July 30, 2005

SHORTlisted

Why do we love tall men?

Click here for the answer.

When I was in college, one classmate of mine asked our professor if, by any chance, will we have problems getting into our practicum and even landing a job just because we weren't tall enough. We thought at that time that it was sort of a trick question and more of a joke but looking back, I now know that, of course, she had a valid question and I was quite interested with what our teacher had to say about this.

Actually, this question concerned me as well. Like most Filipinas, I am on the shorter end of the rope when it comes to height. Height plays a very important role in my course being Hotel and Restaurant Administration. Like what every one else was saying, to get a job in a deluxe hotel in Manila, you have to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall. Jeez! I was at least 2 inches shorter than the required height! At that time, I felt empowered and didn't feel that my height would hinder me to reach higher grounds. I was very optimistic and proud then. I would always tell myself I'd rather be smart and cute than tall and dumb( ok ok.. I was just some kid who knew nothing during those times!!).

Then I got into my first job interview. There were 3 girls in the room including me. Both girls were taller than me BUT they do not have any hotel background so I THOUGHT had an ace up my sleeve. To my dismay, their height was more of a consideration than my hotel background. I did not get the position and later on was offered another position which was in F&B ( Food and Beverage). Thus, I ended up waiting tables in a posh bar in one of the five star hotels in Manila. I got the job because of my people and bartending skills.

I enjoyed this job and I had a blast meeting new people every night plus watching all the top bands in the country perform for free but I had more in mind.I wanted to go up the corporate ladder so I applied for a position in Banquet Sales. I got a lateral move and became an "office" person stuck in front of a computer typing proposals for all upcoming wedding,birthdays, and what have you events in the hotel. I learned the ins and outs of Events Management here and went further by moving back to F&B once again. This time, I did not just wait tables, I made the agreements in the contracts between the hotel and the client happen.I was a Manager! I was in the physical side of Events Management making sure that everything turns out well in every function.

It ws not an easy task to be a manager.I found out that some organizers would not take me seriously thinking that I am too young to be a banquet manager and that my physical appearance ( picture my small frame in a corporate suit walking up and down a function room giving orders and sometime shouting at the waiters where to position the tables and how to put on a dance floor).Sometimes, they would ask me to get the person who was in charge of set up and would always be surprised to find out that it was indeed my myself and no one else.... Hahahaha! I love the look on their faces. The first reaction would be can this girl really command the set up for the wedding? or are they sure they put this girl to be in charge of the Prime Minister's functions?

Did I care? Not at all. I just did my job the best I can. For sure there will always be those little prejudice from people (e.g. you look so small and fragile and we don't think you can handle it) but even if there are more and more taller people who get shortlisted for the higher positions and get the better stuff in life, In my short little steps, I am meaning to get there.

Oh and by the way, if you were wondering what my professor said to my classmate's question..

she said...

" Height only becomes an issue when you make it an issue. In a normal work environment, people are chosen because of their skills and qualifications and height just becomes a factor when all things are equal between two candidates. Taller people will obviously get more attention but they also have to prove more."

But then again... Reality check please....
In the Philippines alone, I recently spoke to the HR Director of the hotel I used to work in and she said they now have an unwritten requirement of height for "frontliners"( meaning staff who interact with guests).The applicants should be at least 5'5" for the ladies and 5'7" for the gents. Jeez! If I apllied now for my old job, I wouldn't even pass the unwritten requirement! tsk tsk tsk...

Posted by duke at 7/30/2005 06:13:00 PM 24 comments

July 27, 2005

dominoes

A couple of days ago husband and I had an argument over a game of dominoes. Yes... a game of dominoes! You see we have been playing dominoes and trying to outsmart each other with it and I think it is not really a good idea to put us in a game together because we are too competitive. We are so alike in so many ways when it comes to competitions. He was a non-stop annoying teaser who would come up with every smart alecky remark in the world just to take your concentration ( hehehe I need to concentrate to play this game...serious!) out of the game and I was doing the exact thing to him. At one point, for the first time in our series of game, he missed out on a chip because he was too busy talking to me and giving me the usual remarks. I started giggling and he just got so annoyed and we ended up stopping the game. Jeez! after a couple of minutes we both realized how crazy we were for fighting over such a small thing and ended up laughing about it...

Ahhhh.. one of the perks of getting married... small fights over nothing! most of the time annoying but when you look back you just can't help but laugh about it.

Well, we are done with that phase and just back on our game mode over a game of dominoes...

P.S.

He is still winning!

Posted by duke at 7/27/2005 06:37:00 PM 8 comments

July 23, 2005

On Weddings...

I like couples who have a sense of humor when it comes to their wedding. It is hard enough to arrange a wedding and go into all the details more so, add a little something to spice up the event instead of the ever so used antics that we normally see in a wedding.

Now now now... how do you make of this picture? what was in the couple's mind?

Let me read your thoughts...

Posted by duke at 7/23/2005 01:23:00 PM 26 comments

July 22, 2005

The Waiting Game

Since November of last year, I have been living on a suitcase and the worst part of it, my suitcase was full of winter clothes.I have endured my Summer in Manila cramming to buy the lightest clothes possible that I can still fit in my suitcase when I fly to Turkey. It is just here in Turkey that I started to buy some summer clothes without worrying much about my beloved suitcase. I can safely say that I have mastered the art of packing and dealing my way out of overweight baggages in the airport.

My husband just told me the best news so far. Our shipment from HK will be arriving on the 23rd! I was so ecstatic not asking which month he was referring. I was already trying to picture in my mind where to place our TV. the couch, and how to arrange or DVDs. I was also trying to remember the shoes that I so missed and the clothes that I have not seen for half a year! I was trying to picture the shape and color of our hoover and was longing to see our own kitchen utensils and gadgets! I wait for the day that there will be a knock on our flat and when I open the door, will see the faces of the men who will roll out the carpet and bring in our precious stuff. Not much of a lot that we have but I just so terribly miss them. Then husband quickly pulled me back to reality saying that the shipment might arrive on the 23rd of AUGUST! It has not even left Hong Kong yet! It will be leaving on the 29th and start its long sea voyage to Turkey and then pass through the Istanbul Customs checking and thousands of paper work before it will finally arrive at our door step. haaa.. bubble burst again.. I still have to endure the waiting game til next month but looking at the brighter side of life, it is just one more month to go! then it might arrive at my doorstep sooner than I expected.

This waiting game is always a part of our endless journeys.In Manila, I had to wait three months just to have our marriage Certificate transcribed and registered by the National Statistics Office. I had to wait one week to get my Turkish Visa. I had to wait three weeks to get my residents permit, husband has to wait one month to get his carte d'identitié, and we have to wait one month to open a bank account over here in Turkey. I have learned to be patient and just look at the brighter side of it and don't take it too seriously.At least I know I am not alone in this waiting game.My other half shares the burden of waiting for all the good news possible!

In the mean time, I just sit back, relax, and enjoy my view...

Posted by duke at 7/22/2005 07:05:00 PM 9 comments

July 21, 2005

Water System, Istanbul Style

Last Tuesday,my husband and I decided to spend his day off as tourists around the old city of Istanbul. Our agenda was to go to the Yerebatan Cistern which was a water system established Emperor Justinianus in the 6th century. This is one of the famous tourist spot here in Istanbul since it is within what I can call the 'tourist belt area' which comprises the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia, and the whole area of Sultanahmet Square. I was excited to go to this place knowing that this is one of the few surviving cisterns here in Turkey. When I was watching The Amazing Race 7 ( Congrats Uchenna and Joyce!), when the team arrived in Istanbul (Episode 9), they went to two infamous places here. One is the Binbirdireck Cistern and the other was the Rumeli Hisari Fortress. Not knowing and still trying to figure out where the Binbirdireck Cistern is, we opted to go to the Yerebatan Cistern instead.

The Cistern was a very good experience. It was just amazing to see such structure that was built 1500 years ago!We went down and the air was cool. I felt eerie being underground looking at the columns with intricate decors knwoing that this was the MWSS system of the emperor at that time ( how grand!). There is still water inside just enough to have a big pond that now is a house to hundreds of fresh water fish.

Want to see how it looks like? Scroll down... Hopefully, our next stop will be Rumeli Hisari Fortress :)

Posted by duke at 7/21/2005 03:02:00 PM 7 comments

REHAULED

Today, my blog has been officially rehauled! If you are seeing the template with the orange theme going on, then you are looking at the work of my Jeff , author of The Dubai Chronicles. I cannot say enough thanks.. :)

On the lighter note, look who as a new blog. We started out as colleagues at work in Manila and we both got married to the 2 single expat chefs at work that time! Now she is in India and I am in the land of Merhaba! Welcome to the blogging world Grasya!

Posted by duke at 7/21/2005 02:52:00 PM 6 comments

July 17, 2005

Anxiety and Stress Busters...

I was tagged by my ka-chickahan fwend Bel.

There are only two questions so I figured I will answer them. :)

What are the things you enjoy, even when no one around you want to go out and play?

I have been alone most of the time the past weeks and suddenly I developed a habit of dancing in front of the TV when watching MTV. I would normally NOT do this way back then, but now when I look at the moves of Gwen Stefani in Hollaback Girl, Shakira in her new video, La Tortura( the booby dance! hahahaha) and Missy Elliot in Lose Control, I cannot help but ( take note!) TRY follow the dance steps.

Jeez..obviously I have lots of freetime and going crazy!

stress/blood pressure/anxiety level? Make a list, post it in your journal…

1. Walking - as in speed walking close to running. When I feel stressed I just try to walk as fast as I can until I feel tired. Then I am not stressed anymore just plain tired :)

2. Reading Entertainment Stuff- as in British tabloids like Hello and OK ( the US version). The are fun to read. When I miss home, I try to read the interesting Pinoy gossips ;) but I end up doing more research about the actors and actresses since there seems to be an influx of new stars in the Philippines every month. I cannot keep up anymore!

3. Sex - I agree with Bel 101 per cent!

4. Eating Chocolates - they just make me sooooo happy!

5. A pleasant surprise - from my husband, a fellow blogger, friends.. I just can't help but smile and my heart melts like M&Ms when I get a surprise :)I am just a kid at heart...

…and then tag 5 friends and ask them to post it in theirs.
Now it's your turn... You just got tagged!

special mention to the following though...

1.Sha

2.Atty Punzi

3.Nao

4. Jaleesa

5.Tintin

Posted by duke at 7/17/2005 12:45:00 PM 7 comments

Yes I Am a Fan!

Yes I am one of the millions who hurriedly grabbed a copy of Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. A couple of days back, I was discussing with my husband how I will get hold of a copy of the book here in Istanbul. I called several book shops over here and asked if they had the English version of HP and mind you, this was quite a challenging task. First you have to research the book shops they have over here in Istanbul.Then you have to determine which of these shops sell books published in English. After, you have to know the location and contact number of their shop, and lastly, give them a call. If it is your lucky day, the person who answers the phone can speak English. If not, well you have to wait and endure being transferred from one person to another until they ask you to call back after two hours when the English speaking staff arrives.

Well well well... I am a fan and nothing will stop me in buying the book. So yes, I bought my copy yesterday and I am savoring the first one hundred page read :) I am looking forward to a magical read this week!

Posted by duke at 7/17/2005 12:26:00 PM 7 comments

July 15, 2005

The Simple Joy in Life

I am not much of a poet but sometimes I have this urge to just scribble lines that makes some artsy sense to me... so do bear the pseudo writer-cum artist ( ehem! ---> e.e. cummings fan and wannabe!) in me.

The Simple Joy in Life

the joy in little things

as I realized

starts with accepting a slice of pie

a hand reaching towards

the one

you ought to give

the biggest of them all

the pie with all the meat

and then you see that he who accepts

with a wide eyed smile

made you remember

your glee as a child

If this happiness brings you warm feelings inside!

then it's not just the pie that gave you the smile.

Posted by duke at 7/15/2005 08:23:00 PM 2 comments

July 14, 2005

Bastille Day

BASTILLE DAY

Yes I know that this is not my country.I was not even born here, I am still a true blue Pinay but I also know that this is an important day for husband dearie. For people like me who are still in the process of understanding what bastille day is all about. Please click the "Bastille Day" below the flag.. Enjoy!

Posted by duke at 7/14/2005 04:29:00 PM 4 comments

Grand Bazaar

This is the precursor to the shopping malls we have nowadays but here in Istanbul, it is stil existent together with the commercial malls. They have ar ound 4000 shops inside this bazaar. Normally,they are divided into wings or hall area where you can buy from carpets, kilims, traditional Turkish cups and teas, turkish delights, women and men's apparel, not to for get the children'straditional clothing and of course the JEWELLRY! They just have the widest range.. the shop owners would even invite you for a cup of tea while you look for the right stones to match your mood :) of course me.. I loved the tea but just looked at those jewellry ...hihihihi what a cheapskate!

Posted by duke at 7/14/2005 04:10:00 PM 6 comments

July 10, 2005

A Recurring Sickness of Mine

I am always plagued with this disease! Every country I go visit or live in I have this undeniable urge to always convert the money of that country to our battered Philippine Peso!

For Example:

In Hong Kong, buying a can of coke will cost me 10-12 HKD. Automatically I will convert them in Peso and realize that this will be between 70-80 pesos roughly. I will then think twice in buying the coke and end up buying it but feeling a little pinch in my heart and wish I was buying the can of coke in Manila.

In Paris, a can of coke costs 3-5 euros. Again I will autmatically convert it to Peso and feel bad because this will be around 200-350 pesos. How I will wish I was in Hong Kong buying the soda or better yet back in Manila.

In Istanbul, A coke will cost me between 1.50-2.00 Turkish Lira. Not the cheapest of the three so far at 60-100 Pesos and still makes me want to buy the soda in Manila!

In manila...A can of coke wil cost me 15 pesos to 30 pesos. If I am in a hotel it will be at 120 pesos.

This has always been a sickness of mine. I cannot stop converting and sometimes I end up not buying anything. My husband always laughs about it saying I should get over it and just adjust my spending mode to the currency I am using. This proved to be quite a task for me and I am still struggling with it. Little by little I try to let go and just not convert about it. Being here in Turkey helped me a bit since their currency goes by the million ( as in 1 Milyon Turkish Lira is equivalent to 1.20 USD) and I do not have all the time to count all the zeroes in the money let alone convert them in Philippine Peso.

The first time I went on my own here in Istanbul and bought something, I was so confused with the number of zeroes in the one hundred thousand,five hundred thousand, one million, five million and ten million liras that I paid via credit card for an item that costs one hudred fifty thousand liras ( roughly around 70 pesos ---> here I go again converting!).

Ahhhh... money money money...I am trying to find a cure over this habit of mine. As of now, the closest cure I have is just converting my money on hand to the nearest Euro and US Dollar and then try not to think how much it will be in Philippine Pesos because I am sure it will break my heart again to know how much it will be and how cheaper will it be in Pinas ( sigh!).

Posted by duke at 7/10/2005 04:54:00 PM 10 comments

July 05, 2005

A True Story of Karma

As I was waiting for my husband get the key from our flat, I was suddenly reminded of a story of Karma that happened last year when I was living in Hong Kong.

Husband and I are both working in the hotel industry. Back in HK we were working in two different hotels. When we get back home, we would talk about, what happened with our respective days and the "regular" guests that were notorious or just a plain pain in the a$$. One night, husband began talking about Mrs. P. She was an American woman who had been living in and out of HongKong and China and was a loyal and regular guest of the hotel . She had a daughter, Ms. P who was also her partner in her Toy ( as in children's toys) import business. Mrs. P was always mean and angry. She was very arrogant and demanding. when she enters the hotel lobby every hotel employee has to be alerted so they can be prepared with the agony of service for her. When staying in the hotel, she would demand for the almost impossible things like milk warmed at a certain degree, certain fresh fruits cut in a certain way or fried eggs that must be cook by a specific person only etc etc. She was also always in a shouting mode. Her office is nearby the hotel and normally she will just request for a cab to take her there. When the cab driver could not understand her English, she would literally kick the back of the chair of the driver and start screaming at him telling him how incompetent he was blah blah blah... The daughter, Ms. P was a mini me of the mom in every way possible. She was a practising witch in the making.
Being in the hotel industry, we had nothing else to do but still give service with a smile. No matter how unreasonable the guests are we still need to have the patience and be as porfessional as we could. The closest thing that we could vent it out is to talk about it. One dinner with hotelier friends,the topic of Mrs. P and her daughter came up. Apparently, she died in a car accident in China in November last year. Well... not really a car accident but "an accident". Mrs. P needed to go to China to check her warehouses of stock and talk to the managers of the warehouse. Being insistent and persistent as she is, she decided to fly there in the evening and meet with the managers after 6pm. From the airport, she took a cab to go to the warehouse which was in the middle of nowhere. She started asking some questions to the cab driver who naturally could not speak as good English as she has expected. Therefore, being as she is, she began yelling at the driver and doing her usual kicking of the back chair antics. The driver, getting confused and scared of her put the car to a halt in the middle of the highway and Mrs. P not looking before going down, decides to jump out of the cab. Unfortunately, there was a truck coming on and before she knew it, she was hit by the speeding truck. Suddenly, the almighty Mrs. P was dead. The frantic cab driver, left her dead in the middle of the street and the younger Ms. P learned the news of her death a couple of days after. She was flown to HK and then the U.S. and Ms. P is now the one managing the Toy business.

I never imagined this would happen to Mrs. P. No matter how bad and mean she was I never wished her death but I guess for some people this was a story of Karma....

Posted by duke at 7/05/2005 06:59:00 PM 9 comments

July 01, 2005

My New Baby!

duke 014
Originally uploaded by suncatcherph.

My husband gave me a fabulous birthday present today.Meet my new baby :)
I was not expecting to have an Ipod even if I was drooling over it everytime I see it but then, not I have it.. yipppeeee!

Another year, another birthday.. I have nothing else to ask for. I am just happy with what I have in my life at the moment.

Je suis tres tres contente! Merci mon bébé!

Here's to more years of living and learning life! Santé!

Posted by duke at 7/01/2005 03:32:00 PM 13 comments

Confessions of an Expat's Wife