My Blog

It was a Wednesday, pretty busy day at the office, like any other ordinary working day. Renee, my seatmate was so busy chatting with her friends, Maggie was on the phone talking to her BF in HK. After a while, they paused, then Maggie whispered something to Renee. Renee’s eyes grew wide open like it was really something exciting what Maggie told her. I was on the phone with an agent in HK and browsing through a client’s files but my eyes were all staring at Renee & Maggie. Can’t wait to get off the phone. After a hard core argument with the agent, I forgot to get upset cause I was so excited to know the news. Is it good or bad? Whew! Renee left me hanging so I rompi coglioni her tanto to tell me the news. Then she whispered to me in a soft & happy voice: "Maggie is soon leaving for HK.." What???!!! So soon??? How soon??? In three days…what d f*ck! Sh*t! I’m happy for her but soooooo sad she’s leaving Shanghai! Maggie is one of my closest friends in the office, I’ve had a lot before, Mandy, Tina, Flora, Beth…they all left! Like my previous ‘tongshi’ (chinese name for officemates), Maggie is one I go home with, shop with, have coffee with, share lunch with, etc. We have this habit of window shopping before going home from work which ends up swiping our cards in the counter. We have a lot of things in common: Mango, Zara, Italian men, philosophy in love and in life, etc. I really felt bad about her moving out of Shai too soon. This means just me & Renee. This is only the first day of my agony.

Thursday came…Renee is not on her table, she’s stuck in a meeting with the Senior Associates and her boss. When she went back to the office, she looked so confused & unhappy. Then she told me she’s leaving in a week, her boss’ leaving Shai & she wants to find another job. She doesn’t wanna stick around working for another associate. Her feelings are contagious, I panicked, worry, confused if I would still want to stay, after knowing in just two consecutive days that my closest buddies will be leaving soon. That leaves me hanging out with the guys…naaaaahhh…it’s different, gurl talks! But I can handle…ok, I love those guys. They’re so nice to us Maggie, Me, & Renee.

I thought I had enough for that week, Friday came. Owen (my boss) talked to me & just blurted out another surprise, he will be moving to another office a few floors above our current office cause he just got promoted. That means I’m also moving upstairs with him. This time, greater responsibility and dealing with new people. Oh noh, what’s happenin to the world???!! Have I been too rude on those Chinese on the subway that I’m being punished??

That was the greatest weekend of my life, most tragic that is, news varies everyday & even before I can make any plans, things around me changes. To top it off, we had a sad buffet dinner in the usual Japanese restaurant we used to go to. All of us girls, and all the guys. Then before our first sip of ’sake’, James announced he’s leaving soon for NYC. Dinner was good but my tummy was churning, you know that feeling of uncertainty, fear, & worry. AMA won’t be the same again. Before we left, Panicko had a fight with the restaurant manager for a small service problem. That led us all with no appetite to go out & have fun after dinner. We all left the restaurant in our separate ways, sad. I’m not gonna see Maggie Monday at the office again and this is how it ended.

It’s so sad living in a city like Shanghai, people come and go and nobody is certain to stay. Just like me & Manuel, we ‘might’ leave Shai, who knows. My ex-boss Viviana already left, she’s now enjoying her home in Roma while her Shai BF went back to LA. Irina will soon be leaving for Poland, to manage her dads new company. Lisbeth ‘might’ move to Australia or Spain (wherever she feels like). Manuela is soon moving to India, Dirga is already there. Dennis the Russian already left. Most of those youngsters I met last summer are no longer here, they just stayed for a year to study Chinese: Juan, Jose, David, Hassam, etc. No more house parties with them. There may be new faces, but the party’s not the same. Every people I meet here seems interesting but from now on, I will try to avoid getting too close to them. It hurts me when friends leave. It’s nice to meet new people but I prefer old friends, they’re more valuable to me. I think this is how my friends way back in Cebu felt when I left for Shanghai. I was also sad when I left it really broke my heart, I miss my kagaw friends, my elnk friends, expedia friends, handuo-handuo… the only way I can keep them all is to keep those bitter sweet memories in my heart. to all my friends, even when I don’t have time to call you or SMS you, i miss you all. Thanks for being a significant part of my life.