Business with Pleasure Trip

Tomorrow we're flying to Hungary for a much needed R&R (rest and recreation). It's going to be an addition to the long list of countries we already visited. Hungary is part of European Union but their monetary currency is not euro but Forint. Dirk was able to change 300 euro which is equivalent to 63,900 forint (as if we're rich because of the 5 digit amount). After Hungary, we're proceeding to Vienna, Austria which is the work part of our trip. Dirk was invited by the magazine company REGAL as a resource speaker for 80 participants from the government, industrial, press and trade sector. He's going to discuss the concepts and business strategies on how to sell meat products better in Austria and Hungary.

Summer Feeling

For the past three days, we have a nice weather almost 20 degrees centigrade. Dirk had a wonderful time playing golf with his buddies. Some people are already tending to their gardens. Other wear summer clothes, drive their top down cars and ride on their bicycles. We also enjoyed window shopping in the city and eating ice cream. These are all temporary since the weather is very unpredictable and besides its 5 months to go before the real summer.

My new computer

My old computer always hangs and is very slow. That's why dirk bought a new microcomputer for me. This mini computer occupy physically small amount of space when compared to other computers. It had a dimension of 20x20x5 cm or just as big as the DVD disk and weighs app. 1 kilo. It has 80 GB hardisk, DVD writer, dual core 1.9 MGHZ processor , 5 USB port & digital monitor and TV port. It was a good deal in ebay for 500 €

Man's other "best/beast friends"

Today, cellphones of imaginable designs, sizes, capability feautures, served as a tool for bonding with family and friends, fashion statement and one's prized possession, thus making these small wonder, a part of our everyday life. It drives and enhanced our lives in terms of information and learning. It is also a source of our mood swings, entrusting much of our life, work, hopes, and memories. Hand held phones can also build, change, save or ruined lives. Here in Germany, you're not allowed to use your cellphone while driving unless if you have a free speaking unit that will connect the handy with the help of bluetooth. Probably its also not allowed on most hospitals and gasoline stations.

My handbag is very heavy because of my four cellphones. My small samsung unit had a smart roaming sim which i used to send sms and received text messages which cost my family and friends just one peso, my siemens handy had Globe roaming prepaid family/OFW sim card, my motorola razr had D1 prepaid and my new samsung D900i which is under contract had D2 sim card. Each cellphone has its own functions and how i wish i could have Iphone too. Looking back, people were able to survive without these modern things but we need to adapt to the fast changing lifestyles. Maybe in the future there could be one cellphone that can accommodate four sim cards.

Cover Girl

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Today i have a fantasy, daydreaming, call it whatsoever, of being a cover girl of Time Magazine. With modern technologies, you don't need to be rich and famous to be on the front page. We, ordinary people can also have our share of the limelight, thanks to magmypic.com. The weather is not nice so i just stayed at home and do the usual data entry for DS. I'm supposed to wash and iron our clothes but i was glued to my computer. Anyway, i don't have to report for work so i can still do it tomorrow.

Weekend birthday bash

Katja Michelle or Kati, the daughter of my friend Joy celebrated her birthday last saturday. It was attended by family members, few friends and kati's cousins/playmates. As requested by her german relatives, she did served pansit and lumpia. She also prepared tomato mozarella salad, cooked beef sinigang and baked puten with cheese sauce and french fries. The kids had a wonderful time playing and enjoying the parlor game prepared by the celebrants mother.

Hotel Machines

The machines in the hotel makes our work easier and faster. The washing machines, dryer and the mangel for ironing are our everyday companion. These machines served two hotels and you can just imagine the amount of towels, tableclothes, curtains, and others, we washed and ironed everyday. Just like humans, these machines also get tired and needs some rest. These machines needs TLC- tender loving care from its user, to be able to survive for a long time.

Church Song-Ahay Tuburan

Yesterday, joy and me drive to Lautenbach because the piano teacher wants us to interpret a Philippine's church song. They could have sing spanish, swedish or other songs from other countries but we're proud that they choose instead our song . We received a very warm welcome from the all-female choir members. To our surprise, the song is " Ahay Tuburan" which is a combination of bisaya, waray and some spanish words. Being a manila girl, i really dont understand the song but joy, an ilongga, was able to explain some of the lyrics of the song and the right pronounciation. The piano teacher had a very nice angelic voice and they were able to give justice to the song. I liked very much the melody of Ahay Tuburan which means mountain stream.

Thoughts on Love

Today i woke up with a surprise valentine gift from Dirk, a small red book with compilation of love poems. Of course i liked it very much his gesture of remembering me on this day of the hearts. A gift no matter how big or small should be appreciated, what is important is the thoughts and it is heartily given. On my part, i gave him a small figure with a heart and a coffee mug. For me, love is a powerful force that can really change lives. It is the greatest gift from God.

Happy Valentine's Day to All!!!!

Cool Mom At Work

I did work today because the hotel is fully booked. We do the usual cleaning, changing bed covers, washing the towels and ironing the table clothes. Its an exact opposite of what i'm doing for a living back home. I used to be an assistant professor in a small college teaching accounting 1-4, finance, management/marketing, business mathematics, statistics and other business related subjects. But i enjoy my hotel job and besides the pay is higher compare to the income i generate in our homeland. I find it a decent job and it helps me a lot putting food on our table and sending my children to schools.

On a lighter side, i'm also doing the data entry for the travelling salesforce database for dirk's DS- Consulting company. I'm encoding more than 60 thousand individual visit a year to german foodstores of those salesmen using the DS-Profit program. The salesforce of 50 people belong to a large food supplier.

My jobs eventhough not full-time work are a combination of physical and mental effort which are somehow tiring but fulfilling. At the end of each day, we have to sometimes reward ourselves by eating a sumptuous lunch or dinner at Chinese or other restaurant of our choice.

Philippine Foods in Thai Shop

Asia Shops, Thai Shop or whatever stores that sells Philippine products are always a part of our life here in Germany. In Offenburg, the Thai Store not only offers Thai stuff but our very own foods like tilapia, bangus, ligo sardines, noodles, bagoong, dried fish, preserved fruits etc. as well as soya sauce, patis, vinegar and many more.

In every Filipino gatherings and celebrations, there are varieties of pot luck dishes like pansit, adobo, mechado, afritada, dinuguan and dessert like buko salad, puto, kuchinta, leche plan, palitaw that are served on the long table. Just writing this, i'm getting hungry and miss Goldilocks back home. I would say that most filipinas are a good cook. The daughter of my friend is going to celebrate her birthday on saturday and their german guests requested lumpia and pansit. Somehow, eating filipino dishes with friends is one way of relieving homesickness.

A Wet Night

Life is not always a bed of roses, sometimes its also a bed full of water.My schatz Dirk woke up one night very wet. It's not a good feeling that in the middle of the night you got wet while you're sleeping and dreaming. It happened several times and he just do something to stop the leaking in our waterbed. The bed is already more than 10 years old and its understandable that at this time it already needs a replacement. But the new waterbed costs between 3 to 6 thousand euros and we don't have that money. Instead, we tried to repair the bed. Dirk bought the parts, assembled it together and also installed a new heating system. Now looking at the picture, as if we have a brand new waterbed which only costs more than 400 euro, practical isn't it?

Fastfoods

Today i catch a bad colds and a fever. Blame it on the weather that always changed. I already took a medicine and hopefully it will works. Eventhough, i'm a little bit sick, that didn't stops me and joy together with her daughter Kathy to eat at McDonalds. I'm really not a fastfood freak and its fine to dine there once or thrice a year. Kathy enjoyed her happy meal very much but i think she loves more the toys that comes with it. Even in the Philippines, its fascinated how full the Jollibee and McDonalds always especially on the weekend. The food price are affordable and besides its a bonding time for filipino families.

Modern Toilet Gadget

Recently, Dirk bought an electric toilet with matching remote control. Its installed in his own bathroom for i have my own toilet. I've seen one of these in Hotel Nikko, a five-star hotel in Tokyo, Japan where we did stayed enroute to Australia. The only difference is that ours is remotely operated while in Japan all the buttons and switches are installed in the toilet bowl itself. Dirk knows that i am against the idea of buying this electric toilet because of its price. He said that we can save on toilet paper but i argued that water consumption is going to be high. So far i havent try using it the same with his sauna and whirlpool in the house. Knowing Dirk, he sometimes wanted modern toys for the big boy.

Karneval Monday

Rosenmontag or karneval monday is one of the most awaited day for the kids here in Germany. Some children started to wear their costumes as early as 6 o'clock and after breakfast, they started their rounds of house-to-house to collect some goodies and euros from the neighbors. Of course, we did planned this day and we bought chocolates and candies for the kids who's going to knock at our door. They first sing a song and then we handed them the goodies and they will just choose what they want. In big cities like Köln, Duesseldorf, Munich, Berlin, etc. there's a big costume parade participated by thousands of people young and old alike. There's more action and activities there than in dorf or small cities.

A Tribute

Today, i wanted to pay tribute to the two most important and wonderful women in my life. What a coincidence that my biological mother who is now in heaven and Mutti, my second mother shared the same birthday today together with my only brother.

Unlike before that Mutti had a grand party at home in time for the karneval in köln, she decided to have just a quiet lunch cum kaffee trinken with her close friends and Tante Krista. Mutti, who is now 78 years old is a perfect mother just like my own mom. She supported us in everything we do and provide some of our needs whether, emotional and financial. Truly, a mothers love conquers all. She even helped me build a house for my children and she's always there to lend a helping hand if we have a family problem. At her age, she still plays golf and do a round of swimming everyday. She's into a dance group, attending culture forum and always on organized vacation and luxury cruising ships. Mutti, thanks a lot for everything, without you, we're lost.

Moving on

Yesterday, we visited Lani at her house in Olsbach. She just returned from her 7 weeks vacation in the Philippines. Last October, Klaus, her husband, died of lung cancer. I can still remember how her world collapsed on the day her husband of ten years died. Death is a part of life and its like a thief in the night. Nobody is spared in this direction regardless of age, gender, race and state of health. We are only humans who suffered the burden and pain of losing a loved one. Life is full of uncertainties and there's no guarantee for everything.Back to Lani, i can feel that the pain in her heart is not as raw and heavy as before. She can now smile and even exchanged jokes at us. She had no choice, she had to move on and accept the realities of life.

With 7-hour difference, its already February 4 in the Philippines. Today marked the birth anniversary of my beloved mother. She died two years ago and it took me some time to move on from healing to renewal. Losing a mother is an ultimate tragedy that can ever happen to all of us. I've got to realize that our life on earth is just temporary and that eternal life is in heaven. I will just cherished the good memories we shared together. Nay, wherever you are, we love you very much and you will always be in our hearts forever.