Life as AFAC

I know, I know, I haven’t been blogging for ages (thanks to facebook) and I haven’t written anything about my holidays in Goa and Europe. But I’m too lazy now! So FAQs na lang muna:

Q: You went to Goa? When and why?
A: During the October holidays, I had nowhere to go coz I was supposed to be in Europe but the visa took so long to process. My officemate Anna said, “Wanna come to Goa with me?” I said, “Okay! Here’s my passport, photo etc. By the way, where is that?’

Q: Where did you go in Europe?
A: Sa city mismo. Hehe. Original plan was just Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam/The Hague. But I met the nicest locals who gave me a tour around the city and even drove me outside the cities. So I got to go to Versailles in France, Figueras and Girona in Spain, and Haarlem, Hoofdorp and Delft in Holland.

Q: Were you not afraid?
A: Well, it was quite an adventure travelling to very far places that I can’t speak the language. So I just made the most out of it. And I didn’t say yes to every single person who invited me noh.

Q: What is the city you can imagine living in?
A: Paris. It’s the most beautiful city there. And the most artist-friendly. Plus they probably pay the highest!

Q. What is your favorite city?
A. Barcelona. It’s not as beautiful but the best ones are there. Gaudi, Dali, Miro, Picasso. But I don’t like the manana habit and the Spanish time (Pilipino Time is considered punctual next to it).

Q: Which city has the cutest guys?
A: Paris has the cutest guys. Barcelona has the flirtiest. According to tita bing, “Flirting and following girls around” is their national pasttime. Holland according to tita bing has the most number of gorgeous men per capita in europe, according to stats. Dutch people do look so alpha male. But they are all fab, I can’t complain.

Q: (phone in question of Angelo) Mr Right?
A: Hmmm… Mr Right now?
Haha, these things you never know. I am not an expert on this topic, obviously.

Q: Best food?
A: Paris. Their portions are so big too! The paellas I tasted in Barcelona were a letdown, but maybe I went to the wrong places. Cheese and stroopwafels in Holland are the best! Cheese, ham, eggs and chocolates… that’s my diet for 3 weeks.

Q: New discoveries about yourself?
A: I can communicate with Spanish people! Ilonggo has more espanol than I thought. I also discovered I was more gutsy than I thought. And more boring than I wanted to admit (declined the only opportunity to go clubbing). And that it’s okay to flirt (I learned this in Goa with Masters Anna and Fiona, but only applied it in europe).

And… that mabenta ako in Europe! 8ku asked if I want to run for mayor, haha! Ba’t sa Shanghai it doesn’t work? Shanghai is my kryptonite.

Q: New discoveries about Europe?
A: French people are super duper nice and helpful! Not snobs at all! They are not the warmest but they are certainly the most helpful to me. As in if I ask for directions to a theatre, the stranger would call using her cel then ask if I want help in booking tickets; and people help carry my very heavy luggage in every stairway in the metro (and there are millions!) Also, hindi uso ang escalators and elevators in Europe! Gosh! Learning yan! I paid penance for all my shopping.

Q: Memorable moments?
Getting invited to TNT’s house party in Paris. Being spontaneous in Barcelona and Amsterdam and ended up with lovely new friends. Finding out I got a totally wrong Hague-Paris ticket on the eleventh hour plus the paris strike. My amazing race to the airport with Martin because of the stupid total transport strike in Paris.

Q: Best shopping?
A: Barcelona, coz it’s good and affordable. Paris has fab things too but super expensive.

Q: Quotable quote?
A: from a paris TNT: “Daig pa namin ang presidente dito. Pati congressman at senator. Pag may trabaho, damit basahan kami. Pero pag linggo, naka-boots din kami!”

Q: How did the trip change you?
A: Not really change but it made me want to improve myself in terms of A. overplanning less and be more spontaneous. B. I want to be a real artist sooner! (Original plan is 40 years old)

Q: How did you feel coming back to Shanghai?
A: I feel home. It’s funny coz I never knew where home was for a year. It’s not Makati anymore and it’s not really Bacolod nor Shanghai. Until I breathed the polluted Shanghai air again.

Q: Is your trip really as cultural and wholesome as your facebook photos show?
A: That’s for me to know and you to find out!

I met a strange man today. He’s a mainland Chinese who was based in Norway for a few years, a VP in a shipbuilding company. He is the one of the most stressed out persons I’ve met that our conversation inspired me to write a children’s book about him.

I first met him early this year in the elevator when I arrived in HK, with luggage and all. I met him again in the elevator when I arrived from europe with luggage and all, and he remembered that I didn’t give him my number the last time. Haha. Long story short, we had a get-to-know-thy-neighbor coffee this afternoon and my, I’ve never met someone so worried about everything and nothing! It is quite interesting. Below, he is the one in quotation marks and I am the one without.

“The problem is I will live working day in and day out until I die.” Why? “The problem is I cannot take a vacation.” Why not? “The problem is it is so stressful here.” This goes on and on and I tried to explain to him how there is only one thing he can control: his life. External things will always affect us, but we have the power to choose.

You know Oprah Winfrey? She interviewed a bunch of very sick kids before but surprised how happy they were. She asked one kid how she can laugh when she’s in so much pain. The kid shrugged, “Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.” (A kid said this!!!)

Anyway, I told this to the guy and he asked, “But how can you not suffer when there’s pain?” I said, well, Pain will still be there whether you decide to feel happy or decide to wallow in self-pity boohoohoo I’m so depressed waaah! “Hahaha that’s me!” he said. But he really couldn’t comprehend my point, so I said, okay, Worrying is like a rocking chair. You spend so much energy rocking back and forth but you’re going nowhere.”

To help him visualize, I asked him to imagine himself being 94. My grandma was 94 and I figured whatever problems you’re facing today, by the time you’re 94 you’d just laugh and wonder why you were so stressed about it. He closed his eyes shut then open his bewildered eyes and said, “The problem is, I can’t imagine myself being 94!” Okay, imagine yourself when you were in university. You were so stressed then about grades etc, but thinking about it now, it wasn’t all that bad right? “No the problem was, it was really stressful because blah blah..”

I know what your problem is. Your problem is, you see everything as a problem!

Hahaha that’s what I told him. When I see this ceramic vinegar holder, I see how well it dispenses just the right amount of dip, but you may only see that it might break!

“You’re lucky.” Yes I am.
“You don’t get stressed?” Of course I do, I have a veeeery stressful job.
“The problem is, I’m Buddhist, you’re Catholic.” It has nothing to do with religion.
“Teach me to be happy.” I can’t. It is a choice you make.
“But my life is so stressful. Everyday I get (fill in the blanks for boring stuff)”

I asked, who is the 5th president of the United States? Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968? (He actually shut his eyelids and pulled his hair trying to think, haha.) Okay, never mind. Now can you answer this? Who inspired you? “My father.” Who makes you feel good about yourself? “My mother.” Who has made you feel stupid?”Oooh a lot, I want to kill them! Haha”

My point is, when you die people don’t care if you built 50 or 1000 ships a year. But people remember how you made them feel. People remember if you’ve helped them or made them laugh.

“So why do we need to work? Why do you work?”

Because it makes me happy!

After our conversation he felt happy and was laughing like a kid, and I feel so drained now, hahaha. I think I reached my annual quota for “being adult-like”. hahah. I don’t think I’ve given so many nuggets of wisdom at one time to a stranger. But I think our conversation makes an inspirational short story, like Dr. Spencer’s “Who moved my cheese?” Maybe I should write one and illustrate it myself.