Sitting in My Room

I feel a certain lethargy and sadness coming into my apartment this morning. I just came from the airport having just dropped off my mom, aunt and a friend to catch their flights to Singapore. Aunt will stay for another month in Singapore to spend time with her son there. Mom to stop overnight before continuing on to Manila. Friend to go straight to Manila.
This photo was taken at 10sec exposure.

I can't believe that one and a half months has passed by as quickly as it did. Now, I trully am alone in my apartment -- not quite used yet to the stillness. First thing I did was to open my computer and filled the house with music. Then I started changing the bed sheets and the pillow cases. Saw some dirty spots on the floor and started cleaning them up. When everything was in order, I sat down in front of the computer and wrote a letter to my boyfriend. Sent it. Needing even further contact, I decided to give him a call. Our conversation lifted me up. Feeling inspired, I started making this entry.


Living alone (in a foreign country at that) for the first time in my life is something I am living through in constant paradox. I know it is something I had wanted for the longest time but the reality of it is nothing like how I imagined it. It's not always bright and happy as I had thought. It's different. The feeling of sweet independence is there but it comes with the feeling of being on your own. The feeling of freedom is there but it comes with wanting to be in constant connection.

But don't get me wrong...I am loving every minute of this self-examination. I am loving every minute of being by myself and getting this chance to understand who I am and the things that are going through in my life. I am loving the fact that I am starting to like and accept even more the person looking back at me in the mirror. I am loving the fact that what I am going through now is yet another preparatory step to the next big thing in my life.

Life is indeed bright. Like those lights outside of my bedroom window...

Taman Safari

First Visitors from the Philippines

A tribute to Ria and Sir Odi. You have the distinction of being my first visitors from the Philippine office - haha! =)

Note to all: No, they are not the latest stars from an upcoming telenovela.

Taman Bua

Ancol Weekend

Okay, I'm back!

So sorry. I've been really, really busy lately. Work has been demanding my time, spending way too much precious time flying from one country to another trying to catch up on the fast approaching year end when things on my new job are still progressingly being identified and fixed up. Not that I'm complaining. Been earning much needed miles on my krisflyer card to get even more free trips to all those places I dream of visiting. I just hope this hectic pace at work gets to a more manageable state for me to take a leave long enough to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I'm sure most of you would say -- yeah right!! I'm just making up a reason for not updating this blog for nearly a month! Has it been that long --- oh my gosh -- so sorry. So sorry.

I know some of you got so worried about my whereabouts these past few weeks. Some of you have written, some have called. Thank you, thank you for the concern folks. Really appreciate it a lot :)

In Bangkok as of this writing actually. Have yet to attend another whole day meeting with my Thai colleagues. My boss still on the way to the hotel. She landed one hour later than I did. It's a good thing she requested for a breakfast meeting with me instead of the usual night cap we have before a big meeting like this one.

Anyway, enough of the excuses bit - haha! The past month has been really busy settling into Jakarta. The traffic there is not as bad as what some people warned me about but still it's energy draining powers is not to be underestimated. I really don't get why they have to enforce that 3-in-1 rule (3 people in one car from 7am to 10am and from 430pm to 7pm)!!! Because of this, my driver and I have to go to and from work via the non 3-in-1 routes which takes us double the time on 3-in-1 routes!!! Anyway, not that I'm complaining since it takes me just as long to get to and from work when I was in the Philippines but this time, I am being driven. So still doing good in that respect.

My mom and my aunt have been doing the rounds while I work my ass off - shopping and going to tourists spots every now and then (in between complaints about how they miss people back home and being able to watch only korean telenovelas on TV with english translations because everything is in Bahasa). I'll post some of their escapades during the trips when I actually get to tag along! (Coming up soon ;)

They've successfully taught me how to cook menudo, nilaga, sinigang, beef stake, chopseuy and mechado -- yey! They tried to teach me how to clean fish so I can fry fish every once in a while. But the blood and gore is too much for my delicate sensibilities I don't think I'd want to repeat the experience. I'm sure there is some good fish restaurants in jakarta - hehe. I also know how to use the washing machine already -- yey! I didn't realize it's so easy and quite enjoyable actually -- yuck, am I starting to like the thought of household chores? Someone, actually forced me to cook him tapsilog for dinner -- so that's another cooking feat, completed successfully. I know, i know. Frying isn't that hard -- but it was deliciously done and I wanted to show off :)

A lot has been going on with me actually - don't know how and where to begin but in a gist, I am happy about life. Happy where I am. Happy to be alive and to live this stage in my life.

Something (or is it someone?) happened last weekend and it completely threw my life off course yet again but then life is no fun without these surprises - things not planned or even foreseen. They just happen. When these things happen, you decide with your gut and follow your heart. Anyway, those really close to me would already know what this is. Maybe I will talk about it in my next posts or maybe not. Don't mean to be so secretive but sometimes you just have to keep things to yourself.