Affidavit of Loss

I still don't have my stuff from Manila. The forwarding company that J&J hired was supposed to deliver it last Monday. I have been following up the admin assistant everyday since then. The problem was, she hasn't been able to contact them in the last 2 days. So yesterday, the admin assistant decided to just go to their office and follow them up directly once and for all.

The address didn't exist.

They've been had. The guy they were talking to was misrepresenting the forwarding company. And so he got away with around a thousand dollars payment. And my passport.

So together with 2 office colleagues, I went all over the city last night; first, going to the Philippine embassy, which ended up already being closed. Then we had to look for the central police station in order to get a police report. We were prepared for a long and costly night there but fortunately, the officer in charge was extremely friendly and relatively fast in coming up with the document (and he didn't even charge us a single cent!).

Really grateful though to my officemates who pretty much screwed their Friday nights to help me weave through the bureaucracy.

So I'm off to the embassy again on Monday. In the meantime, I hope no one's flying off to Europe using my passport!

I'm Here!

After weeks of panic packing, farewell dinners, and airport dramas, I'm finally here in Jakarta! Can't say it was all that memorable, given that my flight arrived at midnight (1 AM Manila time) so I could barely find the strength to carry my 4 bags (including a 47 kilo suitcase), much less take in the momentous occasion.

In any case, I made it to Gran Melia around 2 AM. Upon unpacking, was horrified to find that my Neutrogena facial scrub exploded all over my stuff, including my Boss leather bag! :( The horrible stain won't disappear. Oh well, I read in GQ that you should let leather bags "live and get old" (vs leather shoes) so that it has a distinct character. What better way to build character than through scars!

Also broke off the "INRI" and one of Jesus' arms (!) on my crucifix. That super sucks :(

Got invited to go out pa last night but was really too dog tired na. Will be going shopping this afternoon with Jed so that I can buy more office clothes and some adaptors. There's this French DJ thing tonight which I'll probably attend.

Apartment turnover is tomorrow, I hope it goes well! :)

PS. Just so glad my folks were able to handle the last goodbye pretty well. Miss them to death, though...

Breaking Up

Oh shit. It finally hit me today.

I’m leaving.

Goodbye friends and family. Goodbye comfortable routines. Goodbye to life as I have known it for the past 30 years.

It feels just like breaking up, but with a hundred people all at the same time.

While I know I should be focusing instead on the future and the positives, let today be a day to honor and grieve for the past and everyone that was a part of it.

Goodbye. You will be sorely, sorely missed…

Going to Emba (not the Fort)

Majorly drained. Been in red tape hell the past 2 days. I only got my Indo work permit Monday night, so I had to submit all my paperwork to the embassy today in order to get the visa released this Friday. As I only had one chance to get this right, I spent all of yesterday chasing after any possible documents they may request from me. Had to endure the usual bureacracy (BPI was offline which meant I couldn't get a bank certificate, power-tripping visa officer bitching about my slightly crumpled passport, embassy would only accept manager's checks, which they conveniently forgot to mention, etc etc.). Oh well, good news is, I made it alive and will be getting my visa on Friday, 2PM, in time for my 9PM flight! How's that for a photo finish?

I've also been having intimate lunches and dinners with friends and colleagues this past week. I really enjoy these activities much more than the usual big despedida party. I made sure that they never turned really sentimental or melodramatic, as I don't think I could take it! So I act like it's just a regular night out gimmick, which is how I'd rather remember these lovely people.

Meanwhile, I just want to curl up and cocoon all day if I could...

What I'll Miss

6 days to go.

Some things I'll miss...

1. Tagaytay, specifically travelling all the way there just to eat in Antonio's and Sonya's

2. My non-negotiable Sunday sched: Yoga class in FF Greenhills, followed by Mass in Sanctuario de San Jose, then lunch, and chill out with the Inquirer or work in Starbucks Missouri.

3. Running in UP followed by quek quek overload.

4. Rockwell, my Friday night mall and Robinson's Manila, my Saturday mall.

5. Morning and late night radio--Rx's Top 10, Magic's Boys Night Out, King DJ Logan, Friday Magic Madness

6. Free monthly glossy magazines that pile up at home.

7. Free "swipe" (snacks) of low-fat milk and Jungle Nuts in Cla-rey, the office canteen.

8. Simbang Gabi (anticipated) and Easter Vigil in Ateneo.

It is Done

Lost in Translation

Back in Manila. Was gone for less than 2 weeks but I already feel...displaced. Like I don't belong here anymore. As if I were just a tourist visiting friends. It was quite difficult to get back into the groove of my local work since I've been mentally preparing to immerse myself in my new OTC world. Strangely enough, I also have no urge to connect with people I'm leaving behind. Maybe it's because it will just make the goodbyes even harder.

Some good news though; my folks seem to have accepted my move. Being the non-confrontational family that we are, we never even talked about the drama that happened when I broke the news a while back. They just starting with their usual lectures on making sure I bring medicine, I don't eat street food, etc. It's quite comforting actually.

I think I'm adjusting to the work and culure transition pretty well considering "being comfortable with ambiguity" isn't my best trait. Maybe because I was already expecting the worst such that the reality couldn't possibly compete.

Miss the partying though. Have been finding excuses to drink this whole week after work. hehe

Minimalis Modern

Here's the 36G unit option that the broker is describing as minimalis modern style:








Kill me now.

Easy Come Easy Go

I hate house hunting. My apartment is gone :(

Dear Mr Albert
Hi how are there ,!

Thank for joint with us for inspection some apartments

want to asking you which one you like it to choice

Apartement Sudirman Plaza ( area at Mariot hotel )
at 36 Floor type unit G more bigger area 118 m2 , for 2 bedroom
we will send you pictures by email asap

( so sorry about 37 W we cannot negotiable with the owner anymore to much expensive over your buhget )

2 ) Apartement Batavia Tower 2
unit 1511 , 15 floor you already has some pictures right

Let me know soon becuase tomorrow we will send Latter of Confirmation to your Company as asap

Thank a lot

Best Regards
Elina

I hope and pray that the 36th floor one has decent furnishings :(


I'm heartbroken..

10 Things I Learned About Life

Some things I learned in the past few days here in Jakarta..

1. You can survive on 4-5 hours of sleep if you take 20 min catnaps during the day.

2. The best thing about the rupiah is that it's all mainly in bills. No heavy coins to carry!

3. The easiest way to convert rupiah to usd is to look at the thousands portion and move one decimal place to the left, ie. 100,000 = approx 10 usd.

4. Buntut goreng (fried ox tail) is the best, most cholesterol-laden dish ever!

5. If you feel uncomfortable or worried about something, ie. meeting up with complete strangers, having to give a speech in front of the senior indo J&J people tom, then it's probably a good thing cause you're stretching and learning.

6. Useless to study a foreign language using a book, casette, or in my case, a podcast. You learn the most formal words in the language which is hardly used in real life--Mabuhay, anyone?

7. House hunting is like love...it forces you to choose between what's practical vs what makes your heart skip.

8. The expat life is not real. You're living a luxurious lifestyle that you technically won't be able to afford in your ordinary life. So enjoy the good life, but don't get too used to it. And use your blessings to give back to the world.

9. You can get sick of living in a hotel. Having room service alone becomes the most depressing thing in the world.

10. Happiness won't just fall on your lap; it's something you choose to happen.

My Pad

I found it! Here's my potential pad for the next 2 years.

The Mayflower Jakarta Mariott Executive Apartments

HELP! Find me a Place to Live!

Dear Friends,

Help! I need your help finding a place in Jakarta to stay. Here are the options:

Option 1: Modern new building nearest to office but small-ish (86 sq) with ugly apartment interiors





Option 2: Much larger 2BR (136 sq) and better laid out but still with lost in the 80s decor (what's with the yellow curtains??!) and horror bathroom




Option 3 (under construction): Largest 2BR in the world (168 square) with schizo modern/80s combo decor




Option 4: 106 sq loft with modern minimalist interiors. Sits on top of a 3 storey restaurant center. But really really small bathroom. And only 1 bed :(







Option 5: 3 BR 160+ square but who cares? I've fallen in love with the loft...




HAAAAAAAALPPPPPPP

Jai guru deva om

I'm all set. Or rather, it has all been set for me. Funny thing about major life decisions...you shilly-shally for months but the moment you say "Yes!" the gods of indecisiveness just take the ball and run with it (probably to prevent you from changing your mind again). And there you stand, dazed and bewildered, not remembering what exactly you were agreeing to in the first place.

This whole thing started with a seemingly innocuous phone call over the Christmas holidays. I was in Tagaytay with my folks having lunch in Highlands' Winter Palace. While waiting for the dimsum to arrive, I gave Lynette a call to greet her on her birthday. As usual, we ended up chatting about work and our careers. She was very quickly moving up the company ladder despite not being sure where the ladder would end up. I, on the other hand, was getting a bit restless, and in desperate need of a major jolt. She told me to reconnect with GRC, especially since she was in Manila during that time. So when I was back at work last January, I dropped G's office to say hello. And that's when the ball started rolling and I'm still running after it up to now.

I will be leaving the Philippines for good in a month's time. I'm scared shitless. The longest I've ever been out of the country alone was 6 weeks in Taiwan when I was still in high school. And now, we're talking about 2 years. That's 98 more weeks than my personal record! It doesn't help that I don't know anyone there, that I will have to adjust to a completely different culture, and that I will be managing a business category that's completely alien to me.

BREATHE...

Choose the good, not the easy.

It's lonely at the top.

If you're stuck with lemons, go make a lemonade. (All from Lynette).

I have to admit though that it's also a very, very exciting time. I've never felt more alive! After all, how many chances in life do we get to wash ourselves clean, scour away all the grime and dirt accumulated through the years, and emerge fresh, pure, new?

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Mood: reflective, sedate
Music: The Best of U2, 1980-1990