Work-Life Balance

People talk about work life balance all the time but what does it really mean?  I left the office tonight at 8pm and this has been a normal time for me since I started working in Manila.  I wake up at 6:30am and have my giant hotel breakfast around 7:30am, and arrive at the office around 8am or a little pass that.  I usually work non-stop until I remind myself that I need to take a break, or I will stop around lunch time.  After lunch, it's more work until at least 6pm.  Half of the time that I have been in Manila, the work hours stretch into 7pm and 8pm.  There were several 9pms and one night that almost ended at midnight in the office.  Today, when I left at 8pm, I felt balanced.

Not having Jim, cats, or parents in Manila has made working the focal point of my life.  Unlike the previous job, even though the work hours were shorter, it was definitely less balanced.  In the past, I had to rush to and from the office through traffic on highway 50, I had to make it to the happy hours, I had to run errands, and I had to deal with all the administrative issues on my own at work.  The shorter hours did not translate into a less stressful lifestyle, there was always a lot more waiting for me to do and never enough time.  Working in Manila with no commute, I don't have to worry about transportation and traffic. Food is so accessible and affordable that I can cook when I feel like it and eat out when I need to spice up my evenings.  With no family around, I have very little to worry about other than my tummy and my happiness.

When the focus of ones life changes from one to the another, can the concept of work-life balance also change?  Is it healthy now that I am spending so much time at work according to the work-life philosophy?  Does long hours during workweek coupled with exciting trips on the weekend qualify as balance?  Being content on a day-to-day basis with one's work and personal life, is this the definition of work-life balance?

Boracay

Jim was in town for about ten days and we visited Boracay during the low season.. The trip was only about an hour and half away from Manila, but the difference was unmistakable.  The plane flew over the white sand beach and the clear blue ocean before it landed in Caticlan Boracay Airport.  On the Boracay island, we stayed for 4 days and 3 nights, we fed our tummies and roasted our skins!

Boracay is famous for its amazing clear oceans and powdery white sand beach.  The legend is that during the hot sunny summer days, the white sand will remain cool to the touch instead of melting into silicon chips.  What I thought was amazing about Boracay is how many different kind of people the island accommodates and entertains.  There are amazing corals and oceanic creatures for divers.  There is ocean breeze for the wind surfers and para-skiers.  The white sand and calm waves make perfect toys to entertain children.  Party goers have sections of the beach for loud music and cheap drinks and families have quiet sections of the beach for wholesome family gatherings.

I guess Jim and I must be the eating and drinking type.  Jim and I sat by the beach to people watch and lounged on beach chairs whenever the weather permitted.  We quenched our thirst by drinking local beers and kalamansi soda.  When feeding time comes around, we went into town for seafood and other interesting venues such as the Hobbit House and Obama Grill.  And the smartest thing that we did was diving when the rain started!

Boracay was tons of fun and I highly recommend it to anyone who visit the Philippines!  Boracay really opened my eyes of how beautiful Philippines is, I think I will explore the country more than I originally anticipated!!!

Party Time!

Back in the US, whenever we throw a party, the preparation and the cleaning will take two days and the party will be a whole day itself.  In Manila, the preparation is done by the helpers and the clean up is also done by the helpers.  The temptation to share a great meal, have friends over, or just enjoy a simple dinner at home becomes  attainable.   Each weekend, there seems to be an endless supply of things to do.  A party somewhere to attend, a get together to celebrate a special occasion, and an excuse to eat tons of food and amazing deserts. 

Since I arrived, besides from looking at properties, I attended parties at different homes.  Mid-autumn festivals for the Chinese families, mid-autumn festival for 'foreigners', weekend family get together parties,  newbie happy hour invites, and welcome to Manila lunches and/or dinners.  Every weekend, I roll back to the hotel stuffed and spoiled by all kinds of party food, try to remember the names of people whom I have met, and search in my memory for where I have been...  Was it Green Hills? What is the name of that restaurant in Mikati? I thought  that person worked in the same company as me? 

It's common to receive two to four invitations for parties over a weekend for an special event.  And it is also conceivable that after a weekend of partying, a massage session is required to get ready for the weekdays.  I am going to try not to go that far, but Manila is definitely a town for those who enjoy entertaining and those who enjoy being entertained! 

1st Month

Work has occupied most of my weekdays and weekends for the past 4 weeks and finally I get a breather.  This is the first weekend that I relaxed and enjoyed the City and the lifestyle!

Friday night started out with some tsimis (gossip) with Marly at the hotel lounge.  We listened to live music, drank our P500 ($10) free flowing wine, and chatted up the girl next to our table.  We met again for our weekend breakfast with a slight headache.  

My schedule suddenly opened up due to rescheduling so I headed to Podium for lunch, a movie, then a bookstore.  I found Julius Caesar for P30 and another English book for P50.  All told, P80, less than $2!  Since Caesar was so thin, I figured I'd start the book with some Golden Spoon yogurt P120 (more than the great work by Shakespeare of course!)  By the time I left the mall, Caesar was killed and by the time my agent came to get me at the hotel, my $1 book was almost over...

After a whole day of relaxation and house hunting, what do I need?  A nice long two hour massage, perhaps? 

I drifted into sleep early and woke up energized and determined to not confuse my activities and be at every place on time despite Manila traffic.  Cheryl picked me up at lunch and we visited Gale's house on the Wack-Wack golf course.  I have never seen a house so resort-ish in my life!  The house was featured on a magazine!  The chef cooked amazing Japanese food and I was surrounded by this amazing, happy, and big family!  Before the family game started for the mid-autumn festival, I was hauled over to see more properties in the area.  

Then, it was dinner at Sharon and Kevin's place.  The house had high ceilings, decorated with simple, elegant, natural art pieces and furniture.  "This is what I am looking for!" I told the host and hostess.  The dinner with Sharon and Kevin's friends were fun, easy-going, and delicious!  How I miss the sound of sizzling pans, aroma filled kitchens, and dinner conversations with friends!

Manila has treated me well so far after the first month.  It's been challenging, exciting, stressful, fun, and interesting!  I'm  cautiously optimistic that I will really enjoy this City!