My PhD Research

2/28/20 I just submitted the first draft of my proposal for PhD research. It is about the role of local experts in the urbanization of Cebu City. I think I made good in it so I will just wait for comments from my supervisor, si Dr Rivera. Jia you Doki, keep the faith! Due to the Covid crisis, and since senior citizen n mn pud si Dr Rivera, May na nako nadawat ang iya comments on my 1st draft. Then I worked on my new draft till June 27, 2020. Last week mga July 15, 2020, Dr Rivera contacted me and told me to finalize my draft for colloquium. Salamat tawn Lord. At least na'koy agi sa quarantine. Amen.

Choice

The character of Matnee in The Crown Princess is the chief's daughter and only child in a remote village in northern Thailand where Lieutenant Commander Dawin took Naree to hide out for safety. In the series she eventually chose to marry a guy that she said she had to marry and not someone she wants to marry. Coz she has a responsibility man daw to their village. Kasakit pud oi. But this is true about life. Sometimes we make choices that we have to, sacrificing our own happiness. Joyce told me once that in the past, ako mn daw giuna ang uban so it is time n daw pud to pursue my own happiness. Nalain bya ko ni Joyce when she dropped me when I visited KL in October 2017. But I think na-okay na mi after she told me of Nev's demise last end January 2020. Nakauli mn pud ko gikan sa KL due to Sunil's help. God bless us all Joycie!

Brokenness and Healing

There is a saying that goes, "You have to be broken in order to be shared". Of course I understood all of that. I became broken in Singapore coz duha lagi ako pildi didto in 2005-2006. But again, SG was the culmination of my so many mistakes in life. Jayeel called it a constellation of mistakes gud. Anyway, forward to the present. I am almost finished with my PhD studies at SU under CHED scholarship. My very good friend Marge gave me this advice: Take care of yourself more and love yourself more. So that pag dumating na siya, di sya ang bubuo sa yo bagkus magiging kasama mo sya sa lahat ng bagay dahil buo k n. Love it! Love you Marge! Hope to see u in PP again one of these days! :)

Musings

From my obsession with Nadech Kugimiya and Yaya Sperbund this time, I came into contact with the lyrics or message of a song they once sang together in an open-air concert. Theme song diay to from their series in 2012 called Thoranee Ni Nee Krai Krong: Don't chase people. Work hard and do your thing. The right people will come into your life at the right time and stay. So mao nay ako buhaton. Tutukan ug humanon ko ni ako PhD so that ig human phn, ireward ra ko ni Lord. I keep the faith! Amen.

NUS Transcript

On 20 February 2020 I requested for my transcript na from NUS. And on 26 February 2020 nadawat na naho ako NUS transcript. Fedex ra may gipadad-an so dali ra. Apil n pud tos bayad. Okay na Doki, isara n lng jud to nga chapter sa imong life. Amen!

Naniwang Na Diay Ko

After about 2 weeks starting on 2/13/20 when I let go of my noodles, canned goods, chicheria and all things salty and fatty and softdrinks, I can see the effects on my body bujag. Naniwang n jud diay ko. Thanks Lord. Nasigo n mn nako ako uniform pants though I moved the I to the edge previously. Cge lang, at least masara n mn jud kaysa before nga di jud. Then wheat bread ug wheat pandesal na ako snacks. Magkape lng ko panagsa and Tiger nga chocolate cookies to ako snacks. I have oatmeal too. I bought Magic Flakes Plain yday pero later n siguro to naho kan-on. I try to eat on time na pud. I will look for Rebisco whole wheat crackers pud this pm. Paiba lng gud kay medyo mahal ang Gardenia nga whole wheat sliced bread at P58.50 per half pack (P70 per whole pack) then P49 ang wheat pandesal pack. Jia you Doki, padayon lng sa imo efforts. God bless!

Former Student

He is my former student sa Development Economics sa USC, I think on my last sem there before I left in Nov 2007. Magcge ra na siya'g tan-aw sa ako FB then momessage ug motext. Balaknon raba kaju ang kagwang. Morag 5 yrs older than me siya. Baw lng nimo Dong oi. God bless us always!

Sg in June 2020 Pohon

Let me write down my initial itinerary for this trip pohon: June 15, 2020 -arrival in Sg late at night, taxi padung ila Sheryl June 16, 2020 to NUS first then Orchard cguro to meet Ate Sheila and Jonathan and browse the bookstores there, Lucky Plaza June 17, 2020 meet with Waray and Sakura for lunch? Adto ila Ivy sa Punggol June 18, 2020 I can spend this time sa museums, asa p? When mi kita ni Tanya? June 19, 2020 NUS n pud during the day? evening - flight back to Cebu Jia you Doki. God bless your trip phn!

Hanoi Opening

Today I requested for my official transcripts from NUS. Plan mn ta naho kuhaon ig adto naho in June phn pero when I checked on the internet, online man ang application. I paid for shipping it na lng via FEDEX so that madawat n nho phn. So when I visit SG suroy2 n lng jud ako huna2on and meet up with friends.. Incidentally Sandra Nijhof posted a vacancy for Trade Officer at the Netherlands Embassy in Hanoi. Mora n pud ko'g gikilatan, gusto n pud ko moapply didto. But then magneed ug excellent command of Vietnamese and English as well as good knowledge of Vietnam's economy as well as its laws, business customs and regulations. Di n lng jud ko tuga2 diay. Naa ra cguro moabot jud para naho at the right time. Humanon sa ni naho aho kontrata sa eskwela. Di pwede magpaag2 Doki. I wanna return to Indochina man gud, Lord. The urge is just that strong. Since last Feb 5, 2020 when Mary told me that she is in Bangkok as of the moment. Sila Phuong and Linh are in Hanoi, academics sila. I have not been in Hanoi, sa Saigon ra ko many times. Cge lang Doki. Utnga sa lng jud ni tanan. Amen.

Saki San

She's my co-participant from Japan at ISS in the year 2000. She was doing PADS while my other Japanese classmates were Ayumi and Shioko. Mataha tawn ko nija kay chic kaju bujag. I think she grew up in France kay she was a graduate of Louvain mn daw and had a French boyfriend. Anyway, when I was in Cambodia in 2008, she liked my pictures on Facebook. Didto nagsugod amo communication. When I was in Hawaii in July last year, I emailed her my thoughts. Lately lng nija nakuha. She lives in Singapore now with her family. She was divorced daw with her French boyfriend who visited ISS when we were there. She re-married a Malaysian guy of Indian descent. Ahh, interesting! Told her we definitely have a lot to talk about when I visit SG in June. Coz I had 2 Indian flatmates gud in SG before. One is Malayalee but now lives in Mumbai with her family while the other is from Bombay but now in Bangalore working for Unilever. They would always cook Indian food during Sundays. Effort kaju ilang nilutuan and they would tell me to eat yoghurt to combat the heat in their food. Anyway, see u then Saki san, excited!

No More Diet2

I went on a diet since January 3rd week 2020 kay nidaku n lagi ko. Sus, niabot sa point nga di n nako masabtan ako gibati. Sakit na kaju ako ulo ig mata naho ig k buntag. Naghuna2 p jud ko'g bisan unsa. Ang resulta daku kaju ko'g nagasto, to wit: 100 motor to UCMed, 1282 pa-emergency sa UCMed, 217 whole wheat bread (2 packs) ug pineapple juice, 128 taxi home from UCMed, 300 to and from North Gen, 3200 intra 2 bottles, 511 medicines, 900 blood pressure monitor, 111 whole wheat bread and tissue, 111 pineapple juice 5 cans, 150 isda ug uban pa. Total of P6,910 oi! Nituo n lng kos giingon sa ako hilot nga dili mn taas ako dugo, grabe lng jud ako panuhot. Oo kay tingtugnaw n mn nya kuwangan ra ahong habol. La p jud koy gibutang taming sa ako bintana. So today, 2/18/20 I went to work na. Mokaon n lng jud ko on time and tarong aron di n ko masakit p. I let go of my noodles and canned goods n pud every week plus softdrinks, buwad ug beef broth cubes. Ako mga kape 3 in 1 aho na lng pud gipada ni Nang Anel sa Bohol. Eat healthy and on time lng jud ko. Jia you Doki!

Full Circle

I thought full circle na ko kay ako n mn pud ang tigsuporta ni Ate Ica ron. Aho sija ingnan nga naay limit aho pagsuporta nija. Coz sobras 3 yrs na gud kay Sept 2016 mn sija niuli for good from Cambo nya wa n magtrabaho. Sakit n kuno ija likod. Huh? Nagbuhay pensionada nga way pension intawn! Aho n lng gilista tanan kwarta naho gihatag nija. Daku2 n pud nga amount. Gisugdan n kuno ug trabaho ang ilang tindahan so ig March phn magsugod n kuno sila paninda. Hay salamat, nakahuna2 n jud tawn sija'g tarong kung saun pagpangita ug kwarta. Padajon siguro japon ija online ticketing ug attend pud kuno sija real estate seminars. Ila mn pud gihuwat tong kabilin nila Teody nga matubos ug mabahin kuno aron magfarm sila didto. Si Ate Belen man daw ang nakaprenda ato so sija nay molukat phn. I do hope madayon Lord kay napa gud sijay eskwela. Nya tiguwang n tawn pud sija lagi. Di n sija ang OFW nga Jessica Batausa nga aho nailhan. The one who said 'moadto p baja ko'g Bangkok, Lord. Housewife n lng sija nga si Jessica Batausa Remulta didtos Lajog, Clarin, Bohol. Mosuroy n lng kuno sija phn kung na'nay budget . When aho n giyawyawan niingon nga nagmahay kuno sija nga wa magtinihik in the past ug poor planning pud kuno sija. Poor planning jud kay sari2 store gud to ija ingon nga ija himuon pag uli nija. IMG mn ija gikalingawan ug ilang baboy pud. Diri na sija mangajo naho after sija giaway ni Bantil kay I think gibayran sija'g P50K nya ang P30K gibutang nijas BDO Life nga nailit na. Then naningil n pud ug balik ni Bantil. May ma'g gipunit ra tong kwartaha lagi. I gave her P10K in Sept 2019 and P30K last October 2019 pud. Then April 2019 niingon n sija nga paulian n lng kuno ija St Peter. Didto naho giuli ang ijang laptop ug I gave her my extra pocket wifi modem pud. Aron makakita lagi sija'g online jobs. Baw nga ticketing mn ija gikuha. Moingon ra man ug 'bahala'g nihit kunos adlaw adlaw basta di kaju buktot kunos trabaho'. Pastilan Ginoo unsaon ni naho pagkumbinsir intawn? I made her realize that ija gipanglabay halos tanan nijang gipundar. I hope I truly made her think hard about their situation, Lord. Kay puros gud sila way trabaho sa ijang bana. Any amount nga aho ihatag nija from now on nakalista na aron ideduct sa ijang share sa Palm Heights. Syaro ug di ko kabayad nija phn! In the past, ako maoy nagpasuporta jud ug maayo ni Baloy. This was my Palm Heights episode in 2003 which eventually led me to my Singapore episode in 2005. After ko giyawyawan jud ug maayo ni Baloy when I went home from Singapore in June 2006, I resolved not to ask any more money from him. Ginagmay gagmay n lng gud ang aho pangajuon nija; unlike when I was in SG nga thousands jud. Luckily nakabayad n mn kos ako NUS balance so I am looking for the next steps n lagi. I keep the faith! Nisuporta ra pud si Baloy naho all this time. Sija may nisuggest pud nga ilista jud ng mga gihatag naho ni Jessica kay di pwede sige pangajo. Ija ra n hinay2an ug kuha ija share sa house sa Palm Heights. Mao jud. God bless our plans always!

Likit Ruk

Last week I bingewatched on this soap opera from Thailand. The Crown Princess starring Nadech Kugimiya (Thai-Austrian but adopted by a Thai-Japanese couple) and Urassaya Sperbund (Thai-Norwegian). "Nothing can stop God's plan for your life" ang iyang tagline. Basically a story about destiny among royalty siya. Mga with foreign blood ang lead actors, and much loved by Thai audience daw pud. Heheh. Kamao diay mokanta ug mosayaw si Nadech. He can play musical instruments too. Artistahon jud siya. While si Yaya can sing but not that well. Madala n lng ug pacute. Hahah. They have been working together since 2012 man diay. Mao Yaya says that they have known each other for about 8 years now. Grabe buyag. Sila n mn gani siguro magkadayon! Thailand is amazing and it is beautiful. I last went there in Sept 2008 with my sister. Init kaju ilang curry buyag. Fried rice ra jud tawn amo nakaon didto. I am planning of visiting this October phn kay tua mn daw sa Bangkok si Mary while waiting for the results sa bar exams. This April ta to, na'na mn koy ticket to Legazpi. Na'pud coronavirus scare pa. Mary and I plan to go to Siem Reap phn. June 2010 pa lagi ko last nakaadto and sa border with Cambodia ra daw nakaadto si Mary. Wala na diay ang ilang Manila to Siem Reap nga byahe sa Cebu Pacific so napugos ko ug sulod via Bangkok phn. Nihinay daw ang SR when niopen ang PP-MNL route sa PAL. God bless us all!

Taize Forward

I went to Taize, a village near Cluny, France in June 2001. Our chaplain, Fr Ben Engelbertink graciously drove us down there. There were eight of us students from ISS: Reginald from Kenya, Arul from India, Salvador and I from Philippines, Achara from Thailand, Gillian from Trinidad and Tobago, Rose Gawaya from Kenya, and Juliet Najumba from Uganda. We were really an international group, which made one of the volunteers there, Alex from Germany really curious.

We stayed there for practically a week. We arrived on Monday afternoon after a very long drive from the Netherlands. (We started out at 6am from The Hague and only arrived there at 1600h). We left on Saturday. The takeaway from that trip is The Source St Etienne. Ang ganda ng lake doon! It was in Taize also where we met a Swedish Filipina woman. She said 3 layers daw iya stocking when she walks her dogs out during winter. Then the American who said 'these people expect us to pray on an empty stomach?' I love those evening meditation sessions. Even in Singapore I joined Taize sessions gud. Hay, I miss my trips in Europe jud. Jia you Doki!

Acid Reflux & Backpains

Lately lng jud naho natugkad nga I have acid reflux man diay from many times in the past nga di ko mokaon on time. Coz I remember in Holland nga mga 3pm n ko maglunch. Nya if I am in CDU, saging mantikaan jud na ako snack kada hapon. Karon nga tiguwang n ko, nigawas na ang resulta atong ahong gipangbuhat in the past. Nitunga n pud ang ahong sakit sa likod from an injury when I was very young sa Cawayanan. I landed on my butt then. Then I can recall the other times I fell -- sa stairs sa Holy Cross Academy, sa among old boarding house sa RR Landon and then sa Cambo, in my classroom sa Western De Castle. Lapad mn gud ako tiil so dali ra ko mausdak. But thankfully wala ra mn daw koy spine injury. Mawala ra mn siya ug masahe. Jia you Doki! Gastro-esophagial reflux disorder (GERD), mentioned in "The Crown Princess" matrigger siya sa stress and not eating on time. So mao n Doki, kaon jud on time ug dili magpastress. Amen.