it's been a while ...

i've been browsing the Baguio City website for several days now and i can't help but to reminisce the past. i'm missing the old people in my life. my friends, old bosses, acquaintances, the place, the climate and my alma mater. these things have been a big part of what i am now so i won't ever forget them.

i am planning to visit friends next month (by the end of November i hope). actually, im excited and really wants to unwind and feel how's it is like to visit the place after almost 4 years of pretending to be busy with work hahaha. friends are also excited about one thing. we are having a REUNION!!! it is just in time. Tita Alma is very much willing to come all the way from Manila just to be with the group. same here - i am very much willing to spend time with friends and old workmates too.

it's been almost 7 years since i graduated from college. most of the group stayed in Baguio and got their own careers there. since i am a native of Pampanga, i decided to find my fate here. we seldom see each other due to our busy schedule and also lack of opportunity to meet. a get together is only possible whenever someone from the province visits Baguio. this happens once in a lifetime so everyone gets excited.

life in baguio is very simple. when i was still a student, i am only being given P300-500php/week for my living allowance. i buy everything from there. toiletries, food, school projects and even "pang gimik". but my parents never heard a complaint from me since everything was cheap there. at that time, we can ask for free veggies from the neighbor and live with that small amount of allowance and still be happy. this was one of the things that i love. here in Pampanga, everything is expensive. nothing is free and only few things are cheap. if you want a bigger salary, go for a call center career. but still, there are times that it is not enough. prizes, gasoline and fare always go up.

now, im wondering if Baguio is still the "simple" place that i used to know. since time changes and $ is fluctuating, will it still be the same? what are the changes that i should expect? these things need to be discovered soon. i just hope that i won't get disappointed.

5th daY

whheeeww!!! this is the fifth day of my new life. no schedule to follow, no routine to adhere to and no job. since it's just a few days after i resigned, i still enjoy it though i've been busy for the last 4 days. my in laws arrived from the United States and i was the one who made sure that everything is in order before they arrived.

i am happy to finally take my longed vacation. though i am still at home, it feels different to have all the rest that you need. of course, i take care of a lot of things at home but still i am more relaxed. i am now a full pledged wife, daughter, sister, aunt and daughter in law.

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i made sure to find some time to go online since i missed writing blog entries. i am currently watching some videos and pictures taken in the United States by my sister in law. How i wish i could also go there! who knows what's in store for me, right?

For now, there's nothing more enjoyable done taking some time to rest and do whatever it takes to get relaxed. i don't really feel like working yet but im planning to look for a new job next year. i guess it won't be that fun anymore after a few months. i also get bored easily. but for now, im enjoying what i have.

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All Saint's Day is about to come. It will be fun again since a lot of relatives are already here. All those who went to the US have arrived. I will be posting more entries soon.

Bye for now :)

first day

FRIDAY, October 24 of 2008. This is the first day of a new life. I am now a simple home maker. No job, no income but has a new routine for the day. No work schedule, just do whatever I want with my own time. Something totally different from what I do for the last 7 years.

What will I do tomorrow? Well, that is what I have to find out. Stay tuned. :p

d EnD iS nEaR!

"Saying goodbye is one of the hardest thing to do. See you later is better to say I guess."

People come and go. Change is the only thing permanent in this world. Things can't just always stay the way they are. There should be a movement, change or something different.

I started with AOL almost 7 years ago as a Santa Mail Consultant and at that time, we were on a contractual basis (for two months) and earns around P200/day. We used to answer emails from kids in the US who were asking for a lot of things from Santa. These children believes that Santa is for real and that he gives out presents/gifts to good kids. I enjoyed this job though.
After more than a month, I was then called and was hired for the regular job as a Billing Consultant. That was February 9, 2002. I had a 6 month training for email support then moved to Live Chat (where I stayed for the longest time) and soon - (February of this year) to the Phone queue.

With my employment here at AOL (not yet eTel), I have learned a lot about Customer Service and also gained a lot of friends too. I got several friends from Technical, Billing, CAT, MOST and even from the ISS (previously Jones Lange). Before, AOL is a very conjucive and friendly community. When eTel came into the scene, a lot of things changed and as I saw it, people started to feel the differences. I know that we also need to do out part in adapting to these changes but for most of us, we had a hard time in catching up.

After quite some time, people started to move to find a greener pasture outside the company. Others went abroad and some transferred to other call centers or companies. As for me, I am not going anywhere yet. I have decided to take some time to smell the flowers, watch late night shows, relax and perform household chores and be a plain housewife. I am not sure as to how long I can do this, but for now this is what I wanna do.

The time has come to end this chapter of my career. I am not sure as to what is waiting for me outside. Actually, I am leaving with a heavy heart just thinking about the people who have been a part of this chapter in my life. However, I really need this right now. I just hope that the new chapter will be a good one if not better.

So, to all the people who have been a great help to me (i am sure you know who you are) I want to first thank them. To my mentors (trainers and coaches) who always believed in me, my CSS who were always ready to help, and to all my team mates for the last 6 years. Thanks for accepting me for who I am and for sharing a friendship that will be cherished all the time.

To AOL/eTel, thank you as well. So starting October 24, MHIJobeth and JobethMariano is signing off.

aLL aBoUt ChRisTMaS!

....Christmas is just around the corner. Everyone starts to prepare by buying gifts, fixing decorations, playing Christmas carols and putting the spirit into their homes. Christmas is the most awaited time of the year. It is the only season that gives each person hope, peace and more love.

Every year, I always get excited whenever I hear Christmas songs and see the Christmas tree being set up. When I was a child, I dreamt of having a big and tall christmas tree in our house since we cannot afford to have one. Life is so hard that we can only afford to buy christmas lights and some paper decors with the MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR message. During Noche Buena, we do not have much on our table. A kilo of spaghetti or pancit and a few sticks of bbq is what we can only afford. However, all of us (together with my three siblings) are gathered on our dining table eating happily and exchanging stories. Those were the days. We were still young and worry free.

Now, everything is different. We do have our own lives and families. My parents live far from us, my sister has her own house, my brother is outside the country and me, living with my husband and in laws. We cannot eat together anymore during Noche Buena since we either work or stay at our own home. That is one of the sad part of the season. When I got married, alot of things changed. Though I always visit my parents at Christmas day, still it's different. Gone were the days when we were young, worry free and live life as it is and just dependent on our parents. Right now, we have to make our own living and take care of our own needs.

Anyway, have you ever wondered why people can spend generously during Christmas season? I noticed that once the 13th month pay comes, people start to go shopping for gifts. We also spend much on food and we are not that concerned on how it will cost us. If we are like this the whole year round, I can say that life is extravagant and no one is considered poor. But, on the other side there are people who can't barely eat three meals a day. They are the ones who sleep at carts and under bridges. Imagine ten persons sleeping in a small cart during a cold or rainy night. How I pity these people but how can they have many kids with their economic status? But since it's Christmas season, alot of generous individuals prefer to help these people. A bag of groceries will bring them a long way. Old clothes, toys and books are also being offered by rich kids.

In addition, outreach programs are being held often in every part of the country. I just hope that this is done all year round. I still believe in the kindness of people though.

By the way, I have a question for you. Have you recently thought of the good deeds you have done during Christmas season? Since blessings is abundant, do we share it to others if given the opportunity?What have we done so far that makes a big difference to others who are in great need?

Helping others should not be done only during Christmas season however, for all of us this is the most appropriate time. So, I am appealing to all that we take advantage of this time to share what we have and feel the spirit.

Advance Merry Christmas to all!

aLL i WaNnA d0

i wanna travel by land, for its been several years since i last did it
i wanna ride a plane, for it would be my first time
i wanna walk by the seashore, for it gives me serenity
for my life is just simple and have neglected these things

i wanna sleep at night, for i'm always lacking one
i wanna watch late night shows, since its been a while since i enjoyed one
i wish i can visit a friend who lives far away from here
and spend more time with my family without thinking about work

oh, how i would love to relax and throw away
all the negative vibes around me
and be at wherever i want to go
let me break free and do things that i miss so much
for i can only do these things one more time

i hope i can do all of these again before its too late
for now is the right time and is the only given time
this is the chance that i have been waiting for
the time that is for me and for me alone

conT ...

finally, hubby fixed the pc coz i complained as soon as he arrived. i told him that i just finished one simple lay out and i want it posted on my blog. he patiently sat on the computer chair, click on something and started to type. i waited for a few minutes and felt excited while i see the screen completes the process.
finally! i saw the message that says " completed" and this is the only thing i've been waiting for.

2nd LaYoUT

i can't believe that i am now working on my second lay out. actually, i am running out of ideas (as if i have lots :p) thanks to my best friend who spent some time with me in conceptualizing this lay out. as you know, i am not yet confident to create a new one with just my own ideas. well, as a beginner, i believe i am entitled on a learning curve hahaha

i am now on my finishing touches (after 4 hours!) while i am writing this post. i am thinking of some additional details so i decided to post an entry first. a few more pasting and it will be ready for posting! i can't believe this! hahahha

by the way, my new LO is about my best friends since high school. it's been a decade since we started our friendship and it is getting stronger, i guess. i am so blessed to have them in my life so i thought of making a small token showing them how i value our friendship.

unfortunately, the cable needed to save my pics is not working so i won't be able to show my LO for now.
but don't worry, i will upload it once i have it fixed by hubby. for now, i am glad that i have finished my second LO :) long way to go!!!

CrOp NiTe

this was the start of my scrap booking life. i was invited by friends (teena and kots rome). at first, i had some hesitations since i do not know anything scrap booking, even the basic techniques. but then, i told myself that why not try since its been a while since i planned to create a lay out. after this day, i was inspired to buy some materials. though its quite costly, i manage to buy them one by one. for the mean time, i just have enough materials that i can use to create a simple lay out. but then, i'm still asking teens and kots rome to buy me an acrylic block and cutting mat so i can use the other materials as well.

My FirSt LaYoUt

well, this is my first lay out since i decided to pay attention to scrap booking. actually, the materials were given by Yoyin during the first Crop Nite that i attended. she showed us her own lay out and let us do our own. what i did was, i changed some of the details to come up on my own.

the cutie baby here is my first niece named XySy (Xylene Synphonie). she is my sister's daughter and the first baby in our family. i was inspired to make her my subject since i love her picture taken a few days after she was given birth. now, she is already 3 months and growing so fast.

i would really want to create a new lay out but my problem is, i do not have any idea yet. i am currently looking for lay outs and designs from the internet so i can come up with mine. hoping that i can post my next lay out very soon!

first post

wow, i can't believe that i have created a new blog site!

well, i have a personal blog with AOL however, i decided to discontinue it since the feature will sunset this month. i was just inspired by friends to create a new blog under this site. so, here i go! :)

i still don't know what to post here. :p i don't even have a new lay out for my scrap booking and don't even know when i can create a new one. i'm still waiting for my momentum hahaha

today is already Sunday and we get few calls. i am glad that i was able to take the free time in creating my blog and as well as posting my first few posts. i think i can't really live without blogs :(

as i have mentioned on my self "description", this my own way of releasing my stress, tension and other negative vibes that i feel. if others have hobbies to make them feel better, then i have my blog site to make things lighter.