Archive for February 2013

The week has been a busy one for me. I think the number of clients I dealt with over the phone increased this week compared to the past ones. Add up the cold and rainy weather last Friday. It really made me think "what if I just stay in bed and sleep all day today?" Haha! But I did not give in because I have work to do -- and there are a lot of it.

But! I found refuge on some stuff enough to erase the stress of handling a lot of things to do. Thankfully, though, my work is not over the top stressful and that the remedies I found were in fairness, effective:

Back then, I really don't utilize a planner for a silly reason -- I don't really know what to write in it. But when I think of it now, I finally got the logic. Indeed, having one is such a huge help in managing my schedule. Nowadays, my planner has my to-do list, the leave schedules of our lawyers and staff, which is important especially since I talk to clients on the phone on a daily basis; some words of inspiration, after-work commitments and even the people I got to talk to (friends mostly) on a particular day. Writing down reminders indeed can save someone's sanity and from having those "I got mixed up" moments.

Stress is visible from the outside so why not minimize it by applying some hues on the face. While I started using makeup when I turned 25, I really did not take it seriously (as in on a daily basis). But nowadays, I make it a point to really allot a few minutes to prettify myself when I reach the office in the morning. No, I don't do it at home because I commute to work and given the pollutants I tend to catch on the road, the dust could beat all what I put on. One does not really have to take too long (as if you're prepping up for a wedding) because you can even do it in as fast as five minutes.

But the most effective way to fight stress is by eating. And by eating I don't mean the walang disiplina stress binge-chowing type. I've been guilty of relying to fast food diet of sausage muffin and large vanilla iced coffee for so long to the point that my taste buds just surrendered to it one day -- which I am thankful of. I have been noticing the sandwich shop, Subway right across the office just near Eastwood Excelsior and I've been a fan not just of their products (I discovered I could finish a 6-inch sub sandwich on my own) but of healthy food options as well which is good thing.

To sum it up, my measures are just three basic rules: PLAN, PRETTIFY, FEED. And it does more than just the usual magic.

Blogging on a Friday night. My internet connection is finally restored after almost a week, but since my brother kidnapped my laptop (with my permission) I'm blogging on another source.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. How was your celebration? For sure a lot of people are still having a hang-over of this so-called "Couple's Holiday". You also would want to ask me if I got envious seeing those ladies with flowers in their hands (and huge bouquets at that). Well, sadly it's not like that. One thing I realized was while this day is commercialized, huge bouquets of flowers are not practical. Especially if you don't have your own car and you'll just commute going home. Nakakaawa ang mga flowers. Nakakahinayang na masisira and it will just wilt in a day or two -- if not in a week.

You might be wondering how mine was. Well, mine was typical. And while I have known myself to be someone who has never celebrated this day (even when I was still in a relationship ages ago), I will not hide that I sort of wanted some variety this year.

As always, I spent my my day mostly at work. This is my second time to celebrate Valentine's Day at the office and as I was busy with the paperwork, my office mate, Bernice gave me this card. We also held an open-microphone singing contest at the end of the workday where employees were allowed to sing to their heart's content.

This shot was taken a week before Valentine's. Yesterday, I spent the remaining minutes of my lunch time inside the church. It was one of my wishes to spend time inside a church ALONE. And yesterday, I got it. While it sounded creepy, and the silence inside the church might be eerie to some, I did not feel that way. Instead, it felt wonderful to be sitting inside a place of worship, taking delight in the silence and the light of the afternoon as I tried to verbalize my heart's desire to God for a different Valentine's Day.

I left work promptly at 4:00 pm because I planned to see one of my former professors, Ma'am Cez Villegas as I won't be doing anything post office hours. We had this wacky photo session with the students and her friend and colleague, Mrs. De Guzman. Once we were back to our "normal selves" off we went to this "hole-in-the-wall" coffee shop, Don Antonio's Cafe which is just a few steps away from the university. You might think it looked familiar. Well, it is. The said place has been there all along but I did not discover it until August last year when one of my friends invited me here to hang out post work. We shared Fish n' Chips (which I have been craving for for some time) and what else can I say? It's tastes the same, as delicious as that of being served in the restaurants near my office, without costing me an arm and a leg.

And while I was with Ma'am Cez yesterday, I received this phone call from one of my friends, Januver (but what's on my phone ID is his nickname spelled the in same way to that of one my favorite US presidents). I don't normally receive phone calls on Valentine's Day, and if I do, it's the work-related ones.It was a short conversation filled with tummy-aching chuckles enough to turn me beet red because of laughing so hard!

Now, who says you should be a Valentine Grinch because you're single? I want to believe, God answered what I asked for in the way He wanted (and I was prepared for that unexpectedly) for He literally gave me a different Valentine's Day. Who says it's all about mushiness and flowers? I got a job, I was in the company of lighthearted people, had a simple feast on good food and I've been blessed with a funny yet thoughtful friend.

At the end of the day it just makes me think... I've got all that I needed. And I am more than happy and thankful.

"Rejection isn't failure. Failure is giving up. Everybody gets rejected. It's how you handle it that determines where you'll end up.”

-Richard Castle-

Rather than Valentine's Day, one of the things that I look forward to is the annual UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) Results. I am no longer in the academe but the thrill of finding out who made it to "the cut" never fails to excite me. When the exams were held last year, one of my students Ron braved and took the challenge.

12 years ago, I took the said challenge hoping to make it to the premier state university in the country. While it was enticing to try other schools (especially the elite ones), I only hoped for UP and took it seriously.

I waited and waited and waited for months in the hope that I'll eventually receive the wonderful news. But in the process of waiting, few months before graduation, I had noticed this school. I even passed by in front of this place every single day for months. And while this school is also a state university just like UP, I still had my eyes and my mind on passing by The Oblation daily the following school year.

However, it seemed that God has greater, more different plans for me. The day came only for me to find out that I did not make it. Of course it was devastating but I tried my best to move on. I tried other universities in Manila. But it's as if relocating for a degree is not in His plan.

Like others, I bargained -- to God and to my parents. It was my mom who tried (and tried hard at that) to convince me to enroll at the University of Rizal System and we made a deal that I will just stay there for a semester if not a year and try my luck at UP again and transfer.

Funny but it never happened. I stayed there for four years and eventually got my diploma from the said university.

You might ask me, do I still have regrets that I did not pass the UPCAT and that I did not qualify at UP. And my answer would be somewhat but then again, NO. When I think of it, I am lucky in more ways that I could ever imagine. I got educated without leaving my hometown and my parents. It's now, almost 8 years after I graduated that I come to realize I gained something out of one person's (who happens to be one of our former mayors) vision of establishing a state university in the municipality -- and that is being able to get quality education without having to go through the hassles of studying in Manila (price, distance and all).

Choosing to stay and just let go of my Oblation Dream sure was not easy; but in the end, it was worth it. My alma mater became a witness to a lot of events. From how I gained milestones, how I fulfilled some of my dreams, how I fell in love and had my heart broken (but that's deserves a separate entry). I got employed in a prestigious university three weeks after graduation, lived my dream of being a published writer by working for one of the multinational companies in the country, became a daughter of Uncle Sam with my former job in a US advertising company before landing my current job in an Australian law firm. In between these careers, it proved me one thing: Getting to where you want to be and finding your place in the sun is not always about from what school you are from.

To those who passed, congratulations. Not everyone is given that opportunity so never let it slip away and instead, make the most out of it. For those who did not make it, Take heart. There's one great reason behind it. And believe that it's going to be far better than you think it is.

Photo: URS Angono Facebook page.