Congratulations John!

Congratulations John!
Originally uploaded by melissatiro.

Who would have thought that I would be so excited that an Edmontonian will now be leading AIESEC Canada? :)

Congratulations John, MCP ’06-07— we’ve known all along that this is your destined path and now you get to live it! :) You are going to be AMAZING!

AND that’s my little sister (not so little anymore) leading John in the pic….maybe a future MCP? :)

Oh, AIESEC!

This is the first time in a long time that I have written the word AIESEC in my blog. Gasp! But as they say you can take the AIESECer out of AIESEC but you can't take AIESEC out of an AIESECer. :-)

Being home has put me once again in an AIESEC environment (sure I am surrounded by AIESEC interns in Singapore but somehow being home the AIESEC feeling is more intense). My middle sister Messalina is on the Canadian MC- living it up in Toronto for the year (good times, good times!). She has already left for National Congress preparation in Edmonton but having her at home reminded me of life three years ago. Always rushing from one place to another, living out of a suitcase, adrenaline pumping through your veins, coffee to get you going for another day (if you can afford it). It's a life that some of us probably miss a lot.

But now, my little sister, Marcia (yes, we are all M's. Talk to my dad about why...) has joined AIESEC. She will be going to her first conference. Her excitement and eagerness reminded me of when I was a new member and just ready to learn. I envy her enthusiasm and the rush of emotions that you go through as a new AIESECer. I hope this conference for her would be as great for me. My first conference was also in Edmonton way back in 2000.

Now I get to share (force?) my experience to the next generation. Messalina has tasked me to show Marcia a few dances and show her around aiesec.net. Let the fun begin! :-)

Calgary: 1.5 Years Later...

My sisters (Messalina and Marcia) and I
Originally uploaded by melissatiro.

... In my “right side” of the train track neighbourhood, the bus still only comes every 30 minutes
...I do not live in the boonies anymore, there seems to be apartments growing everywhere farther away from the city
...Calgary has embraced cultural diversity (finally!) in the form of restaurants. In particular I’ve counted many Indian and Ethiopian restaurants.
...Chinook winds are still a blessing in a city that can get very cold. It's been 0 degrees or above since I've arrivec
...All the malls have gotten facelifts- the dodgy ones are not so dodgy anymore
...Most of my friends have bought condos thanks to a great economy (translated to salary). You have to love a booming oiltown!
...Meeting good friends for lunch, coffee or dinner have been a great way to catch up and share the past, present and future. It’s good to know that conversations can still last for hours much like before. Thanks!
...The relatives and family friends circle keeps on growing- there have been babies born while I was gone and many more that have grown up (including my own sister)
...My family is still loud but loveable.

This quote comes to mind to express my experience so far: Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. (The more things change, the more they remain the same).

I am thankful for this.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Countdown Begins

It just hit me…in 38 days (who’s counting?), I will be going home to this weather: http://theweathernetwork.com/features/gardening/pages/CAAB0049.htm

After 1.5 years- I’m not sure what (-10) degrees Celsius will feel like (wait with the windchill factor that will be -20). I am just beginning to get use to 32 degrees humidity (and actually not sweating so much when I’m outside).

Next year’s trip will definitely be in summertime so I can enjoy this: http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=108320

38 more days!

Thanks for Giving!

Thanksgiving 2006
Originally uploaded by melissatiro.

Happy Thanksgiving! This year’s second (soon to be an annual event) Canadian Thanksgiving at El Palacio was even grander than ever! We had a variety of food (thank you for putting the effort everyone!) and fantastic company. Thank you everyone for celebrating with the Canadians!

Title is © Oliveira

Changes-- are GOOD!

DeanVisit
Originally uploaded by melissatiro.

Dean sent across his pictures of his recent stopover in Singapore on his way back home to Mumbai after spending a fantastic year in Manila on his traineeship. The Manila Boys are slowly going home (although Yigit is still holding the fort strong back in Manila). My visits to Manila will never be the same. The Manila boys (Alvaro, Dean, Yigit & Ahmed) helped me rediscover my cultural background. They probably don't know this but their stories and sense of appreciation of my birthplace certainly makes me proud to be Filipino. Thanks.

Dean's visit also confirmed that things are changing. It never cease to amaze me how one year goes by so fast. I have been in Singapore for over a year and will be here "indefinitely"....Indefinitely means for me a stable lifestyle (you know how I like routines), better connection with friends, finally being able to decorate my room instead of thinking that I'll have to pack everything again! I wonder what life would be like when planned on a calendar year that starts in January (and not June)?

Random thought for the week

On Running:
Who would have thought a year ago that I would consider running to be an obsession…but I have noticed that running is slowly getting the best of me. Disclaimer- it’s not that I run per se. I will never become the world champion nor would I become a long distance runner. However I would consider what I do more fun. Running for me is a combination of:
- Fast Walking/Jogging
- Dancing on the treadmill when a good song is on my shuffle
- Singing on top of my lungs when a great song comes on (when no one is around, ok?)

It took awhile for me to really enjoy running. Now it’s an obsession, I can’t get enough of that hour that I spend in the gym in our apartment. It’s not only good exercise but it’s also a great time to think (out loud if no one is around). It’s a great feeling when you finish a good run, when you’ve felt that you’ve accomplished something. It feels good to run when you’ve had a good day and especially when you’ve had a horrible day.

I started running because I wanted to become more active. I am continuing to run because it helps me calm down after a long day.

Tagged by...John (or at least I think you tagged me, John!)

I am thinking about...
Going for drinks with colleagues in half an hour and what that would taste like after a long (exhausting but fun) week

I said...
Nothing at this point. Mind is completely blank and about to tune off

I want to...
Call my mom

I wish...
I could go home sooner than December

I miss...
home (a lot). It's the theme of the month ever since I bought my plane ticket

I hear...
Paper shuffling, people laughing…the end to a work week

I wonder...
How my sister’s first week at University went. (How does it feel to be a bio-engineering geek?)

I regret...
Absolutely nothing. Life’s been good to me

I am...
Happy

I dance...
Like no one is watching

I sing...
Like I am a karaoke queen. And I know it’s not cool but it makes me happy

I cry...
At sappy movies and in parts where no is really suppose to cry

I am not always...
The most organized person (shhh..)

I write...
To make sense of my insanity—definitely way better than talking to myself.
To find comfort.

I confuse...
Friendship for love and love for friendship

I need...
A good book to read

I should try...
To run longer and more regularly

I finish...

Now

I tag...You- whoever you are reading this post!

The Down-Low on Phuket

Laura and Sonia (ex-MC members in Canada) were in Singapore visiting. Due to the extremely low prices to go to Thailand, Nacho and I decided another trip was in order. It has been a year since we’ve been to Phuket (according to some, promounced “f$*&k it” :)) and how it has changed over a year! There is less construction on the street and definitely the return to normalcy (even less Tsunami pictures being sold on the streets in Patong Beach compared to last year). Although it rained the whole weekend (a reminder of monsoon season), it did not matter—a great resort, lots of sleep, cheap food and drinks AND the extreme bargaining exercise—definitely made it a worthwhile trip. THANK YOU THAILAND for being so great!!!

Next up KL this weekend (this time to say goodbye to Alvaro and say hello to Flic who is in KL for her internship!

Thanks to Nacho to the great collage below!

Current Reality is that I have only been to 18 countries. Compared to others who have been in AIESEC, this is quite short list of countries. Although compared to many I think I have been pretty lucky...



create your own visited countries map

Next year this time, I hope my map can look like this:



An addition of "only" 6 more countries (South Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei & Australia). I've already started the New Year's wishlist...but first a return trip to Phuket this weekend followed by Bangkok in September. :)

11 Hours in KL



I'm back in KL this week visiting the DHL Malaysia Country Office. I can't help but think back to my rather hectic first visit to KL last month...

Finally after a year of being in Singapore, I took the much needed 5 hour bus ride to KL. It only happened because of 2 great individuals who were leaving Malaysia (Micheline and Cristhian). Cecilia Tam and I decided that we needed to see them off in style. Thanks to Ceci, the trip actually happened (if it was left up to me I don't think I would have been as organized)! We left on Saturday morning bright and early at 7:30am AND came back on the midnight bus. We spent a total of 11 hours in KL. It was one of the best 11 hours I've ever spent in a country!

Since Micheline and Cristhian were leaving we took them for dinner in the revolving restaurant in the KL Tower. We can't sk for a better view (complete with unexpected fireworks), good food and great company. Definitely the best way to catch up with friends including Pilli who was also in attendance (because dinner is never the same without her!).

This week I was able to explore a little bit more of KL. It is definitely a great city. I can't wait to visit more in the next year (and more often!).

Responding to Threats

A message from my cousin Irene: "what is up woman? u need to do one of two things.... 1 being WRITE ME BACK!! or 2 being UPDATE YOUR DAMN BLOG!! sheeeeeeeeeesh i can't deal with this long distance relationship crap. c'mon now."

Yeah I get the message. Thanks as well to the constant threats from a certain flatmate that will remain nameless (and it is not Nacho), I am making time to update. Plus a flight delay but with wireless access (but no access to work mail) really means I now have no excuse but to blog :)

There will be backlogs to this blog as I try to recreate the last few months but I'll get there. So sit back and relax I may be back in the blog-o-sphere. :)

One Year Later...

Last year, with 2 suitcases, I entered Changi airport anticipating the year ahead. Now the year has gone by marking the start of new challenges. The setting is the same as I look forward to being in Singapore for an indefinite period of time. More adventures await me!

TN-In-SG-MC-2006-1270

I love the fact that I have my own blog to shamelessly promote my intern position! Are you ready for a fantastic intership experience? Come join the AP Family! Feel free to email me with any questions that you have. I will write more about my experience as DHL AP Coordinator on the DHL Interns' blog.



"When someone tells you that they are having a great traineeship experience, you never really understand what great means until youre on one. Great to me means- getting to know 45 other interns in the course of one year and becoming friends- sharing your lives and dreams (and the crazy unforgettable moments). Great means booking all your time off and constantly searching for the best flight prices to explore Asia Pacific. Great means adding value to DHLs talent pipeline on a daily basis through the AIESEC Program and various activities that I have been given ownership overDHL is a place where each achievement is rewarded with bigger and more exciting projects! Great means waking up in the morning excited to work for a company that deeply cares about your future. What great means to me can go on and on&what does it mean to you in the next year? Be a part of the DHL Asia Pacific Family in the next year! Be the 4th Asia Pacific Coordinator!!! To learn more check out: http://interns.myaiesec.net"

A wicked headache and stomach ache (Disclaimer: I am not hungover!!!) gave me a chance to go through 200 plus unread personal emails as well as pictures stored on my laptop. I came across these pictures that my cousin Irene took during her trip here. Definitely blog worthy--

The ULTIMATE Shopping Experience with the German Gents (aka Andi and Parkie)

Aditi and I have both experienced shopping with Andi and Parkie which can only be described as a great lesson in appreciating cultural differences. :-)



Lesson #1:"Throw your strategies out the window!" : My view is that grocery shopping always starts with a list and a slight idea of where do we go first? What do we buy? However, the boys always have a different view on strategizing- it always involves going through every aisle and standing for copious amount of time at every aisle. So much for the strategizing. Even I am caught up with reading cereal boxes and calculating carbs and fat content in each box. Germans: 1 Canadian/Filipino: 0 :-(




Lesson #2 “Do we really need this?”: A very typical scene of whether we need a particular item. Always the argument is:
"We don't need it"
"But it's on sale and it's good Melissa!"
I do try my best to question every single item that goes into the cart (do we REALLY need this?) but it never works. I give up 10 minutes in the store. Ok, so I am losing and I know I am about ready to give up.
Germans: 2 Canadian/Filipino: 0



Lesson #3 "Don't Forget to Sample!": As Andi roams the aisles looking for taco shells and salsa for the Mexican themed feast he is cooking on Saturday Night, Jong Hoon and I are already getting bored and thirsty not to mention hungry. Parkie and I search the aisles for the best food samples Carrefour can offer. There was icecream and some other good stuff. Still hungry, we decided that it would be OK to open Parkie's unpaid purchaseof ptrezel’s and iced coffee. I contemplated saying “no” as this is Singapore and who knows if there is a fine for eating unpaid purchases. However the pretzels were really good...
German/Korean: 1 Canadian/Filipino: 1 Singaporeans: 0



Lesson #4 "Take Control": Part of grocery shopping in Singapore also means knowing how to work the crowd especially when it’s a holiday Friday and with Easter Sunday around the corner. We know we had to be smart—we needed to have the right skills in shopping cart maneuvering and gently pushing people out of the way. Plus of course having the best eye(s) for bargains.
Judging from the picture above, I am beginning to think that Singaporeans do not own television sets or DVDs. People actually stop to watch the movies showing on the screen making it harder to steer your grocery cart. After knocking some people over (no mercy!), we finally made it to the cashier.
Germans: 3 Canadian/Filipino: 2 Singaporeans: 0



Lesson #5 "No Pain, No Gain": 2 hours later and too much money spent we are back home where Aditi is patiently waiting (with a look of sympathy on her face). Success is measured by the good food on the table and a full fridge (which won't last long anyway).
Final Scores: I say we are all pretty even, especially since I cooked dinner and did not end up poisoning anyone!