Noel & Via

At the risk of exposing my geeky-ness, I am listing down my wish list for this Christmas:

1. Airport Express - because we need to share our DSL, swapping cables can get tiring.
2. iPod Mini - even with the iPod photo out, I still prefer this one in silver.
3. iTrip mini - an accessory to the iPod mini so that I don't need to bring all my CDs in the car.
4. Massive Change by Bruce Mau - Design is changing the world, massively.
5. Fossil Watch designed by Philippe Starck (this or this) - my other black watch is getting old :)

Posted by Noel at 05:27 AM | Permalink

I don't know about you guys but I recently observed that having an upset stomach for me means triggering all the other things I'm upset about. Added neuroses, probably also an effect of all the holiday madness that can get rather overwhelming.

The big question that's been pressing on my mind and which a lot of you have been asking me was greatly persistent this morning: "Will I go back to work? What do I plan to do next year?" I was hoping to have a clearer picture by this time, although there are a lot of ideas and plans, there is a struggle to contribute financially. And I'm not really sure where to begin...

Posted by Via at 02:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last year we came home from Italy right in the middle of the holiday season. The 2 weeks we stayed here went fast. We had socials almost every day. In fact one day was so packed with events (around 4 or 5 meetings with friends) that I did a case study on it for interaction design!

I was thinking that this December would be different since we arrived way in advance and get to see our old friends before the holiday rush. I was wrong: homecoming party, christmas bazaars, birthdays, stag party, wedding, family lunches and dinners, occasional visiting friends, us visiting friends, errands and me trying to get some freelance design jobs. OH MY!

Whew! Although I get really tired and cranky sometimes because I am one who would prefer to stay at home and work on my designs, I see this as a good thing. Via mentioned that we should be glad that we feel the need to be with those people, that means we are loved by a lot. Honestly, I can't really imagine just staying home alone and not having anything on the agenda during the holidays.

Posted by Noel at 05:14 AM | Permalink

I got this idea from Suzette. What's on your wish list? :)
1. Frost Dial by Fossil

2. Falling in Love perfume (at the Beauty Bar)

3. Philosophy 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner & body wash (at the Beauty Bar)

Posted by Via at 03:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Three nights ago, Noel and I began attending what is customary here in the Philippines when preparing for Christmas- the midnight Mass or Simbang Gabi. (Although it actually starts at 4am, but recently, our University Ateneo also started the tradition at the more convenient time which is 830 in the evening)

Noel and I were extremely grumpy on our first attempt at the 4am schedule. (I went to bed at 2am as I was catching up with our old friend RJ) and Noel was out with the rest of the boys and was home just in time for Mass! We dragged ourselves silly and took turns leaning on one another so as not to fall down from sleepiness. Though it did not escape our eyes the way some people were bundled up (mostly children) on what to us was a rather warm early morning. (I don't think we would have felt this way had the Ivrean winter not toughened us up a bit the year before)

Our second Mass that same night was more meaningful- especially since it was at the University that Noel and I both attended. So many good memories for us there. And the energy is really different. People really sing and spirits are high in spite of the crisis our nation is in. Vendors await the churchgoers outside and one has his or her pick of churros con chocolate courtesy of Dulcinea, donuts or local Christmas-time delicacies like bibingka (a type of egg/flour cake cooked over hot coals) and puto bumbong (a heavier, stickier variety made mainly of rice) These booths are right in front of an open field where students chatter and laugh among themselves. Noel and I were slightly reminiscent of the huge gardens in Munich.

There's just nothing like Christmas in the Philippines. We are so glad to be back here and really wish the friends we made back in Ivrea and Munich could pay us a visit and get to know the Philippines we love.

Posted by Via at 03:16 PM | Permalink

Barely awake I rush my car to the service center before 7am to give it a preventive maintenance servicing. I walk to the nearest Seatle's Best Coffee to avail of their wireless service. And as I walk through the corridors of Eastwood City buildings, I am transported into a different timezone. Its rush hour here at 7am which can be compared to the same people traffic in Makati (our central business district) at lunch time. I can only deduce that there was a change in 'shift'. Eastwood City, if you may not know, has the most concentration of callcenters within a 2 meter radius here in manila.

Lots of young fresh grads and casually clothed men and women rushing through to get to work. Others just hanging out at the building steps like they were still in college. The relatively new coffee place Gloria Jean's is full of people sitting around and chatting. One out of three people are wearing ID straps around their necks indicating which callcenter they come from (out of the dozens there.)

Just as I was thinking that I would have nothing in common with these people, I bump into an old schoolmate. "O! Kamusta? Saan ka?" (How are you? Where you at?) my friend asks. I reply by saying I was having my car fixed. He says, "Ah.. akala ko callcenter ka rin" (I thought you worked in a callcenter too.) "No. No. No." I replied in somwhat of a disgust, being unpolite but too late to correct myself. I then asked if where he was working. At least he seemed to be better dressed then the others, indicating that he was a shift manager or someone more important.

Posted by Noel at 12:48 AM | Permalink

I am sitting joyfully now enjoying WiFi at a coffee shop in Alabang. I have chosen to take the afternoon off from the bazaar. No, I'm not leaving Via alone, her partner Michelle came in today to help man the booth.

The bazaar took out a lot from both of us. Imagine sitting down on a monobloc chair in a cramped space with over 500 other stalls around you fighting for the next sale for 12 hours. It didn't help that the sun decided to come out after a major typhoon. The tents we are in keep the heat inside so having an electric fan beside us doesn't help. I feel tired just thinking about it.

Later I have to pick Via up for dinner and then we pack up at around 9pm.

Posted by Noel at 08:34 AM | Permalink

Tomorrow we will be having our first major bazaar at St. James Parish, Cuenca St. in Alabang. Please join us there. Here are our schedules:

DEC 4-5, St. James, Cuenca St.,
Ayala Alabang
9am- 9pm

DEC 10, Ateneo Bellarmine Field
12nn - 11pm

DEC 11-12, Christ The King Parish, Greenmeadows
9am-9pm

Posted by Via at 06:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday we had a dry run at setting up a booth at the iBank Bazaar. Unfortunately because of the heavy wind and rain, the bazaar was cancelled so we had to pack our bags and go home early to a 2 hour traffic jam.

Although it wasn't a complete waste of time, we had fun and actually got to sell some stuff. Now I hope that Tomorrow's bazaar at Alabang's St. James Parish won't get rained as well. Please visit us, our booth is called blauorange.

Posted by Noel at 06:07 AM | Permalink

When Via and I were in Europe and met people of different nationalities, we would often be asked if we studied in the US or if we were American. They noticed American-sounding accents or at least the way we spoke reminded them of Americans. Even our words and expressions were American. Definitely not the British English that they were used to.

I never thought of it that way before. I personally never thought I had an American accent. And neither did Via. But coming back home I realized that Filipinos do speak in US English. I hear it everywhere, even some speak with a twang, most specially kids.

What is happening? Have we lost our identity completely? Our minds have already been colonized, now even our tongues?

I blame it on ONE: our educational system which was made and patterned after the US one. TWO: Our TV programs and movies. All of which come mostly from the States. Kids have too much Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. THREE: The influx of call centers in Manila. Not only are they trained to answer with an american accent, they are also supposed to con people into thinking that they ARE Americans.

Posted by Noel at 07:12 AM | Permalink