The Adventures of Tarabusaw

If you happen to have a little time to spare, please vote for Jewel Mische of Starstruck.  To vote for her online, just click this link –> Jewel Mische.  Just remember that you can only vote once after every hour.  Or if you have some extra load, you can vote for her through text.  Just type STARSTRUCK JEWEL and send to 2344 for Globe and 367 for Smart. 

Go Juju Bear!  Go Jewel!

Update:  March 5, 2007

Jewel was in the bottom group yesterday… which is totally unbelievable!!!  She was great with all the performances last week and was even selected as the top actress by Lorna Tolentino and Director Maryo J. Delos Reyes.  Kaya, here I am again, begging my readers (if there are any…hahaha) to vote for her.  =)

At para ganahan kayo sa pagboto, eto pa ang picture niya.  (Photo courtesy of pinoy.rickey.org).  Go Jewel!  Go JujuBear!

Sobrang beybi ang pakiramdam ko ngayon sa bago kong client.  I am now assigned in a Financial Service (my favorite!!!) client under the BRS group of EY (tulad siya ng IAS ng PwC). 

Natutuwa ako sa senior na kasama ko.  Siguro dahil aware siya na hindi talaga ako galing sa audit eh sobrang assistance ang binibigay niya.  Kahit kaliit-liitang detail eh pinapaliwanag niya. 

I think this is the first client where I had a real interaction with a teammate.  Sa IT Audit client ko kasi, ako lang din mag-isa ang naka-assign sa isang division (naalala ko tuloy ang sarili ko sa mga naging client ko sa Pilipinas).  Nung last client ko naman sa Assurance eh nakahiwalay ako ng kwarto kasi puno na yung Audit Room.  Feeling ko tuloy eh outcast na outcast ako.  Hahaha!!!  But this time, okay talaga yung kasama ko.  Naalala ko tuloy si Madam (Rosell) at ang mga panahong kaming dalawa lang ang nasa FS.  Eh madaldal din kasi yung senior ng BRS kaya patok talaga!  =D

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Speaking of beybi… my niece has his special youtube page courtesy of my cousin (Ate Leni).  Haay… miss ko na talaga si Earl.  Sana pagbalik ko ng Pilipinas eh kilala pa rin niya ako.  Pero in fairness, nung huling beses na tumawaga ako sa amin ay tinatawag na niya akong Ninong at kahit paano eh nakipagusap naman siya sa akin. 

Eto siya… ang kinalolokohan ng mga Pili!  Hehehe…

Was able to see some 30 minutes of American Idol yesterday.  Thankfully, there’s Starmometer.com and Rickey.org where I can get updates if I miss one show. 

Here are my early bets for the boys:

1.  Chris Sligh

2.  AJ Tabaldo

3.  Blake Lewis

For the girls, let’s see how they perform later.  But I like Melinda "The backup-turned-lead-singer" Doolittle, Lakisha "The Mommy" Jones and Antonela "The bombshell" Barba.  Hehehe…

Speaking of Blake Lewis, I really liked his song choice last night.  It is familiar.  Kaya pala, dahil may version ang Lifehouse:

Pero sabi nga ng Lifehouse, it was only a cover of a Keane’s original:

At sila pala ang kumanta nito –> Everybody’s Changing.  Sorry ha, ayaw kasi ng podcast sa friendster blog eh.  Kaya puro file upload lang ako.  Ayoko namang magpalit pa ng blog provider dahil sayang naman ang pinagsusulat ko dito (OT).

Mabalik tayo sa kanta, there’s a couple of lines in the song which is really good.  And I’d like to dedicate it to myself and to all of my age (parang kanta yun ah). 

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I’m getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you’re gonna let me in
I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

Bagay kasi sa ating nakaka-experience ng kaguluhan sa buhay at gustong bumalik sa mga simpleng buhay natin kahapon.

Have you heard Nina’s Someday?  I am not actually a fan of hers (I prefer Kyla kasi), but in this particular song, all I can say is — I FEEL FOR YOU NINA!!!  Huhuhu!!!  Naiyak yata ako habang pinapakinggan ko ‘to.  Ops!  Wag mag-isip ng kung ano, emotional lang talaga ang tao kapag mag-isa.  Hehehe…

Click this link to starmometer.com if you want to hear it.

Or watch her video…

Or just download the song by right-clicking (may ganun bang word?) this link –> Nina - Someday.mp3, and selecting Save Target As.  O di ba?  Hindi halatang obsessed ako ngayon sa kanta niya?  Teka, matagal na ba ‘tong na-release sa Pilipinas?  Sorry ha, delayed na ako…

Someday talaga… someday.

As you all know, I am renting a room in a Filipino house here in Canada.  The owners of the house are not new to me… well at least to my family.  In fact, when someone asks me how am I related to them, I just tell them that I actually don’t have any blood relationship with them…and that they are my pseudo relatives.  They are my relatives-in-law.  Basta yun na yun.

Aside from me, there is also one renter in the room beside the kitchen plus two other weekenders.  As the name suggests, they only go here during weekends.  Let me introduce you to them.  I just thought that they are personalities worth mentioning in this blog.  Besides, they are the ones whom I often talk to. 

Carlota – She is a registered medical technician in the Philippines.  In her belt is almost two decades of experience in the medical field.  She came here February 2005 as an independent immigrant.  She has a very bubbly personality and doesn’t care even if she is oftentimes being the subject of all jokes.  She knows how to make fun of herself… and of course of others too!  Given that she is already in her late thirties (and as the old Pinoy saying goes – “wala na siya sa kalendaryo”), she already gave up hoping that she’ll find her Prince Charming.  But the latest buzz according to her is that a Pinay friend of hers is begging her to marry her brother back in the Philippines just so the brother can go here in Canada!  Absurd isn’t it?  Luckily, she never gave the idea much thought. 

Perly – She is one of the weekenders and a friend of Carlota.  During the rest of the week she stays with her employer in Northern Toronto.  She is in her mid-thirties and has a husband and son in the Philippines.  Her son was incidentally also named Ian and is as chubby as I am back in my childhood days.  She applied here under the caregiver program but actually was a registered nurse in the Philippines.  She has also worked in Hong Kong for some time before finally deciding to have a “stable” life in Canada.  Though not as bubbly as Carlota, Perly can crack jokes and share anecdotes out of nowhere. 

Feby – Another weekender and also a friend of Carlota and Perly.  As with Perly, she is also under the caregiver program of Canada.  She is no longer new to being a “Bagong Bayani”.  She has previously worked in Taiwan and Hong Kong for some years.  I just don’t know what her work was back in the Philippines.  She is a a Seventh-Day Adventist (Sabadista) and is the only one I know who eats pork!  That’s the reason why we call her colorum… hahaha!!!  She will be going home this March for her wedding to her long-time boyfriend.  After a year (or months if luck is on her side), her husband will be coming here in Toronto so they can live happily ever after.

Though they are not in the same age bracket as I am, I am still glad to have known them.  They kept me sane and lucid especially during my troubled, homesick days. 

Here’s my crib here in Toronto (naks… crib daw oh!).  Maliit lamang… pero, pero, pero malinis ‘to pati sa kusina (as if my sarili akong kusina), Hahaha!!! =D

A great contender to the title “melting pot of cultures” is Canada.  Take Toronto for example, a financial hub in Central Ontario — There is Corso Italia (where I live), Greek Town, Little India, and Chinatown.  And though not formally clustered, there are lots of Filipinos here!  You can be a nay-sayer or a yeah-sayer in this immense diversity.  There are indeed pros and cons.  But I will just tackle the pros in this post.  The cons will take a little more time to write.

The diversity of culture in this country is also reflected in its workforce.  Take for example Ernst & Young, or to be more specific the TSRS (IT Audit) practice.  The team is composed of many a nationalities!  And it is amazing to know that Filipinos comprise the third largest group with twelve representatives.  We are just trailing behind Canadians with seventeen (which by the way also include naturalized citizens) and Indians with sixteen.  In the “exodus” of auditors that is currently and will forever be happening in the Philippines, it will no longer be a surprise if Pinoys will dominate the TSRS population in the future. 

It is with this diversity thing that our group decided to hold a valentines-slash-diversity-slash-potluck party.  Most of the group members brought food which best represents their country of origin.  To name a few, there were samosas from India, jerked chicken from Jamaica, nanaymo bars from Canada, crepes from Mediterranean countries, Polish donuts, and of course adobo and pancit from the Philippines.   It was really a gastronomic treat for everyone.   And I got pretty much of a sampler of everything.  Oh and the hit food of them all –- banana spring rolls, in Tagalog…TURON!  (Ian’s brain:  Naalala ang classic joke ni Aimee… hahaha!!!)

The party also gave everybody the chance to acquaint with each other.  I must admit that even if I have been here for almost five months now, I still am not yet done in knowing everybody.  And it is during these times that I reaffirm myself that I made one my life’s best decisions –- moving here.  Though I miss the “extraordinary tightness” of my officemates and I have back in Makati, I still can get by.  Honestly, everything in my new office is okay… close to being best, in fact. (Note that I never mentioned perfect, because I always believed that there are no perfect organizations)  And though there are still the occasional bruises and bumps, I feel my journey will be a good one.

A snowstorm and extreme cold warning was raised by the government of Ontario last weekend.  And they had it right!  It was around 5:00 p.m. yesterday when trails of ice fell from the sky.  It was not extremely cold though.  It was still negative fifteen degrees Celsius – the average winter temperature for Toronto this year. 

Comparing Ontario, or the city of Toronto itself, with other Canadian provinces and cities, I can still say that we are lucky down here.  We were spared from the wrath of ice!  Though the storm has hit the city since yesterday and ice have already accumulated, it’s still around half feet as compared to other Canadian cities where snow has piled up to 4 to 6 feet!  I just hope that the storm ends today, because we might suffer the same consequences as other cities did.  Well, that’s Canada.  We cannot do anything about it ey!

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There was a big fire in Lansdowne last night.  Well that’s what the streetcar operator told us.  That’s why all streetcars took a short turn in Oakwood instead of going all the way to Lansdowne and Keele.  Lucky me, the short-turn was just 4 blocks away from our street, or else I have frozen to death waiting for the shuttle.  But the should-be short walk took almost half an hour.  I had a hard time walking through the icy streets.  I took very careful steps as I don’t want to slip down the alley.  And it was really hard to breath.  Luckily, I didn’t have any frost bite. 

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It’s Valentines Day today.  Unfortunately Torontonian couples might have to cancel their dates if they don’t want to get stuck on ice.  Well, they can always take the PATH… if their dates are downtown or at the Eaton Centre!   Hahaha!!!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

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Update as of 2:47 p.m:  After almost 24-hour of non-stop ice rain, the storm has finally stopped (hopefully).  The city now is enveloped in white and the misty after-snow effect is really beautiful.  However, it will only take several hours before this snow will turn the city in a grimy and muddy place. 

Isang salipawpaw ang aking nasilayan
Sa madilim na gabing ilaw lamang ay buwan
Kung saan patungo ay hindi malaman
Hindi maarok ng aking gunam-gunam.

Tangan kong kampipi’y salat at kay payat
Ang pinagpaguran’y kaybilis ng lumipad
Ang tanong ngayon sa sariling habag,
Sa salipawpaw kaya’y may maibayad?

Salipawpaw, salipawpaw iyong sabihin
Maaari bang ako’y huwag ng pagbayarin?
Ako’y sabik ng lumipad, batahin
Ang landas pabalik sa  sariling lupain.

Caution:  You may see a lot of incoherence and corrections in this post.  Please bear with me.  My braincells are not functioning well today.

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Jane and I finally met.  Wondering who she is?  She was my classmate from college, an SGV Audit Senior and is currently seconded here in EY Toronto!  We never saw each other before I left (hindi kasi siya pumunta sa Despedida Party ko, hmp!).  But who would have thought that we will see each other again in this part of the world? 

As a good host, I decided to treat her to dinner.  I initially wanted to eat at The Keg, since I have never tried their steak (which I heard is really good).  Unfortunately, Keg was jam-packed!  So we just decided to leave and went straight to Spring Rolls – a Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai restaurant near St. Lawrence Market. 

We were finally at the doorsteps of our dinner and immediately given a table.  Lucky us, because we never made a reservation.  If there’s one place you’d like to dine in here, be sure to make reservations ahead, or else you’ll freeze to death (at least during the winter) waiting for other customers to finish their plates. 

We had a sumptuous meal and of course lots of kwentos!  I enjoyed my beef with schezuan sauce while Jane devoured on seafood with satay sauce!  We even had two orders of pork and shrimp dumpling!  Mmm… Sarap!  Kulang nga lang dahil walang chilli, calamansi at toyo! 

After our dinner, we went to this quaint ice cream parlor along Wellington.  I ordered two scoops of ice cream while Jane just went for espresso.  Still, lots of chikas poured in.  We then finally called it a day when more people came to the ice cream parlor and we needed to free some of the limited space (I think we were the lucky charm of the ice cream parlor, dumami lang kasi ang tao nung pumasok kami.  Hahaha!)

It was really great finding and talking to someone you really know.  Indeed, the freezing wind-chill is no match to warmth of old friendship! =)

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Incidentally, Meozah Campana was also seconded here in EY together with Jane.  She was the second placer in the May 2003 Board Exams – batch ko.  She was wondering how I knew her.  I told her that we went to the same review school?  And juice ko, sa dalawang pre-board ba naman namin sa CPAR eh nakapaskil ang pangalan ng mga topnotcher with matching pictures pa!  Kumbaga isa siya sa mga celebrities ng Accounting-dom!

Meeting her was surreal, knowing that I was in the presence of an Accounting-dom’s majesty!  Baka kasi bigla akong tanungin ng tungkol sa Accounting at wala akong maisagot!  Hahaha!!!

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I also finally met Miss Nely.  She was a former manager in the Technical Standards/Learning Education group of PwC Manila.  We had a dinner at her place last Saturday.  The mongo and tilapia was great!  She even invited some of her friends so I was also able to meet new people. 

Naiinggit ako bigla sa apartment niya.  It was not a new downtown condominium or loft upgrades.  In fact, the apartment seemed to have been built in the 80’s.  But I thought it was charming.  She owns a junior 1-bedroom unit which I think is also perfect for me.  And besides I really love the area where the apartment is.  It’s in Midtown – Yonge and Pleasant Blvd to be exact and just 5 minutes away from St. Clair Subway.  And oh, another thing, her rent was just CAD 900!!!  Swak na swak sa budget ko!  Sana sa April may sarili na akong place. 

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I will be watching the NBA games on February 23.  Raptors will be hosting the game against Detroit(?).  Go Raptors!!!  Hehehe… As if NBA fan talaga ako.  Eh ang alam ko lang na team eh Ginebra!  Hahaha!!!