Positivity!

Source: The Daily Therapy

Buhay Gobyerno.

I officially became part of the government when I started working way back in 2007. My participation was the usual remittance of 10-15% of my monthly salary which was forwarded to our government in different forms and in different agencies. It was the time when I came to know who BIR, SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth are. It was also in the same circumstance when I gradually accepted that they will STICK with me forever.

Since my starting salary was quite low compared to my batch mates who were working in Manila, I did not really complain on the monthly deductions. I did not really mind how much they were deducting as long as I have enough money to spend whenever my friends and I would dine out or have the usual get together. That was until I started to work in Ateneo.

I was blessed to have a faculty-ranked position when I applied in Ateneo in October 2008. It was a position under one of the busiest or should I say the busiest office in Ateneo. The salary was really beyond my needs, it even supported my ‘frequent wants'. However, that was also the same year when I started to become more aware of my hard-earned money.

I began to question, where does my money go? How come that they are deducting this much? I slowly began to imagine bundles of thousands coming from the monthly obligation of all workers, not to mention the taxes from big companies, multinational companies.

And it all stopped there.

Not until I became part of the work force of the government.

I was hired as Guidance Counselor of the Department of Education, Camarines Sur Division last November 21, 2012. I was assigned at Pamukid National High School, San Fernando, Camarines Sur instead of Pili National High School, my supposedly first work assignment. I have to wake-up at 5:30am everyday and be ready by 6:15am for my 30-40 minute travel. I have to admit that the daily transport is quite tedious on my part considering that my body is not used to long travels.

When I first learned about my appointment in DepEd, I immediately informed my relatives particularly my aunts who were also working in the government. They were both happy and apprehensive. Apprehensive because they know how the system in the government works: the 'usual procedure' and the existing 'protocol'. They basically gave me tips for survival.

Being me, I reported on my first day with excitement. I usually have this kind of disposition whenever there is something new in my routine. My first jeepney ride was quite a thrill, I didn't know where I should say 'para po', how much I should pay and worst, I don't know where Pamukid is in San Fernando. Good thing jeepneys have 'konduktor', they are for me a 'mobile tour guide'.

Finding Pamukid National High School is not that hard, you can easily see the big signage beside the road.  However, you would still need to take a few steps before you reach the gates of the school. Our school houses around 990 students with 35 personnel, 29 teaching and 6 non-teaching personnel.

The moment I entered the campus, I felt awkward. Perhaps because I was overdressed that time. I was wearing my black slacks and a semi-formal top. I wanted to make a good impression to my future boss and I remembered that 'power dressing' is an important factor if you want to make an impression, a good one :) Nevertheless, I continued to dress in the same manner even until now, because if I don't, the students might mistaken me as their classmate.

The days turned to weeks and months. By February 21, I'd be celebrating my third month here in our institution. However, it feels like I've been working here for ages and with my short stay, I was able to note a few things that I should always keep in mind.

1. Our work schedule is from 7:30am until 4:30pm. However, based on my observation, in the morning, some people tend to stretch the 7:30am call time to 7:45am or worse until 8:00am. BUT during dismissal, everyone seems to be in a hurry. 4:30 is 4:30. No extensions if possible. Yes, working overtime is a mortal sin not unless there is a school occasion.
2. Not everyone is given a 'blessing'. If you receive one, better keep it to yourself.
3. Almost all teachers would complain about how low their salary is, to think that their daily rate is way higher than the regular daily rate. I came to understand the reason behind after I saw how impulsive they are whenever there are sales representative visiting our campus. If one teacher bought an item, they must buy as well. Talk about competition.
4. Noise pollution is not new in public schools. It's either you go with it or you just bear the noise that's cracking the walls of your office. Perhaps this is the reason of my frequent migraine attacks.
5. It's really rare for teachers to keep their mouth shut and it's quite impossible for them to speak in low voices except during meetings.
6. When you're preparing meals or snacks for a visitor, always include the total number of employees in your school. It's a habit I think and again, I think this is the reason why some schools have depleting MOOE fund.
7. Always know where you stand. Some practices in the government would really test you and your values. Just stick to your values because you can never go wrong if your principles are clear.
8. Know when to 'read between the lines'. Some people would use sarcasm either as a form of joke or to indirectly tell you how they feel towards you. Be sensitive. Know when to smile and know when to reason out. Timing is very important.
9. Find someone who shares the same work value as you do. This will really help a lot particularly in coping with your working environment.

These only comprises a portion of my mental notes. I will try to add more as I try to remember them.

Nevertheless, I am happy where I am now. The longer I stay here, the more that I am convinced that I am needed here. Working in the public sector is quite a challenge, not because of the task but because of the people around you. Perhaps, I'll allot a separate blog entry for the more inspiring story/stories.

Valentine Pledge

Today, I will commit to love and serve my God unconditionally in every way.

I pledge myself to choose and love the right, the good, the fair and the true.

I will be the light that will ignite a person’s hope to help them cope.

I will be the strength to those who lose their way to keep them back on track.

I will comfort and soothe those who are in pain to restore their smiles.

I will treat everyone with respect, the way I respect my loved ones.

I will learn how to apologize even if it would mean swallowing my own pride.

I will intently evaluate every consequence before I decide to make an action.

I will become a person who takes responsibility over his actions.

I will also learn how to respect the property of others.

I will value it the way I value my things.

I will listen and hear others

And I will never judge them because it is the right thing to do.

I will love others and treat them with kindness

Because after all, they are my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Follow Your Dreams

Source: The Daily Therapy

Work for a Cause

Source: The Daily Therapy

Do What Makes You Happy

Source: The Daily Therapy

Something to Ponder On

Maybe God wanted us to meet the wrong people before meeting the right

one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to
be grateful for that gift.

Maybe when the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often
times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one
which has been opened for us.

Maybe the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and
swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was
the best conversation you've ever had.

Maybe it is true that we don't know what we have got until we lose it,
but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until
it arrives.

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love
you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in
their heart; but if it does not, be content it grew in yours.

It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like
someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget
someone.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that
fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a
smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your
heart smile.

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just
want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real.

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you
want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all
the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you
happy.

Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you,
it probably hurts the other person, too.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have
searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the
importance of people who have touched their lives.

Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you
can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and
heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was
smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you are the one who is
smiling and everyone around you is crying.

-- Author Unknown

Random Thought

Honestly, you don't have the obligation to explain to everyone where you are coming from because if they really care, they won't be pitching for questions. They won't doubt and judge you, because they KNOW you. They will be there to LISTEN because after all, that is all you need, someone who will LISTEN. 

Why Good Employees Leave

by:  David W. Richard

A study came up with this surprising finding: If you're losing good people, look to their immediate supervisor. More than any other single reason, he is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why they quit, taking their knowledge, experience and contacts with them. Often, straight to the competition.

"People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. "So much money has been thrown at the challenge of keeping good people - in the form of better pay, better perks and better training - when, in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue."

If you have a turnover problem, look first to your managers and supervisors.

Beyond a point, an employee's primary need has less to do with money, and more to do with how he's treated and how valued he feels. Much of this depends directly on the immediate manager.

Losing part of YOURSELF

Pencil: I'm sorry

Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.

Pencil: I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.

Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.

Ring Finger

According to tradition in some countries (derived from Roman belief), the wedding ring is worn on the left ring finger because the vein in the left ring finger, referred to as the vena amoris, was said to be directly connected to the heart, as a symbol of love.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_finger

The Bucket List

Earlier today, I was trying to recall where I wrote my original bucket list. I am not sure if I was brave enough to share it to my pseudo-readers (if I have any at all) or I just tried to keep it to myself then will just blog about the experience once I crossed out the particular item in my bucket list. Hmm.. I think I would prefer the former :)

To give you a short background, the so called bucket list started with the movie with the same title. It was shown in 2007 which starred Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Freeman was a mechanic while Nicholson was a billionaire who also owned the hospital where they are both confined at. They both had lung cancer and eventually they became friends while they were undergoing the treatment. It was Freeman who started writing the 'things that he wanted to do before he dies' while Carter, while learning about Freeman's plans, offered to finance his 'trips'.

I came across the story because of Kuya Egz. Kuya Egz, whom I fondly call 'Gier', is one of the best people in the university whom you can consult about music and movies. When I say consult, it's like if you're looking for a music for a particular formation session, music that has meaning, then he is the 'guy'. As for movies, he may have seen almost all the tear-jerker movies of every decade and he can easily recommend what is best, let's say for a particular session or if you are simply looking for a quality movie that you can watch over the weekend. Yes, he is the king of soundtrack and films.

Back to my bucket list. I tried to remember the things that I originally wrote and perhaps I will be adding more in the near future. What's important is that I was able to document my bucket list this time. So, here goes.

Tintin's Bucket List

1. Learn how to swim (I partly know how to swim now, am just trying to practice the intervals in breathing and the hand stroke during for a freestyle)
2. Travel to one foreign place every year (I did this for the last two years and this year was my first international trip)
3. Be employed in a foreign country (*fingers crossed*)
4. Get married at the age of 26 (Maybe I could make it 27, in case)
5. Learn how to play the guitar (Still thinking when I could do this)
6. Learn how to drive (When? Soon?)
7. Name my daughter Sophia Danielle
8. Have at least 3 dogs in my OWN house
9. Talk to a random stranger and offer him/her a ride home
10. Learn how to cook
11. Have my own website
12. Sing infront of 1,000 people
13. Give my mom her dream shop - her own flower shop
14. Admit to one person that I was crushing on him
15. Learn one foreign language
16. Learn how to surf

Cravings

This is one of my favorite food from Bigg's. Their Tenderloin Tips is one of the best. Plus, when you get to dine with the coolest people, it's one deal that you shouldn't miss. 

Marriage

“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

... Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed -dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

Source: Random post from Facebook :)

Happy April Fools!

I fell in love with a PANDA :)

He is the cutest and most innocent looking panda I have ever seen :)

In God's perfect TIME

Such a cliche isn't it? We've been hearing this phrase but it seems ineffable in real life. Even I can't seem to understand what it means, particularly if it has something to do with my career. Ok, you might be wondering where I'm coming from.

It was September 15, 2011 when I finally had the courage to write my boss about my request to be transferred to the new Alumni Office. The office will be managed by Mr. Karl Llorin, the former USRO director and is currently the Presidential Assistant for International and Alumni Affairs. I was hesitant at first for fear that she might not permit me and when I had the will power to type my sentiments in a one page letter, I simply had to let the flow carry me through. I believe it was the spirit who was guiding me.

Eventually, my boss is on retreat that time so I just had to ask my friend to bring it to her at the retreat house. The retreat went on for 3 days and counting the days felt like weeks. I told myself that I had to anticipate a 'NO' from her. So you could really sense the feeling of surprise when she said that it was ok with her, that I just needed to formalize the request and we're good to go.

A few weeks after, application letters from the Personnel Services were coming in the office. I was glad, liberation has finally come, I said to myself. Then, there she was, the applicant who stood out in the interview with the DAVP. They were two af first but my boss had to prioritize the older applicant, maybe because she is more mature for the job. Eventually, just last Wednesday, the supposed-to-be-replacement went to the office and from the look of the DAVP's face, I knew that something was wrong. Alas! Indeed, there was. She was apologizing to the DAVP since she could no longer work at the institution since her boss (her current employer) did not allow her to resign.

Now, I am still stuck at the DAVP Office, still hoping and praying that my replacement will SOON come. If only I could command the applicant to FAST TRACK everything, not because I wanted to leave the DAVP ASAP, but because there are a lot of things that we still need to settle with our new office. Even Herold, a very good friend, shared that I have the right to leave the office even without the replacement because in the very first place, it was not my fault that SHE backed out. I'd like to entertain his point but I doubt if it is okay with the DAVP.

Life, oh life. Really, waiting is inevitable. Too bad I don't have the 'quality' of patience that He does. I just hope that there is a reason for this delay. That with the current circumstances, He has really not forgotten me because I know one day, someday, I am BOUND to understand how God defines TIME.

Mango Crepe

Mango Crepe from Smalltalk Cafe is looove 

Blair Waldorf

I've always been a fan of Leighton Meester. I was awed by how she carries herself and her kikay outfit when I met her as Blaire Waldorf from Gossip Girl. Since then, I was in love with her.. haha! Anyhow, just sharing a painting I got from google which depicts her 'maldita' personality :)

True?