Of Demiquats, Job Reviews and Old Friends...

Here come the Demiquats!
It is the last weekday before the city of Boston is thrown into chaos because of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Everyone expects the city to be at a standstill next week. The site of the DNC is but a few minutes walk from where my office is and a ten-minute drive from where I live, so we expect the democrats to descend upon us like ants on a candybar. Traffic will be horrendous as many roads near to the convention center will be closed and there will be spot checks on all the trains if you are carrying a bag that is bigger than the prescribed size. A lot of offices have closed for the entire week, telecommuting or doing flexi-time, hospitals are postponing elective surgeries, emergency cases and transport of patients are to be done by boat as they expect the city to be in a gridlock. I expect our offices and the financial district to be a ghost town next week. A lot of people have taken vacations or are working from home. I opted not to take any vacation days as I am saving it up for a couple of trips we have planned for November and January 2005. Besides, with the amount of people gone from work, there will be less interruptions and more things accomplished.

Half-year Review
I had my half-year review yesterday. It went pretty well as both my boss and I affirmed that we generally enjoy working together in spite of the few run-ins we have had due to his temper. My reviews usually go well but I still hate having them. Having someone assess your skills one by one can be nerve-wracking. It ended with him handing me a gift for my birthday before he went on his six-week vacation. It was a great surprise because I did not think he even knew that my birthday was coming. But trust my boss to keep you on your toes. He may fly off the handle more than usual, but he has such a good and generous heart.

Another Old Friend
Today, I found another old friend. Thank God for the internet, the world is a much smaller place than it used to be. I 'googled' her and found her blog ( http://www.pinayexpat.net ). It seems to be really popular among Filipino expatriates in Europe. She has a very well designed site and her postings are really quite entertaining. I didn't expect anything less from a fellow UP graduate. Heheh!

We met when I was working for a Swiss trading firm in the Philippines and needed an Assistant. She was the top choice at the onset. Her resume was tops, her personality winning, confidence oozing, and needless to say I was partial to her because she was from UP. :) We worked very closely so we got to know each other pretty well. We became confidantes despite the short time we spent together. When I resigned to prepare to leave for the US, she filled my position. We lost touch soon after that. Today, we managed to catch up and we were giggling like schoolgirls. There are people that I just really click with without having to try. She is definitely one of them, no matter how "mataray" she can be! Hubby and I now have a standing invitation to visit Frankfurt. And if we come during winter, she said we could hit the slopes of the Italian or Austrian Alps together. That would be fun!