Exploring Philippines' Neighbors - Phnom Penh/Bangkok Day 5

We had a flight to catch at the Phnom Penh airport to Bangkok at around 5pm.

The bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was six hours. We left Phnom Penh around 7am via Mekong Express.

We had lunch at Phnom Penh and for convenience, the nearest food stop we found was KFC. Our KFC chicken back in the Philippines was better, I might say;) The meals they served were localized such that they served a sunny side up egg and what we call in the Philippines achara.

After lunch, we had to go find some money changer as we needed dollars. We had extra VNDs but we needed USD to pay for some airport terminal fees.

We were able to find one and where there also abound tuktuk drivers. We got one tuktuk that took us the airport. We were like two hours early for our flight. But there was nothing much to do in Phnom Penh that day as it was raining.

We already did the web check in so we got on a different lane. Actually either we took the normal or web check in, it didn't really matter. The line on the normal lane wasn't that bad. We flew in with AirAsia, Asia's budget airline. :) Without AirAsia, we don't know how this cross-country trip was going to be such a breeze!

At the airport, we took the opportunity to use their public PC with internet connection. We desperately wanted to get in touch with Philippine news as we had received messages of the typhoon that hit the country. And we were worried of another Ondoy-like flood that would hit Manila.

So we read then of the sea surge in Manila and how it devastated Roxas Blvd, the US embassy and Sofitel Hotel. No news of flooding in our area though. But the wind during the storm was really like no other that a billboard in Buendia fell on top of a car. Good thing no one was hurt.

We calmed a bit...and it was now time to board. Another feeling of excitement came as we will be setting foot on a new country. We were also excited to see our dear friend who is now based in Bangkok.

The flight was approximately 1 hour. We arrived on time. Thailand's international airport was really nice. Now I know why this country would beat us on the number of tourists. Our NAIA 1 is way below the international standards for airports.

Our friend picked us up at the airport. And brought us to where we would stay for two nights - in his service apartment. :) Very kind of him.

He took care of our dinner at this posh Thai restaurant near his place. Oh good food~ I so love Thai food - pad thai and tom yum!

After such a hearty Thai feast, we had to withdraw some money. I took out about 10k THB. THB is higher in value than PHP but not so high like USD.

Then I had to get myself a Thai sim card for us to easily contact our dear friend. He was not coming to join us in any of our trips as he had work. So in case we get lost, it would be easy to call him or vice versa.

We then got back to his place and had a good rest.


Next - Day 6 - Khao San Road, Grand Palace, Wat Pho, shopping...

CIMA!!!

I am still reeling with happiness when I got the email that I passed both E1 and E2 CIMA papers today!

Never mind my scores... I passed!! And that is all I want! I thank the Lord Almighty for helping me get through the exams, the long nights of studying and reviewing.

This victory is soooo sweet! Why?

I only applied for two days study leave for the main exams.

I was always working late in the office thus not giving me much time to study.

I had so many pressing issues at work.

I took my MTA travelling in Saigon, Cambodia, Thailand while others spent theirs studying. But on my MTA, I took the revision cards with me and read them on the bus and on the plane. I got this tip from the CIMA emails I received for people who don't have enough time for reviews to use every little free time you got.

But when I look back at how I managed my time and how I studied, and the pressures I experienced, I can say that three things helped me:

Persistence and perseverance - despite not being given much ample time to study, I found ways to study / review - on the way to work, even at work - relating the experience at work to what I studied and vice versa. It was about finding ways to connect E1 and E2 to real life experiences. I persevered studying after work when I got home even if it was sooo late...even into the wee hours of the morning.

Working on past exam papers and revision questions - It wasn't just about memorizing but truly understanding the past exam papers. Repeating and repeating to answer them on my own until I get the correct answers.

Lots of prayers...:) from me and from my family and friends. :)) Thank you all. Thank you, God. May you continually guide me as I take the next exam...

2012 ---- I declare and claim this to be a better Year!!!

I am better off at declaring my new year plans earlier this time as I already have my own laptop! I got this April last year. And I hope Toshiwei (my Toshiba laptop) and I will be together longer.

Today is the 1st of January, the 1st of 2012. And here my 2012 plans and wishes:


Career
I hope this is my time. I hope I get the promotion! And most importantly I hope I get the best pay rise that I could wish for. :)) I have been with the company for 4 years now and I feel that these 4 years have been very productive and I have made my contributions to the company. I deserve the promotion! :))

If I get it, I will stay with the team. If I had failed as a supervisor last year, I would like to make up for it. I want to hone my leadership skills and as part of that objective I got myself a mentor. She is a young VP in the company. I don't know her personally but she has truly achieved a lot in her young age.

If I don't get it. I see no point staying with the same team. I will request to be moved to some other team and learn something new, some new area of the bank. It will be another set of skills and I am pretty sure it will benefit me when I decide to move out of here.

I still would like to continue my CIMA. I hope I get the good news this January that I passed both exams I took last November.

Family
I still pray for good health in the family. I hope father's business will go well. I want to be able to spend more time with my family this year.

I want to make it happen for mom's trip to the US. I know she wants to see her brothers and just see America. It was her youthful dream.

I'll make it a point to go back home to Cebu once every quarter.

Spiritual / Prayer
I want to make it a point to read the gospel everyday. And I promise that every time I wake up I say a prayer of thanks.

And before I go to sleep, I will again say a prayer of thanks whatever may have happened during the day.

Travels
More travels this year! I set my eyes on Indonesia, China, Singapore and South Korea, and yes the USA. Only the Indonesia trip is a sureball. The others I am not making any hard plans yet. If I get a US trip, I will not make any other international trips. For domestic travels, I plan to go to La Union to try surfing, Sagada / Banaue Rice Terraces, Davao for good food and Samal island.

Financial
I aim to invest in short-term investments or time deposits, just to get a better interest than the normal bank deposits.

I already purchased another insurance-investment to augment what I needed for the future. My two insurances will end this year.

I will still maintain my low cost of living. My lifestyle will not change dramatically. If there is an indulgence I will take this year, it will be the US trip and getting a gym membership.

If things will go well towards the end of the year, I will buy a condo unit in Metro Manila.

Charity
I will continue my present contributions to charity. And I will increase that by becoming a World Vision sponsor. I will sponsor one child.

Health
I aim to lose weight. To do that, I will go back to running and badminton.
I will minimize my consumption of fast food, meat and rice. More vegetables and fish this year!

Relationships
I want to increase my network at work and outside work. Build new friends and increase the bond with my relatives. And then yes the love life...well, I will keep to myself my plans, strategies, and tactics for this...

And so those are my New Year's "Resolutions". God bless them. And I stay positive - I will be able to keep them. They will happen! 2012 I just love you!

Happy New Year!!!

Looking Back...2011...

Today is the first day of the new year, 2012. But before I declare my plans for the new year, let me look back to 2011 and reminisce the memories...

I can say that 2011 has been a very good year. It is this year that I actually felt for the first time in my life, or in my working life that I was financially in control. It was the first time that I felt that I was earning enough. =) And for the first time, at the end of this year, I had at least PHP100k in my bank account.

I got an OK pay rise but not the promotion. Oh well, it wasn't just time.

If I earned OK then, I also faced a lot of challenges at work - working so long hours, managing relationships with teammates and bosses. It was the first time in a long time that I felt very very stressed. I felt that there was just too much work and there was not enough time to finish them. It was also the first time that I managed a group of people. It isn't easy. But it's very challenging...It would be one of my goals this 2012 - to manage my team with ease and get this team to be best team there is at work.

2011 saw a lot of travels for me - domestic and international. And much of these are with my friend and housemate.

March, we went to Donsol, Sorsogon and swam with the butandings! This trip made me realize more that the Philippines has just so much to offer. Donsol was a favorite among foreigners especially those who love the sea!

It was also in March, when my family - mom, siss, cousins and auntie went to Baguio. The first time I had travelled with relatives with this number.

May, my Bisdak family went for an overnight stay to Nagsasa cove, Zambales. Another memorable trip for the Bisdaks!

June, my housemates went on a weekend trip to the north - Laoag, Vigan, Pagudpud. As it was a rainy month, the rain didn't miss us too.

August, I went to Tokyo, Japan!!! It was my first time to visit the land of the rising sun. I was sent on a training held at the Tokyo office. Aside from those facts, I got to see my very good friend Felimar and her son who is my godson. It was a truly memorable trip.

September, the month of our Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand trip! This was Jecel and I's longest leisure trip outside the country. Three countries in 9 days! Oh I just love looking at the stamps on my passport! =) Travel truly enriches a person. And that is why I love it so much!

November, we travelled south to Mindanao - Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin Island, Bukidnon. It's also very fun-filled trip. I especially liked the river rafting in CDO and the half day trip to Bukidnon. I took a side trip to Cebu to be at my first pamangkin's baptism. Cid Jacob you are sooo adorable! I wish I will have one like you!

My career also got a little boost. I was appointed supervisor of a team of five. But I also faced a lot of challenges, and some intrigues along the way, quite a number of conflicts too. Though not the heavy and noisy ones...but this year is my most stressful year. I've never felt this much pressure at work in my entire life. Well what do you expect for a first timer at managing a small team. But I am not giving up. I have just started. 2012 watch out!

Mid of the year, I decided to avail of my company's education sponsorship. I decided to take CIMA. It wasn't all that easy. It felt like taking that difficult road when I took the CPA board exams. I took the two tests last November and the results are coming out in January. Oh I so hope I passed both!

If I look at what I had planned at the start of the year, I would say that I failed in the health area. I didn't run and walk as much as I planned. I didn't eat a lot of healthy food. I gained so much weight such that some of my old clothes I find it hard to fit in. So 2012, I am serious about losing weight and going back to running.

One of the other things I failed at was getting a LOVE LIFE! I am a sucker in this area. I am like other hopeless romantics who believes that love comes to those who wait. Well, I just waited...and it didn't come...I forgot that it's not going to happen if I just sit and wait...Alright, I'm going to make it really happen in 2012!

This year also I felt my family was very blessed. My younger sister got married in July. She had her first baby in November. And my parents had their first grandchild. Baby Cid Jacob is now giving so much joy to the family. My dad also got his business started in the trucking industry. My brother John moved to Singapore to try his luck and he did get a job in less than a month. There were no hospitalizations. I didn't get really sick. I visited Maxicare clinic only once this year.

If I were to describe 2011 in one word it would be blessed. So much blessings came to me. And I just can't stop thanking the Almighty God.

I am truly grateful for everything I received this year. I am happy that things fell into place. The Universe truly conspired. I declare and claim 2012 will even be better. =)

Exploring Philippines' Neighbors - Angkor Wat Day 4

When we got off the bus, a lot of tuktuk drivers approached us offering us either a ride to our hostel, or help us find a place to stay.

We needed a place to stay for the night!

As the downtown area was really flooded the best place to stay was outside it. The tuktuk drivers took us to the first option. I cannot remember the name of the place. But it seemed an abandoned hotel and we found it very creepy. So we requested to take us to another place.

Our Indonesian friends are only staying for one night and will be leaving after the Angkor Wat visit to head back to Vietnam. They are taking the sleeper bus. Jecel and I had a flight to catch to Bangkok the day after as well. We stayed for 2 nights.

The hotel was a cheap hotel but nevertheless it was okay for it's price. It also had free wifi. Hotel's name is Angkor Saphir. Now this time, it's not spooky.

We contracted two tuktuk drivers for our Angkor Wat day tour. It took a while to get the desired rate as the drivers were trying to price it high. But Tiyo knows very well the price and he doesn't give in to the price set by these drivers.

Time to take some sleep and be ready for the Angkor Wat tour later in the morning! It was past 2am already...

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011


The tuktuk drivers were just there to transport us to/from the temples. We didn't have a guided tour so it was all up to us. We also didn't have a guide book. What a way to explore the place...

We started with the main Angkor Wat but first we had to get our one-day pass worth USD20.

As the Angkor Wat is always teeming with tourists, so are vendors trying to sell you souvenirs and other stuffs like hats. It was a really hot day then and we thought about buying hats. And suddenly all the girls selling hats were swarming around us! We were trying to bargain and good thing we did get a bargain but not without so much efforts.

Sliced from Wikipedia:

Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត) is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building.[1] The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "City Temple"; Angkor is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagar (नगर), Thai, Nakon, meaning capital or city. Wat is the Khmer word which comes from Sanskrit word "Vastu". Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok (Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit), after the posthumous title of its founder, Suryavarman II.[2]

After exploring the mighty Angkor Wat, we did Angkor Thom. According to Wikipedia:

Angkor Thom (Khmer: អង្គរធំ; literally: "Great City"), located in present day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north.
Angkor Thom was established as the capital of Jayavarman VII's empire, and was the centre of his massive building programme. One inscription found in the city refers to Jayavarman as the groom and the city as his bride. (Higham, 121)
Angkor Thom seems not to be the first Khmer capital on the site, however. Yasodharapura, dating from three centuries earlier, was centred slightly further northwest, and Angkor Thom overlapped parts of it. The most notable earlier temples within the city are the former state temple of Baphuon, and Phimeanakas, which was incorporated into the Royal Palace. The Khmers did not draw any clear distinctions between Angkor Thom and Yashodharapura: even in the fourteenth century an inscription used the earlier name. (Higham 138) The name of Angkor Thom — great city — was in use from the 16th century.


The last temple we visited was the one where Angelina Jolie shot Tomb Raider.

Ta Prohm (Khmer: ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara (in Khmer: រាជវិហារ). Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.

It was truly a fun-filled day and boy was I glad that we met those Indonesians. They were blessings in disguise. Had we not met them, Angkor Wat was never going to happen on this Southeast Asian Tour.