6.19.2008

Why do we have to choose if we can have both?

I read a novel by Sarah Mlynowski.
The novel is about decisions in career and love life.
Which of the two is important?
What if I was on Gabby's shoes?
What would I pick?
Is it career that will give me big bucks every month…
And live in a fancy apartment alone or share it with my friend?
Or is it love life that I can be with the love of my life…
And share a home together?

Reading “Me VS Me” taught me a lot.
Maybe choosing is not option.
I asked myself, “Why choose if I can have both?”
I know some things in life are not meant to have all the time.
No matter how many zillions of reason you have …
Just one simple answer will surpass those reasons.

For me, I do have problems when deciding.
Actually I hate decisions.
Not because I want to have both but I’m afraid that my decision is not the right one.
I think decisions are made to make us stronger and smarter.
Stronger, to face the consequences of our decisions…
And smarter to chose wisely in the future.


Lesson learned:
I don’t regret any decisions I made but…
Sometimes I wonder what if I choose the other one?


Think before you act and remember wishes do come true after all! :)

6.17.2008

jealousy or insecurity

For 20 years, I’ve been the kind of girl that “What I want, I get.” Maybe I can say I’m a little spoiled but when I started living on my own (pay my own rent, no allowance from mom, no “bili mo ko” attitude”) I started to feel different. I started to feel jealous? Or should I say insecure? Every time I looked around, at some point in my life I wish/want to have what others have. Whether it’s material things or personality or attitude or lifestyle or career or even love life, I want to have everything. Maybe it’s not jealousy or insecurity; maybe it’s me being selfish and self-centered. OR maybe I’m not contented with my life. Well I’m kinda contented with my career. I’m contented and happy at the end of the day because I know I accomplish something. I’m also kinda contented with my life because I can live on my own and on the other hand I have my family and friends back home. I’m also kinda contented with my love life because there’s someone out there who loves me. But there’s something missing. I don’t have any idea what am I missing here. There’s no perfect life. I have to admit that my life is not perfect. No person in this world is contented (unless they’re pretending to be contented, or denying that they don’t want ANYTHING). Some people are showing off that they have much better life than anyone else. Some are waiting for others to notice there existence. But maybe some people are JUST contented. Either way, I still can’t distinguish what I’m feeling. Jealous? Insecure? Envy? Self-fish? Hmmmm…

Maybe somewhere out there, some people wants the life I have right now. All I can do for now is to love my life, embrace my insecurities, be a better person and be contented and thankful for what I have right now.


Who knows someone is dying to have my life. :p


6.10.2008

inaantok. nagiintay. naiinip.

Dahil wala pa ang go signal namin para magstart sa task (galing sa India), eto nagbloblog ako maghapon...
Enjoy reading guys! :)
Uwian na... YEY!


Confessions of a Drama Queen

Warning: Super non-sense blog! Don’t read if YOU hate drama queen!

Reality Check.
Alright, here’s the deal.
I’m with a guy.
Insensitive; Not sweet; Not your average guy.
Ok… but I love him.
I still do. (promise!)
Maybe I’m not his average girl either.
So what?
He loves me. (I think, well… I know)
Actually I’m exaggerating.
He’s not “that” insensitive.
He’s “somewhat” sweet.
And definitely he’s not “just” any average guy.
I don’t know what’s happening to me.
I want him to be this and that.
Although… I like the way he is right now.
There are “some” things… well… a lot of things I want him to be.
For example: (patikim lang)
I want him to give me flowers out of nowhere. (yung tipong wala lang naisip lng kita! Baduy ika nga)
I want him to be extra sweet. (fine! Super sweet)
I want him to show some PDA. (well, sometimes. NO! all the time but not too mushy… yuck!)
I want to have romantic pictures with him. (pang friendster?!?!)
I want to cuddle all night long. (kelangan nyang umuwi! My bahay pa din naman sya, you know!)
I want him to be his number one priority. (ang self-fish! Sorry unica hija)
Well, well, well… to sum it all up, there’s this “thing” I want to have.
I want to feel the “kilig” moment again.
I want to feel special.
I want to have a relationship that’s fun and exciting.
I want to go out-of-town every single time (medyo magastos ata eto)
I don’t know what I’m saying!
I know there’s no such thing as “P.E.R.F.E.C.T” relationship.
Everyone has flaws.
Everything has flaws.
We can’t create a world that is so damn perfect.
In fact no one or nothing is perfect.
Who says they’re perfect?
Oh c’mon… shut up!
Tsk!
What I’m trying to say is that…
… I want him to be someone else, which is bad! (very bad me)
But on the other hand I want him to be himself…
So complicated this thing called “L.O.V.E”
I don’t know what I want.
I don’t know what I really want him to do.
Maybe it’s me.
I’m the one who’s thinking all of these non-sense issues.
I’m the one who’s causing the trouble. (hey! But not all the time)
Moving forward…
Which is better?
The heart or the brain?
The heart who’s always right in the first place? OR
The brain who’s cautiously deciding what is right from wrong?
Hmpf!
… reality sucks!
Hate it but at the same time enjoying it!

Hey honey! I love you! Don't get mad! ahihi :p


Developer VS Tester

Eto ang kadalasang eksena sa mundo ng IT.
Mataas ang “ego” ng mga Developer.
Mas mataas naman ang sa Tester.
Mas importante and trabaho ng Tester; ngunit lahat ng sisi sa huli lahat sa kanila binabagsak.
Importante din naman ang trabaho ng Developer dahil kapag walang ginawa ang Developer, walang trabaho ang Tester.
Hindi mabubuo ang isang application kung walang Developer ngunit hindi maibibigay sa cliente ang ginawa ng Developer kapag hindi tinest ng Tester.
Hindi pwedeng i-test ng Developer ang kanilang ginawa pwera na lang ang tinatawag nilang debugging o “Component Testing”

Konting kwento lamang:
Ang Component Test ay isa sa anim na testing phase na ginagamit upang maging maayos ang pagbuo ng isang application.
Eto ang unang ginagamit na testing sa V-model. Ito ay kahilera ng “Design/Build” phase.
Ang malimit na gumagamit o gumagawa nito ay ang mga Developer mismo.
Eto ang proceso na ite-test o tawag ng iba “debug” nila ang mga codes.

Pagpapatuloy ng aking sentimiento…
Oo ginagamit ng mga Developer ang kanilang mga utak, ngunit…
(Depende kung “one-man-team”) alam ba nila ang kabuuan ng codes?
Yung tipong lahat ng codes ng isang application?
Dahil ang isang Developer ay hindi pwedeng magsarili (depende ulit ito kung “one-man-team” ka)
Eto naman ang kaibahan ng Tester sa Developer
Bawat proceso na ginagamit ng application ay alam ng Tester.
Hindi maaring parte lamang ng isang application ang alam nya
At hindi ang coding standard ng developer ang pagbase ng pag-te-test ng Tester.
Dahil nagsisimula pa lamang ang proceso, ang Tester ay my papel na.
Magbasa ng mga Requirements.
Dahil doon lahat mang-gagaling ang gagawin ng Developer.
“Boring” sabi ng iba.
“Hindi ginagamitan ng isip” sabi naman nila.
Ngunit hindi ba nila alam na ang trabaho ng Tester ang pinakamahalaga sa IT world?
Siguro nga yung mga nagiisip ng mga bagay na ito (Developer) ay masyadong mataas ang pagtingin sa sarili nila.
Hindi naman masama magisip ng ganun pero sa huli bale wala ang Developer kung walang Tester.
Kung baga; si Batman at Robin, Angelina Jolie at Brad Pitt, Katie Holmes at Tom Cruise.
Hindi mabubuo ang “ideal world” kung wala sa eksena ang dalawa.

Maniwala tayo’t sa hindi bawat isa sa atin ay Tester kahit wala ka sa mundo ng IT.
Ayaw nyo maniwala? Eto ang mga halimbawa:
Bibili ka ng bagong gamit, sabihin natin damit, sapatos, alahas at kung ano-ano pang sinusuot natin sa katawan. Ano ginagawa natin? Hindi ba’t sinusukat natin sila para malaman kung kasya? Ang pagsusukat ng mga bagay-bagay ay isang paraan upang malaman natin kung “worth-it” ba ang nabili. Ganun din sa IT. Hindi kukunin ng cliente ang isang application kapag nakikita nyang hindi makakatulong sa pagunlad ang bibilin nya na software. Para lamang yang “Assembly Test”. Tinitingnan natin kung my pupuntahan ba ang ginagasta nating pera. Kung “worth-it” nga ba o masasayang lamang sa huli.

Isa pang halimbawa:
Ipod, laptop, tv, cellphone at iba pang gadget. Ano ginagawa mo bago ka bumili? BINGO! Kailangan mong tingnan kung gumagana, kung tama ang lahat ng functionalities, kung my gasgas, kung mabilis ang pag-response ng applications o ng mga pinipindot mong hardware at titingnan mo ang kabuuan ng isang gadget. Dito naman maitutulad ang “Product Test” at “Performance Test”. Tinitingnan natin ang kabuuan ng isang bagay at kung mabilis ba ang pag balik pag-response sa atin kapag ginamit na natin ito.

Pinaka-huling halimbawa:
My tinatawag tayong “test-drive”. Kunwari bibili ka ng sasakyan pero hindi mo alam ang mga kakayanan nito. Hindi ba’t merong pagkakataon na papayagan kang ilabas ang sasakyan na nais mong bilin at subukan kung ito nga ba’y bagay sa lifestyle mo? Eto naman ang pwedeng ikumpara sa UAT o “User Acceptance Test”. Bago mo ibigay o bilin ang isang bagay, hindi ba’t kailangan muna natin itong itest o ipatest sa mga taong gagamit nito?

Ang mga nakasulat dito ay pawing mga karanasan lamang. Hindi ito imbento o kasinungalingan.

Babala: Hindi lahat ng Tester at Developer ang tinutukoy dito. Walang pikunan, katotohanan lamang. ^_^


6.06.2008

GeT AwaY - 2nd AnNiveRsarY

Marco Vincent Resort
“Experience the irresistable rhythm of an island's drum beat. See the untamed charm of Puerto Galera. The Marco Vincent Resort offers enjoyable, comfortable and worry-free stay because of its premier quality, service and entertainment.

This Hotel Resort is approximately 100 meters from the renowned White Beach of Puerto Galera. An exclusive retreat offering the utmost in relaxation, recreation and fine dining. It is the perfect venue for family vacations, weddings, parties, conferences, seminars, company team building, private gatherings; or simply communing with the exquisite natural surroundings.”


05.21.08
The much awaited day of the year is finally here! My hubby and I were celebrating our 2nd year anniversary. This year we decided to celebrate at the White Beach in Puerto Galera and we’ll be staying in Marco Vincent Resort for 3 days and 2 nights.

05:30
My hubby picked me up in my apartment. Although the package that we purchased in Marco Vincent includes two-way transportation from manila-resort, we decided to just bring his car to Batangas Pier. We are both excited on our way to Batangas and prayed that the weather would be calm by the time we travel by boat. We stopped at the gasoline station in SLEX to eat breakfast in Mcdo and for my hubby to rest for awhile.

08:20
Batangas premises. My hubby parked outside the Batangas Pier for an affordable parking fee. The rate per day is P75 (not bad!). By the time we arrived at the entrance of the Pier, the Father & Sons employee assists us to get our ticket in the ticket booth for the 8:40 White Beach departure time. I also meet up with Lin who is in-charge of our trip in Batangas to White Beach. The funny part is, a sticker was placed in our shirts to acknowledged that we are Marco Vincent’s guests (just like VIPs) :)

09:20
Filipino Time. As usual, the departure time is 30 minutes late! They need to load the boat with its maximum capacity which is I think 50 persons. I never expected that many people are also spending their vacations on weekdays. As we travel halfway to white beach, I saw 2 dolphins! Well although I don’t really saw the whole body, at least I saw their Fins (if that’s what you call it)…hehe. Too bad I don’t have pictures. :( My day gets better and better. :)





10:30
Arrival in White Beach. At last we arrived in Puerto Galera White Beach! As I expected, although it’s a weekday, still, many people are enjoying their vacation. As we waited for our “sundo” from Marco Vincent, my hubby decided to just walk to the resort even without them. After a few steps, I saw my name (Ms. Julie Marian B. Porlante), written in a white board that was holding by a crew member from Marco Vincent. Thankfully he grabbed my things (which are by the way, very heavy) and lead us to the resort. As we arrived in the helpdesk of the resort, I immediately saw the courtesy and friendly aura of the people working in Marco Vincent. Although we arrived two and a half hours earlier than our check-in time, they allow us to use our room (yey!) I fill-up a form, received the room key and as promised, they gave us a welcome drink. “WOW!” That’s what I said after I step in the resort. The place is way more than better to what I expected. The great part is, the resort was only expecting less than 10 people (a family of 7 & a couple -> that would be us! haha) that will be staying that week. How fortunate for us to have the resort for our perfect anniversary. The room was amazing but there is a glitch, the WIFI in our room is not accessible. :( The only place that we can access WIFI was at the lobby but over-all, I love the place!



After taking some pictures, we unpacked our things, watch television and lie down to bed to take some rest. Because of the long journey and waking up early we fall asleep for about 2 hours. Zzzzzz….

13:00
Eating Time! After a good afternoon nap, it’s time to eat our lunch. We make our way to different restaurants in White Beach. We can’t decide where to eat because there are so many selections to choose from. We stopped by in an “ihaw-ihaw” restaurant and ordered a pork kebab and liempo. The meat doesn’t have a rich taste because I think it is not marinated properly but the price is just right for a lunch meal.

14:30
“Tayo sa beach, tayo na’t magswimming!” We got back to our room to change for our swim wear and apply some sun block. The sky is somewhat cloudy but it’s nice to take a dip on the bluish green salt water of White Beach. At around 17:00 the wave got intense because of the strong wind. My hubby called it “Battle Wave” because the people that was near the shore was like battling with the waves. When we got off the beach, we walked until the end of the beach where big rocks and couple of people waiting for the sunset. After a long walk, we got back in Marco Vincent and swim in the pool. We also asked the management if they can open the Jacuzzi for us but it’s not warm water. It’s merely a bubble bath with no bubbles, hahaha. After 10-15 mins, we decided to take a bath to prepare for our dinner and to rest for awhile.





20:00
Dinner is served. We took our dinner at the in-house restaurant in Marco Vincent Resort. Our dinner consists of mushroom soup, main dish, dessert and a glass of iced tea. The food was great and the ambiance was perfect for a fine dining. After finishing our superb dinner, we head back to our room to watch television and because there are alcoholic drinks available, we stay put and made our own “drinking party” (although we only drank a can of beer, each…hahahahahaha! :p) and decided to “gimik” the next day.

00:00
Good night sweetie. After a long long day, at last I can sleep peacefully and I can cuddle with my Honey. ;-) Nytzzz!

SECOND DAY

09:30
Morning Sunshine! It’s late! Only 30 minutes remaining and our complimentary breakfast will be forfeited. We need to get up, brush our teeth and wash our face FAST! Hahaha… We immediately went to the restaurant to eat our breakfast. We ordered corned beef, pork chopped with garlic rice and 2 eggs. For our drinks, we ordered coffee. I’m not used to eat breakfast that why I can’t finish my meal and as always I gave my leftovers to my hubby. :p The food was great!

11:00
WIFI Access. After finishing our breakfast we went to the lobby to access my office email. I’m desperate to check my e-mail so I decided to borrow my hubby’s phone to check if there’s any news on my new project before my roll-off in CIO. We waited to be connected and to make sure that I’m still up-to-date on my work. To my surprise, an email from HR requesting me to attend an interview with the Manager of a well-known client of our company on May 21 but I was on my PTO the whole week so they re-scheduled the interview on Monday, May 26. I’m not sure if that was good news or bad because I’m requesting to be retooled to SAP but that project was a Microsoft based projects. I felt butterflies on my stomach and can’t wait what future lies ahead for me. Nothing much on my inbox, just farewells from our team, scheduled gimiks, mails from my lead about our June release and stuffs from mailer@mailer.tooot.com hahahaha….:p After checking my email, my hubby checked his email for his application for a new job but unfortunately there are no new emails. We head back to our room, take a bath and unwind for awhile.

13:00
Siesta. I’m exhausted after reading my email. So many to do’s when I go back to work but for now I want to spend the rest of my vacation with my one true love (NAKS!). We went back to our room for siesta. I’m still full because of our breakfast and decided to eat our lunch late. I lie down in bed, text my friends if they have any idea what and where the ACA project is located. To my disappointment no one knows about that project and I don’t have any choice but to wait until Monday. My hubby on the other hand falls asleep because of the vitamins he took before breakfast.

14:30
Late Lunch. After our siesta and taking a bath we went out to eat our lunch. We look around for restos where we could feed our hungry stomach. We can’t decide what and where to eat. We looked for a place where we can find unusual foods but we can’t find one. Finally we stopped by in a restaurant just beside the resto where we ate our lunch yesterday. My hubby ordered a pork kebab (again) with ensaladang talong and I ordered carbonara with garlic bread. After eating our lunch we walked around to buy some token from puerto and bags but I can’t find any kawaii stuff anywhere so we head back to our room to change and to go for a swim on the beach. Actually we liked to go snorkeling but we don’t have any company or friends to go with. It’s too expensive if we both go alone that’s why we don’t have any water activities but who cares we’re together right?!? :) Again, we just talked, swim and watch the sunset.



17:00
Soothing Massage. After one and a half hour we called 2 masseurs for a whole body massage for 200 bucks each. My dream of having a massage on the beach has come true! It feels so relaxing I almost fall asleep. Although it’s a dream come true, I’m uncomfortable people watching us having a massage. Oh well, who cares! hahaha… And you know what, we are their first customers. It’s a shock for me that after a long day of waiting and asking people if they want to have their service, this was the only time for them to earn money. It is so damn hard to earn money these days. Tsk! After 45 minutes of relaxation, we head back again to the beach to go swimming.



20:00
Dinner @ Aqua Restaurant & Bar. This would be our last dinner in Puerto. We decided to eat in Aqua Restaurant & Bar for our romantic date. Although the menu is limited, I saw a favorite appetizer of my hubby, Onion Rings. As usual my hubby ordered a spicy baby ribs and I ordered a spicy chicken. The food is quite right for my taste but not that good. My hubby paid the bill! Yey! Thanks honey! I asked my hubby if he wants to drink some alcoholic drinks but he passed. Hmpf! KJ! Hehe…joke! :p So instead of gimik we go back to our room and stayed there to watch television. And our bedtime? It’s exactly 00:00.


THIRD DAY

08:45
Early Birds. We need to get up early to prepare for our departure in Marco Vincent. But before that, we ate our 2nd day complimentary breakfast. The food for the day was tocino and bacon with garlic rice and 2 eggs. And as expected the food was great.


09:35
Ready, Get Set, Pack. It’s time to pack our things, check our belongings and prepared to go home. Toiletries? Check! Used Clothes? Check! Gadgets? Check! Valuables? Check! Everything is set. It’s such a nice place to stay in a cozy room and I’m gonna miss this place.


11:00
Check Out Time. We’re ready for check-out and pay our additional room bills. Before we left the resort the lobby was crowded with excursionist. We’re lucky we were on a weekday trip and don’t have to deal with so many people on the resort. Before we went to our boat, we looked again for some stuff that we can buy but unfortunately there was none. It’s true that Marco Vincent offers the best of the best service you’ll ever experience in your life. The perfect place for a get-away summer spot. I will surely go back and maximize my stay in Marco Vincent Resort.


12:30
Bye Bye Puerto Galera. We leave the white beach and head to Batangas Pier. Thank goodness the weather is serene BUT that was what I thought. 20 minutes before our arrival in Batangas, the sky doesn’t look so good. In fact it’s starting to blow strong winds and droplets of rain. After a minute or so, the rain poured vigorously as if the boat will submerge. My hubby starts to feel unease and frightened. It’s like we’re entering on a death zone. Even the people on the boat feel unease with what’s happening. Thank God we made it! After surpassing that “nightmare” we made it in Batangas Pier. We head back on the parking lot and we notice that the rain stopped. I just told myself “Sinalubong lang tayo ng malakas na ulan”. Hahaha. By 14:00 we drove back to Manila. We stopped by in SLEX to eat our lunch (KFC) and head back again on the road.



17:00
Home Sweet Home. I’m back in my apartment. It feels different. I already missed our room in Marco Vincent. I missed the pool, the beach, the feeling of being relaxed and it’s sad knowing that we will part ways again. Hayz. How I wished those days would remain forever. Maybe next time we’ll spent more time for our vacation and next time we will enjoy the days we’re together.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!


The days gone by so quickly and our vacation is over. Although our vacation in Puerto is not “that” active I enjoyed the moment we shared together, the laughs and stories we shared and just being there side by side. Next Stop – Boracay!