Warszawa!

Warsaw Pact, Warsaw Convention and the Treaty of Warsaw - I just came to know this Polish city from what I used to study during my High School World History Class.

But, I finally came to see and know the city first-hand. I flew in to Warsaw last Tuesday afternoon with some colleagues for the bi-annual technical seminar for our Consulting and Integrating Team. As expected, the flight was delayed and we landed in Poland at 10:30 in the evening. After about 10 minutes of waiting for the blanked-faced Immigration Officer to encode whatever information he found in my passport in his computer and finally approved my entry, we were off to Westin Warsaw , the venue of the seminar.

Palace of Culture and Science - previously known as Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science but was changed at the wake of destalinization.

The foggy view of Warsaw from my hotel window

Jana Pawla II - one of the prime avenues in the heart of Warsaw's business district

The seminar was very informative and an ideal means for knowledge cycle to enable engineers to share and re-use experiences on respective projects thus developing our knowledge. There were three streams with simultaneous sessions and one can choose subjects or topics he/she wants to attend. More interestingly, I got to meet colleagues that I’ve been working with in previous projects and met new ones as well. The whole attendance came from all over Western Europe.

On Wednesday evening, we were brought to a traditional Polish dinner and dance. The restaurant was about 45-minute coach ride from the hotel and located at the outskirts of the city. It was a totally new experience for me as the venue has a barn-like theme with traditional Polish band playing wearing their national costume. It was more like a visit to the past and I truly enjoyed it. Food was delicious and mouth-watering and vodka was overflowing. I just fell in love with their warm wine with a fruity flavour and served in an old-fashioned mug. After dinner, I, together with 20 others, had an attempt of their traditional barn dance with a folk music played by the live band and it involved a caller who instructed the dancers in their dancing. It was pure fun but exhausting with all the jumping and kicking. It seemed that I burned up all my dinner with just a 10-minute dancing. Then the old Polish games went in full swing with lots of cool prizes.

The main entrance of the "barn" where the buffet of authentic Polish dishes and overflowing vodka greeted the guests.

Parlor Game: old-fashioned Polish ski race? It's not as easy as it seems.

Colleagues enjoying the Polish music and dance

With the seminar taking the whole day the next day and the sun setting down quite early, I didn’t have enough time to look around the tourist spots and the shopping centers. But immediately after the closing of the sessions, I grabbed my jacket and ask for the assistance of the hotel attendant to hail a taxi for me and I was off to Warsaw’s Old Town or Stare Miasto. The Old Town was established in the 13th Century and is impressive with its quaint cobblestone streets and unique old architecture. The center of the area is the Old Town Market Square with all the traditional Polish restaurants, cafes and shops. Walking alone around the town gave me a poignant impression of the place on how the Poles survived the German Nazi and Soviet Union invasion. I would have loved to walk further if not for the biting cold. So, after buying some souvenirs and managed to conversed with the limited English of the taxi driver, I was on my way to a modern shopping mall close to the hotel.

Here are some "night" images:

The Royal Castle or Zamek Królewski - the official residence of the Polish Monarchs located at the entrance of the Old Town.

Supposedly, that's the Zygmunt's Column. But the kind gentleman whom i asked the favor of taking my photo just didn't bother taking a shot of the whole monument....just a whole body shot of the pretty lady. hehe!!!

Indeed three days is too short to spend in Warsaw. Given another opportunity, I would gladly go back and get to know more about Poland and its friendly people.

Counting the Days

I’ve been on my tamad mode lately. Maybe, it has something to with the weather that I just want to do nothing and lie down on my bed all day. The days had been rapidly getting shorter and the nights longer and cooler. Things in the office had somehow slowed down a bit that I still can afford to do my latest thing: literally counting the days towards my homecoming.

It’s just less than a month to go and I will board the plane and fly off to Manila. Thinking about it sends shivering feeling in my spine. That’s how excited I am!!! I just can’t wait when I can finally get my hands on even the last parts of organizing our BIG DAY.

Good thing that one heavy burden was eased off my shoulder just before going home. I took my Driving Theory Test last week and thank God, I passed it. I really prepared hard for that exam since I heard from Filipino friends out here that one should really study as it won’t come easy if you are not familiar or doesn’t know what to expect. I just can’t imagine having my holidays back home and still think and study for that exam. At least, it’ll just be practical exam that I’ll take care when I come back in January.

Surely, I am having my bouts with loneliness now that my parents have gone back home. But God is good; He is keeping me occupied for the whole month that I’ll be on my own again. I have a scheduled trip somewhere (and alas! colder!!!) next week and will be away for a number of days. And this, too, is something that is adding to my excitement.

I am just overly excited. I hope things will turn out perfectly and by the way…I just looked up my calendar and it’s just 23 days before I go home. Hehe!!!

Shops & etc.

Recently, despite the sluggish weather, we’ve been up and about going from place to place looking out for big discount sales as my mother did her pasalubong shopping. They are flying back home at the end of this month and that means I’ll be left on my own again. Sigh!

For that particular weekend, first on the list was the famed shopping center of London and Europe’s largest High Street – the Oxford Street. We managed to buy a few items for my dear sisters and some autumn and winter clothes for me despite the elbow-to-elbow crowd. People from all sorts of races seemed to gather out there to shop and you’ll experience assortment of races, colors, sizes, languages and well…odors. Haha!

As I was scouting around for some favors and souvenirs for my BIG DAY, we went to Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill which is popular for its antique shops. Finding nothing that suits our theme, we checked out the Covent Garden which is in the heart of London’s West End. It is famous for its fashionable shops and boutiques, street performers, bars, restaurants, theatres and the Royal Opera House. The whole setting reminded me of Greenhills tiangge. They have stalls that sell a whole variety of products which was most like the ones you can find back home. Luckily, Crabtree and Evelyn has a boutique inside and it was there I perfectly found the things I was looking for all these time.

Here are some images taken along the way:

Autumn in London

Nanay and Tatay with London's Red Telephone Box and Red Double-Decker Bus

Evita...shown in one of London's West End theatres...and traffic jam - London style

Same old me in a whole new world...

Covent Garden Market with people watching....

....Street Performers

Ancestor? hehe! a British Liberal Statesman. I'm more interested in the name than in the figure. hehe!

The Wrath of Milenyo

I saw the pictures of the damages Milenyo has brought and I felt a different kind of gloominess. Gone are the familiar sights that had been home for me for the past five years. Shattered houses, establishments and billboards; uprooted trees and light posts, upturned vans and other vehicles; the many lost lives – God help us!

I pray for the restoration of our electric and water supplies, homes, lives and faith to bounce back after a great calamity.

“Through the storm, through the night, lead us into the light. Take our hands, precious Lord, lead us home”

Here Comes Autumn

Lately, the weather is making it extra hard for me to wake up in the morning. It has started to get cold especially at the start of the day and towards the evening. It has also started to get dark as early as half past six in the evening. And of course, there are the frequent rains, fog and strong winds that remind me of the suspended school days back when I was still in school (read: bagyo. hehe!). There’s a certain crisp smell in the air brought about by the fallen dried leaves. A combination of greens, oranges, yellows and sometimes burgundies entertains my sight.

Yeah! Indeed, autumn is here. My very first autumn and I can’t wait to fully enjoy its splendour when all the leaves have fallen and I can walk over them and hear their crushing sound. That’s what I’ve always dreamed of doing eversince. Just about a week ago, I kept my summer beddings and linens and put out my duvet. It’s just so comforting to curl inside it and let my body enjoy the warmth.

But then behind the excitement and anticipation for the coming of a new season, I am also beginning to feel a little homesick. Weird! Just when it will be over a month before my homecoming, I am feeling these pangs of missing dear Pinas. Maybe, it has something to do with my parents going home at the end of this month and I’ll be left all alone here again. Maybe, it’s because of the onset of the Christmas Season for us Pinoys and I just can’t feel it from here. Maybe, I’m just overly excited. There’s a lot for me to look forward to and I can’t wait to spend time with my family back in Bacolod, spending time with Zach and our friends and of course…the BIG event!!!

Oh! Autumn is here…and I’ll be coming home before it will end.