I Just Refused a Roundtrip Ticket to the Philippines this Morning

I was chatting with my colleague this morning and I was informed that the process she's setting up is not working well. What a starter for a sunny Monday! It was the same process I validated with her when I was in Bangkok before Christmas. We knew that we will have a problem though - we identified the causes and consequently drew an action plan. The problem is, the client wouldn't agree to any compromise.

At that same time, my boss and her boss were actually talking on the phone. And at their level, they thought that sending yours truly to the Philippines was a great idea.

So my boss talked to me this morning and I was surprised to know that he was already updated. Bilis. So he started off by asking me about my views and proposals on the problem and ended up by checking if I could add a short trip to the Philippines in my agenda - asap.

Naman, big deal.

I only have 3 weeks left before my vacation and I find it hard to schedule a business trip in-between. That would be too tiring. Add to the fact that I have to go directly to Milan after my vacation.

So I told my boss that I can't. As simple as that. A conference call is scheduled next Wednesday. Then we'll go from there. That sidekick of mine should learn to troubleshoot on her own too. Ano ako, yaya?

Travel Forum

I have been reading travel forums for the past few nights in preparation for our next vacation getaway this February. I of course read French forums because Frenchies have different expectations and demands compared to Americans or Germans, and more so with Frenched Pinays. Add to the fact that we’re travelling with our active toddler. Better prepare my frenchies on What to Expect rather than be sorry.

Travel forums have loads of information which should be filtered according to your needs. Take them or leave them. Some comments could make you irk, some could make you laugh and some could even make you dream.

So, ok, I’ll just talk about a comment which really made me laugh. The commenter was complaining about:

- TVs don’t capture anything. And so? You’re there to watch TV or what?
- They don’t speak French. If you’re one of those 80 million tourists who visited France last year, you should have noticed that most of the Frenchies don’t really speak another language other than French.
- They don’t adapt to the French culture. Hello. You can’t ask the whole world to bake French baguettes for you, can you?
- It’s a third world country. You’re not obliged to go there, you know.
- That it’s noisy. You should have chosen another type of vacation, sweety.
- That visits start very early. You can choose to stay in your bed too.

All that in only one comment. Too sad that he forgot to talk about how great the place was.

In italics: My comments on his comments.

¿Habla Español?

The doorbell rang again this morning. I wasn't expecting anybody so I wasn't surprised to see strangers infront of the gate. The short discussion went like this:

S: Buenas dias. ¿Habla Español? (Good morning. Do you speak Spanish?)
Me: Non, désolée. Je ne parle pas l'espagnol. (No, I'm sorry. I don't speak Spanish)
S: Pero su apellido parece español. (But your name sounds Spanish)
Me: Oui, mais je suis Philippine. (Yes, but I'm a Filipina)
S: Oh.. (doubting?)
Me: Les Philippines étaient une ancienne colonie de l'Espagne, c'est pour ça. (Philippines was a former colony of Spain, that's why)
S: Ah.. Perdónenos. ¡Adiós! (still doubting?)
Me: ¡Adiós! (smiles)

I doubt it if they believed 100% of what I said. Firstly, I undertood everything they said and answered them correctly. Secondly, I might not look Spanish at all, but my accent do sound, well, Spanish.

Speaking of accent, it's funny to note that this accent of mine has gone a long way. When I just arrived here in France, my French instructors thought I was a native English speaker (with the American accent, not British). Then my friends in the US thought I had a French accent. But my friends in the Philippines thought otherwise - they're sure that I have a Bisaya accent (I'm from the north of the Philippines, so my original accent is far from being Bisaya).

Now, 7 years after, the Frenchies think that I sport a lovely Spanish accent even if I tell them that it's a Filipino accent, nothing else. But hey, after thinking about it, what is a real Filipino accent anyway?

PS: Check out on Louna's 26th Month Update here.

Passport Renewal - Update

I called up the Consular Section this morning and you wouldn't believe this - I had helpful and kind employees. That is a real picture of To the service of the Filipinos. I spent like 20 minutes on the phone with Mr. Helpful explaining to me why we need such a list of requirements. In fact, it's to track illegal aliens and was implemented since 2005, the arrival of the new Ambassador.

So to recap:

1. BC with red ribbon authenticated only by DFA.
3. In the absence of voter's ID, an NBI clearance could do the deal.
4. Yes, baptismal certificate is required.
6. Sworn statement is also required.
8. Valid visas will be spared in the cancellation of the old passport.

Additional info: Passport issued would still be in the old format, not the brown with microchip.

In fact, with people like that, I just realized that I wouldn't mind providing them with the necessary papers. It's really how we convey the message that counts.

I have a bad news tho. After the conversation with Mr. Helpful, he transfered my call to Mrs. Kind so I could verify the status of Louna's registration at the embassy. I wrote something about this here. After minutes of looking into her files, she was still calm and not mataray at all. But it seemed that Louna is not yet existing on the list. They received the mandat cash but not the documents (They should have informed me, right?). Darn. Now I have to check the bank if the fee I transfered was withdrew by the embassy or not. If so, I have to go through all the paper thing again, but without re-paying.

Are your kids registered or do they have the dual nationality? How important is it to you?

Passport Renewal

My passport is expiring end of this year and I'm so glad that I started the inquiry this early. My goodness. I still can't believe the list of requirements.

The paper says - Issuance of Passport : Requirements for Passport not Issued in Paris with Schengen Visa. I asked for a Passport renewal.

Here are the requirements:

1. Birth Certificate (with red ribbon) - which means it should be issued by NSO and authenticated by Malacañang and DFA. Wow. Can't I present the NSO certificate without the authentication? Anyway, NSO's using a particular paper to avoid copies, right? So why the double authentication? And do I really have to send that? I'm just asking for passport renewal and not a new passport.
2. Marriage Certificate (with red ribbon) for married woman applicant
3. Certified true copy of voter's registration record or certificate of non-registration as voter issued by Comelec or Voter's ID. I don't have this. Where will I get this? Comelec? Would they issue such paper to a family member for example?
4. Baptismal Certificate or Certificate of Dedication - ??? What's the link?
5. Identification card with photograph - Errr? A passport is the best ID to testify your identity, right?
6. Sworn Statement - They sent me the paper to be filled up. It demands information on my true identity and the identity I used to enter France, including the agent's name and address and the amount I paid to falsify the documents. What if I entered legally, do I have to fill this up and pay 32.50€ (below)? I know this is a stupid question but who knows.
7. 4 copies of new photographs
8. Original Passport

Now, on with the Consular Fees - 123.50€! Ano daw? Ang sakit nun a. 65€ for passport fee, 32.50€ for sworn statement fee and 26€ for passport verification fee. Do I really have to pay all of that?

Ok, ok. I'm not that naïve. I know that there are Filipinos who entered illegally to France, thus the security check. But ain't this too much?

I still doubt if they sent me the right list of requirements. If I remember it right, I even talked in Tagalog on the phone. Di kaya nila ako naintindihan?

I actually inquired in the Philippines and it seems that they need the original passport (and not just the copy) and they also require personal appearance because of the new electronic system. I was actually planning to send my passport to a colleague and ask my sister to renew it, then send the new one back to France.

Now, if only a work opportunity that would require me to travel to the Philippines opens, I'd gladly comply. If only I knew, I should have worked on it last September when I was there.

Honestly, this list just motivates me to work on my French naturalization application. Hay buhay!

I'll be going to Paris tomorrow. Do you think it's intelligent if I go to the embassy and apply personally? I have documents 1 (not authenticated), 5, 6, 7 and 8. O baka matarayan lang ako? You know, I could hardly handle that.

If you have renewed your passport in France recently, kindly give light.

Careful With What You're Saying

One day, during one of her bath times, she started to look at her nipples and asked C'est quoi? (what's this?). Without really thinking, I said suso (Tagalog translation of nipples). To which she repeated chuchu. Then she raised her arms and pointed to her armpit saying C'est quoi ça?. Kilikili. She pronounced it in a very cute accent - kéké.

Continue reading here.

Lazy 2008

Happy New Year everyone ! Better late than never, right? 2008 for me starts with a lazy blogging lifestyle. I have too much to blog about and honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. I wanted to continue my Bangkok stopover, even thinking of giving some travel pointers to those who have a weekend to spend in Bangkok.

Then it was Christmas.. New Year.. and then I thought, Bangkok could wait, I have to have a holiday entry instead.. Laziness settled.. Before I knew it, holidays were over and work got in the way. Work suddenly changed my mind and thought of blogging about how I start to hate its environment.

Then the eco-tax system (taxing new vehicles with high CO2 emission) they’re about to implement here in France started to interest me - thinking that saving the planet doesn’t necessarily mean saving my pocket. And just as we finalized our financing scheme for 2008 at home, we had a little car accident which cost us 380€ (talking about saving for my car!)- just because the roads were still iced over when we left home Thursday last week.

Too much topics to blog, no real inspiration to write, a book to finish, a toddler to tend to and step aerobics to master – how in the world could I blog? Excuses! I was simply lazy.

Instead, I dragged Frenchguy and Louna to Ikea and bought my cool lampshade at 49€ to add ambiance to our living room. Out of topic. Wala lang.
So that’s how I will start my 2008. Welcome to my hideaway – I mean, the real one. Just knock. Louna is already waiting for you ;).

PS: I'll visit you guys, one at a time. No rush. I'm still hibernating. Zzzzz.

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)

Wat Arun, located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River can be reached by boat from Tha Tien Pier - cost 3 Baht (near Wat Pho - Reclining Buddha). The decor, like all the other Buddhist temple in Bangkok is grandious.

I was greeted by this temple with superbly decorated temple guards. Who am I to say no to a quick pose?

Want a closer look? Lol. I look like a real tourist! Who says I'm here for work?

Inside this temple is of course a series of golden Buddhas. There's one detail which I didn't notice the last time I visited - the pictures of, I suppose, dead people displayed at the bottom part. Is this their cemetery? Really don't know. I'm a bad tourist, you see, lol.

The 79-meter high pagoda is of course the biggest attraction. Tourists are allowed to climb for a 50 Baht fee which I didn't pay. They probably mistaken me for a Thai. The beautifully-decorated-attractive structure is being carried by hundreds of Thai dancers and and is being watched closely by temple guards.

It's a sunny Sunday and the weather is really nice. Not a suffocating journey to visit and pictures come out as I want them to be.

Climbing the pagoda gives a good view of the east bank of Chao Phraya river. On the right is the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo view from Wat Arun and below is Wat Pho followed by the colorful roofs of the temples of Wat Arun.

Here's more lovely pictures around Wat Arun:


That last picture made me laugh. That's probably the reason why vendors don't entertain me when I buy baby clothes. I look like a highschool student, lol.

So that's it for my Sunday morning adventure. I still don't know what I'll do this evening tho...

Travel Blahblahs

Departure

Last September, I was still able to travel with my cabin luggage in the plane with me - which means, I had my cabin luggage, my computer bag and my shoulder bag - in economy class. Not today. It seems that cabin luggages shouldn’t exceed 8 kg. Mine weighed 12 kg. I’m just wondering if these cabin luggages around me (from other passengers) weigh 8 kg or below?? Parang mas malaki pa ang mga bagahe nila kesa sa kin. Hmm.

So now, I’m obliged to wait a minimum of 30 minutes at the airport for a 12-kg-luggage. Darn!

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My I-Pass connection isn’t working! Not that I want to blog while waiting for boarding (lol), I just want to check my emails before going to the battlefield (read: work) – kuno!

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I’ll be arriving early in the morning in Bangkok tomorrow – that’s Saturday. A quick shower and I’ll be off for work. .. Hmm, a need to blog is starting to itch my fingertips, really.

Bakit ba ayaw gumana ng i-pass dito?

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I start to believe that my lucky charm doesn’t work when it comes to hotel room designation. The last time I was in the Philippines, my neighbour had this bad habit of clearing his throat very early in the morning - and very loudly at that. Then I had this loud-moaning-Italian-lover in Milan. I wonder what Bangkok reserves for me.

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Uy, boarding na daw. Ciao!

Arrival

Aw, I just love this hot and humid feeling I could only get in Asia (no sexual connotation please). The thought that I'll be meeting my sisters this Saturday just excites me all the more.

The 12-hour flight seemed to be too long. Probably because I didn't sleep a single minute. And probably because the in-flight movies presented were all boring. The residence hotel which would be my 2-weeks getaway is actually a BIG appartment with a king-size bed, 2 TVs and a more-than-necessary living and dining rooms. I just can't complain.

And since I wasn't able to sleep in the plane and the king-size bed was simply inviting.. Saturday work was quickly forgotten. Bad me! I nevertheless called up my colleague and ended the conversation with an I count on you comment. Ang taray ko pang magpasa ng responsibilidad. Really bad me.

At 3pm Bangkok time, I found myself still enjoying the comfort of the king-size bed. With a bit of hesitation and a lot of bad moods, I hauled myself up thinking, I had to move my butt if I want to overcome jetlag.

Since I need to buy some toiletries, I decided to go to MBK Shopping Mall. What I love about Bangkok is that, even if taxi drivers try to drive you around the city before directing you to your destination (and honestly, there are very few of them), the fare still remains cheap. I paid 60 Baht from Soi Suanplu to MBK (it's normally cheaper), not bad.

I love the Siam zone of Bangkok because it's lively. I have never been to this place without crossing to a street show like the one shown.

So from the initial plan of buying only toiletries, I ended up buying some clothes for me and a Winnie watch for Louna. I'm a shopping addict when I'm here.

It's Sunday tomorrow and I still don't know what to do/visit. But jetlag is slowly taking over me.. signing off.

Sunset / Sunrise Tag

Life has been too busy lately, I have a hard time coping up. Blogfriends know that blogging is not in my priority list so when life gets in the way, blogging is set aside. Lately, as a way of getting away from reality, I have been indulging myself with our old pictures - trying to add colors to them thru Photoshop. Photography is a hobby I want myself to get addicted into. I don't have a top of the line camera nor the professionalism that goes with it. I only have eyes attentive to beauty, and that I think, is already a good start.

MegaMom tagged me to share sunset or sunrise pictures to which I am willing to oblige with gusto. Now, if you could allow yourself some constructive criticisms, that would be highly appreciated. Just be careful tho, you have an affair with an un-professional camera mom.

Sunset at the Chambord Castle, France

The inside architecture of the castle is loaded with what seemed to be the works of art of Leonardo da Vinci. One of the favorites is the spectacular double-helix staircase which is very ingenious. The two helixes ascend the three floors without ever meeting, avoiding the possible meetings of the King's wife and his mistresses. Galing no.

Grand Canyon

Taking a sunset picture in this legendary site was quite an event. Professional photographers and tourists alike crowded the place to capture what that particular sunset had to offer. I had loads of pictures but this one became my favorite. Trust me, the Grand Canyon is just at the background, lol.

Baywatching at Venice Beach, LA

I was a fan of David Hasselhoff, what else. It was a lazy afternoon at the beach and this cabin became a model for my sunset picture.

Fishing Cabin, La Vendée

Typical fishing cabin in the west of France, La Vendée area. Love this picture.

Bangka

At my hometown in the Philippines. Here is where I spent most of my childhood. Funny it may seem but I live just a few kilometers from the beach but I don't know how to swim.

Marseille, France

Hmm, mas malaki pala ang araw sa France kesa sa Pinas, what do ya think? lol!

Father and Child

Christmas last year. After a grand feast with the family, the two Frenchies asked for a quick dip at the beach. It was a quiet and relaxing family getaway. There was almost nobody at the beach. Look at how sweet my mag-ama were..

Business with Pleasure

I’ll be boarding the plane again next week. To Thailand. For two weeks. Alone. Buti na lang.

When Frenchguy knew I was going to Thailand just before Christmas, he eagerly suggested that I hop and spend the holidays in the Philippines - and bring Louna with me. At first, I thought it was a wonderful idea. My eldest brother, who never met Louna in person, will be in the Philippines for Christmas too so it will be a great occasion.

But bringing Louna with me would mean:

- Managing a toddler on a long-haul flight - alone!

- Asking my sisters to join me in Bangkok so they could babysit Louna while I work (which means they have to ask for vacation leave and two weeks is quite a lot)

- Buying 4 air tickets: 2 for my sisters (MNL-BKK-MNL) and 2 for Louna and I (BKK-MNL-BKK). This is quite a mess considering I changed the dates twice (because of work constraints). And since I buy the tickets at the last minute, I was offered the highest price!

- Buying another ticket for Louna (CDG-BKK-CDG). Our travel agent proposed a huge 850€ enfant ticket on waiting list. I should be insane to accept that!

- Worrying about my daughter while I work. Not that I don’t trust my sisters. It’s just that Louna is quite hard-headed and doesn’t want to give her hands when she’s outside. And though she understands English, she expresses herself in French. Not to add, what if she fells sick while in Bangkok? I just can’t justify an Enfant Malade while I’m on work assignment outside of France because my daughter is sick.

- Spending Christmas with my family back in the Philippines, but leaving Frenchguy alone here in France.

That’s just too much to manage. And too much to pay. So after weighing things out, we finally decided to cancel Louna’s trip to the Philippines – and mine too. Finally, we will be spending Christmas together as a family here in France. There will always be next time.

But my sisters would still go to Bangkok for a week. That’s a promise of great fun and shopping. Girls just want to have fun!


Cebu Pacific E-Tickets

Anybody who tried buying tickets online? Is it normal that I have received the e-tickets by email but no payments have been collected so far (3 working days after)? I’m quite used to online reservations here in France where payments are collected in no time. I hope my sisters won’t have any problem boarding the plane.

Objective: Replace Car by 3Q 2008

Moolah management at home has always been a hot topic. Frenchguy is the kind who would look at his finances closely - I mean, looking at his bank account almost every night, afraid that Alibaba might discover his hidden euros. On the contrary, I hate talking about money matters to the point that I leave Frenchguy manage our finances.

Here's our trick. We have separate and common accounts at home. A certain portion of our salary would be transferred monthly to our common account - destined to pay mortgages, taxes, groceries, nanny and househelp salaries, vacation expenses - everything. Then another portion would be destined to buy company stock options - a good investment as long as the company is in good health. The graph shows the value of our stock options when I started to buy till today. Not a bad progression, right? That makes me virtually rich.

The remaining amount of our salary is considered as our pocket money. And mind you, my finance manager computed up to the last cents that I only have enough to pay the canteen and gas for my car. A bit exaggerated, okay. But reality is almost close to that, lol. So don't even try to borrow money from me. When I say I have no cash, I mean, no cash!

Frenchguy sent me a message this afternoon (he's in the US) saying: You have to start looking closer on your finances now if you want to change your car next year. Huwatt?!!?? Is that some kind of a joke or what? How in the world could I save for a car next year from the few euros left in my wallet every end of the month? And hello, haven't you seen oil prices? It's soaring high but my pocket money remained the same, blahblah here and blahblah there! And why should I pay it alone, aber? I swear, if I pay it with my own moolah, you will never touch it, except for car washing and changing tires. Mokong na 'to, hmp.

So after negociations and another negociation, we settled for a common accord that I contribute less in our account and buy less stock options. It's no way that we borrow money from the bank and pay interest for a product which depreciates its value the moment I turn the key. Anyway, it will be a small, not-so-expensive, most-probably-second-hand car* which I will use to go to work, do the groceries and shopping. No big deal.

P.S.: He still agrees to wash my car and change tires.

*Concessionnaire cars, mostly 3-6 months old, with very few km could be bought at a very interesting rate here in France. It's a widely responded market that, at a certain point, constructors started to offer a large discount for a purchase of a brand new car to compete with this market.

Graph from this site.

Bella Italia = Sad Louna

Tho travelling has became a part of our so-called normal life, it was still funny to prepare 3 luggages for 3 different destinations. One for Frenchguy who left last Tuesday for Mexico and the US, another one for me for my Milan trip, and the last one for Louna who stayed two nights at her Nanny's place.

Time management at home has somewhat became a national sport. We normally try to organize our travels so as not to disturb Louna from her regular routine - which means, when one travels, the other one should stay at home. But work engagements sometimes get in the way and we find ourselves driving 600 long kilometers so we could leave Louna at her grandparent's place - a vacation in disguise.

Since my trip to Milan this week just took me 2 nights out of Dijon, we decided to leave Louna at her Nanny's place instead of bringing her back at her grandparent's place. So Tuesday morning, with her luggage in tow, I explained to her that she would sleep at her Nanny's place and that I won't be fetching her up in the afternoon but two days later. The teary-eyed darling started to cling on my legs and when I looked at her, her facial expression just broke my heart (the same expression in the picture). The little boy sharing the same Nanny with her took her hand to bring her to the playroom. There, she broke out into tears. I said goodbye and took the car. I drove teary-eyed on my way to work.

Tho I know that she would cry for barely a minute, her message was clear and I know, we have to reconsider our organization as soon as we can.


The Journey to Milan

6 hours drive up to Milan, sandwiched between 3 unfatiguable men talking about their ski adventures with their kids and their business travel sagas from one country to another was already an adventure in itself. We didn't really find the drive too long. There were some pauses, unable to find a new topic for discussion, but we were 4 in the car, and a simple remark or question could trigger an hour garanteed discussion.

We took the Mont Blanc tunnel to cross the border and I had a little apprehension and a bit of curiosity to cross this tunnel because of the 1999 fire which killed 39 people. Imagine crossing an 11.6 km tunnel having that image in mind. The temperature inside the tunnel reached 1000°C, a real inferno. But security was well in place and toll-fee was discouraging enough that truck drivers must take another route to cross the French-Italien border (> 400€ for trucks).

We stayed in a 4* hotel at the suburbs of Milan and 15 minutes after our arrival, we were already savouring a glorious Italian beer at the bar. Who says I can't do bar-hopping with the oldies?

After a sumptous meal, we decided to head off directly to our respective beds because tomorrow is a promise of a long day.

We had the meeting the whole day and honestly, at exactly 6:30pm, I was glad to end the exhausting brainstorming we had with the supplier. A dose of aspirin was the only source of energy which kept me going.

Our contact person was kind enough to invite us to dinner at a cozy place in Milan that night. Oh, I love Italian cuisine! After bottles of wine, loads of antipasti, and a mouth-watering main meal, the supplier offered us a free tour of Milan by night.

We just loved that Italian hospitality that after saying our goodbyes, we bid each other See you in January.


Back to Dijon

Louna's stay with the Nanny was A-Ok as always. We had a phonecall from Frenchguy last night and he's finally heading to Mexico City (from our production site lost in the Mexican desert hehe) to meet MY friend. Inggit ako. He would spend the weekend with her before he leaves to the US on Monday. That friend was a classmate in my French classes way back year 2003 and despite the distance, we succeeded to kept our contact. They're surely having lots of fun while I write this post.. while I wait for Louna to finish her siesta.

Hope you're having a great weekend too.



Milan Pictures: 1. My colleagues appreciating the beauty of Milan Cathedral 2. Teatro alla Scala 3. Inside the Galeria Vittorio Emanuel II.

Plant Design

This is probably my most hated subject when I was still a student. And to double the hate, there was Plant Design I and.. tadan.. Plant Design II. Of course, we will not halt the hate at that level. To triple the hate, I was under a terror instructor who happened to be the husband of our department’s dean. That explained, among others, why there were only 11 students during that batch.

If I remember it right (whew, that was 10 long years ago!), Plant Design I was more of a definition of the subject, market research and project preparation. Sounds simple? Okay, here’s an appetizer. During those times, my group mates and I were regulars at the UPLB Library to do some research. Luckily, we stumbled on a preliminary study on what came up as our subject (transforming wastewater to construction additives). We then contacted the authors of the study to get more details, contacted the company where we could buy our raw materials (eg; their wastewater) to check if it is indeed feasible, evaluated cost for building constructions near the company (to zero-out transportation cost), did some market research to draw a forecast of the commercialization of our product.. and so on, and so forth.

Plant Design II was the start of the technical aspect of the project - plant design as the word denotes (you know, technical computations on the defined process), and of course, its finalization. I still remember, we defended the subject before the juries three times. Yes, 3x! I can't remember all the reasons but one of them was because there was a certain discrepancy in our manpower forecast vs volume to be produced. Nothing linked to the technical aspect of the project, ever.

One thing which probably showed my work personality during that experience was that, I was criticized of doing all the work. Very poor in delegation, etc. I was the group leader and I felt responsible. But it's true that some of the members were not working at all or lacked in engagement in the task to be achieved that I almost hated some of them. I had 1.75. They’ve got 2.50. Fair deal.

Well, going on to real life. As I've mentionned in my previous post, I'm a Project Manager on one subject and with it, I get to re-live my plant design experience at a more exciting pace. Tho my stress level is at its maximum level at the moment, I start to appreciate the new function because I'm learning a lot. I get to see the different stages of a project which was not visible for me before. Tho they present as huge problems, the challenge is to find appropriate solutions.

Working with a Project Team is completely different. Here, each work expertise is represented by a team member who would ensure the accomplishment of his given task. So far, at the stage of the project, I regularly work with 6 experienced male colleagues. I talk, dress up and curse like a man now, darn.

This Tuesday, I, together with my 5 colleagues will drive up to Milan to have a meeting with our supplier (because there will be a huge strike in France starting Tuesday, better not take public transpo). We will spend 2 nights there. Exciting sana, kaya lang, their age ranges from 45-55 years old. Dyaheng gumimik at mag-bar hop. Lol.

Two-rific Louna

Celebrate with her here.

Halloween Frenched Style

I was once telling the Frenchies how Filipinos celebrate All Saint's Day and they were quite amused about the story. Don't be surprised why. Where in the world would you see people celebrate this day like a real fiesta? Aber?

Here in France, All Saint's Day is just an ordinary day. Old people would probably go to the cemetery to offer a prayer and a bouquet of flowers. But that's it. No fiesta! Younger generations would not even bother to visit the tombs of their loveones. They would rather spend this holiday vacationing somewhere.

So how did we celebrate All Saint's Day?

My SIL and family drove up to Dijon to spend a 4-day weekend with us. We spent the day doing outdoor and indoor activities (while Louna was having her siesta). We did a lot of eating and sleeping activities. We laughed at all the silly things that Louna did. We took a lot of pictures. We had real fun.

Take a peek:

Here's my favorite:

Here's some picture updates of Louna - the model ;).

Philippines: A View From Outside

I have been bloghopping this weekend and I was caught by SexyMom's entry on Understanding the Bureaucracy - Is There A Way Out and RaqGold's A Call to Unite for RP. Like them, I care a lot for my country too. I want my country to be able to offer and provide opportunities to the Filipinos and to project a good image to the rest of the world.

Working in a central department where major decisions are taken gives me a good view of how potential investors consider the Philippines. Aside from the technical blahblahs, I sometimes work on some economic analysis which provides me better understanding on how such and such products go to such or such country - read: job creation on that chosen country.

Did you know that :

- Electricity is very expensive in the Philippines compared to most of our neighboring countries? Well, we're basically using coal-fired power plants and coals are being bought outside.

- Road infrastructures / Air connections has to be improved if we want to explore other provinces not only for industrial purposes but for tourism as well? There are a lot of islands to be visited in the Philippines but it takes a lot of time, especially for foreigners to organize everything. Travel packages is probably one thing that we have to promote more and more.

- Salary rate starts to be less attractive in the Philippines and Labor Unions scare away these investors too. Other emerging countries like Vietnam are already taking active participation in this new game called globalization. We have to wake up and think on how we could invite more investors and provide jobs to our fellow Filipinos - and better yet, support local entrepreneurs to promote our own products.

- Other countries, Thailand in particular have these big billboards promoting an opening of an industrial park which would certainly catch attention of investors arriving in the country. And comes with it are massive constructions of roads and other facilities to accompany this development.

- It is generally more complicated to establish a business in the Philippines compared to our neighboring countries (at least to the countries where our plants are situated). Admistrative stuffs, taxes, etc... add government stability, corruption.. and we're almost at the bottom of the list.

- Countries like China and India are the investor's haven nowadays. They offer cheap labor and most importantly, they also present as potential markets. With the economic boom they are enjoying right now, buying power is getting stronger by the second. Philippines is 'competitive' in terms of population but buying power is somewhat restricted to a limited percentage of the population.

Me thinks that the government should think about the Philippines for once and find solutions on how we could improve our economy. We could blog all we want but if the government does nothing, nothing will happen. Hey, we couldn't just stay as a Third World country for the rest of humanity. Naman, aren't we tired of being poor? Don't we want to alleviate our situation? Don't we have any politicians out there who have real concern about the Philippines? I mean, somebody who thinks about the Philippines before his own pocket?

Awards, Tags and Whatnots

During my 3 consecutive blogging years, I have been noticing that the more I keep myself silent, the more I receive fabulous awards from blogger friends. Is that a sign that these friends prefer when I’m not talking about my nonsense life? Or is it to say that even during my absence – read: dealing with my busy life, they still think of me? Uhum, I personally prefer to think of the latter.

Want to know more about the awards? Visit Rachel, Feng and Mitch, my fellow PMN mommies for details!

And oh, MegaMom hinted it right and wanted to see what makes me real busy. She wants evidence that I’m indeed busy and wants a peek of my workplace. Ok. Here it is. No cleaning or arranging whatsoever. See the whiteboard on the left? It has already witnessed a lot of brainstorming and starts to be not-so-white.. board, lol. My laptop is of course, my best buddy. The old telephone (yes, it’s old!) gives me direct access to our plants worldwide. And the heater right next to the not-so-comfortable chair helps me beat this early winter we are experiencing right now (yes, the thermometer already displayed freezing degrees!).

Well, if you’re expecting a stylish office French-style, really sorry to disappoint you guys. But engineers generally do dirty jobs in dirty workplaces. Oppps. That’s not a general rule, by the way. That’s probably just me.

Whatnots. Well, nothing. I’m just.. well, smiling less and less. Hmmm, that’s what Frenchguy told me. And he’s probably right. I don’t know. Probably yes. Ewan. Winter na kasi.

I will be going to Bangkok next month (or later) and he thought a little stop-over in the Philippines would do me good. I could bring Louna with me, ask somebody from my family to do babysitting in Bangkok while I work, then go home with them to the Philippines for a little pre-Christmas holiday. That would be a lot of organization to do but..

Why not? Bibili ako ng maraming smiles sa Pinas, promise. (that is, kung matutuloy ako syempre).

She Said Goodbye to Daytime Diapers

Oh yes ! The trick is, we have to remove her diapers at daytime for her to tell us it’s time to do the potty. When she’s with her diapers, most of the time, she won’t even bother to inform us that it’s poo time. So here are the tricks which worked for us:

- Encouragement. Kids love to be applauded and praised – and know what, this doesn’t cost a thing. Louna is just so proud when she does it. There was one afternoon when she wanted to keep her potty because Papa hadn’t seen it yet. And Papa was still at work! So I tried to negotiate to keep the potty chair inside the toilet, without 'flushing’ the content, but she wanted it to be near her inside her playroom. She doesn’t trust Maman when it comes to potty matters. Imagine the odor propagating everywhere inside the house! Panic! I called up her Papa and explained the situation. They talked over the phone and Papa said Bravo Louna. After then, she took her potty chair and headed to the toilet. It was ok to flush her business. Whew.

Continue reading.

If Only..

…all toddlers, at a worldwide level, would be raised in a pro-environment attitude, little by little, at a sure pace, even mother Earth could breath fresh air. The world would be a better place to live in.

It’s hard to teach old dogs new tricks so aside from worldwide global warming awareness programs already available, we should equally give focus to these kids who will be the main players of the future. Imagine if parents inculcate this value to the core of their being at their very young age, protecting environment would become a worldwide culture and tradition which could surpass religion, race, nationality, skin color, beliefs or anything categorizing an individual to a group. Environment protection would be as natural as breathing air.. and since it will be a part of the future generation’s core values, it would cross generations to generations. Wouldn’t it be great?

Kids generally imitate what they observe from adults. And the best way to teach them is to show them examples. So you see, teaching kids is a circular logic. Everybody benefits from the process.

Think about this.
- What if, at the age of 2, with the help of their parents, all of these kids don’t allow water from the faucet running while they brush their teeth? Imagine the volume of water saved?

- What if at the age of 2, none of these kids throw anything anywhere anymore but instead, put the garbage in Mommy’s bag when there’s no garbage can around? These kids will surely grow up with the good habit.

- What if, at the age of 2, instead of allowing them to watch hours of tv or dvd, parents set a limit and spend saved hours in playing building blocks or any activity toys to develop their skills? Or why not spend the hours outside smelling the flowers or observing ants? Not only we save hours of electricity but we allow our kids to be closer to nature.

Tiny little gestures, when multiplied a million times become a huge contribution in preserving nature. The list is endless on how we could start our toddlers to be environment friendly. Start now.

Picture from this site.