Okay, so for the past week or so, I've found an online job that I liked and I've been paid immediately which was a good thing. It surely will cover my phone bill costs and at least have enough left to pay for my niece's books for college.
Well, lo and behold, the bank card that I used and where the money was deposited, malfunctioned. It didn't want to accept my PIN. I couldn't have possibly forgotten it because I use only PIN LOL I know it's bad practice but these numbers couldn't be related to me at all which is great but I can't easily forget them too hahahaha
But, now, it seems that the ATM machine wasn't working right because I couldn't have possibly made a mistake with my PIN.
Unfortunately, when I called the bank to check if I can change my PIN, since it doesn't seem to be working, I was informed that I had to change the bank card and that they don't allow for PIN changes. Naturally, this will take a week to get a new card and another 3 working days for my existing balance to get transferred to the new card and additional fee for the new card. Oh and the transfer isn't automatic! I still have to call them again to initiate the transfer! Oh man.. just when I needed the money and I was so happy that I'd gotten paid.. this is what happens..
Life is so cruel!!!
Good News!
For the past few weeks, I've been searching the Internet for possible jobs. I finally found one and it's been something that I've been doing recently.. It's writing articles for website content and I'm happy I've found some work again :)
That's it for now..
That's it for now..
DSL at last!
Okay.. this probably sounds stupid as most people probably have DSL connections already but I'm excited because for a very long time we've had to be satisfied with dial-up and now for the first time, I'm posting from a DSL Connection!! woohoo!!!
Although, frankly, it doesn't seem to be too different hahahha I thought I'd be able to view websites in the blink of an eye but it doesn't seem to be that way.. hhahaha at least I can see major improvement in the download of my Naruto torrents hahaha the fastest speed I used to have was between 3kbps and 5kbps.. now it's running at 26kbps hahahahaha so I don't need to keep the PC on overnight just to finish downloading.. major savings on my electric bill, lemme tell you hahahha
Well.. let's see what else happens :)
Although, frankly, it doesn't seem to be too different hahahha I thought I'd be able to view websites in the blink of an eye but it doesn't seem to be that way.. hhahaha at least I can see major improvement in the download of my Naruto torrents hahaha the fastest speed I used to have was between 3kbps and 5kbps.. now it's running at 26kbps hahahahaha so I don't need to keep the PC on overnight just to finish downloading.. major savings on my electric bill, lemme tell you hahahha
Well.. let's see what else happens :)
School has started again
Today, June 11 is the start of Den's college life hahaha That's why for the past couple of months we've been busy with preparations for it...
Actually, the past couple of months have been pretty hectic with paying the tuition fees and setting up her classes. In between, she was able to go on a much-needed vacation! Unfortunately, during the enrollment process, one of the clerks in school made a mistake of encoding her section. Instead of section 2 as she chose and put in writing in her registration form, she was encoded as section 1.. believe me, I couldn't believe it either.. a "2" doesn't look at all like a "1" right, anyway, it happened and she couldn't complete her preparations until this was all settled... so she kept going back to school to check whether the mistake has been rectified. She was told to keep coming back and coming back because they were waiting for some students who have enrolled but informed them that they won't be coming back because they were migrating.
Well, guess what, I got tired of waiting for them and gave them a piece of my mind. My niece was a High School graduate of the same school. She has enrolled first, compared to those they were waiting for and now she can't be given the section she chose just because someone made a mistake during encoding??? well, hello, that is unacceptable!!! She should not be made to suffer for a mistake she never committed. When I told them that I will be taking this matter to the Dean and expose those who made the mistake and kept telling my niece to keep coming back every couple of days, they immediately set to work..
I can't imagine why you have to show people that you're really mad before doing what should be done in the first place.. I mean, come on.. Is it a power trip because she (my niece) is an incoming freshman? Or they just don't want to bother dealing with their mistake? Or they were treated badly as freshmen so this was payback???
Well, whatever the cause, this was certainly a learning experience for Den...
After that, we were busy with claiming and ordering more uniforms. Buying shoes was such a bother - either the shoes that she liked were too expensive or they didn't have them in her size anymore. It's so hard shopping with kids in tow let me tell you. We also had to take her pants to the tailor's because they were a bit long...
All in all, it was not too bad.. exciting for Den because she'll be in University now.. a change of pace, a change of life.. I hope she does well :)
Actually, the past couple of months have been pretty hectic with paying the tuition fees and setting up her classes. In between, she was able to go on a much-needed vacation! Unfortunately, during the enrollment process, one of the clerks in school made a mistake of encoding her section. Instead of section 2 as she chose and put in writing in her registration form, she was encoded as section 1.. believe me, I couldn't believe it either.. a "2" doesn't look at all like a "1" right, anyway, it happened and she couldn't complete her preparations until this was all settled... so she kept going back to school to check whether the mistake has been rectified. She was told to keep coming back and coming back because they were waiting for some students who have enrolled but informed them that they won't be coming back because they were migrating.
Well, guess what, I got tired of waiting for them and gave them a piece of my mind. My niece was a High School graduate of the same school. She has enrolled first, compared to those they were waiting for and now she can't be given the section she chose just because someone made a mistake during encoding??? well, hello, that is unacceptable!!! She should not be made to suffer for a mistake she never committed. When I told them that I will be taking this matter to the Dean and expose those who made the mistake and kept telling my niece to keep coming back every couple of days, they immediately set to work..
I can't imagine why you have to show people that you're really mad before doing what should be done in the first place.. I mean, come on.. Is it a power trip because she (my niece) is an incoming freshman? Or they just don't want to bother dealing with their mistake? Or they were treated badly as freshmen so this was payback???
Well, whatever the cause, this was certainly a learning experience for Den...
After that, we were busy with claiming and ordering more uniforms. Buying shoes was such a bother - either the shoes that she liked were too expensive or they didn't have them in her size anymore. It's so hard shopping with kids in tow let me tell you. We also had to take her pants to the tailor's because they were a bit long...
All in all, it was not too bad.. exciting for Den because she'll be in University now.. a change of pace, a change of life.. I hope she does well :)
Processing Papers can be such a Pain!!
For the past few weeks, we have been busy filing papers regarding my mother's death. Since she died in the States, we have to get the Philippine Embassy to authenticate her death certificate and for that my brother had to personally travel to LA from San Diego to accomplish this. It really drained his financial pockets because he had to file a leave of absence to travel on top of paying for the services at the Embassy. And then, he had to send these papers to me via FedEx for a speedy dispatch.
Upon getting the papers, the first thing we processed was Den's educational insurance plan. She's supposed to get her college stipend by May 2008 but since my mother was the payor, the cheque was in her name. Thus, we first had to file a death claim with the insurance company then file the change in ownership so that the new cheque will be issued. Believe me, it sounds simple in writing but the actual going to and fro from the insurance company is such a pain! Remember, I bring my kids with me whenever we had to go out because we have no babysitter. uggh.. it was so tiring!!
Next on the agenda is my mother's retirement/pension fund from the Government's insurance firm. I am so not looking forward to this.. There's so much red tape involved and sometimes you have to deal with incompetent people.. What should be a simple procedure sometimes becomes too complicated and time-consuming.. I really hate it but it has to be done..
Wish us luck!!
Upon getting the papers, the first thing we processed was Den's educational insurance plan. She's supposed to get her college stipend by May 2008 but since my mother was the payor, the cheque was in her name. Thus, we first had to file a death claim with the insurance company then file the change in ownership so that the new cheque will be issued. Believe me, it sounds simple in writing but the actual going to and fro from the insurance company is such a pain! Remember, I bring my kids with me whenever we had to go out because we have no babysitter. uggh.. it was so tiring!!
Next on the agenda is my mother's retirement/pension fund from the Government's insurance firm. I am so not looking forward to this.. There's so much red tape involved and sometimes you have to deal with incompetent people.. What should be a simple procedure sometimes becomes too complicated and time-consuming.. I really hate it but it has to be done..
Wish us luck!!
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Yesterday was my Mom's birthday. She would have been 61 years old.
It was a nice feeling to receive emails from family and friends and even my mom's co-workers telling me that they remembered her birthday, even without me reminding them about it. I know that some of them even visited her grave and put flowers there. So, I appreciate that because I personally can't do that...
We dedicated a mass for her and prayed for her and simply celebrated her birthday as if she was still here. We watched True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenneger (she liked his movies), ate roasted chicken and barbecued porkchops for lunch and dinner :) We would have wanted to go to the mall but it was pretty cloudy yesterday and it was drizzling.
I know the celebration is not much, but it was all in remembering her and wishing her here.
Happy Birthday MOM!! WE LOVE YOU!!
Aahhh, smell that fresh air...
ugh, ugh.. cough... cough... COUGH...
Man, I wish I were back in Calayan... and all that fresh air!!!!
When we were in Calayan, we weren't coughing, we weren't sneezing.. no allergies acting up... when they say fresh air.. they mean fresh air hahahahaha there are hardly any cars there.. if you want to go someplace, you walk... or ride a carabao or hop on your scooter/motorcycle.. for bigger and heavier loads, they have a "kuliglig" - a motorized contraption pulling some sort of baggage area behind it. It can carry passengers, livestock, produce.. anything LOL
Some facts that I found out while staying there:
- they only have electricity/power between 6pm and 6am. After that, nothing, unless you have a generator to power your refrigerator or other electrical appliances
- they don't pay for the water they consume...
- there is no public market - people grow their own vegetables. what they don't have, other people will provide it for you - traveling from their home to yours. If you want to eat pork, you have to buy the pig and kill it yourself. Same goes for beef. Otherwise you raise your livestock yourself and you can add goats into the picture too :)
- they sell fish by the kilo, but one price for any type of fish hahaha that's what I found interesting. Fishermen bring different types of fish, you can get 1 of each kind put them together to make at least a kilo and then pay just one price hahahaha In Manila, you want bangus you buy bangus by the kilo.. if you want a different type of fish, you buy that fish separately, again by the kilo :) what they have in Calayan is cool hahaha you can have a buffet of fish for one order and one price WOW!!
- they now have mobile phone signals.
- they now have satellite tv (for the times there's power and when you have a generator) Can you just imagine transporting a television set across the ocean :) Incredible hahaha
- they've hosted a Bikini Open in one of the beach coves there hahahaha imagine my surprise when I found out LOL (and apparently, they're continuing the 'tradition') LOL
There's bound to be more about Calayan but I'll have to stay longer next time... maybe a month or two hehehe
I really could live there and I'm already thinking of possible ways to sustain myself and my family should I make the transition... I'll wait for the airstrip and the Internet hahahaha then I'm all set hahahaha
Man, I wish I were back in Calayan... and all that fresh air!!!!
When we were in Calayan, we weren't coughing, we weren't sneezing.. no allergies acting up... when they say fresh air.. they mean fresh air hahahahaha there are hardly any cars there.. if you want to go someplace, you walk... or ride a carabao or hop on your scooter/motorcycle.. for bigger and heavier loads, they have a "kuliglig" - a motorized contraption pulling some sort of baggage area behind it. It can carry passengers, livestock, produce.. anything LOL
Some facts that I found out while staying there:
- they only have electricity/power between 6pm and 6am. After that, nothing, unless you have a generator to power your refrigerator or other electrical appliances
- they don't pay for the water they consume...
- there is no public market - people grow their own vegetables. what they don't have, other people will provide it for you - traveling from their home to yours. If you want to eat pork, you have to buy the pig and kill it yourself. Same goes for beef. Otherwise you raise your livestock yourself and you can add goats into the picture too :)
- they sell fish by the kilo, but one price for any type of fish hahaha that's what I found interesting. Fishermen bring different types of fish, you can get 1 of each kind put them together to make at least a kilo and then pay just one price hahahaha In Manila, you want bangus you buy bangus by the kilo.. if you want a different type of fish, you buy that fish separately, again by the kilo :) what they have in Calayan is cool hahaha you can have a buffet of fish for one order and one price WOW!!
- they now have mobile phone signals.
- they now have satellite tv (for the times there's power and when you have a generator) Can you just imagine transporting a television set across the ocean :) Incredible hahaha
- they've hosted a Bikini Open in one of the beach coves there hahahaha imagine my surprise when I found out LOL (and apparently, they're continuing the 'tradition') LOL
There's bound to be more about Calayan but I'll have to stay longer next time... maybe a month or two hehehe
I really could live there and I'm already thinking of possible ways to sustain myself and my family should I make the transition... I'll wait for the airstrip and the Internet hahahaha then I'm all set hahahaha
Day 10 - 8th day - Departure from Calayan Island
May 01, 2008 - Thursday
We woke up at 3am because our departure time was at 4am. We wanted to leave Calayan before the sun rises so that it won't get too hot during the rest of the trip. Not all of us were able to go - it was just us and the kids, Tita Lette, Angie, Diane, Tita Ofel, Tito Ping and Tita Beth, my half-brothers Budyong and Marcial, Mar and her family, King and her hubby and Lei... So it was just a small boat... and maybe why it only took us 6 hours to get to Aparri..
It was also a miracle that none of us on the boat got seasick.. And we even managed to see dolphins!!! Imagine Dolphins in the wild!! woohooo!!! I've never even seen a dolphin up close.. it sure beat the heat! hahahaha too bad we weren't able to take pictures because we didn't want to risk getting the camera wet..
Finally, we were able to dock in Aparri around 10 am. We proceeded to the Calayan dormitory to freshen up and wait for our boarding time with the bus. We were scheduled on the 5pm bus for Sampaloc so we had some time to spare for lunch and resting. Lunch of course was from Jollibee - the #1 local fast food of the Philippines hahahaha
By 4:30pm, we were already at the bus terminal. Everyone was so tired from the trip that it didn't take long for us to fall asleep hehehe Since it rained too, we couldn't get out of the bus to buy food to take home as "pasalubong" :) By the time it was dinner time, the rain had stopped and we were able to eat from the local diner. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful.
We arrived in Manila around 6am. The rest of the family got dropped off at the Cubao terminal which was closer to their destination. We, on the other hand, got off at the Sampaloc terminal which was only 10 minutes from our house.
When we got home, Patrick just took a bath and went off to work bringing some of the lobsters with him hahahaha I arranged the rest of our things and did the laundry. The kids fell asleep immediately hehehehe and then we had the rest of the lobsters for lunch hahahaha
and that was our trip to Calayan :)
We woke up at 3am because our departure time was at 4am. We wanted to leave Calayan before the sun rises so that it won't get too hot during the rest of the trip. Not all of us were able to go - it was just us and the kids, Tita Lette, Angie, Diane, Tita Ofel, Tito Ping and Tita Beth, my half-brothers Budyong and Marcial, Mar and her family, King and her hubby and Lei... So it was just a small boat... and maybe why it only took us 6 hours to get to Aparri..
It was also a miracle that none of us on the boat got seasick.. And we even managed to see dolphins!!! Imagine Dolphins in the wild!! woohooo!!! I've never even seen a dolphin up close.. it sure beat the heat! hahahaha too bad we weren't able to take pictures because we didn't want to risk getting the camera wet..
Finally, we were able to dock in Aparri around 10 am. We proceeded to the Calayan dormitory to freshen up and wait for our boarding time with the bus. We were scheduled on the 5pm bus for Sampaloc so we had some time to spare for lunch and resting. Lunch of course was from Jollibee - the #1 local fast food of the Philippines hahahaha
By 4:30pm, we were already at the bus terminal. Everyone was so tired from the trip that it didn't take long for us to fall asleep hehehe Since it rained too, we couldn't get out of the bus to buy food to take home as "pasalubong" :) By the time it was dinner time, the rain had stopped and we were able to eat from the local diner. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful.
We arrived in Manila around 6am. The rest of the family got dropped off at the Cubao terminal which was closer to their destination. We, on the other hand, got off at the Sampaloc terminal which was only 10 minutes from our house.
When we got home, Patrick just took a bath and went off to work bringing some of the lobsters with him hahahaha I arranged the rest of our things and did the laundry. The kids fell asleep immediately hehehehe and then we had the rest of the lobsters for lunch hahahaha
and that was our trip to Calayan :)
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