What does gift means to you?

How do you feel when one day, you saw a gift you gave to someone abandoned mercilessly in one corner? It is as if trying to tell me "Please rescue me!"

I was disappointed and angry at the same time when I saw the gift I gave to someone left in an empty cubicle when the person I gave it to left for a new job in a new company.

Gift means a lot.

Though it may not be given by someone you really love romantically or not, these things are one way to remember people who, once in your life became a part of it. Never mind if these people don't find you as someone to care about but at least, give respect to gifts given to you because when they found out what you did, you will hurt them even more. You can be less evil by taking it with you and leave it somewhere else where the giver will not be able to find out.

Gifts though not extravagant or expensive, these are things which was invested not only money but one's precious time, worse the thoughts one spend while picking a perfect (or not) gift for you.

Appreciation is an act of being grateful. More often I receive gifts which beyond my taste or things I can't use but at least I keep them because just the mere fact that someone thought of you is something you can be proud for yourself; something you can be thankful for.

What measures you?

Just this afternoon, I was chatting with a friend of mine through YM. She was asking me how was my vacation in the Philippines. Of course, I said what I did and then, her statement struck me.

Friend: " saya naman ng life mo" (How happy your life is)
Me: "hindi naman.." (Well, not that much)
Me: "money doesn't define true happiness for me"

Then she said.

Friend: "syempre luxurious ang life mo na.." (But of course, you're enjoying a luxurious life)

But I disagree.

Me: "ay hindi po. madaling maubos ang pera.. alam mo un di ba" ( No, money runs out in no time, you know that)

She continues.

Friend: " Yep I know but half of our happiness is money.. kaya yung (then the) next half would be your personal stuff na".

But I disagree. I said the proper way to describe one's life with money is COMFORTABLE. True happiness cannot be equated to how much money you have in your pocket, how big your savings account is. Comfortness is the one and only thing that money can give to us.

Everyone defines true happiness based on their criteria. But for me, my happiness evolves on simple things, on all that involves emotion, friends, the joy of singing, of doing what I love to do . Sure, I have money but I can't say I am 100% happy. Luck. Yes, I am lucky I was blessed with these things but happiness and money are not one and the same.

Taiwan Tidbits

In my more than a year (almost 2 years) of stay in Taiwan, here are some of the things I observed and discovered.

1. The usual English language problem in any Chinese descent country is very obvious.

2. They are very polite. They always say "xie xie" or thank you in everything that they do and always replied by "bu-ke-chi" or your welcome.

3. When you are talking with them, even in the heat of conversation, once their cellular phone rang, they will answer it and never mind whether your conversation will cut short. I don't know if they find it offensive but it is for me.

4. Everyone has a cellular phone. Others have even more than 2.

5. Their skin is color is yellowish/whitish but they are very obsess in skin whitening products especially the women.

6. They are not the most hygienic species on earth. You have to experience it and smell it for yourself!

7. Taxi fare is expensive.

8. Another thing with taxi, they use the top of the line car brands may it be Lexus, BMW or Mercedes Benz. Unlike the Philippines where you can't use the new released car or even the Honda cards as taxis, they don't give a damn on the brands.

9. Its very obvious that the country is rich so you may see porsche and other luxury cars just parked outside into any place.

10. Just like the Philippines and other poorer countries, some of the people still want to migrate to other countries like Japan.

11. Married couple doesn’t want to have more than 1 child. Their government is urging them but they are not compulsive with the idea.

12. It is normal for people here whether not to marry or indulge into such state when they're a bit older.

13. They are helpful even with the language barrier.

14. God, how they love to talk!

15. Like Filipinos, they also love to watch drama TV series either made locally especially made from Korea and Japan.

16. Though they welcome the idea of migrating to other countries, they come back without hesitation if they can't find a decent job. Unlike Filipinos who accepts any odd job as long as they are abroad, they don't buy the idea of being just a second class citizens.

17. The people from the city especially Taipei are not discriminating. From what I learn, those who lives in the provinces are.

18. Some men are sometimes to be mistaken gay because of they're fashion statements and mannerism.

19. Women are pretty, but always have many exceptions.

20. They are WORKAHOLIC!

21. Surely, this is a place where the standard of living is high.

22. They can be very tight on money matters.

23. They love to sing as well.

24. They love to shop and buy branded materials but night markets are everywhere and still a lot and I say a LOT of people still flocking in these areas.

25. Gadget freak.

Money Talk

After I graduated in college, I see to it that I will not ask for any monetary help from my parents.

I started working a couple of months before I even graduated from college. As an entry level employee, I have no choice but to accept low-paying jobs just for the experience. I know this is just temporary and its my stepping ground. Once I learned many things, then I will decide to spread my laurels to other companies who can provide me a better salary.

I am in that point now where I earn more than I do. But you have to work for it. More often we want to start in the top coupled with a huge pay check. That is not always the case. Everyone has to start from below.

I experienced how to be broke. I am now experiencing the joys of what money can buy, but I have to tell you, having just merely 10,000 in your bank account compare to a million DOES NOT make you a different person. It doesn’t make other people with thinner pay checks lesser people than you are. We are still one and the same.

For some reasons, I know that many people will disagree. Sure, more of this means better food, nicer house, faster cars et al, but as I enumerate, these are all material things. And just like money, it doesn’t make you better specie than others who don't have these things.

I always thought that I could be happier when I reached the first million mark in my bank account. Did I felt any better? No. Did it make me a better person? No. Why? Because I can’t help thinking about it always. I can’t help thinking about what to buy. But since I know that this kind of amount is very hard to look for especially if you are just working class as I do, I starve my self with these material things. Worse, I can be boastful sometimes, though not through words but it drawn me too much worse emotions and attitude.

I am not saying you don’t have to look for it. In this materialistic world where people have to have it in order to survive, we have to work for it.

But money can’t always buy anything we want much more, what we need. It’s a cliché but it’s the truth - and it hurts.

Blogger's Dilemma

I always think that I can write.

But I am neither a great nor a good writer. I just know that I can at least write.

Back in college, my professor congratulated me in one of my essays before.

But why is it that I can't and really don't find my writings in this journal interesting to read?

Was it because I am fond of blog hopping and jealous enough that they have followers who give comments and participate in the blogger's life? Was that what I really wanted?

Sometimes, I am thinking of deleting this site. “Why bother, nobody is reading it anyway”, I quip. Why? Am I sure that I want others to read what I wrote? This is supposed to be a diary. Then, why do I have to let everyone else to read it? But that's the fun side, am I right?

More often, I come across with blogsites with numerous followers. Sometimes I wonder, do they really have that kind of life? Was it really that adventurous or dramatic? Or do they just fake it? Really, I know that, how you present what you write is one key, right?

Then, do I consider myself a blogger? Well, I'm still new having just started one last November, 2004. But I blog so I think I am.

But why is it that I have no such interesting stories/entries? I watched a Hong Kong movie (for the nth time) released a couple of years back and it was about a writer and a VJ who was once nemesis in air and print but eventually end up together. I've watched this movie a numerous times and in the last time, there was this one scene where the writer cannot write and deliver an interesting story. Her boyfriend tell her, it is because she doesn't go out and don't socialize that is why she had a hard time sewing a great story.

Then I thought... I don't really go out and hell! It’s been years since the last time I met someone interesting. Then it came to mind, "is socializing a key to great stories"?

I really rarely socialize and I don't usually have stories to blog about.

Was that the point I am looking for?

Then I thought, maybe the problem is not whether I am a good writer or not and to me, it really doesn't matter, more so, if nobody is reading it, but maybe it has something to do with my stagnant social life.

Home is where the heart is

I am back here in Taipei. I arrived yesterday at around 7pm via Philippine Airlines. It’s my first time to take PAL again after more than a couple of years because I usually take Taiwan's flag carrier ever since I've been flying back and forth Manila and Taipei since '03.

I have a long vacation in our family home in Ilocos Norte. In fact it was such a lazy week. All I did was to eat, sleep, watch TV, watch movies and watch more. In fact, sometimes, sadly, I miss sitting in my office table. After a couple of days of not doing anything, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to do something. Hence, I watered the garden plants, I took the responsibility of washing the dishes, attend to customers in our sari-sari store, any physical activity just to keep me busy.

Any changes? Well, not so much. Considering I was home not more than a month ago for my New Year's celebration.

I said in my previous post that I am not really expecting so much activity in this trip, and it was what I've expected.

I saw the garden fences which to my surprise costs my sister a whooping PHP 150,000.00 which includes the dirty kitchen built outside the house.



My mother was happy when I surprise her by buying a cake for her birthday (our family is not accustomed of having birthday cakes). It was fun. It was her first ever birthday cake after 55 years. She turned 56 this year.



One realization though. Being the youngest, my mother still treats me as if I am a high school student. She still scolds me if I’m being lazy. Geez! I am 25 years old and I am still getting these treatments from my family. In fact, they should consider that I was there for a V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N, for crying out loud. Though, it was fun. It was just like the good old days.

It’s harvesting time once again. The smells of newly uprooted garlic are all over the place. Usually, as probably unknown to most of us, garlic goes through a number of processes before it can be sold to the market and use it to what it is best to use with - cooking. After harvest, people have to remove the roots which is usually still attached to the garilc when you harvest. (I helped out but got tired) Then, it should be dried out from the sun. Drying would take days. When it's done, you have to remove the dried skin layer to show the smoother whiter layers. Lastly, you have to group it into sizes for bundling. And then of course, you have to wait for prospective buyers which usually take time because my father always wanted to sell it with the highest possible price. Once a garlic buyer and seller as he was, he knows when is the proper time although it irritates me even before because of the space in the house garage these garlic has to consume (I’ve been bragging them to build another storage outside the house because the one near the house is already full, and I don’t know what’s keeping them).



Home really makes me less worry. They say home is where the heart is. I always love my province - the fresh air and the comfort I get when I'm there. Really, nothing compares.

This boredom is killing me

I just finished the documentation I provided for the quasi-training I conducted yesterday. I have nothing else to do. I am bored as hell! It's still 5:15pm on my wristwatch. I still have at least two hours more because I arrived at the office half past 9 this morning. I still have other things to simulate though, but I feel tired. I already scheduled it when I return from my trip back home. Yes, I will be flying back to Manila again. Flying is a bit boring for me already. I've been flying in and out of the country since 2001.

I am not excited with this trip. I am not looking forward for something else. The only thing that excites me is to see the new look of the newly-built garden in our family house in Ilocos and the dirty kitchen my sister financed to built during her last vacation and of course, the birthday of my dearest mother.

I am planning to see a concert but I am tired of watching a concert by myself. I remember, I once watched a concert on valentines day. Imagine sitting there by myself while others are with their friends or significant others. I want this time to be with someone else. I'd like to share it withsomebody else.

I don't want to get hurt again just like the last time I planned of seeing a concert with someone but end up not going with her - only to find out she is with someone else already.
This vacation will be longer one (the longest vacation ever since) since Taiwanese will be celebrating their Chinese New Year and it lasts for a week. I will be leaving ahead tomorrow because all bookings are full this week.

Yes, this monotony is giving me headache. Worst, I will bear it for another year. I still have to stay here for another year. Not that I don't want though, but I am hoping my stay here will be worth it. I hope new projects will come in as days pass by. Without nothing to do, my brain seems to comprehend abnormally. Sometimes, I don't remember my vocabulary. I feel dumb already. "Nabobobo na ata ako".

Yes! Its 5:30pm already. I still have another hour to bear - because I have no choice.