Scotland: the Highlands & Edinburgh

Harley and I went to Scotland during the long weekend (May 24-26). I had long wanted to visit this picturesque part of UK but decided to wait for Spring and of course, wait for my poging boyfriend. It's just so much fun travelling with him. Not only that I have someone to talk to during the long hours of commute, but he carries, with no sign of protest whatsoever, all my bags! Oh such strength and gallantry... He gives me all the leisure to strut, guaranteed poised na poised to explore the place we we’ll be visiting, hehehe :p

Scotland is like Manila-Cebu in distance from London. It’s 1 hour by plane, 5 hours by train. Harley and I took a coach tour to the Highlands leaving from Glasgow on Saturday morning. Though the trip was long, it was unexpectedly relaxing. Yeah it did feel cramped sitting for hours in the bus but I didn’t bother me because the sceneries we passed by were breathtaking. Cramped legs and aching neck from craning towards the window the whole time were discomforts that were all worth it. From unspoiled lochs (lakes), rugged mountains, misty marshes and fertile fields, the Highlands were truly magnificent. We were also extremely lucky because the weather was great. The sky was clear enough to give us a view of the tip of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in UK.

Our last stop for that day was Inverness, which literally means at the mouth of the river (inver) Ness, a river that flows from Loch Ness. You are perhaps familiar with a legend about a monster lurking in the deep waters of a lake? Well, that’s the Loch Ness Monster, aka Nessie (very cute name… :| ). They say it’s deeper than the North Sea. That’s why highlanders seemed convinced that for a lake with much space below it there’s surely a huge creature (or creatures and one of them happened to be Nessie) living in its deep waters. Well I am much more inclined to think that there’s perhaps a mermaid kingdom at the bottom and its mermaid princess is named Ariel and she has a lobster called Sebastian…. (oh, stop it!)

Inverness is the capital of the Highlands. It has an airport, a high street and a mall with famous shops like Debenhams and Primark. It is an ideal place to getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life but you can still get a fix of wireless internet in case you miss “civilization”. Inverness now holds a dear place in my heart. It’s where after all that I got engaged… visit my blog for more details *wink*.

We arrived at Edinburgh on Sunday evening and managed to hang out with Michy in a pub. Then we spent the whole Monday exploring the magical city. Every building it seemed in that city was influenced from this or that architecture (from Greek to Roman, Gothic to Victorian). It’s like the whole city was parang drawing lang - if you get what I mean. It catapulted me to imagine-land. It had an ambience that made me feel nostalgic, as if I could actually feel its rich history. I definitely want to go there again, because only a day there was so bitin…

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By the River Ness

On our first night in Inverness Scotland, Harley insisted we looked for a fancy place to dine out. We found a lovely restaurant (The Mustard Seed) and seeming like it was our very lucky day, we were given a table directly overlooking the river Ness even if we had no reservations and it's already almost fully booked. While sipping a glass of Saugvinon Blanc after the sumptuous main course, Harley ceremoniously handed me my long-awaited birthday gift. Though I had already known what it was (an LV bag that he had blurted out to me months before because he just couldn't keep a secret), I was still like a kid on Christmas morn eagerly tearing the gift wrapper apart. I was just simply in awe that he gave me a designer bag. He admitted it's a very impractical buy but he was willing to splurge out because to own one had been a fantasy of mine.

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Flying High

I flew from Manila back to UK on Monday and I did it with pizzaz… I flew business class! Why? Because all economy seats were taken, forcing my manager to concede the upgrade. (I better pray economy's fully booked everytime I am scheduled to fly from now on... LOL :p) It was my first time ever, so pardon me if I seem so ignorante (how do you say this in English?) and this entry will babble on and on about it. So what are the differences? Oh well loads! I finally understand why David Buenvacz & his wife Jessica insisted to fly business class even to the extent of allegedly misusing Beverly Hills 6750's funds... That's your daily dose of outdated chismis from me. For the updated chismis, you know what name to shout - Ria! :p

I already started to experience the business class treatment even before boarding the plane. At NAIA I was given entry to the lounge that had unlimited brewed coffee, sandwiches, mami, siopao, fruit bowls... etc. Boy I was so glad because I didn't have a decent breakfast that morning. And during boarding I didn't have to queue. When the ground steward noticed that my ticket's business class he immediately ushered me past the long line of passengers announcing not so discreetly, 'Padaanin nyo si ma'am, business class yan!' Well that inspired me to don my big sunglasses, fling my shoulder-length hair (kahit di sya sumunod sa galaw ko) and strut my way to the plane. I must have looked like an unknown or worse a "laos" starlet (hahahaha!).

One obvious difference of business class was the leg room, it's more than enough to stretch out my not so long legs comfortably. The seat was totally delightful. You could just press a button and voila! it would convert in a mini bed. I almost forgot I was in an airplane because the food was simply divine. Every course (yes, course - appetizer, main course... the works!) was well presented and tasted as if there was a chef on board. Once they started serving drinks, I immediately took advantage that the wine was unlimited. I already finished two glasses of champagne even before an hour of flight passed. So I must have been grinning all throughout the Bee Movie (oo tipsy na yata!). Another difference was the "quality" of the passengers. Most of the guys seemed CEOish, looking so smart tapping away on their laptops. Most of the ladies seemed donyatiks… two mature ladies sitting in front of me were even conversing in Spanish that I was tempted to butt in and say "Ola mi amigas! Como estas tu? Yo soy muy bonita!"…. It was a good thing I didn't have that much champagne :p

the leg room

course #1

course #2

Everytime I fly, I am heady with joy. Oh it doesn't have to be business class. I can survive 16 hours of flight in a cramped economy section. Well it's the flying per se. That it can either mean I am going home to my family (to spend my pounds, hahaha) or that I am going to Manila, Japan, UK, Timbuktu or to some other place where I can plant a flag with bold letters that "Georgia was here". Kapila naman tika nakit-an nga ga-impake day oi, I remember this is my Mama's comment everytime she sees me preparing for a flight. Oh I am not a super frequent traveller; my passport still has a lot of blank pages. But the fact that I have been to places (some for free!) miles away from my humble little island of birth, Cebu, is enough for me to bow my head in gratitude. Again, I feel so blessed.

The only thing that ruined my business class day was that my HP laptop broke down on me while I was waiting for my connection flight in Amsterdam. The monitor suddenly flickered like crazy that it was impossible to decipher where to input my logon user and password. Even after cleaning the inch-thick dust on my keyboard (because I thought it was its way of complaining it needed some TLC), it still wouldn't budge and behave... darn! Since I simply can't survive without a laptop (aside from I use it to download my weekly fix of American Idol, I also use it to chat to my family and friends – keeping me in touch), I had no choice but to swipe my credit card for a new one the following day. I decided no more HP even if it's relatively cheaper compared to other brands with the same set of features (may tampo na ako sa HP!). I bought a pink Sony Vaio instead. Oh it's not because it's pink, I chose it because of its impressive features. And the most impressive feature happens to be that its colour is pink…

my Sony VAIO perfectly matches my bedsheet :p

P.S. My Papa is out of the hospital. He's recovering and he needs to take things slow from now on. Thank you for all your prayers :)

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An Unexpected Journey

On Friday I received a devastating news that my Papa was rushed to Cebu Doctors' Hospital. He had difficulty breathing and was coughing non-stop. Findings were pneumonia and ischemia. Pneumonia, I know. Not really something to worry about since it was diagnosed early on. Ischemia, I don't know. To me since it sounded too scientific I immediately worried. And true enough after googling it I had a reason to be because it is a heart related ailment. In fact after a few hours of being admitted, he was rushed to the CVU/CCU (Cardiovascular Center) for 2 to 3 days observation.

I am still shocked. I had never thought, had never imagined that my Papa whom I had always known as the very active, very restless that it would be difficult to ask him to stay in one place for a long time would be having a heart problem. In my mind I had always thought that he's the healthy one among my parents. I am now having difficulty accepting, and I do cringe even when writing this, the cruel truth that my Papa's body is now frail.

Finding out that I couldn't talk to him because phones are not allowed in the CVU made me even more panicky and frustrated. I have no choice but to see him then. Besides I also want to see him with my own two eyes ASAP. So I asked my manager to grant me 2 weeks off to go home. Thankfully he gave me permission, he told me I have nothing to worry about, he understands. The first available flight I booked is this Monday morning. And darn, it will take me 24 hours to get to Manila and more excruciating hours to fly to my beloved island. If only I can apparate or borrow some floo powder... Bloody hell!

So here I am now, my room's more in disarray than usual, busy packing for things to bring along this unexpected trip. I should be excited to go home but I still don't feel that now. I need to see, to be assured that he's recovering before the excitement will sink in.

I want him to live a long, healthy and enjoyable life. There are things I want him to do, places I want him to go. He still has to walk me down an aisle 5 years from now. He still has to play with my cute, adorable kids 3 years from now ... You never know, my kids might come first before me saying I do! So please, do include him in your prayers.

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Lady Godiva

Received a package from my BFF today. Sino sya? she's the most beautiful, sexy even if she just gave birth, sweet, kind, generous girl on the planet! Next to me, of course :p

The minute I got home, I immediately ripped the box open. And I wasn't at all disappointed what's inside. Each item I pulled out made my grin bigger and bigger. So this is how it feels to receive a balikbayan box.

• 2 blouses - 1 is made in US, the other 1 is made in China
• a skirt -with black tights & my killer boots, I'll look fierce with it! raarrrr...
• a dress - can't wait to show this off in the office :p)
• a pack of Bongbong's Piaya - absolutely my favorite
• a pack of dried mangoes - now I'm missing Cebu, sniff sniff
• a birthday card - she just recycled a leftover invitation card from Caleb's christening to say that all these cover all coming occasions - my birthday, labor day, independence day, halloween, christmas... indeed, so sweet :|
  
• a pack of mints - the giveaway from Caleb's christening
• 2 big bottles of Aveeno lotion - the culprit why the darn box was soooo heavy that I almost threw it to the river Thames while carrying on my way home. Yey! May Aveenos na ako.. wala kasi here sa UK, kainis. Naks, imported ang lotion ko :p
• 1 box of Godiva chocolates - I'm excited, controlling myself actually not to gobble it all. This is my first Godiva ever! Yeah, poor me.

See, Claire has outdone herself, again. Never expected she'll be galante two strikes in a row now (I'm remembering her lovely present for me last Christmas). US talaga is making her less and less kuripot. Keep it up, Claire! Thank you, thank you! By the way, Ria's birthday is in May.

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Playing Guidance Counsellor

Sugar and I have twelve years between us. She's still in highschool while I can't even remember anymore what I did in highschool. It was forgettable because I was forgettable. I was just an awkward, bony (though my curves showed up later, along with unwanted bilbils) and kutu-on girl (yep fleas-infested but I assure you, not anymore!). I just wanted to be left alone, terribly shy of the limelight (well it was not as if anybody wanted turn the spotlight my way.) Sugar on the other hand is different based on the reports from my Mom. She's an achiever, a Quadrant-1 kid. And like any other Ate, I am proud of her.

Since I have been here in London we managed to keep in touch more frequently than I was in Manila. All thanks to my company, very kind indeed not to ban IMs! So what do two people, with a generation gap between them talk about? No, we don't talk about boys. She's still innocent, I think! I hope she has sense enough to stay that way until she finishes college. But nah, with today's media influence that might be like wishing for the crow to turn white (nga moputi ang uwak ba). We don't talk about boys. Not yet anyway.

We just talk about her school because that's where her world revolves around now. About how some of her mean classmates tend to be yeah, mean to her. How she's affected by their pranks. And how miserable she sometimes is because of them. Oh phulleaasse, how serious can that be? Mean kids at school? It's not even 10% close to Global Warming or War in Iraq in magnitude? Why oh why does she have to make such a fuss about that?

Because she's still a kid. And it's not right to shrug off a kid's worry as insignificant. They might resort to actions you would regret. Or worse, go to gun down her class in a shooting frenzy before committing suicide... oh knock on wood!

And so I, naturally she looks up to me because of the fact that I'm her Ate (nothing she can do about that), listen to her patiently. After she's done pouring her heart out, I try to give her advices. I give her words of wisdom, which typing them gives me the creeps. Why the creeps? Judge for yourself, as I list some of these words of wisdom...

• Don't judge others, you don't know who they really are. You don't know what they're going through in their homes. Maybe they're just misunderstood.

• Yes, perhaps they envy you. But don't get that into your head. Don't act as if you're better than them, maybe that's the reason why they hate you. Be humble.

• Don't fight fire with fire. Don't dance their tune. Maybe if you'll start being nice to them, they'll reciprocate the niceness. Lead by example.

Feeling the creeps? If you're not, well I am... Ka-hilas jud nako oi, kilatan baya ko! But what else can I say except give her those words of wisdom? Why not share to her the stuffs I picked up during the twelve years lead? I have to be a good Ate. Never mind that I myself is still having difficulty practicing any of them . She doesn't need to know that :p

Whenever I am suffering this ala-Dalai Lama or Oprah catatonia, my sister would just listen to me, assenting that I am, what else, right. At least that's what it always seems at my end. Never mind that I can't see her if she ever stick out her tongue in disgust. Well she's smart enough to know she has no choice but to agree and hail me as not only drop dead gorgeous but also an amazingly wise sister. Or else she'll receive no allowance!

If I am having a difficulty taking on this role of a "wise" older sibling, how much more raising my own kids someday? That not only my words but also my actions my kids will be eyeing for guidance? So good luck to all my friends who have their broods now. I bet you need more than luck. You need hard work!

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The Underdog

Before the work week ended, prematurely because of Holy Week - yahoo!!! (That yahoo is an expression of jubilation because Easter is coming and we'll commemorate our Lord's resurrection. It's not because there's no work. But that is of course an icing on the cake.) Ok as I was saying, before the week ended I was moved to another team. My first task was to create the design document. There's a section that should enumerate the persons in the team and their corresponding roles. While doing that I found out that I am the most junior, not only age-wise (my new colleagues seem 40ish and above), but also job-description-wise. I bet all of them have more than a decade of technical experience tucked under their belts. In our team of six, there's one delivery manager, four technical architects and there's me, the java developer and the only madame - oh you've got to say that the English way!

So you see, I am the underdog. The less experienced. The lowly developer. The only Asian. But in consolation I am absolutely - 100% sure, no doubt about it - the fairest of them all!

I have to admit I am a bit intimated. But I am also delighted. I welcome this opportunity to learn from the experts (teka, I think I have this same statement in my CV). I am ready to take on the challenge (yung challenge na magpapanggap na magaling?) I can't wait to blow their socks off! (why? i-fo-foot reflexology ko ba sila?)

Wow, no one is immune to my sarcasms - not even myself.

Or maybe they just need someone to serve them coffee or tea? Hmmm?

I just can't believe how fast time flies. The four months with my previous team, our application was released to system testing without any showstopper fault by the way, flew out of the window like a snap of a finger. Just like that.

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Australia, anyone?

I attended the 2nd day of Australia Needs Skills Expo this morning. The Expo featured Australian employers, each of them had a booth set up, looking for highly skilled workers to fill their shortages. You just have to visit those booths, submit your CVs to the employers that you like and wait for them to call you in weeks or months to come. Cross your fingers that they will shortlist you for a position. Because if an employer fancies you, they will sponsor your migration to Australia.

I noticed a lot of Pinoys there but most of them are nurses and caregivers. I was delighted when I heard the unmistakable two Bisaya talking in one corner that I couldn't help but say hi and introduce myself. In no time we were tossing around jokes in Bisaya. I savored hearing phrases like 'ah mao ba?', 'tarung ba' or 'wala ka kuyapi?'... Oh what a blast!

One Bisdak is named Mercy, a nurse who came from Bohol. She wants to migrate to Australia kasi sawa na daw sya sa London and she wants a higher salary because she's up to neck in loans. She said she bought too many beaches in Panglao than she could handle... ang taray!

The other Bisaya is named Jojo is a caregiver student in South England. On evenings and weekends he has rackets so he can send money home. One of his racket is walking the dog of an English woman in which he is paid 8 pounds per hour. Another racket is taking care of an elderly on evenings. All he has to do is assist an old lady to the toilet if nature calls in the middle of the night or accompany the old lady to Tesco (a 24 hour supermarket) if trip nya mag midnight shopping. With that he's paid 80 pounds per night - that's 6400 already in our currency!. He says dapat magaling ka lang daw dumiskarte and di daw dapat maarte maglinis ng popoo ng mga oldies. Hmmm I'll just go for walking the dog...

I am sharing what I learned from the expo... some tips that will increase your probability bagging an Australia migration sponsorhip. I'm afraid that these only apply for IT professionals. I didn't inquire about for nurses or other fields. Sorry.

1. Get an assessment from the Australian Computer Society (ACS). For those with Bachelors degree NOT related to IT, like moi, they told me in the expo that this assessment is a must!
   
2. Take the IELTS exam and aim to get AT LEAST 7.0 points (both listening and written).
   

Once you have those two submit an application to an Australia employer right away. How? Browse the internet! I tell you I heard many success stories in the Expo, so don't underestimate the power of the World Wide Web people! Pag may tiyaga, may nilaga! Or register to an Australian Needs Skills Expo so you can personally scout prospective employers. Just visit their site from time to time for schedules they might have in your country.

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