ves

Habang paikot-ikot ka sa mga isla sa Amerika,

Hihintayin kita.

Dahil alam kong babalik ka.

At kasabay sa iyong pagbabalik

Ay ang katuparan

Ng mga pangako at pangarap

Na matagal na nating inaasam.

Posted at 12:36 am by ves_le_artiste
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Posted at 11:40 pm by ves_le_artiste
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"Things start out as they intend to go on."

- Jo's mom

Who's Jo? She's a 40ish female Canadian, has a strong personality, can be rude at times (and especially when necessary), has above average intelligence, and my best friend in Indonesia. Who's Jo's mom? I haven't met her yet but her words just hit me that night that Jo told to me about it. So there I was, sitting in our huge 3-story house in Indonesia, realizing how bad things started for me in that foreign country. As a matter of fact, it was sooo bad that all sorts of bad things happened even before I left RP. A few days before my flight, my mom got robbed, my bf got our mountain bike stolen while making a quick call, my dad got bitten by our own cat and had to get an anti-rabies shot (which was rather expensive, by the way), and other things you would never imagine happening all in the same week (some even on the same day)! We should've been able to discern the signs that were being given to us for me not to pursue the job overseas but maybe being the positive-thinkers that we are, we just didn't realize that it could've been the Big Guy's way of warning us that I was about to make a mistake. And boy, was it a BIG one.

A lot of unimaginable things happened to me starting from DAY ONE (and to me colleagues as well, no thanks to an ineffective, unprofessional, and pathetic leader) in that hellhole but I don't want to bore you with details and I don't wanna waste words just recalling those events that I would rather block from my memory. Just to give you an idea how nasty it got, we filed a complaint against our joke-of-a-principal (and make that as a person as well) and the institution in DFA and I was assisted by a consul in the Phil. Embassy there for me to be able to escape from that horrible place. Now that principal just can't believe how a young Filipina like me was able to outsmart her/them! It's a good thing she underestimated me coz it actually worked to my advantage. Now if things do start out as they intend to go on, I can't imagine how much worse things could've been for me have I stayed there! And that's why I decided to get out before things got any nastier.

But if there's one thing that I would ever cherish about Indonesia, (besides the fact that I love their art and food) it would be getting to know interesting people like Jo and developing friendships with people from other parts of the globe.

Now that's something I won't ever mind to keep on going on and on. ;)

Posted at 02:32 am by ves_le_artiste
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THINGS I'M LOVIN' ABOUT INDONESIA:

- apukat almost all year round

- sambal

- spicy food (even sweet corn is served with chili! yummy)

- robusta, Singha coffee

-martabak

-otak-otak

- Batik (they even have Batik paintings)

- Bandungan

- Simpang Lima

- Wearing headsets in church to listen to an English interpreter for us to understand the songs and the sermon (which are in Bahasa)

- The people in Desso Computer Shop who are always wiling to assist me (to the extent of installing my Bluetooth in their main computer and talking to the cab company because I don't speak Bahasa that well)

- Bahasa songs ("Burung kaka duwa...!")

Bandungan Temples

Bandungan

Susan's Spa

Indo_CHinese Lunch. That's a bowl of crushed chili in the middle!

Motorcycles everywhere!

Posted at 05:39 pm by ves_le_artiste
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Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

Posted at 05:50 pm by ves_le_artiste
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i miss my fave

Posted at 03:28 am by ves_le_artiste
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I don't have students anymore. :( I thought I was still gonna have them until my last day here in the office. :( Starting today, I'm just gonna be a full-time trainer.

I miss my students.

I'll miss my trainees.

They find me crazy for giving up this job that I have now that I have a good position and yeah, good pay too. It's really nice when people call you "Ma'am" or "Ms. Ves" at work as a sign of respect although I constantly correct them and insist on just being called "Ves" and just that. I really feel good when my trainees tell me that they feel sad on the last day of training coz it means we're not gonna spend that much time together anymore. And I really feel fulfilled when the teachers here improve (and are saved from being let go of the company)and they thank me for it. That and a lot of other perks.

Well, I also think about this sometimes but the thing is, if I really wanna pursue something else too, I'll have to start somewhere even if that means starting from the bottom again. And maybe, just maybe I can go right up the corporate ladder again soon.

Posted at 06:47 pm by ves_le_artiste
Comment (1) Â Permalink

Dang! I miss Chaz so bad!

(I mean when he was still living. Ayoko na pong mabisita now, if you know what I mean.). Di ko pa din matanggap hanggang ngayon. I think about him everyday.

I missed work and dropped everything the day that I learned about it and I went all the way from Makati to Bay just to see him for the last time. I felt bad when Jong and I had to go over a brochure of flower arrangements for his wake. I felt a lot worse when I saw how different he looked from the Chaz that I knew.

I feel bad about what happened to him not just because we had a thing before but because he really was a good brod and friend to me and to the rest of the members of UPSK as well. I can still picture him smiling coz he was always like that. I can still hear his chuckle! I just feel bad that we didnt get to spend much time together after I graduated and left LB but I'm sure he understands. But I'm happy for all the good memories that I have of him, UPSK, and LB.

I'll see you on the other side, Chaz. And just so you know, I had a crush on you too (when you were still single).

Posted at 09:14 pm by ves_le_artiste
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It works!

IT works.

It WORkS?

IT WORKS!

Posted at 09:43 pm by ves_le_artiste
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Student's Name: Sunny
Class Time: 20:20 Korean Time

(Small talk before lesson proper)

SUNNY: Hi Vanessa!

ME: Hello Sunny!

SUNNY: Vanessa...(with her high pitched cute voice) are you happy tonight?

ME: Oh, yeah. I did another painting today. How about you?

SUNNY: Yeeees. (You should hear her say this. She sounds so cute!)

ME: Why?

SUNNY: Because my mommy loves me. ^^

Posted at 09:52 pm by ves_le_artiste
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