Another new thing on my list now is to attend a real estate broker review seminar and eventually pass the board exam to become a licensed real estate broker.  This would actually coincide with the real estate website project that I am venturing into the next few months.  Wish me luck!

Here’s a month by month rundown of what happened to us.

December: We arrived at the airport in the morning and was picked up by my Mom and uncle. Since we had an apartment ready for us we were able to move in same day. Later on, we got in touch again with the Dutch IT business guy we met last September. We then met other Dutch expats on several occasions. We spent some days also in a beach resort in La Union and attended his company’s Christmas party. Christmas and New Year was just spent quietly at home with my Mom.

January: Our stuff arrived and I took care of handling the government paperwork involved with tax and duty free exemption. We spent a weekend in Baguio and stayed at The Manor.

February: We started employing part time live out househelp. Possible contract with Dutch client shows up in the horizon. We started scouting for office space and ended up renting one next to our apartment building.

March: The Manila Offshoring Office opens with 5 new people on the team! Work commenced immediately after furniture and all pc’s arrived. MrC’s Dad and business partner visits from the Netherlands and is there for the Office Blessing. MrC becomes a godfather (ninong) for the first time! We also spent 4 days in Kyoto in celebration of both our birthdays this month.

April: Visited The Netherlands for 3 Weeks at the height of spring. We stayed in a house near the Keukenhof. It’s very beautiful out there but we realized driving back and forth to the place takes too much time! We were so happy to be back home — in the Philippines where it is warm, sunny and never boring!

May: Started looking for a .Net developer. Interviewed several good candidates but with no luck in hiring. Took a short but relaxing break in a resort in Subic. After coming back from that trip, we bought a new car, (a gorgeous red SUV) after a few days and suffered from buyer’s remorse shortly after that (the remorseful feeling lasted only a few minutes).

Life here has been quite good and we are thankful for our blessings. We were also able to hire a driver through MrC’s Dutch local business associate.

June: I registered as a voter in Mandaluyong. Then, we decided that it’s finally time to leave our “very convenient” but small and smoky nest near EDSA for a more spacious house a bit farther from the noise and pollution of the the CBD’s. We started house hunting once again. Another reason also is that the Office has had so many issues / problems that we could not anymore overlook. We also realized that the Building Management is hard to work with.

July: We continued looking for places but had no luck in finding one. We kept ourselves positive in spite of the frustrations. MrC also had to go back to the Netherlands for a few weeks and I chose to stay here (bad idea for me).

August: Just as soon as we were almost giving up we found the house that we wanted finally! Also, our newly found .Net Developer started working for us. He was actually applying for Linux Admin position and we were just lucky to find out he is also a good .NET developer as well. Indeed we are lucky! Or should we say it was all meant to be Also, we started applying for MrC’s permanent residency.

September: We moved to our new place! Later on, we endured days of storm and flood (Ondoy). We are so thankful that our house was not flooded. We were so glad we didn’t end up renting some of the houses we saw in Pasig which were all now flooded. Our Pioneer office was damaged by this storm but this allowed us to discontinue our lease. We then started looking for a new office (again!). Total number of people in our team is now 8 not including me and MrC.

October : Our ties at Pioneer is totally severed as I turned over the keys to our landlord and also moved all our office belongings to our new office in Ortigas. We had another trip again out of the country but this time it was different for me. I first went to Amsterdam and stayed for 5 days then took another flight to Newark and stayed there also for 5 days. There I stayed at my old friends place in NJ and Pennsylvania. I also went there primarily to keep my drivers license current. After that I spent 7 happy days with my family in Canada. I left Canada with tears in my eyes

November to present: I spent a few weeks away from the office also to recover from the trip and get myself back in the current time zone. I spent the past few days being responsible for furnishing the house. That involves a lot of painful visits to the mall, a hardship I tried to endure I also by the way, completed a SQLServer Analytical Services training course somewhere in Makati. In the next few days I hope to be busy with my usual IT Work again and have a more organized home before the New Year starts. Our house now has a beautiful Christmas Lantern which I bought near our place. It costs 900 pesos.

Now that the smoke (storms and floods ) has cleared, and I am a bit relaxed with my computer in my “climate controlled” 25 Celsius bedroom overlooking our charming front yard I can share what has happened the past few days.
We finally moved most of our belongings mid-September right before Ondoy hit Metro Manila.  We have paid for an extension in the condo up to beginning of October so we don’t get stressed out so much. This proved to be a good idea since furniture deliveries and utility connections were not as fast as we would like them.

Internet Providers

However, our DSL was an exception. I decided to get two different Internet Service Providers this time. First, I ordered the 999 basic broadband cable package from Destiny / Solid Broadband, then after that I also talked to Bayantel to install a 1600 something plan. Solid Broadband came first, however, they did not have an active line so they had to schedule us for maintenance which came after some days.  Bayantel’s phone guys came within 2 days and the DSL the day after and all.    As of now, I would say we are happier with our Bayantel DSL than with this crappy Destiny cable “Broadband” internet.  Destiny’s cable is so slow I can’t even watch streaming videos without a pause every 2 seconds.  Bayantel’s DSL is pretty good, at first I didn’t get the 1.2Mbps but after calling customer service they were able to quickly correct it.  I was almost “scammed” though by their technician who offered me an under the table deal to get a faster connection at a lower price using a user ID he provides for a certain fee. Nevertheless, I did not let myself fall into his scheming ways by trying to make a phone call immediately to rectify the situation.  He asked me not to tell anyone though about this.  Well sorry but I just had a little case of slip of the tongue. ;P

We bought several stuff from SM and Ace Hardware: appliances, futon and whatnot.  Everytime we get asked “do you have an Advantage card Ma’am?”.   Oh well, looking back I should have just paid 150 pesos for this card after having spent so much money at SM stores since December last year.  Well now it’s too late so sorry — I don’t want an Advantage Card and please could you please not ask me one more time if I have it?

The House

We are very very lucky to have chosen this house.  On the 26th of September, as we all know a LOT of rain fell in Metro Manila which brought devastation through flooding in many places.  We are so happy to find out that our house is flood-proof!  The whole street was also flood proof.  Our landlady, who happens to live in the US arrived last week and is now personally supervising renovation of the backyard.  When we rented it, the backyard was a “ditch” for lack of a better word.  Now it’s being cemented and landscaped.  She also accepted our requests among other things like higher gate, and a covered carport.  There are also minor repairs indoors which would hopefully be done in a few days.  We couldn’t ask for more now.  We even have a little kitten now which was found by our driver’s kid.  MrC fed the kitten until now with milk and it’s much much stronger now than when we first found it.   The cat is now indoors in the sunroom but later on it will have to get used to living outdoors.

Household help

Our driver’s family has moved in with us.  They have a toddler and I guess some of the quirks of having a child around the house goes with the package.  The wife of the driver does our household stuff and occasionally cooks for us.  We have initially told them the first month is a trial for both of us.   Let’s see how it goes. However, last week their shack back in Pasig was flooded severely and is still submerged.  In order to get to their house they had to hire a boat so you get the picture.  I guess they don’t miss their house at all.  Back here, they have a safe and dry place with their own CR, good running water, Cable TV, fan, and refrigerator.  I heard news that they still have family stuck there who can’t go to work because of the flood and needing food.  I am thankful I was able to send some goods to them last Sunday through our driver.

The Office

The condo is gone.  I have turned in the keys on the 2nd of October.  The Office is still there though, but in bad condition.  During the storm, a lot of the ceiling dripped and eventually fell apart!  we took a lot of pictures and showed it to the landlord.  Because of this we were able to strengthen our case and was able to get back our checks and break the lease.  We have been looking for a new place the past few days.  There’s a new one under negotiations and it’s a nice bigger place at the heart of Ortigas Center.  We plan to move there as soon as possible!

We had one more guy that started working for us just last week and another one signed up too and will start working soon.  So now all in all there’s 9 of them!

Everything is happening so fast these days I can’t anymore cope up with the stories.   I hope to be able find ways to relax so I can write.  You know, not unlike MrC I can’t just sit and write without some mental conditioning.  Ok, ok, maybe I am just lazy.  Sorry for this – I hope people are still reading this blog.

Oh and another good news is that MrC got his Permanent Residency approved and passport stamped last week!

Next week two new programmers are starting and another one next month. Also, we will be moving to “The House” on Tuesday. Probably this weekend we will shop for furniture. The driver and his family are staying there with us on a trial basis. So we still have to see how things evolve there.
MrC and I are both looking forward to relaxing weekends in the porch and doing some gardening. Finally we will be able to start our very own vegetable garden.

On the office front, the airconditioner’s compressor was broken today and had to be fixed by our own technician. The owner of the office we are renting will be sending his technician tomorrow. It has been very unreliable the past few months. Hopefully, this would be resolved soon. On the other hand, the programmers are also getting a memory and video card upgrade on their PC’s plus an extra large monitor!

Earlier, I was planning on a trip to the US and Europe but it looks like we have to postpone this as September to October is a very busy month — also to my family abroad. We are submitting MrC’s Philippine permanent residency application this week.

We arrived on the first week of December last year and moved in directly to our two bedroom apartment in Mandaluyong my mom found for us.  We reconnected with the people we met during our first trip.  We visited my relatives over in Cebu and attended a wedding and also my relatives in Quezon City.  We were also invited to a company Christmas party by the beach by the Dutch businessman we met in September who eventually provided us with a lot of hospitality during our stay here.  Later on, our personal effects arrived here but we had to wrestle and play phone tag with the customs brokers to get it all done.  In the end, we spent a great deal of money and trips to North harbor just get it delivered right into our apartment.  We got them all now.

We started getting Globe broadband internet at home after one week of waiting.  Meanwhile, I was still unsure of what I am supposed to do here.  It was a confusing time for me.  My feelings about our move here were still mixed.  I explored various options.  At the same time I also considered it my Sabbatical.

In January, we visited Baguio.  The weather was perfect.  I explored the city a bit was impressed by the amount of parks that are still there and well maintained.  However, the city somehow lost its “charm” and “magic” that I had in my childhood memories of summer visits with my family.  Maybe part of it is the worsening air pollution and the scent of pine was not anymore there.   The pine trees are definitely much much less now than 25 years ago.

For my birthday, we also visited Kyoto for a long weekend.

A few more days .. and then next thing you know, we were at the brink of a major business deal with MrC’s clients.  And in a few days, we spent time, looking for office spaces and finalizing our deal with the Dutch businessman who would later provide us with our first team here of programmers.  We had our official office blessing in March and MrC’s father and business partner came all the way from Amsterdam to visit us.  I am glad that during this time, my role in the company is now more clearly defined.

I spent a great deal of time with MrC’s father showing him various places here in Metro Manila.  We also had a big adventure right at the crater of Taal volcano.  That was indeed something we wouldn’t forget.  We also went to Subic and drove through the scenic SCTEX highway.  I tell you, that 30 minute stretch of highway westward to Subic has beautiful scenery both sides of the highway that would rival any scenic highway in the world.  I am not exaggerating.  I am very much convinced that the Philippines is really BEAUTIFUL and BLESSED with natural wonders.  There are many places that one still has to discover.  And also, that Philippines IS NOT MANILA.  Many people outright judge our country by what they see in Manila but Manila is just its major city and but a speck compared to many other places in the Philippines.   Our decision to stay in Manila is really mostly driven by business alone .

For example when I was  in Santorini, Greece in 2006,  I thought  .. hmm.. why do I have this feeling that I have seen this before. Think Taal volcano.  Also, Subic or SBMA is also quite nice, it is somewhat like “Little America”.  I think this is worthy of its own blog entry.

In April, we traveled back to Amsterdam.  According to MrC, it was just a business trip.  He was right.  We were never relaxed and rested there.  We had to go and see people, and in between work.  At least I was able to spend few days in London by myself!  But during this whole 3 week stay my feelings about the Philippines have been more clear.  I want to be back here, in the Philippines and life in the Netherlands is certainly over for both of us.  MrC shared the same sentiment.  I also realize how nice and easy our life here now compared to there.  Ok, we admit, we got spoiled here.  We have someone coming over here once a week to cook delicious food for us and on other days we have someone come over and do housecleaning.  Our laundry is also picked up and delivered to us.   All for much much less than what we pay our cleaning lady in Amsterdam who comes 3x a week (combined).   We go out and have dinner or lunch as much as we want but we still prefer our homecooked meals most of the time anyways.  The amount we pay for an Indonesian or Chinese takeout in Amsterdam will buy both of us a meal at a fine dining restaurant here.  A 5 star hotel buffet costs the same or less as a Wok buffet in Hoofddorp.  A movie theater ticket costs 2 Euros.  And I haven’t told you yet about the pirated DVD’s … hehe.. that’s a secret!

I’ve been working almost daily now since we came back. We work Dutch time which means between 2pm to 11pm.  It wasn’t hard after coming back from Amsterdam due to the jet lag.

And by the way, we had a nice dinner with our team a few weeks ago and we commend them for their outstanding work.  Our clients are very happy and pleasantly surprised at how we are pro-actively dealing with their issues.  Business is good then.   MrC is working really hard and it’s getting to be too much for him — I could see it.  It’s time that we take a break so we stayed in a nice resort in Subic by the bay just doing NOTHING.  However, going back  It’s kind of getting hard again for me to work late nights.

This week, we finally gave in and purchased a brand new car.  We also hired a driver, who was referred by our business partner.  We know the guy already coz he also drove us before using our Dutch business partner’s car.  He’s probably starting next week. Geez.. if this is a dream I don’t wanna wake up

We are definitely relieved to be back here once more! I don’t know, it just feels so good to be back home .

* Desks have been ordered
* Computers have arrived
* Office Chairs have arrived
* Planning for the next 6 weeks (until the end of April)
* Preparing the team and making sure they understand the existing system
* Systems and infrastructure organization

MrC is busy and under pressure to say the least.  He works from 9:30 am to 2 am, almost non-stop (except when he eats or is sitting in the taxi). But at the end of April we expect that when everything is running smoothly there is little need to be totally hands-on.

Several issues come to our attention: The aircon in our office is leaking (!!), so the owner was there to fix it.   However when I checked out the office there was no sign of them there.  I am still trying to contact them as of now. Her phone seems to be not working or able to accept calls.

Monday we will start probably in the small office of our business partner nearby, because we do not have internet yet. The provider Globe lost our application and carrier PLDT is still checking out the building in order to see whether they have available lines.

But despite the pressure, we are happy to see that in just 1 and a half month we were able to setup the team of 5 from the ground up, found and leased an office and ordered all the trimmings. That is indeed something!

The office we found is right next to where we live now, as in our commute would  consist of going down the elevator walking over a few steps, opening a door to the other building, taking another elevator over the 8th floor! This is quite nice indeed.  The contracts have been signed and deals made so probably by next week we could be looking into starting work in the new office.   The space we got is 89 sqm and fully fitted with airconditioner and huge pantry and private common toilet.  As of now, we already have 1 team lead and will be interviewing 3 programmers over the next few days.  MrC foresees hiring more for additional projects over the summer.

Also, the next few days will be spent looking for furniture and other necessary stuff for “The Office”.