This trip makes me feel as if I would be only half alive when I go back to the Philippines.

I've been here 2 weeks and it has been already the norm that I am at the office before 8AM, and will go out of the office around 8PM.  I don't see the sun that much since the days are getting shorter and shorter as I speak.  The temperature is dropping from the high 90's when I got here, to today's 70's which makes it hard for me since I get easily cold.  I eat fast food most of the time since I don't have time to cook and I am mostly tired when I get home.  I tell ya, using the brain will make you tired.

My activities lined up for this weekend and next weekend is enough to scare the living day lights out of me.  I'll be going on a 60mi bike ride on Saturday, and to SFO on Sunday.  The next weekend, I'll be camping in Yosemite.  I haven't had any chance to shop for anything since the shops around here close pretty early.  Good luck to me finding pasalubong for my family!  Good luck to me surviving camping and the bike ride!

I'm missing my husband terribly.  We won't even be together on our birthday.  Good thing they've been keeping me busy at work, I don't have time to think about him during the day.  But at night time, when it gets really cold, I feel alone.  Alone to the point that I know he'd get a hoot out of the adventures that I'll be going to, and knowing that everything will all the more be enjoyable if he were around.  Talking to him lifts up my spirits but only enough to last me until the next phone call.

I'm whining.  And I need to get back to work.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/30/2004 12:06:00 PM

Napa Valley
Originally uploaded by gjen.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/27/2004 11:17:00 PM

DSCN4536.JPG
Originally uploaded by gjen.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/23/2004 02:32:00 PM

I stayed up really late last night because I had to postpone my laundry to watch the last ep of the Amazing Race 5. I'm glad that Chip and Kim won. I think they played the game really well, and that luck was on their side. If Colin/Christie and Brandon/Nicole's flight was not delayed, Chip/Kim would be in a losing situation. I don't think Brandon/Nicole would've deserved to win. They didn't work too hard and would sometimes depend on other teams to get ahead. But it was great that they arrived first at the pitstop. And did I say that Brandon was really yummy? :D As for Colin and Christie, never liked them. I think Colin walks all over Christie and Christie just accepts it. Doormat kung baga. I actually hoped that the mom's would beat them, but then the roadblock on Lagen wall was too physically exhausting that I don't think either Linda or Karen would've finished it. They were really dehado on that roadblock. Anyways, will be awaiting the next season. And I am really happy that people who have watched now know what the Philippine flag looks like. Heh.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/22/2004 12:48:00 PM

DSCN4495.JPG
Originally uploaded by gjen.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/21/2004 09:35:00 AM

The temperature in FM last weekend was wicked. I need not just a jacket but a sweater to keep me warm. I get cold easily and it�s never easy for me to get out in the morning to go to the car. I usually walk very fast, but not so fast that I look like a maniac on my way to the car. Last Saturday, R and I went around FM to explore. We went to garage sales where I bought a second hand game boy advance unit. We went to most of the malls and the factory outlets. We were supposed to go to a picnic in the afternoon, but then it was cancelled due to the very cold weather. So we just decided to hang out at the factory outlet and then go to mass in the afternoon. On Sunday, we met up with HaydeeE at Old Sacramento. We were planning to meet up at the Train museum, but since Sac had plenty of streets that are one way, R and I decided to just park near the mall and try to regroup where we will need to go to get to the museum. It started to rain pretty heavily that I asked Haydee if they can just meet us at the mall. Anyways, I had a blast at the train museum, I even had an incident (no I am not telling!). After the museum, we went to Frys. I had the grandest time! I was buzzing with excitement. I bought a USB card reader, earphones (didn't bring one), batterry charger, palm screen protector and a bag. Ouch to my wallet. It doesn�t cost that much, but these are all my wants. Haven't had time to hunt for pasalubong yet.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/21/2004 08:56:00 AM

Being in a different site made me realize that I knew a lot of people from work.  And I am adding more to the list as this trip progresses.

I've only been in Folsom 2 days and I spent most of those 2 days meeting up with people and building my task and training list.  It all sounds so scary that I think I need to regroup and really iron out the priority list.  I don't want to extend more than what I have committed to stay here for and I really want to make sure that all my goals are met.

I just hate it that I am unable to make broadband work with my laptop.  It should've been easy as pie but then when I connected last night, I had all sorts of problems that I just decided to give it up.  And to think, the only reason why I chose that hotel was because of the free complimentary broadband, plus the fact that it's located near most of the new stores in Folsom.

Going back to my travel story, my trip was not a nightmare but it could've been better.  In the flight from MNL-HK, I was seated between a nice gentleman and a first time traveller.  I met the first time traveller while looking for the check-in counter of Cathay.  She had no inkling what she needs to do and I tried to explain to her what she needs to do, until she decided that she would just tag along with me.  So the check-in counter seated her at the window and thinking that we were friends, she seated me next to her, making me seat at the middle seat.  The gentleman that we met was so well travelled that he offered to take me to the gate where I needed to go in HK (he knew the airport very well and it was my first time at HK).  The man worked for an oil firm and he travels to all parts of the world doing explorative work.  He told me that he had just gone from LA with his family and he used his mileage to pay for his wife's ticket.  He really encouraged me to get a mileage card since it does not expire.

The trip to HK was enjoyable because I had good company and the flight was very short.  When we got to HK for my connecting flight to SFO, there was no organization and the airline just seated everybody as they lined up.  I thought they were gonna call the row numbers.  So I was one of the last passengers seated.  I sat at the window seat and the old couple seated next to me was Indian.  I am not one to discriminate, but they had a very distinct smell to them.  I think my olfactory glands got used to it 2 hours into the flight that I did not seem to mind it after some time.

But then the lady seated right next to me started to feel pain in her knees.  It might be because of seating in the same position for so long.  They complained to the flight attendant that she was not feeling well, and the flight attendant asked her to raise her knees into her husband's seat.  To make a long story short, she was pressing my arm, and was really cramping my seat that I had to "offer" the flight attendant to move my seat.  Of course, since the flight was full, I was seated in the middle seat.  The persons originally seated on that row was not happy that I decided to seat next to them.  Problem was even with an eye mask, the light was still glaring.  The person seated in the aisle seat had the light turned on the whole time and the person seated in the window seat had the windows opened the whole time.  I saw the sun rise from the horizon.  So, for short, I was not able to get decent sleep.  And then my connecting flight was cancelled so I had to wait an additional 3 hours before I can get to Sacramento.  I can barely keep my eyes open by the time I checked into the hotel.

So far everything has been hectic in the office.  I have started interfacing with people and started defining the tasks that I need to complete during my 5 week stay.

And oh!  Broadband rocks. :D

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/17/2004 08:26:00 PM

I am one sleepy camper.

Arrived really late in Folsom last night.  My flight from San Francisco to Sacramento was cancelled and I was booked into a much later flight.  I had to wait 3 hours before the connecting flight that I was thinking, if I was fully awake, I could've just driven to Folsom, and arrived here much earlier.  I barely had sleep on my HK-SFO flight that I was altogether just groggy.  Ganun pala ang feeling ng hindi nakatulog for almost 24 hours.

I still have lots of kwento about the trip (it was not that uneventful), but being sleepy, I will tell the story some other time.

Back to work for me.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/16/2004 11:57:00 AM

Had a haircut again.  This time it is definitely shorter.  If I try to make a ponytail, I'd be lucky if I get 10 strands together.

I'm back to my grad pic hair.  My head just seems lighter altogether.

I'm leaving on Wednesday and I have yet to pack everything.  All of the things that I'll be bringing are in my suitcase already, but it doesn’t fit because I have not yet strategically placed the items.  I wonder how I will be able to bring back all of the things that people have asked me to buy for them.  Bahala na si batman!

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/12/2004 07:00:00 PM

The twins were eliminated from the race.

They were a little stupid din naman kasi come to think of it.  First, they got lost going to the highway, then, they chose a much much slower detour.  I really wished that they will pull through, kaya lang, when the ep ended, gabi na, e may araw pa nung dumating yung ibang teams.

So now, I am left without anyone to cheer on in the race.  Sabi ni ela, lahat daw ng kinakampihan ko natatanggal.  So GO COLIN AND CHRISTIE!  I hope Colin gets stomped by a Kalabaw. Ang sama ko. :D

And what's worse is that I won't be able to watch the first Philippine leg.  The show will be shown in the US on a Tuesday, a Wednesday here.  Since I am leaving on Wednesday morning, I won't be able to catch the Philippine showing.  So I'd have to rely on the web for information.  Pero iba pa rin syempre kung napanood.

--------------------

On another note, my upcoming trip seems so sabog.  Itinerary is fixed but the meeting schedules just keep on changing.  May maaccomplish kaya ako sa trip na to?  Dati sabi nila 5 weeks, so nilagay ko 5 weeks, tapos kanina, sabi 3 weeks na lang.  ANO BA TALAGA?!

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/08/2004 05:38:00 PM

When you get used to living a pampered life, a minor hitch can really be a problem.

The water heater in our unit has decided to not work since Sunday.  It used to be that we just turn it on and off and the unit will work again.  But we have been doing that for 2 days to no avail.  And now, I miss hot water.  I don't want to wake up early just to boil water so I endure the icy coldness.  Maybe I'm exaggerating, it's not that cold, but still I miss my hot water.

Same thing goes for airconditioning.  I lived 25 years of my life without airconditioning at home.  But now, I like sleeping with airconditioning.

I used to not mind my eyebrows, but now I even have a calendar entry on when I should call the salon to schedule waxing.

And shoes, let's not get started with shoes.

What has happened to me?  Have I evolved into a girlie girl?

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/06/2004 08:40:00 PM

To Ela and Toni (and those who want to know how to blog using their email)

Go to Settings->Email

On the Mail to Blogger address, put in your supersecret word, click publish to make sure that what you emailed will be published to your blog.  As a security feature, change your supersecret word often to avoid spamming.

The format of your blogger email should be: yourusername.supersecretword@blogger.com

I'll try to post screenshots when I have time.

-- daganda

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/05/2004 05:24:00 PM

I thought I had already bawled my eyes out in A Walk to Remember.  I was soooo wrong.

I should start hating Nicholas Sparks.

We watched The Notebook last Friday.  The movie was so touching.  I have not read the book and I am now contemplating whether or not I should read it.  Seems that I would need several boxes of tissue to tide me over if I decide to read this.  I just cried without a care while I was watching the movie.  Good thing it ended late and the mall was already closed, else I will be walking around with really red eyes.

Don't want to say anymore because it might spoil the fun from other people who might want to watch(…as if they read my blog!).

-------------------

I've turned into a shoe addict.

When I got married, I only had 4 pairs of shoes under my name.  Yesterday, I bought a new pair of really cool Pumas that I can use to work.  Most of my purchases lately have been sandals and can't really wear them to work on account of the igloo-like temperature on the buses.  So the Pumas are really work shoes.

I counted my shoes with DA POGI last Saturday, and I now have 11 pairs.  Which translates to 7 pairs that I bought in 3 months!

Do they have shoe rehab?

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/05/2004 04:53:00 PM

I love T3 magazine.

I started reading it about 4 months ago when an officemate of mine brought his back copies into the office.  From then on I was hooked.  I always looked forward to getting the newest copy on the newstands.  It brings me a slight thrill to find out reviews on items.  I love it when they review MP3 players, cameras and cellphones.  They even feature the newest accessories to tech devices.  And what's best about it is that they list the local prices.

They are a bit biased sometimes.  Like they really like the Nokia 6230 and openly flaunts that this is a group favorite.  And also the iPod.  But these items are really good ones and are deserving of their praises.

I like it that they have a listing of their top items.  And it doesn't matter if the item has just been recently released or has been in production for more than a year, if it's worthy to be listed, it is listed.

This month, they have a review of the Zire31, the 6MP Exilim and comparisons of the new camera phones.

*Btw, I'm not so techie because I just found out that I can blog using my email to my blogger account.  And I found it out in T3!

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/02/2004 09:18:00 PM

Lumampas na pala ang 500th post ko, di ko man lang namalayan.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/02/2004 08:50:00 PM

I have been quiet for the past several days which is very untypical of me. Work has made me very busy and, sometimes, very grumpy. I've been cooped up in a conference room for 3 whole days trying my best to have my right brain produce creative ideas. That's when I really found out that I am a left brain person. I am sometimes so methodical that I get out of whack whenever things deviate from what I expect. Maybe that's why I am reactive rather than proactive. Which to me is totally inconsistent with the level of detail I put into scenario planning activities. I've also been very busy because I needed to come up with a decent budget for our department by Tuesday of this week. I barely made the deadline, and the spreadsheet was given back to me on account of cost cutting, which means another round of review. If only I was this efficient in handling our household budget. -------------------- My bespren is now blogging. And she's blogging using gblog. And I can't comment because I am not a Globe subscriber. Damot ng Globe. Anyways, Bespren, hope you enjoy blogging as much as Pauee and I do. :) Basta, kung meron mang mangyari sa yo, alam ko dahil sa blog mo yun.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/01/2004 03:48:00 PM