THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM…

Once in a while, you get a phone call that jolts you into waking up and getting worried. I had that just a few minutes ago when a friend called me with a dilemma.

It started off innocently enough. Our friendship is not the type that needs constant phone calls or even weekly or monthly meet ups to maintain. Despite age, time and distance, the good thing is that though contact is few and far in between, we know that we can count on the other person to cover our back when needed.

Then, the call progresses. At first it was the usual, hey how are you and what’s keeping you busy and updating each other on how everything is going, and then the real story comes out. B wants me to check out an address here in Cebu as there has been a “person” texting B about having won money and a car.

I can smell a scam a mile away. And this one fits the bill. First and foremost, B was notified through a text, about the SIM card or phone number being especially picked out of a million (gazillion) numbers. (Raise one eyebrow on cue). Hello!?! First and foremost, if this was really a legitimate company giving out money, they wouldn’t just notify you through a text message right?? They would email, snail mail, call your home phone and cell phone and have a DTI representative contact you.

The bad thing about it is, the other person B was in contact with, this person named Mr. Carlos Villegas, after convincing B that they were a legitimate company called Takayama Corporation in Cebu with address 52 Sergio Osmena Boulevard and cell number 09293330933 , also requested and said “Please call us, send us your birth certificate through LBC…..” (Raise other eyebrow on cue here).

I am stupid to even be worried right? Because from the start you know it’s a big scam. I’m just worried that B might do something stupid and send or give out a lot of personal info that might put B in jeopardy. With technology now, I’m not surprised how a lot of records can be accessed with simply one document or detail you reveal about yourself.

So, to the question at hand, what do I do now?

_____________

* As of today, it is a confirmed scam. They started asking for money to be sent. Whew. Thank God the job o convincing B that it is a scam is done.

Anyone know a number or agency we can report these people to?

TICK TOCK TICK TOCK

My training here in Cebu IS is about to end and I am getting antsy. I am slowly counting the days (hours, minutes, seconds) till I am on that plane back home.

It's not that I'm homesick. It's the fact that I'm feeling the edge of a schoolyear and a summer's worth of work.

Let me explain. The pre-school I used to work in (now that feels weird just typing that) operates within the local schoolyear calendar - from June to March. The Cebu IS schoolyear is different as it starts (officially in August for students) in July for teachers, and ends in May. So coming from the end of the pre-school year and working straight into the end of the CIS schoolyear for training...I'm getting tired.

Teaching is a tiring job, physically, emotionally, mentally. You might not understand why kids (and teachers) need that 2 month break away from school, but there is a reasonable explanation for it. During the start of my teaching career, I even used to volunteer and do teaching jobs during the summer, making me work 12 straight months of teaching. But after those first three years of doing that, I ain't doin' it no more!

I find myself getting cranky, impatient, losing my humor easily and overall not plain effective as a teacher when I don't have those two months away from teaching. The two months are there to re-charge, rejuvenate, a time for me to recoup all that energy spent in being there for the kids. *SIGH* The more I get to go and explore places, discover new things, meet new people, the better I am in bringing "life" into the classroom. Experiences make you grow, learn, change and adapt which is what you want kids to learn in the safety of your room.

I am looking forward to the half marathon (either Milo in August or Adidas in September) and going to the beach at the end of the month.

(Thanks to sandra-fortheloveofcats.blogspot.com for the great jpg)

8 THINGS I MISS ABOUT MANILA

In no particular order...

1. THE VARIETY OF PLACES TO EAT IN.
Nothing beats Manila for the variety in cuisine, especially for someone like me who loves and enjoys food, the countless restaurants that open and are available any time of the day is something I look forward to. I miss eating in Isshin =(. I've been researching though on places to eat in Cebu and already my list is at 20.... will post a review soon on 2 recent ones I've tried.

2. PEOPLE BEING UP AT MIDNIGHT.
It seems like everything in Cebu slows down by 9pm. By 10pm, almost everyhing shuts down. Being a night owl myself, I'm restless. There are a few places you can go to but they are few and far in between. And currently being carless (as I'll be bringing my trusty transport in July), I wouldn't want to risk being on the headlines of Taliba or People's Tonight - "Babae, Tinapon sa Canal".

3. FASTER PACED LIFE.
The demeanor here is very laidback. From the way the cashiers slowly and congenially banter and chit chat with each other before processing your groceries for checkout, from the relaxed way the waiter saunters to get your order to and from the kitchen. People here are just more relaxed like dut....CHILL.

4. BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OTHERS SAY.
I don't understand or even know how to speak Cebuano. It's a foreign language to me. I know basic one word stuff that will get me to and from where I want to go, but anything that stretches into a sentence, all I hear is BLAH BLAH BLAH. I'm kinda getting the hang of it as there are some things which you can guess from context (eg. like the driver asking you where you want to go) but overall, I'm still lost.
Now I know how Bill Murray and and Scarlett Johansen felt in the movie "Lost In Translation".

5. THE CONVENIENCE OF KNOWING WHERE TO GO.
Learning how to drive at an early age has its perks, as I know roads in relation to the homes of people I know and places I frequent. For example, I'm familiar with the Paranaque area as I know how to get to B and C's house. I'm familiar with a portion of the QC area as college meant travelling to ADMU and of course, those long breaks in between classes left me bored and made me explore the places around it. I know the Mandaluyong area because E lives there and of course, went to work there too (Hi Explo love you!). I know the Greenhills area as C, V and other friends live there too. I know the Alabang area because sister used to live there.

6. RUNNING OUTDOORS.
I miss High Street. I miss Ultra. I miss going around Fort. I miss our long runs in Alabang. I miss our long runs in Corinthians. I miss knowing that I can run outside because I know where I am. Here it's simple...gym,gym gym... B-O-R-I-N-G!

7. THE COMFORTS OF HOME
Living away from home has its own pros and cons. Now I'm realizing the value of going home and having a meal at the table. Sometimes you're just too tired and want to just eat and sleep but since you have to do EVERYTHING yourself, that goes for feeding yourself too. I mean sure, you have your own time in your hands, nobody to answer to, you can spend as much (or as little) as you want, but at the end of the day, having your family around you whether it's been a good or bad day is comforting. Now I have to make do with emails, phone calls and texts. It's just not the same.

8. FRIENDS! FRIENDS! FRIENDS!
Having been in Manila all my life, you develop a lot of circles of friends. Friends from grade school or high school. Friends from college. Friends from work. Gimik friends. Running friends. You know who your real friends are when despite the distance, they still somehow make you feel they are just right there. (Yes thats you T2,and all my other multiply and gmail chat mates hehehehe)

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

HOME FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS

I’ve finally put my money where my mouth is. For the first time, I’m using my own money and renting a studio which I will be calling “home” for the next 12 months.

Let me change the word “studio” right there….in the truest sense it is one, since when you enter, it simply is just a room where the dining room, kitchen, living room and bedroom all meet hehehe. It’s not even a room….it’s a shoebox! My real room (in Manila) to those who’ve been there, is even bigger. Shoebox! Thus today, the Cebu studio will be named SHOEBOX.

The good thing about the Shoebox is that it’s brand new. Good thing my friend T and J texted me as soon as they got word from their landlord that there are studio units available for rent, which is just a block away from where they live! Happiness!!

The Shoebox is rectangular in shape, only 14 by 11 feet…and is in an L-shaped compound, with just 2 perpendicular rows of units, totaling around 4 per row. The place is in a pretty quiet neighborhood, and there’s just a makeshift wooden hand painted sign that says “to Tigbao road” which is where it’s at. It’s not inside a village but looks relatively safe and quiet. I’d expect to hear roosters in the morning as there’s a huge field behind the compound and houses are few and far between. Rumor has it that the Lhuilliers had plans for that quiet neighborhood, buying tracts of land and wanting to put up a mall in the area, but due to land squabbles within the family (daw), it didn’t push through. The result of that is that our road is paved, thank you, with real cement (not asphalt) though once you get to the main road…it’s like patchwork…part cement and part dirt. But don’t worry, there is hope for the neighborhood as there are quite a few swanky looking developments in the horizon.

Anyway, the best part is that its just 15 minutes away from school! I have the choice of either A. driving to school or B. walking around 2 blocks to get to the corner of the main road where the school bus passes…and to answer your question, the school bus isn’t a tamaraw/hi-ace/fiera converted into a schoolbus but an honest to goodness airconditioned tourist bus for free. How convenient right?

And if I need to go to the mall, like Ayala, or to Fitness First or to the nearest grocery (which is either Robinsons grocery in Banilad Town Center aka BTC mall or the grocery in Gaisano Country Mall), or maybe just buy RCBC chicken which tastes like Rex’s chicken, or simply just eat out in Pancit Malabon, Jollibee, Tapa King, Rai Rai Ken, Yellow Cab, Dimsum Break, La Marea, etc etc everything is just one jeep ride away. How’s that for convenience!?!?! And I do know how to ride the jeep now, and say “palihug” when passing my change to the barker or driver, and “lugar lang!” to make him stop. Anything else they say I don’t understand. It’s funny how hearing someone speaking tagalog is like music to my ears. Otherwise, I’m okay in my own little bubble.

So there. Home for the next 12 months. It might not be big, but it’s my home away from home. So guys, you’re welcome to stay in the shoebox when you’re in this side of the country okay? Provided that you don’t mind being squished.=).