Decisions, decisions...

Last Saturday Advance World Systems (AWS), a Japanese IT company with branches here in the Philippines came to Silliman to conduct a company presentation and job recruitment. All graduating IT students were required to attend the activity, so off we went. We took an IQ exam, wherein 11 of us passed (out of the 20+ who participated). They then interviewed us, and told us afterwards that if we passed that interview, we would be called up for another interview in Cebu.

Oh my. I hope I don't pass that interview. Why? Because I don't want to work in Cebu, or Japan for that matter.

One of the interviewers during the interview asked me if I'd like to stay in Japan again. I told them that I definitely want to visit the place again for a vacation, but gave them a somewhat vague answer when they asked if I wanted to live there again for another year or two.

A few months ago, I was willing to work in Cebu. But now, I've got my mind set on applying for a job at a call center company with a site here in Dumaguete. And when I say set, I mean set--I don't even want to apply to other companies not based in Dumaguete anymore. I got accepted in one company for a contact support position in Manila, but I turned it down, not only because the salary was too small, but because I don't want to work in Manila. Sometimes, I feel apprehensive though. What if I don't get accepted to this company I really want to work in? What if staying here won't be good for me, after all?

I don't wanna leave this place because I feel that there is no point in living in Cebu or Manila, or any other place in the Philippines, for that matter. I mean, what for? I don't have homes there, and I certainly won't be able to live comfortably there. Maybe I'll just be wasting the money I'll be spending on board, lodging, and transportation. I want to migrate, and that's what I wanna prepare for. And I know I can prepare for it better if I stay here. I want to live abroad, but if you say Philippines, there's no other place for me except Dumaguete.

So, theoretically, let's say I got accepted into AWS. Or let's just say I got accepted into a good and reputable company that wanted to assign me to Cebu, Manila, or Japan. Should I consider accepting the offer? Or should I go for what I really want?

What would you do?

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I'm back!

Wow, it's been such a long time since I last blogged. What have I been up to? Well, nothing much, except finishing our graduation project. Less than two months more, and I'll finally be marching to the Pomp and Circumstance... at least, I hope!

Anyways, I hope everybody's holidays were a blast! Mine was ok... and I'm looking forward to another "holiday", 'coz my classmates and I will be going to Manila next week for our field trip!

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Wheee

Happy birthday to me!

Well, actually, my birthday was yesterday, but I celebrated it tonight because it's Friday. Had a get-together here at home with my friends and classmates.

Oh, 23. It's such an "ordinary" age, isn't it? But I'm feeling old. Hmmm. Yeah, it's definitely kicking in...

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PhilNITS and more

I was in Cebu over the weekend. I was there with some schoolmates and our teacher to take the PhilNITS certification examination on the Fundamentals of IT last Sunday. The PhilNITS exam isn't a licensure exam. It's just a certification, known before as the JITSE, or the Japan IT Standards Examination. It's basically a Japanese examination, that's administered to IT people in foreign countries, or maybe in Japan as well. Anyway, we weren't prepared for that exam at all, as we were not planning to take it. However, the guys at PhilNITS gave Silliman 15 free slots, so that we didn't have to pay the Php1,500 fee. Of course we grabbed this opportunity, and the opportunity to go to Cebu once again. (We had also gone to Cebu just a month ago for the Java in Cebu Seminar.)

The exam was not as difficult as expected. We actually thought that we wouldn't be able to answer a single question. But the theoretical exam during the morning session was not so bad. If we had only reviewed properly, I believe it would have been a sure thing. The programming exam for the afternoon was the difficult one. Anyway, whatever the outcome of that exam will be, I'll just have to charge it to experience.

It was the perfect time to be in Cebu, though. SM had a 3-day sale over the weekend! Almost all shops were shops were giving up to 70% discount! I was able to get myself a Girbaud bag, and lipstick that I can't find here in Dumaguete. That's not a lot, but I guess I'm starting to become practical. I can hardly wait for the time when I'll be spending my own money. And speaking of my own money, working in Cebu is starting to appeal to me more and more these days...

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Sad News

The dean of our college died tonight.

Engr. Alfredo Ang was a very active man. He'd be at the Computer Center almost every day (even during Saturdays)... walking around, supervising, making jokes with people. Last month, he suddenly had a heart attack. He was airlifted to Cebu and a bypass surgery had to be done. But it never really did save him. Complications arose, until finally, his suffering ended tonight at the Silliman University Medical Center.

It's so hard to imagine the Computer Center without Sir Ang. Even before we became a college, he was already leading us, fighting for us, finding ways to give us the best computer equipment. Nobody can ever replace him. We will surely miss him.

May he rest in peace.

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All Things Japanese

Okay.

Before that job recruitment last Saturday, I didn't want to work for EPSON. After all, I don't (or didn't) want to be a programmer. But after they presented their compensation package, well... I drooled! I don't exactly know how much their entrance pay is (they only told us it was above average),but their benefits are great! Plus, they have added incentives for people who can speak Japanese because EPSON is a Japanese company and they send people to Japan all the time. Isn't that just great for me? Also, their office is located in a swanky area in Cebu. Cebu! Not Manila! Perfect, huh? But... I still don't know what will happen to my application. I don't even know when I'll get the results.

I was pleasantly surprised with their exam, however. It was in 3 parts: a psychological exam, Numerical Reasoning, and Abstract Reasoning. For the first time in my life, I found the Numerical Reasoning section the easiest. That was a real surprise, considering how lazy I am with Math. The first part was not very good because there was a time limit, but the third part was, in my opinion, the most difficult. The crazy thing is, in all exams I've taken in the past, my highest scores are in English and Abstract Reasoning, even if I always find the latter part difficult. So, really, I have no idea how that exam turns out. Apparently, they'll just contact the people who qualify for the interview. Ohhh, I'll have to cross my fingers real tight. Just imagine how great it would be if you had a job waiting for you even before graduation!

Anyhow, Uchida Sensei and some Japanese girls from Ferris are in the Philippines right now. They came to my house last night, and we had lechon because Sensei really loves it. They also cooked Japanese food, which was really nice. They brought me Japanese foods that I missed, too! So I am ureshii.

Aya, one of the girls who was here as an exchange student last year, was with the group, and she gave me a copy of her pictures of Ferris. I wanted to share them with you...

So here are the pictures of my school when I was an exchange student in Japan--Ferris University, in Yokohama:

The main entrance.

One of the classrooms.

The swanky computer room.

My favorite rest room.
It's big, and the lights automatically turn off if there's no one in the room. Each stall also has a noise-emitting device so your neighbors won't hear whatever sounds you're making.
No kidding!

The multimedia section of the library.

And they even have a fitness gym now. Crazy, huh?

Anyway, if you know a Japanese, ask him/her about Ferris. He/She probably knows about it. It's seriously the most sophisticated "all-girls" university in the country. That's how lucky I am to have been given the opportunity to be there.

lechon - roasted whole, young pig
ureshii - Japanese term for happy

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The Last Leg

I've been pretty busy recently, but we finally finished presenting 75% of our design for our OJT. It's a step in the right direction, but of course, it's still a long way to go. Things are really sinking in right now, though. I've finally realized that I'm almost down to my last semester in college. I'm looking forward to so many things, but at the same time, I'm feeling downright scared of the changes that are coming my way.

I'm afraid, because I guess I don't really know what to do. I'm afraid of leaving things and people behind, but I guess I'm more afraid of staying, because in staying I'm more prone to disappointment. I hate how this issue has been the only thing in my blog entries for the last few months, but I guess the reason is because it's one of the biggest things bothering me right now.

Oh, choices. Some are so hard to make. And the crazy thing is, sometimes the hardest ones are what's good for you. But I guess I just need to have faith--that God knows what's best and will guide me in the right direction as long as I hold on to him.

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Stings

Sometimes I think being a Scorpio is such a curse. True, we rule the house of sex, and while I dare say that our partners can be quite lucky because we're always lusty and passionate, we have so many bad sides as well.

I'm a Scorpio, and I can be really, uh, prickly. I have to know what's going on, I have to know how a person feels about me, etc, etc. I have a one-track mind. If I set my mind on something, or someone... then there's no turning back. I give my all, and though I know it's insane, utterly wrong, and impossible, I expect all as well. And then there's the loyalty. Ugh, I'm loyal to a fault. I just don't seem to get it that there are other people out there. No, I have to be with this one person I want to be with, even if that person is starting to get suffocated. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Now, maybe it's just me... or maybe these apply to all Scorpios, I'm not really sure. But if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that I still need to learn how to toughen up. I'm so sensitive--sensitive of how others make me feel, and sensitive to how others feel. But right now, truth be told, I just want to be numb. I wish I didn't care about people, because in caring, you always risk hurting yourself. I guess I just don't have enough bad experiences in life that's why I'm too trusting, too open, too soft. To be tough, I still need to go through so many hardships and pains. The crazy thing is, I don't know which is worse: being tough 'coz you've been through a lot, or being sensitive 'coz you've never really been hurt.

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Portal in Siquijor

Last Saturday, the staff of Portal 2007, the Sillimanian Yearbook which I am the Features Editor of, had an outing to Salagdo-ong, in Maria, Siquijor. I've never been to Siquijor before, so I took advantage of the opportunity to go there.

What do I think of Siquijor? Frankly, I didn't know what to expect before going there. I guess I'm that type of person--I don't prejudge. When we got there, I was pleasantly surprised. Siquijor is still unspoiled. Imagine, there are white sand beaches with clear waters right by their port! It was totally the opposite of those in cities like Manila, Cebu, or even Dumaguete! Houses in the entire province are still far apart, and the cities/towns are fairly quiet. But for me, the best thing about the island is that everywhere you look, there's great scenery! In short, I loved Siquijor. I certainly hope I'll be able to go back there again.

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Good and Bad

Ah, finally! After endless posts about bad days and unfortunate happenings, I can finally write some good news!

Mabuhay! Yahoo! ASIA Philippines Edition is now on the world wide web! It's not yet Yahoo! Philippines, but it is a start! :D

Flattered. Enrollment is over, and thankfully, contrary to what I expected, I didn't have a hard time. In fact, I had a really easy time! And, I believe I owe that to the fact that I went to Japan. Ever since, I went there, teachers and staff in my college have gotten to know me (or at least heard of me), and have been really helpful. Since we're still a baby college (i.e. new - 2001), I guess they're happy that someone from our group got that scholarship. They practically did everything for me, like figuring out which classes I should take, encoding and finalizing my schedule, squeezing me into one major class where I am an extra student without a designated pc, and called the Physics department to add me as the 36th student to an already closed 35-student class. *bows* Arigatou gozaimasu! I am indeed very grateful. And even though one might say that I don't love Silliman as much as I should, I love my college (College of Information Technology and Computer Sciences [CITCS]) very much indeed! It totally rocks!

Success. The Centennial Foundation Anniversary of St. Paul University Dumaguete was a truly meaningful one. Graced by prominent personalities such as the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres's (SPC) Mother Superior from Rome, and Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself, it was truly a momentous celebration. The highlight was yesterday's parade, which my high school batch joined, that started at the school and ended at Rizal Boulevard where there was a re-enactment of the arrival of the 7 original French SPC sisters who came from their mission in Vietnam to build a school in Dumaguete. Restaurant booths where tables and chairs were set up were teeming with alumni, and the highlight was the fireworks display which was done from a boat in the water. It a great sight. Since it is October, San Miguel Beer is having it's Oktoberfest, and last night they had a live band which old and young Paulinians alike danced to. Since today is the final day of the celebration, there was another fireworks display at the campus just a few minutes ago. We saw it from our house and it was great. :)

Something sad happened too, though. Mark sent me a text very early this morning and told me that one of his parents' two dogs, a cute Bichon Frise named Penny died because she got ran over. I could just remember all the stories he's told me about her and couldn't help but cry. The poor lil' thing. :'(

Mabuhay - a Filipino greeting used in welcoming; literally means "long live"
Arigatou Gozaimasu - "Thank you" in Japanese

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