A Bid Goodbye...

Today will be Gerly's last day on Lexmark R&D. Her contract of a year and three months is to end.

I'm awfully sad. Sigh, some good things never last. I'm gonna miss her: her silliness, her laughs, and most of all her 'obsession' with Kim Rae Won. Gerl, remember to keep your promise to me. :)

Gerl, I know that we have not known each other that long. We did not even have the chance to talk together personally. But I want you to know that you became a special person on my life - a good friend.

Thanks for everything, and goodbye. For now.

Please take care of the stuffed toy frog I've given you. Thanks for appreciating my simple gift. Hahaha, and you named it Jan. I'm so flattered. :p


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Last Tuesday, a shocking news stumbled upon the whole ICS college: Sir Ruben Miro is dead. According to our Psychology teacher, brain waves are still existent, but his heart stopped beating. There is still a chance for him to survive, and he shouldn't be embalmed this early.

Sir Miro is known to be an advocate of learning, a very professional mentor.

Though I was not under him on any of my subjects, I would like to extend my condolences to the afflicted, especially to his family. And may the good memory of Sir Miro remain on the students. Hope that his deeds would continue to inspire people, the faculty, the students.

Let's continue praying for him... :(

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As I checked the bulletin boards this afternoon to check about Sir Miro, I've read that he is to be cremated by tomorrow. I guess his brain wasn't able to bring him back alive... :(

Requiescat in pace, Sir Miro.

Ate Mikit's Departure

Ate Mikit (my elder sister) was scheduled to leave for Japan today. She and a couple of fellow workers will be there for a month's training at Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (don't know what factory in Japan exactly), a sister company of Cebu Mitsumi (where she is working). It was like five years ago when she was last sent there (if my memory serves me well). With a strike of luck coupled with perseverance, Ate is again chosen to be part of the training program.

I feel like the worst person in the world for not being able to escort her to the airport. I texted Mama just a while ago, and she told me that Ate Mikit was waiting for me to arrive.

I really hate myself. I did not even give Ate Mikit a farewell call. There is a phone outlet nearby which offers unlimited cellphone calls (talk all day; doesn't matter) for a standard fee of Php30.00. Sadly, they only serve Smart cellphone lines (PLDT hosts the line, and the unli-call is part of their promo), and Ate Mikit's number is in Touch Mobile (a Globe subsidiary).

What did I do instead? I just wasted my free two hours browsing the net, downloading songs, and streaming videos. I had to do my take-home exam then, but I brushed it off. I thought of calling Ate Mikit before going to the cafe, but I was thinking that she hasn't arrived home yet (it was around 8:00pm, and she usually arrives from work at ~8:30pm), so I declined, and also for the reason stated above. And I paid Php30.00 for the net time.

Oh, I could've used that time to travel from here (Cebu City) to Danao (where Ate and the rest of the family are staying). The travel would've only cost me an hour, and that thirty pesos was fairly enough to cover the whole fare.

I asked Mama (through text) whether Ate Mikit has any contact number in Japan. She said that Ate would just call us upon settling there.


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Ate, sorry to have kept you waiting. No amount of excuse would justify my shortcoming. I've been very overwhelmed by my pressing studies, but I should've alloted time to attend to your departure. I hope you can forgive me. :(

安全な旅行を持ちなさい (Have a safe trip), Ate Mikit. I'll pray for you. Take care of yourself there in Japan.

And It's Over

The ten-day study tour is officially finished.

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It's amazing how time flew. It's still fresh on my mind what happened upon my arrival at Incheon Int'l. Airport. The compay of all but strangers, the jitters of the "first-time", the inevitable jet lag and culture shock -- all these and more still live in my memories.

I am (and is still) most of the time alone, going a distance away from others, the type that would prefer solitude over company, a one-man team. Though I was not that close to everyone, I have deeply rooted for everyone's companionship and the experiences we've shared together. I only have ten days, and I should not spend most of it being blue and aloof. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I just have to make the most out of every minute of it.

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I already miss everyone. My, everyone's been passing emails lately, and I am to read every one of it. I guess everyone feels the same way.
I miss seeing my roommate Syam in his traditional Islam clothes and praying to Allah. He made me understand more the Islam culture.
I miss the markets and the souvenir shops, and how we would go around looking for a better bargain.
I miss going around the maze-like streets of Korea, and getting lost on a few encounters.
I miss everyone singing "Vietnam Ho Chi Minh" and "Kom Se Ma Ri", not to mention the Pansori.
I miss seeing everyone fall asleep in the bus. Heheh, glad I took pictures of it. :p
I miss our minigames in the bus: "What Happened!" and the beginning of the "Mistah Lee" jokes. :D
I miss eating kimchi, the sticky rice, and the hot pots (reference to Melvin's mail I've read). Being served everyday on the restaurant made everyone go "uh"; some don't even taste it. But now, my tongue is craving for the cuisine, especially bulgogi. :(
I miss Korea and all the places we've visited.
I miss my homestay family. I hope that Mom, Dad, Alex, Grandma, and Hosoo are doing fine, also to their daughter, who just arrived from Canada last Tuesday.
I miss taking pictures. I may sound corny at times taking pictures of inanimate objects as flowers, bamboos, even stones and fishes, but it soothes my craving, and it makes me happy. Of course, who will forget the group pictures!
I miss Miss Sharon, Mr. Lee, Mr. Kim, and the whole NIIED crew. Though at times I poked fun on Miss Sharon's diction and guffawed on every Mistah Lee joke and amazed as to how Mr. Kim would pose for a picture, but these guys are the best. Thank you for providing us all the amenities we needed, and for bearing with our silly ways. Thank you for giving the chance for people like us to converge and engross in cross-cultural exchange. Thank you for all the activity as a whole.

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I hate goodbyes. Many times I've seen people walk away and disappear off of my sight, and it has never been easy. Ery, Dean, and Alvin have to leave earlier than the pack (since they arrived a day earlier than schedule), which makes me the only Filipino left for the last few hours of the trip. I have already lost my inner circle. Everyone will be doing the same.

I am the last one to depart, of all the people. That means that I have to see everyone leave one by one, which is not very easy for me to take. I tried not to cry, but it can't be helped. I've already shunned the stereotype that "men don't cry." Of course, we cry, but we just try to keep it away from others, in fear of ridicule and loss of manlihood. But ridicule and loss of manlihood (among other things) were the least of my concerns...

Even on the last few minutes of departure, and upon boarding my flight, I forced myself not to cry. I've already shed tears, and I shouldn't be that sad, since we can still see each other again in time. But the tears just fell down...

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Now, I'm back here in Cebu. Back to reality, back to my old life. I now have dumps of school works to finish, and lectures to catch up. We'll be starting to work on our thesis tomorrow.

It may have been over, but the memories I've shared with everyone will remain in me. I'll share this wonderful story with friends, family, and to anyone who wants to listen to it. We made friends out of complete strangers, met different kinds of people, been to interesting places, shared thoughts in life, that all-in-all made this ten-day escapade a memorable part of everyone's life.

I'm hoping that everyone can still keep in touch. Even though we weren't able to be together for a longer time, and that we were most of the time with our inner circle, I hope that everyone will extend their reach and make more new friends.

In time, we'll be seeing each other again. It may be in a different place and time, and it may not be all at once, but I'm crossing my fingers...

Til then. Annyong higa seyo.