• Life Lately

    A Week Before the Quarantine

    March 15, 2020

    March 9 (Monday)

    COVID-19 is spreading quickly. My cousin informed us about the community quarantine. I do not know where the details are coming from. He advised us to buy supplies worth a few weeks. I did not mind at first. But there is nothing wrong if I am going to stock up on food and essentials.

    I scanned my pantry and cleared out anything past its expiration.

    March 10 (Tuesday)

    I got up early. I made a rundown of what is left in my pantry and what to add. I rushed to the office as usual. I even stayed a little longer.

    March 11 (Wednesday)

    I have learned that the virus is sensitive to temperature. I am not really worried about COVID-19. We will make it.

    I booked a one-way trip going home on Holy Week. And check out the bag I have been eyeing lately. I am hitting two birds in one stone.

    March 12 (Thursday)

    PRRD addressed the public about COVID-19. He announced that NCR will be placed under community quarantine effective March 15. And will last until April 12. I talked to a few of my colleagues about my plans for going home. I really wanted to go back.

    March 13 (Friday)

    After work, I did a quick round in the supermarket. I bought a few essentials. People are panic buying, causing long queues in the supermarket. Alcohol, face masks, thermometers, and disinfectants flew off the shelves. There is a lot more to prepare than hoard alcohol and face masks.

    I ordered a few essentials through LazMart. Stocking up on dry goods: cup noodles, coffee, cereal, and canned goods.

    I have been informed that BOSH Training this Saturday is canceled.

    March 14 (Saturday)

    I dropped by 7-Eleven to buy breakfast, instant noodles, and a liter of juice. As usual, I hurried to work. Our team had a quick meeting about the quarantine. We are going to work by group. I have decided not to go home anymore.

    I later went to the bank to pay my apartment rent and went to the grocery to buy some more essentials, maximizing it only to 10 items. No, I am not panicking, really.

    March 15 (Sunday)

    I decided to clean my unit, change to clean sheets, and do the laundry. I wanted to go back to the grocery store to get a few more items, but I decided not to do that.

    I started to watch the “Kingdom.”

    How was your week before quarantine?

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  • Life Lately

    About Me

    January 8, 2020

    I have a hard time introducing myself. I do not know why words and phrases do not fall out of my head and onto my screen. Maybe because I am afraid to admit that I am nobody or shy to discover something about myself. I know I am sometimes shy and timid. This is how I often describe myself.

    I stalked the “About me” pages of bloggers I know. And I began to think about what to write in mine. After a few revisions, I have come up with the typical one, Hey there.

    Hey there! I am Nikka Shem. I am a graduate of Electronics and Communications Engineering from Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, currently employed as a System and Application Engineer. Work has kept me busy nowadays, but I see that I spend a lot more time traveling and staying in touch with my friends and family. I am a Monday hater but a weekend and holiday lover.

    About My Blog

    I started blogging in 2003. Unfortunately, when I moved to the city, I stopped. I cannot find time for my blogging. But writing my daily activity is my passion. It has gone through many incarnations and remained there for a long time.

    NikkaShem.com is a room for my thoughts, my opinions, my experiences, my travels, and my life.

    This blog is my outlet – a distraction from the real world. I hope to contribute information through my misadventures and adventures, my wanderings, and my stories.

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  • Life Lately

    My 2020 Goals

    January 1, 2020

    Every single year, I always have the same goal- to make this year better than the last. Year after year, I start to think of the changes, start to look back and see how far I have come.

    Here is my goal for the new year.

    Take Control of Money

    When it comes to money, you know me. Despite the best efforts I have made to pay off debts, I have accumulated more. I am slowly taking one step at a time, tracking and planning everything to get in order again. Getting debt under control is stressful, but it is going to be worth it in the end.

    Get Fit and be Healthier

    Losing weight is never an easy task to do. I made it almost 55kg once, but it bounced back a couple of years later. Being healthy is good enough for this year than to lose weight.

    Tackle Time Management

    I cannot deny the fact that I am always late on my deadlines. It is my worst trait. I wanted to improve my performance at work, get all the work done ahead of schedule without overwhelming myself.

    Write More

    My blog has taken a bit of a backseat. I have no more excuses since I got myself a laptop and a reliable internet connection. It is just time to sit down and put my thoughts into words.

    Work on Becoming a Morning Person

    I am not a morning person. I hate to wake up on the alarm. My goal here is to wake up early enough to get into workouts before work.

    We cannot always do things that we enjoy. I love to travel and to shop. As much as I want, engaging in these activities makes me spend what I do not have. Instead, engage in activities that seem to fuel people’s minds.

    There are lot of things I have been trying to do in the past years that I have not done. I am going to make time this year and get over one by one.

    Cut out soda

    I am planning to cut it entirely for 2020. This may be simple, but I drink a lot.

    Life is an exciting ride, celebrate little successes, and get back on track when you stumble.

    What are your goals this 2020?

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  • Life Lately,  Random

    Things I Miss About Working at Pagecom

    April 1, 2019

    One day, I caught myself smiling. Out of the blue, I realized something was missing. A part of me was missing. I miss hanging out and working with fun and bubbly people. I miss talking about non-sense stories. It has been ten years since I left, but the memories remain. I miss you guys!

    There are still many things I miss about working at Pagecom, but I narrowed it down to ten.

    Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, and Dinner

    You name it. I got to enjoy my work because of food. Kuya (I can not remember his name) cooked and served the best food. My favorites were Pork Sinigang and Sinampalukang Manok, to name a few. Aside from that, management loved to order pizza.

    Hard work should be rewarded with good food-Ken Follett.

    Long Birthday Celebrations

    I am not exaggerating it. Seriously, we celebrated my birthday for about a month, though we took turns buying ice cream and snacks. We celebrated Herlene’s for a month, too.

    Training Center

    The Documentation Team was housed in the Training Center, a kilometer away from the office. I do not know why we moved there. We were suddenly instructed to pack our things. And TADA, to our haven. More quiet time for the Documentation Team.

    Show me the money

    Angela choreographed our dance number for our Christmas Party presentation. In two weeks of practice, I learned more about my colleagues: our differences, strengths, and weaknesses. Unfortunately, I was not able to perform that day because we had to attend a meeting outside the office.

    Staying Late

    The longest time I worked was 72 hours, with only 4 hours of sleep. Work was stressful in those days. There is no time for social life and love life. Hello there, eye bags and pimples.

    Work Load

    Our team had to finish around 63 projects in 3 days. I can not imagine how we (Leanne, Herlene, and I) managed our time. Can you imagine how overworked we were?

    Photoshoots, Picture Taking

    When the bosses were away, even when the bosses weren’t away.

    Site Visits

    Going out of town is really fun with these people. Photo ops before heading to the site.

    Super Bubbly and energetic staff

    I got to enjoy work because of the people around me… my co-workers Sir Jo, Sir Beddie, Reyner, Leanne, Herlene, Menerissa, Maricar, Kaizel, to name a few. Without them around, I would not have lasted about a year. I was blessed with excellent and trustworthy colleagues.

    Out of Office Bonding

    This is what I really miss. Even if we have hectic schedules and lots of workloads in the office, we never fail to miss Friday and Saturday after work. Up to now, we have found time to see each other once in a while. Right, Herlene and Leanne?

    So what do you (or would you) miss most about working at your previous company?

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  • Life Lately,  Random

    Things I Miss About Working at Site

    April 15, 2018

    There are so many things about working in an office that are fabulously great. But, believe it or not, working at site is really far different. And I made a lot of adjustments just to fit in and not to be bored and sleepy at my new work environment.

    The list of things I miss about working at site is long and varied. I narrowed it down to make it lesser.

    Working Hours

    At site, our working hour starts from 7am and ends at 4pm. Lunch break is from 11:30am to 1pm. We opted to have 90 minutes lunch break instead of the 15 minutes break in the morning, 1 hour lunch break and another 15 minutes break in the afternoon. This is to maximize time working at site and to have a longer time to snooze or do our thing in the noon. Time flies fast at site. You would not notice it when you are at site and with amazing people.

    Morning Routines

    Toolbox prayer, toolbox exercise and toolbox meeting were our early morning routine at site. We cannot start a day working without it except when it is raining. It was always a fun-filled toolbox exercise at site because of the energetic skilled workers dancing at the stage, some gracefully and some off beat. You also would not mind doing the off beat exercise.

    Lunch Break

    I came to realize that I had the best lunches at site. Nobody eats alone at site, we eat together. Most of the time, we contribute an amount to buy for everybody’s lunch. Sr. Pedro chicken, Baliuag Lechon Manok, Hypermarket Roasted Chicken were among our favorites plus ice cream, pizza and a lot more to add. Boodle Fight was so far the most memorable lunch I had at site.

    Loud music

    Everybody loves loud music plus the off-tone singing and off-beat dancing. This would always remind me of stressful day at work. No one minds the loud volume as long as we know the song and we can carry the tune.

    Gossips and Conversations

    This one is a never-ending. Gossips of yesterday is the same as today. Everyone loves to bring back those we had a year ago. I came to realize that men gossip also. And they are the best and sometimes worst gossipers. Though, I learned a lot from them.

    Gray Uniform and Rugged Pants

    I comfortably wear my gray uniform at site. Before, I would not mind seen in rugged/cargo pants as long as I am comfortable wearing those.

    Moving Out

    We moved out several times. I recorded 12 times since Phase 1 of Solaire Resorts and Casino. Imagine the packing and repacking, mobilizing and demobilizing for 12 times in a span of almost 4 years. I began to get used to it. I am no longer a newbie.

    Thanks to the supply of green, and chamomile tea and sandwich spreads in the morning. The perks of working at Solaire includes this. Thanks to Noel and Ryan.

    Plans

    To which, we quoted as “Forever Plans”. It takes 2-3 persons to make it happen. If these 2-3 persons wanted it to happen, most likely it will happen. An example to this is our Enchanted Kingdom plan. After a year of thorough planning.. we made it finally.

    But what I really, really miss about working at site? It is not the light work load I had, not the printer next to me, nor the scanner or the internet connection, but

    The Team

    We had the amazing team back there… staff and workers. I can guarantee that. I would not be doing this list if I do not miss them this much. Writing about it makes me feel proud about what we are now and what we have become. We may not see each other very often, but keep in mind that I am just a Messenger away.

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