Back to work...

Tomorrow, Alice and I will be back to work. After a hiatus of almost two months, everything will again be back to where they ought to be. It means we'll see our friends again, our colleagues, our peers, and of course our bosses. It is nice, actually, to work in an environment where there is a mix of nationalities, and for that matter, culture... It is nice to know a different custom or two, from different countries and different races. It does not only adds to ones knowledge, it actually makes one to be more enlightened... and more open, I would say. There's nothing better than to learn through experiencing things... and for our jobs, lifelong learning is not only essential, but indispensable.

Anyways, as I intimated already, tomorrow will be the big day... it is sort of starting a new journey. Well, at least, a new one towards our professional life. I know for a fact that for each and everyone of us, life is a big journey... one that is comprised of individual and unique adventures, and this is one of them. For me and Alice, and for our friends here, this is the beginning of a new adventure.

As I anticipate what will happen to me tomorrow, I got the chance to think of the things I did this vacation. What did I do with the seven weeks that were given to me to relax? Well, I had the time of my life exploring Singapore with my family, for one. I also got to at least cope up with my professional reading having read four great books during the break (I guess that will be a good topic for a separate blog this coming weeks). I also got to go back to some of my interests which I didn't actually do much the past several months because of time constraint: ebay, Friendster, etc. There's not much I'd done really... but the important thing is I got to unwind and recharge, to be as fresh as ever for the strict requirements of the job in the next ten months.

I can only say thanks for the chance to do this again and take this new journey... and hope that everything will be fine for all of us.

My Family in Singapore

Death...

Several nights ago, when the family was just starting to have a good time in Singapore, I was wasting some time joking around with Ash just before we're about to go to bed when suddenly I was choked with the water I was drinking. The choke was serious that I was not able to breathe. In the next several seconds I was gasping for air, and my breathing produced a whining sound which made Alice panic and shouted for her brothers in the adjacent room to come help us. I was a little bit dizzy from the fact that oxygen is not properly being supplied to my brain, and I continue to gasp for air. Edu, one of Alice's brothers, locked his arms around my chest and slowly pumped. Thus started the painful and arduous process of saving me for completely choking to death...

It was, I believe, the longest three or so minutes I had encountered in my entire life. Alice was clearly in panic and beginning to sob, while Ash was literally ashen during the ordeal. My two other kids, River and Rain, had just gone to sleep, and were peacefully resting on their side of the bed. For much of my life, I usually contemplate on life and death, usually making thoughts on death itself. That's probably because I love my family so much and one of my deepest fears is to leave them unstable. And when death stares you in the face just like that moment, it really makes you scared. In that fleeting two minutes or so, I thought of many things... most notably the things I did not, or was not able to do. I found out that time that when death is upon you, you really wanted to do those things. And it all the more makes you frustrated.

Well, fortunately for me, death did not happen that night. And I thank God immensely for that. As I ponder things after the experience, I came to the conclusion that it left me with a very important life lesson. That is, it made me appreciate more all the blessings around me - the people and the things - and all those that are happening to me, most especially the gift of life itself. That experience taught me to celebrate life and do what I really want, and to never give more attention to life's worries...

That night when I come face-to-face with death, I learned to appreciate life. I guess that's the secret to make this journey more meaningful.

Frolicking at Clarke Quay & Merlion

Our Trip to Sentosa

Going Back...

When you had just spent precious vacation time with your family, it becomes really very hard to go back to a place very far away from them again, and continue doing your job...

Well, I guess that's a dilemma that is not exclusive for me and Alice, but happens to each and every ofw there is in all parts of the globe. We know that after sometime, we have to go back to our respective jobs sooner or later, but the hangover that is the product of spending qaulity time with your kids just won't go away. Sometime we really had to kick ourselves literally to get out of that sentimental stupor that we are currently in to keep ourselves from moving... and going back to our respective jobs.

Anyhow, I would say that the last several weeks had been a blast for me...especially the two weeks or so I spent with my kids frolicking in Singapore. It heartens me that even for that short span of time, I've given them laughter and joy by allowing them to discover new things from places in another country. Like a typical dad, I would say that my kids are the brightest... notwithstanding their respective honours from their levels, they are keen obervers of new things from the new environment they are in, and they are just willing to discover and explore this alien place that they were in for about two weeks...It was an enjoyable experience for them... it was an equally enjoyable experience for me and Alice...

Then, suddenly the time is up. We have to go back to our jobs once again. And once again, we part ways with the kids... that's the reality of our lives today, and for this we have to drag ourselves for sometime just to keep pace with this reality. What is it that motivates us each time we encounter this?

The thought that the next vacation that we'll spend with our precious ones will be better. For now, we continue hoping and dreaming...

Singapore Zoo and Night Safari

Days of Our Lives

Sometime in our lives there come moments that we treasure forever. One of those moments in my life came when my family spent last summer's vacation in Singapore...

Actually, the trip materialized when I was not able to go back home this summer. Having some projects and side works to do in Singapore, Alice and I decided to just bring the kids there for a two-week rest from school and explore what Singapore has to offer for them. It practically was shooting two birds in one stone - me, doing what I needed to do there, and the rest of my family spending vacation with me there also... it really was a win-win situation for us...

We arrived at the same day in Singapore, I came straight from the Gulf and Alice - with the kids in tow - from the Philippines. Our flights arrived only a few hours from each other.

As I mentioned before, one of Alice's brothers had been working for seven years already in Singapore. It made it easier for us to plan our stay there, knowing that we would not have problems with our accomodation while we are there. Indeed, it was a glorious event for the family - the kids had their first taste of going to another country and exploring new environments and a new culture, while Alice and I had the chance of being close to them again even for just a short time after almost 9 months of constantly missing their company. It was indeed the best days of the lives of each one of us in a long time...

While at it, we really made it a point to enjoy our time with each other and also maximized our stay in that fabulous country by discovering what Singapore has to offer. We visited Sentosa and explored its offerings such as the Underwater World, the Songs of the Sea, and much more; we trekked the famous Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, and Jurong Bird Park; we spent a day discovering what's inside the Singapore Science Center, including the Snow City - where the kids really had a fun time playing on the snow; we were everywhere... savoring the sceneries and experiencing the best times.

Of course, while in Singapore one has to visit and see some of its most popular and busiest streets and malls. Thus, the kids had a fun time walking along the Clarke and Boat Quay with their busy restaurants dotting the bay... the Orchard Road and the Lucky Plaza full of "kabayans" and other expats and tourists... the Bugis Street with its popular street market as well as the Sim Lim Square and Tower where Alice and I bought some new electronic gadgets... the Chinatown where we bought some "pasalubongs" and we ate some authentic chinese cuisine... the kids also had some good experiences walking along the Parliament Road, visiting the Suntec City and the world-famous Fountain of Wealth - arguably the biggest fountain in the world, looking at the "durian"-inspired architecture of the Esplanade, and spending some time looking at the Merlion and posing for some pictures.

Well, good things or good times, for that matter, never last... so they say. After 14 days, the kids need to go back and continue their studies once again. As I need to finish other things there, I wasn't able to go back with them to the Philippines. Parting ways with your loved ones is always painful, that's a fact. And so, even if it broke our hearts to know that we'll be apart once more, I bid the kids goodbye after two weeks of spending the best times of my life with them. At least in our case, we are looking forward to a better times - and a better vacation - next year.

Hello River, Rain and Ash... daddy loves you very much!