Easy Like Sunday Morning

Sunday, June 25, 2006

I'm a certified morning person. I always was. For as long as it doesn't require me from getting up earlier than 8:30 or 9:00 am, I'm all good. By the standards of people my age, 8:30 to 9:00 am is considered very early already. I like it most when I get to wake up on my own time and I get to stay a little longer in bed lying down - yung nagmumuni-muni ba (hehe). I would usually make it a point to get up on or before 10:00 am though. It may be a little surprising or weird to know that I enjoy something as ordinary or mundane as breakfasts. Yes, having breakfasts is a simple pleasure that I truly enjoy. Good coffee and the dailies are a must. I don't know why but I just find it very relaxing. I call it my chill mode. Everything seems on fast forward mode nowadays. I guess it's my way of slowing down. As cheesy as I'm going to sound, nobody seems to take the time out to relish the start of a fresh new day anymore. It's either people wake up to rush off to do their errands or they wake up really late just in time for lunch or worse, for merienda. Kanya-kanyang style siguro. For me, nothing beats starting my day easy like Sunday morning.

Deal or No Deal

Friday, June 23, 2006

Before entering into any contract, you have to think real hard. You have to be more than a hundred times sure that it's what you want, that it's what your heart desires. If the aforementioned is lacking then you better be sure that you have the balls to follow through. Contracts are no laughing matter. You have to be dead set and serious about committing yourself. Sure, other people's opinion especially those close to you, will matter but no one but you will ultimately have the final decision. No matter how hard you try, you can never please everyone anyway. It's not so much about making the popular decision. Rather, it's about making the right decision, one that you're comfortable with. And it's your life after all, not theirs.

However as expected, there are no guarantees. Hence, be always prepared for the worst case scenario. Have a PLAN B, if you will. Having the courage and patience to face and deal with whatever complications and/or consequences that may arise is crucially important. By all means, you have to stick to your guns. You have to stand by your decision. Well unless it's life changing or threatening or you seriously and truthfully can no longer take it anymore then maybe it's okay to want out. Otherwise, you have to be strong enough to hold on tightly for the long haul. It's tough to be tied down by a contract that keeps you from doing freely the things that you're more inclined to do. Worse, it limits you from moving on. From the onset, I had my doubts. I already knew that this wasn't something that I really like or will excel in for that matter. It's not something that I'd see myself happily doing repetitively day in and day out for a long period of time. I knew my limitations. Anything that's either too technical or mathematical is definitely one. I had some reservations. Not being able to enjoy myself and excel are just a couple. But still, I chose the popular decision anyway. While I may have been persuaded, I put no blame on anyone. It was I who signed the contract. It was I who consented to the whole thing. More than the obvious reasons (e.g., family's and other people's expectations, chance to train and live abroad by myself, sizeable training compensation), I took it as a challenge upon myself. I really wanted to learn and hone whatever mathematical or technical skills that I may have left hidden or undiscovered. I know it really wasn't my cup of tea but I wanted to try it out and force myself to learn and like the analytical side of things. I'm not so sure though if it's the job per se that doesn't fit me well, the company I'm working for, or maybe it's the whole corporate world that's getting into me. I mean, the job is quite interesting though but I just don't see myself growing in this company. Maybe I'm just not cut out for all this. Maybe I'm just not fit enough to climb the ladder. Honestly, I have constantly entertained the thought of calling it quits. But deep down, I know that I haven't really exhausted all my options yet. I know that there are still ways and means to make this work. And no matter how unfavorable the situation is or circumstances are, this is still something that can be dealt with accordingly. I know I can make this work if I really want to. I know that I haven't given my very best and maybe if I tried hard enough, I'd be able to pull through with flying colors. I know that eventually something good will come out of this whole experience. I may have gone through a one hell of an emotional roller coaster ride barely six months into the contract but it feels as if I've already gained so much more. I've learned a lot about the business. I've learned how to deal with different kinds of people. I've learned how to face hardships and challenges straight in the eye. Most importantly, I've learned a whole lot about myself. Now that I'm going close to a year and half into my contract, I literally feel stronger and a tad bit wiser. I know I can't quit - especially not now. And despite all the trouble and everything that has happened in the past year and a half, I'm still a-okay and I don't think there's a need for any sort of exit plan or strategy just yet. I've decided I'll take my chances. I'm not going to take the easy way out. So in the meantime though, I'm in this for better or worst for as long as I can endure. And so my answer is, no deal! (no pun intended!)

Any Day but Today?

Friday, June 16, 2006

From Grey's Anatomy, Meredith Grey: A couple of hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success. Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, which you can do today. This is the man who discovered electricity. You think more people would listen to what he had to say. I don't know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I'd have to say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, sometimes the fear is just of making a decision, because what if you're wrong? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo? The early bird catches the worm. A stitch in time saves nine. He who hesitates is lost. We can't pretend we hadn't been told. We've all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day. Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore. Until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin really meant. That knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying.

Makes total sense to me. Now, I just have to figure out a way on how to get my butt moving. I need to stop all the procrastination. Maybe it's about not wanting to get out of my so-called comfort zone. Maybe it's about not being ready. The question is, when am I going to be ready? More like, will I ever be ready? Well, we all have our reasons and/or sorry excuses why we put things off. Often, we've already made our own set of negative assumptions and conclusions before even trying. If things don't work out, so they say experience is the best teacher. Fears and hesitations aside, it's all about giving your one best shot. Only then will you truly know. Only then will you ever know.

The Week That Was

Friday, June 09, 2006

This week has been relatively good at work. This week was like a fresh of breath air to me. I literally breeze through this one. It's not because something or anything big happened. It's just that the work load seemed surprisingly lighter and easier to handle and to top it all of, my boss took a week long worth of vacation leave. Needless to say, I got to go home no later than 7pm for the entire week. I have nothing against my boss. She's nice and all that. It's just that I don't really like working late - that's all. I mean, do I really have to put in more hours just because my boss prefers to work long and late hours? By the time the clock ticks 7pm, I start to lag. My mind starts to wander elsewhere. My energy level starts to drop. I honestly think I'm more prone to making mistakes caused by fatigue and irritation. In short, I'm no longer a happy camper. I really think that going home on my own time is so much healthier. Actually, all my ranting, whining and complaining has been kept to a minimum for the entire week. I'll do away with all that though. Well, eventually. I also noticed that I feel more re-energized and upbeat to go to work the following day. So the week that was was such a refresher minus the usual stress and pressure and yeah, minus my boss. I wish I could have more weeks like this one.

LOL

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Laughter is the best medicine. It really is. When the going gets tough, when everything seems to go wrong and when all else fails, sometimes it does help to just laugh it off rather than overanalyzing or over rationalizing things. I guess it's okay to laugh at my own faults and kapalpakan(s) or even after making a complete fool out of myself. I guess it's better to laugh at an utterly embarrassing moment or at those diyahe and awkward moments. Taking things too seriously, as how most of us would usually react, wouldn't necessarily help alleviate the situation. Worrying over and over again wouldn't actually help either. Unless you are this highly gifted person who can turn back time, which I highly doubt, there's no point in crying over spilled milk. Sometimes it's better to just be yourself and act or look silly rather than trying to impress other people by trying too damn hard to act and look "cool." Sablay na kung sablay! Enough of the pagpapa-impress crap. Doesn't laughing make you feel light and easy? It makes you feel good. It makes you feel better on bad days that seem to drag on. Have you ever thought about how laughter has the power to connect us to each other? They say, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." It's a starting point for strangers and acquaintances alike. It's a common ground for extremely different people, for people of different ages, for people from different walks of life. It's like a safety net for people who are na-diya-diyahe with each other. It's like a ceasefire for people who are at odds with each other. It's like a familiar song for friends and family. It's like therapy for the problematic people (drinking aside, corny jokes are your best weapons). It's like band-aid for the hurt and wounded. It's like the sound of music for the sad and lonely. It's like a comfort blanket for the hopeless. It can be a very good icebreaker for whatever occasion or situation. Laughter is free and unlimited. It's good for the heart, mind and soul, so why don't we laugh more often?

Angry People

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

I have my issues. You have your issues. We all have our own issues to deal with. There are different ways of coping and I don't think resorting to anger is one of them - definitely not. I can't seem to fathom how some people couldn't seem to control their anger, how they are consumed by so much anger and even rage in extreme cases. These people have very short fuses that anything can and will tick them off. More often than not, you would've to tread on thin ice around these people. They couldn't and wouldn't accept any criticism. It's their way or the highway. Everything will have to depend on their mood swings. Just imagine a light switch and that's literally how fast they go on and off. It scares me to think of the things that these people are capable of doing if and when the time comes that they could no longer control their anger, when they become blinded by so much anger, when rage becomes them. Maybe it's a psychological problem? I wouldn't really know. I couldn't understand either how some people could get so enrage that they seem to lose it altogether. You can no longer knock any sense into them. Anger distorts thinking. Anger makes you say and do hurtful and stupid things. Anger makes you deviate from the real issue at hand. Anger is like opening Pandora's Box, all hell breaks loose. Yeah sure, anger is an emotion, it's something that we feel whether we like it or not. We are after all, emotional beings. However let us not forget that we too are intellectual beings capable of rational thinking, of controlling our emotions and responses to any given situation - it is precisely what separates us from our cats and dogs. Things will go wrong. Things will not always go our way, or as planned or expected. So deal. Count 1 to 100 if you have to! It doesn't give you the right though to lash out on other people. We are all but in the same boat. You feel misunderstood? So does every freaking single person in this planet! So grow up and deal. I've always been a firm believer of diplomacy. Anger should (at least) be the last resort. Anger should not even be an option to begin with. For instance, powerful leaders of small and big nations alike would know that it is but common sense to exhaust all means and venues possible peacefully before even thinking about going to war. Otherwise, it will create serious repercussions and consequences in the international community. They will have to be answerable to everyone as mutual understanding, trust, respect and support will begin to falther along the way. There is absolutely nothing positive in anger. Anger only begets resentment, hate and hurt. Just as in war, there are only losers. To make it even more plain and easy, how could a simple businessman with anger management issues manage his people if he couldn't and wouldn't even control himself? How would he expect his people to respect him and to cooperate? Fear will never earn you respect. How would you expect to get your message across? How would you expect people to understand you? How would you expect people to be sympathetic towards you? I've always tried to tolerate people with anger management issues but I can only take so much. There comes a point when enough is enough. Letting them just be for the sake of maintaining harmonious relationships would just encourage repetitive destructive behavior. I believe that change should come from within but of course, they can always opt to seek for professional or spiritual help anytime. They might also want to try yoga. Who knows, they might find the inner peace that they've been looking for all this time in between stretches and meditations.

Trip ko to'

Friday, April 21, 2006

I really enjoyed Australia. Well just enough for me to want to actually live or even migrate there. I was looking forward to this year's summer or Holy Week trip to Australia because I've never been there but I wasn't really expecting much though. All I wanted was just to have a long break from work - anything just to get away. It turned out to be one of the trips that topped my favorites list. Australia was all positive vibes - place and people alike. It was all good. What I liked most is how everything is so laid back and how they have their "own" thing going on. I mean, I can barely see and feel any traces of Western or European influence around. As of the moment, Australia is the place to be - at least for me, that is. I don't care if the place is potentially boring as some may say or if shops close at 5pm. Really it's true. No kidding, they even close at 4pm on weekends! If only I could, I'd really want to try it out there for a couple of months or so. I'm actually contemplating on finding work in Australia. That is, if I get lucky. Also, I still have an existing contract until the end of February of next year so I guess I'll just have to wait and see until then. Nothing's definite yet though, I'll have to reconsider whatever options that I have next year. Hopefully, I won't chicken out when the time comes. I have this bad habit of getting cold feet especially on extra special or unusual occasions when I need to step up big time. I'd usually choose or take the easy way out as I'm quite comfortably used to how (or the way) things are already that when change presents itself, I get all shaken up. It's funny though how I often think about change but would end up getting cold feet when the opportunity of change comes knocking at my door. Sometimes I admittedly need to put in a whole lot more of effort in the things that I do. I need to push myself a little more to go the extra mile. I also think now is the best time to try, discover and experience something new and different. There's no better time than now. I'm not getting any younger anymore. I guess if I really want to make things happen, I'll have to really follow through. The culture will surely be different. The people, I wouldn't know for sure. Everyone has been fairly nice and pleasant though (except for this Mr. Russell Hilary - well he's been taken cared of by now, I'm pretty sure his superior would've already read what we had to say on their comments sheet heehee!). I know it wouldn't be all easy and fun. I would definitely need a great deal of time to adjust and blend in to the people and their way of life. After all, I've only stayed there for a couple of weeks and I was on vacation at that so I wouldn't really know how the real life in Australia would be like. Who knows, I may even want to go back to Manila after a while. Going into the unknown can be exciting, scary and difficult all at the same time but you wouldn't really know for sure, right? Sometimes you've got to take chances, you've got to take risks to know and figure things out for yourself. Whether you stumble, you fall and you get hurt, at the end of the day you just have to dust off the dirt, pick up the pieces, get up and move on. It ain't easy but it's not impossible either.

Wow Mali!

Saturday, April 01, 2006

We've all probably had some Wow Mali! experiences at some point or another. Well, I had one awhile ago. We had dinner at Heat and as we were walking to our table, there was this girl who was waving and I wasn't sure if I knew her. I was like, "You waving at me?" I smiled and waved back - as in with matching kaway pa. She looked familiar kasi. She looked like a classmate of mine in high school. I wasn't sure nga lang. It's been ages since I last saw her. I thought maybe she just gained a couple of pounds. I was just about to say her name, actually I blurted out her name already "X?!!" with matching "OMG! I haven't seen you in ages" expression when somebody rushed ahead of me. Turns out, I wasn't the one she's waving to. Talk about embarrassing! I had a good laugh though.