When Two Hearts Become One: May 2006

today was my first day of work at my new company. fortunately or UNfortunately, i'm on a 5-day induction program for new hires. the fortunate thing about it is that i have a 5-day transition before being exposed to the day-to-day work i'll be doing again for eternity. the UNfortunate news was, LESSON NO. 1: If they pay you a lot expect to get what its worth. why so? because, for my first day of work, we (me and fellow new hires) get to sit from 8am till 6:30 pm! Like what!!!! Its a real brain drain, by the time it got to the last topic I was chatting with the new hire beside me. You just can't cram it anymore in you brain if you have to listen that long.
not so much complaining of course. I have come to accept that I might probably really be overworked in this next chapter of my life. no, actually i shouldn't say overworked. I should say: STRESSED. I know for sure that the amount they will be paying me at this job will be well worth for them in terms of what they pay me. add to that, my friend/colleague who got there first tells me the past few months of his stay there has been short of hell, because of the pressure and the workload.
being in my work for quite some time tackling different areas and working with different companies, I would say I've learned quite a lot already with regards to company culture. For one, I know that multinationals who pay higher demands more from their employees, like what happened in my previous work. and being with the company I've been to for the past almost 3 years, I've learned to be relaxed with what I do. There've been very few hectic periods for me, and very little reasons to stay longer than the standard working hours. Not to brag of course, but I know that I do my job well. I manage my tasks well and I know the ins and outs of what I do.
then comes a new environment with new people to work with new challenges to overcome. I feel excited, but at the same time, I feel some anxiety over expectations. I want to build my career in this company, I know I should bear this in mind. because I will conquer this.
of course, first I have to get through 4 more days of being a sitting duck in a room.

just came from a weekend getaway that's really one of a kind. my friends from San Miguel, the first group I was in actually, went to an island vacation in Abra de Ilog, Mindoro Occidental. It was a great adventure, mainly because it wasn't the typical beach outing with lots of people and expensive cottages. This was a secluded resort with no electricity and with a beach just 10meters away from the house. Just so I could document if myself, here goes our two-day adventure narrative:

Day 1: Saturday, April 29

-Met up with the group exactly 2am in Tritran, Kamuning. Funny, because several of our friends arrived there and already got us seats while me, Tabs and Cathy were still on the taxi to the bus station. So we were kinda scared that the bus will leave. We got there in time and the whole group was there before the bus left. Only, right in the middle of edsa, and specifically in BONI Ave, the driver picked up 2 passengers, which apparently had made arrangements to be picked up there. Imagine the odds! We could have just taken a tricycle to Boni Ave and saved ourselves a 100 bucks plus travel time had we known that was possible. After the bus left, got a text msg from the resort owner, Johnny, that the boat is at 4am instead of the initial 6am plan. After that it'll probably be by 12noon. Whaaat?!!!! Its a good thing we traveled early lest we miss half a day of our vacation.
-We arrived in Batangas Pier exactly at 4am, just a 1.5-hour ride from Manila. Whew. Talk about good luck. Well, ran out for me. I was in charge of bringing the knife we'd be using in the resort since we weren't sure what stuff we could borrow and couldn't, only to find out there's a newly installed xray machine just like the ones in airport terminals. I wasn't scared of the kitchen knife though, was scared that I'd have to give up my 12-year old swiss knife. Good thing the guard just asked me to surrender what was in my bag and didn't search it himself.
-The boat left the pier at 5am, a rather uneventful, although quite a new experience. The boat was a RORO. and even though it seemed that the boat wasn't moving, it actually was quite fast. We got to Abra de Ilog around 7:30. There were 2 tricycles waiting for us there, which took us to the resort. Take note though, the tricycle ride costs 60pesos. so just imagine how far the place is! We got to the resort around 8am. Time for a swim!

After the short stint at the beach, had a little nap while waiting for lunch. We ate around 1pm. Lunch was rice, chicken and pork adobo, atsara, and a rather large native fish called tapas, which was really delicious. Meaty, if I may say so. Yumm! After lunch, time to swim again! We walked to the first waterfalls in the area. Not too small, but the water was so cool and clear and refreshing. Sarap mag-swim!
Heres a pic of us at the falls.

The little mermaid, and a little to her right, Prince Charming!

After swimming we went back for a little siesta time. At around 4:30 we got out again to walk the nearby beach. Twas a long stretch of a beach, and when we reached the big rocks our guide was asking us if we wanted to see the bigger waterfalls. Just when we started to climb up, I realized it was a cliff, with a really thin piece of dirt to step on, and was scared for life. waaaah!!!!! There was no one at my back (they were too slow. huh.) to pull me back, and hanging on to dear life, i move ahead. this is one experience I would never forget. I've never been the outdoor type, and falling down a cliff at age 27 wasn't my ideal way to die. I've always thought the most gruesome way I'd most probably meet my death is if I'd be hit by a bus or a car crossing the street. (knock, knock). Anyway, we got through that and after another long, long walk, the three of us (the guide, our friend Karen, and me -- the others fell back after i shouted that its too dangerous!) reached the bigger waterfalls, and we were awed by the beauty and serenity of the place. It was really nature at its best. We had to head back though, since it was getting quite dark and we left the others by the beach.

After getting back at the resort, dinner was prepared and we had a meal of inihaw na liempo and bangus plus pakwan for dinner. Yummy again! We had a bonfire after with marshmallows as treat. hehehe.... slept soon after because we were all tired. :-)

Sunday, April 30 -

We woke up bright and early to a breakfast of coffee, rice, hotdogs and tinapa. Sarap!

We decided to while away some time while waiting for the boat ride at 11am since we were scheduled to go to White Beach in puerto galera. Meet some people, if I may say. Only we were aware that the waves that day were not quite calm. We played some cards while waiting. Ate some indian mangoes and prawn crackers. :-)

By 10am there were absolutely no signs of the waves calming down. We decided to go back to the small falls for a swim again. Did i tell you there were small fishes there? we amuse ourselves by feeding them pringles and then trying to catch them. somehow they still manage to figure us out. :-) When we got back the wave were still as un-calm as before so we decided to forego totally the outing. the trip would take an hour and absolutely unsettling to travel in that condition of the sea. We instead decided to just go to the other falls (the one I went to the other day) via the road and not through the beach.

Hi-ho! Hi-ho!

Finally! After many scary ledges and cliffs or a rather dangerous nature, here's the view!

Breathtaking, huh! Its more beautiful when you're really there. Two of the group's brave souls swam in, but we mortals had to sit back and rest since we didn't know how to swim and the bottom was so uneven we were sure we'd drown. We just wished we had a rubber tire or an inflatable so we'd be able to swim around. huhuhu...

We took the beach route on the way back, minus the dangerous cliff. Here's a view of the nice rocks by the beach. If its only possible to take some rocks home!