I suppose it's only appropriate that after being away for so long, I should witness firsthand a typhoon of this magnitude. Typhoon Milenyo hit Manila directly yesterday and the damage is substantial. In my sister's area, the streets are littered with fallen branches and uprooted trees. The same is true for the entire city. Several billboard structures crumpled. My friend Tish said the wind flipped a car onto its side near her apartment building. It was crazy! Then in the eye of the storm, there was an eerie stillness but you knew that the craziness was going to come back after about an hour.
Ed arrived here on Tuesday night, just in time to catch the storm. Good timing. :)
The storm has passed and now the clean up effort begins. 90% of Metro Manila is without power and it's going to take a couple more days before it is fully restored. But people just go about the business of cleaning up the streets and repairing their homes. Just the normal course of business during typhoon season. My sister's house has a generator so we haven't really felt the impact of the power outage. Thank goodness.
Because of the storm, we moved back our trek up Mt. Pinatubo by a day. We took the bus to Clark/Angeles today. Clark used to be known as Clark Air Base when the Americans were still here. The town right outside the air base is Angeles and is best known as the R&R centre for the American servicemen. Prostitution is still alive and well here. It is unsettling to see the white man (usually older) walking hand in hand with the local girl (usually quite young) down the street. The main street is lined with girlie bars.
Ed and I decided to pay a bit more and stay at a hotel a little removed from the strip. It is called Orchard Hotel and it's not seedy at all, which is good. And they have a business centre with computers and internet access. Yay.
The highlight of the day so far is the tricycle ride we took from the bus depot to the hotel. I don't think I've ever ridden a tricycle before. I thought the driver was going to get us killed! Crazy driver!
There's an SM (a huge mall) in the Clark airbase. Since the Americans left, the airbase has been converted into an "economic development zone". Not really sure what that means. In any case, SM is a good place to grab lunch away from the seedy bars. Lunch from the mall food court costs about $6 for the both of us. We're splurging on the buffet dinner we'll be having tonight at the hotel - it costs $12.25 per person!
At 5am tomorrow, Edwin Manalang, our guide, is going to pick us up at our hotel. It will be a 2-hour drive then a 2-hour hike up Mt. Pinatubo. Apparently, there is a lake at the very top and it's fine to swim there. Too bad I didn't bring my swim suit. Lonely Planet didn't say anything about swimming in the volcano! Oh well. Then right after our hike at about 3pm, we head straight to the bus depot for the trip back to Manila. It's not too far, just a 2-hour drive. Well, it could be 2.5 to 3 hours depending on the traffic once you hit Manila.
Ed's been a bit spaced out due to the jetlag. But he's doing better today and hopefully, he'll be fully adjusted within the next few days. He was really grumpy the first two days.
On Sunday, we fly to Palawan. I'm praying the weather will cooperate and that the rain will go away. Will try to post again from there. If not, we'll definitely find a internet cafe in Cebu where we head to after Palawan.
ps. The internet cafe here at the hotel costs $3.33 for a 24-hour period. At the mall near my sister's house, it was $1.22 per hour. Crazy cheap internet access.
29 September 2006
26 September 2006
Old friends
I remember a poem from elementary:
Make new friends but keep the old
Those are silver, these are gold.
I know, it's hokey but it's what I remember. Anyway, this past week has been about reconnecting with old friends. Some of them I haven't seen at all the last 14 years. Good thing there's e-mail because that's how I've managed to keep in touch somehow.
Most of my friends are married with kids. They talked about which schools their kids are attending, having parent-teacher meetings, dealing with issues (like one daughter eating paper as initiation into the cool group of kids in the class - and this is in grade 3!). The kids' ages range from 6 months in the womb to 14 years old. I think the average number of kids is two.
Everyone has done well professionally. Most are in management positions or own their own business. It's nice to see!
It's kind of weird, though. To me, they are still the same people. They look the same, they sound the same, still laughing at the same stories. But now they have kids! Weird.
And I wish I had a tape recorder to capture the conversations! I'm surprised at how much I don't remember. Remember when... Half the time, I wouldn't. But there has also been lots of "that's right! I remember" moments. It's great to recount the stories, like I'm hearing them for the first time. I swear, my first few days here, all I did was laugh. It was great!
I also realize I missed out on a lot of things - their weddings, births of their children, supporting my friends as they dealt with illnesses. Just life experiences in general. That's the downside of leaving.
I loved seeing my friends again. It's like not a day has passed since we last saw each other. Conversation just flowed so easily, laughter constantly spilling out of us. So comforting and wonderful. I wish I could spend more time with them. Definitely won't let another 14 years go by before coming back.
Make new friends but keep the old
Those are silver, these are gold.
I know, it's hokey but it's what I remember. Anyway, this past week has been about reconnecting with old friends. Some of them I haven't seen at all the last 14 years. Good thing there's e-mail because that's how I've managed to keep in touch somehow.
Most of my friends are married with kids. They talked about which schools their kids are attending, having parent-teacher meetings, dealing with issues (like one daughter eating paper as initiation into the cool group of kids in the class - and this is in grade 3!). The kids' ages range from 6 months in the womb to 14 years old. I think the average number of kids is two.
Everyone has done well professionally. Most are in management positions or own their own business. It's nice to see!
It's kind of weird, though. To me, they are still the same people. They look the same, they sound the same, still laughing at the same stories. But now they have kids! Weird.
And I wish I had a tape recorder to capture the conversations! I'm surprised at how much I don't remember. Remember when... Half the time, I wouldn't. But there has also been lots of "that's right! I remember" moments. It's great to recount the stories, like I'm hearing them for the first time. I swear, my first few days here, all I did was laugh. It was great!
I also realize I missed out on a lot of things - their weddings, births of their children, supporting my friends as they dealt with illnesses. Just life experiences in general. That's the downside of leaving.
I loved seeing my friends again. It's like not a day has passed since we last saw each other. Conversation just flowed so easily, laughter constantly spilling out of us. So comforting and wonderful. I wish I could spend more time with them. Definitely won't let another 14 years go by before coming back.
25 September 2006
Back in the hood
Been in Manila for six days now. I've had one get-together after another. My high school classmates from Assumption, my friends from university, and then my friends from Andersen. I've also been spending time with my sister, Leslie, and her husband Arnold and daughter Bea.
How does it feel to be back after 14 years of absence? Surreal! The city doesn't even look the same. So many high rises now, and a train transit system. Lots of development since I left. But lots of poverty, too. That part seems even worse than when I left. My sister lives in a gated community. Very posh and private. But outside those privileged walls, it's quite evident that life is hard. But I credit the Filipino spirit - people are smiling and laughing all the time. Just enjoying life, even if they have very little in way of possessions. But for a poor country, they sure like their shopping malls. It's all about the malls here. Malls in Vancouver pale in comparison!
My tagalog is getting better. My first couple of days here, my tongue was getting all twisted up so I just spoke English all the time. But speaking Tagalog got easier and I'm way more comfortable now. I even have the sing-song intonation that people here have when they speak. Give me a few more days and I'm sure I will sound just like my old self. hehehehe
It's all about food! Constantly eating - that's what I've been doing. But not sure why, I am always hungry still. Must be the heat. Maybe pigging out begets more pigging out. hmmmm...
And it's all about texting. I have been asked "do you have a cell phone?" so many times since I arrived. Sending text messages is the main method of communication here. "Just text me" and "I'll text you" are common phrases. When did the word "text" become a verb? And text they do - while walking down the street, waiting at the bus stop, sipping coffee at Starbucks. The thumb flies over the keypad at impressive speeds, composing cryptic messages, having conversations with unseen companions. A cell phone is a permanent fixture in one hand. Then there's me - with two thumbs at work, pausing after every letter to find the next one, spelling out entire words instead of using the shortcut versions. "s n d" means "is in the", "c u" means "see you", "ur" means "you are", and so on. It's crazy and everyone's really into it. I'm sure I'll also be a pro by the time I leave.
Other noteworthy observations:
- McRice burger. Instead of bread, rice has been formed into patties and the burger inserted between two rice patties. I haven't tried it yet but I will before we leave.
- Every place I've been to, the food has been superb. I'm going to take home a few more pounds than what I arrived with.
- This must be the billboard capital of the world. The highways are lined with massive billboards, many storeys high. Definitely was not like that when I left.
- Traffic is absolutely crazy. Took us 2 hours to travel approximately 50km. At least I had the billboards to entertain me.
- Skin whitening is big business here. Hmmm... What's wrong with being dark?
- The malls are the centre of social gatherings. Everybody goes to the mall, mainly to cool themselves, not really to buy anything.
- Some things are cheap, but some things are not. Lots of foreign stores are here - Guess, Kate Spade, Fendi, etc. And the prices are just like in Canada, converted to pesos. Who can afford to buy that stuff here? Weird.
How does it feel to be back after 14 years of absence? Surreal! The city doesn't even look the same. So many high rises now, and a train transit system. Lots of development since I left. But lots of poverty, too. That part seems even worse than when I left. My sister lives in a gated community. Very posh and private. But outside those privileged walls, it's quite evident that life is hard. But I credit the Filipino spirit - people are smiling and laughing all the time. Just enjoying life, even if they have very little in way of possessions. But for a poor country, they sure like their shopping malls. It's all about the malls here. Malls in Vancouver pale in comparison!
My tagalog is getting better. My first couple of days here, my tongue was getting all twisted up so I just spoke English all the time. But speaking Tagalog got easier and I'm way more comfortable now. I even have the sing-song intonation that people here have when they speak. Give me a few more days and I'm sure I will sound just like my old self. hehehehe
It's all about food! Constantly eating - that's what I've been doing. But not sure why, I am always hungry still. Must be the heat. Maybe pigging out begets more pigging out. hmmmm...
And it's all about texting. I have been asked "do you have a cell phone?" so many times since I arrived. Sending text messages is the main method of communication here. "Just text me" and "I'll text you" are common phrases. When did the word "text" become a verb? And text they do - while walking down the street, waiting at the bus stop, sipping coffee at Starbucks. The thumb flies over the keypad at impressive speeds, composing cryptic messages, having conversations with unseen companions. A cell phone is a permanent fixture in one hand. Then there's me - with two thumbs at work, pausing after every letter to find the next one, spelling out entire words instead of using the shortcut versions. "s n d" means "is in the", "c u" means "see you", "ur" means "you are", and so on. It's crazy and everyone's really into it. I'm sure I'll also be a pro by the time I leave.
Other noteworthy observations:
- McRice burger. Instead of bread, rice has been formed into patties and the burger inserted between two rice patties. I haven't tried it yet but I will before we leave.
- Every place I've been to, the food has been superb. I'm going to take home a few more pounds than what I arrived with.
- This must be the billboard capital of the world. The highways are lined with massive billboards, many storeys high. Definitely was not like that when I left.
- Traffic is absolutely crazy. Took us 2 hours to travel approximately 50km. At least I had the billboards to entertain me.
- Skin whitening is big business here. Hmmm... What's wrong with being dark?
- The malls are the centre of social gatherings. Everybody goes to the mall, mainly to cool themselves, not really to buy anything.
- Some things are cheap, but some things are not. Lots of foreign stores are here - Guess, Kate Spade, Fendi, etc. And the prices are just like in Canada, converted to pesos. Who can afford to buy that stuff here? Weird.
18 August 2006
6 years! Already?
Just realized that six years ago this week, I started working for a start-up company called Navarik. The company was comprised of the four active partners - Bill, Don, Marty, and Orvin - and me. I was the lone employee, the developer who was given the task of turning their ideas into code. There was a business plan; I remember reading it. But where we are today and the systems we are building are so different from the vision outlined in that business plan. I think that’s the key to Navarik’s success - go with the flow but wherever it’s taking us, make sure we do it very well.
We had a small room in Yaletown, with five Ikea desks (which I helped put together on my first day), five Ikea chairs, and two bookshelves. The server was in a corner and Orvin’s old couch was against the back wall. We did not have a kitchen so we had to wash our mugs in the wash room. In the summer, the room would get stifling hot; it was like an oven sometimes. Nutmeg, Don’s cute Shar-Pei, came to work everyday and kept us company. I became proficient at typing with one hand and petting Nutmeg with the other. Our meeting room was the Seattle’s Best Coffee shop across the street.
Six years later, there are over 40 people in Navarik and we have a really nice office with three meeting rooms. I have to say there have not been many dull days working here. In fact, each month brings on a different challenge that keeps me on my toes. New people, new projects, new customers. Always something else to learn and many other things to do.
It certainly doesn’t feel like six years. My role has changed so many times, I suppose, so it doesn’t feel like I’ve been in the same job for too long. This is the longest I’ve stayed with one company, and certainly this company has been the most dynamic one I’ve been with. It’s been fun and I look forward to coming to work everyday. I guess I’m lucky that way.
We had a small room in Yaletown, with five Ikea desks (which I helped put together on my first day), five Ikea chairs, and two bookshelves. The server was in a corner and Orvin’s old couch was against the back wall. We did not have a kitchen so we had to wash our mugs in the wash room. In the summer, the room would get stifling hot; it was like an oven sometimes. Nutmeg, Don’s cute Shar-Pei, came to work everyday and kept us company. I became proficient at typing with one hand and petting Nutmeg with the other. Our meeting room was the Seattle’s Best Coffee shop across the street.
Six years later, there are over 40 people in Navarik and we have a really nice office with three meeting rooms. I have to say there have not been many dull days working here. In fact, each month brings on a different challenge that keeps me on my toes. New people, new projects, new customers. Always something else to learn and many other things to do.
It certainly doesn’t feel like six years. My role has changed so many times, I suppose, so it doesn’t feel like I’ve been in the same job for too long. This is the longest I’ve stayed with one company, and certainly this company has been the most dynamic one I’ve been with. It’s been fun and I look forward to coming to work everyday. I guess I’m lucky that way.
16 August 2006
Catch up
Checked my blog this morning and realized I haven’t posted anything in over three weeks! Where has the time gone??? It’s crazy how we get so busy and we’re just chugging along taking care of whatever needs to be done that day, then just like that three weeks have passed.
What have I been up to since I got sick...
• I spent a day with my niece Sabrina and her friend Stephanie. They were visiting from Edmonton so I took them to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the Haida art collection, then we had crepes in a cafe on Granville, then we went to the Vancouver Aquarium where we watched both the dolphin and beluga whale shows. Then we visited the totem poles in Stanley park and walked along the seawall for a bit. Hanging out with these 12-year olds was very entertaining. In some ways they sound so grown up (way more grown up than when I was 12!) but then they run to the guy making balloon shapes and squeal like young kids. It was an awesome day!
• I took an introductory flight lesson at Boundary Bay; this was a Christmas gift from Ed. The weather was perfect, a little windy perhaps. My instructor, Ben, said that he usually lets the student do the take off but because it was quite windy, he didn’t let me do it. Oh well. I still got to take the controls when we were up in the air, flying over White Rock. It was really neat! I banked left, banked right, did a big circle, went up then down. Then Ben took the controls and showed me what the plane can do. Really sharp turns to the left then the right. Then he asked if I want to feel like floating. Of course I do! So up we went then he did a nose dive. I screamed like I was on a roller coaster ride! So much for my mental image of me being a fighter pilot!
• I went to Vernon to race in the OC6 27km race in Okanagan Lake. We had a crew of eight and we did water changes. A hell of a lot of fun. And some bruises to show for it. Plus we won the novice category! We camped at the park and had a great time. Except for the park spinkler system turning on at 4am.
• Then there’s camping last weekend in Manning Park Lightning Lake. About 20 of us went for the weekend. Ed and I came in last and drove around the campsite for half an hour looking for our friends. Turns out there’s another loop of campsites that we didn’t know about. Sigh... But aside from that, the weekend was awesome. Tons of food, great company, and a clean washroom! And on Sunday, we hung out by Lightning Lake where we enjoyed Jeannie’s catch of the day for lunch.
I have been busy! Lots of good times!
What have I been up to since I got sick...
• I spent a day with my niece Sabrina and her friend Stephanie. They were visiting from Edmonton so I took them to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the Haida art collection, then we had crepes in a cafe on Granville, then we went to the Vancouver Aquarium where we watched both the dolphin and beluga whale shows. Then we visited the totem poles in Stanley park and walked along the seawall for a bit. Hanging out with these 12-year olds was very entertaining. In some ways they sound so grown up (way more grown up than when I was 12!) but then they run to the guy making balloon shapes and squeal like young kids. It was an awesome day!
• I took an introductory flight lesson at Boundary Bay; this was a Christmas gift from Ed. The weather was perfect, a little windy perhaps. My instructor, Ben, said that he usually lets the student do the take off but because it was quite windy, he didn’t let me do it. Oh well. I still got to take the controls when we were up in the air, flying over White Rock. It was really neat! I banked left, banked right, did a big circle, went up then down. Then Ben took the controls and showed me what the plane can do. Really sharp turns to the left then the right. Then he asked if I want to feel like floating. Of course I do! So up we went then he did a nose dive. I screamed like I was on a roller coaster ride! So much for my mental image of me being a fighter pilot!
• I went to Vernon to race in the OC6 27km race in Okanagan Lake. We had a crew of eight and we did water changes. A hell of a lot of fun. And some bruises to show for it. Plus we won the novice category! We camped at the park and had a great time. Except for the park spinkler system turning on at 4am.
• Then there’s camping last weekend in Manning Park Lightning Lake. About 20 of us went for the weekend. Ed and I came in last and drove around the campsite for half an hour looking for our friends. Turns out there’s another loop of campsites that we didn’t know about. Sigh... But aside from that, the weekend was awesome. Tons of food, great company, and a clean washroom! And on Sunday, we hung out by Lightning Lake where we enjoyed Jeannie’s catch of the day for lunch.
I have been busy! Lots of good times!
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