Finally Weekend

Yehey it's weekend and it's gonna be a long one since I don't have to go to work on Monday because it's a US holiday. Woohoo!

I feel that I needed this rest so much because I had a very HEAVY and DIFFICULT week. But you know what, it ended pretty well. I just have to thank my TL Tin for being so patient with me. Talk about mahabang pisi ! She gives me that boost to keep on. Tin thanks! I also wanna thank Ate Sundee. My God where did this girl come from. She's super nice and I'm glad we had a pep talk. That chat meant a lot to me and it made me feel so welcome in the team. She made me feel that I will be well taken care of.

I will try as much as I can to not let you guys down. Give me just a little more time. I don't wanna be a liability to the team.

And to Lei and Jam, what would have happened if the two of you weren't there to tell me to hang on? Thanks for believing in me!

THaNK You So MuCH!

Gotta sleep now......

Amazing Rhaych becomes Questionable

Have you ever considered yourself stupid? Have you ever felt useless? Have you ever thought of just quitting?

All these thoughts are running in my head. I just wanna shout it all out to release my anxiety. But will I ever feel better if I would entertain such thoughts? I don't think so.

It's the fourth day of product training. I can't seem to get it all right. Was it information overload? Was I feeling too conscious about the whole thing? Or was it because I was simply stupid? S-T-U-P-I-D in my face! I've never felt so stupid in my entire life. I wanted to crawl under the ground to hide myself from such an embarrassment. It looked very simple when I observed the others but when it was already my turn, I went blank. Blah! Blah! Blah! To think we've been practicing that all night long. That's why I broke down into tears nearly before my shift ended. I was angry at myself for not learning that fast. I felt so small. I thought it was an easy job. But no, it was both physically and mentally taxing.

Can I just bargain? Can I just dance or discuss photosynthesis and respiration? It's because I know those things very well. Hahaha! Like that is possible?!

Did I make the wrong decision of leaving teaching and starting a new career in something that is so new to me? A world that I've never been into. Such a big plunge on my part! It's like I'm so good in badminton when all of a sudden I wanted to do go swimming when I don't even know how to. But my decision was very firm. I could have opted to transfer to another school but I did not. I wanted change. I wanted growth. I wanted freedom. I wanted challenge. It was no turning back. I have to prove to others and, moreso, to MYSELF that I made the right decision. This is what I chose and I have to live up to that decision.

So after all these tears have dried... When I wake up this afternoon... When I enter the office tonight... I know I'm NOT quitting. I have to learn from my mistakes and I need not be too hard on myself. It's a process that I have to go through and I know I can do it. As The Blonde Bombshell would say, be RESILIENT, be able to bounce back from adversity. I sure will. I'll be smiling in the coming days and soon I'll be saying "Chicken Panis!". After all, I am still THE AMAZING RHAYCH.

From the Girl I Call Therese

These past few days that I'm missing my students so much, I try to remember the fun times, look at their pictures or read their notes. Nostalgic?! I think so. I'm posting a birthday note/gift from Therese which she painstakingly did on my birthday, texting almost every hour but had to hurry up the last few hours because my age was more than the number of hours a day. Thank you girl!

27 THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT RACHEL CATHERINE:

1.) TEEPEE - Kahit isang beses pa lang ako nakasakay, nag-enjoy ako.Ü
2.) BIOLOGY - First time ko medyo nkakaperfect sa quizzes sa isang science subject.Ü
3.) MCDO - I will always remember na magkalasa ang cheeseburger at doublecheeseburger. (In case you forgot, tinanong mo ko kung magkalasa sila! hahah )
4.) BLUE - I will miss your blue wardrobe. The coolness of it reflects the coolness of you! Woeh. Haha.Ü
5.) DOMINIC OCHOA, GARY V., KWON SANG WOO AND VANNESS - Self explanatory.
6.) CHEESECAKES - Wala na kong bibigyan ng red ribbon blueberry cheesecake sa faculty room. =(
7.) DOSTRES POSE - Peace sign/s on the cheek/s. Parate ng ganun yung mga pose ko sa pictures. Hahaha.Ü
8.) ECHO and the like - Ang dami mo talagang connections. Hahaha.Ü
9.) SALE - I learned to buy more discounted items, compared before. Nahawa! Hahaha.
10.) MAROON5 - When I hear Sunday Morning, This Love, She will be Loved and the others... Naaalala kita at ang cd na bigay ko! Hahaha joke lang.Ü
11.) BANGAG LOOK - I will miss seeing you na sabog, badtrip at magulo ang buhok every morning at the admin lane. =(
12.) BEACH TALK/S - Boracay, Palawan and the other islands! Just keep on posting pics sa multiply mo ah?
13.) JOKES - Ofcourse, bentang benta sakin lahat ng jokes mo! Corny man o hindi... You're my favorite clown ever. ;)
14.) TRUE TO LIFE KWENTOS - Wala ng bubulong sakin para magkwento ng mga kainis-inis, kakilig-kilig na mga kwento. Hayyy.

15.) CHOCOLATES - I'll miss someone who has a very sweet tooth. Buhay mo ata ang kahit anong matamis eh. :)

16.) CLG GROUPS - Dito ako natuto magaral maigi with the help of other people. Kahit muntik ng mahila pbaba scores ko, okay lang. hahahah

17.) ATE MATERIAL - Wala ng mangangamusta sa mga kasalanan ni papa at sa iba ko pang mga problema. =(

18.) LAUGHTER - Nakakahawa tawa mo. Malakas, malaki, kagimbal-gimbal at nakakamatay. I'll miss those so much!!

19.) DIFF KIND OF LANGUAGE - Parang bakla na hindi. Mga "Relac, don't be ten, you might colap." hahaha. Pati shonga shonga at plesss.Ü

20.) SOMEONE APPROACHABLE - Hindi ka masungit, minsan lang. We can always rely on you. Kaya nga Ate eh.Ü

21.) DANCES - I'll miss your hyperness in diff dances. Kahit yung mga sayaw2 mo lang every quizzes. You will always be my dancind queen! Naks.Ü

22.) KINDA KIDDIE - We can't feel you're 10 years older from us. :)

23.) DIMPLES!! - Magic anting anting mo ata yan eh. Hahaha! It makes you hot, promise. ;)

24.) ASTIG - Para kang hindi teacher. Kakaiba ang way mo para makuha mo ang iyong students.

25.) VERY MAKULIT KASAMA - I'll miss your out-of-the-world hirits. Everytime i get to be with you, parati akong may nadidiscover na bago.Ü

26.) SUPER BIGAT KAMAY - Mamimiss ko yung kurot, hampas, suntok, palo, batok, sabunot at sampal na ginawa mo sakin. OK lang! At least I knew malambing ka. ;)

27.) IKAW MISMO - I will simple miss the whole you. Totoo ka sa sarili mo, and saludo ako sayo dyan.ÜÜ

* HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARENG RACHEL.Ü Sorry ito lang nakayanan kong gawin. Hope you liked it. Happy Birthday!!You deserve to be happy. Smile. You're beautiful! God bless! and take care. Lovelove, therese. =)

Galing noh?! I love it so much girl! Thank you so much from the bottom of my hypothalamus! (",)

The Classic

I just watched another Korean movie entitled "The Classic". And as usual I couldn't get over the movie. As I type now, my tears couldn't stop from falling. I'm super affected. Big time! It's really silly that I cry over such movies. But I'm only human and I have feelings you know.

This is the first time I've heard of that movie. Jan lent it to me and I just thought it was just one of those Korean movies that's why I didn't bother watching it right away. I didn't have any idea who the actors were so I just left it in my bag. But to my surprise, it's another Korean movie that made me cry and is still making me cry. It might be like the effect of "My Sassy Girl" on me. I've seen "My Sassy Girl" several times and it never fails to make me cry. Guess I'm really a sucker for romance!

There was this college girl Chin ye, who was leaving alone because her father died when she was young and her mother was working abroad. When she was younger, she suggested to her mom to remarry but her mom just wouldn't. Well, she had a friend, Su Kyeung, who had a big crush on one of the guys in school. Sang-min who's a theater actor and he's really good-looking. Su Kyeung would often invited Chin ye to tag along during her dates with Sang min. Chin ye was secretly falling in love with Sang min.

One time Chin ye was cleaning their house when she thought of going through her mom's box of letters. She was curious because everytime her mom, Joon-hee, would read the letters it makes her cry. The letters were mostly from her father, Tae-Soo. But she found one letter that's not the name of her father. The name was Joon-ha. And there was a diary inside. Chin ye started reading.....A small note was in one of the pages that read like "When I look at the sun I think of you....."

.....A young man named Joon-ha was having his vacation in his uncle's town. Joon-hee, the daughter of a congressman, was also there. Joon-ha was smitten by the beauty of Joon-hee. An opportunity came for Joon-ha when Joon-hee approached him asking him if he could accompany her to the haunted house which is at the end of the river. It was supposed to be a secret because her grandfather wouldn't let her go. Joon-ha obliged the next day. Of course Joon-ha prepared for it. They've been talking for a long time but they hadn't moved too far. Joon-ha then admitted that it was really his first time to row. They eventually reached the haunted house and went around. There were no ghosts but they got scared when they saw a shabby man that they came out running. They started screaming and laughing as well. They were about to get back to their boat when it suddenly started raining. When they reached the riverbank, the boat was really in the middle of the river and there was no way that they could swim for it. It was raining really hard that they started running to look for a shed. While running Joon-hee slipped and broke an ankle. Joon-ha had to carry her on his back. Since the two were really dripping, Joon-ha lent her his shirt so she could wipe herself dry. He even got a watermelon for their food. As the rain stopped they started walking because it was already getting dark. They passed by a makeshift wooden bridge that was full of fireflies and Joon-hee was amazed. Joon-ha got one for Joon-hee and transferred into her hands. As they were nearing the riverbank, Joon-hee gave her necklace to Joon-ha. She said it was her gift for the firefly he gave her and promised that she'll take care of the firefly. Of course Joon-hee's grandfather was really furious that Joon-ha got a slap on the face. Joon-hee was taken away back to Suwon and was rushed to the hospital because she got sick from the pouring rain.

.....Back to Suwon, Joon-ha had a bestfriend named Tae-soo. Tae-soo asked him to write love letters for a girl. He wasn't really interested because it was his father who arranged it. This girl is the daughter of a congressman. Joon-ha did the favor and it turns out it was Joon-hee. Joon-hee would usually write back. One day, Tae-soo had tickets for Joon-hee's recital. He invited Joon-ha along. Though seated very far from Tae-soo, Joon-ha confirmed that it was really Joon-hee on stage. After the recital, Joon-ha had flowers for Joon-hee but Joon-hee couldn't approach him because her parents as well as Tae-soo's were there. Joon-ha just sat on the bench outside the gym. But Joon-hee sneaked to look for Joon-ha and they were happy to see each other even for a while.

.....Tae-soo was starting to fall for Joon-hee and he confessed this to Joon-ha. Tae-soo invited JOon-ha to attend a folk dance class so they can have a double date together with Joon-hee's friend. Once introduced, Joon-hee and Joon-ha acted like it was their first time to meet. While the two were dancing with their respective partners, they couldn't help not to glance at each other. And when the dancing called for the switching of partners, it was the opportunity for the two to dance closer but the naturally funny Tae-soo changed it to fast music. Everyone really had a great time. After that the two pairs split up, Tae-soo and Joon-hee, and JOon-ha and his date. BUt as soon as Tae-soo left and before Joon-hee could go inside their house, Joon-ha approached her and they hugged. Their relationship was supposed to be a secret.

.....Tae-soo was really in love with Joon-hee and Joon-ha informed her about this. She didn't want to be unfair and she didn't wanna screw their lives that she said she wouldn't see any of the two guys anymore. She broke up with Joon-ha. She started avoiding him and not coming out when he lights up the light post outside her house (it's their sign that he's out in front of her window). One time, it was really raining and Joon-ha started following Joon-hee so that they could talk. She ran off but left the umbrella with Joon-ha. Joon-ha was very persistent and they got back under the pouring rain. They agreed they would let Tae-soo know. As usual Joon-hee got sick again after being drenched.

.....Tae-soo was really Joon-ha's good friend and he had a hard time confessing everything to him. But Tae-soo was very understanding. He even became the bridge so the two could secretly communicate. The letters that Joon-hee would receive had Tae-soo's name as the sender when in fact it came from Joon-ha. This went on for a while until their secret was discovered. Tae-soo's father was really angry and Tae-soo got a terrible beating because of that. He's father was expecting him to get married to the congressman's daughter. Joon-ha told Tae-soo that he can sacrifice for his friend and he would return John-hee's necklace. But Tae-soo said he can't do that because the necklace came from Tae-Soo's father. Tae-soo wanted to end his father's brutality to him that he committed suicide. Good thing though that Joon-ha saw him right away and was able to call for help. At the hospital where Tae-Soo was, Joon-hee came to visit and asked Joon-ha to stay. But Joon-ha thought that it would be best to give up Joon-hee to Tae-soo so that things wouldn't be complicated. He left the necklace and suddenly disappeared. Joon-hee didn't see him since then.

.....Days passed and she didn't hear anything from Joon-ha. She ran into Tae-Soo and she found out that Joon-ha was to be sent out to war. She came to the train station to say goodbye to Joon-ha but he wouldn't look at her. When the train started moving, Joon-ha looked and waved goodbye to Joon-hee. She gave the necklace back and asked him to come back alive. Well, the necklace was the one thing that made Joon-ha hang on during the war. During a battle, a fellow soldier was smiling at Joon-ha and he didn't know why. This soldier was eventually shot. They were already retreating when Joon-ha realized that he didn't have the necklace. Stupid Joon-ha came back for the necklace, that's the reason why the soldier was smiling. The dead soldier had his necklace. He started running back and helped a wounded soldier. When they were near the helicopter, they were bombed and Joon-ha was holding on to the necklace.

.....Years passed, Joon-ha and Joon-hee agreed to meet in a restaurant. Joon-ha knew that Joon-hee had already married Tae-Soo. Likewise, Joon-ha had already gotten married. While conversing, Joon-hee discovered that Joon-ha was already blind. (The part that I started crying). He didn't think that she'd discover it because he said he practiced the night before. They went on with their separate lives. Soon, Tae-Soo died.

.....One time, Joon-hee brought her daughter to the river where she and Joon-ha went. Then three men came carrying a box of letters and an urn. They told Joon-hee that Joon-ha had passed away and his last wish was to have his ashes scattered into the river. They also said that Joon-ha left a son. Joon-hee cried a lot. (Me too!)....

Going back to Chin-ye's life. Of course she didn't read the whole diary continuously. She's a student and she had a major secret crush on Sang-min. One time her friend Su-Kyeung asked her to tag along while Su-Kyeung was with Sang-min. At the end of the date, Sang-min had a gift for the two girls. Chin-ye got the gift with a very special note inside. When she told about this with Su-Kyeung exchanged boxes with her (bwiset!).

Chin-ye didn't have an umbrella when it started raining one afternoon. She only had the leaves of a big tree to protect her. Then Sang-min run under the tree not having an umbrella as well. Of course Chin-ye didn't know what to do being alone with Sang-min. Sang-min offered to bring her to the library and they'd use his jacket as an umbrella. As expected Chin-ye was very happy but couldn't show it.

Another rainy afternoon, a woman from the school was telling Chin-ye that the good-looking Sang-min gave her his umbrella. The woman told her that she can borrow the umbrella. The woman told her that Sang-min was in her store one rainy afternoon when he suddenly gave her the umbrella and started to run out to the big tree across the store. (Hmmmmmmm......) Chin-ye hastily left and took the umbrella to Sang-min.

Chin-ye brought Sang-min to the river where her mom used to bring her. She had told him about the love story of her mother from the diary that she read. Tears fell from Sang-min's eyes after the story and then he showed the necklace to Chin-ye. Yup, the same necklace from Joon-hee to Joon-ha. Yes, he's Joon-ha's son!!!!!!

They went to a makeshift bridge and again there were fireflies. Sang-min got one for her too and they kissed!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!! Was that destiny working in their love story. I was just so dumb-founded with the twist of the story?! MY jaw dropped and my tears fell. As in what the??!!! I just cried! I felt it! Such a beautiful story! Can that happen in real life?! I just don't know what to say anymore......

Thanks for the Two Weeks

Yes! The two-week training in Makati is over. I don't need to wake-up early just to get at BCT before 8am. No more "speak in English" policy. Mwahaha!

The past two weeks meant a lot because of the things that I learned. It was really like going back to school - lecture, discussions, note-taking, tests. I can say I did well in the written exams because I really studied hard. I was supposed to attend a party but I had to give it up because I wanted to study. I'm really glad that my effort really paid off. I'm not going to brag about my score but it's pretty high. Nyahahaha!

What stands out the most in the two-week training is meeting new people. I admit I told my co-trainee that I'm kinda anti-social because I like staying home and being with my family after work. BUt that doesn't meant I don't like them. I actually enjoy our classes because of them. Each has a personality that is very different. The class is very diverse. Let's just say I'm very average in my connections with them - not so warm and not so cold. I preferred to eat by myself because I'm sleepy during our breaks and I guess I appreciated the silence when I'm alone. Probably that's the reason why my co-trainee shouted my name during one of our activities "2 Truths and 1 Lie". How does the activity go? Well you write anonymously on a paper "2 Truths and 1 Lie" about yourself. Then it'll be gathered in a box. It will be randomly read and the whole class will guess who wrote what. There was a statement "I'm a snob". A co-trainee of mine said it was me but she was wrong. That's not what I wrote and my paper didn't even get the chance to be read. Well, I didn't have to defend myself because I don't owe anybody an explanation. If she thinks I'm like that, fine by me!

It's gonna be new once I start product training. It dawned on me this afternoon that all the times that I laughed and played with my co-trainees are over. I wanna thank two special people who made the past two weeks so memorable - Marge and Li.

Magnanimous Marge recharges us in the morning. The day wouldn't be complete without the bubbly personality of my morning trainer. I had fun with her motivational games. Her energy is so contagious and her smile expresses sincerity. She's one hell of a woman! I'm sad though that this girl had been crushed before by a moron. Hay naku, she doesn't deserve a guy like that. I would be glad to have her as my sister-in-law. Since she's a few minutes drive from where I live, I'll visit her when I get the chance. I have to ask her first what her address is. God bless you always Marge!

Lovable Li is my afternoon trainer. She made me memorize the 50 US states without me knowing where those places are. I'm not even done knowing Philippine provinces! Mwahaha! From the very start, I knew I'm going to like her because we both came from the same university. Her sense of humor is really unbelievable even if she wasn't feeling well. She's currently on her quarter-life crisis! Believe me Li, it's nothing especially when you have someone who cares about you and loves you from head to foot. All the best Lilith!

Let's see if I can have new fond memories once I start with the real thing next week.

My Little Kuya Turns 8 Today

It's May 14 and this special day is Cholo's birthday. Cholo turned 8 today. He's a big boy now and he makes me feel young. Young, I may say, because I get to play and hang out with him. Seeing him grow and develop makes me so proud of him. He's the usual makulit and malikot but you can really talk to him about different things. He's really smart. I can't wait to see him to be a young man. But whatever happens he'll always be my Little Kuya.

Fun 2nd Day!

Again my bro did not wake up early so I went ahead of him. I was hoping I can catch some sleep inside the shuttle. But no, the driver (who has already become my friend since my working days in St. Paul) started asking questions and began telling stories. Not wanting to appear rude, I kept myself from sleeping. Fine!

I came early in the office and just watched tv until we were called in for the start of the training. The morning trainer was Ms. Marge. She'll be with us until next week. Yes! I enjoyed her "getting-to-know-you" activity. It was really awkward for the men. And we had a good laugh. That was the first time that my co-trainees and I started to connect. Super fun! I like Ms. Marge. She really made sense. She was valuing teamwork. She said that people at the top are lonely because they forgot to bring others along with them. Gets? It's not about competition to get to the top. It's how you stick together and progress together. Pretty good huh?! I enjoyed each activity that she asked us to engage in. Because it made my "friendly button on" functional. I have one favorite. It's e-teddy bear Paolo. Really big guy with a huge sense of humor. He actually looked and sounded like my cousin, Kuya Ricky. And when I told him that, he started calling me "insan". Cute di ba?!

In the afternoon we had another trainer, Ms. Li. She's also fun. We had a nice time with her. But we had a pre-test on grammar and SV agreement. She calls it the "nosebleeding activity for some". Damn right it was! All of a sudden, I wasn't sure of my answers. I felt so dumb! It's like my English was thrown out of the window. What's worse is that we were asked to check each other's papers. "Insan" Paolo checked mine and he was cheering me on. Well, I didn't do so bad. Actually Ms. Li said I was very good. Nyorks! I have to equal or do better than that for the post-test.

Have to get that much-needed rest to keep the "friendly" button on tomorrow.

Bless the Broken Road

I heard this song just today and I fell in love with it. Just wanna share it. For the ONE!

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

First Day Wasn't So Bad

I woke up with only four hours of sleep. Was it because I was excited? Or was it because I was afraid that I might oversleep and come late for work? Probably the second one. Damn right I don't wanna be late on the first day. I got up as soon as my alarm sounded. Hurriedly took a bath and fixed myself. I even left my bro because I was too afraid that Jan might leave me and I don't know how I would find my way in Makati. Oh well, I arrived earlier than Jan. It rarely happens or should I say this is the first that I didn't make Jan wait. Thankfully, there was no traffic and we were in Makati in no time. It was easy to find the building. Thanks to guardian Jan!

There were a lot of trainees. And I had to psyche myself that I have to keep the "friendly" button on. Okay it was morning and the first day of the week but I had to look not so bored. Good thing our trainer was really cool. Sir John! I like him. He reminded me of Ricci Chan and I so love Ricci Chan. I find him really smart and so is Sir John. Hearing orientation for work this year is very different. Sir John was fun and not boring. He said that he's both profound and profane. It was a very different orientation because I had a speaker who was soooo green. Pro not that bastos. His jokes were really smart. Ateneo-bred e. Also when we're on break he plays good music. We both like the same music ~ pamboys!!! Basta it was a good thing that Sir John started my training. Well in the afternoon HR discussed our compensation and benefits. I intently listened. The HR personnel explained it really well and she said I can just ask them any time. If not for the girl who made a comment about my e-mail add my day would have been okay. But the hell with her! We were dismissed early and I came home just in time for dinner.

By the way I made friends with Tita Vicky, a cool mom with 18-yr-old and 10-yr-old sons. Keeping the "friendly" button on.

Here's looking forward to more cool training days!

This is IT

It's my last normal Sunday. I'll be starting work tomorrow. Yes! After weeks of waiting for the results of the only company and the work that I applied for, it's finally here. And I am so happy. Well, make that excited! Oooops, make that anxious. It's gonna be something new for me. I'm really hoping that I made the right decision and I'm ready to take new challenges. It's gonna be a big adjustment on my part, new things to learn, new friends to make and a new life to begin with. Huh makes me wanna take a deep breath!

So I'm here in my room with a slight fever. Can you believe I'm sick a day before I start with my new work?! What a joke! I hope I feel better when I wake up tomorrow morning. I have to wake up early because it's going to be in Makati and I don't really know where the building is located. Thankfully, Jan will be helping me find my way tomorrow morning. I'll be having my 2 weeks of training in Makati and it's gonna be 8am-5pm everyday. Nyaix! Makati is different from Ortigas. I can find my way anywhere in Ortigas. Hopefully in two weeks that I'll be in Makati I will be familiar with the place. Though I won't be bringing Teepee everyday because of the parking space and the parking fee, I am excited to explore the place. What's good about it is that I will be working near my friends' offices. We can spend some time after work. See you guys!

I hope to keep my "Friendly" button always on. Smile Rhaych and good luck!