle that is anti-collic (anti kabag) and has very soft nipple. It was very expensive but it's the best in the market (according to my cousin) so I bought it. Isa pa, with its price, I don't think my cousin's guests will buy it even if it's in their registry... kasi ka-presyo na niya yung isang bathing tub. Syempre when you are a guest, you'd rather get the bigger and cuter gift. And I was right, ako lang talaga nagbigay ng feeding bottle. So to some who is clueless on what to give on baby showers, I think that Avante feeding bottle is a good idea.

As a parent, you really want to give the best to your baby, especially if he/she is a first born. So I realized, aside from emotional, it really requires financial readiness on having a baby. Those baby stuff don't come cheap and that small human being needs a LOT of things, I just discovered today na meron na palang baby support for carrying(para siguro ndi ma slide ang bata sa arms mo) and the bathing support (para ndi malunod sa tub siguro). After the party, I talked to my cousin about breast pumps because yun na lang ang major stuff na kulang sila. Nagulat ako how expensive a good one is (P5,000-P20,000). And meron na palang automatic which is recommended para ndi mangalay sa kaka pump. I offered to help with the half of the cost, so tomorrow we will be on haunting mode for a good but reasonable priced breast pumps. Isa pa, sabi ng cousin ko na she can pass it on to me when I have a baby na (God willing). So okay na rin na mag share kami. hehehe.

I'm so excited for baby Gaby, I think it's a good thing na rin that my visa got delayed for a week coz I wanna be here when she comes out.

with one of my niece Bea

our tambayan, Cafe Isla in Serendra (miss na nila si Dan)

Speaking Of Nihongo

Tonight my hubby told me that the japanese manager is coming tomorrow and I am going to have a job interview with a japanese client. As in tomorrow na agad! Shieks. We are hoping that I will pass so that I will have a work already when I get there, hindi na ako tatambay na parang donya.

This is so sudden, and I am not ready for a japanese job interview. It's so much harder than saying what you did over the weekend, or what will you do this weekend hehehe. So my hubby and I practiced. He pretended that he was the japanese interviewer, I asked him to speak in the most japanesey that he can because I am having a hard time deciphering the tth, and the ssh... in between those brain twisting words. Bungol na nga ako by nature, samot ko mabungol sa mga hapon.

During our practice, my tongue twisted like a gymnast vying for gold because it's so hard to explain your previous projects and technical terms in nihongo. Plus magdagdag pa daw ako ng mga bola-bola. Heller lisod na gani magsulti ug tinuod.. dugangan pa jud nako ug butbot. Ingon baya sa akong mama "never tell a lie!"... pero wala man sya niingon ug "never tell a lie in japanese" so oks ra siguro if I say na 1 year na ako nag C#, na yung isang project ko was in C# when it was actually in Java. Dili na siguro ko gabaan ani.

During our practice I learned a funny nihongo phrase,

Dan: "nihon no tabemono, donna suki desu ka?" (what kind of japanese food do you like?)

Me: "yakiniku ga totemo suki desu!" (I like Yakiniku very much!)

Dan: "aa, ... firipin no kuchi ni aimasu ka?"

English literal translation (aa, do you meet filipino mouth?)

Me: "unsa? bastos yan no?"

Actually what he meant was "Nihon no tabemono ha firipin no kuchi ni aimasu ka?" or in english "Do japanese foods blend well with filipino's taste?" something like that... hindi na rin ako marunong mag english.

Basta yun, you get my drift how hard this is for me. Ang hirap na nga mag explain ng project in english.. mag nnihongo pa ako. Learning is fun, but doing a serious interview like this is not.

Hay totally different from my previous impromptu interview, nung time na yun hanggang watashi ha lang nasabi ko then I just flashed my most beautiful smile. But now, may practice pa.. pag hindi ako natanggap dito ewan ko na lang. Pag puro ako wakarimasen bukas... sasayaw na lang ako.

Ganbatte to me.

Nihongo ni Tsuite

As I have said earlier, I am now studying nihongo while waiting for my Visa so I could follow my makabugtog bra na husband (murag makabaliguten ni Claire). It's almost a month now and as each day passed I realized how unready I was when I first left for the land of the last Samurai.

When I left, it had already been 3 years since my last nihongo lesson with kato sensei in NEC Cebu, and level 4 pa yun and idagdag mo pa na I always attended class in spirit, meaning absinot kaayo ko. So when I first arrived in Japan to work as an OFW, kahit simple introduction (jikkou shokai) ay hindi ako marunong, I would just impromptu imitate my collegues during introductions. Talagang zenzen wakarimasen deshita talaga ako. Added to that it was difficult to catch up on my collegues who are JLPT level 3 passers and I just came from an american company while they came from japanese kaisha(NEC, Fujitsu). So it was really a miracle that I survived that less than a year stint. It was like going to a battle with only a sword, shield and a perfect 6 pack abs (ala 300).

Now my vocabulary has increased and know when to use some Grammar patterns. I am still not that good but now I can compose some sentences by myself. It helps that I am studying with people of the same level as mine, so no more pressure to catch up with them, and I have the luxury of time to understand each grammar pattern taught to us everyday. Iba kasi talaga pag nag wwork ka while studying kaysa yung your whole time is devoted to studying. Plus I have my husband with whom I can practice with conversation. He speaks like a native already so I can practice listening and speaking with him. He also serves as my inspiration, because he talks in his sleep in Japanese! and baka may babae na syang binabanggit.. kaya dapat ko syang maintindihan.. bwehehe.

I used to hate Japanese Language, maybe it's because of the pressure that went with it before, because now I am learning to love it, because now I am really learning. It's different when you know another language, it's a different fulfillment although I am still far from the skills of my husband, or Juliet or Maila. Also I figured that if I do good at this, it can be my second career when I get tired of programming.. pwede na akong maging Geisha.. bwehehehe.

By the way, I discovered the power of Ginko Biloba. It is said to make your brain sharper. I don't know if I am inherently intelligent or Ginko Biloba is really effective. But I noticed it is easy to memorize the vocabularies. And you know how tongue and brain twister each word in japanese is. It is also said to make a person fertile. So if in less than a month I get pregnant in japan.. then I can say I really owe it to Ginko Biloba.

Now I have all the help I can get in learning this language so my only hurdle on this learning is my laziness... hay if only I can change. Sana naa pud tambal para sa tapol.

Sabi ko Na

My college friend who is currently working as a teacher in New York left me a message in my friendster. And this is some part of what she said:

"how are you? Congratulations and I am so happy for you. Namiss tuloy kita and yung mga bonding bonding time natin nung college. nway, kaano-ano ba ni mam katie delima ang hubby mong c dan?"

O diba, sinasabi ko na, I now share the question that is frequently asked to my husband, a part and parcel to being married to Mr. Delima. hehehe.

Nope, he is not in any way related to our late dean Mrs. Delima. But how I wish kamag-anak ko si Mam Delima, para mapakiusapan ko sya noon na bigyan ng disciplinary action ang mga crushes ko na hindi pumapansin sa akin. bwehehehe.

Housewife

I always say dream ko maging housewife. And now that I already know how it feels to be one, binabawi ko na =P

When my contract ended barely a month ago, my handsome hubby-with-a-makabugto-ug-bra-bedroom-voice, asked me to stop working while we are waiting for my Visa and just devote my time studying nihongo. Of course pumayag din ako since dream ko nga maging housewife lang and aside from that, I need to learn nihongo.

So since then, my routine would be from 1-5:30 pm I have nihongo class, go home after and study and make assignments. (One time while watching Regine Velasquez's concert, I was memorizing vocabulary words). Then talk to my husband over the net, chat with whoever is awake at 2-3 am who is usually Claire. And then go to bed.

I love the part where I can wake up late and watch my favorite TV shows like Boy and Kris, TV Patrol, Deal or No Deal, Isabella, Natutulog Ba Ang Dyos. But what I don't like and I think will never get used to is, trying to scrimp because of the fact that I don't work anymore and there will be no more walk in the bank every 2 weeks. I can always ask my husband for more honey este money, but I'm not comfortable with asking him for my facial, pedicure, hair color and many more ka eklatan. This should have been easy for me because I was raised a spoiled papa's girl who gets everything I want, but when I became financially independent for 7 years, it's difficult to fill that shoes again. I learned that there is something better than being spoiled, it's that power of getting what I want, when I want it and nobody cares why I want it.

Not that I still want to be that selfish, but I just don't like to depend on "another person" for my girlie wants.

Good thing this is just temporary, now I know why my husband detests on my idea of wanting to be his housewife. I used to tease/pester him that I just want to be ala Gretchen Baretto, maybe that is why he made me this, but without the Louis Vittons and bodyguards.

Okay baby, I rest my case.

Condolence

I just received an email from our alumni mailing list and I found out that one of my brother's close friend in high school has passed away. He is so young at 29 years old, and very cutie pa... actually one of the popular guys in school, i'm sure there's so much ahead of him.

It's so sad to hear that a young person to have gone ahead, much more someone you really know.

Hay death. Walang pinipiling oras, or age.

Condolence Jonathan.

Last Day

Today is another last day of work for me. My contract with this company ends today (do i hear yiheee?). Unlike my last day in NEC and NyFix, this is not an emotional one. Well, my teammates in Northwest Airlines had a lunchout at Terikayi Boy Paseo and that's it. I don't feel sad or anything. Maybe I have gotten used to saying goodbyes or maybe with my six months stay here, I deliberately didn't make any emotional ties with my teammates, my desk or my computer because I knew I won't stay here for long. Like my constant lunchmates are also Sysgen contractuals and Georgia. Today, it's so easy to pack my things.

Part of the resignation is the signing of clearance. As I went from 12th floor to the 5th (where the Project manager and Net Admin are), I can't help but felt a relief that I won't be using the old and dangerous elevator of Citibank Center. I think this building has the worst elevator in Makati! There is one elevator that looks like a horror booth or a cofin because they covered the mirrored wall with black cloth and it wouldn't close unless you manually push the doors. Then one time I got stuck for 5 minutes buti na lang wala akong bombay na kasama bwehehehe. But it's better that what happened to Krizel who got stuck for 10 minutes. Another was when the elevator approached 12th floor, it suddenly stopped and zoomed down to the basement without stopping, just like a free-fall. Last Tuesday night, I waited for almost 10 minutes for an elevator to drop by 12th floor so I could ride ang go home, no it's not that all the elevators were full but they just wouldn't open or the going down button wouldn't work.

Now I just wonder what Citibank is doing with the interests they earn with my ballooning credit card account that they can't even fix their building elevators. tsk. tsk.

I'm just glad I wouldn't have to ride them again. =P