Tuesday, November 21, 2006
What happened before the internet era?
This morning, it caused a lot of distress from people who were looking forward to work on a Monday morning, only to find out that there was no network or internet available on our floor. Did we become so dependent on the internet all of a sudden that no work seem to be possible when all communication means to clients/partners are inside our mailbox? Or when the pages that I was supposed to develop and finalize by the end of the day were all in a remote server based in Canada, thus the need for a network?
This lasted the whole morning until we could not take it anymore and decided to go for our usual early lunch at 12noon. After a great meal and strong coffee, it was such a relief to finally hit our computer screens for what could be a more productive week.
This made me realize though how much I have become so dependent on the internet the past years. How much of our daily work/tasks both at work and at home are managed through the internet nowadays? I’ve said my piece of how much of my day to day work is focused on publishing pages and receiving feedback from the different units involved. I do online banking/payments, online shopping, online ticket reservations (which reminds me to better print my ticket to Prague already in case the network goes down again), and further more. Not to mention the different communication tools I use to connect back to my family: email, msn messenger, flickr, blogger, etc.
Then goes the question…. How did we all survive during the pre-internet era? Do we actually manage to do more things than before or actually waste more time on unnecessary things since we think we are increasing our available time? Is knowledge being spread around faster or is it just cluttering the world wide web of information?
There are pros and cons to it, and I guess it all boils down to the right balance. Internet does make our work faster, but doesn’t mean our lives has to pass by that fast as well. With that few hours I just got to sit back and reflect on the things I had to work on with my work and my life. Some paper work were processed, a call made to hear a nice music, a week planned perfectly to maximize the time for work to be done but also for a life to be lived in Paris.
This lasted the whole morning until we could not take it anymore and decided to go for our usual early lunch at 12noon. After a great meal and strong coffee, it was such a relief to finally hit our computer screens for what could be a more productive week.
This made me realize though how much I have become so dependent on the internet the past years. How much of our daily work/tasks both at work and at home are managed through the internet nowadays? I’ve said my piece of how much of my day to day work is focused on publishing pages and receiving feedback from the different units involved. I do online banking/payments, online shopping, online ticket reservations (which reminds me to better print my ticket to Prague already in case the network goes down again), and further more. Not to mention the different communication tools I use to connect back to my family: email, msn messenger, flickr, blogger, etc.
Then goes the question…. How did we all survive during the pre-internet era? Do we actually manage to do more things than before or actually waste more time on unnecessary things since we think we are increasing our available time? Is knowledge being spread around faster or is it just cluttering the world wide web of information?
There are pros and cons to it, and I guess it all boils down to the right balance. Internet does make our work faster, but doesn’t mean our lives has to pass by that fast as well. With that few hours I just got to sit back and reflect on the things I had to work on with my work and my life. Some paper work were processed, a call made to hear a nice music, a week planned perfectly to maximize the time for work to be done but also for a life to be lived in Paris.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Parking in Paris
"bumper to bumper"
"cheeks to cheeks"
"gentle nudges"
Interesting to observe how finding parking space in Paris would be considered a skill that people can be proud of here. It’s not just the space, but the ability to fit in that tiny, little space.
A slight kiss at the bumper; gentle nudges; slight shoves at the front and back;
People don’t really mind to have a few scratches in their car. Not unless you have your chauffer waiting for you, this is just the way it is. Well, I love my metro and bus lines anyways... :)
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Thank God it was Friday!!!
I turned a year “younger” last Friday and the celebrations went on for the whole weekend. Plus if you count that Philippines is 7 hours ahead, the birthday greetings were coming in as early as November 2, 5pm Paris time. So it was a special weekend celebration with the details you'll find below.
Filipino celebration
I didn’t have to be physically present for my mom to prepare something and celebrate my birthday with the rest of her staff. It was very sweet when she sent me these photos when my day was just starting at 9am and they are already partying back home.
Birthday Greetings from all over the World
Thank you to everyone who called, or sent messages and emails all day/night. It just made me appreciate the people I value the most, even when they are located as far as Latin America or Asia or just close to my second home, Europe. A huge appreciation for the simple thoughts and greetings you made on that day.
Party all weekend
Since I just got back from Italy last Thursday I wasn’t really thinking about organizing anything. But as I was bombarded with greetings and phone calls, everyone was asking what’s happening.
Friday night bowling and drinks
So I thought to be spontaneous and my friend suggested a different Friday night activity. That is to go bowling before going for some drinks. A good suggestion indeed, instead of the other way around where I probably would have scored even less… or not? :)
Saturday night dinner, drinks and clubbing
Filipino celebration
I didn’t have to be physically present for my mom to prepare something and celebrate my birthday with the rest of her staff. It was very sweet when she sent me these photos when my day was just starting at 9am and they are already partying back home.
Birthday Greetings from all over the WorldThank you to everyone who called, or sent messages and emails all day/night. It just made me appreciate the people I value the most, even when they are located as far as Latin America or Asia or just close to my second home, Europe. A huge appreciation for the simple thoughts and greetings you made on that day.
Party all weekend
Since I just got back from Italy last Thursday I wasn’t really thinking about organizing anything. But as I was bombarded with greetings and phone calls, everyone was asking what’s happening.
Friday night bowling and drinks
So I thought to be spontaneous and my friend suggested a different Friday night activity. That is to go bowling before going for some drinks. A good suggestion indeed, instead of the other way around where I probably would have scored even less… or not? :)
Saturday night dinner, drinks and clubbing
To add to the last minute planning, I decided to send a mail on Friday afternoon about a party at my place for Saturday night. Most people were back from their holidays so still manage to gather some crowd. However, since the invitation didn’t include the usual Filipino dinner, people came in a little later than usual. They didn't know I couldn’t help but prepare some little snacks- stir fried noodles to symbolize longer life.
The night was still young, and with Abigail visiting all the way from Germany, to come and celebrate our birthday weekend (yes, she's my fellow Scorpion), we had to go out since it was just pre-drinks at my place. We went clubbing at Red Light(not district), around Montparnasse area. The cue was soooo long from entering the club to leaving your jackets inside. It was worth it in the end and lasted until the wee hours of the morning. Later on we got a bit thirsty for some non-alcoholic drinks. That time being very cold, I was craving for some hot chocolate but to no avail since most of the bars were already closed. So ended up just going home and calling it a night.
Sunday concert and Greek dinner
I was pretty much still filled with energy on Sunday morning, waking up at 6am to prepare for this Filipino concert I was part in organizing. It was a project of Work Foundation, located here in Paris, to profile young Filipino singers who have been born here in Paris but you can sense the Filipino singing ability in them. The show was from 2pm-6pm but we had to do preparations as early as 10am and final clean up afterwards. Even though I felt so tired already it was a very interactive show with 500 guests singing and waving with the artists as they try to keep them so alive until 530pm.
The day didn’t end just like that, even though it felt like a full day activity already. I had to celebrate Abigail’s actual birthday. So we went to St. Michel and chose a Greek restaurant upon enough persuasion from the guy in the entrance. Could it be that we said yes because of the free cocktail he offered or just the nice live music inside the restaurant? Maybe it was the combination of all with a very great and filling three-course meal.
It was a great way of celebrating, I definitely feel younger having survived all those activities that simply made it unforgettable.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Feels like winter to me
- We had to adjust our time one hour behind, so now Philippines is 7 hours ahead… so mom please take note when calling on Sunday mornings. Kidding!
- I have to use the light in my office from 4pm, since normally natural light is enough to keep me working
- We have to turn the heater on. I refused to do it the past week thinking I will survive in exchange of saving a few euros. Then again, it might be much more worth it to feel warm inside your own home.
- It’s soooo cold to walk outside and enjoy the view around the streets of Paris. Usually have lots of layers of clothing for me to take a steady shot of the sceneries
- The stores have been showcasing different scarves and gloves, winter coats, leather jackets, & high boots
- I just have to mention again that it’s really cold… how much colder can it get when it’s really winter? brrrrrrrr...... :)
- I have to use the light in my office from 4pm, since normally natural light is enough to keep me working
- We have to turn the heater on. I refused to do it the past week thinking I will survive in exchange of saving a few euros. Then again, it might be much more worth it to feel warm inside your own home.
- It’s soooo cold to walk outside and enjoy the view around the streets of Paris. Usually have lots of layers of clothing for me to take a steady shot of the sceneries
- The stores have been showcasing different scarves and gloves, winter coats, leather jackets, & high boots
- I just have to mention again that it’s really cold… how much colder can it get when it’s really winter? brrrrrrrr...... :)
