Complete Happines

Notice

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:11:13 GMT

Two days ago, I finally got the notice - that I am one of the casualties of my current company's so-called "workforce-reduction".

I have mixed emotions with the news since even before this retrenchment thingy, I have been wanting to go back home. It thrills me every time I'd imagine Charisse in our place, wearing his 2 piece and floater. And knowing that at home, she'd have lot of kids to play with, aside from having her grandpa and grandma, cousins, titos, and titas surrounding her. Thinking about this makes me smile even if the thought is only in my head. But then, half of me doesn't want to part with whubby, definitely not want to take hubby and daughter apart again :(

As of current, hubby and I have agreed to my suggestion that if I don't find a job until end of this month, yaya, baby and I will be flying back home on May; I'll be coming back alone once our Permanent Residency application is approved, then baby and yaya will be joining us once I have started working again here. Sounds like a good plan to me.

Ultimately, His will be done.

Optimism

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:44:16 GMT

Tis the company's second day of exercising workforce reduction; they are currently reducing contractors like me. As of today, no one from the team I belong to are given any bad news [yet?]. But most of my friends are either only until end of this month or the next month. So sad; even the unexpected were retrenched. For one, I know a colleague who's been with the company for more or less two years. I never thought that it would be possible for her to be one of the casualties. There is also one, who worked 16 hours almost everyday but still get the axe. Clearly, the so called workforce reduction is not based on ones merit. So sad, really sad.

As for me, I let God be. He knows what's best for me, and for my family. When I was looking for a job, I know that He put me in this company. If He take me out of the company, I know that there would be a better one in store for me :)

Spared

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:13:26 GMT

I am speechless on the turn of events of my life. Indeed, God has been taking care of me, of my family. I was here September last year, when recession is starting to be felt. I started with my current company mid of November, while some people are starting to be laid off. I was geared up to be a developer, but became a tester instead. My eyes closed, I accepted the job; mostly because of the pay and the location. After two months on the job, while also being very vocal to the PM about my willingness to do anything no matter how small a programming task is, I became a developer again. Looking back, I was told and even discouraged by my interviewer that I would not pass the screening for developer post. And then, when I was offered the new role, I was assured that when my work is below the manager's expectation, I can still go back to my previous post - what better deal could there be? At present, after another two months, the company is unexpectedly cutting cost; and they are not only removing 1 or 2, but tens. And I am thanking God that I am NOT one of those.

Happy (Chinese/ Lunar) New Year!

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:50:38 GMT

Few weeks before CNY, there was a rumour in the office that the company is giving ang paos during the new year as a tradition. Yesterday, I had not one, but two ang paos! Mr Highest Position was distributing gold AND red ang paos to everyone. The gold one is from the company while the red one is from himself, he said. It was the first time that I receive ang pao and I was really very thrilled and happy about it.

One of my officemates also whispered that the company also hires for a lion dance every year. Can't wait to see that too!

3 for 10 (Part II)

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:13:44 GMT

Hubby and I went back at the store after a week, not surprisingly, the 3 for 10 section is still there. As usual, maniquins are wearing nice blouses, and I was hoping I could double my luck. Unfortunately, the items in the 3 for 10 area weren't as nice as before, I didn't like a single dress or blouse in it. To my dismay, I went out of the store empty handed and sad...

I know I sound pathetic, or cheap... but, I really find joy whenever I find good items in a-really-too-good-to-be-true-but-is-really-true deal -- cos for me, they are rare and very hard to find.

3 for 10

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:50:56 GMT

Hubby and I went to Heartland Mall yesterday for groceries and left the mall with extra baggage. The mall's 2nd floor consists of signature brand's 40%, 50%, and even 70% off of their clothing items' price, but in its corner is where we found the greatest deal ever, and I'm so proud of it! :D

In one of the mall's corner, we found a store that displays attractive office attires (at least for my eyes) worn by maniquins. A rack beside this fashionable wooden white ladies are blouses of different styles and sizes, priced at 3 pieces for 10 dollars! Hehehe, yup, I grab 3 nice blouses and pay them for only 10 dollars ;) I gave 1 of them to my daughter's nanny, and I can't wait to wear my 2 new blouses. So happy!

Warning: Technical Stuff

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:18:18 GMT

There are only few times that I write about technical stuff, and tonight is one of those. I am recently reunited with eclipse ide and it feels like I am starting to re-learn how to walk again, cause by a disease.

Below is a very short setup for a start, with a need to cross-reference to either or both hibernate and derby tutorials which is available from their respective websites :D

Eclipse 3.4.1 + Hibernate 3.3.1 + Apache Derby 10.4.2.0

SETUP

Hibernate:
Download hibernate distribution from its website; aside from the hibernate.jar file, add the jar files found in <hibernate_unzip_dir>/lib/required folder in your classpath.

slf4j-log12.jar and log4j.jar will also be needed.

Apache Derby: (Pre-requisite - DB is already setup)
I only met Mr. Derby few days ago, and I'm sure you'll learn more about his history if you'd ask Mr. Google. Trust me, it will be useful in the future when Mr. Hibernate's how-to mention its relative databases but him.

Download apache derby distribution from its website. Add either derby.jar (EmbeddedDriver) or derbyclient.jar (ClientDriver) to your classpath.

Eclipse:
Now we are ready to unite hibernate and derby through our trusty Eclipse.

Following hibernate tutorial, modify your hibernate.cfg.xml to:


<property name="connection.driver_class">org.apache.derby.jdbc.ClientDriver</property>
<property name="connection.url">jdbc:derby://localhost:1527/<mydb></property>
....

<property name="dialect">org.hibernate.dialect.DerbyDialect</property>

Create your POJO class and its hibernate mapping file (<MyClass>.hbm.xml). Add this class to your hibernate configuration file:

<mapping resource="package/MyClass.hbm.xml"/>

Startup your database and test that hibernate and derby are working through a simple HQL, e.g List result = session.createCriteria(MyClass.class).list();

At Times Like These

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:22:42 GMT

It's only a day after Christmas and already, I think the spirit has left me; disregarding the usually happy holiday completely by feeling this way, tonight. I am very disappointed again, to whom, I don't know yet. I feel that this new environment is giving me another personality though I am yet to prove.

I must admit, and I am admitting it only now, that 8 months of being apart started it all. After a heart to heart talk nearly a couple of weeks ago, I thought I felt that my happiness is coming back to me again. That I am feeling contented to where I am now. But my impatience took the better of me again, if only he texted me 30mins before my text was sent; if only he was back home a little earlier, then tonight might have been different, and my feelings would be a lot better.

Don't know if it is a right on my part to restrict him, treat him like as if I have a Cinderella of a man. He is, afterall, still a man who enjoyed his youth to the fullest - mostly outside the house - and is some times still seeking the old days (hope not the old ways though). I don't like myself also for being very restrictive.

Office Funnies

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:13:25 GMT

It's my first time to work outside of my homeland, and exactly 1 month ago when I started to. In celebration of my 1 month working in a foreign country, let me share my funny experiences in the office, all related to communication problems.

Since this is a multi-cultural country, and english is not the main language here, I am sometimes having a hard time understanding english accent I am not used to.

D-F - we were talking about a defect
Officemate 1: "Do you have D-F open?"
ME: "D-F? What is that?"
Officemate 1: "D-F, D-F. Where did you install it?"
ME: "Are you looking for the application? It's already open, here (clicking the application)"
Officemate 1: "Oh, so your F is open..."
ME: thinking...
ME: "Oh, you mean "the app" (app is pronounced as ep, literally pronounced "di ep")

2 File - talking about another defect
Officemate 1: "Please export the file in 2 File"
ME: "Huh? Why do you need two files?"
Officemate 1: "No, 2 File, 2 File. 2 Five"
ME: "Ahhhhhhhhhh, two point five!!!" (the version to export it to)

BUNNY - I initiated about one of daughter's favorite show from Playhouse Disney, the bunnytown.
ME: "She also like the bunny thing, forgot the title of the show, is it bunnytown?"
Officemate 1: "Oh, you mean the big one, the purple one?"
ME: "Huh?" (Think for few secs)
ME: " Do you mean the dinosaur?"
Officemate 1: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, that one"
ME: "Oh, you mean BARNEY!"

First Salary

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:58:53 GMT

Got my first hard earned dollars last Saturday and already, I have spent part of it. Was so happy with it

The first fifty dollars were spent through NETS, bought gifts for Christmas, etc at one of the biggest supermarket here, Carrefour. The next hundred and seventy nine went for Charisse's overdue high chair bought @ Kiddy Palace.

Funny that on the time that I am earning "more", is also when I feel spending less. Before, I'll spend 600 - 800 pesos for a shirt, while here, I will pay no more than 20 dollars and already, I find that very expensive. Finding a good 5 dollar shirt is a treasure. Back then, I bought Charisse a fisher price toy (educational phone) worth 1.5k+ pesos while in here, I'll think twice if the toy's price is more than 40 dollars. Still, I don't get the logic of it all, maybe it's the perception that everything that is tagged in dollars is more expensive than in peso :D it still doesn't make sense to me and yet, I know I'd still continue with this mentality that although 1kg of cotton = 1kg of metal, I'd still pick less of metal :D

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Was supposed to be writing about my hard earned dollars few hours earlier (yes, I'm officially a dollar earner now, har har har) but I was distracted about the Marky Cielo news that I heard about only today. It's sad and surprising and very untimely.