New Game Plus (Real Life)

For those who do not know, New Game Plus is pretty common in the world of video games. This term is used when you have finished a game, then you are given the chance to start a new game from the beginning. Depending on the developer, different content may be in the game as you replay it. The reason I added "Real Life" in the title of my post is because it feels like my life is starting afresh. If you read some of my older post, you probably know that I have gone through many different chapters of my life, especially those that are related to school and work. Well! I just graduated from LaSalle College a couple of months ago, and I started my training at my new workplace in a company called Sunwing. So I figured New Game Plus (Real Life) would be perfect as a title for this blog post. 

(Below you will see a couple of pictures. Left side is the small gathering we had a couple of months after graduation. On the right was the last picture taken in class, unfortunately, only a few of us were able to attend for this picture.)

A couple of weeks ago I applied to a few places. I applied at Air Canada, got a call, but unfortunately they did not call again. A couple of days later, I applied at Sunwing and then got a call for an interview not long after. Special thank you to Jeff for driving me to the hotel where my interview took place. I went through two people for the interview which led to a good sign because Jeff told me some people left right after the first interview. The week after, I got a call from Sunwing, and guess what, I was given a six month contract! I really believe God has everything planned for me and I am sure this is one of them. 

Last Monday, my training began. I was so afraid that I might be the only one and that I would be very confused and lost. Little did I know that there were many others like me. In fact we are about 18, so I felt somewhat better. The company is growing, and growing fast, which is why many were actually hired. Bit by bit, things are shaping up. The first week went so much better than I expected. The people were nice, and so were my new co-workers, that made me feel at ease. Though I think I need to lighten up a bit. I feel that I am a bit too timid, tense and silent, that sometimes I wonder if they think that I am a snob. I guess that's just how I am with a new environment *sigh* Not much I can do for now, but we shall wait and see what happens. Hopefully as the day go by, I'll be able to open up, be a comfortable co-worker for the others and just be myself. Yeah, I am someone who worries a lot. =P

(YEAH!!!!)

Anyways, what matters is that things are going well so far, and I hope that the rest of my training will go smoothly. When that is done, the real stuff begins, and I hope that goes just as great and even better. With God by my side and all my loved ones by my side, I shall persevere!

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

The Philippines 2012 - Final Week

August 1st, it's my mother's birthday. A few relatives came by to celebrate. There was some food prepared, however since we didn't really set up a party-like event, we just had food that are normally prepared for birthdays, in this case Pansit (I think you can call it noodles in english). Coincidentally, some close family friends from Montreal passed by to say hello from wherever they came from, so we told them to stay for a bit and eat. It would of been awesome if I had the chance to spend a lot of our time with them during this vacation, unfortunately our schedules did not really match. 

(Mom's Birthday Cake)

 Friday we went to do a little bit of shopping. I gotta thank my kuya Gomer (Kuya is what you normally call an older brother, you do not need to be blood related, it is very common in Asia) who drove us practically anywhere we wanted to go throughout our stay in the Philippines.

Sunday we had a sudden "get together" with my relatives from my mother's side and all ate breakfast at McDonald's. Apparently, the reasoning for this is because it was my aunt's birthday who lives in Spain, so the plan was to celebrate while they are celebrating too as if we are having the occasion together. We were suppose to eat at Jolibee but the second floor was in construction, so there was no space for us there. Heck, we pretty much filled out the whole second floor. Right after this, since it was our last week, as a family we also decided to visit my late grandparents, from my mother's side, for the last time. In the afternoon, my cousins accompanied me and my brother to a couple of shopping malls to do some final purchases since we were going to leave in three days.

(Rice and Chicken at McDonald's)

The day has come, the day we part. I felt fine, until the moment I had to say my goodbyes. I did not expect my heart to beat this way, I was feeling very emotional. Tears did not drop, but my heart did. Seeing my little cousins suddenly speechless and just immobile got me very emotional and broken deep down. (The picture does not really show the whole family, but those in the picture are those who were able to send us off on our last moments in front of our "Home" and stay in the Philippines.)

I have mixed emotions. I knew this was going to happen. Before coming in the Philippines, I was not very excited. Nearing the end time I have in The Philippines, I was somewhat excited that I would be returning to Montreal, but in the same time really sad that I was leaving. I actually felt "at home". Back then, when Iused to visit this country, it just felt more like a vacation, but this time, it felt more than that, as if I lived there or can get used to living there. It's hard to explain. I do not know if it's because we have our own house now, but I simply felt at home.

We arrived safely in Montreal. I felt fine, until my first night came. I suddenly had this rush of mixed emotions. Similar to those I had right before parting. But this is life. No matter how far apart we are from each other or the many years it may take for all of us to reunite, they will always be close by. It's funny how I did not really want to visit about a month ago. But I am sure God had his reasons. We learn and realize new things as the day go by, and I am glad I ended up going back there. I made new memories I will not forget. I definitely miss them, and I cannot wait until the day we meet again.

"Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection." - Arthur Schopenhauer 
 

The Philippines 2012 - Week Three

Two weeks have gone, and I only have a couple of weeks left in The Philippines. Big occasions took place that the first two weeks just passed by so quickly. It is now the day after my cousin's wedding, the first day of my third week in this country.

The week starts with something of an occasion as well. We went to my other cousin's house, the home where my mom and her siblings grew up in. The reason for many of my relatives to gather in this house is because it is my grandfather's, from my mother's side, death anniversary. For those who do not know, in Asia, it is not uncommon to prepare something for a death anniversary. Not celebrated in a way where you have a party, but in such a way where you offer them food, and sort of speak to them. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet him. For many many years, I've always wanted to meet him and ask him many questions. My mom has told me that he knew how to speak Japanese. I've been curious to know how he learned the language. For some reason, I would feel shy to ask my mother about this, which is why I am still clueless up to this day. Who knows, maybe I have some Japanese roots, which would be awesome! ;)

(On the table, there are food given to my late Grandfather)

 Later that day, when everything was done, my family and I left for Manila. We stayed at one of my cousins who live there. I was so relieved to find out that they have High-Speed Internet and Cable! I finally had the chance to catch up on some of the people I am very close with in Montreal, and watch the Olympics. 

The next day, we went to Mall of Asia, one of the biggest mall in the world. I rarely shop for clothing, but the clothing you can find in Asia are really nice. In the Philippines, the clothing are original and inexpensive (by converting Canadian Dollars to Philippine Peso), so I just had to shop. However, being myself, I still tried to save as much as I can. Except for one brand called KSwiss. I am a huge KSwiss lover, and well, in the Philippines, there are so many different styles and choices in comparison to what I would usually find in Canada. So I just had to buy shoes. I even convinced my dad and brother to buy a pair as well. 

(Uniqlo, sort of like the Forever 21 for Men!)

(A view of Mall of Asia)

Mid-way through ths week, the weather has been starting to go crazy. Many might probably know about it, it went in the news all over the world. Heavy storm and Typhoon warning was really affecting the country. Many floods occurred as well, especially in the Manila area. Luckily, our departure for our return to Batangas was quite clear. However, on the way, the weather would still go insane from time to time. We pass through Tagaytay to head back in Batangas. Tagaytay is high up in the moutains, quite a beautiful place actually, so whenever rain would drop, it would drop so hard that it was very difficult to see the road. However, everything went well, and we arrived safely back home.

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." - Aldous Huxley

The Philippines 2012 - Week Two

During this week, there are two notable events that occurred. First of all, we went to a resort at Mataas Na Kahoy. At first I thought it was Ninja's home in the Philippines, but I quickly learned that there was another place with the same name. Quite unfortunate! And secondly, it was my cousins wedding. 

Starting off with the resort. I remember it clearly, it was on a Wednesday. What a coincidence that the kids where I lived in the Philippines had no school, so we were able to have a great outing as a family and of course friends. My cousin, Ethyl, usually has work, but she was able to take a day off which was awesome as well. I was surprised to learn that there were many Korean tourist and students that go there. That probably explained the Korean flag that they put up there beside the Philippine flag. Even many signs were in Korean.

Some interesting things happened there. There was a big pool which went from 3 feet deep to 6 feet. I still don't really know how to float, but I can swim (weird eh?). But with lots of guts, I decided to jump in directly the deeper side of the pool. Man! I panicked at first not sure what to do, so what I did was swim and swim. That was tiring! After that, I did not really have the guts to stay in the middle, so you can say that I'm still not sure if I would survive in deep waters XD However, there was a little bit more of bad luck that occurred that day. Our newly bought camera broke because some water got inside. It kept bothering me because now we don't have the perfect device for recordings, especially because we were only half way through the vacation. But aside from that, it was a lot of fun. 

(A view of half the resort. They are still planning to make it even bigger.)

We are now on Saturday, the day of the wedding. The wedding was taken place sooooo early in the morning. I do not remember exactly, but all I know is that I had to wake up around 4:30am or something. But it was a special moment for my cousin, I was excited so that did not bother me. I was not very satisfied however with how the wedding was organized at the church. The person in charge of the wedding seemed like she was in a rush, it was a real mess to be honest. And the reception as well was not exactly of my liking. It was at my cousin's wife's place. Not that I hate it, but the setting isn't really a place I enjoy to be in. However, that did not stop me from enjoying this day. To see my cousin and his family happy for a big day like this is enough for me. Especially because I was able to partake in it as well, not to mention being able to bond with many of my cousins. And hey, the more unique it is, the more memorable it can be right? After a few hours, the rest of the party took place in our area of the village.And the party went on and on 'til night struck.

(Most of them are my cousins)

And there you have it, these two are the highlights of my second week. To have a memorable time doesn't mean those moment have to be positive. Sometimes, even the negative can become positive. 

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us." - Mark Ruffalo